| Show INFLUENCE Of PREJUDICE lAND AND MISNOMERS An rod in the tho Tabernacle Salt City November 19 10 1890 by ELDER ELbER JAMES E TALMAGE 1 I I ot ao by 0 dice or of i r ot NeetI No Always U of Will Endure Forever It must be encouraging os It Is both bolh Interesting anal ond to listen Iten to the portrayal of NI nod and growth limon among the a SaInts such luch oe as has b been en given us toda today It must be encouraging also ala to contemplate destiny of the people anti the pur purpose which ha has declared them Not on thIs occasion but buton buton on several Sabbaths Sabbath I In the recent past we e have listened to reports by Apostles and other lendIng leading of the tho Church and by Riders Elders who have come home from foreign relative to the state of this work worl In various Parts ot of the world and I take taka It that the tho Lat erday Saints have found much cause for tor gratitude and thanks In that to which they have listened It Is on undeniable tact fact that tb this Church has at n a rote rate which Is really phenomenal and that It Is growing In a wa way that bespeaks ak Its i vitality and ond declares the tho p which overrules thIngs for It Its Rood good end antl tIch has set t the seal of vie victory tal upon the tho thode de destiny tiny decreed concerning it II MISLED flY NAMES It has been n fashionable In the tho past to decry 09 the faith ot of the Church ot of Jesus Jelus Christ of Saints has como comae to be known Th The Church halt ha had II a bad name und and things that have hac a bad name In this world are seldom eldom spoken o of In any other term than those ChOS Or Of reproach denuncIation and It t Is quite the fashIon amongst mankind toda today to togo togo go largely by names und and scarcely ever eyer everto to look beyond We are hiving according to a 0 system of oC abbee lations anti and InitIals Initial and names name mean practically everything to us Our hits of knowledge appear to me to be tied up In bundles and packages and to be labelled rightly or wrongly and we seldom ever untie the string or tear apart the wrapping to see seo what Is within The package labelled Mor dor Mormonism monism has always been In lii III r repute with many There are however many whose e eyes s shave have been opened and whose ears eara have been unstopped through the eff rte and labors ot of the mIssIonarIes of oC this people and who have havo found to their surprise that Is 18 not at atall atall all what they thoy had taken It to be bc In Inde Indeed de deed d In our popular legislature wo we Image mot molt of the bills by Ull tItle and scarcely ever eer consider them In theIr de details tails In our Individual Judicial nc ac ions passIng our personal judgment judgmental as al to the right or the wrong of oC mat matters that may come before us we rarely take time to properly examine the evi evidence dence but usually content ourselves wIth rendering Ime seine sort rt of a decision upon the recommendation of Itt and prejudiced referees Thu Mormon p people who are properly known a as members of the Church of oC Jesus Christ of oC Later Latter day only asked to be knoW known to 1 be observed t to b be tested and to be Judged righteously In accord accordance ance wih with the results of at that examina ton Ion nut But It II l not only wih with respect to our own Church not only In mat matters matters ot of churches In general but In al all thIngs we go b by names nod and grasp grup at the shadow represented by the name ant and utterly ignore the substance ot of the thing itself I INFLUENCE OF Years ago ngo I remember I rad rada read reada a prepared work ork po ro to set forth the so thery theory ot of Darin Darwin I IL appeared under the tho glaring tte title of I red read tho ho bok book with interest I another bok book als also a commentary upon the Ireat great naturalist and R a thir third and by that time I wa was thoroughly con can Ince that It If I wante wanted to know any thing about Darwin and his work I would have to rad read hIm for myself Many I a truth Is no now condemned by b be belag lag Ing rete to some Iy system tem which hu has huI hasa I a bad name namo The naturalist whom I have haro named has brought out truths truth but when one of them Is men tione someone oeone kis kills the effect b by sY say In ing That is II The truths taught by thi this Church Is declare declared and II its good o effect I is utterly ruined or spoiled by some spiteful remark Thatis That is II EFFECT OF Dot Dut a te few months month ago I stood In one of the large lae cities ot of Great Passing shown down the street one evenin evening I to I a crowd gathered upon the corer corner of the street and I soon oon bound that one of our own meetings Wa was there thero therein In had not heard of the fel felIng meet lag Ing having b boon n announced I tok took a place on the outskirts of the crowd and listened wih with sonic ine legree degree of interest to the remarks of the t Elders who addressed the tho people The They were In a simple und anal 1 belIeve a convincing manner judging by the ef d feet which was produced the tho con congregation the theme wal was the ho ton tion of the the prophecies ot of old relating to the last days and ond the signs that were IVere to precede the sr great at and ter da day of the Lord I listened tl to comments made by members ot of that congregation anti and many of the hem were Yere sincere Incero and earnest betokening they were generally The doctrine al as I It was preached to tal I aP appeal to man many Then I became a aware war ot of the presence of one who AS 5 making bus busy circulating In and around and through the tho crow crowd and whispering In the car ears of these thoc who feme to Co be affected Dont you know what that a Is an straightway th those N who Iho had tn been listening spurned purne what thc they had hearl heard heardS Se S tite ot of them left lett In dl disgust t and oth othera era cry remained to take par part In the at attempt attempt tempt to Incie Incite n a dIsturbance there When th the truth wu was PreSented without a name they had hael to honor It but when they found that It belonged to the te tern Which with them was al In I ill repute they rejected tl It II and trampled It under their t feet t Perhaps condition will wi continue unU until we hare learned to 0 recognize recognise nize nise truth for tor itself until we e have learned to love I it for tor Is ha ow own sake and not for tor the sake af it the name nama that some ome someone one ha hIs rutt pasted u upon n L t TRUTh NEEDS NO PROPPING t I rejoice In the Ibe truths that are promulgated by those who preach the doctrine of this Church for such luch stand upon their own merits They Tiley require no prepping They are honore honored for tor their own on sake lake Tet we e have been told toy today that those who ht have accepted the truth are bt but a handful with those who have rejected 1 It I If H Mar lor wih lorman man II Is mar popular may we hoP hope that Ihal seine MUle day it will be be become rm come the universAl r 7 think fl t I 1 do nt not know that I wat want tt ta hops hope that ta the sene In ill which that term universal religion I ii generally I do not l the te aay In the tho n near nr future 10 when the greatest truths truth of 01 God wi will J be universally rall popular TM The people of Gd God have havo bee been c contrasted wih with the world The fhe world anal aM th they y have hao been opposed Call to taint the counsel and the encourage given ghen by the Savior jut just before lie He be bade farewell to Jl Iii Apostles Ii In days daya gone by Thre These are Ut wor words Jt It the world hate you OU ye know Imol that It t hated one me before I it hated you Io It ye were Of the orld the world would love loe his own bt but belUe ye are not ot of the world but J I have cho chosen en you oUt o at atthe the wOrld the OU you ALWAYS Christianity was O unpopular In the time of Christ and In the days day ot of J Ills APostleS ChristianIty hal ben been un unpopular Unpopular popular ever since lince Perhaps that remark may be q questioned estore by those who ho call to 10 mind the fact that a ver very considerable proportion of time Che human famIly prof profess to bl be tal fol lowers l of Christ hut Christianity of the true ChristIanIty that Christ taught the ChristianIty that Js Ills pOstie practIced the ChristIanity that hat t was 1 offered n as n a saving grace graco to tl the he t t III has ever been lar l ar The Christianity of oC the tho lat ast l If r centuries may have hae been growing In world worldly I favor but judged b by that standard Crist wa 1 very poor Christan Christian r Shall bal not b be disappointed therefore it If for tor many years to come we find that the people ot of God are peculiar cullar that they are sep separated ep from the a ril and that the command c It still I Is In Core force Come Com out of her my The fhe wickedness of f Ufe he t world orld I is appalling o ant 1 one s st fat for that spirit Q a bt bet beter ter t er ono one It le he ouid truly serve his God SCHOLARS INVESTIGATING IE TRUTH We have hae reason to be thankful that popularity is not always to 10 b be relied upon a as 1 a criterion of propriety Not only was al Christ maligned not only were Is His Apostles denounced but the s In the march matth of truth have ever eer been The spirit of martyrdom has baa been In them and the spirit of murder hu has raged against them The work of oC Oo God Is spreading and wi wiil continue to spread pread but I b be beave leve h ave that for tor a 11 long time to 10 tome come the lie Church wIl wIll be lel lees extended than the kingdom om and therefore there will be it 1 1 distinctIon between those who are In truth the people of God and the Iut But this work wll demand greater and greater recognition and wIl will receive IL ILI It I It has hos already the attention of the thinking world I cl call to mind I In connection with opposition that has changed In Il Its nature and pha phases 8 of at persecution that bye have been altere altered It Is lo rio lorger considered ut tony bd bad to Investigate this much ma people hape nor to wk seek to ascer ala the tr th or the fallacy of the tho doctrines taught by this Church I It ha has been n my pleasure and privilege In he reent recent put past In response to In end and unexpected to deliver addresses upon the he teachings of oC this Church In lOI some of the large Id and Influential universitIes ot of this countr country and In other In influential circles abroad I have been surprised to fad that 9 so great elt a change had ben been wro wrought ht and that and no now d deem m It proper to CO Investigate te to some me extent at least to he caim claims made by this Church Lt Let m me give you OU a specific I o example The Book at Mormon ormon which I Is regard regarded ed by the 1110 people on the he outside wh who have hao not investigated for ni Os the sum total of th the reco C aired b by this lii Mormon ormon 18 as I It Is derl velv and erly now anti re ic attention at th the hane hands of lter liters ry men and scholars hola nut But n ei few months month ago ngo In the ct city ot of Edinburgh I listened with much Interest to a djs alto among certain t o of the tho great there the Hook of Mormon oro Sm o thos hose who hall had looked Into Inlo It had found o for tor the Inconsistency ot of man manot many ot of the fal false statements that hd had he been modo 4 as to It its I coming the glory ory which ha hail ds ala prove proved itself unto them Perhaps I ma may b be permitted to give another instance L I had the honor of addressing a large audience In ton Ion wih wIth th the of Cornell some re line ago ogo by request and invitation I had been ak to speak upon the story ot of ad and of n the Iod Hock of Mormon received some me ale atten ion In tho course of cee m my remak remarks T The meting meeting tas 18 presided OV over by Col Colt Tie Tyler 01 one of t the ledin leading authorities In contemporary American erIca hIstory At the clo ot of the ha c he arose ro to speak Ifs He cale called the tho at attention tenton of oC the distInguished audience to the fact that they were then living Q a few tew ml miles of he place at which the plates from which the Hook o of Mi has been n translated Ar tire said Id to ha have been found and with cre care and hi ho expressed himself to We Ve have notably tol failed In our efforts to properly solve the problems of A AmrI rl tan can history Ond the chIef reason Is that we base hae persistently refused to take note nole or certain factors among Rmon which I is this Mormon lUtlo question which relve receive attention at the hads hands of the historians ot of this Rie age I if the tho car cor correct answer anser to the tha problem or of current hIstory shall hal ever ho bo found Concern III lug the tho nok hook of f foron maid ld he later It If too the rePort hud had Or that of off In th the Interior of Africa plates Inscribed In ancient character characters had ben been found and tha that by on any means miraculous Or na as total toral n a translation h had been effected ad and the translation were 4 as consistent and as seemingly Q as the Dok hook ot of Mormon ormo I is said to b be we woul would be tore fore this h have e sent of off An expedItion at great expense to InvestIgate and ascer the the truth of oC luch such statements flut ut here are Wf we within a few mie miles of Palmyr Palmyra and ond of the hill Cumorah where the hi te plates Intel are said to 10 have ben been and we wener never ner go near Mr the plo place e nor do we vo make earet 1 as to the truth ot of the caim claim Such n a remak remark coming from such n a source wa to mo me instructive and significant Today the educated man manthe manthe the one who lays any call claim to such els t ml It a as necessary we to b be Acquainted wih with nt at least the concerning the tho history of the hook Ue Dol o of Mormon and the history of lii Church a as to know something abut about the ho Koran nod and the religIon OF Te vitalIty of our has u pre pressed thole those who have hae It from afar They ha hats sen seen tha that I if It We were the inconsIstent sye ye tern tem fu has been n represented to b be I could no not ha have heb tog thier ther a as It it h has ont Dut Instead ot of merely r to of bre IT xIU g f u Crt 0 cal Saints ha hiss b dv lag and nr growing and In number numbers In strength And In influence frol from the da day ot of Is its organization I bUno believe It correct to say lay that there ne neer nev never er ha has bean n a lul lull never n it chek cheek or a ahal ahalt hal halt In the progress or of this ppl people WhIle It if the prophecies uttered In old ohl ohlen olden en times and tho theme that have beer put forth In mOtt modern times are to be strict strictly ly Iy relied upon we may to lre see seethe the world ori and the Church of th the living I ant le r to for tor le some time timeto to come yet It Is not the or In tenth th that t this Church of Godshall endeaVor to cOre coerce or lek seek to den deny to 10 th the wold world or nn any organ thet thereof the which I it da do sires for tor Iselt Itself Tolerance and 1 a pp er n and regard for the opinions ot of have hao aver been en characteristic of the Iho work ot of Christ and ond will 11 continue ever to b be so 0 nut But tolerance iv II not acceptance I ImRY zany mRY think that some re frend friend of min mine Is Ishol wholly hol Wrong In his hlA ble belief and tics ices sinai yet it would b be wholly wrong for me inc to Irn hrin any pressure to ber bear pressure at lost to hIm of his hla liberty to ho do as ase al h h e likes Te The Church of Christ will to win from the world by good exam example pie and b by wholesome precept and not b ny compulsion or by deprivation of lb lib liberty orty erty The given IMen of old to te the people tol today Let your OUr l ight In 0 a flaunting man manner mannet net ner |
