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Show AN ANALYSIS OF THE CHURCH. No. I. Tho clunlvo character of tho Mormon faith and practice as exemplified by tho utterances and acts of the hierarchy Is ouch as that most observers are extremely ex-tremely puzzled In their effort to mako any accurate description. Tho result Is that one phase of tho matter, which probably attrocta first attention and becomes understood, la taken as a type of tho whole and Is so treated. Hence the many partial apprehensions, ap-prehensions, which are really misapprehensions, misappre-hensions, of the subject; and hence tho almost violent antagonism between two commentators, each of whom may have reason for his view, while both stand In direct opposition to each .other. This dlfllculty arises Initially; and It must bo The Tribune's work, in the brief space of this article, to attempt to establish some landmarks to aid thinking men In making on accurate Dounaary imc. First, let us get the personal element out of tho way. Tho Mormon leaders are like other men. Somo of them havo been magnetic, auto-hypnotlc; Borne of them have persuaded themselves and others that they were Inspired; some of them have been brave, Blmple souls, willing to live nnd die for a chosen faith; some of them have been large-minded large-minded men, natural founders of empire, em-pire, natural social leaders and philosophers; philoso-phers; some of them have been cruel, arrogant, bigoted; some of them havo been nnrrow, avaricious, lustful of power. In the main, all of the leaders have been men of strict character; sober, so-ber, honest, andwith the exception of the peculiar offenses associated with polygamy careful In their relations wlthnhe other ee:c. Of the mass of tho Mormon people It can truthfully be said that no more thrifty, Industrious and useful lot of people ever camo Into any ono community; they have practiced all the virtues as they have understood them; and with tho exception noted above with rdgnrd to the leaders the teaching and living of plural marriage, polygamous cohabitation and their inevitable in-evitable attendants their lives havo been pure. With all these affirmative virtues, It Is easy to see how they have derived, as they deserved, so much of praise from the world. But the religion was founded, and Is now operated, upon an entirely archaic and utterly Impossible proposition. As it is of less value to describe the past than to deal with tho present (and assuming that the leader of today, Joseph F. Smith, Is seeking to re-establish In exactitude the rule of his uncle and father, who founded and died for the faith) let us view the religion re-ligion as he would have It In theory and practice If ho could. This is tho dispensation of the fullness full-ness of times. It is a preparatory period pe-riod for the second comlnc of Christ, who Is to return to earth and rule In glory over all nations, kindreds, tongues and peoples. There having been universal apostasy from the simple truth as He left It, It Is necessary to restore that truth by revelation, that men may be Imbued with It, and be prepared by it, for the advent of their Divine Ruler. All sects of the earth, while possessing nnd living possibly some truth, are acting without authority. author-ity. Thus we have a prophet, Into whoso hands Is committed the authority of God to prepare the world for tho glorious glo-rious return of His Son. Naturally, no other government, by church or by State, Is legal. Through tho prophet, God has declared that tho powers of this world shall crumble and that His kingdom Is set up, never more to be thrown down nor its power given to another people. Under these circumstances, circum-stances, It is Impossible to divide tho spiritual from the temporal, since all tho commands of God through tho prophet are spiritual, and sinco His decree to His followers must be both spiritual and temporal; the first for their spiritual enlightenment and preparation; prep-aration; the second that they may so develop their temporalities as to be fit subjects of and princes In the kingdom of God until and when His Son shall come. To warn the world and to aid In preparation, prep-aration, the president haa two associates, asso-ciates, who with him constitute tho first presidency. Then thero Is tho quorum of the apostles the twelve and this quorum holds, when It Is unanimous, unan-imous, co-ordinate authority with tho first presidency. Minor officials, who need not be mentioned, are ordained to various callings. The president Is the only man authorized author-ized to deliver God's word to the world, and his declaration Is absolute. These men, some of them, expect to live to sco tho coming of the Savior, and to tnke part In His rule of righteousness right-eousness upon the earth so soon shall bo the day of His coming. Their authority Is boundless and eternal. eter-nal. Even after the termination of their earthly career, they are to have certain celestial power and place as tho apostles of tho Son of God. With such a faith, how little must' seem all the mere earthly authorities; how contemptible all earthly governments; govern-ments; how puerile and paltry, as well as false, must seem all earthly denominations! denom-inations! This president, and his two counselors, counsel-ors, with the apostolic quorum and subordinate sub-ordinate officials, followed by hundreds hun-dreds of thousands, are merely making-preparation making-preparation for that great and awful day of tho Lord when He shall come In His splendor; when the wicked and the unbelieving shall fall or fleo In terror from His face; and whon these, His elect, shall stand with Hlra to judge and govern the whole world under tha i rule of the kingdom of God which they havo established. In tho meantime, the prophet and his subordinates receive ono-tenth of all tho annual lncreuso of, all the faithful members of the church, being a slight 1 return to the work of God for His blessings upon them. All that they pos-'sess pos-'sess is aport of His kingdom, and lie leaves to their stewardship nine-tenths of what their Industry produces each year; and takes but one-tenth for tho purposes of His kingdom, under direction direc-tion of His prophet. Taking the foregoing as the basis, It Is easy to discern how an avaricious bigot not governed by high intellectualities, intellectu-alities, not controlled by delicacies, having hav-ing several wives and many children, and holding an old grudgo against the Government of the United States, could, with the power of a State at his command, com-mand, set up and maintain an alien government within and against this Republic of the United StatOB. And that Is exactly what Joseph F. Smith, prophet of tho Mormon church, has done and is doing. |