Show MORMONISM MORMONISM- MORMONISM To Whet can we better com com- the state of the world 13 SOcially and religiously 1 11 to toa tor a troubled sea And where I we r find the aid that will bring i to the riOUS Waves to peaceful rest kd qUestion which has long the minds of politicians and divines but where 0 can u What answer it the lot of in a gena humanity gen gen- gend lard d and aRd often too a cruel 1 et one needs eeds no proof P Ithan is patent to the under under- of f all observers The Ther d r t and despair of the top Won and other cities of ofA a adad A America cities which dad lei e to and be the of ChristianitY Is beacon lights is t Proof d Proof that both the ci civili- civili Christianity of the age wed in the balance and h Jt e r ing ng des Hence Honce the unrest the minds of men and ancl the longing for fori i 1 ratiOn of desired society those who lulled in far r U lost lORt ury plenty and ease Y that the they tender turn feelings a deaf tI Ore ere a es of misery which are heard Many rush af- af S nihilism and com com- Q These These alas are sure tS of destruction They may S SlI lI r ha COil not build up They the totter totter- ff o Babel but they cannot E I even lay the stone foundation-stone of the temple in which the virtues dwell which h shall exalt purify and confer happiness and glory upon the hu- hu human human hu human man race For many centuries philanthropic philosophers have striven to intro intro- introduce introduce introduce duce that ideal system of govern govern- government government government ment for which all crave except those who are so s deprived depraved as to pre pre- prefer prefer prefer fer the ignoble gratification of self to all besides But that these philos philos- philosophers philosophers philosophers have failed to accomplish their designs we have proof in the ever louder and wilder cry as of de- de despair despair de despair which resounds throughout the earth What have availed the eloquence of orators the fire of poets or the blood of patriots Wherever Wherever ha have ve these dammed those ri rivers vers which are ma made e by the tears of humanity So swift so strong and mighty have been those rivers that these dams llama have been constant constant- constantly constantly constantly ly broken as if they were the play play- playthings playthings playthings things of a child And yet as if the cup of earths earth's earth misery were not already bitter enough as if the voice voice of philosophy were not like an empty mocking sound as if torrents enough of human blood had not already drenched the ground for nought we behold such sucha a scene as the angels might weep to look upon We Ve behold alas mil mil- millions millions mil millions lions upon millions of armed men awaiting as in solemn awe for that one oue word which shall send t them em to that harvest of death than which there is nothing more fearful In this tempest-laden tempest sky sky in this midnight darkness In this tills blackness of death there is still a gleam of hope hope-a a still small voice of joy a abright abright abright bright millennial star of light whose rays fall upon the earth It is neither the jargon of philosophers the cun cun- cunning cunning cunning ning of statesmen nor the clash of the stained blood-stained sword of the war war- warrior warrior warrior chief It is the little stone cut without hands out of the mountain It is the Kingdom set up which shall never Dever more be thrown down It is iR that system of government that true type of socialism which fashioned after a celestial order shall yet heal the bleeding nations and bring peace love and joy to t the earth He whose mind was first illumined by this bright millennial star whose rising has lias brought joy to the world was a poor farmers farmer's boy possessed of so slight an education as could be afforded by the backwoods of Amer Amer- America America America ica in the early part of the present century He truly might have been described as poor and ignorant and andall of all men humanly speaking one of the most unlikely to t found with the slightest prospect t of success success a anew anew new system of religion or of philosophy philo- philo sophy or an institution of such eta sta- stamina mina mina vitality and cohesive strength as that called Mormonism pre pre- presents presents pre presents to the world today No sooner had this youth announced his bis divine communication with beings of the celestial world than persecution raged against him even before the organization of the Church and therefore the Church may truly be said to ha have ve been born in the dark and tempestuous night and cradled in the storm buffeted in its ite earliest infancy against the swift rolling waters of bitter hostility and struggling against the hatred of ite Its foes w who were determined upon strangling its h infant fant life Yet this thia frail child is preserved and gathers strength A very few years elapse and the Temple at Kirtland is built Perse Perse- Persecution Persecution erse erse- cution becomes so strong that the Church is soon driven from this place leaving behind it that holy Temple now useless and defiled in which Prophets of old and the Sav- Sav Savior Say Himself had appeared Fleeing from Kirtland the Church settles in Missouri soon to be driven from theo thence e likewise Now it set set- fet fettles tIes in Nauvoo Illinois There a splendid Temple ia Is begun but before it can be completed the Prophet and his brother Hyrum the Patriarch of the Church are ruthlessly murdered in cold blood The temple is i hardly finished before the Church is again bodily dri driN drien en forth this forth this time tim into the desolate wilderness where where de- de deprived deprived de deprived of their Prophet aud and Patri Patri- Patriarch Patriarch Patriarch arch of the flower of their manhood the people de desolate and forlorn robbed of their earthly all except some cattle and a few wagons go 10 goforth forth amid the icy ley blasts 8 of an winter far beyond the haunts of civilization to the hunt hunt- huntin hunting hunting in ing grounds of the savage Indian Well might they exclaim as they pat by the frozen froen Mississippi River Now have our enemies triumphed over us us 11 With what an exultant exultant cry of victory were their ears pierced as the enemies s their brutal songs of triumph within those thorn sacred temple walls which they had so 80 lately raised by t almo-t su super super- per per- human superhuman efforts of faith and labor What could or what m must become of those people but death and destruction destruction tion Hon with a certain and quick disso disso- dissolution dissolution dissolution ther lution of the Church was the r th thought that revolved in the winds of their enemies and of tho those e among themselves whose faith was weak Truly the scenes at this crisis were such as would try to the quick the faith of the stoutest hearts Helpless wives deprived of their hus hus- husbands husbands bands and infants infanta of their fathers rs with nought to 00 shield them from the cold blasts of winter but a strip of canvass canvass- ruthless enemies behind who were thirsting for their blood boo in front the savage and warlike In- In Indians In Indians Indians who might swoop down upon them and deprive them of their cattle the only hope which anima anima- animated animated animated ted their breasts being that of reach reach- reaching reaching reaching ing some spot in the far west of the Rocky mountains more than a thousand miles across the Indian hunting grounds Their Their Prophet Prophet- Prophet is dead but an- an another another another other Prophet has a arisen arisen a man mannot mannot not stern but resolute and full of courage They follow him as tb the people of Israel Israe followed Moses in inthe inthe the wilderness They halt on the th way to 00 plant corn to sustain thenon them themon themon on their long and hazardous jour jour- journey journey journey ney they renew their wanderings crossing rivers deserts and finally finally scaling the giddy heights and threading the weird-like weird passes othe of the Rocky Ro ky Mou Mountains they a 8 t length pitch their camp in the val val- valley ley of the Great Salt Bait Lake in a region the most desola desolate of all the th places they had encountered ill in their weary wanderings On the th very first day of their ar- ar arrival arrival arrival rival although disheartened at atthe athe the forlorn appearance of this valley vaHey which their Prophet tells tell them is to be their home these hardy pioneers of the main body of othe the people plant a little litte corn out of meagre stores which they have hav brought with them There is no sagebrush verdure save that of the stunted sage sag brush no denizen but the wil wild beast and the perhaps still wilder J Indian Zion The The Zion which they have hav left bythe behind them is made desolate by the hand of man the Zion which they have reached is the desolation of nature Can it be bewon b won wondered ered at if their minds were sad and forlorn like the surrounding landscape or that the dim shadows cast by the mountain peaks appeared like emblems of those stern and dreary shades which darkened their hearts But their camp was permanently pitched the spot on which this temple should J be built was designated by the Prophet and nd they were fain to stay f in this dreary wilderness Other companies followed land is plowed and sown rivers are dammed the B soil soH is Irrigated and in the th harvest is reaped Again their hopes revive ve as lIS the golden sheaves are gathered in and proof is given that the desolate place shall yet ye blossom as the rose rolie The seasons revolve other crops are planted panted but before these can be gathered the land is covered cover by myriads of locusts which tHreaten to devour devou every green thing It is hard to struggle against these enemies so formidable in their accumulated force and again the peoples people's heads are bowed to the dust in grief and anguish as starvation from starvation from which there seems to he be no looms escape escape before them But even in this dark and dismal hour destruction is averted Countless V numbers of gulls hitherto unseen an and unknown in these regions suddenly make their appearance They devour the locusts in ill such quantities as to save their crops crop from extinction and the fate of starvation is kept off ren Ten short years have fled Bed since the pioneers ha have ve entered t the valley vaHey The barren earth has become fruit fruit- fruitful fruitful ful gardens orchards s and fields have taken the place of the ubiquitous ubiquitous ubi- ubi pi eno-pi sage brush brush Thousands ands nf of immigrants have passed through the valley vaHey on their long journey from the States to California bring bring- ing bringing clothing wagons and other com com- commodities commodities commodities without which the th people would have been in i n the greatest reate t straits Without the friendly ai aid f of i ithe the Mormon settlements in Utah the early overland immigration to California would have been an utter r impossibility Without the welcome e help of these oases in the desert the settlement of the Pacific States State s by the Americans could never nevel have e progressed as it did in their early history But another great and y overwhelming trouble comes upon these peaceful valleys An army Y sent by the government of the th e United States is on the thu march against this people They rhey are ar threatened with vengeance any anI i extermination Mormon fort forces es are ar arsent e sent to oppose that army and with without without out the shedding shedding of blood the enemy ene ene- enemy my do not noL enter the city of Salt t ti Lake until stipulations as to the ob observance observance servance of law Jaw justice and the rights of those whom the enemy enem was sent to destroy have been agreed agreed upon The people were fully pre pre- prepared prepared prepared pared to sacrifice the whole of their r immovable property in the assertion n of their rights The years rolled on and thou thousands ands of the Saints have been gath gath- gathered gathered gathered ered from the different nations of othe o othe the earth not earth not men of wealth bufor but for the most part people who have hav brought little of the goods of this world with them They hav ha have vo e brought willing hands bands and courage courage- courageous courageous courageous ous hearts and with these the they lengthen the cords and strengthen the stakes of Zion The people in- in increase increase increase crease rapidly in numbers and material ma wealth and new settlements settlement are constantly made The old cry is still rai raised ed Let the Mormons be exterminated When the Prophet Joseph Smith was murdered it was thought that his death would certain certainly prove the dissolution of the Mor- Mor Mormon Mormon mon people ope Afterwards it was said that Brigham Young being a mall maid mallof of consummate skill and executive ability his death must prove rove a fatal blow to the Church Brigham a Young passed away but still the th Church grew grew and prospered John Taylor fn in due time succeeded him himas himas a as the President of the Church and he too has gone and Wilford Wood Wood- 1 ruff now holds that position The enemies of Mormonism appear appeal at this time to realize the fact that nei- nei neither neither nei neither ther the life of Joseph J o ph Smith of Brigham Briham Young or of any other in- in individual in individual individual is necessary to ma maintain maintain its Ita existencE They find that so 80 sure ure as one prophet dies another arises in his place and that the work still aWl continues to gather in strength De e Despairing De- De Despairing of the overthrow of the the- toe Church by the death of one ODe man its enemies have conceived the plan of persecuting its leading men on various pleas To acc accomplish their purpose they y have broken the sacred constitution of the United States States wreak their vengeance on the Mor Mor mOilS mons they have that tar r which their fathers fought and died 7 Fatal act which done to ruin and misery upon the Saints in 18 but the precursor of unutterable misery to the American nation So 80 long as the glorious and nd Inspired ican constitution was respected the A ican people were tree free With tW that constitution perverted for the pose par er pose of extinguishing a sect sect ho howee- howee er insignificant in point of numbers na it may be the liberty of the is sapped 0 America so 80 long the t despised hope of the thou become if hatred and intolerance towards the the- le lam party of thine own citizens b v ha-v perverted the justice of thy Cowl destroyed the wisdom of thy saps ena tors undermined the virtue of thy thi citizens The Th constitution own amok broken the gates are thrown do down which lead to anarchy The cord is snapped and the fair air and beautiful Goddess less of Liberty e who held the bright torch to to en erred Ugh lighten ten manki mankind nd pales pales and dies So 80 too pal pales s the torch INK bt right hand upheld But what of the future of of the he 1 Church Chul h We have seen her a her aher birth hated reviled and p If her enemies sought destruction in destruction in n her infancy Y and nd ly ly Andly y childhood shall we expect t efforts to be slackened as th tb the ad advance vance The battle has but it 1 is not yet over As yeas yea's J year ar Temples are built bunt as Church becomes like a bride adona ed to meet her husband the of Satan will wax hotter and hotter CHARLES H f NEW ZEALAND Augusta August AUgus 1 18 |