The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-09-20
A MORMON ELDER
Has Come to Maine to Get Converts.

Interview BY Press Reporter-Tel,.
About the Church and His Work,
The Mormon church hopes to secure
many converts for itself in the state .,
Maine and has sent one Of the elders ~
the church to Portland to begin the laho,
in this field. AS pioneer missionary tbis
gentleman is meeting with exceedingly
good fortune and what he has to sav
about Mormonism and the peculiar doc.
trines of that church is very interesting
| This particular Mormon elder has rela.
tives living in Portland and he is maxine
their house his home while in this CITY.
He has been delegated to labor in New
England states and has already been 10.
Gated for year at Providence, r. I. The
elders name is Joy W .Dunyon of Draper,
Utah. He is 81 years old. He was com
pleting his education in the hope of be-
coming teacher when he received call
from the president of the church to enter
the ministry and accept q mission to the
eastern states.
AOOdU lOuI bOCA 1uOllu11o essSO AAS NASpOo6U
Of a portion of his property and with the
proceeds started for the east on his mis-
sion pursuant to the orders Of the church,
A peculiar feature of the mission work
of the Mormon church lies in the fact that
those who are called to the ministry are
expected to give at least two years of
their lives to mission work, and during
this time must pay their own expenses,
excepting however if they are called home
the church pays the expense of the home
ward journey. The elders receive no salary
for their services, neither are they al
lowed to ask or receive collection, but de-
pend entirely upon the generosity Of the
people to make voluntary offerings. The
elders travel in pairs and Mr.. Dunyon's
colleague is now in Providence, r. l..
located
Mr.. Dunyon spoke, among other things,
of the control of ecclesiastical affairs in
Salt Lake City. The city is divided into
n wards, the average membership of each
being about 1900. The wards are then
formed into community similar to coun-
ties and known as stakes. The stake is
composed of several wards according to
the location of the wards The stake is
presided over by president and two
councillors. There is also a high council
in each stake composed of twelve men,
who act as a jury for the trial of eccles-
astical affairs. This jury simply sits
for the trial of church misdemeanors and
to administer discipline, but in no case
for civil suits to fix the penalty for an
offence, neither to infiict sentence of bod
lily harm for crimes. The church services
are similar to those of eastern churches.
The Holy Bible is their guide and the
sermons are based upon the scriptures
entirely. The average length of time for
sermon is from an hour to an hour and
a half, there being as rule two preachers
that occupy the time. The sermons are
never prepared but are extemporaneous
efforts. The ministry is unpaid for it's
services and no collections are ever taken.
The whole aim of the church is to imi.
tate and follow with care all the old
forms of the apostolic church. They be-
lieve their church to be founded on divine
revelation.
The Mormon church was organized In
1880 in New York with six members. To-
day the church numbers over $1,000 com
municants. There are at present 1900 mis-
sionaries who are engaged in preaching
the gospel in all parts of the world, and
he mission field is constantly being in
creased by the addition of other preach
ers.
They leave their homes for a period of
two to five years entirely without remu-
neration. Much of the time they are
Obliged to travel on foot, owing to their
financial circumstances. AS to the prac-
tice of polygamy MI. Dunyon says, that
while it has been abolished those who
had married several wives before the en-
actment of the law, still support their
wives and families, but live only with
the wife of the first marriage.
The Mormons are people that believe
in tithing," said Mr.. Dunyon, land are
a temple building people of which they
now have four completed. AS rule the
people are engaged In mining, farming
and stock raising, while others pursue
mercantile and skilled lines of work. Be-
side building their own temples they have
contributed largely in the erection of the
churches built by the other denomina-
tions located in Utah
The Mormon people said NJ. Dunyon
believe in amusements properly con-
Quoted.
The reporter asked the reason for the
recent outbreaks in South Carolina
among the Mormons where several of the
elders were logged by whitecaps. "This
is brought about by the prejudice of the
people, "said the elder, "but as fast as the
people become enlightened as to our aims
and objects this prejudice dies out and:we
are prosecuted less than in former years. -
Mr.. Dunyon has just returned from
South Parsonsfeld where he has held a
series of meetings and will shortly return
to the mission in which he is at work in
Providence, r. 1.