Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-05-25
Two Missionaries of the London
Conference Invade That His.
tOric NeighbOrhOOd
INTERVIEWED BY DAILY NEWS.
With Unusual Fairness Paper Admits
That "MormOns' Have Been Gross.
ly Misrepresentcd.

with Mormon missionaries appears
IN a recent issue Of the Cambridge.
Eng, Daily News. From il we quote
the following;
The Mormon missionary propagan.
da which for some time past has been
carried on IN London and other parts
Of the country has extended to Cam
bridge. Two Elders from the head
quarters Of .he Mormon" Church, Salt
Lake city, are at present in town for
the purpose Of explaining the principles
of the sect 70 which they belong. They
are Messrs. N. c. Christianson and
Franklin j, Foster who hope before
they return 10 Utah TO establish
branch Of their church IN Cambridge.
1t Is often contended that the vitality
OF church is most clearly demoustrat
ed by the extent Of It's missionary effort.
ana judged by this standard, the
Mormon sect can claim % rank high.
Tor the purposefulness with which its
adherents attempt TO enlarge its bor-
uers has not diminished. I'm spite of an
amount OF persecution that IS probably
Unprecedented IN the history OF any
modern religious sect. For this there
nave been many causes. The Incidents
that attended the birth Of Mormon
ism were Of so sensational a charac-
ter that the glamOr Of mystery with
which they invested the sect has never
since been entirely dssipated. Not
outstanding the most prosaic accounts
which travellers have recorded of their
VISITS TO Salt Lake City, the place and
It's Inhabitants still present themselves
IN weird light to the imaginauuns of
most people on this side Of the Atlantic.
IN more than the geographical sense
they are long way from US, salt Lake
city to many still remains an American
Lhassa, This Is no matter for surprise
when It is remembered that the mag
NATIVE novelists picture of the Nor
mons is usually printed in lurld coll
ors, and is more intenty regarded ON
that account than the relatively unin-
teresting and exact portraiture
OF the traveller. In the former
we have displayed people who combine
IN their characteristics the relentless
purposes Of a Spanish inqustor With
ferocity and destructive tendencies that
might be envied by an Anarchist Tha
Incidents in which they play a part
have furnished not appropriately In
one instance "A study in Scarlet"
A VIOLENT CONTRAST.
With the impressions the novellst's
picture leaves behind the following
form violent contrast
have seen and spoken to and lived
with Mormon men and women Of ev-
cry class, and never in my life, In any
Christian country, have | come I'm con
tact with more consistent piety, So
hTiptN fprlt1 gV1. ,l, nj.
folks are IN their words and actions as
Christian as I ever thought TO see men
and women."-Mr Phil. Robinson, IN
Sinners and Saints.
u shall not arraign the Mormon
people as wanting In comparison with
other people In religious devotion Vir-
tue. honesty sobriety, industry, and
the graCes and qualities that ndorn.
beautify and bless life."-Caleb w.
west, Governor Of Utah, in his report |
to the segetary Of the interior for 1855.
TRIBUTES oUTNuMBERED.
These tributes are some Of the many |
that have been paid to the Mormon"
people, but 1t must be admitted that |
they have been greatly outnumbered by |
statements on the other side, which |
nave principally arisen in consequence |
OF their practise Of polygamy until the |
year 1880 Even though that practise |
has boen-so they caim-discontinued |
they are still looked upon with dlstrust, |
Certain 1t is that they differ strangely |
from the adherents Of other Christian |
churches one Of the articles OF their |
faith is their belief that the Book of |
Mormon is the word of God The Book |
Of Mormon came To exist In a way that |
had all the elements or sensational |
mystery that We're well calculated 10 |
excite distrust and even ridlcule I'm the |
mind of the average man. Joseph Smith, |
the founder Of the Church, declared |
that he had revealed to INN in a vision |
The place at which there were deposit |
ed some plates on which were eugraven |
an Arrangement Of the record Of the |
ancient prophets that had existed on |
This (the American continent" He
alleged that through the medium OF "a
curious instrument called Trim and
rhummim. he translated the records on
he plates. The result was the Book
II Mormon, or the Book OF Great Good.
The visit OF Mormon" missionaries TO
England Invariably produces hostility
n some quarters. the belief never hav-
ng been completely eradlcated that the
objects Of such visits is questionable.
Their propaganda at Ipswich for in
stance, has recently been vigorously op-
posed. Messrs, Christianson and Eos
er courteously consented to explain
heir objects TO Cambridge Daily
News representative,
STATE THEIR BUSINESS.
"Our business said Elder Christian
ion, al the commencement Of the inter.
'iew, lis teaching with Gospel tracts
lmong the people encouraging them to