New-York tribune., 1901-07-03
THE MORMON DANGER.
MRS DARWIN r. JAMES SAYS THE MIS-
SlONARIES PRACTISE DECEPTION
TO ENTRAP THE UNWARY.
To the Editor of The Tribune.

| To the Editor of The Tribune
Sir; The executive committee of the Interde-
nc NINA tonal Council of Women for Christian and
Fatrlotic Service. in regularly called meeting
| unanimously request you to publish the following
statement in a conspicuous place in your valuable
| paper.
In your illustrated Supplement- for June g.
: lSu under the head of Mormon Mission Work"
! we find an article which. II ed would be
detrimental to the work which is just engag-
ing the serious attention of council The in
tefests of our cause therefore require make
reply which will set the truth before the public
We note particularly the opening sentence of the
| article referred to- which is follows:
| A genuine invasion of the Philistne could not
/ nave caused more excitement in Harlem and The
EndeaTor Society oeer from Di
ucnaiism to Mormonsm
hen follows much of similar import-an
tending 10 incucate the idea that there really
no occasion for any anxiety account of the work
| OF the Mormon missionaries. We agree that there
would be occasion for anxiety in regard to this
| matter If the Mormon missionaries honest
enough to tell the truth about the real doctrines
| and practices of the Mormon Church. The anxiety
| Is occasoned by the fact that these missionaries
are practising wholesale deception in order to en-
trap the unwary into taking position which they
| would never think of taking if they knew the
! truth. which is purposey withheld from them until
1t is very difficult. il not impossible for them to
| recede from such compromising position.
1t must be remembered that Mormon elders
| il'iil tHe beginning nave made their converts
| through deception. Successful Mormon elders
| have again and again admitted and even boosted
| OF the fact that they had made their converts
| through deception. There many cases of such
| admission extant Among them is the following
verbatim extract from the report of Elder" George
| Dunbar of his mission in the Southern States
| as published in THE Journal of Logan. Utah
May 25, 1897 After telling of the glorious success
| OF his mission, in the sunny South. he continues
We did not preach divine authority apostasy.
] Ia q Y 81
| " DO not preach Joseph Smith and the Book of
hearts We preach the gospel in its simplicity nnd
plainness' we give them milk it were.
In the foregoing Elder Dunbar was only fol-
| lowing his inspired instructions, forth in
| the Mormon Doctrine and Covenants" which is
more binding upon the Mormon conscience than
the Bible. because it contains their alleged direct
revelations from God the people of this dispen-
sation and is free from the OF transcribers
and fallible translators." Witness the following:
And of tenets thou shalt not talk but thou shalt
declare repentance and faith on the Saviour and
ssi9n h ION OF sins by baptism and by fire yea, even
| the HOLY Ghost doctrine and Covenants, xix 3lD
| Again read in the same INSPIRED" book:
10 10 me children of the kingdom should be given
Xii s. '''0ie SWINE 'Ooc'fihe ana covenants
| From the foregoing 1t will be that II the
Mormon missionaries In these parts are denying
the present teaching and practice OF polygamy II
is no indication that they have really ceased or
that they are now ashamed of this vile practice
but rather that they still regard the polygamous
pearl as something too sacred to be before
| the Gentle dogs" or swine
II viii doubtless interest the readers Of The
Tribune 10 know what excuse the Mormons give for
such systematic deception in regard to this matter
For they cannot bear meat now. but milk they
tnese things lest they 0eTsb rtr mus npu @ Know
nants. xix 22)
II may he considered very gracious on the part
OF the Mormon elders to deceive the American
people In order that they may make many victims
10 their evil designs but prefer honesty to any
false pretence. however benevolent the motive
may he
on one occasion. in the presence OF a worker
nected With this council. four Mormon elders
crerating in the East persisted in denying that
their leaders teaching and practising poyg-
amy a. the present time. until they found that
they were talking to persons who knew that these
elders were falsfyng. Then they changed their
tactics and freely admitted the facts. When
asked
,pnes and practices and depend upon your ability
tIces arc rieb, insaad o} tryip M and prac
people In regard to them?
They all answered In substantially the same Ian
guage:
hearts sa the S Psc Mould id then harden their
0Ts os 9pT % & heads , when we go back home for
pared to receive them
Later, in the same conversation. these elders
justified their falsehoods and deception on the
ground that in this they following the exam
pie OF Christ when He said: Il have yet many
things to to you but ye cannot bear them
now
Every Mormon elder is thoroughly trained i'm
these methods of deception before coming East ION
a mission" Hence the dishonesty of their claims
quoted by you;
We always tell people who we are We do not
tO hon find ThoraN hn,oa
WI lie their husbands are at work.
Near the conclusion OF the article under discus
sion find the statement that OF the tracts
distributed In the vicinity by the elders out
lines the doctrines OF the Church and includes
the thirteen articles of faith of the Mormon
Church"
This statement is misleading those who do not
happen to know that the so-caled Articles of
Faith OF the Mormon Church were prepared and
have always been used for the purpose of conceal
ing the real inner doctrines Mormonism in
stead of setting them forth. the creeds of the
Christian denominations intended TO do III
any reader OF The Tribune has any doubt about the
correctness of this statement let him examine
not be searching in vain for any of those
doctrines which differentiate Mormonism from
all other religious faiths.
The council is arranging a list of speakers who
Will take the field in behalf of the movement for
the proposed anti-polygamy constitutional amend
ment. Any societies or churches which may wish
to secure the services of such speakers should ad-
dress the council for dates and terms.
BY order of the executive committee OF the Inter
denominational Council of Women for Christian
MARY f. JAMES. President
NewYork City. June "a, 1901.