Show IN PORTLAND about the op opening eiling of this year elder W C parkinson bishop of idaho and his brother elder samuel C parkinson went to the city at portland oregon on a short winter mireion to which they had been duly appointed intending to labor in that city and vicinity for two or three months they encountered much difficulty in making an opening and felt as if they were laboring under EL a cloud they met with an am intense anti mormon prejudice and in fact found the city about twenty years behind the times to in the views of its people regarding the mormons cormons Mor mons one of the first moves the made was to visit the editorial romia odthe of the tribune and oregon late the irhe former paper promised to treat them fairly but soon afterwards published a vicious article in relation to them the editor ln in chief of the Orgon Oreg onlan laz assured them that it was the policy of hta his paper to tAD sive si ve everybody fel Y and that they would be satis ficq with th the treatment it would extent to them the city editor was van mare nore friendly in his assurances several times the elders rented a ball and advertised a meeting but the attendance was very slim and some bitne no audience at all appeared were wilbre informed of a methodist church which was waa frequently used bs b gabr fie denominations nominations and thinking the they might I 1 have more listeners in it they applied to the min minister lister for it he re fiedt fu edt ti let theto use it was very bit terin t er 1 I his with them and refused to listen to their explanations or to read the literature they offered hi him A few days later there appeared in tho c Ore oregonians oregonian Oreg gonian onlan an interview with this rn minister bister in which he denounced the gave garbled quotations from sermons of bolf some of their leaders and grossly rilla misrepresented rePresented their theology the abw elders wrote a reply to what the P nr Wr eacher said and it was published in toft tae same paper at about this time several other articles relating to the mormons also appeared in that paper this newspaper agitation though mostly hostile to the elders resulted IU in creating an interest in their work A meeting announced by them soon after the publication in the Ore oregonians oregonian Oreg onlan gonian ot the interview with the meth methodist od minister was attended by a large audience and a fair report of it was printed in that paper the ice was now broken extent that convinced the elders that portland Vort land offered a promising field i bat duty required them to leave for san francisco on the day after the meeting pending the developments in portland above narrated the elders visited and held in a number of towns in the vicinity making many friends and finding several old time members of the hurch who still retain retail some faith and will probably renew their covenants the ane missionaries left portland by on march 26 25 and on sunday the by invitation preached to the passengers after a brief stay in the coast metropolis they came home and of ak abow attending conference in this elt the large meeting they held T dabre leaving portland and occurred a me e evenin march oh the owing in day dm the Oregon iain sent re ferdia 9 1740 interview i w a nuri aber of alii Is T rf of t ane 6 city it in regard to fd mot mor hi unit aaa me nest morning t the fc eted two a 0 T h half if column ri ew il 1 the subject ave q beeri 6 ettre asod sited by ten et el ofa mil salvation ae who who talked for publication such an advertising as thos those e ministers gave of mormonism and of their own ignorance respecting the real nature and teachings of the religion they were assailing was something wonderful the series of interviews with them is prefaced by the following paragraph news that two mormon elders are holding missionary meetings on the east side has aroused intense indignation among local ministers and others the idea that mormonism should be taught in Port portland lana with a view to members of the various churches Is denounced as outrageous ralFe ous the mormons cormons are charged with being traitors and blasphemers blaspheme rs and with attacking the fundamental principle of american society from every quarter come earnest and vigorous protests and there are indications that more are to follow of the ministers who were interviewed by ore conlan reporters on the subject yesterday there was not one who was not emphatically opposed to the methods of the mormons cormons Mor mons and who had not very decided opinions on their teachings with one or two exceptions the ten preachers interviewed expressed themselves in line with this introduction to their remarks and according to an old mormon missionary tradition where the adversary stirs up such a fuss fusa there will be found some honest souls wa waiting biting for the truth according to this sign so often verified a flourishing branch of the mormon church may be expected to arise in portland in the near future |