Show A bason BARON ON THE TEE MORMON moemon ix IN a recent number of the association catholic a review published in paris france appears an article by baron rudolphe meyer meyen on the much discussed mormon question this article professes to give an account of the au author thorla visit to utah the things ho he saw baw and the matters he whilst here there is a highly commendable deore deare to give the truth evident in all his state ments but it is to be regretted that ms ills short shor t is tay stay caused him to fall fedi into many anady egregious egres ouis errors of ft facts ets ete dates and circumstances that would woula be ba ludicrous were they not sometimes painful by reason of the distorted and unreal conclusions hla his inexperienced european reader readers s must necessarily uy draw irom from their perusal we so often hear mormonism nirna niam criEl sed from tho the standpoint of arc arem are eo well acquainted with the methods adopted by the seeta in their efforts to injure its adhe adherent adherents rents rente that their attacks have lost all the th charm of novelty bat the conclusion of catholic critics are measurably now to us ue and some of their deductions may doe jae ts as startling to our sectarian opponents aa they are novel to us bor fon In instance baron meyer writes it is neither my mission nor was it the aim of my journey to describe and ind study mor Moz mormonism monism as a peculiar pecullar eeds of the protestant communion at the same time I 1 do not know one principle or tradition why monism Is ia not as orthodox as other protestant denominations it 11 cannot be rie because of polygamy because the Lan grave philllp phillip of hesse hesso and frederick william 11 king of prushia prussia practised practiced it with the cin sent of competent religious author ties in their respective ive ivd Lut lutheran heran beran and their marriages with their different wives were blessed before the altar by the tha clergy of their faith from the protestant point of view one cannot we thine think urge anything on this head against a mormonism and from the catholic point ot view nothing can be the urged against mormonism but what will equally apply to other protestant sects i but that which struck me and that which I 1 hold as a relief in mormonism is that it fu furnishes me the proof that le ze ligion can be ba pro even when it Is sullied with error this truth I 1 had learned from history hl atory the tha monks of the middle ages were not only the pioneers ot ol civilization of commerce commeree ce and the arts arta but again in these jat at ter times they have fulfilled the same mission in america the jesuits for example in paraguay and the Frand franciscans scans in california with this presentation it pleases mo me to be abio abia to proclaim procia procla lla ila parallel triumphs of faith and economical progress amongst tho the mormons cormons Mor mons the writer then enters into an exhaustive description of the colonization of utah the manner of founding new settlements the maes modes of irrigation the chief agricultural productions of cf this region all ot of which will doubtless be read with interest in coutin continental europe but to the citi citizens of utah it is simply the story of their dally daily lives he however pays our farmers the very high compliment of declaring utah the best cultivated portion of the united states with the exception of small tracts farmed by the moravian brethren in pennsylvania commendation la 13 vaia vala valuable able abla for the reason that the tha barents special business in this country was to study its agriculture and for that purpose he had made very extensive investigations in almost every portion of the united states ho remarks after clafter having examined the mormon mo system of agriculture and irrigation I 1 hold it to io be the most perfect in mall all ali america and worthy of beins being studied in detail by european engin engineers cens cers M meyer then enters into an ela eia elaborate boreo boree consideration of the tho results that would follow the tha now very improbable condition of a warlike struggle for freedom of conscience eon with the united state his conclusions so greatly reb ree resemble emble embie thole thola of mr phil robinson Ko binson of the new york world that they may be ba said to bo be almot almost identical and as dla mr robin sois sona letters are so well known to our readers leaders it would be waste of tima to go over this thia ground especially in view of tho the absurdity from 0 oar ar standpoint of dlo dig discussing cum eum ing nat which we regald aa M the mc mout it improbable of earthly py olra olne but mr meyer does not regard trouble with the tho th e parent government gove govera anent or inimical legislation as the source of danker danger to 44 mormon ism he clearly charly perceive and ably sra ara argued arguea uw that the great increase of wealth in gun our midst is apparently our oun most potent enemy and the most likely to introduce schism discontent class distinctions and a weakening of thode those bonds of brotherly tenderness and regard which have been the stay and strength of our past efforts in conclusion thib this gentleman contends that the catholic church and its benevolent societies can leam learn much by the example given by the mormons cormons Mor mons that they have hava demon thad that falth faith is a powerful facter factor in production that a church is and remains powerful in the in individual dl and in the state when hen she ehe employ gi herself with in caring for the material in interests ie rests of the tho people in addition to her religious djs mission alon aion |