The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-03
SPREAD OF MORMONISM.
A GREAT MISSIONARY CAHFAf0N
NOW GOING ON.

opr.r MISSIONARY CAMPAIGN
NOW GOING an.
Nearly Two Thousand Young Men Now MAX
ing Converts IN America and Europe =
canada n Good Field for Brig
ham Young's Prophecy-The Question OF
polyxsmy settled. Says Bishop Bunker
SAX ~BrryARpINo, Cal, May 2s.-"The Nor
mon Church is enjoying a most marvellous
period of growth" said Bishop Joseph Bunker.
the foremost Mormon in southern utah, VINO
is now here. 1t isengaged in'the greatest mis-
sionary labor ever undertaken by any religious
body. On Feb. / we had 1923 young men
employed exclusively in parts OF Europe ana
America in. Mormon missionary work. some 2p
more Young men were almost ready to start out
for two wears as missionaries for the Church.
and the books show that by July there VIII %
still sO more who will 20 TO Canada. Mexico,
and the Southern States on eighteen months
terms OF service. By next January We believe
that we shall have altogether between 400 and
$500 missionaries busy In the Church's cause.
The world newer saw another missionary cam
palgn like it. President Snow Of our Church
believes that by 1910 we shall be able to send out
between 5000 and $500 missionaries every
alternate year.
The Mormon missionaries must follow the
methods Of the Apostles OF the FIRST Chrisuan
Church so far as possible, and some OF our
youths make pathetic sacrifices to follow what
they honestly believe Is the will OF Heaven.
They leave their randhee. their herds' mines'
stores. professions. and.go out from their homes.
leaving wife and family. to any part OF the world
the Bishops may direct. They accept no pay
ask no aims. take UP no.collections. and MAIN
tain themselves at their own expense, They
get nothing from the Church at Salt Lake. and
they must pay all their expenses from their
own pockets. To dothis they must either have
parents behind them, or work a year and preach
a year. Many Of them have TO borrow money
from Utah before they get home. They ara,
In a sense. martyrs TO their religion.
There arc probably no other missionaries
90 hostilely received az the Mormons. Our
missionaries come back to Utah with tales OF
the way they have been mobbed. rotten-eeged.
spat upon, hooted. and drenched with boiling
water In respectable. God-fearing towns, where
they tried to preach the faith OF the Latter-Day
Saints. The missionary elders are as a general
thing from 20 TO IS years OF age. have had good
edncations and have had careful religious train
ing In the Temple at Salt Lake City. They
have been educated In the common schools OF
Utah, which we believe stand fourth In the
United States. Our missionaries thrive on per-
s~ecution. even II it is sometimes hard TO bear.
and the growth Of the Church speaks for the
zeal and power OF our men.
"The most successful missionaries we have
sent out during the last few years were trained
particularly for their work from the timo
they were - years old until they were %.
Not a day In all that time went past
without q reminder that II meant preparation
for the work OF going forth to preach Nor
monism to the Church. Their feats Of memory
concerning chapter and verse In the Bible
and the Book OF Mormon are extraordinary.
They have been required TO memorize rules
and doctrines of the Church. until each young
man is a walking encyclopaedia OF Church his
tory and the revelations Of their prophet. In
their regular services at home every mar Is
required TO take part in public worship until he
becomes a speaker able to stand and talk with
out embarrassment. In their Sunday schools
the children are required to give Rotations.
commit to memory certain writings OF Church
authorities, and read and re-read from the books
Of the Church until they are thoroughly grounded
In the faith and are able to expound II to the
GENTLE world. r
Three Of our finest missionaries were students
at Yale, Cornell and Williams. Elder RiSwtck.
a wonderfully clear and very scholarly ex.
FOUNDER of Mormonism. took a prize for literary
excellence at Harvard a few years ago. His
father is a rich cattle man. and he gave all his
eleven children superior educations In Eastern
colleges. Elder Riswick Is a foremost opponent
of poly gamy in the Church. and his words and
influence have powerful effect. He has been
preaching and laboring in Maine and Nova
Scotia for two years, and the number OF con-
verts he makes Is something astonishing,
Elder Forrest, who became prominent In
1898 by his opposition to the nomination OF
Roberts to Congress because he was a con-
fessed polygamist. is said to be one OF the first
religious orators in the country. He has the
same oratorical simplicity of speech and homely
direotness Of Illustration that made Lincoln
the forcible speaker he was. He was born in
England. and went TO school at Rugby. He
happened to pick up and read a Mormon tract
one day when he was In Liverpool. and he went
and called upon several Mormon missionarie
there. lie was convinced that ours was the
true religion, and joined US. He spent several
years at Salt Lake preparing for his missionary
labors. and at his own expense and amid in
suits, adversely and POPULATIONS he has supported
himself end preached our religion since 1892,
Once in Philadelphia he was struck down by q
woman with a brick. and he nearly dice with
conclusion Of the brain. but he was spared 10
become a stronger. more Jealous and devout
worker in the Lords vineyard. / only mention
this now to show that we are not all so i~lliterate
and superstitious az our innocent traducers In
the gentle world often say.
We believe that our faith is the most reason
able Of any, and II our bright missionaries can
only se, the ear o. serious people they can
has been blessed more than any other religion.
For an evidence OF this see how, we have been
p%r0sPe r, n, WONDERFULLY, s msry weslr1su ssvS and ib be,
5000 Christians at the end Of the first century
after Christ. and only about 10000 at the close
Of the second century. We have now az the
close Of the seventy-hfth year after the Divine
Y. more than $4,000 Mormons in America
alone. in full fellowship with the Church, and
there are 1872 600 Mormons In other parts OF
North America, Europe and Australia. Las,
year the Church added about 1900 names to
its rolls. and It was the best year we ever had
Der more than q quarter Of a million souls be-
fore this century Ia out. and we shall, under
Gods guidance. have half a million members
In the United States alone before the true
control all the West, and the Latter Day Saints
shall be the exalted OF the earth. This Ia one OF
the extraordinarily correct prophecies Of our
holy leader, that make us believe he was truly
inspired by God. We firmly believe the Mormon
membership will be increased about $1,000 during
the present year,
Where are we having our greatest successes In
garnering new members? That question was
discussed for several days at the recent seven
tieth annual conference at Salt Lake; Reports
from missionaries in every part OF Europe
except Turkey and Italy. from forty-four States
In the Union, from the South Seas, Australia,
Alaska. Mexico. Brazil and South Africa, were
read. and then the discussion began. Opinions
1 Wara pratty ayaply diyidoI hatwaop foaoIo