Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-02-27
ELDERS ARE NOT HIERARCHs,

The chief local anti Mormon" sheet
yeems TO be in q state Of delirium ever
since the crushing defeat NJ the for
lnidable army the consprators lined UP
against Senator Smoot Its editorials
have chiefly consisted pf rawlings about
the Senate polygarny, religion classes
in schools, and about all kinds of phan-
toms of its own creation. The blow WAC
evidently too much for il. Aud 10 Won
,Iori 1t has always nosed ne the OK
ponent OF law par excellence. it has
always represented the pnor 'Mormons'
as ignorant OF Constitutional prerogs-
tives. disloyai and refractory. And
now, the greatest assembly Of law max
ers and statesmen in tho world has. hy
an overwhelming majority vote, said 70
II and all its dupes that they are
wrong; that the doctrines they promp.
gate are worse Than anarchism. and
that thoy simply lied about Senator
Smoot and the Church 10 which he be-
longs. No wonder, If, smartIng under
such fearful rebuke. the interpreter Of
local apti-"MornoIdsmr gives forth all
kinds of uncertain sounds
One OF the significant efforts at argu-
ment made recently should he of sper-
ial Interest TO the Catholic citizens. II
ia q clumsy assertion that a cardinal Of
The Catholic church. because OF his ec-
rlessiastica position Is deprived of cer-
tain rights the Constitution guarantees
10 all citizens alike. And this, 30 soon
after the decision by the Senate. by
which tho whole country was notified
that neither religious belief nor &C.
clesiastical position dlsdualifes anyone
from holding the position of a seua tor
In the United States Senate! That
sheet viii never learn anything. II
viii bow to no authority, not even that
OF the highest law-making power in the
land, Its position Is that of rebel
against all law and authority but it's
own. We humbly conceive that. II u
sovereign state should decide 10 send to
the Senate as its representation a citiv
zen whose ecclesiastical Office is that
Of a cardinal of the Catholic church,
or for that matter, the pope himself,
no amount OF protest would unseat him,
provided he had the Constitutional
necessary TO the performance Of the du-
ties Of the Office The wisdom Of send-
ing cardinal to the Senate might. per-
haps, be questioned but the Legality of II
will not be disputed except by those To-
cal bigheads who presume to be bet
ter qualified than the Senate itself to
interprete the Constitution of the Unit
cd States.
But the point we desire to call atten-
ton to is this. that there Is absolutely
no comparison between the Elders OF
the Church OF Jesus Christ of Latter
day Sainta and the priests and
prelates OF other denominations.
The priests OF most other
churches are specially educated
and trained for the ministry. Their
education is with special end in view.
just as the education of the physician
or the lawyer. They are theologIans,
and. having entered upon the ministry.
they arc supposed 10 devote all their
time to the work OF caring for the flock
In the very nature of their calling, they
are supposed TO be so much better pre-
pared for spiritual than for temporal
work that 1t would be a loss to their
church to take them away from the
pulpit. especially when there are so
many who can fill positions of a secular
nature. Formerly. when the minister
was In every respect the leading power
of the community, he was not infre-
quently sent TO Congress or to state
legislatures. hut general education has
changed things in this regard, and it
is thought better to select represonta-
ives to the legislatures from other
classes.
But as we have tried TO make clear.
there is no comparison. The Mormon"
Elder Is not member OF any class. or
caste. OF priests. He Is not educated
with view OF making living out OF
his calling IN the Church. lie IL
business man. as any other business
man; or laboreri or he
holds an Office or, he Is ems
ployed in an ONCE as clerk In
short. he r.. az far as his temporal cir
cumstanoes are concerned, in no way
different from any other citizen. He
may be called upon TO perform the du-
lies Of bishop. or stake president
or an apostle, but that does NOT place
him IN q class different irom his fellow
citizens. He does not become the mem
Der OF hierarchy" there being no
such institution IN the Church, as dis
tnct nom "laity." when our cons
tcmporaries understand the essential
distinction between the Priesthood OF
the Mormon" Church. which ls not
different from that or the Apostolic age.
and that Of the churches of ths world,
they win admit that there Is no more
Improperly IN honoring an Elder 80 the
Church with a political trust tltn Jhoio
Is in similarly honouug any other ulti-
Sen a man may be ID banker on a
lawyer. and at the Same time me sii-
perintendont OF sunday school In 4
Presbyterian church The latter fact
would not disqualify him from holding
a position Of political trust and honor.
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