The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-14
THE PROSECUTING MORMONS
Begin Their Conference for the
Northern Indiana District.

Latter Day Saints. more generally called
Mormons, are holding a three days con-
ference in the Criminal Court room. 1t
will close with a meeting tonight. Pres,
ident Kelsch and Secretary Gordon, of the
Northern States Missionary Association,
have been attending the conference here,
which is for the northern district of In
diana. In attendance on the conference
are the local workers and those working
through the north part of the State num-
bering about twenty. Last week President
Kelsch and Secretary Gordon attended the
Southern Indiana Conference at Evansville.
They have under their jurisdiction eleven
different conferences in more than half
that number of Northern States. A band OF
elders has been at work in this city for two
years. One of the workers said yesterday
that there had been twelve converts here.
1t is not the purpose to have converts re-
move to Salt Lake City, the home of Nor
monisn, unless they so desire. The purpose
is rather to extend the creed into all parts
of the United States. In public talks
they deny the assertion so generally made
that polygamy is now one of the tenets of
the church. Those opposed to them assert
that polygamous marriages are still counte-
nanced by the church, secretly, If not
SPCi4iJr a. Lll0 hlSSllAS III the (11illAildl
Court room yesterday morning, Elders
Brooks and Nelson talked. Secretary Cor
don made the afternoon address.
The services of the Latter Day Saints
are not unlike those of the ordinary Profess
tant churches, 50 far as outward semblance
is concerned. Elder George Il. Barton who
is in charge of the local work, opened the
meeting. In front of the rail that ordinarily
separates the court officials from the au-
dience in the courtroom, were gathered
perhaps fifty men and women, among them
several who DrOminQnt In local church
work in indianapolis. A worker said there
were three Saints in the audience. APP
parently they were there to hear presented
at first hand the doctrines of the church.
Back Of the rail sat the elders and the lead
score or more. All of them were men. Be
hind an organ most of them sat, with hymn
books in their hands. Elder Barton an
nounced the opening hymn, reading the first
stanza, which began when first the glo-
rious light of truth burst FORTH. 1t was
sung to a sacred air. After other songs,
one made a short prayer asking for the
spirit of God to descend upon the meeting
and closing with the words usual in Protes-
tant churches: For the sake of our Lord,
Jesus Christ" Amens were uttered by the
elders and some in the audience. Mormons
contend that there Is nothing Incompatible
with the gospel of Christ in the religion of
the Latter Day Saints.
In opening his talk, after recalling that
he had formerly worked in this field, Sec
rotary Gordon remarked: Nothing has
been said here thus far that was contrary
to the doctrine of Christ" His address was
an dUfOlL EFFORT TO SHOW IndL MOIIhOnlSm
and Christianity are about one. and the
same thing. In every dispensation," said
he. men advocating the truth have met
opposition from prejudice, and this has
been the curse and ruin of many people in
every nation. In the days of Noah people
were prejudiced against him and would
not listen to him. When he came with a
message from the Lord their prejudice de-
stroyed them. SO it has been in all ages.
People blinded by prejudice have refused
to listen when messages came from the
Lord to their own destruction Perhaps
the greatest prejudice of the world was
that shown against Jesus Christ"
He went on to show that prejudice against
good was born of Satan, and recited the
fall of the evil spirit from the spirit world
of God. His account was chronologically
different with respect to that more or less
historic event, many of his hearers thought,
from the, accepted version of it; He had
Satan rebelling against God and his Son
Jesus Christ over the question of how the
redemption of the world should be accom-
plished. Satan did not want the sons of
this world to be free agents. and when that
plan was adopted at this council as the
preacher termed it, Satan rebeled He was
described as IAN educated parsonage of
great brightness and intellect" who by his
wonderful eloquence was enabled TO stir up
a third Of the hosts OF heaven against God
and his Son. Up to that time Satan had
been a sort of brother to Jesus Christ
Satan became prejudiced against the plan
of redemption" said the speaker, land the
work of the Lord and taught his followers
to be also pfejudiced. Warfare against the
work of the Lord and his messengers will
told. Christs plan of redemption was to
give to those who came here and accepted
tabernacles the right to choose between
good and evil, made them free moral
agents imbuing them with the power to
| choose between Satan's influence on the one
hand and the pleadings of God or our elder
Brother Jesus Christ on the other"
He went on to show that, had been
| foretold, the mouth of God was sealed and
| the gospel was lost off the world. "God
was not to close His mouth forever, but as
soon as His children sought Him He would
again speak to them" he continued IF
! this is the word of the Lord said he, taxi
| ing up a Bible. lit is true. John the reve-
ator in the fourteenth chapter told that
in the days of Gods judgment an angel
should fly through the heavens to proclaim
again the gospel of Christ. That was to be
| in the latter days, not in the days of
Christ, as some contend Most Christians
admit that these are the latter days, the
| time of Gods judgment, the last hour. Has
the angel flown? If he has brought the gos-
| pei it must be the same in the days of
| Christ. If he has not come then he is to
| come. The Latter Day Saints boldly de-
| clare and our testimony is that this angel
hos Wit hp MAJ nd it,rit