Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-08-02
RGLlGIOus INTOLERANCE.

Living Issues, a paper published
here by Warren Foster, has In its last
iseue an article under the foregoing
caption. So lar rs Mr.. Foster's utter.
ances are concerned, the NEWS recog'
ni1es many ioTcible presentations Of
truths that deserve thoughtful consid.
Grafton. We cannot agree with
him In all points In his crit.
cisms, however, for tho reason
that sometimes he is unnecessarily
severe and harsh, and 10 the extent
that he goes To that extreme, unjust.
But we do believe that he despises
cant and hypocrisy, whether 1t be in
religion, politics, or anything else.
That he is quite fearless la his con.
demnation q those who. pretending
to be Chrisiian, exhibit feelings the
opposite to Christian truth and love,
is shown in the article referred To-, Of
which we publish part:
The Topeka (Kan.) State journal OF
last Thursday published lelegTaphic
ItIOIl VI Allb Oh CullulbDfS
day of the Jubilee, and the manner in
which the children laid floral offerings AZ
the base OF Brigham Young's monument.
The Geographic editor did not miss the
opportunity offered to say something
smart, SO no heads the account with "a
flash head, AS follows:
"Poor Work for Children-Teu Thousand OF
Them Lay Flowers on an Immoral Old Repro.
bates Statue"
Viewed from y religious standpoint
(and that In, of course, the standpoint
from which tho bigoted editor wrote the
above), we fail TO see why Brigham
Young, who was disciple OF Joseph
Smith, Is any more OF "A reprobate than IL
William Mckinley, who bends his knee
every Sunday to John Wesley; or WIN. j.
Bryan, who worships at the shrine of
John Calvin. There Is fully as much In
both reason and history TO cause us 10
believe that Joseph Smith was truo
Prophet, AZ there 10 that either Wesley
or Calvin were in any sense reformers.
John Wesley was poor, ignorant,
superstitious bigot who believed In |
witches and COLLINS, while John Calvin |
was one of the cruelest man that over |
disgracod tho earth. OF course tho /
charge against brigham Young, should |
any be made, would be that he was /
n reprobate because he was a polygam-
list. We shall not raise the question /
whether or not that makes man "A
repTobate; but II II does, then nearly all |
tho characters In the Holy Bible were |
repTobates; for II there is one thing that
the Bible teaches more clearly than an
other, II is polygamy, and the editor of
The journal dare not deny ii. 1t isall
right for agDostlcs and infidels to cry out
against Brigham Young's teachings, but
the thing for semi-religious sheets like
Tho journal to do Is 10 give the people
nothing but silence.
Viewed from the standpoint OF earthly
usefulness, Brigham Young was worth
more to the people than tho whole craft.
Brigham Young bad practical sense. lie
know enough to know that man is a land |
animal and entitled by nature to part
OF the earth on which to live. He not
only knew this but he taught it and,
moreover, he prncticed It,. The results
are patent to all today who visit Utah.
Here, as n direct result Of Brighams
teachings, we find more people living IN
their own homes than any other place |
in the Union. Ho taught his followers
to DO industrious and frugal aud, above
all things, to keep out of debt. So great !
was the confidence these people HAD for
him that his advice was followed, with
the result that Utah today has the most
and happy people in It that
the sun lights in his course across the
continent.
This will not be construed as an en-
dorsement OF Mormon doctriues, for it
IL not. We believe no more in the doe
trines of Mormoni'm than We do in |
Me,hodsm or PrOsbytorianism; but this
intolerance so often NANTES cd by other
against the Mormons
makes US tired. We have not forgotten
the treatment accorded the kansas En.
eavoreTs--readers OF the journal, no
they were here, by tho
Mormon people, nor the cold, thanAless
manner in which 1t was received by tho
swarlhy, dyspepiic bigots OF the In
They would not and did not
even show good manners by remaining
quiet while in lho worry houses OF their
but talked and aven pub
lshed in their papers here a lot of rub
Dish aud rot, utterly regardless uffounda.
ton or fact, ut the very time they We're
enjoying the freedom OF our city and
holding service IN The Tabernacle
rendered them by the dus-
pissed followers of the "old reprobale,"
IN.