The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-10
THE DoDGEs OF PRIEsTCRAFT.

In any controversy which may be
undertaken with the divine prophets,
one of their very common lodges
must be taken into effective account.
The controversialist should be pre-.
pared to cope with repudiation and eva
sion in their most aggravated form. He
will be required to meet challenge OF
the very word of God itself, as it is
pretendcdly accepted by the church As
an instance in point, The Tribune will
quote little testimony with refer
ence to the Improvement Era, rec.
ognized Mormon church publication:
Mr.. Tayler-Who Is It's editor:
Mr.. Penrose-Joseph F. Smith is its
recognized editor.
Mr.. Tayler-That Is the president OF
the church,
Mr.. Penrose-Ycs. sir. ! wish to say,
however, that that is not altogether an
authority. There are some things In that
that have been subject 10 great disputes.
Joseph r. Smith, editor of the I'M
provement Era, is recognized by the
Mormon people as the personal repre-.
sentative of the Almighty; a prophet,
seer and revelator, the only man on
earth holding the keys to the highest
priesthood in the world man whose
word is as that of the Lord; one who
has power to bind on earth and it shall
be bound in heaven, and TO loose on
earth and it shall be loosed in heaven;
the only man on earth who has the
authority to minister, by himself or by
delegation, in certain ordinances which
will insure to man celestial glory in
the hereafter. If, however, any ut
terspce or writing of this earthly king
of the kingdom of God should tend
to establish the hypocrisy, the fraud.
the falsehood, or the law breaking of
the Mormon priesthood, then either may
be protested as the blunder of igno.
rance or the bigotry of fanaticism
What is supposed to be the word of the
Lord, the saints are at liberty 10 Sc
cede from, if only such diss6'ection
shall suit the immediate purpose of
crawling out of tight place.
On the other hand, though, if some
temporary advantage can be attained
by quoting those very same utterances
or writings, the saints will pounce upon
them with all the avidity of cormo-
rant. They will shake the "word of
the Lord - in the faces of their oppo-
nents with all the gyrations of a whir-
ing dervish. Either attitude may he
occupied within the space of FIVE min
utes, and the faithful will strut on
their unreasonable way with all the
pomp and circumstance of gladito-
rial victor.
On Sunday the authorities of the
Mormon church set up Brigham Fl. Rob
erts as their champion and represen-
tative to make answer to the Minis
terial Association, whose membership
had made Review of the recent
manifesto of the church Mr.. Roberts
is the author of soma religious liter
ature which is very widely read among
the Mormon people, and TO which the
Mormon church officials seem to make
no objection. But, when confined
strictly to the question, let us observe
how these publications are regarded:
Mr. Worthington-We have been treat
ed TO extracts from a number of books
by Orson Pratt and Brigham H Roberts
and Others VIII you tell me what is the
effect or binding operation of those works.
or what is said In them, upon the church
or any member thereof?
Mr. Talmage-Nothing that is said In
any OF those works. works OF that
kind. has any binding effect upon the
people as whole or upon any individual.
They are to be regarded as the express
sions Of the authors.
On Sunday Mr. Roberts was authori-
tative, On Monday he may be utterly
repudiated. 1t all depends upon what
may suit the brethren, and whether or
not the distinguished orator for the
high priests put the hierarchs into =