The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-01-29

NdlllOl GAlIlCalG me. but must open
the escape valve of my present mental
condition either by writing. weeping or
swearing. l. prefer the first, although
the last comes easiest and is. perhaps.
the most appropriate.
Job said that men are born to
trouble as the sparks fly upward or
something like that. And as Job was
forgiven for cursing everything but his
Maker, so hope to be forgiven for the
mental cuss words that surge through
my brain like the angry breakers over
a storm-swept coast
Mr.. Editor. 1 was born a Mormon.
At my mothers knee, and God never.
made a better mother, l learned the
story of the life. suffering and death
of the gentle Nazarene- | learned to
love and reverence him. And today
his serene and ajestic presence-the
same revered likeness / formed during
my chifdho od-rises between me and
the dreaTy waste of spiritual blackness
called skepticism.
Also at my mothers knee l learned
the pathetic story of the life and tragic
death of Joseph Smith, the prophet.
While never religiously inclined, my
faith in the divine mission OF Joseph
Smith was ever active.
Later in life was called to mission
10 Europe. / was told if | were prayer
full and faithful should receive an alb
Solute testimony from heaven that Jo-
seph Smith was prophet. As heaven
IS my witness, no man, according 20
his strength, ever. strive more dlligent-
~ to be faithful than I, and to receive
"a testimony My prayers for testi-
mony. such. as would satisfy me. were
unaVailinS. In lieu thereof / turned
te the secular evidences of the truth Of
Joseph Smiths claims to a divine mis-
sion,-and 10 the truth of the Book of
Mormon, which I learned almost "by
heart" I arrived at definite Couclu-
and so long as the lamp of reason re-
mains a searchlight into the mists and
semi darkness of present perplexities
the verdict of more than thirty years
viii continue, although, like Job. may
do some ''cussing.
In my preaching 10 1.-The world 1
early fell into the tiIne-honored prac-
tice, because Of their apostacy from
the primitive church, OF referring. with
fine and lofty scorn, 20 the "sectarian
churches-especially the Methodist
church. against which / had a grudge
because of their alleged early persecu-
ton of the prophet, and because they
had no prophets. seers and revelators
and made no claims 10 spiritual guild
ance by direct and continuous revela-
ton. In eoDtradistinctiOn to their
forms of goodness" | pointed with
pardonable pride-pa TdOnable in d
yCungster-to my church. to its prOph-
cts and apostles, each of whom was a
prophet. seer and revelatOr, and to the
continuous flow of divine light from
Deity TO those same prophets
Mr.. Editor, 1 did not know" as
some of my brethren and sisters affirm.
that Joseph Smith was a prophet of
God" bat / did believe il with all my
heart. And up TO the time when the
Mormon people were turned loose to
Craze in the green pastures of national
successors of Joseph Smith and the
apostles as prophets, seers and revela-
tors.
In further fuIilIment of Jobs sorrow-
full declaration that man is born to
trouble ! selected Democratic grass
for my political diet. Had l been ia
vored with even modicum of president
light or prophetic vision L would have
foreseen that the Utah brand of Demo
cratic grass would be turned into husks
by the unappealable verdict of some
of those very prophets. seers and reve-
lators for whom 1 had been so earnest
-ly praying. MY acceptance of the
principles Of Democracy was the re-
suit Of long and careful investigation,
and even apostolic denunciation failed
to make of me d Republican, even fer
the welfare of Zion" and 20 ena BILE
myself with a few instalIments of quiet
GUESSING as loud, violent and far
reaching as Jobs for 1 not only stopped
far short of my Maker / excluded
therefrom that grand old man. Pres
ident Woodruff and the mai 5rity of the
apostles. | also fortified my political
faith by the complacent thought that
it was just another case of a fool (Re-
publican) for luck and a pcor man
(Democrat) for children" And l am
still engaged in terrifying.
Joseph F." and John Henry made
no pretentions to having cast aside
their apostolic nantes" when they
published their open letter to Noses
Thatcher and took him TO task because
he truthfully said that Democracy had
its origin in heaven al the time when
the Savior made the proposition 10 give
man his agency as against the devil 5
plan TO take from man his agency and
to save him in his sins" Nor did they.
the MeSSrS. Smith, even intimate that
they had shed their apostolic man
Ties when. in that same open letter.
they proclaimed that they were Re
pubiicans and descendants of Wings.
Democracy suffered cruel neglect when
those same apostles, while Boosting of
their Wing ancestry. failed To state
that. since John Smith, aided by Poca-
hontas. achieved his signal victory
over Powhattan. the only one who has
shed special luSteP on the family name
was Joseph Smith, the prophet, and he
was a Democrat and was an ardent
champion of free trade and sailors
rights" And Mr.. Editor. there are
thousands upon thousands of Mormon
voters, especially down in Sanpete and
Sewer counties, who are yet i'm a con-
dition CT total spiritual and political
blindness regarding the fact that the
Prophet Joseph Smith was a Demo-
crat. and the further fact that, at one
period of his life he was from Mis-
souri, 1t may now be too late for the
information to be of benefit to the
Democratic party. but it is interesting
as an item of history.
Again. those apostles. Joseph F. and
John Henry Smith. made no pretense of
casting aside their apostolic mantles'
when they passiVely-by their silence
endorsed that cd 5rifeFOus and political
infamy known as the Nuggets of
Truth" Issued by their party and cir
cuiated from Mormon Sunday schools
and NJ. l. A. meetings. Nor did those
apostles make any protest when the
portrait of the martyred Joseph Smith
was published in those same Nuggets
of Truth and. by Implication. brand
ing him as "A Republican Tor Whig) and
thus compelling the man who died for
his faith at Carthage TO act as a polit-
zeal decoy, down in Sanpete, Sewer,
Kane and Garfield counties, to allure
voters to the Republican standard. Nor