The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-04-29
PLAN Pol ycAMY
FOR ALL PEOPLE
MOrmons Believe World Will
Be Prepared for Step
as War Result.
TO FORCE CAMPAIGN
With End of Conflict Will
Make Effort to Convert
the Nations.

New York.-Polygamy for all the
world as result of the tremendous
slaughter of the men of this genera ton
is the ambition of the Mormon church
today. Reports from their semi-an-
nual conference. held in Salt Lake city
recently. suggest that they are only
waiting for the end of the war to start
out on n. world campaign designed to
put polygamy on the map everywhere,
according to DR. F.. l.. Mills of the
board of home missions of the Mctho-
dist Episcopal church.
Quoting from reports made at this
conference. Dr. Mills says that over
S2,o00.0 900 was paid eat last year by in
dividual Mormons "for tho furtherine
of the religion of tho Latter nay
Saints as they call themselves.
There We're s5,663 tithepayers in the
church last yAar--that Is, men and
women who gave ut least one tenth of
their entire income to the church--nnd
there were $3.50 loyal Latter Day
Saints who contributed to the church
Wy EihluG iaSt offerings.
President Eshorts Widowers.
An exhortation by Joseph r. Smith
in his presidential address before the
conference that All wdowers who arc
not too old should feel 1t their duty 10
marry again. suggests a tactful paving
the way for a, polsgamy propaganda.
Just as soon AS the war Ia over"
said DR.. Mills, .they sre going to make
a tremendous drive to spread polygany
all over Europe, because they realize.
OF course, that the tremendous surplus
Of women over men In all the hcllig-
erent countries will offer such an OPP
portunity for their propa ganda as they
have never had before"
DIR. Mills, who is superintendent of
the frontier department of the home
mission work of the Methodist Epis-
copal church, has recently been or
dercd to New York MS staff secretary
Of the centenary celebration. He was
formerly stationed in Salt Lake City.
Utah, where he observed the Mormons
at first hand.
Evidences Of Plan.
1T is easy to find evidences of prep
aration on their part for a world cam
paign on a new scale" DR.. Mills con
tinued For the first time in theii
history they are branching out as a
world religion. Heretofore they have
built temples only in Utah. This yeal
they viii finish two new and elaborate
temples~-onc in the Hawaiian islands
and one in Alberta, Canada.
In the past, when the Latter Day
Saints wanted to perform thos" mys-
tic rites which confer the highest
blessings. they had to go to Utah 10
| visit one of the temples The new
temple in Hawaii will be for y 900
| Mormons scattered through the South
| Sea islands. and the Alberta temple
will serve for all Canadian Mormons
| There is no doubt that as soon as tho
war Is over they will begin building
| temples in Europe. Probably the first
| two will be in London and Copen-
| hagen.
| World Wide camnaign.
| Another evidence that the Mormone
| are preparing for n world campaign OF
a vastly larger scale than ever before
attempted is to be found in the activ.
| ity of their press bureau. which Is
| hard at work sending out items de-
signed to break down prejudice againa,
Mormonism and 10 familiarizc people
| with the idea of polygamy.
Mrs Susan Young Gates. mother
of Emma Lncy Gates. the famous
opera singer, is one of brigham Yming't
numerous daughters. She has recently
/ syndicated a series Of interviews IL
some of the Sunday papers through
| the country in which she gently in.
sis:s that polyeamy is not so bad
once you get used TO II. All Of thit
propaganda shows n reaction 10 mod
crn criticism. Instead Of the seofnfu
attitude Of their earlier days TOWARD
| the Christian religion and "gentiles'
in general. they now appreciate III.
fact that they are under a stigma. and
they are occupied In trying to prove
that the stigma is false and does no
apply.
Mornonism Is Passing.
However" continued Dr. Mills =.
do not want to seem to b" an alarrns
over the Mormon situation, because
on the contrary. ! am convinced tina
| Mormonism. as Il religion, is passing
In the very nature Of things, the nm.
for Morinonism has gone. For in
stance, the doctrine Of polyeamy Il
essentially for a pastoral people. 1T il
based on the old ia shioned family uni
that was n self supporting communit.
on a small scale. The husband anf
father was. so to speak, mayor over ;
little village Of women and children
who, by their labor on the farm and II
the house. kept down the expenses o
such a large establishment.
| Disintegration Is Evident.
Anyone familiar with conditions il
Utah must realize that a gradual dis
Indignation Of the entire religion Il
going on. II Is due to the influences o
modern ideas, such az evolution am
higher criticism. The passing of tn
religion does not mean the abolition o
the church organization, which has al
l "a