| Show STRANGERS FRANK LETTER California Woman Writes Writ s Inquiringly to labor Taber antIs nacle hUtt Sail Sill July In hat Whal MIC tub SiltS San ill unit fler Letter i I Ephraim Jensen the Uie custodian of ot the Tabernacle Ii la In ih receipt of or the fallow tollow fallowing ing letter Sept 30 3 Sir You ou will not recall m mil me and you ou will wonder vonder al at the tire fact fac thit a n stranger strang str r should burden you yoto with her Inquiries During tho the latter part of ot July Jul while on my way from tram the he eat can I visited the Tabernacle In company with lIh a n young lady lad and just juRI the tilt organ n recital had tile the pleasure of oC listening to a ft I short defense of ot Christianity with which ou kindly favored us u I was WOM obliged to leave IlIo th city nt at noon and oo fOO vrn WHIt de lIe denied nied the of waiting until af nr Wr t r tho the j for tor a n continuation of ot the conversation an os you ou te i Today It Il while l some Form letter letters and Ind papers that hid acca accumulated accumulated that I camp came It th tIle dU ills 18 course cou of ill which ou hand handed handed ed ld me together with your OUt our earth ard and I 1 Iwas was wag reminded of ot the which your our apparent sincerity had irad upon me meAt mEnt meat At nt the tho time mind o oC the desire de lre I then had now nOI revived by the of ot these papers Ja u to o ask ak Qu to tell toll me are where I might obtain a l good history his to of ot the Mormon torman faith and people Of l course count I I can call of literature on the tile hIlt but I 1 desist e ln to 10 view viII th tile the faith for tor tI u us me rifle ut of your tour own people mUhl view vi low ow U tt tot for this tIde reason would lute to w what work l Is 18 considered h Mr exposition ot oC o the tile faith by ft a t in i lr of tf It Your nl j was wn not that hut of ot a n prejudiced man mAl to 9 r I I do 10 not hilt 10 think t II It H will offend I to i mow that I 1 request this Information to satisfy a passing need by no means insane a 4 spiritual on I X wan uns 1111 In In Some ome wa ed will WillI the th h MM idea th that thrift you hall hail yourself viewed religious questions from thU tiit standpoint that you ou hud bud more the thc r of ot a n scholar than n a religious enthusiast or preacher your our life might aught have male made you ou I do not no fee ree wIly why wh uch suh Intellectual toni inquiries should l ic o Inconsistent with tile the ultimate of oC a 1 sure suro faith though many have hB deemed It so vs I am nm sure you OU will 1111 understand how necessary It reams to 10 mo rue to study any r lous faith from ruin the standpoint of ot UH Its It believers HI III order ord r to obtain a 1 Just Idea of ot Its power All who visit for tor the tile first time into must bo be with It t and with thu tho tim patience and steadfast t purpose that Have guise It life lite and nil all strangers arms rr not tho thin narrow view taken tulon by II I the world us as to the reasons for tor Its existence It may mn be bu n s a 11 writer Bald that lInt Utah h is I not nut the out outgrowth growth of ot zeal zal that lInt the lie Church really does docs nut nt BURtain tho the In III Industrial industrial taut hut that the th lii industrial lIu the hurell I 1 am ambut hilt but n ft POOl pooi student of ot any religion and 1111 1 do not net n t claim knowledge l beyond ond that which ordinary anti nn 1 can cnn gIve me lao of or the tire religion l n not of ot your our nur people I 1 have hao no knowledge It may be that I t shall never under tInder underHand Hand nay nm well w to have bare any Oil belief bellet In It I but bitt III tills this will wilu not ten ren render der dar me roe Incapable of ot o sympathizing with anti and perhaps envying tuo thol who claim to possess g n a firm and sincere faith It 11 may mM be too that sonic natures ore ate BO MO limited that Miff can never neer become a It 1 part parl of 0 them theta I cannot sec sea how It Is possible for on one ne wIlt WIll WIlliia has iia n a sincere re belief In mi an Infinite He Be HeIng Ing taking any all nn from Mall Mali to II Maht to doubt the ity iv 11 of or Ills his revealing His purpose to tj i l acts o ot of modern timed as the til Mormon Church claIms I envy ears n any one on who can cnn be befree befree free tree from Crom tho thought that t The Tho revelations of or devout nail and learnd Who rOBe lojo before un us and ns as prophets Are all nih ni hut stories which awoke from sleep They Tiley told their comrades and to sleep sheep It I must be he nn an easy thing to endure rash Judgments greetings whore where no kindness Is Ie i and ond nil nh al the dreary Inter Intercourse Intercourse course of at dally daily life le when we are sure of oC n a 1 life Itc to come como hut after nil all al how lion much nobler tho time man Irlan who 10 fixes lUes l es good gooi gool goodon on good alons alOM and owes orves Oles to virtue every As I saying to you when you OU spoke of ot the tile men Inca made great groat by religion I 1 know of ot no worthier man mn than of old who possessed no mio n religion nt at at phi all allor I or If I he did was 1 not conscious of ot I It ItA A stranger sometimes gains odd odo oid Impressions by a 1 hasty hR ty conversation or a hasty glance I thought when I 1 looked at nt you rO Oth and saw e how fur far til from trOI happy nod and contented your our outward ap appearance appearance seemed s how many struggles and how many sorrows life might Intro have cost you before you ou obtained that thai behind the tilo door to which pt 10 o many maul find Ond no I key Ic he unit and I wondered whether tiltS tho search Is la worth the tile striving strIvIng ing log when hen Its fulfillment no ev es evident 0 ident Joy jo to a n firm Aria anti professed be he believer hover liever In It I Forgive me for tor troubling you 01 anti consider my m letter the tho speculation of oC nn art Idle moment If I you will wil Sometimes I believe that the old Unmans nomans who made mado gods goda of ot virtues and for tor n a time nt at least hind had hold pf nt a sure euro BUrl belief In I them have been beon the only true iru and I 1 laugh then at nt my say attempts to learn anything from modern creeds But Dut after all al la is I said sll r anti I should like l e to to UI uhl t Von Voa oT I dimly the reason tot tor existence its ItA lence I hope to visit the tire Tabernacle again nain batter prepared to understand Its Il ill Ills his history tory and meaning but bUI I J fear that hint the Temples are forever rinsed to me m even If It tIre the book bok you may mn recommend mend should quite quit convince me mP that thai religion Is ha tho tha only reason renson for Cor growth find progress I thank you for the courtesy you sowed sow d to such a n frank trank unbeliever In your our faith and anti for Cor the pleasure your momentary Interest afforded me are le and you may mn consider If it I you ou wish this merely ns as another anther exemplification of tho the poets lines Ships that pass pars In tho tire night Ight nd speak ICk each other otiler In passing Only a 1 signal II n I shown and anti a distant voice oke In the th darkness So 01 the th ocean of ot life lite we pass pasa and speak fel one another JIS I IOni Oni a n look and a voice olce then dark darkness darkness ness again and an a silence I anti and so AO forget It It If I you should puss through the tho door dor dorot I of ot darkness before me nrc wily why h not make mako It I part of ot your our mission to return and antl tell me le of ot the road According to your faith nil ni mankind may Iny be saved and If It It 10 Is br possible or you 0 to give spiritual aid to spiritual nonbelievers hereafter why 11 It not be ho possible to give Rhe spiritual nM all to one still Jl In th tIllS heels llesh esh who knows not what to believe If I you ou wish to In smile at al what I have havo said sid dont do It It or I shall Ihal havo tho tile satisfaction of ot knowing that I have hare 10 oven liven more rower power 1 than your our fez fot that has hns not riot It t mode made you I Joyous yours youra YOUIl WI |
