Show A missionary NOTE KENNETT square pennsylvania march 1897 it is with much pleasure that I 1 drop you a few lines this morning to let you know how I 1 am getting on and to thank you for your most welcome paper which brings to me glad tidings I 1 have been one of the elders labor ing in the north carolina conference for something over twenty seven months I 1 now have my release and have left the state of north carolina and traveled northward to pennsylvania where mother and I 1 are visiting relatives and friends iri ends this we expect to spend the period of gleaning we st still find many good honest people who are desirous of learning the truth and who have faith sufficient to accept the gospel i during the year 1896 there weft I 1 I 1 laboring in scandinavia missionaries and there were baptized souls while persons emigrated to zion the elders also visited about homes of strangers and had more than gospel conversations distributing some tracts and books thus bringing braingin alit the gospel to the doors of many it is true but few accept its truths yet much prejudice is allayed and the people are given a more correct idea of the conditions existing among the latter day saints than they formerly had we find many who a ib friendly to us who are convinced that the gospel is true but the positions which they occupy the wealth they possess and many other temporal concern concerns are ot of so much value to them that they are unable to hazard the step which might imperil these things but insomuch as they earnestly and honestly seek the truth we feel assured that in the due time of the lord they will receive faith and strength sufficient to sacrifice all earthly blessings for the kingdom of god even if to accomplish this result it should be necessary tor for the hand of the lord tote tobe laid heavily upon them we have such cases where in the might of their own strength and lostion po stion ion people hardened their hearts against us and spurned the message we brought them but humility came with adversity when through bitter trials they were brought to a knowledge of their own littleness and the greatness of god their hearts softened ened and what before was below their dignity to notice became the comfort and solace of their souls now and then an opportunity is is given to present the gospel to people of the better classes hr jens busk a noted member of the Folk Toik ething W the lower house of the danish legiel legislature 11 rigs dagen which has been in in session in in this city since october last has attended our meetings frequently ostensibly to hear our singing only but he has also repeatedly visited us at the office and discussed the principles of the gospel with us he is free to admit that the divine authority of the church of christ lies with either the latter day saints or the catholics he says he favors the claims of the latter but we are of the opinion that this is but a subterfuge behind which he seeks to ensconce him self from the truth and president lund has plainly told him that but tor for his wealth and social position he would accept the gospel As a rule we are courteously treated by the people our gatherings are undisturbed save incidentally out in the country by an intoxicated person or a preacher of the so called indre mission a sort of revivalist branch of the lutheran state church this sect is about the only religious body that we have any difficulty with at least here in denmark these people are very zeal ous formal and self righteous resembling very much the pharisees Pharis ees of old and like them they cannot tolerate the true gospel of christ but not being able to overcome our brethren and stay the progress of the work ot of god some of their priests have resorted to a law which was enacted during the socialistic movement about 1870 72 empowering the minister of justice to banish from the realm any person who in his judgment is injurious or dangerous to the public welfare upon the compla complaints tats of these preachers a number of our missionaries have from aiom time to time been banished from denmark last august elder D K brown was thus banished irom from aalborg and escorted across the border to germany by the police and on t the he dinst two elders J I 1 J jensen of provo and joseph larsen of cottonwood were treated in a similar marmer manner at rome on the island of bornholm they were sent by the judge to copenhagen to be sent st nt out of the country by the city officials fici als they arrived here on the morning ot of the 3rd ard and were conducted to the courthouse where they were detained until in the afternoon while the officials were deciding what to do with them president lund asked that they be sent to sweden but the police seemed to hesitate nesi tate about ass assuming bining the responsibility of sending such suan individuals divi duals into a neighboring country as it might be considered by that nation as an unfriendly act they ment mentioned ione d something about sending them to the united states but as no ship was sailing directly there for a week or more it would be necessary lor for the brethren to remain in durance vile in the meantime these prospects were not very reassuring so while the matter was taken under consideration we called on the american consul mr robert J kirk to lay the case before him andesk his intervention in case the brethren should be incarcerated now whether it was because we were mormon elders or not we cannot say but the disinclination of the consul to render us any aid was so apparent that we shortly left we next sought the highest representative of the united states in this counie country Y the american minister john E risley whose sumptuous apartments of royal splendor are a credit to the nation they represent and we are proud to say that mr risley is truly a representative of the grand republic of the west our reception was entirely different from that above named and when we told the minister who we were he said our rel religion igdon made no difference to him he was always pleased to see his countrymen he promised upon hearing our case to render us whatever aid lay in his power and throughout the interview treated us with a kindness ILind ness and courtesy that we shall ever hold in grateful remembrance mem brance upon our return to the the courthouse we found that the police officials had chosen the simplest way out of the dilemma they gave the elders their liberty but told them that being banished they must get out of the land as quickly as possible thus throwing the responsibility as well as the expense up on our brethren well these elders are now preaching the gospel in full fud vigor a few miles from here across the sound in sweden the judge at rome gave g ave them t em a few hours for preparation before b defor e sending them here to copenhagen and the time was used to good advantage the brethren after packing their few belongings found opportunity to baptize three persons before leaving the island since then we have bad an audience of his bis excellency the minister of justice on the matter of banishing our brt brethren thren and he promised to make an investigation and ascertain if there had been ground sufficient for the action the work of the lord is prospering in this city our meetings are well sit at tended on sunday evenings the hall is crowded to its utmost capacity there being present from to persons there are in the branch a number of auxiliary organizations in good working order viz a female relief society a Y M M 1 I association and a sunday school the saints are lor or the most part earnest in the work of the lord and render great aid in spreading the truths of the gospel among their neighbors and friends quite a number of strangers attend the meetings and also invite our elders to their homes omes and good results are following on the evening of march loth seven persons sometime some time doing we have been warmly welcomed since arriving here and all seem like home people a little more so than do the southern people yet among these I 1 was blessed abundantly and the care and kindness of the southern people I 1 never can forget A great work is being done in the north carolina conference and rich blessings are constantly attending the elders the gospel message is spreading very rapidly 7 there and the people are in a great stir concerning their souls salvation I 1 have been seeking to lay some little light of the gospel before these kind folks here but it is a little hard as they do not know our sentiments and the de sires sires of our hearts towards them E 1 ROBINSON |