| Show THE BIBLE IN UTAH some person residing in this territory evidently inclined to be religious and whose gift f for or seeing things that never never existed is largely 1 developed in ili a letter dated a at kalt halt lake city nov 3 1856 and published in the new york tribune of the of february has given a version of the state of things in utah that greely himself has lias some misgivings about being in strictly correct as the thie author anthor was so anxious to say something on an favorable of the people r here that he be did not disguise the fact that he was wag much prejudiced against them As to the truth or falsity of his statements and conclusions those acquainted with the peo pie and circumstances can judge and if the writer expects to gain renown by such commus communications s the more he be writes and the sooner they are made public the quicker quick or he will ascertain the result there is one thing that attracted our our attention in reading 0 his and that was the life summing up tip of his conclusions 11 we want the bible here a afree free press faithful missionaries naties and a complete system of education an all old borrowed stereotyped expression to which he adds geil 1113 dut but it these things cannot be had without a complete change in the administration of the laws and the r entire separation of church and state what the writer has seen here to induce him to make such assertions to the horld world we are arc at a loss to conjecture for every man woman and child ought to know that hat the bible has been introduced trod here and that the american bible society in its philanthropic zeal to supply every family throughout cheleno the length th and breadth of tile the land with the priti printed ted word have sent an all agent here with cart loads of bibles in various languages and have maintained him here for a long tim time e at an enormous expense and that there has been no hindrance ance to their introduction nor to their sale or distribution among ibb ibe people but to the contrary eve every ry facility that could be asked has been extended to the agent I 1 that he might per perform furni what he avowed chehad he had come to do that was to visit every family in th the e territory to t 0 ascertain whether they had bibles I 1 in their houses or noi nol not and to supply the destitute by sale to those that were able to purchase and gratuitously to those that tbt were viero not these are truths that no one dare or can deny but we are sorry to be compelled to state that the expectations of the people have not been b een realized for if ff even one ward ill in this cley where the agent has resided ever since his arrival last fall has been supplied bibles or regularly visit edby him the fact has not come to our knowledge and if he has lias ever been beyond ond the city limits it lim haja not been reported tol to I 1 I 1 if such is the way the bible is to be distributed to the destitute in every city town and hamlet iu in tile the United States es only it will cost oa c millions of dollars and take hundreds of years to accomplish it and our letter writer will die and be forgotten long before any perceivable progress is made inthe g good work which has been undertaken however we do not cot believe that the Ameri amerl american cad caA bible society has many such agents in its employ nor that they maintain and support chemin the princely splendor as a general thing 0 without their making any ex artion to carry out the professed object of the institution if so it certainly has adopted a new plan of wi thin the last few years in making these remarks we do not wish to be understood that the agent here has not done all that healas he avas sent to do that is a matter between the employer and the employee and concerns only themselves what we have stated are the simple facts as they exist if the officers of the society mave kave have been deceived in the selection of an a agent ent for utah it is their misfortune if they have not it is their 4 good luck luch and in either event tile the truth will soon come to light for it if the agent has not done his ills duty he will of course be called to account and if he has he will be lauded to the skies and every subterfuge resorted to that can be thought of to justify him and them in the course that has been taken the first of which will be of course that the leaders of the church were opposed to the dissemination of knowledge among the he people and that obstacles were s t thrown irown in the way to prevent the circulation 0 of f the bible among them notwithstanding the tha truth is exactly tile the reverse as all very well weli eli eil ell know from the notice read from the stand in the tabernacle on the of november and published in the news of dec loth the public were led to 0 o believe belleve that the tile a agent had haa been sent here to distribute his bibles and that die tie he was going to commence visiting the people for that purpose immediately imme diatel but as soon coon as it was known that no move movie was made rade distribute to tv them in the usual way as announced they saw that the concern was a hoax boax and tile tiie distribution of ja scriptures in utah rutih by tile the Socie tys agent 11 a humbug and every move nove ladeby made mada by him since has only served irto to make them believe that a more ridiculous im imposition position was never practiced upon any community and now to complete the farce the bibles sent out here at such an enormous expense fo to enlighten the benighted people of utah are to be t taken aken out of th the e territory and the people I 1 left ef t as they were before to grope their way to heaven beaten as i best they call can with no assurance that there will ever be another bible sent here and alid without with out missionaries a free press and a system of education such as the utah utai correspondent thinks thinka are wanted here but thinks cannot be introduced without a complete revolution of things I 1 which b by y the bye wili will not b very likely to take place the people will all go the pit unless the lord should enlighten thedr antler standings standing 8 and andrut put forth foith his hand band and lead them in the ways of truth and righteousness we are sorry to have the bibles taken out out of of the country though there is no tio doubt there were more here before the ones in question I 1 were imported than in all the other territories dries put together toge tifer still there are arc some individuals and families who are destitute and slid would be glad to obtain a copy as th eyvish to tc treasure i up all the good things possible and especially i the law and the testimony that favors their favorit favorite institutions and theres th ereis no do cimpl compilation a in e existence xi stence more replete with v ith it than t the hew bible we have been asked many times why it was that all au agent had been sent here to circulate th the e bible containing ant asit did so many proofs p roofs in favor of p polygamy oly arny achy arhy to t 0 aich chich the reli rell religious 1 lous ious world as aa a general thing were so much opposed thi the answer given has been that the officers officer of the society were undoubtedly ignorant of its contents or they would not have sent out an agent lo to distribute it among the heMor hemar 4 mons and for fo ought rought we know the agent has informed them hem t that the lodio odious us and abominable doctrine of polygamy they y so much detest is taught t therein herein i and that he has bee been n instructed to suppress its circulation which if so will in part pait solve the mystery mastery connected with his shi singular gular guiar course since announcing his bis to distribute them by visitation how much tile the farcical far operation the society is not riot kown but judging from circumstances it must have cost a sum sufficient to have furnished every evera destitute family and person in the territory with nith a good neat bound copy of the scriptures if that ha had d been the object of those engaged in the enterprise and the money had liar been judiciously expended since mince the above was in type behave we have received an announcement published in another caluen from which we learn the fact that mr van vail emmans term of missionary service in utah is about 6 to expire that is news to us ad andere pre tre sume it will be beto to the taepu public alic however howe v er there is yet vet a chance charce for the destitute poor toa tol tobb obtain tain a copy of the word of god by calling calling at the tha places designated at any ime time during die dle the next ten lays days but after that the door will willbe shut as we understand it 17 this unexpected notice is rather t too 0 short but there is an old saying mat hiat its better late than never and we would suggest T to the agent the propriety of his bis callin cailin calling anthe on the bishops of the several wards in the city immediately for a list of those in their wards of the class pointed out in his advertisement advertisements and then furnish each bishop at his residence with the requisite number of copies to supply those who wish them A course of that kind would go far fr towards removing the prejudice that exists in consequence of the unusual course that has been taken as the people view it and anil should there be any left after sUpply supplying illg 1119 the destitute in th thes this s city eity as it will hardly pay to take thern then back to the states where the word of god i is s so ver very cheap we would further suggest that he might leave them with bishop Hunter for the benefit of the destitute festi lesti tute in in other cities and settlements of thee the territory it if they are not excluded by his instruct instructions fons |
