| Show i DIPUDENCE AND IGNORANCE r I j There is scmething supremely ridiculous about the conduct of that < 1 j man the alleged Rev Jo Cook Ii f t it were not for the fact that about ninetenths of those persons who i r f know anything od him from having it heard or read of his sayings and doings I if f do-ings regard him as being what is J1 t f popularly described as crazy his i manifestation of what the populace A i t understand is comprehended in the i word gall would entitle him to I I I the execration of all decent people r q I As it is the charitable regard him r i as something of a maniac who is not responsible for his utterances tI f and others look upon with i j I indifference or contempt When 1 j the man and his methods are cons sidered in the light of ordinary i intelligence and with some 1 Ii tf i knowledge of the courtssiea and decencies Jlj de-cencies existing In society can Mr 4 Cook be regarded otherwise than asa ffll i as-a libel upon the profession which he I f assumes to follow and as disgracing FI c the title which he places before his i name He comes out here to Utah I occasionally and with characteristic 4 I characteris-tic impudence assails the people in a most brutal and scandalous manner 1I man-ner and what makes his conduct BO 11 I ridiculous is the fact that he expects I to be believed and looks for applause ap-plause f Mr Cook is not blamed for differ rt ing from the Mormons in his religious relig-ious views many intelligent and I really good and honest persons do rf that But he is censurable for i abusing the Mormon people malt mal-t islously he is blamable for speaking q ill of them without having good Jf II I 1 ground for doing sohe is deserving I of reproach for hIS Ignorance when i It the facts are so easy to be obtained c We unkertake to say that no public t utterance by the gentleman in reference ref-erence to the Mormons ha3 been i f based upon correct information We fi i have been unfortunate enough to 4 4 r have heard and read many of Cooks I 1 tl comments OD the Mormon their f doctrines and practices and in none f 1 of them did he display the knowledge 1 t know-ledge of the facts that the street i urchin of any Utah town possesses r i j He has imbibed his ideas 1 t J from those whose aim it I L is to convey wrong impressions r f and preferring their views to those E j i that are correct he closes his mind to the truth and Impudently asks i i that what he says be accepted as authentic j It would strike a person of average aver-age intelligence that the proper source of correct information as to r I i the doctrines and beliefs of thez j Mormons is the Mormons themselves i them-selves and not those who are en I smiea to the Mormons and who are J I Interested only In measures to crush I them out of existence Mr Cook has visited Utah two or three times but we doubt if he has ever conversed con-versed with a Mormon his associates asso-ciates and those who herd him being the persons in the community com-munity most pronounced In their I hatred of the Mormon people 1 0 Before an honest man denounces a I I practice or system he will at least endeavor to learn I something about I J j i it and Its results does Mr Cook i really know anything of the Mor I f ii mon system and its results A i 1 H person who has regard for the truth i i before he assails i or denounces a community as immoral and corrupt will at least make inquiries as to is whether they are really bad has Mr Cook ever asked a person likely I to tell him the truth concerning the S moral condition of the Utah community is com-munity If the reverend gentleman has indeed in-deed determined upon solyicg the t Mormon problem there is a larger large-r undertaking before him but he has i gone about the work in the wrong T way What he shoul1 do is to gather t S the facts not from those whe are more reckless in their statements than he but from those who know and who are interested in speaking S the truth having done this if his conceit has not entirely overcome his common sense he will probably conclud that the problem is not to I be solved by the weapons that he is niW employing namely ignor aLee slander and downrJgnt falsehood false-hood |
