Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-29
TO SECURE SETTLERS
Two Bandsfuf Missionaries at
Work.
ONE OF MORMON CHURCH
OTHER UNDER BANNER OF SAL
WALTON ARMY.
Both Are Gathering Recruits Of Emil
grants to Go to New Coun-
tries-Their Methods.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

tTies-Their Methods.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star
| LONDON, Eng, April II, 1904.
| Two bands Of missionaries are now at
work in the city Of London in the attempt
to secure settlers for the newer countries.
One Of them is working under the banner
| OF the Salvation Army and one under that
| o. the Mormon Church Of Utah. There is
strong element Of religion in both move
| ments. but both have more or less practical
| features.
The methods Of these two bands Of mis-
scenarios are very different and their ap-
| peal Is made to different classes of people.
The Salvation Army work is upheld by
public sentiment and generous contributions
Of funds: that of the Mormon Church is
held in very general disfavor. and the mis-
sionaries are meeting with hostility some
times 80 open as to reach the point OF
violence 1t is said there are about five
thousand members Of the Mormon Church
resident in England, and 1t is from this
country that the largest number of recruits
has gone to the Utah organization in the
past sixty years. The emigrations from
the united kingdom, made under the au-
spices Of the Mormon faith. In that period
are said to be as high as one hundred
| thousand. ,.-
The Salvation Army work, which Is just
now attracting particular attention 10
| along the lines of the farm colonies already
In operation In Colorado and southern Cali
fcrnia. Money Is secured from generous
contributors and used for the transporta-
ton and equipment of destitute men and
families to sections of the world where
| cheap land is obtainable. and they can be
| made into agriculturists, If such thing
Is possible.
Glass the Mormons Want.
The class Of people sought by the Mormon
| missionaries are those with at least enough
money to take them to Utah. and unmar
ried or widowed women with ample means
are considered especially desirable. With
all the opposition and indignation which
has greeted this Mormon PROSECUTING, con-
verts are undoubtedly being made. The OPP
position they have aroused Is termed per-
secutton and for that very reason has ex-
cited the sympathy of some people who
favor religious liberty, but who are not
familiar with the true status of affairs in
Utah. Polygamy is not openly or avowedly
| advocated by the Mormons In London. They
do not preach polygamy as one Of their
teEets and admit that polygamous mar
! riages are forbidden by law. At their gath
erlngs, and in private interviews however
the Mormon missionaries have boldly de-
tended the practice of polygamy, and while
they claim 1t Is a, thing of the past, they
assert that great benefit has come to tha
people and to Utah from its practice. Their
contention here is that the sole purpose of
marriage is the rearing Of children hence
plurality OF wives is the most effective way
OF encouraging this industry.
AS is the custom in England the public
press Is giving wide advertisement to the
Mormon effort. Anything which savors Of
| the unusual or freaky apparently appeals
much more strongly, to the mass Of the
English. reading public than matters Do
l1tiCal economic and in fhia
movement are found all the elements
needed for sensationalism.
There are a large number of spinsters
| In the British social organization who are
| possessed of moderate but regular incomes,
| whose energies in ordinary times find an
outlet in providing homes for friendless
! dogs and cats, or carrying on some chari-
| table work of equally unique description.
| This material is ripe for the harvest when
| appealed to by the eloquent preachers Of
| the Mormon faith who present a religion
| not unattractive in its tenets and most
attractive in the environment 1t offers for
| those who will join the Utah colony.
| The audiences which greet the Mormon
| elders are largely composed OF women and
| partake Of the nature of revival services
| characteristic of the more emotional denom-
| nations Converts are being made and the
| population of Utah will undoubtedly be a
gamer through the present campaign
| for recruits to the Mormon faith. They are
not bad class Of people, and are far SUI
| perior in their value to any community
| they may choose to join than the average
| Immigrant who, without Initiative, has SIM
ply Joined the human tide flowing to Ameri;
| can shores The awakening which will
| come to some of these people when they
realize the true inwardnes of Mormondom
| is pathetic to contemplate, for these people
who go forth from England are provincial!
| in the extreme and their knowledge OF
| life is confined to the narrow circle OF their
| conventional British lives:
| warnings are not wanting, however. for
q surprising number OF women nave
brought themselves to public attention by
relating their experiences In the Mormon
| Churcb' Apparently scores OF English
| neople have In the past gone TO Utan, nVeo
there for nume Smrs OF s ye rsturned to Their
| homes broken in spirit, deprived OF their
income and full Of bitterness over their
| experiences. -, accommodation.
from women who write to tell OF their
| Conversion to the Mormon church, the
| tourney to Utah, their marriage as plural
wives to prominent Mormons. .neat nat -
| and their final return to England AFTER
| seven or eight years Of mental ana even
! nhysical suffering. Strange to say, these
experiences as related oy tnelr own ser
| other women whose curiosity or amDltion
| or Whatever it may be called has been
/ aroused by the Mormon missionary. All
| criticism is classed under the head OF per-
| sacntion and Misrepresentation, and only
seems to draw more people to the follow
ing.
The work undertaken by General Booth
of the Salvation Army presents much
more cheerful and logical front to sem
s,ble people, and he is receiving every kind
of encouragement, not only in Endorsement
OF his plan but In offers Of money to carry
it along. He is appealing especially at this
time for assistance for emigrants to the
british colonies, probably believing that
the American end of his enterprise is suf-
| f,cient unto itself The Salvation Army
farm colony at. Holly, Colo is an acknowl-
edged success, and the one In southern
i California promises to become SO. There
are far more applications. however! from
New York and other eastern cities for ad-
mission TO that colony than can be taken
care of as yet so 1t Is not necessary to
drum for recruits In foreign countries.
ing the most attention, for in the south
western part of that country, there are
eight million 7aeresc of land available for
Agriculture Only three thousand emf
i grants enteredr sAastralia last year. and
the country is practically at standstill
| F,.o,,, on AGRICULTURAL Dofnt of view The