| Show NOTES FROM VIRGINIA ST PAUL PACI carroll county virginia april editor deserea news probably afew a few lines from the old state would not be out of place and might be of interest to some of your Is many any readers I 1 have labored in this state since the ot of february 1886 1 I was laboring with Bro brother fiber E R ii snowa of 01 st ht george when on OB the he ot of february we were pleased to meet with elders 0 L king and john P roe both from Gar garnell fiell county utah and frer ireth h from the territory elder bider king and myself were ap pointed to open a field of labor in ia grayson graybon s 2 county virginia we left the A ark rk 1 1 our home station oatlie on the 1 th of Mr marchand chand at after ter traveling a few days arrived on elk creek the garden spot of grayson county we labored ab about on t a week among the people conversing with them and distributing tracts to those who would receive them and keld held one meeting where we had bad a good turnout aed splendid attention we began to think the prospects were good for opening up a held field in that vicinity as quite a number bad ad manifested a disposition to investigate the doctrine they not being satisfied with the man made systems of the day one morning early a few days af after ter the meeting we were overtaken by a parson of the methodist pers persuasion a when the folk wing conversation took place barsom good morning gentlemen we good morning sir parson where are you men from we from the western country parson how hew tor far west do you live we we are from utah par 0 you are them mormon preachers are you no that is ia what we are known by but our true names are luders elders in tile church of jesus christ of latter day saints par well men I 1 have core come to warn wara you to get out of here the influential citizens of this community held council last evening and appointed fineto me to warn you 0 u to leave I 1 I 1 am paid for preaching h yi in this part and bedont we dont want you in here nor your doctrine we it seems strange you yon should act the way you are the constitution of th the e united states guarantees to every person the right to and the free exercise of his religion and as long as people will administer to our wants and listen to us we have the I 1 perfect right to remain here par if if you know what is for your good better leave here today to day we we expect some mail at the of flee and par you can have that forwarded you have just been to the poor class of people deceiving them and leading my members why dont you come down here where we know something ing we not being acquainted wo we have visited any one aie we could tarry with whether they were rich or poor learned or unlearned and you are supposed to be a minister of jesus christ and a leader of the people now we come coine right to you let us take the bible as our guidi guide and see who it is that h s t is deceiving the people and wherein e in our systems differ let them stand or fall by the bible test par I 1 have not come to argue the point I 1 have delivered message now if you yon dont leave get hurt hur yo youre alre doctrine is good enough if 4 teach that and nothing else but you teach yand we dont want any such doctrine we you are arc mistaken my friend par but you believe in it we yes sir because the bible upholds it barwell Par Well god suffered things in ancient times he intend we why my friend we are told in 2 sam 12 chap 8 verse that god himself gave david wives par I 1 have not come to discuss the question the congress of the united states is against you and passing laws against your people and as corrupt as they are if they are against you we dont want you in here we can an impure fountain send forth pare water can the congress of the united states make pure laws if they themselves are corrupt par As I 1 said before I 1 am not net here to argue aid so you now look out good goad da day we lod good day sir B by this time we bad followed h him im aboy about tit thirty yards down the road toward his house we learned after that his name is mr maiden and he be is getting ON per year Wee we came ameto to the conclusion together with some of his bis members that it is his bis salary that he was afraid of it that there are none so deal deaf as those who will not hear and none hone so blind as those that will not see we saw our friends and they did not seem willing to protect us not net understanding us thoroughly bo we came to the conclusion we had better leave them for awhile as things were getting too hot in that neighborhood we then traveled ten miles from there in ia the same game county and time proved to us that we had j from the pan into the tire fire as we met three more parsons at a house bouse we stopped at of the same faith as the que ane we had lust just left only one of these three had bad much to say but was hostile toward us he labored energetically to ever throw the doctrines we taught bf bt at before we got through we ascertained he did not believe the bible he wound up by saying you men had bad better go back to utah tali were methodists Method les here and we dont want your your doctrine taught here bere 11 we told aim we had our license to preach and had bad as much right as he or any one elt elate and aad when we were rele released asid by th the right ight authority then we would return home it was not longun long until tila a mob combined to come and take a messenger came and warned us of the same and consequently we escaped unhurt we tried to open up in several other places but found I 1 it up hill business as the peaple heuple as a 4 generi general thing do not care for religion we were away from our home station just one month and while away found some good 0 d friends and add some not so good va we e held four meetings and did a great deal of fireside talking and hore hope that some day the seed we have sown will take root and bring forth an abundant harvest well tru elpin him who rules all things well and who has said by the mouth of one of his prophets that chat it no unhallowed hand band can stop the work from progressing persecution may rage mobs way may combine armies mry may assemble calumny may defame but the truth of god will go forth boldly nobly and independently till it has pe penetrated nitrated every continent visited every clime swept every country and sounded mounded in every ear twi the purposes of GOO shall be accomplished and the great jehovah shall say the work is done hoping the time lime will soon come when zion will be purified aud and redeemed and toe knowledge of god cover the earth as the wate waters re cover the seea sea I 1 remain one for the abe spread of truth STEPHEN L CHIPMAN |
