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Show GRANT'S EMPTY' BOAST. Apostle Grant preached a sermon on Sundax', which seems to have .served two purposes. One was to lavishly commend com-mend the unlawful acts of himself and his fpllow- hierarchs nf the Mormon church, and the other wag lo imputo to tho iMormou people a guilty acquiescence acquies-cence in and approval of the law-breaking to which the leaders have made abject ab-ject confession. In Mr. O rant's effort to account for what he calls the faith of the Saints in their loaders, he said: It Is because ot the Individual testimony; testi-mony; the individual knowledge that the leaders arc Inspired hy God and arc In His work. Kach and cvory Mormon knows thin, and that Is why the people have fnllh hi the worda.of the men at the head of the church. It is quite evident that Apostle Grant Was simply following a definitely-arranged plan concocted by the presiding high priests of the church to whistle down the wind, and at the same time whistle up their own courage, by pub-liclv pub-liclv assuming for Jhcniselves n support that does not exist. First declaring themselves to be of unsoilcd righteous- nc3s, tlioy endeavor lo convince the gou-ornl gou-ornl public that the followers entertain a bolicf in them to that end. It is ono of the old methods of the hierarchy to bolster up Llteir failing authority. It has been utilized from tho beginning; but it seems now to bo brought into ospocinl prominence on account of "the need of the hour." That the plan for gnnorating false braver' has boon ro-vivod ro-vivod under the pressure of urgont necessity is indicated in the s'nnilarily which exists between the remarks of Apostle Grant on Sunday and the utterance ut-terance of tho Dcscrct News of a vcok before, as follows: The leaders of the church have always been tiuo to their divine mlnHion. The present leaders arc no exception to that rule. That Is the reason why the saints lovo niid sustain them with all their heart and soul. So much for the old priestcraft' trick of eolf-praiso and reciprocal exaltation. It is an old ruse, and ono that has been successfully utilized man' times. But Tho Tribune happens to know that the time has arrived when the Mormon people peo-ple aro not to bo caught with it. The followers aro breaking awa3r from the loaders, for the reason that, contralto contral-to tho ossortiou of Grant and the News, thoy havo lost faith in tho priesthood. So many falsehoods havo been told under oath, so much sin has beon confessed con-fessed upon solemn-affirmation, so much revelation has been repudiated in high public places, by tho leaders, that the Mormon people have determined lo think nnd act for themselves. It has taken time to bring them to a condition approaching the freedom belonging to manhood, and the hicrarehs nnd the Descret News have dono everything in their power to postpone tho day of awakening. Tho' have refused io tell their people that the loading men of the church have admitted ad-mitted before nil the world that -they are breakers of tho law of the land and doners of the revelations of thoir own church. By this means it has been hoped that the Mormon mass would bo kopt in quiesceut ignorance; but modern mod-ern methods of communication and publicity pub-licity have rendered ineffective the pa-triarchical pa-triarchical game of suppression and deception, de-ception, and although they protend to bo inspired men, the high priests have been unable to invent self-protective methods which would bo abreast of the improved general conditions. That tho Mormon authorities fcol themselves to be holding in uncertain tenure the respect which once attached to their high oJlices is quite plainly ex- j posed in their frantic efforts to induce the people lo continue in worship of their masters. The thralldom is fast breaking and the Mormon people, being be-ing honest and sincere in their undertakings, under-takings, are plainly indicating to their ecclesiastical chiefs that there must bo consonance between belief and practice; that tho higher tho priesthood of the man at tho head, the less excuse is thcro for his failure in this respect; that a nicro pretension to righteousness shall not be sufficient to establish a man in their regard re-gard as a servant of the Almighty, bnt that, professions must bo accompanied by works consistent with them. Mormons Mor-mons no longer beliovo that a man may pretend to be a prophet and at tho same time deny prophecy; that ho ma' not now poso as tho foremost citizen in the communit' and meantime oulrngo the law of tho Stale; that he ma- not claim to be tho personal representative on earth of the Almighty, while yet he defies the revelations given from the source of his own authority. These inconsistencies, as viciously practiced by the high priests, iitc a few of tho reasons wh' Mormons have lost fnith in their leaders. Apostle Grant docs to the Mormon pcoplo n grievous wrong when he attributes to them faithful faith-ful support and willing encouragement of the unlawful acts of their leaders. Tho Tribune knows that the situation il entirely different from that which Mr. Grant would paint. The Mormon leaders arc fust losing the respect of their people; they are rapidly slipping out of the power they once possessed over them. And this is bei'nuse of the sinfulness of tho pretended -prophets.' Thoir I'pocris', deception, and vico are finding thorn out. The day of awakening awaken-ing is here; and there will be mighty reform at tho top, or there will como 1 a disastrous fall from, tho high seals. |
