Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-11-30

INTO the foshiOn desired, ana, pernAVS
without intending IT, they simply pre-
sent in a different form, the errors and
distortions Of the truth against which
the majority OF the people OF Utah have
had 10 contend for over half century
Recently noted New York divine
with whose talented literary efforts the
readers OF the New York Herald are
familiar came to this city and ex-
pressed a desire 10 learn the truth con-
corning the Mormon" religion, and the
circumstances which have led to tho
great agitation In process throughout
the land He spent a few days here
had an interview with President Loren
20 Snow and two or three other men,
bers Of the Church, but occupied most
Of the time IN obtaining distortions Of
history and burlesques OF the Nor
mon faith from their most malignant
enemies. Tho consequence IS that the
New York Herald is now burdened
with communications pretending to be
fair and impartial. concerning the
Saints, their beliefs and their doinga
which are nothing scarcely but carica-
lures
For instance The gentleman de-
votes an entire letter Of considerable
length 10 series OF conclusions he
claims To have formed, by the aid Of a
lawyer who Is an ayowed and rampant
atheist and a cynical compiler OF an
u-"Mormon" gossip, scandal and pru-
rient literature. He confessedly adopts
the suggestions Of the atheist and
spreads them before the American PEG.
pie at length In another communlca'
ton he mentions q conversation with
President Lorenzo Snow, occupying an
hour and a hall. and dlsmisses II with
this sentence; The story OF his con-
version 10 Mormonlsm was told in
such simple and pathetic fashion that
wish / could reproduce Il for your
benefit" That Is the kind Of fair and
impartial Investigation conducted for
the public benefit by Rev. Dr. George
II. Hepworth,
II Is not surprising, therefore, 20 a
people who have been accustomed to
Misrepresentation, particularly by cler-
gymen from the organization Of the
Church to the present, 20 find that this
gentleman informs the public that:
THE head Of the corporate institution
q singled out as the recipient OF a
special revelation. and that the MEM
bcrs OF that Institution are bound TO
give NJ their personal convictions and
accept that revelation as auth0Hta-
tive That this destroys all freedom
VI thought and action and organizes
q system Of intellectual desDOtism on
the one hand and Of slavery on the
other which puts an end 90 the man
hood Of a man and the wOmanhood Of
woman
OF course, starting with these false
premises, It is natural, II not logical
that the writer draws the conclusion
that:
"Mormonlsm therefore Is fundament-
ally antag0uistic 10 the principle on
which this republic Is founded-name-
ly, the right aud the duty OF the citizen
to think for himself on every subject,
political and religious"
He further reasons and announces
that:
However honest the Latter-day
Saints may be they are a menace to our
government the anomaly In our Ciyili-
zatiOn, and the more honestly they hold
TO their convictions and the more firmly
they set on them the greater Is the
anomaly and the more serious Is the
menace"
II the DR.. had been as anxious TO
learn what Mormon" doctrine really
Is, as he was TO gather up fiction and
peryersions Of our faith from It's ene-
mics, he would not have fallen into the
same rut Of defamation which has been
trodden by 90 many other transient
visitors to Utah. 1t may be a surprise
to him to learn that the Latter-day
Saints do not walk, as he declares, in
blind faith;' that it Is part Of their
creed to investigate for themselves. and
their privilege to obtain light and reyel-
alton individually; that no man or wo-
man is required to give up personal
convictions or 10 accept anything con-
trary to conscience and that liberty Of
thought which Is urged and enjoined
by the Church - which they belong
He calls the blind faith and obedl-
ence which he lmaglnes 70 be a part Of
"Mormonism, The weakness Of the in
stltutlon." He has yet TO learn that
the very strength Of the institution Is
the freedom which It promotes and the
personal conviction by revelation to
each soul, male and female, OF the truth
Of the system, and OF every doctrine
and precept which is taught and every
measure which In adopted A funda-
mental principle Of "Mormonism" Is
that "All things in this Church shall be
done by common consent"
We have not space today TO take up
other statements and notions which Dr.
Hepworth has presented to the AmerI-
can public as "Mormonism," which are
foreign TO It's doctrines and It's practice
and which are either Numerically op-
posed TO our faith or are such dlstor-
lions " 1t as amount TO perverslon Of
the truth. At another time We may re-
vert to this subject, and show stlll fur
ther how what Is called "a fair and i'm
partial statement Of fact and history,
Is a biased and untrustworthy mass Of
special pleading, against a religion and
a people with whom Il was not to be
expected the Rev. writer would be IN
sympathy.