Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-03-08
SECRET OF MORMON SUCCESS.

nc NOlluWCStCla SAiiSIidA
Advocate, Methodist paper of
Chicago, says: During 1899 !
the Congregationalists, Presby-
terians, and Methedists gained
4o,3oo, while the Mormon church
with a population about one
fifteenth os large, gained $1,000,
or about 13, ,ooo more than all Of
them put together. This can
only be accounted for by the
fact that they have from. 1900
to 1900 missionaries going all
over the country, visiting from
house to house and making con.
verts."
The Advance, aCongregation.
al paper of Chicago, says: Sac
cording to the statistics Of relig.
ious bodies in the United States
the Mormons have increased
during the past ten years from
144, ,352 TO 800, 900, more. than
double during the decade. For
more than a generation Mermen-
ism has been discredited in the
estimation of the more en1ight-
ened minds by the gross mater
ialism Of Its doctrines; by its an
tagenisrn to the principles of
democracy; by its strong intol-
erancs which would play the
part of boxer with all other
forms of religion, if it had the
power; by its serpent.tongued
mode OF preselyting, which with
holds knowledge Of its peculiar
doctrines until the victims are
fully Ia its pewer; and by its
long and continued effort to
make lust the chief virtue. Its
great increase is mainly because
of the zeal Of its missionaries
and members. At presest one
Mormon cut of every one-hun-
dred and twenty-five, including
children, are out doing mission.
airy work in behalf of the system,
about 2, 900 in all, Of whom the
majority are In this country.
The system controls the vote of
Utah, and helds the balanee of
power in NEST of the surround.
ing states and territories -
William 3. Smythe, in Har.
psr's Weekly, says: "For a full
half-century public sentiment
has waged was on the Mormon
church. It's latest achievement,
accomplished by popular up.
rising Of American women, with
the practically unanimous sup
port Of organized religion
throughout the country, was to
Danish Brigham H. Roberts from
the halls Of congress. It's next
effort, aeeerding to a prominent
Congregational newspaper, will
be to attempt the conversion of
the Mermon hosts by the careful
distribution of tracts among
their homes in Utah. In opposi.
ton to these lines OF work the
Nss England newspapers report
great activity among the Nor
mon missionaries in the old state
of Maine. 1t is said that they
are speaking to large audiences,
and meeting with success in
forming LEGAL societies with a
view to building churches, and
that their Success is SO great that
Ghey have sent fer more mission.
aries to assist In their prosperous
labers. During the past few
months the Hormon authorities
at Salt Lake have concluded ne
gotiations for the purchase of
large tracts of land watered
by the irrigation enterprise in
Big Hern country of Wyoming.
It is announced that they will
send thirty thousand settlers into
that district during the present
season which will witness the
beginning of their colonization
there.
"The Mermen church is grow
ing faster teday than ever before
Ia It's history. It is building
more churches, planting more
settlements, maintaining more
missionaries all over the earth.
The general public appears to
know nothing Of it only polyga-
my. And polygamy is emily the
ornamental buckle on its shoe.
Behind that is the sturdy body
and enterp7isizg brain of great
materialisn,, which possesses at
fractions far more potent than a
plurality of wives. Whatever
mysteries may BIZ embalmed
within the exclusive walls of
Mormon temples, there is moth
ino secret about their method ofl