The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-01-21
DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON
BY TIE Rev FRANK DE WITT rALMAeE. D. D.


, driven about Salt Lake City. Almost ev-
eryWhere 1 could see the results of Brig
nam Young's financial depredations Two
years after his death the Salt Lake Tri-
pune declared that Young had secured
from the tithing system of Utah over 3d.
VOV'OOO. Nine million dollars of this he
squandered on his family; 100000 he left
10 be fought over by his heirs. l have
been told that at his death he owned
one-tenth of all the wealth of Utah. Can
any man read an account of such finan-
cial dealings and not declare that he was
the king of grafters?
King of Grafters.
What the Mormon church stood for in
its financial dealings fifty years ago it
stands for today. BY - tithing system
me Mormon church has now an income
OF at least $2,000000. Where is 1t going
to? For what means is all this vast
amount of money being used? For the
spread or the Mormon gospel? Oh, yes.
Some of II is spent In that way, just
as some OF the money of the infamous
Louisiana lottery was used for advertis-
Ing the lottery tickets all over the world;
put, without doubt a vast percentage
OF that income goes into the pockets of
the Mormon leaders
But" says some one. you should not
condemn the Mormon leaders like that.
They do not compel the members of the
church to stand and deliver as a high
wayman gruff1y orders his victims to do.
These church members do not have to
surrender their tithes any more than the
members of your church have to give into
the collection plates unless they wish to
do so. If the Mormon people give to
Joseph p Smith they give of their own
free will" All. my friends, that Is one
of the biggest delusions ever sent broad
cast over the land The Mormon victims
do not give willingly. They are compelled
to give, whether they are willing or not,
by the thumbscrews of the boycott and
financial ostracism. II you want proof of
what / say read today the marvellous in
vestigations Of "Mormonism Unveiled"
by Irving Sayford already quoted Not
only does he cite facts seen with his own
eyes, but he corroborates with names and
dates this one fact-that Mormon excom-
munication means financial persecution
and financial humiliation. II a man In
Utah does not give to the church his
tenth the church will deliberately start
forth to take away his trade. The most
fiendsh work Of the most merciless trust
is not more relentless and destructive
than this evil institution of which Brig
ham Young was the creator and of
which Joseph P. Smith is now the in
iquitous head.
But in this description OF the Mormon
hierarchy we must also declare that
modern Mormonism stands for licensed
libertinism and immortality Many of
these long bearded apostles, by their own
confession are living today in open adul-
terry. These gray whiskered Mormon
criminals before the Senate investigating
committee not only unblushingly admitted
that they were living with plural wives.
but they even were photographed with
them and with their illegitimate offspring,
born since the famous manifesto whereby
the Mormon leaders declared they would
only cleave to one wife thereafter.
Now, the rank and file of church can
not be better than the leaders of a church.
If you have corrupt pulpit in time you
will have a corrupt pew. Dean Swift in
clerical garb means Dean Swift with
debauched congregation Water by the
law of specific gravity cannot rise higher
than its source Yet 1t s1denable that
there are many of the rank and file who
are thoroughly Disguised with the odius
lives and false pretenses of those leaders.
To these honest ones, who long for bet
ter things, we must extend all sympathy.
Visit to Salt Lake City.
Let us go and visit Salt Lake City. We
stop and look in the city directory to find
where the Mormon leader lives. MY"
you say, Uncle Joseph must move quite
often to escape paying rent. Why. here
YES" l say, he sleeps in one house,
eats breakfast In another house, has sup
per in another house. spends the evening
In another house and sleeps in another
house. In each one of these homes he
has a different wife When he walks
along the street forty-two different chill
dren can stop him and call out, Hello,
papar Uncle Joe must have a great MEM
DRY to remember the faces of all these
children. He must have a deep well of
affection to love all of his progeny. He
must be a financial genius to support all
these homes and yet be poor minis
ter" Most of us Protestant ministers
have hard work to make financial ends
meet and support one wife and three or
four babies, but Uncle Joe certainly can
do wonders I have more respect for the
stag lording II over his herd or the shay
gy four-legged beast leading his cattle
over the western prairie than for this
human libertine walking around and pos
ing as an apostle of God and talking
about love- Yes, he has love. but 1t Is
the love of a wholesale libertinism which
ought to push It's devotee out of all decent
society.
While writing this sermon there lies be-
fore me list of the domestic menage of
the leaders OF the Mormon church. Fran
els M. Lyman. the president OF the
twelve apostles, has two wives; John H.
Smith, an apostle, two wives; Heber j.
Grant, apostle, two wives; John W. Tay-
lor, apostle, FIVE wives; Mariner w. Mer-
rill, seven living wives and forty-six
children; Matthias #. Cowley. apostle,
three wives; Rudger Clawson two wives.
Now, If these men are living in open sin,
what are they doing In secret? And II
these church leaders, these apostles. are
living in such Illicit relationship. what are
the rank and file of the Mormon church
doing today? If the truth about the lib
ertinism of the Mormon church could be
fully pictured the walls of Pompeii would
be looked upon as a picture gallery OF
virtue and of modesty in comparison. All
decency all purity, all virtue, should rise
up in wrath against the sins of the Sodom
and Gomorrah of the Utah plains.
But modern Mormonism stands for