The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-10-09
HIS DISHONESTY OF MIND.


Elder Francis NJ. Lyman, president
Of tho Twelve Apostles, made Il shock.
ing spectacle of himself in his tcstl.
mony in the Smoot case i'm Washing
ton. The elimination OF hat tcsti-
nony is his square admission that
he was !ivirg and intended to live
IN defiance of the laws of God and
man. And yet that dreadful intent
was no worse than Tho condition Of
mind displayed by this Same Lyman in
his talk in the priesthood meeting on
FRIDAY night.
In that meeting Lyman gayc forth
tho doctrine of infallibility for the
head Of the Mormon church This is
such ridiculous, irrumpcry thing that
we are surprised that even such a IA
natiral bigot as Lyman should put
forth such claim Joseph T. Smith
Tho president of the Mormon church,
as Mr., LYMAN himself, who is the
apparent TO Smith s position is an
ignorant man, unframed Of mind,
stupid of intellect, infrm of charac-
ter aud coarse. bestial, avaricious, and
eraspine OF disposition. To imagine any
sort even Of reasonable Judgment, TO
say nothing of iufallibility. from such
a man as Smith, frenzied, fana iical,
the height Of absurdty. Surely Ly
man can hardly have been laying the
foundation for his own greatness in
this cXquistely nonsensical claim put
forward for the head of the Mormon
church!
But that is not all Even worse is
TO come. Lyman urged the elders OF
the Mormon church in this priesthood
meeting 10 begin advocating the thing
that they did not think TO be true
in order 10 convince themselves of its
truth, always provided, of cousc, that
the doubt was Of Mormon dogma, He
said that when the elders go out TO
preach they are confirmed in their
faith by preaching that faith; that
man who tells n fictitious story long
enough comes to believe that story him
self after n while. But what de-
things! President Lyman invites the
elders Of the Mormon church TO sub
ordinate truth to falsehood, right TO
wrong; TO give depravity victory
over conscience, and viciousncss
triumph over candor, in their daily
walk. If man does not believe a
thing he must begin at once TO preach
its truth. If he is doubtful about any
doctrine or pinciple he must begin at
once to proclaim his adherence to that
doctrine or principle. Thus his baser
nature will dissipate his love of truth
and his grosser propcnsitics will pre-
vail over his higher ideals. For what
is truth or candor or simplicity or the
love of light compared with the advo
cacy of that which is serviceable TO
the Mormon leaders' II makes no
difference whether this that is serv-
iceablo is true or false, vicious or
admirable loyal or traitorous; it is all
the moro the duty of the elders to ad
vocate the baser cause if they have
reason TO distrust it,
Such utter mendacity of mind, such
humiliation of virtue in the presence
Of vice, such scandalous departure from
all right thinking and reason, could not
possibly find lodgment anywhere else
except in the vicious mind of de-
PRAYED, corrupt, and law-defying
priesthood. We find, thus, that Pres-
dent Lyman not only detes the laws
Of God and man; he de6es the laws
Of truth, honesty and right thinking.
IL man abhors thing he must en-
brace it. If his nature revolts at de
pravity he must lie down and walow
in that depravity; and thus all right |
thinking, all deccncy must be subor
dinatcd to the vicious cult Of a dc
based, self seeking priesthood. Moth |
ing more abhorrent to Independent man
hood could possibly he conceived than
this depraved preaching uttered by
President Lyman to the priesthood in
his audience at the meeting of Friday
night. II is utterIy subversive of
truth, honesty, and square dealing.
Honesty OF mind is at a discount, and
is supreme. No wonder such
vile teaching as this is hidden under
the veil of the secret vows taken by
deceived and betrayed men.