The Columbus journal., 1909-10-20

to overcome my Quaker manners."
At the same time that James Huff
was raised by . Qusker mother he was
not . church man. He was an infidel.
So he says himself:
Until I Joined the church to which
I now belong guess that my beliefs
were like those of Robert Ingersoll,
the only difference being that he was
much smarter than l."
Mr.. Huff joined the Recognized
Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints At Fremont in 1887. In 1889
he began to preach. For many years
there was church ofhis denomination
1t Fremont but the membership is now
dispersed. The church in Omaha has
. membership of about 1926.
There is popular conception that
the book of Mormon, said to be trans
lated from brass plates by Joseph
Smith, attempts to make polygamy le.
climate. As . matter of fact, the
hook of Mormon is a history ofthe PEG.
pie that roamed to and fro in the North
American continent from a period
about 1900 years before Christ un.
til several hundred years after Christ.
In the book of Jacob there is express
command that one shall have only one
wife and both David and Solomon
come in for q scriptural scoring be-
cause of their concubines.
This book, SO called because the
abridgment of the history of western
peoples was made by a man named
Mormon, was the foundation on which
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints built its foundation. But
this book was not enough to govern q
church. Further revelations came to
Joseph Smith and these were incorpor-
ated into the book of covenants and
commandments. In the original
book, as published, monogamy was
again enjoyed. Then Joseph Smith
was killed. A break in the ranks of
the church followed. Brigham Young
came forward with the paragraphs
preaching polygamy, and with him
went 10000 Mormons to Utah. The
rest of the church gathered under com.
mand Of Joseph Smith, the son of the
original Joseph Smith, and continued
to preach and practice monogamy.
Joseph Smith, an old man, the son
of the dreamer, the visionary, the
translator of angel-given brass plates,
is now head of the reorganized church.
Joseph F. Smith, son of Hiram Smith
brother of the original Joseph Smith,
is head Of the Utah church. The
heads of the opposing churches are
thus cousins but it is the boast of the
members of the reorganized church
that not one of the descendants Of the
first Joseph Smith have ever joined the
polygamous Utah branch.
The members of the early church
who accepted the opportunity offered
by the alleged Smith revelation to take
any number ofwives they desired were
small in numbers compared with the
Mormoms who decided to stick to the
original text and get along with only
one wife. In the ffties there were
zoe, 600 members of the church. On.
ly 10000 went with Young and his
polygamous tenets.
There were three separate bodies at
that time that did not believe in poly
gamy although they accepted the book
of Mormon as an inspired document.
These bodies, in Wisconsin, Iowa and
Illinois, met and formed the reorganiz.
ed church. Joseph Smith, son of the
original Smith, was made president.
GLOW did he gain his power?" was
. query addressed to Rev. Mr.. HUFF.
"The identity of the president is re-
vealed from above" he replied. "Af
ter therevelation his name is offered to
the members of the church who elect
him."
Suppose the man divinely appoint
ed should not be acceptable to the con.
gregation: Would they lose their
rights Of electiSn?" was asked.
Rev. Mr.. Huff said that no such case
had appeared and that he did not know
just what would result. The control
Of the church is supposed to pass from
father to son. Joseph Smith, head of
the reorganized church has a large
family ofsons and the eldest will prob.
ably succeed him as head of the church.
Joseph F. Smith, the head of the |
Utah church, also says that the head of
the church shall stay in one family,