The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-06-24
MORMON BAPTISM
Three Women Immersed in
New York Bay on
Saturday.


Norman elders baptized three women
Saturday at Greenvilie. Wreathed in
flowers, and robed in clinging white the
converts waded waist deep into the wa
ters of New York Bay.
Two of them are women already mar
ried and one is a maid. Two are converts
from the ranks of the Protestant Episco-
pal Church, while the third proressed no
previous religious affiliation. Two are
residents of Brooklyn, from which bor-
ough have come many of the recent Nor
inor recruits. The third is a resident Of
Manhattan.
Mount Zion is the bay shore resort OF
the faith healers. 1t is at the foot OF
Chapel avenue. Before ii is New York
Bay. Next to the Mount Zion reserva-
ton stands a venerable stone cottage, III
years old-a relic of early Revolutionary
days, older, much older, than the Book OF
Mormon.
There were about thirty Mormon en-
thusiasts gathered in the venerable house
at three O'Clock Saturday afternoon for
the cottage meeting that preceded the
administering of the ordinance Gf bap-
tism. Elder John S. McQuarrie president
of the Eastern States Mission, was not
present, but he sent his greeting and his
personal representative, Elder Baird, III
his stead. Others who did attend were
Elders C. w. Thomas, William ]. Snow
of Brooklyn; James B. Burrow, Samuel
B. Neff, George A. Golf, c. Fletcher, L.
w. Forsyth, John r. Porter of Newark,
T. A. Thurman, D. c. Coulon and e. H
Eastmond. The last named, though an
ordained elder in the Mormon Church. is
a very young man, and is still a student
in the Pratt Institute.
Brief addresses were delivered by
Elders Thomas, Neff, Snow and Baird.
who expounded the Mormon doctrines and
explained the symbolism of the baptismal
rite. All bore testimony to the divinity of
the work in which they are engaged, and
to the valid claims of Joseph Smith to
rank as true prophet of the living God.
All professed to be teaching the same
Gospel as that taught by Jesus Christ
and His Apostles.
Elder Baird, in his peroration, exclaim-
ed:-"When this world can overcome the
testimony of men an dwomen ready to
toll and sacrifice their time, their ener-
gies and their means for what they know
to be right and true, and, if necessary,
to die for it, then and not until then can
Mormonism be stamped out"
At the conclusion of the cottage service
the three candidates made their simple
preparations for immersion. Over her
clothing each sister, assisted by the
older converts of her sex, adjusted a long,
flowing gown of white loosely girdled at
the waist much after the manner of a
tea gown, of unpretentious material and
cut.
Elders Snow and Thomas, the former
long. angular man. much more than six
feet tall, had meantime prepared to enter
the water. They donned no priestly robes
or even waterproof garments. Simplicity,
like that of the early church, is one of
the foremost of their tenets. Arrayed in
the ordinary clothing of a clergyman
long, black, high collared coat and black
trousers, with a standing collar and black
strip tie at the throat-they stepped down
to the narrow landing stage in front of
Young's boat house. Though they had
evidently devoted somewhat worn cloth
ing to the sacrifice, their appearance was
neat and thoroughly professional.
From the end of the frame landing
stage projected a small float, which ut
the four o'clock status of the ebb tide
was rocking gently in about three feet of
water. The elders, before entering the
water. stood with their associates and the
proselytes in an effective group Of black
and white, and their voices rising in uni
son as they stood on the sloping green
Shore rose in the anthem. "Oh, My
Father!''
After the singing of the anthem Elders
Snow and Thomas, with as much dignity
as was consistent with the necessary flop
and splash, stepped off the end of the
float into three feet of water, and the
first convert, q Mrs. Ayen, with an ex-
preston of exaltation on her broad, hon
est features, was lead down the landing
stage toward them by the attending ell
ders. The officiating elde-s assisted her
into the water, and then without further
ceremony Elder Snow, his tall lean form
towering above the plump figure of the
novitiate, led her gently into deeper WA
ter. Raising one hand above her head,
while the other rested lightly Upon her
back, Elder Snow said:-
Sister, having been commissioned of
Jesus Christ, I baptise thee in the name
of the Father, and of the Son ana of the
Holy Ghost. Amenr'
With a slight backward movement the
Elder dipped the convert until the waters
closed momentarily avove her face and
then. raising her easily in his strong arms
be mopped her face and hair with a hand
kerchief and returned her to her friends,
who waited at the foot of the landing
stage.
OF the two who followed, Elder Thomas
immersed one and Elder Snow the other
The same riual was employed as in the