The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-30

1 Rev. Richard Wake made against the
/ Mormon people in the Congregational
meeting last Thursday were answered
/ yesterday by Charles w Penrose.
editor Of the Deseret News at the tab
/ ernacle services. Incidentally Elder
/ Penr0se took occasion to score the OPP
| ponents of the dominant church IN
/ forcible style. A large number Of the
! delegates who are returning to their
homes in the east from the w G. r.
U. convention in Seattle. were present
at the meeting. and they will carry
back with them the other side of the
! question which they have been dis
cussing.
Many evil reports have been cir
culated against the M0rmons, said
Elder Penrose in beginning. AN as
ISOLATION of professional ministers
convened in this city recently is the
latest to send forth it's charges to the
nation, which has for some time been
| stirred by the ISLANDERS against our
church These professional ministers
t say with their characteristic venom
4 that the Latter-day Saints are given
| to Sabbath breaking, profanity, and
all kinds Of immortality. They make
the statement as applying generally to
| all the members of the church, regard
less of whether or not they have any
/ proofs to sustain their charges. We
/ have tried to be patient and generous
/ of heart amidst all the caiumnies that
/ have been heaped upon us. but patience
/ is q difficult thing to possess when the
/ charges are being repeated and re-
/ peated and sent forth to the world by
/ professed Christian ministers.
Might Rstaliate.
1--WE might adopt the same course
were it not against the feeling of
7 charity which we have always had
/ toward those who maliGn MS. We
might send forth spies among these
/ minister's as they have done among
US We might expose their human
4 fOlies and weaknesses. and lay the
blame not upon them as individuals.
/ but upon the churches whose doctrines
/ they expound. We might do all this
| to them as they have done it to us.
/ but thank God we are not so UNI
/ charitable as that. We would not
blame the church for the evils of the
man. for we are not in that small
| business.
| AS L said. they make these charges
as applicable to all the members of the
/ church. Is that the right thing tU
I do? There may have been those In
/ our church whose lives have not been
/ exemplary. concerning whom these
4 charges are true. There are some who
should be condemned. some who are
| positively wicked. but as soon as they
! are found out, they must either re-
| pent or be cast out from the church.
/ But does that lay the whole church
4 open to these vile calumnies2 know
! for my part that the MOrTlou church
/ is a pure church, that it is an organi-
| cation of people determined to do the
will of God. Through the efforts Of
/ so-caHed Christian ministers. we have
/ gained a bad reputation in places
| where we are not known. But where
we are known. where our integrity Of
purpose is known, our reputation Is
good
Charges Made By Ministers.
THE ministers have made these three
charges against uS-that we are habit
uaI Sabbath breakers that we are given
to the use of profanity and that we are
/ universally immoral Is there any
/ truth TO these calumuies? They are
not based upon any truth at all have
known the Latter-day Saints for a
long time-it is only a short while be
fore it will he fifty years from tine time
l was baDtfZed-and [ have never yet
discovered any such a condition of az
fairs. The greatest foes whom the Lat
ter-day Saints have met with are those
who uT0fess to be servants OF the Lord
The fact is significant to broad
minded person.
''If the Mornoms are trnM1TnOral. from
when do they get their immortality?
q
thing that is moral and good and pure.
The mem beers OF the church are taught
to be virtues and ehaste. But these
ministers would have it that the re-
verse is true. for they claim that the
members of the church are s9EhSerYlemt
to the viii Of the church leaders. They
would have it that we are a theocracy,
they call our form of government q
hierarchy. And yet our teachings are
all for good. as a reading Of the Doe
trfne and Covenants Will TESTIFY. How,
then. do they reconcile their two
claims? If the Saints follow entirely
the viii of the leaders. how is 1t that
they are immoral? IF they are tm-
moral. how is it that they are the
ocFacy hierarchy"
Elder Penrose read extracts from the
doctrines of the church to- show that
the precepts and teachings are all to-
wards higher things, and continued;
Religious Freedom.
1--WE have never interfered with any
body else in che matter Of religion We
have let men Worship according to- the
[ dictates of their own. c0nseienees. 0Fs 4t
I they So pleased not 10 Worship God at
all This is proved by the fact that
/ these men who have been fighting US SO
fierceIy. so utterly regardless OF
whether there is any truth i'm these as
sertfons. who have sfandered and ma
ligned us as q people never was siam
dered before-these men have walked
among us. have had dealings with u.s.
but WE have never harmed them. one
of our doctrines is charity to all men,
revenge toward nome They have taken
/ advantage Of this seeming nSeekness ON
! our part Eut the flesh IS weak5--WeI
cannot endure i'm silence-wts must
speak,
s'Im the early days Of Utahs when the
Saints y,fprfs alone ffN fits WalleN. there
were no saloons. no drunken nleu@reel-
ing along the streets There were no
tvils houses-sucI thing was unknown
..L--andl theaIffrfil 81 an. LEGITIMATE -chiId-