The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-05-12
FEEDS ON HUNGER.
How the Mormon Church Gets Re cruits.

the Dond WHlcn nOluS the lnUusdlluS oL
 Latter-Day Saints together is the creed
 of Joseph Smith supplemented by many
 revelations, but the fear of starvation
 has done more than anything else to
 build up the Mormon church, It Is re-
 cruited from men and women who
 have hard hard battle to keep the
 wolf from the door. When hunger gnaws the religion that feeds is cer-
 tain to be popular This is the secret or
 Mormonisms remarkable growth, says
 a Salt Lake letter in the Brooklyn
 Eagle.
 Persons who came to the annual con-
 ference just ended were ccntented rath-
 CT than devout Their faces reflected
 happiness instead of adoration. From
 radius of 200 miles every Mormon who could get here came to honor the l institution which has transformed
 many of them from European peasants
 into American citizens. The church gets
 credit due the republic. Mormonism IS
 credited by these proselytes with all
 the blessings they have received,
 whereas residence in free country has
 brought about the great measure of
 their prosperity.
 One of the first things the stranger notices is that the crowd is homely one. Tn no other assemblage in the United States is there the utter lack of comedy women and such number
 of grotesquely visaged men. The trag- edy of poverty is written in deep lines over all countenances. It is the pow erty of the past, but its traces will not disappear from the lineaments of this
 generation nor from that of the next.
 The dress is that of the prosperous
 peasant. It is as if a whole colony of
 hunger pinched European laborers had
 suddenly come into a few hundred dol
 lars and gone with their families to
 some fete The combinations of colors
 are the acme of bad taste. The in-
 congruousness is so universal and so
 fearfully outre that it is impressive
 One can scarcely acquit the women of a deliberate desire to make themselves
 as ugly as possible. Red faced. with big hands and feet, their features are jumbed together like some hanhazard impression made on soft bronzed wax,
 During the most vigorous sermons these people sit impassive. When the truly grand tabernacle organ p2als forth in strains produced by master hand, it appeals not to them. only a revelation will awaken transient ln- terest. They know they are to do what their superiors tell them and they do it. Also they pay their tithes, giving tenth of their income to the church, consequently they are good Mormons. The tithe paying they re- gard as so much rent and they are glad when they think how much less is ex- acted of them here than was taken from them in the old country. Here they are never hungry, hence they are always contented.
 Occasionally an educated man is to the ranks of Mormonisn. It is not long until he is an officer. The church authorities know as well as any 1 one that their brow beating tactics l would not be tolerated by any one ex- cept the servant class. Many of the old | Mormons who crossed the plains were of different stamp. If they had not | been they would never have got there. | Their sons and daughters are now the | pillars of the church, many of them | having been educated at good schools. They live in luxurious homes and their | honored church connection adds vastly | to their incomes from whatever lines of business they may happen to be in. Truly the church takes care of it's own, but it takes care of them according to what they have been used to. It casts no pearls before swine,
 It is only recently that a scion of one of these old Mormon families became of a Gentle girl It was 'eared he was drifting away from the ,hurch Notwithstandine the fact he vas at critical period of what prom sed to be a successful career he got etter one morning from BOX B." He dropped in dead faint when he saw he return address in the left hand 'orner The letter commanded him to 20 on mission and to go that same week. He went and he is still on the mission His Gentle sweetheart, it is aid, is engaged to marry Gentle,
 These communications from Box 3" are highly prized by some who feel he need of reinstating themselves in he good graces of the church authori- ies, The letter always commands the ecipient to go to some far country as
 missionary There is no money in- losed The missionary is to make his Wn way. Often he gives an entertain 1ent. which is q sort of benefit, be- ore he starts, but sometimes he does ot. He never fails to get to his desti- alton and he remains from one to five ears. When he comes back he is re- eived with due eclat and ever after ! ard the church takes an especial n- crest in any aspirations he may have r in his being successful missionary l ne young man cannot fail in anything s c undertakes. Tn some way or other he peasantry of the church are lined $ D in his favor. The peasants do the labor and the fficers with a wonderful foresight and I usiness acumen, manage the business T fairs of the entire congregation. Past T Sperience demonstrates that the peas- | nt can well afford to pay for that engagement The Mormon church new fails to improve the financial condi- | on of any European pauper it brings | yer but it is aided by American gov- I, 'nment and institutions, The mans bor counts for more here than it did | lere. They give him little more and ., tain the rest. He is satisfied and the lurch is a corporation which pays big V