Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-01-20
CalrnaSe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. d. ID.

to the republic ana lhal IL II Sio"i"5
rather than decreasing peril Is shown
I'm this sermon. the text for which the
preacher takes from Isaiah iii, 8, "They
declare their sin as SOdom; they hide
1t not"
The study Of the lives of great men
has always been with me passion
Next to reading the works Of the great
authors and the speeches Of the great
orators have always had a longing to
know how these leaders Of thought
looked and lived and acted in their
public and private lives. Thus as
young man when | had the opportunity
of entertaining in our home DR.. Byron
Sunderland, who was to preach In the
Brooklyn tabernacle a couple of Sun
days, | literally pumped the old man
dry Of all his "reminiscences. Great
was his well Of information and per
sonal experiences.
DR.. Byron Sunderland for nearly
half century had been a resident OF
Washington. He was not only known
as the pastor of presidents, but for
years he had been chaplain of the Unit
ed States senate. Webster and Clay
and Benton and Pierce and Lincoln
and Conkling and Blaine, all the
mighty political giants north, south,
east and west. had been his Intimate
friends or acquantances. Hour after
hour would speed by as the old man
talked to me. remember we'll the last
night we were together 1t was nearly
/ o'clock in the morning when l said:
'Dr. Sunderland, you have been de-
scribing to me many men. Tell me
the strongest personality you have ever
known" Then the old man said:
"The scene was not in Washington; 1t
was In Salt Lake City. The man was
not Webster or Clay; he was Brigham
Young. Many years ago the Mormon
church challenged the gentiles to a de-
bate, and some Of the leading ministers
Of the east took up the challenge Bish-
op John =. Newman Of the Methodist
church and myself were delegated to
meet the Mormon representatives. The
debate took place in the Mormon taber-
nacle. which holds some 10000 audi
tors The debate had been going on
for some days, and we had come to the
closing night Bishop Newman Nas
summing up and making hrs perora
ton with the skill of an accomplished
orator he was wheeling his facts into
line. and he said substantially: There
fore. If this IS so and If that is so and
If the other thing is 50, then we are fore
ed to the conclusion that MOrmonism
stands for nothing else besides licensed
libertinism and wholesale fraud! Ten
thousand angry men and women in
stantly leaped to their feet and began
TO press down toward the platform.
The cry was taken up everywhere:
Lynch him! Lynch him! Kill him!
Stab the heretics heart! XIII him!
Lynch him now!
II sat beside Newman at the time"
continued DR.. Sunderland. Il did not
see one avenue Of escape Suddenly
Brigham Young arose and stepped 10
the front Of the platform He swung
his arm out over that cursing swear
ing angry mob and uttered just two
words. sit down. They dropped into
their seats as the grain falls before the
hiss Of the scythe That was to me the
most marvellous scene | ever witnessed.
AS I came under the leaders spell }
realized that he was one Of the greatest
Of men and one of the most dangerous
II not the most dangerous, to American
liberties who had ever trOdden Amerl-
can soil"
What Byron Sunderland said to me
over fifteen years ago was absolutely
true Brigham Young was one OF the
greatest and one Of the most corrupt
men who ever lived on American SOIL
His evil influence is bringing forth Its
baleful harvest today.
have been to Salt Lake City. nave
carefully read many of the books VIII
ten both for the advocacy and for the
condemnation of Mormonism, and from
the mass of conglomerate testimony
into which | have delved ] can come
hut TO one cOnclusiOn-that Joseph
Smith was a crack Drained eplleptlc
who with his fits of hysteria, was Jus'
the man for a little while to appeal tc
the ignorant and superstitious people
with whom he came in contact. Bu'
Joseph Smith could never have created
the Mormon church. 1t needed more
than an epileptic visionary to do tnat
No sooner was Joseph Smith dead (anc
he died some fifteen years after he nae
begun to proclaim himself a prophet
than this monster manipulation, thl'
modern Blue Beard, this leprous Frank
ensteln. this robber Of mems gold anC
Of women's morals, Brigham Young
stepped forward and gathered togethe
Smiths crazed followers and nodded
them together into a social organism
Of which he was to be the chief blood
letting vampire. And all that Brigham
Young stoo, for fifty years ago IN
present head of the Mormon churcl
stands for today. though the claw ma.
have temporarily sunk out of sight Il
the soft flesh Of the tigers paw.
Stands the Same Today.
To show that the Mormon church tc
day stands exactly where 1t did In BRIG
ham Youngs time | would quote par
of the Interview which Irving Sayfor
had a few months ago with one of tn
chief men Of the hierarchy. Marine
W. Merrill is one Of the twelve apostles
Question: "Mr Merrill, have any Q
the doctrines or covenants in the MOI
mon faith been altered or modified l
any respect IN recent years. or do u