| Show HItIIIUJCK IIISTIIItV I Mr Wilson Odell of Hominy Toll Nicholas county West Virginia send to the News on article written bone b-one Arthur M Lean and printed In the Methodist Episcopal Advocate of Silt ion In J that state which deals wll Mormonism nnd Its founder the Prophet Joseph Smith f Mr OM1 state that he 19 1 nol n Mormon but filet Ior mon mlolointl have often been ot his house nnd that he regards them an perfect gentlemen He suggests that the Nevis reply to the clipping Mr Leons article begins abruptly with I this sentence Among the greatest great-est stains on Ametlcns history Is I Mor monlrm This declaration Is I a sum dnl index or what follows whIch embraces Prime sarcastic remarks about the people who become converted 10 llormonlm And the reiterated eager lion that the Hldtri who convert them are Ignorant and Illiterate If Mr 1Inn werelo make such statements And > rcnlallons tin tire on lalned In his article en his own re sponslllllty and aliened Information It would Le nn easy mailer to dlspos of him And his utterances to the tails faction of candid persons Hut Ite supports 1 sup-ports his nsiirtlons and hln character Izitlon of the Mormon people by n lengthy quotations from the Eclectic History of the United States The work named purimrts lo given tuarline11Jt u n condensed narrative of the early rise and progress of the Mormon Church and n Inlet blogriphy of Its prophet founder H Is I n crime In any historian to pervert truth And falsify history In the manner In which these things were done by the author of the work quoted by Mr M Lean Ho has made himself n deceiver of multitudes respecting re-specting sncrcd things and has placed upon > an Innocent people the burden of proving to the world that they And their lendeis arc not guilty of the things with which he charges them llul such a crime brings Its own punishment pun-ishment In this age of free discus slon and nn omniscient omnipotent press the truths of modern and current history cannot be suppressed nor perverted per-verted Permanently nnd the wrller who In the semisacred character a historian In n record deslfned for the Instruction of posterity deliberately hmoterls a people as lacking the very virtues that comprise their most rvmlnent J > traits will ns certainly as i the sun continues on his course In Ih heavens be convicted uf the calumny he has perpetrateel I his writings writ-ings will be dlslrusted his memory will lie detected and he will be consigned to the contempt and oblivion he deserves The account of Mormonlsm given by Iho work relied upon by Mr M Lean may be briefly disposed bt by simply remarking that It was written from tin standpoint of a reckless enemy rather ban of a painstaking anti Impartial In esltgator and with a view to popu tartly rather than the presentation of historical truth This description with more or term modification will lit a ast mean 01 literature purporting to give the truth about Mormon history and doctrine which has Issued from the prems particularly In the Unite States during the lifetime of the religious re-ligious society that has been the subject matter That society was long regarded with almost universal prejudice and It was a rate thing for nil author not a member of It to display dis-play courage enough to tell the truth about It Tills fact should be remembered remem-bered In connection with the aslom that a man friends rather than his foes should be applied to for correct information concerning him In the early history of Christianity there warn two classes of historians one ot iv horn held that Jesus was an Impostor A falve teacher a blast henier and a Irvltor to the state arid that IIUt follonels Imitated Ilia crimes while the other declared that He was the embodiment of nil thai was pure nnd good and the very Son of Hod while His followers taught nnd practiced prac-ticed n system of religion far in ad once oC any other kllOn among menThe men-The people of that ago were left to choose which tecords nnd witnesses they would believe I It Is I so In this age In the case of the Priihel Joseph Smith and his followers follow-ers Those who care notltlng for tire Iruth can eerily read and hear about the Mormons an unlimited quantity of stuff that Is false and slanderous much of which purimrts to bo dignified and authentic hhnorj while those who really desire in I know the truth can enill > find II God has to arranged the matter for imposes dictated by Ills own Infinite wisdom |
