The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1904-03-31
LATTER DAY SAINTS
Mormons of Iowa In State Conyen-
ton In Oskaloosa.

The state convention OF the Latter
Day Saints of Iowa which was held
in this city Saturday evening and all
day Sunday in the M. w. A. hall, adj
journed last night and the various
elders went back to their different
fields Of labor. There are about
1880 of these elders engaged in mis-
sion work throughout the world and
one and a half millions of dollars are
spent each year in their support.
This is all of the private funds of
the elders. The men engaged in
preaching their religion are from all
walks in life. The belief of the
church Is that an elder or anyone who
works in the cause of their religion
must be called of God by prophecy
and by the laying on of hands by
those in authority. Then the one call
ed must leave his occupation whatever
1t may be and do mission work, using
his own funds in his maintenance. III
he must borrow means to support him
in his work before his term expires
he must as soon as he resumes his
regular business, pay that money
back out of his earnings. Thus the
doctrines are given to the people
without money and without price.
Three services were held Sunday, a
testimony meeting at 10 a. m, service
at p. m. and one at 1880 p. m. The
20 different Elders present talked at
the various sessions and the confer
ence brought to light the main doc
trine of this sect. The object, aim
and origin are something like this:
In the beginning of things there was
an earthly organization. The govern
ment requires certain officers and laws
Of adoption. God was the King and
under him worked Peter, James and
John who were divinely appointed and
besides them were many subordinate
officers. st. Paul illustrated the King
dom saying that even as the body had
head to direct and that the organiza-
tion would not be complete unless
each part performed the task assign
ed, just so the church must have a
head and. each member of it must per-
form it's special duty. Baptism by
immersion is thought to be essential
to salvation, and other rites and GER
emonies are considerd part of this
great church body and must be per-
formed to keep the organism perfect.
The church fell and since then
many persons of many religious be-
liefs have been endeavoring to reform,
not the church of Jesus Christ, but the
Christian world. The promise is Civ.
en- that Christian religion shall be re-
stored to every nation. In order to
be restored it must once have been in
the possession of them and have been
lost or taken away The mission of
the Latter Day Saints is to assist in
that restoration, working In the same
way that the apostles Of old did.
Joseph Smith white stud III. 50 I
Scriptures, noticed particularly the
| men to whom God had shown favor
and was troubled because Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob and Moses each had plur-
al wives. He carried the matter to the
/ ord in prayer and it was revealed to
him that Polygany was the will of
the Lord. The reason given being
that there are in the Great Beyond
many spirits who have not as yet oc-
cupied a body. That they are passing
through the first stage of their proba-
ton and that it is the Lords will that
they come into this world clothed in
a clean body and in home where
they may have the instruction of
Christian parents rather than in the
slums or where their second stage Of
probation or their life on this earth
would be fitting preparation for the
following stages of existence. The be-
lief is that when the spirit leaves this
mortal body ii enters the next state
just where it left off here and that
the progression is unlimited. 1t was
also stated that there had been a pro-
gression before the spirit came into
the world. That in creation all were
equal but that before birth into this
world some had progressed more than
others and thus some persons are
brighter than others.
This revelation came to Joseph
Smith in 1S43 and polygamy was Sec
reilly practiced in Navoo, Illinois. un-
til the Mormons were driven from
there They fed to Utah and on July
"a, 1S47, they openly declared their
belief in and pratice of polygamy In
1862 Congress. enacted the Edmunds
law, forbidding plural marriage. The
church did not believe it constitution
al, saying that mo man shall make
laws lOi DluulhS Icll6lOuS lTccuUuI Vi
any denomination" This was fought
through the courts until 1890 when
the Supreme Court declared the law
constitutional. Since that time there
have been no plural marriages sane
toned by the heads of the church, but
those then engaged in polygamy have
kept up the relation. This is the same
statement made by Reed Smoot and in
defense of him it was stated that the
only one brought on the witness
stand. claiming to have been a party
TO a plural marriage since 1890 was
one Mrs. Kennedy who when shown a
picture of the elder whom she claimed
performed the ceremony did not rec
ognize 1t and her testimony was
thrown out of court