The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-12-26
NEWARK
MORMONS
There Are Four Elders Of
the Church In That
City.
STREET AND COTTAGE MEETINGS
They Say Polygamy Is No
Longer Practiced By
Them.
STREET AND COTTAGE MEETINGS

the NeWaIk 0ullQdy AL IN
have been and still are, working cease
lessly and with energy to further the
spread of their religion. The pioneer mis-
sionary was Mr.. F. M. Tyson. and about
six months ago he was Joined by Mr.. E..
d. Whiting. Lately two more have APP
peared-Mr. ]. Cox and Mr.. F. 7. Childs.
A Sunday Calf man had a talk with
Elder Tyson and found him quite ready to
tell of his religion and of the system em-
ployed to propagate it.
The Mormon missionaries live together
at No. 6 Plum street, and when the writer
rang the doorbell the other day he half ex-
pected to be ushered into the presence of
a portly old gentleman, with long flowing
beard, of serious, not to say fanatical, de-
meanor. It is so easy to form impressions
of things of which one only has the most
meagre knowledge, and it often follows
that the impressions thus gathered are far
from the truth. Such was the case in this
instance. Elder Tyson is neither old, fat
nor faratica1. He possesses no beard at
all, or whiskers of any sort. He is decided
" young, and was on the point of going
to college when called by the Mormon
Church to become a. missionary. He is
not a theologian, save hat he is able and
qualified to set forth the meaning Of his
religion, and he appears to be far more
impartial in his judgments than many a
clergyman of another faith. He is not a
clergyman at all, but is one of a number
called by the church to go forth and teach
the gospel of the Latter Day Saints. 1t is
the custom of the church to call mission
aries regularly. The men called do not
nave to go if they do not wish to, al
though, as a matter of fact, few of those
called refuse TO go. One of the odd parts
about it it that each missionary pays all
his expenses, down to the veriest detail.
He receives no fnancia support whatever
from the church, and he even pays for
ths tracts he circulates. His mission
usually lasts two years, when he is called
home and goes back into his fields to
farm or to his store, shop, factory, ranch
whatever business he may possess.
Naturally, as the missionaries pay their
own expenses, they must be men of
means. A mission of two years, in a big
city of the Sast, is bound to be expensive,
no matter how plainly a missionary may
live.
Elder Tyson says that during the sum-
mer just passed he and his three assist
III Atr4o 4OiA SEtSlily-ltFo u d GU
meetings in the streets, under permission
of the Chief of Police. They go out
anywhere upon the street and begin SER
vice, and of course soon attract a crowd,
when they proceed to explain the Mormon
faith. In the winter the street meetings
have, of course, to be abandoned, n
the missionary work is lone by means
of the circulation of tracts and by cot
4--zM -
to one of the elders, II would like to
know more about this faith of yours;
I am curious about it." The elder then
goes to the mans house, holds a meet
ing and explains the religion. These are
called cottage meetings. But a great deal
of the work is lone by tracing. and the
tracts are distributed from house to house
and everywhere hat intelligent people
are likely to come in contact with them.
This section of the country is known
among the Mormons as the Brooklyn
Conference, and the missionaries are sent
from Brooklyn to the surrounding cities.
Brooklyn is the headquarters, and there
is a Mormon church there, in Amphion
Academy, on Bedford avenue. Services
are held at 2:45 on Sunday afternoons.
The ultimate intention is to establish a
Mormon church here in Newark, when
there are converts enough here. This is
likely to a k some time, as converts are
made slowly. The violence of the oppo-
sition to Mormonism, however, is not
quite SO pronounced as it has been, al
though of course the opposition to the
seating of Congressman-elect Roberts Is
a powerful influence in keeping the pub
lie at large distinctly hostile. Still, the
four missionaries look for greater prog
ress as time goes on. Elder Whiting re-
marked to the writer that they did not
gauge their progress by the number of
converts made; in fact, 1t was impossible
to estimate in any way just how nue.
they were accomplishing. They believed
that what they were chiefly doing now
was the sowing of seed, the preparation
of the ground, so to speak, for the COM
ing of future missionaries. This section
of the country has not been visited by
Mormon missionaries for forty years, UNI
til two years ago, and it was to be ex-
pected tina the religion would take root
slowly here.
The .sCalp' man asked Elder Tyson why
he came East as a missionary and he
gave as his chief reason-which was also
that of the members of his church every
where-a desire to promote ones own
happiness by promoting the happiness Of
others. He oniy knew of four or five con-
verts made in Newark since he has been
here, but there were a few others whose
admission to the church was under con-
sideration and there were concerts in
Elizabeth, Jersey City and other nearby
places. He did not seem at all discouraged
by the small number who have taken up
with his faith. He liked to work in this
part of the country, he said, because the
people were more intelligent than in
many other sections; they were quicker to
appreciate the teachings. He added that
his stay in and around New York had
been an education to him, and he reckon
ed it of incalculab1e value in that it had
broadened him in many ways. He spoke
with quiet humor of the treatment ac-
corded him by Newark ministers. He said
tina on q number of occasions he had
called on ministers. When the minister
came to the door he announced to the
latter that he was also a minister OF the
4 Gospel, whereupon he would usually be
asked to step in. Usually. after he was
seated, the minister would ask him for
what denomination he was and he would
make answer the Church of the Latter
"A Day Saints. The minister would then
say:-"Iet me see, is that the Mormon
church, and upon being answered in
the affirmative would promptly request
him lElder TYSON to a himself