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Show All OF CHURCH i OflHHNIRY? 5jviiicli Would the Average Mor-jiion Mor-jiion of Utah Prefer to Witness? 5KP HE SAYS COUNTRY, If WHERE IS HIS LOYALTY? XS Reminiscences of Mormon Ex-Js Ex-Js ultation at Shooting of hnflf Garfield. pii3 OriTlW. Edltor Tribune: "Whon the first bulletin ir Vi as ,lasncil over tho wires conveying the n&fnews that President James A. Garfield ISrj'yliad been shot by the assassin Gultcau, I 7 'T'115 telegraph operator at Fillmore UnfApostlea John Henry Smith and F. M. CgHgiyman chanced to be in tho office at the Pplmo I copied it. I can distinctly rcmem-nenCfber rcmem-nenCfber the expressions which characterized .Ufpflujheso gentlemen's faces when they read r .siyiibo startling news. They looked one an-l&V0r'iolncr an-l&V0r'iolncr ln tnc c.vc wlln countenances which i., Awould betoken such words as "Wo ex-lltVjrfpectcd ex-lltVjrfpectcd as much. It's tho hand of God." fw' T'iat 1 reatl their feelings aright was ;2jborne out by the fact that when the news .3becaine general, there wcro free uttcr- llly fdjances from the brethren that the AU .v.Sfinlghly had Interposed to chock the work i lntffil0' tUP devil which was being performed i. tig-ffby tho National Government Ip preparing D3ljcir.easuros which would affect tho social inland temporal condition of the Latter-day en6aasnln,s- I fully sense what was the pre- r JLtJfvalllng sentiment at that time among the IlPIEjfl Mormon people, being In a measure In - riSi sympathy w,lM tnc religion and In con-Cl con-Cl Instant touch with local authorities. OdOff Powell's Malignity. ITtM Full expression was given to these sen-"Mujtltlments sen-"Mujtltlments when Elder Powell took the pul-a pul-a C?SJJIt at tho funeral services held to pay rc-c rc-c )!wfpect (?) to the deceased President for ninn reborn tno nation was In deep mourning. rSV Hla oration was prefaced bv reading a lfllHa88aRe from ,lie of Mormon, which oalClAI would reproduce but for tho fact that qr nal havo no copy of the book at hand Tho ai'11tiPs8age referred to the fate of the wicked Hn'nrtnnd tn0Be who fought against the work uuifttof the Tvord, which was to be established pffwri1'11 lno lnBL ,la's- A, positive sensation was r.Jw&produced when the speaker elevated his ripfin$vc,,ce and 1,10 ,asL words of the quotation -UCIIlrang out: "Oh. ye Gentiles." Some of ar? igthose not of the Mormon faith arose from W,he,r seals an(1 lefl the mectlng-houso In " , JSfdlsgusl. There was a rumbling of dls--jt satisfaction even among some of the Mor-mons Mor-mons because of the flagrant outburst. .'tig At the same time It was their general be- rJHef that Brother Powell had about hit tnc nail on the head. fflnfti Tn tl,e pl.aee of mourning wlpi tho Ainer-hMflficnu Ainer-hMflficnu people and honoring the dead, It Is I' llfplaln that the Latter-day Saints desired "Wlo exhibit the President as an example Itn 'l0TGod s, vengeance upon the wicked. MX-V "tcad of lender feelings of sympathy n itf!0nch n,oIsten the eye and quiver the face. Illl; h was a thrill of triumph and a fcel- ..v.IIng that God had done this for tho good of h s people. This exhibition of Mormon '$5iSloyaIly sblvored the timbers of my faith -n'iYl-0 a certain degree, which fact I gave cx-e,nutgrcgslon cx-e,nutgrcgslon to In a mild manner Jjjgfg Claimed It God's Vengeance, ifrf Subsequently at a meeting of one of the flllSMrluoni1s Incident of the President's A3?sas5!nation was used n evidence 'uthat God had taken a hand In the fight -J'S"iKl nad begun to wreak vengeance upon T3tne enemy. All seemed to be In hearty ifflli,lccord. ,tn thls Bcntlmcnt, while each 'ilia?np of. lhom believed he was then and iriJatUi Ucr n Possession of a copious now of IniuStt spirit. x,l$m Claim Golden Plates in Temple. nrtS?,nes,tna,; tllQ .a,lh of 11,0 members was SffrefttlJ' "lengthened by an address from rrtditaji one of the ofllcials. In which he hinted ; TliJ?thnt th0 nl!Ues from which the Book of 'fj5l Mormon was transcribed wero In ono of yetetfl the temples. Ho declared that the dellv-,i1wlory dellv-,i1wlory oC l'10fi0 Plates to tho Prophet Joseph Smith by the Angel Moroni and the fact ' Vr$tnat lho existence of theso plates had if "Jl been witnessed by men who had solemnly lS'JjS subscribed their names to an affidavit id! ft was a proof positive of the truth of Mor-wuijyrmonlsm. Mor-wuijyrmonlsm. bi&lgL It was by a narrow margin that I r inNl(Pe'5cane(1 being dropped from tho quorum ' for asking somo questions upon this d'atUBpolnt. L wanted to know whv It was that e, lt!'aafter such a valuable discovery, or gift. rs:3M.If you please, had come to the world 1 orfgftthrough the medium of a prophet, It was PfJiJ'neces9ary to keep the matter so closely 3 i0$3ecncealed from the eyes of the world, us flgpVhy was It that only the "U'hltmer broth-st broth-st ofSer8 and two or three others wero per- (vi)niltted to look upon this trensure? Would B ,tiCnot the plates themselves bo better cvl-a'c-Jfliidenco than tho testimony of these men. timepmwho afterwards renounced the faith? In e of ulthoro any reason why so Important a J tfcMJblstory as that of tho aborigines of tho pavelrAmerlcan continent should not be given HV to tho worl'l In a decisive manner be-led be-led 1J yond the possibility of cavil? Why '3k ?ou,rt. not tl,e Plates be openly exhibited SusP 2. lnc eyca ot tno entire world? Why l,n,B. niyslery, this concealment, these 1 va?i3f dar5c eurlalns. all thlp hiding and run-,meirrfk",nfr run-,meirrfk",nfr about? Tou answer mo that It was carwiV? to epeape from tho destructive clawB of L"fjyi the devil- that his satanlc majestv v.-as suncgfflnislly engaged in his laudable pursuit dlr?.f parting the designs of the Almighty, d5JPjffthercforo it was necessarj' to dodge, hldo jrstcnnd use every precaution to prevent his m InJS getting possession tgC tho sacred plates Z3S cr0eu God Jinve to run from tlm ie&Siys J5 h) unable to take care of the JLw5.ftfety of n,r rcordH? Would not our rK0i;n,mo,lt1hn'c ffivon Protection to the i,ZMVi ) rlBhtful custodian of theno plates and revisecn to It that they were kept safeh- iU.fromov'f87 WouId 0L men of learn-tiJ learn-tiJ in' historians, students of Innguaces scientists. In tmth all tho people of tho JZ4 wor d havo delighted In reading and "4?f,Vdyl.nff lMf hlatory If It were true? ,py cavo the world in doubt. about It? MTlm plates arc tho- things wanted as evl-Wdcncti evl-Wdcncti of this history. Where arc they? they arc In one of tho temples whv sI'are they concealed' ' SI?.ynR, U necessary to transcribe somo of Ml2mCl4,arnctcra, 0,1 the PatCH and take URthem to a professor of languages to as-certain as-certain If they wcro Egyptian? If t was , j$ necessary to go before this learned man ?n0U5h artillery among the Ls ts of e,tHeaven 10 protect one In so simple a t TVS M!PHiUm as thin. AVould the plates be !i5,nJmfCd r contai"'natcd y public gac? fSr4' 9ucstions Were Troublesome. rritf-'Hfl4i,ThiSOiia"08l,OI,B wero looked upon bv rno .tho brethren as sacrcllglous, reflectlriL- rATTllcy d,atu,b the harmony of feeling and JCif3oP,'TV1Unc,d Suta.nlc ln their prompt-'.; prompt-'.; ngs. It becomes ncccss:iry to dlscln lne Ui I'pmbor who propounds them, one "o ntropld as to cxerclso anv private onln Dillon on a subject so saerod must u ' i , rrfbuked. chastized and turned over t? AlPlUP,tlJ,SSuoC SaU" untll"'o l will i g o I llfUf0.1 lnto ,lnc and contend for U J T0ot I trlncs and tenchlnK as thoy are hand l , ..sd0'n from the authorities. "anuetl ll4rA T,,ls I? on lllUHtnitlon of th,. enslnv,. ' X ,lh0 n,lnd' T,,c people do not idi ra'l',nr.thclr ,,,;if,unlnR powers to bear unon no St2im5l,0,ns. otr ri?Blous doctrine "villi 'ih? lffS"10 d "l .C fCfearch that they do unon lHJithn various brancln 0f science P ,n mTr rap1re In that Imaginary ralnhnw nt rd4 K !y wh,ch, tandRbln tl o wnv of con-jr con-jr ( H4SIdcrI"S questions of rollglon In n tvTm 3p of ljlmon-senso manner. It l" my belief thai K.u",nil ?f ai.-oraee intelligence wl l Hjn-- Hjn-- .flK?re,y xuy lno doctrines and hlstorv of fcM T', exercising . ho same Torso i-rr51!i,8 V1".1, 1,0 would in the practlca nf- j2r-fr,rs of 'lrp. 1" will discover lnconHte.i-g,Clc5 lnconHte.i-g,Clc5 and en-om that' would nil -a volume i larger than tho family Bible. He must get away from tho Imaginary halo and regard nothing sacred except the facts which he discovers by his own reasoning. Censure for Humor. I have been censured for writing and speaking humorously or at it Is termed lightly of sacred things. That which will not bear to be laughed at Is a standing confession of weakness It Is tho Irregular, Irregu-lar, the ridiculous, the Inconsistent things which provoke laughter. One can find nothing to excite humor when looking upon the beautiful statue, tho works of a great sculptor. Scofting at a pcr-feet work of art would reflect fcult In the scoffor rather ,than the object of his derision, and ho would b'c pitied rather than censured. Laugh all you please at a roso or Illy In full bloom and freshness, but you do not detract from the beauty and fragrance of the flowers, as It Is appreciated by those who possess flue .sensibilities When errors, ldlosyncrnflles, unnatural situations, comical results, crop out from trying to live a certain system of religion, there are natural bursts of humor which one Is entitled to give expression to; It Is a" liberty of thought and feeling which need not be suppressed. Nothing Is moro childish than to think that it Is blasphemy and that God Is liable at any moment to strike ou dead for laughing at his sacred things. That Is a barbaric fear with which you are hypnotised. hypno-tised. Everything that Is sacred is natural, nat-ural, consistent, beautiful and has stood the most cruclul tests. Wonts to Help Them. Because 1 have laughed at some of the grotesque features of their religion, mnny of my Mormon acquaintances have looked upon tho mnttor ns though I was offering offer-ing them a personal Insult, whereas there was no inclination within my heart other than to do them good. I have received kindnesses from my Mormon friends and I hold these acts among my most tender recollections. When it comes to personal matters I believe be-lieve In maintaining the warmest social feelings. The cultivation of charity and liberal fellowship are factors ln promoting promot-ing u better civilization. 1 want none to think that I cringe from any personal attacks If you can get any good out of It, you are welcome; feed upon it. It is a matter of indifference to mo it every error of my life Is sifted and exposed, ex-posed, if It will do any good to humanity; all 1 nak Is to be there at tho sifting. I havo made attacks upon your religion tho same as I would assist In killing a veinonous reptile that threatened tho life of a child. It Is because I have been convinced con-vinced that this religion Is a disease which afflicts the mind, that It Is a fraud and a deception which will not stand tho test of reason, that I have assisted In the light against it. Pangs of Separation. There Is a variety of feelings nnd sentiments senti-ments within the mind of a Mormon boy when he Is ln the rtrst stages of separating separat-ing himself from the church under the teachings of which ho has been fostered. These feelings are a commingling of pains and pleasures that arise when conclusions con-clusions are reached and when consequences conse-quences are considered. There Is a thrill of pleasure when one feols that he has discovered an Important fact, and there Is a pang at the heart when ho realizes that the announcement of this fact and the contention as to Its correctness will throw him out of harmony with his surroundings sur-roundings and put him at a disadvantage. I-Ic will pause here. Ills courage Is put to a most bitter test. If he should declare de-clare his unbelief ln the doctrines of tho church In unmistakable terms, ho feels thut the suddenness of the shock will bring forth a string of difficulties and troubles, which ho seriously loaths to ho burdened with. Ho can scarcely bo blamed for this when it occurs that his parents, relatives and a host of friends are devotees of the church It grieves him to bring anguish to tho hearts of his parents. It pains him to know that the friends of his boyhood will turn against him, sneer dt him and count him a lit subject for eternal perdition. Thev look through their blnck goggles and will pronounce him a depraved creature, a swine before whom pearls have been cast, a dog who has looked upon holy things. Rather than face this he backs up puts hlmsolf Into the clear, thinks he will conceal his thoughts and move along with the procession As ho goes merrily oh ln the same old rut. It will bo observed ob-served that there Is a lower ebb of enthusiasm. en-thusiasm. Expression will now and then bo given to somo of the Ideas which havo cooled his ardor. It will be wondered If he Is losing the spirit of the Gospol. Counsel will be given, testimony borne and he will be flattered with such expressions ex-pressions as "We had expected so much of you:" "you had been considered for certain Important positions." At the Sabbath meeting a call will be made for an expression of Ideas and a testimony. This Is no time or place for a sensation, therefore a regular Mormon sermon Is ground out with phonographic precision. But the heart Is not there, tho soul is gone, something else Is flitting through tho speaker's brain. He cannot unthlnk that which he has thought. Thcro Is conviction con-viction within the mind and at times ho Is found to bo In a spirited argument with somo good church member upon certain cer-tain points of doctrine, ln the heat of which ho betrays a doubt as to tho truth of certain principles. Will Be Labored With. In those contentions tho church members will bo thrown against tho unexplnlnablo things, arguments will be brought to bear which will expose tho fallacy of his premises, pre-mises, embittered feelings are the result and the chasm widens evorv day between the boy and his church. Tho time comes when the church devotees avoid a debato with the skeptic, They fear his words because they threaten the vitals of his creed, and thoy fear that his Influence in.iv affect others. Ultimately he Is ostracized, os-tracized, all are. warned against his Influence; In-fluence; he Is said to be on the downward path which leads to hell and will never amount to anything In the communltv. Personal attacks with a vlow to blacken black-en his name will be resorted to. such as attributing his falling away to some awful aw-ful sin he may have committed which is unpardonable In tho sight of God. In the face of such a condition the young man will find It best to be honest and openly declare his convictions, it will add to his manhood to boldly and legitimately legiti-mately contend for "life, liberty and tlm pursuit of happiness" from tho premises which ho conceives to be correct. Fall to do this and you aro a hypocrite and a coward If you continue to maintain a position In tho church, your life Is a He and a deformity. de-formity. Tho flower of your life Is plnnted among tho weeds of superstition and thev arc choking and dwarfing It. Tho fnji fragrance of happiness does not well forth as It would were It planted ln rich, cultivated cul-tivated soli, where tho full measure of sunbeams and refreshing elements are ln constant play Now, I want to ask you Mormon boys If tho feeling which prevailed among your people at tho time of the assassination assassina-tion of Presldont Garfleld Is consistent with your professions of loyalty to our Government. Do you still believe that the President was your enemy and that It was your God who destroyed him? Do you 'believe that this United States Government Is an enemy en-emy seeking to destroy your religion by passing laws ngalnst certain practices? Would you not rather behold the fall of tho Government than the fall of your ..church? If so wherein Is your loyalty? EDMUND T OLSON. Hot Springs, Ark.. Oct. IS, 1005 |
