Show MOBBING TilE MORMONS The telegram in this issue from Birmingham Birming-ham Alabama will be read with interest by TUB HnitAiu subscribers It says that in the state named there County in Clay has existed a flourishing branch of the I Mormon church which has just been broken up by citizens of the county The elders have been warned to leave the neighborhood and most of them have obeyed while others will follow taking their converts with them We understand there are no Mormon elders from Utah in that section of the country it is therefore probable that the parties driven out are members of the Josephite church as there are branches of that ornanization in several of the southern states It is creditable to no community religionists in this age to persecute whatever faith the latter may profess pro-fess The day for combatting beliefs with edu violence has passed among intelligent cated people in all parts of the globe The the rack of arguments of the thumbscrew ubs and switches of tar and feathers and I of shotguns are no longer employed except ex-cept by the ignorant and vulgar Civilized people recognize the fact that there is nothing noth-ing convincing iu brute force hence they do not resort to it when they want to combat com-bat a faith or overcome a religious belief Whenever fanaticism assumes the form of violence it is conclusive evidence that the fanatics are ignorant and are far behind the times in intellectual development It is most astonishing that in the United States the most enlightened nation on earth and one which protests loudest in its laws and theories and institutions against interference with ivlisrion a community can be found which tolerates and practices religious persecution To say nothing of the injustice to individuals of the violations viola-tions of law and the brutality towards persons per-sons it is surprising to find any considerable consider-able number of men wno have so misread history as to think that faiths can be destroyed by mobs and religious beliefs shaken by brutal and inhuman persecu tions Through all lime the blood of the martyrs has been the seed of the church The most ridiculous of religions will thrive when opposed by arguments other than tnOSQ ot rca on and intelligence tnd is faith that is the rankest fanaticism imaginable im-aginable will grow and prosper under the and blood fostering care of mob brutalities shed Intelligent men understand this and they are compelled to persecute only with words and to employ only reason to lead from error those they regard as misguided and followers of a false faith The Alabama incident told about elsewhere else-where in this impression is a sad icllectior on the character and intelligence of the people of Clay county It makes no difference differ-ence who the ciders are who have been driven away nor what the nature of the doctrines they taught They may be Mormons Mor-mons orJJosephites or believers in any otlui faith and the case will stand the same the Clay county mob is made up of ignor and devoid ant men incapable of reasoning void of the common knowledge of human nature which teaches that religious belief fattens on violent opposition and grows fastest when fought with other weapons I than those which are recognized by civilization civili-zation as legitimate in religious warfare namely reason and intelligence The persecution of the elders will attract friends among the enlightened everywhere every-where while the persecutors will be looked upon as ignorant and semibar barous eminently worse members of society so-ciety than the men who have been driven out no matter how offensive the doctrines taught by the latter may be It grieves an American to read of such proceedings It tells him of things which he does not like to know It forces into his mind the conviction that in this land of freedom and religious liberty there are whole communities where ignorance ig-norance is supreme and intolerance exists which would shame the people peo-ple of the socalled dark ages One wishes that if such things must occur they woi d happen in other countries and among people that we call benighted and semicivilized and not in the great republic which professes to give light to the whole world and boasts of the liberality and tolerance tol-erance of its people in religious matters |