Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-06-22
rus AGITATION IN NEW YORK

aid Of June H. In reference TO the con-
,a,sloo Of two Harlem ladies to the
,onb If the Iatter-doy Saints. The
account appears 10 be pretty accurate
ana describes the agitation produced IN
RELIGIOUS circles by the frank ayo"al OIL
,bo ladies Of their change Of bellef ana
,helr intention to be baptized and unite
with the Church which they are con-
WINGED Is the true Church Of Christ
All the leading New York papers
have somethng to say about TINS SIM
ME occurrence, and some Of their re-
marks are positively absurd, and sho"
that the writer's are ignorant OF the
tenets which they denounce ana speak
Of in terms Of horror 1t Is not sur
prislng that the minister Of the church
q, which the ladies were members
should feel chagrlned at the loss to his
Aock Of the two very active and prom
inent workers who have embraced
hotter creed. But It would have been
wise on his part, to say nothing oil
een,lemanly and Christian behavior II
he had kept his temper and RETAINED
from the use of such language as ali the
published reports attribute to him,
But this has been the usual course OF
sectarian preachers in reference to
"Mormonsm" and It's expounders from
the beginning. Incorporate language
and vile accusations have in many In
stances. been followed by personal at
tacks and mob violence against the
Elders whose cogent arguments and
scrlptural position those professed dis
clples OF the Savior could not meet sue
cessfully with reason and truth
The description given Of the Elders
who have been laborlng in the Bronx
district with some success, shows that
they are intelligent able, even pol
!shed" defenders of their faith, and
very far from such status as would
Justify the comparison with the very
dogs In the street used by the Rev.
Or. Severance when he failed to turn
the ladies from their strong convictions
OF the truth OF "Momonism." Calling
the Elders and their doctrines "hea-
then" and branding them as "a horde
Of thieves and impostors,' Is not likely
TO very profoundly impress any sensi-
bic person with the preachers super
iority. or to enlighten minds supposed
to have gone into errors darkness.
When our missionaries find people
who are omen TO reason and
who are amenable to reason and are
ready and anxious to receive the truth
II Is usually stated by their angered
enemies and announced In the papers
that the converts are Of the illiterate
and lower casses--"the common peo-
pie" In this case Il Is admitted that
the believers are highly respectable
well-lnfOrmed and but recently and
until they resigned their positions
leaders In the Christian society 10
which they were attached. It is as
serted. however. that the large num-
bers OF other converts to "Mormonism"
In the nelghborhood Of Gotham are
ignorant folks and that they have been
shipped a hundred at a batch to
Utah recently OF course, these figures
are fictitious and the rest OF the story
bears a similar stamp
The objections Of "iliteracy' and
slower orders" so frequently heard
about Mormon" converts, are similar
TO those presented against the Saints
in the FIRST Church, established by
Christ and His Apostles. He was
called "the son Of the carpenter; His
disciples were "unlearned fishermen"
the common people heard Him glad
ly;" and those who joined Him were
called a little sect everywhere spoken
against" Not many wise. learned,
wealthy or noted in the world followed
the Savior and His disciples. but God
chose "the weak things Of the earth
to confound the mighty"
In answer 70 the charges made by
her former friends, one OF the ladies.
Mrs Thos Il. Blair, who was president
of the Young Peoples Christian On |
deavor society, ana for several years
a leading member of Fort Morris Con |
gregauonal church, said TO New
York Herald reporter;
J have become a dm believer In the |
Mormon taith and am persuaded that /.
y em9odles The only true doctrines of |
christianity For the sake oi myself
my family and my friends, however. / '
desire that the Herald win make IL 1
plain that ! have no intention Of emf
grating 70 Utah, as has been malicious.
" rumored, nor am | a believer in
polygamous practices"
MICS Elizabeth Dickinson. the other
leog Ooh'eltY VINO was the secretary OF
the saire society, Is described by the
papers as "a girl Of uncommon lntcnl-
gsnce and independence Of character"
In conversation with a New York Her
aid reporter who interviewed her, she
Is quoted as saying:
y am proud NJ my change ~ faith.
and. so FAR from seeing anything dis
graceful IN H. believe am following
the only true course. am not b.
never In polygamy. and the Elders as
sue me ihat polygamy has not been
paciiced by the Mormon Church for
years
These ayowals ought 10 form @ crumb
81 comfort TO people who imagine that
accepting Mormonism' means embrace
ing polygamy and being shipped" to
Utah. And It should open their eyes to
The fact that there is something in the
system which they ignorantly oppose.