| Show IS IN THE missionary FIELD the work in tennessee Tenn eMsee eau btu over ever for good interest lu in the gospel A epla U putnam C county I 1 i nun tenn april ath 1887 editor deseret news As it is now over fourteen mouths months since we left our beloved mountain home we have decided to pen a few of our thoughts and experiences trusting they may ind find a place in your valuable paper it missionary labor laba is not what an unsophisticated and d inexperienced youth at home may th think aik it Is perhaps some may say we have that before well and good it will not suffer by repeating there is better satisfaction greater joy and more real genuine bap in missionary aary inary life than we supposed there possibly ossiel could be even though we hag nad heard many returning missionaries express themselves as having spent the most enjoyable portion tio n of their ahi alres es not at home but on en their missions A young elder comes out oat rather 61 green in damore more ways than one se sees es the country mingles with the peo people le partakes of th air ha hospitality and in a month becci becomes ves af acquainted wih the ins in and saud outs oats f of everything pertaining to the sanny south 11 tae next thing ke he does is to impart the vast information tog ing thus received in a months month g close study in which nothing has bag the a ppe arance of being as good as a home to his friends and relatives often tal to the local papers of his place of resi dence and sometimes to te the NEWS his epistle not being overburdened with charity six mouths pass by the same green elder has ripened wonderfully and while perusing kils fIrst letters to the be becomes astonished at what he has written things do not appear to him now as they did t then he n charity has exerted itself and is presenting matters before him in as tar far different light seeing his bis error he stops at the thought of writing again reflects upon the extremely truthful truth tul histories letters and ar accounts shed about the mor m mons ons by having spent a month in utah trembles at the probability pt ot having wit witten teia on AL subject he knew nothing of wonders what his bis friends the saints of this laud and the experienced elders thought resolves to wait six months longer I 1 in order to got get better posted and what is the result he is seldom it if ever heard beard of again except in private letters such no not t be the case if we have bave erred let us acknowledge our error wh when erive we have learned better atone in the same way the error was committed namely publicly and thus give the credit due to the people wronged as far as it lies in OUT out power la the first place it to Is YM ms dom to be cautious and not too hasty an in our conclusions but the error once committed by all means let it be rectified for our part though we prefer er our mountains we must give eive unbounded for the hospitality a hospitality almost proverbial and worthy of imitation shown us as a rule by the people of the south many pleasant and laughable incidents it has bevenour bee nour lot to participate in and ana in fact we have bave bees been the main object of them all we have found the people very kindhearted kind hearted and sympathetic their better feelings fee linsa having ruled the day or rather the evening even to the shedding of bf tears while listening to our singing the songs of zion from time to time tim r what a power there lei is in 14 those ins inspired alred hymns I 1 power fower lor for good that should in nowise be neglected or thrown wu anict by oar ear elders having complied P lied with W the sins sing us a song or two almost invariably asked at every stopping place is a positive guarantee of receiving unlimited praise and applause from the appreciative precia reeta tive listeners listener and olten often when ge the gospel principles would have been scornfully rejected had we sought to preach the same unto them we have sung them in the hymns that so f fully abound abouna with doctrines of our hallowed faith good has thus been accomplished and a word now and then between each hymn has been accepted and P at times fallen in fruitful ground we have sought tor for the spirit of on our r labors dud and truly the lord has blessed us in that respect and tho though figh f failures and ad disappointments have been numerous us we feel as uR daunted as evee Sand with the help of the almighty will con dinue to do so persecution is of course our portion as well as the rest of gods peb 1 ele pie for it we care but little as the blessings les sings of god gad sad and the joy often swelling our bosoms repa repays us tenfold for the trials enc endured lured ys yes es we prefer to endure them in order to enjoy the blessings that of course is the sentiment of every true latter day saint we find many friends frieada and the attempts at violence threats lies and falsehoods arrayed against us only serve to promote the welfare of the cause as has been shown in innumerable instances one will suf suffice fide A christian baptist minister inister ra had bad been very lo 10 tibb in a publishing our vile tile motives es our horrible monstrosities enacted a t bome aeme our false doctrines and exposing the false prophet joseph 8 smith iab ah who is now in hell sh h cheim where aill all false prophets go ah 11 and ngwe as we found we viere losin ground the people believing his words tabo 10 be trudas true as gedid we aid not answer his ch chargee argei which V vere re always made at public when we twe were not present we were forced to resort to to counteract his bis influence we therefore challenged bius to prove bis big assertions sert ions and disprove our doctrines at any time or place he felt di disposed to name atme th the bible to be used as the stardard whereby to do so to this we received the follo following wip reply whish is a true copy of the or original f ginal 1 I seat myself to drop drol you yon a few linds in absure to the chalene you yon sent me I 1 am at a leseio no ne what you mean whether you yom have chalene me jor for a fideor fife or gentleman debate it if you will take your fath fajth in full and what you say you beleve to be write and the book au ook of and every lye that you yen have abed to the word woid of bt god and no that you are not horse or run from your homes for some ome other crime I 1 will meet you and all will sho yo that jo smith was waa a lyer and that you also is a lyer and a sur flurr vent of the devel if it is music you yon want you are pulling fulling the right string S D B 1 it is almost needless to comment an on t the he above it serves to show what class of men are fight fighting lug the truth fancy us imaging making him bun know these things ere he with us I 1 it was impossible for us to te adept anything so ludicrous Nevert nevertheless bedess it brought brough the good results whenever asked about the debate debater which had bad been widely circulated we would read them the answer to our challenge they would at once take sides with us the reverend gradually lost influence two were baptized and others seem ready to follow the next step was to force us out by mobs led by the same follower of the meek and lowly jesus but his attempt failing he has bus now according to his own words 11 quit uit ma making kinga a fool of himself 11 while passing a crowd we of often ten hear such remarks as these who alej they cormona Mor mona no are th they ey C them cussed mormons cormons Mor mons IM yes and ana steal a horse in a minute then fellows a loud guffaw our thoughts on oil such occasions are gen bially to this effect laugh on you remind us of the man who attempted jo push sh the buu bull into the river if he be era not ot got his bis laugh beforehand he be never would have had it your yew laugh will soon turn to the sickly whine give us of your oil former lamps are gone out not so go lye a ana na ouy of those who sell soon well hear you yen crying lord open to us 71 61 6 1 depart e P ar t know inov ye not 11 when these thou thoughts gats occur to usi us all resentment disappears and pity takes Us place this sympathy for or their souls stimulates us to ta repeatedly reea raea peat ea edly offer them oil that they way may replenish their lamps ere the coming of the bridegroom ride groom in order to show how bow palatable our doctrines and principles are to the various sects and parties when not known to be Mor mormonism we relate the following A baptist minister who bad devoted a great portion of his time and sullied his hia minister ministerial tiLl profession in slandering the mormon cormons Mor mons succeeded in obtaining a dilapidated copy ox of a john morgan the laut and back being torn off this he studied tor some time thae and finally concluded he be had found an invincible weapon which would be of great value to him in con wounding bunding tr the enemies of truth to commence with he first tried an experiment peri ment on one of our f friends frie rie isdo a mr after introducing the subject he be produced his valuable document with the words therel there read that and see what you think of it looked it at by mr JL who recognized in atone ot our tracts iphy why that Is very good yes ye and it does away with your mormon mornion falsehoods you must be mistaken tor for instead of doing away with the as yon please plea seto to term thena them it proves ta am a sm mormon doctrines 11 no mo siree sir ee ea mormonism has no BO doctrine as that that is genuine food old baptist doctrine ill prove it to you responded mr K and nd bringing a f tall full copy he be bade the ala mla later ister compare the two this he h pro oudeh to do but bat no sooner found himself sold ald than theonice so kalua able document iwas thrown to the ground while jae he departed la ia haste muttering something about damnable rotten alae doctrine 11 abis fittje incident fully demonstrates the nature of the crusade egged against us by the th ministers of f the day the mormons cormons must for their belief butia but if their doctrine was nasr taught by one of the granddaughters of the mother of h harlots it would be esteemed as the gospel of fel christ which of cours cour seit it w would on d be minus the divine authority to preach it pr gr administer in if ordinances there are many incidents of a like nature transpiring irom from day to caybut they ahey ailse all serve a good eod purpose and today the work I 1 in atis this conference is progressing pr favors favorably bly some fifteen havin having been baptized the last two wout montbrand hsah prospects for doing good being brighter than at ay tine since our arrival in this state much machof of it is due to the energetic labbous of our oar conference Coa ferenee president brother H K perkins who has labored laborea hard bard ato sev set the conference in order cutting off the dead branches and trimming lna up the tree iso 80 thi that at nothing will hinder icca progress and growth the of certain deros tery statements about ux to time by the gospel advocate and the apostal Aves tolie guide the two organs of ef the 1 christian order 11 better known as Campbel lites published in tennessee tenessee and Wen kentucky tacky serve erve also to awaken interest and inquiry and help the work along so let our enemies add their mite in rolling onward the little stone till it fills the he whole earth As we behave have stated the good are a already read a appearing and there seeta 0 o be a good harvest arvest ins in store re for us the CO coming ing sea a considering consi derla it to ie fence generally r conceded concede that thai t the a harvest Is ie over Y your our co cb laborera in the cause of truth JOHN JOHNV V BLUTH fi |
