| Show THE NORTHERN STATES MISSION I 1 have just completed a tour of about miles mostly by rail partly on horseback and in vehicles and attended three semiannual semi remi annual conferences during which about forty discourses were delivered on appropriate subjects large congregations congregation i of intelligent tell igent people gathered to hear the preaching at the pennsylvania pen ansy ivan la conference sime ministers sought to oppose the elders but found they had under undertaken taMan too much for they were kere utterly routed by those whom they assailed at must most of these meetings there were no members of the church present except the elders dt ra and yet the strictest order prevailed many in attendance expressed themselves thoroughly convinced of the truth of the doctrines taught and some stated that they would embrace them by entering the waters of baptism at an early day TheElder the elders sare are now in fair health wid and excellent spirits although the northern states mission is a very hard bard field to labor in it requires men of ina muscle cle to walk from fifteen to forty miles in a day preaching the gospel when opportunities offer distributing tracts to those who will accept them explaining doctrine refuting misstatements and correcting wrong impressions among those who will licten and living on the meagre fare of the isolated farm houses on their route for I 1 may here state that the guiam of the country they travel through is nut in any sense a rival of the leading lead I 1 i ig restaurant in salt lake neither ire the beds built of the finest feathers but if any eider can find after his days day s tramp through marshes over hills and across fields a place of any kind to stay all night especially if he can preace preach h I 1 in n th the e vict vicinity n I 1 ty h he e d does oes not question the host as to the capabilities of his guf chef do de ownne or the quality and style sty ie of his furniture A supper of pork and corn bread and a glass or cup of water puts the elder into regular preaching trim especially if he can cast his bis eye upon tipon some quiet nook where be may lay his bis head without being invited to lo go to a neighbors neighbor a house a mile and it har half distant to seek for a nights night pis shelter in fact creature comforts have been well nigh discarded from the thoughts of a well trained missionary the necessaries are all he no now desires or expects because his labore are largely among the poor or at all events among the farmers who being themselves inured to hardship expect others to put up with such as they have but who even then are in many instance more hospitable than the rich and refined this description however does not refer to those places which the elders call headquarters at some of which there are small but prosperous branches of the church and at others good kind friends some of them quite well off who treat the elders with great kindness and aad respect whenever they return from their periodical tours but I 1 allude to the labors of the elders wb when enthey they leave headquarters and go around their districts opening up new fields aud carrying the gospel into the houles of the poor away from the cities anti anil towns and far from railroads or any other kind of roads road except those which resemble echo and ogden canyons and search for people who have never before seen an elder or heard anything n g of the latter day saints except the floating rumors which fly by upon the fleet wings of hate and blight the ignorant public mind with their poisonous influence how can any person put stumbling blocks in the pathway of these servants of christ and feel justified men who leave comfortable homes as our elders do and at the call of hea bea vens volee voice go like the disciples of old without purse or scrip to test the worthiness nees of this generation to receive eternal life and who lift the poor out of their ignorance and misery should certainly receive as much consideration froba the philanthropic ob observer as would be given to the preacher who receives his salary for taking care of the souls of the rich and those who consider themselves already saved and they would if they were the false prophets they are said to be and then the elders do more actual work than any other elass of men certainly of preachers they will sit up antl and answer questions till eleven or twelve at night and deem it a great privilege to have the chance to do so and then rise very early for no well regulated farming household to is expected to be in beu bea after the clock strikes four breakfast at five or at the latest six is the signal for a dispersion to the fields and the road so that the eight hour law is a grand failure as regards the work of a mormon 22 missionary whatever it may be to others who occupy cu the pulpits of the land mch much of my journey lay along the B and 0 railroad with its connections and branch lines I 1 cannot refrain here from commenting upon the excellent equipment now given this road on the mountain division are used ten wheel passenger engines weighing sixty seven and one half ton sand with these the heaviest express trains climb the steepest grades with ease and rapidity throughout the field I 1 found the elders elden fairly well in health and in excellent spirits they are encouraged by the recent desire among the more intelligent tell igent class classes to investigate our doctrines and the breaking down of much of the old prejudice which was once an impossible barrier to the pro culiz tion of the truth although in some seme parts school houses were refused private houses housea were offered hy by those who wanted to hear bear the elders la in some cases the people insisted on the school houses being thrown open to the and when the people speak it is a voice that trustees have to lirten liften lif ten to or run the risk of losing their places at the next election one ODO feature of the investigation now dow going on is quite favorable whereas people were once oace only willing to hear bear and read what was said about the mormons Mor mons il I l they now want to hear what the cormons mormons Mor mons have to say for themselves and to learn what is believed by them speeches of coign men furnish no longer the only literature received by the people visited lu t the voice of warning 11 1 morfou 11 doctrine morgans tracts nos I 1 and 2 the works of orson pratt and the book of mormon are read with a dp degree of avidity and WO we have room MOM for a great many more of such euch works than we have yet been able to obtain I 1 have invariably found that after the reading of apostle snows only way to be saved 21 other works were asked for showing that the doctrines advanced vs aced were acceptable to the reader I 1 look forward to a prosperous summers work even exceeding last year yearns Is increase the elders in the field art are faithful intelligent workers wor kere and the class clam of men who are ever willing to show that they bear no relationship to the tramp of the period by taking off their coats anti and giving a helping hand to the overworked over worked farmer in the time of his pressing need this element of the missionary character has won for our elders many lasting jesting anti and personal wends jends CHAS HAS W STAYNER washington D C U may 12 1891 |
