The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-07-19
NONE TAKEN AWAY
MORMON ELDERS SEEKING CON-
VERTg NOT EMIGRANTs.
TO ESTABLISH A MISSION.
SAINTS LATTER DAY CHURCH ARE
IN SAVANNAH.

Claim to he Meeting Success in Mis-
sIOnary Work, Having n Congre-
CATION of Between Twenty and
Thirty PersOns-Expect Work VIII
Be strengthened by Establishing
Headquarters Southern States
Mission Ina AtInntn--PIuraI Mar
riaGcs Not Upheld by Church,
Whose Tenets Are Those Taught
by Christ and His Disciples, says
Elder Jackson.
Four Mormon elders are in Savannah
actively engaged in making proselytes
to their church. They claim they are
meeting with much success and that
they hope to establish here soon
Mormon congregation with a regular
place of meeting. At present the con-
gregations, numbering from twenty to
thirty persons, meet two or three
times a week at the home of those in
sympathy with the faith.
The elders conducting the mission
airy movement are P. p. Taylor, Will
liam j. Jackson, j. c. Miller, and S. c.
Rodgers. Another elder, Harris, is ex-
pected to reach Savannah to-day, but
will not remain for more than day
or two as he is en- route to Florida.
Later he will return TO Savannah and
will take charge of the work here.
Not Many in Georgia.
Georgia is a little behind other
Southern states in the number of prose-
lytes to the Mormon Church, Elder
Jackson explained yesterday but much
active work is now being done, and
better showing as to converts will be
made soon, he says.
The headquarters of the Southern
States Mission is soon to be moved 10
Atlanta. where the president Ben. r.
Rich, will make his home. President
Rich is now in Cincinnati. This change
of headquarters is expected to give new
life and impetus to the Mormon Church,
not only in Georgia, but throughout the
South.
The Mormon Church no longer de-
sires its converts to emigrate to Titan,
as in the old days. Conditions have
changed greatly, Elder Jackson ex-
planned, in the last few years. When
it was sought to make converts emil
grants it was because Utah was thinIy
populated, land was cheap and plenti-
full, and the church was strengthened
by having it's members consolidated.
Now things are different, and so the
church seeks not to consolidate. but
to establish missions and communities
throughout the country.
The Mormon Faith.
AS to the tenets of the faith taught
Elder Jackson explained that they diff
fer little from much that is taught
in the evangelical churches. I'VE be-
lieve," he said, "in faith, repentance,
baptism, the laying on Of hands, the
gift of the holy ghost, and similar
doctrines as taught by Christ and His
apostles, and we have the same or
ganization as that of the primi-
tive church. The chief differ
ence between the Mormon
Church and others is that the Nor
mans hold that men of modern times
can be inspired prophets as well as
were the men of antiquity.
ut is in accordance with this belief
that our elders and other officers Ct
the church are chosen, and we have
the authority of the Bible that this way
is in accordance with the Scriptures
here the speaker reached for a hand
some oxford edition of the Bible and
read as showing the basis of this be-
lief, Hebrews, IV:5, And no man
taketh this honor unto himself, but
he that is called of God, as was Aaron
When asked as to the teaching Of
the elders regarding polygamous mar
riages, Elder Jackson stated that po-
iygamy is no longer tolerated by the
church, and that no plural marriage
has taken place among it's members
since $780, or whereabouts.
The Mormons are not doing any
street preaching, because the city will
not tolerate It, and has shut down on
all sorts of religious gatherings on the
streets, except those of the Salvation
Army.