Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-15
i c1srs,nE PROMISED.

that investigation, caused by the MOI
mon leaders using street car advc use
Il monts to win disciples in Chicago, has
disclosed conditions that promise to r.
& suit in Il religious crusade in Chicago
against "Morinonisn1.5 Local churcn-
WORKERS lie claims alarmed by tlit m
tGrest awakened by the Mormon ms
"a sonaries. plan II concerted attack on
the faith OF Brigham Young and Jo-
seph Smith. Steps have been taken
III to ascertain whether the conditions
s found In Chicago prevail elsewhere, ana
z If the suspicious of the investigators are
verified national crusade may follow.
The rause Of the sudden awakening
of the church workers is gathcieti from
the article referred to. 1t is neither
polygamy nor Church influence in poli'
tics 1t is the offering of the Book OF
Mormon for sale in the common book
market. The article says
1.-THE inquiry in Chicago has shown
&. that Mormons, encouraged by the sales
OF The Book of Mormon advertised in
4 street cars. have set aside thousands
& OF dollars for Il campaign OF CONVEX
-Af SIDll. az
secret work has been done BY mis-
sionaires scattered about the middle
vest and it is said the number of con
verts they have won has aroused
> church workers In other cities.
g ,"rhe missionary work is being car
ried on most extensively in Illinois,
Iowa, Wisconsin,, Michigan. Minnesota
and Manitoba,
THE Book of Mormon Is being ad :
x,s,: i-tsJ b,rr ,5s nd N
which announce that 1t was written
4 centuries ago. The plates. it is en-
+ planned. We're dug up by Joseph Smith.
a who led the Mormons from Nauvoo
ILL., to Salt Lake City. In three years,
3sitis said. the sales Of the book in the
8 states and Canadian province named
& have jumped from 1900 to 100000 an
5nlally.
In 1905. 10000 copies were sold. and
in8l907 this figure had been brought up
10 10000. Vigorous efforts this ysar
& are reported to have sent the sales
higher, than the 100000 mark.
Church workers Interested in the
5 Investigation assert that most of the
I comics were sold to persons who do not
& belOngsin the ranks of the Latter day
Saints as the 'Mormons cal them
q selves.
Our Chicago correspondent, Mr.. p.
Nibcy, who sent us the clipping, adds:
The Whole thing is that the Book of
iii Mormon advertisement which Presi-
81 dent Ellsworth succeeded in placing In
street cars together with the excep-.
% tonal activity of the Elders during the
Z past few Years, have aroused the OPP
4 position pf local ministers. Exactly
sboW ti1eS,H,ill carry out the attack
mentioned remains to be seem
i ~ !. +
rs WI l5hc seen, there arc many IN,
aecuracics IN the representations made
s. 1.-the Chicago Journal The article
talks about the secret work" OF our
+ missionaries, when the fact is that our
missionary work Is so far from secret
& that II is done openly in the Streets
and by Elders going from house to
se5in broad day light; by newspaper
articles and by advertisements, and
sermons to which every body is Invited
There is no secret about our work The
principles OF tile Gospel are. indeed. be-
ins proclaimed from the very house
tops, as it We're. There are other in
acculacies, as when ii is stated that
the Prophet Joseph led the Saints from
NauEoo 10 Salt Lake. But the chief
point is That the demand among the
pnbicsfor the Book or Mormon and the
fear alaong clergymen of the effects OF
tile study Of that sacred volume have
aroused them to opposition. There lis
to be Il crusade. History repeats 1T
self. The old question of the opponents
Of the Redeemer is again raised: What
do we? for this man doth many mira
ees II we let him thus alone. all men
will believe on him.
We humbiy submit to the Chicago
ministers that in this tcountry it is no
Y crime to advertise the Book of Mormon
for sale, nor to sell it, OF to give it
away. II is no crime to distribute it to
the extent Of millions of copies even.
We also suggest that in the very city
of Chicago they might find literature
more objectionable, even from their
own point of view. against which to di-
rect their energy. Our missionary work
is strictly within the boundaries of cor
rect, moral conduct, ana the Elders of
+ the Church have Just as much right to
teach and preach and distribute liter
nture, as any other church workers
have. Religious .tcrusades" against any
sect are entirely foreign to American
conditions. Such "crusades'' belong to
past ages of blgotry. Those who en-
gage in them merely prove that they
are aliens at heart, unworthy of Amer
lean citizenship.
But If the ministers i'll Chicago and
elsewhere will take up the Book of
Mormon. in Christian spirit, critirsa
It, preach against it, or write agains:
It, we cannot but welcome their ac-
tivity in that direction That volume
:pvites the closest scrss-iny. It is theii
right to examine 1t, and criticise 1t Il
,iisy are sincere in their belief. just as
it is the right of honest non-belevers
70 cfiticise the Bible. The result will be
similar. The Book OF Mormon will be
all the more advertised and read. Vol
taire BATTERED himself that he had de-
stroyed faith in the Bible. He r,oried
In this achievement. But how he was
mistaken! There are more Bibles sold
md distributed today than ever. anG
the very attacks Of Noltaire rallied the
most able scholars to its defense. The