West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1893-08-24
MORMoNs AND SUCH.
written for the Anau..

county of those birds of passage
Mormon Elders--recalls the nows-
paper racket OF tho Seventh Day
Advenhsts some months ago. Hap
pening to have been thrown in con-
tact. with this latter denomination
hero in California, l will try to
recommend said denomination to
your readers. Accordingly / will
take mp a little time before going
to Sunday School this morning,
hoping that may do some little
good. | will not enter into bioli.
cal consideration of their claims at
present, though l have concord
ancc and enough scriptural dyna-
mite, in another county, to blow up
their works--nct quito sky-high !
Physically speaking, the classes
named in my heading are narrow
in the forehead and hollow in the
chest, as COMMON trait. do not
censnre them for this. They will
excuse themselves by saying they
are as God made them. Perhaps,
to some extent.
Waving, thon, a polemical or
religious discussion of the demerits
OF Latter Day Saints or other sec.
ond-hand Jewish establishments,
from the standing points of com
mon reason, progress and morals,
let us look upon these souvenirs of
antiauated ideas.
And first common reason. The
bright-eyed boys and girls of Pres
ton county when | used To come
before them in the various schools.
gave promise OF rare intelligence
and fine powers Of rntiociuation.
But they will be only fit to bc inn
practical dreamers, if once that
Wild glare of the oye-"the light
never seen on sea or land" except
in the orbs OF the fanatics gaze
once destroys most that is God
given in their pleasing counte-
nances.
Goods best gift to man." if ]
reinembcr well, is what Noah Web
stcr characterized the Christian re-
ligion and he know some things.
These people, Mormons. proselyte
Jews and such, may not be alto
gother anti-Ohrist, but they arc
aatc-Christ. They do not, cannot
reason, it appears, that the CHRIS
tian religion was development, q
growth, an advance upon the Old
Testament doctrines of an eve for
an eye, and wife for every finger
and toe instead Of one for the heart.
Life and Immortality came to light
in the Gospel, so far as religion is
concerned.
In matters Of uncertainty, such
rs those Of religion, why not cling
to the best, be it dream or realty I?
"FAith is born Of doubt" sang
Bayard Taylor. "Now faith" said
Paul, "is the substance Of things
hoped for, the evidence Of things
not seem" Why not, then, have a
faith the best to be had; one redo.
lent with comfort, ministering to
the finest sensibiliLies Of our ma.
lures.
Second, Of progress. The Sab
batarians and Old Testament
dreamers exemplify tho progress Of
the crab--their going forward is
into the good old patriarcbal days
gone before Leaving that flower
Of the century plant, or rather the
plant Of the centuues-leaving the
New Testament, they 60 back from
tho fast to the first book Of the
Old Testament. They reverse the
laws Of progress and development.
Can they not see i'm the jewish
scriptures a gradual growth from
evil typifod by a serpent, up 10 the
presentation Of a personal deyil--a
being as easily imagined as god.
Can they not hear the gods discuss
the creation Of man in Genesis, be-
fore the jews had gained the supe.
rior Knowledgo Of one only God ?
DO they not see the deity Of the
patriarch az man ? Did he not
walk in the Garden Of Eden lad
not their god the passions and
frailties as we'll as the virtues and