Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-11-07
HARpiNG ON "MoRMoNIsM.'

-
4 A recent issue OF the Chicago TrIb
une contains some particulars Of MOI
mon missionary work in that city ant
l In the Northern States Mission, which
; It says contains eight conferences. ex
! tending through the states Of Illinois
! Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin
!, and Minnesota. The Tribune says:
"In Chicago, the work Of the Church
Is along lines that are not duplicated
! In any other business. In the first IN
3 stance, these working elders consult thu
!, convenience Of the householder to a de-
. gree, None of them rings door-be
2 before o'clock In the morning; be.
4 tween half past II IN the morning and
4 1880 In the afternoon no family h dis.
! turbed, and at 1880 o'clock In the af-
J ternoon the days work Is over Much
I OF this work is in the distribution OF
tracts and the literature Of The cen
4 trail church in Salt Lake City The
! center OF this proselyting Is at 63b w
! Adams ST. In the top fiat, at which
place the president Of the Northern
States Mission makes his home"
IA That paper gives very good por-
trait OF Elder Asahel Woodruff, Presl-
4 dent of the mission and fair cut OF
Elders H. W, Smith, j. l.. Roberts,
george II. Barney, james Clark and
Levi Ence, laboring in Chicago, 1t al
so has a large cut Of the Mormon
Church on Oakley Avenue" The Trlb-
June says;
According to these Elders, the mem
befship of the church Is about l75, but
It IL made plain that this does not and
cannot represent the strength OF the
church work. for the reason that the
converts are sent away continually 10
make uD colonies which the Church is
lplanting almost everywhere In the
iworld."
Fl The reporter who conversed with the
Elders must have misunderstood their
statements In regard 10 the mission
work OF the Church. They probably in
Formed him that there were branches Of
THE Church In various parts Of the
'world, but not that COLONIES" were
there established. The Tribune states
|that. Colony after colony in various
|parts of the world Is being supplied
with settlers from the congested parts
OF Chicago"
1t also remarks that "only recently
Apostle Grant has opened a colony ir
Japan," and Its notion in regard to this
matter " conveyed in the following
Paragraph:
In this planting OF colonies the con.
&vert to the religion Is subject TO the or
der OF the head Of the Church In Sail
Lake City. When he has cast his LOT
with the Church he becomes the subject
or Its dictator In Utah, and he moves
as easily as a pawn upon chess.
board and with the same absence OF
yolltion."
II seems almost impossible for O
newspaper reporter or editor. when
touching upon the Mormon" question
In any OF its phases, to get the matter
exactly right. This may be from q
lack of close attention and absence OF
IA desire to be absolutely correct, OF
From disposition TO put the subject In
"a wrong light, so as to please the ma.
Jority of readers of the paper. The
Tribune goes on to give the old and
hIghly-colored Observation-Disclosures sto-
pies about Mormon" atrocities, lnclud.
Ing the falsehoods about Blood atone
lnent" recently revived, uses the stale
charge that "Mormonism' is men
ace" to the state, and dlates upon the
Wonderful growth of the Mormon
Church In Europe as well as In the
Knitted States
II speaks of the agitation which
stirred the country TO its depths when
Ion Il. II. Roberts was elected TO Con-
sress. which It blunderingly states was
he first election of congressman after
he State of Utah was admitted into
The Union. but compensates for It's err
|ors by giving. In full, the dispatch
lent by that gentleman recently, in re-
ponse to a question concerning the
progress and prospects Of the Nor
bon" Church. by the New York He
tald.
Some benefit will doubtless accrue TO
he Mormon cause from these press
Notices which II receives, no matter
bow many mistakes are made and rldi-
ulous rumors are repeated. Public
ttention is drawn 10 the Church and
b Its missionaries. Inquiries are in
tituted and when people become sufli-
ientlv interested TO investigate. the
ruth shines out more brightly when
placed in contrast with The falsehoods
Ind exaggeratlons of its foes.
''Mormonism' has a mission on the
arth and II extends TO all the world.
hut Il Is not planting colonies among
be nations or IN the different states
d the Union. nor is 1t in any sense a
menace" to any country or people, or
free Institutions. IL is the pure
Iospel of Jesus Christ restored by d.
ine revelation in the latter days. /,
ns lived In spite Of all the opposition,
hysical and intellectual that has been
kerted for its destruction, and It will
krry light and truth 10 all mankind
IA accomplish the work for which Il
be designed BY the Eternal Father OF