Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-05-29
MoRMoNIsM IN MAaAzINEs.

Nearly every visitor to Utah ex-
presses surprise at what he sees, be-
cause II Is SO different TO what he has
heard and read Of the place and the
people Instead Of lot OF ignorant
fanatics bound In the tolls Of an abb
surd creed and the domination Of an in-
tolerant priesthood, or a band OF brutes
sunken IN sensuallty, the men coarse
and cruel, the women sad and sub
dued, as pictured by enemies and carl
catured by copyists and bookmakers, he
finds community at least as intelli-
gent progressive and free as the peo-
pie IN other States and religion that
uses no force and leaves everybody at
liberty 10 Worship how, and when and
what they please.
The contrast between the tales that
ore told about the 'Mormons" and their
actual status and faith. IS so great as to
astonish and bewilder persons who
place credence in the stories that are
published and the perversions Of Nor
morism" that issue from the pulpit.
The most recent instances Of anti
Mormon" SANDER are to be found in
Llppinootts and Munseys magazines
for June. They are both specimens OF
that kind OF falsehood which strives to
conceal malice under a pretence Of fair
ness. and sprlnlsles a little praise over
that which Il Is intended TO condemn,
spreading film Of fact over a body Of
fiction,
in Llppincott's a MRS Hudson" re-
gales her readers with some old stories
revamped. one Of them being the green
paint" stupidity which we have already
exrosed. Here Is another Of the same
sort.
There was a man once at lost a
leg. and for a long time afterwards he
went stumDin round on a hick'ry peg.
one day Elder Harkins asked him why
he didn't go to Brother Brigham Young
and have his leg restored.
"Dyou s'pose he en- do ~ said
NAN I NEHANh = NlAih IL MAilhH III II
Why Of course he can do II. and glad
Of the chance TO show his power the
elder said; wonder you hadn't
thought OF II before Wen, you may
be sure Peg lost no time In gettln'
thar after that. And what d'you
spose Brother Brigham said7 Why.
he said OF course ne could make a
new leg, tests good a leg as the one
that was miss'n', but before he sup
piled that lost member he was I'm
honor bound 10 tell Peg-leg something
that he considered very serious. Says
he. III / make a new leg for you 20
use in this life, II will be a part OF
you. and afler you die II villa be resur-
rected along with the rest OF your
BODY when the last trumpet blows
"'All right. all right. Peg-leg put
In, that's jest what I want
But hold on Brother Brigham
said, that hain't all OF Il. Both Of
the legs you were born with will be
resurrected also. and you'll have 20
take your choice between goin' with
one leg IN this world OF havin three
In the next?'"
That Is the sort Of stun that appears
In q respectable American monthly,
and that serves TO keep up the popular
notions about the majority Of Utahs
people. The rest Of the article Is about
as correct as that
In Munseys, c. c. Goodwin contrib
utes an article entitled, THE Truth
About the Mormons." How appropriate
the heading Is 70 the body may be seen
from the following extracts;
"As a rule candid men, when they
seek fairly 70 investigate Mormonlsm,
reeoil on the very threshold The pa
rents OF Joseph Smith are the first
stumbling block A father that searched
for buried treasure with a stick Of
hazel, that sold blessings at three dol.
lars each, that In his person filled an
the requirements Of a vagabOnd.
mother that was low vulgar. mercen.
AIRY, and utterly untruthful-What could
be hoped for from the son OF such
pair?
The son was IN childhood an expert
Vagabond, a gypsy In character intent
chiefly on obtaining advantages with.
out labor His first prompting seemed
to be a lust for money; his second Tor
power and, when prospered, the animal
within him materiallzed and thence.
forth dominated his life
The writer Of those slanders does no,
state that he Is merely repeating some.
thing he has heard or read. but u,ters
them as his own statements. And set
he had no acquaintance with the per.
sons whom he thus defames and about
whom he personally knew nothing
whatever. But here IL a story that has
had many versions, which has no f5un.
dalton In truth and was told about 9th.
er persons before Joseph smith was
born. Goodwin says
Joseph Smith was queer compound
Tn an article published in the Desero.
News last Christmas. President Snow
of the Latter-dQy Church Wrote that he
knew that God and Christ came In per.
son TO Joseph Smith. on the other
hand, Dan Rice OF ancient circus fame
tola the writer, some Years ago. that he
knew Joe Smith Intimately az Nnuvoo,
mat one day smith said 20 him. Dan
me people are growing restless. We
must give them q miracle The river is
muddy. you build, on the quiet. a piat.
form. and anchor IL about "a foot below
The surface OF the water. Z win walk
on the water Well Rice went ON
] fixed the platform AN right. only
about twelve feet out from shore led
alt couple % panks. smith walked
the water an right until he came I.
where the planks We're out. then hs
went down and the miracle was
smashed all 20 smithereens
Il thought Rice was romancing. but I
believe his story as much as do that OF
President Snow"
After giving this circus yarn as part
~ .arhn Trl1th Ahn,1t ~ 49,. !, -