Show temperance AND THE GOSPEL 17 cheltenham street lower bristol road bath october 1896 having read with interest the betters letters that have been published in your columns from elders in the v various arious mission fields I 1 have ventured t to 0 send send you an account of my labors in this city I 1 left salt lake city on the evening of saturday february 22 nd of this year over the rio grande western in company with brother john P wright of murray and janes james ho hoggan 9 gan ot of salt lake city we arrived in chicago at on the following tuesday morning and having brother andrew bahles address we made our way to his abode he was very much pleased to meet us and escorted us around to the various places of interest io the city it we left chicago on wednesday at i 30 30 p m and arrived at philadelphia on thursday evening at 8 30 30 after a good nights rest we started out to find the rest of our company brother woods hatch and moss from woods cross who had gone via the U P R R we found them at greens hotel and to gether we spent the day in visiting g independence pen dence hall carpenters hall the mint and several other places of interest in philadelphia on saturday morning promptly at the whistle ot of the S S Belgen land blew and we commenced our trip down the delaware it was soon noised around among our our fellow passengers that there were six mormon elders on board and although at first they ap feared to avoid us theyra they gradually dually be came more friendly an and asked our brethren it they would not preach to them on the sunday I 1 was sick on my berth when the brethren brought me word of ofine the request that had bad been made I 1 told them that was what I 1 had left my home for and the ship was as good a place as the street comer accordingly arrangements were made and on sun d day mor tsing brother john P wright an and 45 myself explained to the passengers and crew the principles of mormonism we were listened to very attentively we arrived in liverpool on thursday march irth and the following day were assigned to our various fields of labor I 1 being sent to labor in the cheltenham conference brother joseph barker directed me to labor at my home in bath with brother albert collard ot of huntington after spending a few days with my mother and other relatives who were very pleased to see me after twenty three years absence and treated me very kindly I 1 commenced my labors going irom from house to house with tracts and bearing testimony to the truth of the gospel brother brothel collard tried to hire the temperance halt hall to hold meetings in as it was advertised for purposes but when the agent was told who we were we were informed that they had to draw tae line on the mormons cormons Mor mons brother collard told the agent it was not the first time the line had been drawn on the mormons cormons but they had always been toeing boeing the mark in may brother collard was sent to bristol and brother thomas england was sent to assist me but after our conference in august he was changed to stroud and brother samuel banford from ogden has been laboring with me about two weeks ago I 1 met an old friend upon the street who had been an officer in a good templar lodge of which I 1 was a member in this city I 1 made myself known to him and upon 11 inquiring about the old lodge he gave me a guide and invited me to attend their meetings I 1 went to one on the following friday evening and when they found I 1 had formerly been a mem ber I 1 received a very cordial invitation to speak I 1 accepted and spoke for a few minutes upon temperance principles sprinkled with a little gospel and finished up with a recitation As soon as the meeting closed I 1 was with invitation to speak and sing or recite in other meetings I 1 attended one on the wednesday evening in company with brother rother 13 banford Ban tord and during the evening a gentleman arose a perfect stranger to us and told the audience andie andi oce ence there were two strangers from america in the room one ot of whom had been a member of the order twenty four years ago and had left soon after for the united states he had returned andin company p a ny wi with th another gentlemen was in this th i city preaching the gospel of jesus christ he hoped the people would receive us kindly and bid us god speed and he moved that we be accorded a little time to say a few words to them when I 1 arose to speak my heart seemed too full for expression I 1 told them who we were where we were from and our mission here to this land and the teach ings of our leading men regarding alcoholic stimulants and tobacco they appeared very much interested and when I 1 sat down the man who refused brother collard the hall offered us the use of it for temperance lectures free we also received several invitation to the homes of the members one of which was accepted last saturday evening and had the pleasure of explaining n the views and doctrines of our chur church to four young men and two ladies who were present three of them attended our meeting on sunday last but came in after we had commenced brother banford spoke first upon the mode and manner of baptism and while he was speaking I 1 prepared my references to follow upon the principles of divine authority apostasy apo stacy but the spirit led me otherwise and I 1 spoke upon the subject ot of one of our tracts Is belief alone sufficient in the course of my remarks I 1 referred to the claim of many of the christian world that the dying thief went to heaven basing their claim upon the words of our savior in luke chapter and verse I 1 quoted the words of our savior recorded in john chapter and irth verse I 1 also quoted other passages to prove where christ went during the three days his body lay jay in the tomb when I 1 aci re berred to the dying thief I 1 noticed our three friends look at one another and at the close of the meeting one of them arose and said that while on their way to meeting they had arranged among themselves to ask asic me it belief alone was not sufficient and what became of the thief on the cross they said they were perfectly satisfied with my explanation and asked for some of our church works which we readily supplied them with thus we feel the lord is opening up our way tor for the introduction of the gos pel we meet with many in the streets ts who will stop and shake hands with us now we have become acquainted with them our health is good and we hope by the help of the lord to be able to sow the good seed leaving the issue in his hands bands I 1 find the NEWS of great assistance and encouragement to me for the latter day saints can always rely upon its advice and counsel WILLIAM M purrington PUR RINGTOM |