| Show THE WORK IN GERMANY gern any jan 22 1897 I 1 arrived here from berlin last night at about eight after a very tedious ride on the cars of nine hours without change it is much bif different ferent to traveling at home as regards corn com fort this will be my field of labor from now oo oni in all probability until the end of my mission I 1 had expected to remain in berlin until released but elder our president appointed me to come back here and continue the work I 1 had bad begun when here before no doubt you will remember having received a letter from me written in lett led lers dort at that time I 1 was on my way here and at the same time I 1 visited several of the branches of the church ond and some scattered members I 1 was absent from berlin six week weeks in all and on coming back to berlin 1 I remained but five weeks so you see I 1 have been kept kenj pretty well on the move is no branch ot of the church at present we have however two members who moved here several months ago and I 1 hope soon to be able to organize a brandh branch in berlin lately I 1 have visited some high high personages and enjoyed the privilege I 1 ge oi of disseminating the principles oi of the gospel to them recently I 1 called on a ltv hermann caiton who is now one of the highest dignitaries of the protestant church his office is that ot of consistorial rath or a member of the church council it corresponds to that of cardinal in the catholic church one inducement for me to visit him was his having written an article rather derogatory to the mormon people it was also written from a prejudiced stand point he made a visit to salt lake city tv some me eight years ago and interviewed president woodruff and others he was shown around the city and given a good opportunity of receiving a proper idea regarding our people but it seems that le L went there with the intention of describing the mormons cormons in a false alse light As soon as I 1 sent my card in with salt lake city on it he recognized me as being a son ot of president geo Q cannon whom it seems that he knew ot of while in salt lake he took down a volume of the lite of joseph smith turned to the flyleaf fly leaf and asked me if I 1 was not the authors son he also had president woodruffs picture and several church works which brother woodruff bad given him I 1 took his own article to him and showed him the inconsistencies of some pori portions ions of it several parts of the article were not at all compatible with others he could see that he had overdone the matter and made some concessions ces but he clung to his opinion that mormonism is on the retrograde to use his language in its last throes I 1 told him he was welcome to his opinion but that he had seen the church make progress since writing his article and I 1 assured him that it would so continue he is no admirer of brigham young as a church leader but as an organizer and pioneer he thinks he is unequalled unequal led it was not my intention to attack his religious system but only to refute his erroneous statements in an amicable manner we however came to the subject of religion and more especially the baptism of small children as against the baptism by immersion he got very badly confused in trying to justify this dogma of protestantism and was very glad to change the subject by telling me that it ak would be I 1 labor abor in vain on my part to attempt to convert him to my views after his having been a theologian the greater part of his life I 1 told him I 1 that hat with all deference to his learning and experience it would be an impossibility for him to prove to me that the baptism ot of small children as applied in thin the orthodox churches was a scriptural or christian baptism he attempted to justify himself in his adherence to this baptism by reasoning and theorizing but he could not prove or confirm it by a single bible passage our interview which was very friendly lasted about two hours he showed his regard for me personally by presenting me with two valuable works of which he is author he is the happy possessor of a most valuable library which he showed me in several dif different terent rooms he speaks our conversation was carried on in german he complimented me highly upon my good acquisition ot of the language and when I 1 left he confessed he could not conscientiously wish me success in prose lating but he wished me success in other directions he looks at every proselyte which we make from the ranks of the lutherans Luth erans in the light ot of one misled from the truth I 1 have also visited a count on several occasions recently he is now reading the book ot of mormon and manifests a i great interest the count von brockdorff Brock dorfi is the appellation to which he answers and he lives in the height of opulence at his house bouse almost every thursday evening is held an informal meeting at which a discourse or some special theme is given by some more or less eminent personage the last time I 1 was there herr von massow a member of the privy council and awell a well known jurist gave a discourse it was a ver very y learned dissertation and I 1 elD enjoyed joyed it very much although I 1 could not agree with all statements made I 1 had a talk with a considerable number of those present and in most cases they acquiesced fa a what I 1 said but when it comes to the actual performance of the bequir requirements of the gospel there are very few can humble themselves sufficiently to ft bring themselves into strict confori conformity mtr s with the principles which we teach 1 k often think thin khow how striking is the simi similarity laft i between us and the people of god itt im former dispensations how bow they waar rejected and their warning voices diere diar j carded I 1 find great comfort in this i tact fact but it is not a comfort derived from man but through a conscious consciousness new of fulfilling our duties in warning the peo pie of the earth of the ushering in of the dispensation of the last days day S and although the majority reject our in message nevertheless we find consolation nsf W knowing of some whom we are in insero mental in saving I 1 have had considerable fighting as it were to do of late with the sevana 6 day adventists a sect ot of which yaw no doubt know they are as in at our case trying to establish their propaganda in berlin and their branch number about fifty they pretend to adhe mft the scriptures strictly lut they contort con toft and twist the sense of the bible is ia a shocking manner in many respess they are very good people and some principles identical with ours the tf baptism by immersion tithing a wom A wisdom and several others in berlin are to be found the moo variegated dogmas and beliefs protestant church is apparently klacic ground there as also in other pla places I 1 read and myself had the plea pleasure suro ot spending the holidays together in berla he was feeling very well brother andelin who had previous previously lr labored va leipsic has been appointed as my SOG cessor as president ident of the berlin caw ference there are seven elders labba ing in the conference BRIGHAM T CANNON |
