The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1897-07-21
MORMONIsm NOT DEAD.
The Foul Blot Not Yet Entirely Ef-
faced, But, Cancer-like, is Eating
into the Yitals of Our Govern
ment. What Missionary
Knows About II.


1t was an interested and appreciative
audience that listened to Miss Nellie
Dunham talk on Mormonism in the
Presbyterian church on Sabbath evening,
July II.
Miss Dunham has been missionary
i'm Utah four years and expects to return
to the work she loves by the first of Sep
tember. To those of her audience who
were inclined to believe that the worst
crime of the Mormon church was its
practice Of polygamy, what Miss Dun
ham had 10 say was a revelation. Miss
Dunham came, she said, not to tell what
others knew about Mormonism, but
what she herself had learned through
her work
Mormons believe that their church is
the only church. They say that all other
churches are good enough as far as they
go, but that they themselves have later
revelations, and when challenged about
their breaking any of the commandments
of that Bible they say, eyes, that was
true tnen, but we have a later revela-
ton"
Tney have no conscience regarding the
moral law, and believe they are all the
better if they can cheat Gentle, (which,
in Utah, means anyone who is not a NOR
NOM for by this means they will have
all the more money to give to the Nor
mon church. All that Is required of
good Mormon is to pay his 1.-THE, or the
one-tenth of all his income to the church.
They believe God is man Just as all
men are; that Adam is the god of this
world and that all men are gods after
| death that the more wives a man has
the greater will he his kingdom i'm the
/ other world; that there is no salvation
| for a woman unless she be MARI ed, in
| order that her husband raise her endow-
ment vail from off her fece and repeat
/ the mystical name which is to be hers in
eternity, whispered 10 her while on her
way through the temple during her mar
riage service, at the resurrection. In
this way the husband eXacts obedience
| of his wives, threatening, if they do not
obey, to let their bodies lie forever in the
| ground. With them there is a possibility
of an unmarried woman bel saved,
| providing some man marry her by proxy
in the temple.
Mormonism teaches that Jesus Christ
| is prophet just as Moses was a prophet
of Old Testament history; that the wo-
men mentioned in the Bible in connec
ton with his work were his wives. 1t
also teaches that Joseph Smith was a
prophet whose teachings should be obey
| ed more strictly than either of the Bible
characters just mentioned. Mormons
hold to the "book of Mormon written
| by Joseph Smith, and preach from it,
They do not like to be called Mormons,
but call themseles "rhe Church of Jesus
| Christ of Later Day Saints" They revel
| in large names, many of their stores be-
| ing called after names and combination
of names of bible characters. Over one
saloon in Salt Lake City is seen, "Holi-
| ness unto the Lord"
One feature of their religion which is
very convenient to the heads of their
church is their revelations. At one time
| Bringham Young had revelation that
| no pork was to be eaten or hogs to be
| kept by Mormon people. Out of the
| kindness ~ of his heart, he told them he
would pay them small sum for their
hogs rather than to have them lose them
entirely. He did so, aud in two or three
years he had another revelation that pork
| should be eaten and to accommodate the
| people, he had a large number of hogs to
sell at a handsome price.
| Mormon missionaries are to be found
| in every state in the union. These mis-
sionaries do not go out from pure love or
| devotion to the work, but if one is found
weak in the faith, or another is holding a
| position in the church, coveted by a Bish-
ops son, some person has revelation
that these men are to be sent on a mis-
sion. The church commands and they
obey, I. arful lest their lives be sacrificed
! for their disobedience, for the Mormon
| believes in blood atonement. That is, if
| any Mormon renounces the faith, or if
| anyone is thought TO be an enemy to
Mormonism, his throat is cut from ear to
ear to atone for his sins providing this
| can be done secretly. Missionaries are
also sent to foreign countries where they
cunningly deceive hundreds of the peas
ant class who believe Utah is truly a land
FLOWING with milk and honey" till it is
| too late.
! When these people reach Utah they are
| told that because there are so many pick
| pockets they must give their money to
| the church officers. They are then sent
to remote districts where they are kept
in grossest ignorance of all that is good
and lovely in this Gland of the free" The
Book of Mormon is taught in their
schools as the history of the United
| States. No paper is ever allowed to en-
| ter their homes except their Mormon
church papers. Members of the Nor
mon church have been "put out of the
church" because they subscribed for one
of the Salt Lake papers, hoping to learn
!
Tourists visiting Utah see nothing of
the darker side of Mormon life. Every
attention possible is given them by the
Norman people. The best o everything
is brought forward the lovelest homes
| opened and receptions held for the
strangers within their gates, and these
| people go away with a good impression
| of MOrmons and their religion. if such
| it may be called, 50 much so that some
| have even denied what our missionaries
| have told Of the darker side kept in the
| background.
! Mormonism is not friend to our Re
| public, and it is believed by those who
/ know most about affairs in Utah. that it
was grave mistake that Utah ever be-
came a state. She is now out of direct
/ control Of the government of the United
| States and is now under control of the
| Mormons. 1t is impossible for a Gentle
| to secure justice in the Utah courts, un-
| less, for political reasons, the Mormon
| church is TO gain by it. There is only
! one power of the United States i'm Utah
that the Mormon people respect, and that
| is the standing army at TT, Douglass that
| overloOks Salt Lake City. and Miss Dun
! ham expressed the wish that this fort
| would never be removed from Utah so
| long as Mormonism has any power there
| The Mormon people have no regard
| for our national holidays ard celebrate
the 24th of July instead of the 4th., 10
keep in memory the day when the first