Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-04-04
TROUBLED ABOUT "MoRMoNIsM."


The New York Mail and Express re-
joices exceedingly In the fact that
evangelical churches have issued an
appeal TO the christian public IN
America TO resist the encroachments
OF Mormonlsm." 1t claims that the
chief task is to combat popular indlner-
ence based on ignorance II Is this ig-
norance the appeal" is to remove
our New York contemporary does not
rely entirely, however, upon the hoped
for effects OF the appeal, and so IT un-
dertakes to add SIS own contribution to
the general fund Of alleged Information
It tells its readers;
"The temporal as well as the spiritual
supremacy Of the Mormon Church II
the essence Of It's doctrines. For that
reason its rise means menace 20 the
American republic as well as 70 Chrls,
tlanlty. The lessons OF humility anu
absolute, unreasoning submission 10
the orders Of its leaders sink into me
souls Of It's followers ana make me
Mormon Church machine comparable
in efficiency, though not in size, 70
the Society Of Jesus when at the helght
OF its powers It's missionaries Jake
literally the command to be all Things
to all men, orders are obeyed IN
stantly. and suffering Is undergone
without complaint. Landed IN the port
Of Boston. with fare paid TO Salt Lake
81
rome come each year. They are peas
ants 10 whom the picture Of industrial
freedom and comfort greater than their
hard. worked lives have ever known
has been painted In glowing colors.
with but little stress upon the doctrlnal
aspect of the faith. In the mountains
OF the Cumberland and the Blue Ridge
ranges their emissarles are busy, stir
ring with fervid oratory and simple
imagery the emotional nature OF the
primitive people In the East the
ethical beauty of their belief, which II
seems on the surface to possess, Is
dwelt upon. and the lie Is told that
polygamy has been abandoned and
that the tyrannlca dominance Of the
church over political and property
rights is a SANDER"
The Mail and Express perpetreted
this sanderous attack against an lnof-
fensIve people on the very eve OF the
day on which the Christian world
celebrates the resurrection of the Re-
deemer II may net therefore be In
appropriate to remind It, that Just such
charges were made against the Naz.
arene and His first followers. Just such
Misrepresentation sent Him 10 the
cross, and millions Of His adherents to
dungeons, to the arena, to death in its
most cruel forms. Christianity, It was
said by men just as Intelligent as the
writer In the Mail and Express. was a
menace TO the Roman republic as well
as to the existing religious systems.
But this was nevertheless base false
hood Not Christianity but the spirit
% hatred, the superstition, the ignor-
ance, the rottenness Of that age were
the perils to the old institutions Had
the teachings OF Christianity been ac-
cepted there Is no reason TO doubt that
the Roman empire would have re-
NAMED. by rejecting Christianity, II
sealed its own doom, while the hated
and feared religion went on triumphant.
And why should we not expect history
to repeat itself today? Truth cannot be
suppressed, II may have It's Good Fri
day OF agony and darkness, and the
earth may be rent around Il by the
furlos Of hell, but 1t will also have its
resurrection morn with the chains OF
mortality bursted, with attending an
gels, and Joy and gladness. And Nor
monsm" is truth
The idea that the Church Is very
largely recruited by people looking for
industrial freedom and comfort Is alb
surd. II Is true that many thousands
have come to other parts OF this coun-
try from foreign lands. 10 seek Just
such comforts They had friends to
come TO- who wrote glowing descrip-
tons Of the advantages OF the country
But the Utah immigration has been
different from the first, in this respect
The Pioneers were driven away from
civilization. They left trail Of untold
sufferngs, and over this trail the thou
sands that followed them. went to a
practical wilderness II was the power
OF truth that gathered the elect from
all nations TO come and serve the
Lord The history Of the Church clear
" proves this.
We are pleased 10 see that our New
York contemporary does not favor per-
secution. II says:
Persecution has always been
weapon that hurts the wielder worst.
Farther invasion OF property and polit-
ical rights must be watched and
checked by the government. Farther
INVASION of the field Of Christianity
must be battled with by the Chris
tan churches united"
Let that battle go on. Let the "splr-
It's array themselves in combat. with
spiritual ornaments, and there is no
danger that truth will be defeated.
LEo's LAST WORD.