The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-30
SERVICES AT THE TABERNACLE
ELDER JOSEPH M'MURRIN THE
ONLY SPEAKER.
Talks of the Missionary Work In
Europe-Success In Turkey-What
the Women Are Doing.

i
Elder Joseph w. McMurrin was the
only speaker at the tabernacle services
yesterday, which were we'll attended.
Elder McMurrin has just returned
from a European mission and most of
/ his talk was devoted to this subject.
| He testified to the good work done
across the water. There was a lack of
missionaries but nevertheless many
converts were being made right along.
Even in darkest Turkey the mission
aries were meeting with success. In
I TIE European mission there had been
! l. 700 baptiSms during 1898. The best
work was being accomplished in the
Netherlands mission, where about
twenty-five elders were laboring, with
the result that 200 converts were made
during the year. In Scandinavia the
success was equally marked. The OPP
position of the German government to
Mormon missionaries had in a great
degree abated, so that the country was
now organized in districts, and regular
conferences held. The baptismS of last
year exceeded those of any previous
year.
In picturing the condition of the
European mission in such a bright light
the speaker said he was not actuated
by a boastful spirit, but he simply re-
ported conditions as he found them.
The future was very promising and
marked change in the attitude toward
the Latter-day Saints all over Europe
had taken place during the last few
months, giving the field workers a bet
ter opportunity to hold meetings and
bring more converts to the fold. The
speaker made an appeal for material
assistance to the elders working in the
European mission, many of whom
were obliged to travel with both purse
and scrip as a protection against the
law governing Migrants. In some
countries, of course, the missionaries
needed little money, because people
were hospitable and received them into
their homes. In England, however, the
residents are more suspicious, admit
ting no one to their homes without
acquaintance, hence the necessity to
travel with money in that country.
He vigorously denied the accusations
sometimes made that the principal OBJ
ject of the Mormon missionaries was to
persuade women to come to Utah and
live. It's false said the speaker.
The missionaries have no such object
in view; they go because they are called
upon by God to go out and preach the
gospel to ali the world, and not for
any such purpose as insinuated."
Before closing the speaker devoted
some time to q description Of the work
of the Mormon lady missionaries in the
foreign missions There was a general
impression among Europeans that
Mormon women were mistreated; that
their husbands ruled over them with
an iron hand, but by sending out some
of these women the people will soon
learn to know different. The presence
of lady missionaries has proved some
thing of q. revelation to the people. OF
course, they could not take part in all
the work, but they can render valu-
able aid in distributing tracts, and
doing house to house canvass. 1t was
a fact, said the speaker. that the lady
missionaries have attracted more at
tention wherever they have takn part
in the services than the men, and he
firmly believed that a field of useful
ness in this line had opened up to
many of the female members of the
church.