Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-06-27
!. MoKMoNIsM AS 1T is TODAY"

The Era Magazine an hluselHV'
monthly, in its June issue has for us
leading contribution an article by James
Blddle Halsey entitled "Mormonism AS
II ia Today" The writer states that
few years ago he lived in Salt Lake
city. and his essay aims to be fair botn
IN statement and inference" based on
personal observation as well as on HIS
torical reports. He has succeeded IN
the main although unwittingly biased
somewhat by his own beliefs and unbe-
liefs He starts with a quotation from
sonthey, who in 1929 warned the Ameri-
can people against the danger Of relig'
ious fanaticlsm, and the consequlases to
the nation il another Mohammed
should arise" who would find In no part
or the world more scope or farer op-
portunty than In that part Of the An
glo-American Union into which the
elder States continually discharge the
restless part of their population" He re-
CARDS Joseph Smith and his successful
work as a fuIhlment OF the prediction.
This therefore imparts a color to his
sketch, no matter how much he aims at
accuracy
A brief account Of the Book of Nor
mon Is given. which Mr.. Halsey confess
es he never could make out although
he frequently tried to read az II, and
therefore he is evidently not qualified to
criticize II. The progress Of the Church,
the murder of the Prophet and Patrl-
arch, the exodus to the west the settle
ment of Utah. the foresight, skill and
strong leadership OF President Brigam
Young. the growth OF the population
here, the prosecutions under the anti
polygamy laws and the final entrance
of Utah into the Union as State, are
all touched upon fairly and wildly. The
missionary work OF Mormon" Elders Is
also described, and then the writer at
tempts to account for their success In
proselyting, and, like most other specu.
lators on that point, tumbles into err
ror
He says 1T must be admitted that
their religion is devoid Of philosophy"
He asserts: "But their power In maxi
ing converts lies largely in the promise
Of transporting recruits to the Land Of
Promise, where they are led to expect
little short of Paradise on Earth"
These mistakes come from those partial
investigations disclosed in his spasmod-
ic efforts TO read at the Book Of Nor
mon He therefore knows nothing OF
the deer philosophy Of Mormonlsm.
and even a little earnest inquiry into
the Mormon methods Of proselylism.
would have proved TO him that our FL
ders DO no, transport any recruits TO
Zion, that they make no such promises
and paint no such pictures as those
which he imagines induce people TO I'M
migrate 10 these wales. Why he might
have learned better from a hymn sung
often at home as well as abroad, ana
found on page 1898 OF our hymn book
beginning.
Think not when you gather 10 Zion
Your troubles and trials are through
That nothing but comfort and pleasure
Are waiting In Zion FOR you,
No, no: It's designed as furnace
Al substance, all textures 10 try.
To burn al the wood. hay and siubbe
The gold from the dross purify"
The writer fails into blundefs too. IN
attempting TO show that the book which
he merely tried to read atp e 'full Of
snaohronlsns' &c thinks tasss are
found 10 the mention Of iron SIX,
oxen md sheep" IN the Book Of Ether
also Of horses and asses, elephants.
surelums ana oumoms" Where The
knatchrohlsms he speaks Of are
senienstrated In these references, we
ts-il TO discover. But II the ,siecioE