The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1906-02-16
A SOURCE OF DANGER
Rev. DR.. Talmage DonounCes
Evils of Mormonism.
He Calls the Mormon Religion "Li-
ccnsed Libortinism and whole
sale Frnud"-Growth of
the Sect.

| ICopyright, 1900. py LOUIS klopach.l
LOS ANGELES. Cal, Jan. 14.-Tha
Mormonlsm constitutes a real danger
to the republic and that It is a growing
rather than a decreasing peril IS showr
in this sermon, the text for which the
preacher takes from Isaiah iil, 9, They
declare their sin as Sodom; they hide
IL not"
The study Of the lives Of great mel
has always been with me a passion
Next TO reading the works Of the great
authors and the speeches Of the great
orators have always had a longing tc
know how these leaders Of thought
looked and lived and acted In their
public and private lives. Thus as O
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, l literally pumped the old man
dry Of an his "reminiscences. Great
was his well Of information and per
sonal experiences.
Dr. Byron Sunderland for nearly
half a 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, oil the
mighty political giants north, south,
east and west had been his Intimate
friends or acQualntances. Hour after
hour would speed by as the old man
talked to me. remember well the. last
night we were together 1t was nearly
/ o'clock IN the morning when said:
"Dr. Sunderland. you have been de-
scriblng 10 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. Blsh-
op John p. Newman Of the Methodist
church and myself were delegated 10
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 70 the
closing night Bishop Newman was
summing up and making bis perora-
ton. With the skill Of an accomplished
orator he was wheeling bis facts into
line, and be said substantially: There
fore. II this is so and II that Is so and
IL the other thing Is 50, then we are fore
cd to the conclusion that Mormonism
stands for nothing else besides licensed
ibortinism and wholesale fraudr Ten
thousand angry men and women In
stantly leaped to their feet and began
to press down toward the platform.
Tho cry was taken up everywhere:
Lynch him! Lynch blml XIII him.
Stab the heretc's heartl XIII him.
Lynch him nowr
Il sat beside Newman at the time"
continued Dr. Sunderland. Il did not
SOC one avenue Of escape. Suddenly
Brigham Young arose and stepped TO
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 l ever witnessed.
As I came under the leaders, spell /
realized that be was one Of the greatest
Of men and one Of the most dangerous,
II not the most dangerous, TO American
liberties who bad ever trodden Ameri-
can soil"
What Byron Sunderland said to me
over hfteen 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. have
carefully read many Of the books writ
ten both for the advocacy and for the
condemnation Of MOrmonism, and from
the mass Of conglomerate testimony
into which I have delved I can come
but 10 one concluslon-that Joseph
Smith was a crach Drained eplleptic.
who. with bis fits Of hysterla, was just
the man for little while TO appeal to
the ignorant and superstitous people
with whom he came In contact But
Joseph Smith could never have created
the Mormon church. II needed more
than an eplleptlc visionary to do that
No sooner was Joseph Smith dead (and
he died some fifteen years after he had
begun to proclaim himself a prophet
than this monster manipulation, this
modern Blue Beard. this leprous Frank
ensteln. this robbor Of mems gold and
Of women's morals, Brigham Young,
stepped forward and gathered together
Smiths crnzed followers and nodded
them together into a social organism
Of which be was 10 be the chief blood
letting vampire. And all that Brigham
Young stood for fifty years ago the
present head Of the Mormon church
stands for today. though the claw may
have temporarily sunk out Of sight IN
the soft hesh Of the tigers paw.
To show that the Mormon church to-
day stands exactly whore II did IN Brig
ham Young's time I would quote part
Of the interview which Irving Say ford
had a few months ago with one Of the
chief men Of the hierarchy. Mariner
w Merrill Is one Of the twelve apostles. |