, 1897-11-09
To the Editor of The Republican.

To the Editor of The Republican.
Salt Lake City. Utah, Nov. 7. 1897
If you give me a little space in your
valuable paper | will try to interest your
readers for a few moments. shall
write something solemn to entertain
the old people and tell n story or two to
amusc the boys: and then, towards the
end Of my letter. if you let me get that
far. | shall say a word or two about the
Tilicums to please the girls.
The city election held here a few DAYS
ago demonstrated the fact that the Nor
mon church is in politics and hat poll.
tics is in the Mormon church. Another
moro gratifying fact made manifest IL
that the church is fast losing control
over its members. There was a time
when the word of the first president of
the church was thought by Mormons to
be the word Of God. That day has PASS,
ed. During :ie past decade great &C.
tual progress has beer made in this
country. Many young Mormons have
been educated in eastern colleges: many
of all classes have done some travelling
in N" east; many subscribe for the
leading papers and magazines of the
country and read good books: and in
addition to these influences there has
been a great influx of intelligent and
progressive gentiles. whose presence,
enterprise and contact tend to develop
new ideas. These facts and conditions
have produced an effect. It was once
an accepted idea among Mormons that
Salt Lake City was to be the seat of
the kingdom" and that the Mormon
religion was destined to be the religion
of the world. They all know now that
Salt Lake City is not the center of the
universe and that the Mormon religion
has not and never will overrun the
world. The more intelligent OF the old
er Mormons and nearly all Of the
younger Mormons are sceptical in re-
gard to the divinity Of Joseph Smith
and the existence of such a thing as
revelation. Such members as these are
held in the church by business ties and
not by religious sentiment.
The sum of the whole matter is this:
The creed and doctrines OF Mormonism
are not adapted to American soil. or to
this time. or to civilization. The tooth
of time has set itself in the Mormon
church. and the church will gradually
evolve into another institution. as
much unlike the old church as sur
rounding conditions make it. Mean
while the public school is bringing up
a new generation who knew not JOS
eph" and whose minds and methods of
thinking will be such that they lever
yesterday or as it exists today. In view
OF the persistence with which religious
dogmas cling to humanity and human
institutions, it is not safe to say that
Mormonism will perish from the earth,
but it is safe to say that Mormonism
as we know it today will die with the
present generation. The Mormon
church within the past 40 years has
passed through all the stages of pro-
gress n evolution that the Christian
church required a thousand years to
complete. 1t was a gratifying fact for
us that the non-partisan ticket. which
was nominated and backed by the Nor.
mon church, was so badly beaten. In
this event we see hopeful signs.
Judge Cheny of this city is a pretty
good story-teller. One of his favorite
yarns touches an incident hat occurred
in a Kansas court in the old ante-pro-
hibition days.
There was a case before one Of the
old frontier judges in which a Boston
lawyer appeared for the plaintiff and a