The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1895-08-14
AUG. IA. 1895
PROVO CITY.
DETRACTION.

History teaches many important
lessons, not the least of which is that
great men of all ages haYe been grossly
misrepresented. English protestants
have spoken and written of a Catholic
queen as "Bloody Mary" and the
stories told by Catholic writers about
the protestant virgin Queen Elizabeth
were probably as untrue in fact as thew
were unfit TO be repeated in lady's
boudOir. The true characters of either
King Charles or Oliver Cromwell are
not delineated by the enemies Of
either of them. Perhaps the Mormon
prophet Joseph Smith was as rouudly
abused, and systematically lied about
as any man who ever lived in this
century, and it is immpossible to
gather q correct idea of the great
pioneer of Utah, Brigham Young, by
reading what his enemies wrote about
him.
The founder of Christianity was
called a wine bibber and friend of
publicans and Sinners" Some of the
stories about George Washington do
not strike the average mind as being
creditable to him, and do not look as
though the writers could not tell lie
and the author of the declaration of
independence has been shining mark
for the arrows of falsehood. History
is so full of incidents of this kind,
that we feel justified in saying 1t is
the rule that great and good men are
lied about by class of persons; who
are not good enough to emulate their
virtues, but whose envy prompts them
to publish that which their conscieDces,
if they have any, tells them are lies.
This Spirit is not dead in Provo. One
of the most recent manifestations of it
is last Saturday at our convention JEFF
fersonian democracy was advocated.
This week some persons have been
busily engaged in defaming the per-
sonal character of Thomas Jefferson.
Not having brains or manhood suffi-
clent to combat the principles of demo-
cracy, they have resorted to weapons
used always by those who are in the
wrong-traducing the private char
scter of advocates of principles they
dare not attack.
Tho nh e
Jefferson has no more to do with dis
cussion of political principles than the
domestic life of George Washington has
10 do with the question of which is the
better form of government, the repub-
lie of the United States, OF the mon
srchy of Great Britain. The personal
virtues OF Victoria or the personal
failings Of any of our presidents can
not justly be cited as an excuse for
reasonable utterances against the
STARS and stripes. Washington is re-
Yered as the father of his country by
all American patriots, but the only
Immortality his detractors possess, is
eternal lnfamy. The Christian relig-
ion is no less true because some Jews
spoke evil of Christ, and the Mormons
do not seek for inspiration from the
lips of those who have lied about their
prophets and pioneer leaders.
The magnificent patriotism of Wash
ington and Jefferson needs no eulogy;
we will not obtrude the shadow of
defense for them, it would only be an
attempt to create a puny shadow on
small spot of the universe, which is
illumined by the all pervading light of
their patriotism, as an attempt to de-
fend the personal character of Christ
would be an effort to gid refined gold.
1t is said these detractors of Jeffer-
son are MormOns. One would have
thought that the Latter-day Saints
had suffered so much from the lips and
pens of detractors that none could have
been found amongst them who prefer
lies to logic, but in this case we will |
follow the example of the archangel |
Michael who would not bring against
the devil railing accusation, but !
said, the Lord rebuke thee" and will
simply quote what an inspired writer
of the New Testament says about such
detractors:
"But these speak evil of those things
which they know not; but what they
know naturally, as brute beasts, in
those things they corrupt themselves.
"Woe unto theml for they have gone
in the way of Cain, and run greedily
after the error of Balaam for reward,
and perished in the gainsaying of
Core.
"They are spots in your feasts Of
charity, when they feast with you,
feeding themselves without fear;
clouds they ale without water, carried
about of winds; trees whose fruit is
without fruit, twice dead
plucked up by the roots.
Raging wares of the sea, foaming
out their own shame; wandering stars,
10 whom is reserved the blackness of
darkness forever"