The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-07-24

the missionaries themselves contained
in the leaflets, but the teaching is pro-
noted by means of these quotations. In
other words, while not daring person
ally to advocate polygamy, they en-.
deavor TO make the Bible do it for
them. OF course, as our visitor said,
by isolatng certain excerpta from the
Scriptures one may be able to appar-
emily Justify Il great many things that
are foreign and rcpulsivc to Christian
civilizations; and it is This sort Of treat
accord to the subject of polygamy in
order to gain their point, When these
tracts are delivered to the Mormon CON
verts in Holland and Germany the pco-
pie are quietly told, keep this for
yourself -
So much for the tract system of
teaching polygamy. And now for the
authoritative promulgation of the doc
trine through the agencies of the en-
tire church-from the instructions de-
livered to departing missionaries to
the law book
Mr.. Roberts neglected to say to our
representative that while missionaries
arc instructed not to teach polygamy
they are told to defend the doctrine if
it be attacked. That is n scheme of
tho polYgamous hierarchs To promote
the immoral belief of their cult. 1t is
an easy way ont of the thing. 1t is a
well-known fact that throughout the
world MormonIsm is inseparably and
invariably Synonymous Of polygamy. II
missionary begin to talk Mormonism,
he is bound to provoke some questions
concerning polYgamy, and IL is usually
the case that these questions are pre-,
sented In an antagonistlc spirit-as
would bo natural in any Christian com
munity. Immediately the situation is
turned into one of attack upon the
doctrine, and then the missionary (ac-
cording to the apparently clever in
struction) begins his defense by such
pretended authorities as he may be
able to present. 1t goes without say
ing that the defense is in effect teach
ing; because that which is not worth
teaching is not worth defending, and
that which is worth defending is worth
teaching; and no sane person would at
tempt to Justify any practice which he
himself would not engage In, or which
he does not believe it proper for others
to follow. Then there is the entire
"revelation' commanding and justl-
flying the practice of polygamy, and
even damning all mankind who refuse
TO obey that commandment after the
law has been revealed. That document
Is contained in the missionary pocket
edition of the Doctrine and Covenants,
a copy of which lies on our desk as this
is written. On page 173 of that book.
which is part of section 132, is para
graph 62, which reads as follows.
And If he have ten virgins given unto
him by this law, he cannot commit adu-
terry, for they belong TO him. and they
are given unto him, therefore is he justi
fed,
The Doctrine and Covenants is used
by the Mormon missionaries as text
book; it is distributed among the con.
verts In foreign countries; it teaches
the corrupt doctrine of polygamy; it
is a guide both to Mormon missionaries
and to Mormon converts. And under
the circumstances one of reasoning
mind is readily able to see why it was
the Prussian officials "took the posi-
tion that the teachings of the mission
aries were subversive of morality
The Tribune has repeatedly warned
the authorities of the Mormon church
that, as soon as the world became ad-
viscd of the fact that polygamy was
still taught and commanded in the Off
cial law book of the church, and was
still defended by church proselyters,
there would be trouble. This paper
has pleaded, in behalf Of the honest
membership of the church, in the inter
est of the honor of the organization IL
self, and in the promotion cf peace for
innocent and sincere missionaries of
the church abroad, that the polygamy
'revelation'' be eliminated from the
Book Of Doctrine and Covenants, Our
pleading has been disregarded and even
sneered at, But the disaster is bound
to come, as woe and tribulation are
bound to follow the other imbecihties
and impudences of Joseph f. Smith.