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Show You will see my address, that I am a little remote from my field of missionary labors, but, having been granted leave of absence by Prest. Carrington for the purpose of visiting the hospital of this city, I left Birmingham on the morning of the 4th inst. I arrived here at 8 o'clock p.m. Your very kind letter to me (the date of which I cannot recall at present) was received while I was in the city of Rome, Italy, and read with much satisfaction. I should have replied sooner but the lack of time is my apology. Since writing you I have done some traveling. On the 1st of Feb. I left London for Paris, arriving the evening of the same day. I was quite ill crossing the channel. I attended the French hospitals for some time, having the privilege of witnessing considerable French surgery. I must confess that I was not as well pleased with the French method of surgical practice as I anticipated; yet that they are clever, there is no question. I was much surprised to find among this people, of whom so much is said, in regard to their extreme politeness, that the very opposite was manifested at least by the medical fraternity; they seemed to manifest quite a dislike for all foreigners, more especially Americans, of whom there were several visiting the hospitals at the same time that I was. After "doing" the hospitals I made a hasty tour of France, Italy and Switzerland by way of Marseilles, Nice, Genoa, Piza, Rome, Naples, Mt. Vesuvius, Pompei, Venice, Milan, Turin, Geneva, and Paris, thence to London. A detailed discription [description] of these places would make more time than I have to devote at present. I attended five of the principal hospitals for about one month in London. I was highly pleased with them and the clinical advantages afforded me were immense. It is truly wonderful what an amount of surgical practice can be witnessed in a given time in that city. Of course among a population of four and a half millions, to say nothing about the hundreds of patients that are weekly brought there, one might reasonably expect to see a great deal of surgery, but it far exceeded my most sanguine expectations. I had the pleasure of paying very particular at [unreadable] surgery as practiced by the celebrated Prof. Lister who is the founder of the "Listerian Anti-septic" system. I had the pleasure of witnessing operations by most of the leading surgeons of England. I will spend some time here in the hospital, and watch with much interest, the manipulation of the knife in the hands of Scotland's celebrities and will then conclude my professional mission. There is much said of the abilities of Scotch surgeons. I hope to have the privilege of seeing some of it. We held our semi annual conference in Birmingham one week ago to day, viz. on the 3oth of April; it was a most enjoyable time. We had fifteen Elders from Utah present upon that occasion, among whom I will make mention of Prest. Carrington, Bishop O. P. Whitney, C. B. Felt of Liverpool and Jos. A. West who had just arrived from Utah. The conference was convened in one of the largest halls in the city, and upon the main street. The meetings were all well attended especially in the evening, at which time there were near five hundred present, one third of whom were strangers. At the close of the conference their applications for baptism were made. Our statistical report showed 63 baptisms in the preceeding five months, and a total membership of 500. Our numbers will be considerably reduced after the sailing of the ship on the 17th of the present month. The passage of the Edmunds Bill produced some little comment by the various newspapers of the country all with one general tendency i. e. the down fall of "Mormonism." This measure is viewed as the culmination of all legislation necessary for the subjugation and decline of "Mormonism." That it must decline, crumble and fall, is the verdict of the masses. The enemies of God's people have taken fresh courage and satan is marshaling his force upon every hand as though it was his last and final effort, fully sanguine of success. How foolish and blind man is becoming; indeed the time spoken of by one of the ancient Apostles has certainly come "When darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the minds of the people." They are consoled by the delusive idea, that they are fighting or warring against a man devised system, little realizing that God Himself is the great moving power and the designer of this system to which they are so averse and which in its very nature and character is calculated to save and exhalt the whole human family, if they could but believe it. That the Bill is proscriptive and not at all in consonance with the genius of the constitution as framed by those noble patriots of 76, no one possessing the least drop of that Puritan blood will question. Yet it has been permitted to become a law and doubtless for a good purpose, though hard as it may seem judging from a human stand point. "God's ways are not as man's ways." The death of the late Mr. Darwin has produced a wonderful furore among the English journalists; they seem to have gone wild in their eulogies upon his character. That he was a great philosopher no one will doubt. Yet he failed to discover the missing link between man and the monkey. While quietly reading a newspaper this morning in relation to the appointment of the new Secretary for Ireland Lord Frederick Cavendish and the probable policy which he might adopt toward that turbulent and discontented people, our silence was broken by the very sudden announcement that Lord Frederick Cavendish and Hon. Mr. Burke, his under secretary, had been murdered in Ireland last night. This most unexpected news sent a thrill of horror through the system of all present and many were the expressions concerning Mr. Gladstone as responsible for this murder. Numerous are the denounciations against Mr. Gladstone and his policy. It really seems hard for a man to be murdered in cold blood, who had been sent by his Government to discharge a duty in one of its provinces, and that to, before he had even expressed any view upon the question of his policy. He had scarcely been upon Irish soil six hours when the daring hand of the assassin plunged a dagger to his heart while he and his secretary were walking arm and arm through Phoenix Park to dine with a friend and even in sight of the friend's house. The country is all ablaze with excitement and many are the plans proposed for Government to adopt, to put an end to this lawlessness which is so convulsing Ireland, and causing so much bloodshed. It is quite evident that the policy as adopted by Mr. Gladstone toward Ireland, last winter, has proven a sad failure, but who, under the same circumstances, would have adopted a different or a better one is a question that any consistent mind ought to reflect upon. It is often very easy to judge of the merits or demerits of a measure after it has been put into operation but not as easy before. A special session of Parliament has been called to deliberate upon this very trying question of the hour and all are anxiously waiting the result. Yesterday a Mr. Thos. Ivory of high connection, well to do in the things of life and to all appearances happy with nothing to ruffle or disturb his peace, walked to Dean Bridge at the end of Princes street and deliberately threw himself from its highest point 140 feet, into the maddened stream beneath, as it surged hither and thither by the huge rocks which marked its channel. On Friday evening before leaving Birmingham I had the pleasure of hearing the noted Mr. Bralaugh deliver a very able and powerful speech to an assemblage of five thousand people, the subject of which was concerning his right to his seat in the House of Commons, which, by that August body has been refused him, and to which he was three times elected by a constituency of over three hundred thousand. Mr. Bradlaugh is styled an infidel and for this reason he is refused his seat in Parliament. I will here state from facts, that the difference between Mr. Bradlaugh and dozens of others in Parliament, does not consist alone in his being possessed of infidel ideas because they are as deeply imbrued with such ideas as he, but he chanced to pass a slight remark in regard to the oath which he was required to take before taking his seat. If he had kept silent upon this particular point and subscribed to the oath, all would have been well, no matter what his religious convictions might have been. He says the question at issue is not Mr. Bradlaugh, nor his ideas of religion, but the right of his constituency to representation. He says his whole being is absorbed in the question at issue, his seat he has a right to, and his seat he will have to which the immense assemblage shouted "yes, yes." He is one of the most powerful speakers [unreadable] his power is increasing and will be felt throughout England. In my opinion the House of Commons will be bound to seat him, his religious or non religious sentiments to the contrary notwithstanding. There is a striking difference in the case of Geo. Q. Cannon and the U. S. and Mr. Bradlaugh and England. One is debarred from taking his seat because of being a religious man, the other for not being a religious man. A few words on this city and I will close: Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, has a population of two hundred thousand inhabitants and is universally admitted to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. The city is built upon a series of ridges or hills giving to it a remarkable undulating appearance. The first and highest hill is crowned by the Castle and gradually declines eastward toward Holy Rood Palace. The finest monument I have seen in all my travels is here, erected to the memory of Sir Walter Scott. It is in the shape of an open spire 200 feet high. The Edinburgh Infirmary is a very fine building and has a capacity for accommodating 1200 individuals. I have had the privilege of witnessing some very nice surgical operations in it. I think the Scotch people, as I find them here, are a very pleasant, sociable and genial class of people. I am forcibly reminded of some of my old Scotch friends at home. In conclusion I will say that I have enjoyed myself in all my labors since leaving home, and have striven to do good and sow the "seed of righteousness." The Lord has been exceedingly kind to me and has blessed me with a goodly portion of His spirit for which I feel truly thankful. Extend my very kind regards to all enquiring friends and accept the same yourself. With the best wishes for the success of the Leader I remain, Your brother in the Gospel, O. C. Ormsby. Caledonian Hotel, Princes St., Edinburgh, Scotland, May 7th, 1882. |