The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-10-09
THE TRIBUNE ON VISIONS.

The Tribune is in a gretesque and dreary
middle about the manifesto 1t has been
declaring for days that the official declara-
ton of President WOODRUFF was simply
tbs opinion OF one man, albeit that man was
the head Of the church, and therefore had
no particular significance. 1t declared that
unless the assembled people of the church
should formally ratify that declaration, it
would take no stock in it. To its infinite
cnagrin and rage. the assembled people did
that very thing, and now it is at loss what
to say next 1t declared first that inasmuch
as the manifesto was not given by the presi-
dent as revelation TO the church, it was Of
no avail and the people would not be guided
by It. But the people did accept it, and the
disappointed plotter is biting his fingers in
vexation thereat.
However, the disgruntled sheet must do
something, and it now says that the scenes
OF Nauvoo viii have to be repeated against
the Mormons, because, forsooth, it is
pleased to allege that the Mormons have
given their consciences to the priests The
proof of this final crime of which the Nor
mons are said to be guilty is that they do
for men who are trying to disfrancnise
them
Then the sheet pretends the declaration
is revelation, and proceeds to jest about
it or that ground; though it declared two
days ago that the declaration was not a
revelation; and although no one to day has
heard any one except the lying sheet say
it was a revelation. Then it proceeds to
discourse on dreams and visions, led by
President WooDRUFF's Renaissance that
he had seen JOSEPH SMITH in a vision.
By mixing in with the declaration this
account of a vision, the sheet manages to
insinuate that the manifesto was revela-
ton, and thence proceeds to ridicule the
Mormons for believing in revelation, the
final conclusion being that the Mormons
ought to be driven from Utah.
1t is simply the summit of impudence for
this Bashi- bazouk sheet to discuss relig-
ious questions. 1t cannot conceive of such
themes; but after such maudlin treatment
of religious theme to conclude from it
that the Mormons should be driven out be-
is a little too much.
We do not pretend TO any particular SIX III
in theology, nor do we care to attempt to
unravel any of the arcana of religion We
are more especially concerned with peo-
ple's daily life than with their faith, with
their acts rather than their thoughts.
Accordingly, we leave each man to decide
for himself his obligations to his Creator.
and prefer TO NEEDLE not at all with his
conclusions in this respect, whatever they
may be. Least of all, however, would we
seek to convey the idea that there are nc
such obligations. Nevertheless, though
theology is not strictly within our field OF
discussion, we may notice an idea thrown
out by sheet whose chief occupation con-
sists in clumsy, Indirect Trades against re-
ligion in general by its railing at Mormon
ism in particular.
The Tribune affects to ridicule the idea
that President WOODRUFF could have q
vision. In the next column it gravely
credits that SAUL had one. It remarks that
President WOODRUFF is an honest man and
is honest in believing he saw vision OF
JOSEPH SMITH. Having read the history OF
St. PAUL it must admit that there is nc
greater inherent reason why the latter
should be favored with vision than the
former. Indeed on the supposition that
visions can be had at all, we know of moth
ing in the physical constitution of nature,
or in the probable dealings of the Almighty
with his children, that renders vision
credible that was seen eighteen hundred
years ago. and denies crediDility to one
seen to-day. If visions are in themselves
incredible, they were as much so eighteen
hundred years ago as they are to-day.
Really, the sheet cares nothing for whether
the Mormons believe in dreams and Wis.
ions. It's only care is to keep up the wal
on the Mormons, that its editor may be the
Utah Delegate to Congress, and its friends
fill all the Offices in Utah.