Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-09-10
"ruE reRrrREsslnLr noRaoSs.v

"TlIE IRREPREssiBLE MORMONs.'
The Philadelphia american recently
had y long editorial on "rhe irrepres-
slbls Mormons," from which We take
the following;
"Findlng. therefore, that Tho Church
Of Jesus Christ Of I.attor-day Saints
which Is tho lilo Of record Of what Il
popularity known as Mormonism, pro-
iesses all that admitted Christian scots
profess. both IN matter and form, Il be-
comes n marvel that II has not only sur
vivod tho yicissitndes that are the lot Of
now departures, but has even grown
steadily for fiiy years. it, pilgrimage l.
remarkable. Forced from the spot Of H.
origin, Il first pitched IT. tents In Ohio.
Again driven out, II settled In Illinois.
Thence II was driven 10 domicilo In MIS-
souri,. whence, amer brief struggle, Il
struck cut for tho heart u the
continent and pitched liz tents In
tho region about salt Lake. Tho
Mormons found desert, nnd they
created garden, built temples and
founded great city far. very 'iar from
the madling crowd' 10 Ignore this
wonderful vitality, this unprecedented
persistence under idynrso circumstances,
In discussing the Mormon question, Is 10
ignore what Is really the most remark
able feature Of tho movement. Tho
quality Of persistence constitutes the key
to the problem. Had Il boon u different
race ihore might have been something Ia
that to account for tho survival. But tho
movement was ofiguated and has always
been carried forward by tho Anglo
Saxon mco. It has recruited itself
chiefly from that stock. It had some un-
dcnlably superior lntollects at H. head,
aud within ~ jurisdiction II has gov
crnod succo-fnlly. II is, u course,
hlomrchal force, but H. economic results
indispuiably provo that II has governed
skilmlly aud wisely.
"llaying converted an arid land Into q
mazg VI mrtile fnrmstoad., IT, chiefs
pushed out colonies In different directions.
Wherever Il planted colonies they Hour
ishod. Becoming trucnlont In success,
tho hierarchy donod tho Federal govern
mont added plural marriage TO IL, lnsti-
buttons, and sot itself 10 check all coloni.
kaiion not In la Interest. These were a.
great mistakes, mud II found itself ar
rayod not only against the civil power of
tho nation ntagainst tho moral souso Of
tho millions outside " it, habitat. There
could DO only ono solution Of tho prob
lom--anothor departure. Accordingly Il
has turned out, aud, turning their faces
To the southwark, the Mormons have In.
vadod two Mexican statcs, and taking up
the rich valley lands, have already trans
formed the Wilderness into smiling farm
-toads. .Thi. N doubtless preliminary
to tho migration Of the hierarchy. In
which case tho Mormon problem will be
solved, No far rs this country IL con-
ccrnod. aud tho books will bo closed"
There arc two errors In the foregoing
which need correcting; one is that the
"hierarchy," by which the "AIormon"
Church " mistakenly designated, "sct
itself To check all colonization not
In Ia interest,"" and the other Ia that
"thc Mornons" speaking Of thcm a. n
body have "set their faces TO the south.
ward" preliminary to the migration
OF the hierarchy" into Mexico.
II IL not true that the incoming OF
people unfavorsblc TO the "AIormonp
interest has been prevented or checked
by the Church, and It Is not true that
any extensive migration OF the "Alor.
mon" people into Mexico has occurred
or Ia contemplated.
The rest Of the article puts the sub
Ject fairly, hut "Mormonism" while
being essentially Christian In its
doctrine and discipline does not accept
the vagaries Of tho various scots. lts
steady growth In the past Ia promise
OF It's future vitality and progress, and
ut no very distant date the world will
have TO acknowledge that II Is a religion.
power Ia the earth.