Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-12-14
interesting Lecture Delivered by
Prof. John P. Meakln
At Buffalo.
uosmoNs misunderstood.
- Tint the Church Is a Good
instltutlon--Truth Is Told Oh
It's Mission.

aUo' - Dac. Q. the illustrated Times
Oan .Go,o publishes the following ar
written by Prof. Meakin' ana
wnlch will be read with great peas
nre and interest here
,r.o world with calumny apounoS'
~, ghltest virtue SANDER wounus;
Jse are those whose JOY Is h'sh'
and day, -,
r.. ak a character away
rooer from place to place they uhs.o
EagrL the generous and the chaste'
IA hunting reputation down,
nnroclalm their triumph throush 'h'
town.
bul' IavS bsen in'your city for few
a.. and | assure you | appreciate its
,'snty It's activity, and its good ira
l,'.rai neople. | have been enter
,s,red most graciously in a circle OF
.,ala,tif,l homes. |, in turn, have Ell,
.'r,sined in song and story ana
.ain assure YOU Of my delightful
s sseas,re and appreciation of all whom
/ have met IN Buffalo. ~
Tho fact of my coming from utah
.,,,ns IN itself to arouse an interest,
,adaing from the many questions
ssste1 which comprise every shade
and color, from rosy red to CARR
brown -. -, ,,to,,,c-
,psI community as this such total
Misunderstanding about my std'e
and lis people. ,
MANY friends have said. | should
IKE 10 read what you say ana the
neoplo at large ought TO know the
socts as YOU state them. ! have re-
,iIed name the paper Of your city
mat has a policy of honesty, giving
IA all. a square deal, irrespective OF
,nhllc clamor will then give a snort
sorv about Utah and the Mormons'
vbich viii contain the absolute truth
al have learned It, and gathered II
n nv every day life in the state OF
Utah for 81 years.
Politics and religion are the least
understood Of any thing that swayj
he human mind, but from these
sources more devilish meanness
sprlngs than from any other phase OF
lie. The brutalites, the bigotry, the
heartaches and the suffering, all
across the ages. cannot be told in
words.
MoRMoNs misunderstood.
Utah is a young and growing state.
Its population is about 100000.
salt Lake City the capital, has a
reputation Of about 10000. The city
Is laid out directly to the points or
the compass, sloping gradually from
the north. Its streets are 1872 feet
vide with 2D-foot sidewalks. Streams
d water flow gently down on either
dde of the streets with beautiful
shade trees everywhere. However, II
not physical Utah l wish to discuss,
but IN response to so many request.
an deirous of stating facts about the
much-abused and MISUNDERSTOOD peo-
Dla known as Mormons. Properly
Nmcd. the Church Of Jesus Christ
Of Lattor-day Saints,
am not a member of the church In
question. ! do not say this to court
favor. tell 1t simply as a fact. am
fraternalist which includes all the
word implies All | ask for Utah Is a
square deal and for the Mormon people
religious toleration--mental liberty.
The clamor and abuse now going ON
and continually heaped upon this peo-
ple Is unjust and is born of ignorance
and cruelty; Goals are continually
heaped upon the fires of hate and
prejudice and are famed into flame
by the clamof OF few people who
have been unable to gain their selfish
desires in politics, and with them are a
class OF people whose minds are narrow
and cramped, clouded by bigotry and
many Of them urged on by their own
Ndshness.
AT Somervllle Mass, there are two
monuments, standing but few rods
apart. one erected by Catholics In
memory OF a nunnery destroyed BY a
Protestant mob, on the other side Of
the street Is a monument erected in
memory Of n Protestant church de-
stroyed by a Catholic mob. Both
claiming all the time the Master for
their guide.
MR.. MEAKIN's MISSION.
I am a liberal, not liberal only TO
my own little circle, but for every
thing and everybody. My mission In
lie is to build a nobler manhood, to
stop such absurd foolishness as | have
Just described, and that which we see
about US every day. A mans religion
Is his own private property so long as
he Injuries no one physically. No man
has right to interfere with another's
religion any more than he has to steal
his pocketbook and the latter has
been called trash. John Fiske said
"A mans belief Ia part OF the man.
Take It away by force and he will
bleed 10 death"
Since man first looked up at the
slais II has been proven time and
ume again that u church cannot be
kled BY making martyrs of It's lead
eFs or by yillifying its members.
me great cry about the Mormons
Is polygamy. The eyes OF the multi
luae are peering over the hills and
mountains to little Utah, with its little
Dand OF grand old souls who are fast
gong into the shadows; who many
years ago lived In polygamy as prin-
clple' Again | say.
Not understood, We gather false i'm
pressions,
ana mug them closer as the years GO
by"
THE GENERAL BELIEF.
,foIygamy was introduced into the
T%orhon Church about go years ago.
,itAsse people took, In a great measure,
~ hlble for their guide In combna-
son with the revelations claimed 10
nate been received from God by Jo-
MI smith, the prophet and founder OF
~, HQhlsm, and who gave his life for
~ iailh' These people believed that
ny polygamic system of marriage
r,bouu, 10 some extent, at least, solve
problem OF the social ell. by