The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-02-17

81
of any man who has become involved
in such case as he has in mind; or,
better still, TO drop his bill altogether
TAKEN INTO sENsATIoNALIsM.
1t was perhaps inevitable that the
grave and important discussions of the
present situation in Utah and of the
record in history of affairs here, as
given by Mr.. Burton J, Hendrick, in
McClure's Magazine, and by ex-senator
Frank j. Cannon in Everybody's,
should be followed by would be sensa
tionaI and striking matter, showing
less knowledge but striving for more
glittcring effects Accordingly, we find
in the March Cosmopolitan an article
by Alfred Henry Leewis, which it is
announced will be followed by another
in the succeeding number of that publ
cation Mr. Lewis entities his article
"Thc Viper on the HEARTH And this
first article has for it's specific caption,
Mormonism: its Plots, Plans and In
trigues Against American Homes Mr..
Lewis was one of the correspondents
who accompanied President Taft in his
tour through the West. and in his visit
TO this city. Mr. Lewis explains that
he got his impressions and data from
which he expressed this article by d
few DAYS stay in this city, heading
direct for Salt Lake and being here a
day before the President s arrival.
His article is written in his usual IN
tensiye style, and is a curious tumble of
part truth, part wrong impression, and
part fallacy, with uncertain deductions.
The general effect of it, with It's
snaky illustrations, is repulsiye, and
one can hardly comprehend why
person with so little accurate knowl-
edge of the situation should write so
intensely about it, and with such a
reckless contempt for the seriousness of
the subject. Mr.. Lewis strains for
effect all through, instead of being
careful Of his facts, and allows his
mind the widest flights In place OF
exercising sober Judgment on the facts
as they exist
1t is n curious circumstance that the
Deseret News, the chief organ of the
church is in close business relations
with the Cosmopolitan, having recently
E. and perhaps having now, clubbing
arrangements with that magazine,
which places the Cosmopolitan TO as
great an extent as possible IN Mormon
homes. Whether this article is craftlly
designed 10 disgust the American pub
lie with the whole Mormon dlscussion,
and 10 parody the known facts and
dlscredt legitimate discussions from
those facts, is a question, The parody
is often a very powerful literary
weapon, aud frequently is effective In
destroying the force OF presentation
at once unanswerablc otherwise, and
Of sufficient interest 20 the public to
draw attention TO evils and call for
their correction. Ii the grave discus
sion so presented to the public can be
dissipatcd by grotesque side lights, and
the effect weakened by sensational
parody, then the object of those setting
this back fire may be accomplished.
We do not. of course, charge that the
Dcseret News has wit deep enough to
comprehend this well known and often
effective method of disposlng of grave
questions and discreditiug presentations
made that are worthy of the highest
public consideration. But if IL had wit
enough, it is certain that nothing more
serviceable to its purpose could be pre-
bap
Cosmopolitan These articles will
doubtless arouse more or less atten-
ton. but it will be so easy for the
church writers and speakers to pick
flaws in them and to discredit the pre-
sentation thus made, so that the effect
of them will in the end be favorable
10 the polygamsts' cause, that they
might serve church purposes. Because,
if church writer's and speakers can take
up these articles written by Lewis
aud show that they arc easily dis
credited, their alleged facts infrm, and
the deductions therefrom necessarily in
accurate. in at least some degree, and
lay the claim that all the presentations
are likewise vulnerable, then the
church writers and speakers can
achieve cheap triumph that by no
means belongs to them. AT the same
time, the danger of the chief church
organ engaging in this sort of thing
is so great that we can hardly credit
anv suggestion to the effect that 1t in
cited Henry Lewis TO write these
articles, and the Cosmopolitan TO print
them. even though they would present
an easy mark for church writer's and
speakers to pierce in polemcs.
We can hardly imagine any good TO
come from the ultra sensational presen-
tation AS thus made by Mr.. Lewis in
he Cosmopolitan. But if indeed the
church organ is responsible for the pub
lication with n view 10 the ulterior adj
vantage to be taken of it, then that
is between themselves; and in the
meantime they can have this phase of
question all their own way.