| Show THE MISSION TORRENTS OF SLANDER MET AND TURNED BACK MCHENRY md feb 1 1887 editor deseret news at a C conference held in orinoco va the writer was appointed one oi of two elders to open up the first field of labor in the state of maryland As our labors in this direction directly n have by the blessin blessings 8 of god bee beeall 1 fairly successful f 1 I it may not be uninteresting to your readers to follow our footprints through the snow to such a blessed cou consummation summation it was arranged that I 1 should continue my labors in virginia until october when I 1 would be joined by anew a new companion from utah we would thus have a full month in which to travel and locate a field before the snows of winter came but unfortunately one of those delays which are unavoidable under even the best beat reau lation interfered to prevent the arrival of elder luman mecham of milton utah roy my new companion till nearly a mouth month later the snow was fast falling and the wind dressing itself in white whittled whistled a adly coldly scornful tune and left its fantastic tracks in many a crested snowdrift on the cold december morning that we set out jor for our new field our friends remonstrated against our leaving on such a day I 1 and desired us to remain until the over it was not a mere spirit of reckless r 8 adventure that caused us to in our journey buoyed boyed up by vigorous health and glorying la in the consciousness that we were bearing a message that would saye save we rather felt fell a thrill of pride in taus having an opportunity ot of showing what we would do for the gospels sake the Alleg alleghenies banies lay in our pathway for we bad previously made it a matter of prayer rayer as to fuere we should go and were now following as the spirit led arwe As we reached the higher regions the snow became boot top deep and the cold increased but stilt still we trudged onward without knowing or tor for that matter takina an any thought as to whether we would reach lodgings for the night but bat let me say here that no elder folio wing the pata of duty ever trusted god in vain and to those young elders whose turn tru is id com inglet me say the sooner you learn fofol to follow christs lo injunction junction take no thought tho etc the sooner will ai all thirds work together for your good and the sooner will your mind best be at ease in this instance we were well provided for the people being unusually kind and hospitable ind indue ue time we reached garrett county the point of the panhandle pan handle our first meeting was held at africa a centre of revivalism but differing from its namesake not only iu in we the color of its bul also in the abe fact that they were all baked and what can be be done with those who are already saved talk to thern them ha half if aa hour earnestly about yielding obed i bence 0 the divine plan of salvation balva about and about the time one vainly imagines he be has faste fastened ped in their hearts a little sound doctrine and stops as it were weke to take breath there is such an explosion of glory and such an overflow of love for jesus frequently accod tears that sits back in tila his chair quite discouraged thus to 10 see the glorious ti of heaven spewed skewed up again it is vain to try to cou convince vince them bothem that the only kind ot love for jesus that will be accepted accept edin in heaven as coin is that which keeps hit his commandments i A weeks work spent among these people convinced us that here was no soil for the gospel seed geed so we traveled one days journey further north to our present location passing on our way through deer park noted as the place where president cat cleveland spent bis honeymoon but I 1 am reminded in casting my eye forward ori on what I 1 have yet let to lo oay ay that I 1 have no HO space to speak of we the odd tunia we made in obedience to the spirit nor of many interesting incidents connected conn eced ed with the open lugof our present field it to say mac we jound found a people here willing willingto willii ix to listen to the truths of of heaven heaved and so foud of sound doctrine that we have held about 85 35 meetings ini ide of two months many are earnestly invests katin the book of Alor mormon nion and other works and some have declared themselves convinced where ever we have been heard beard we have friends friende ands and a decided po popular feeling in our favor so 80 we are now as it I 1 were in a little circle ot of peace while from neighboring settlements all around come vague rumors of blood thunder bi under and prejudice Is ia the devils leaves leaven where it has riven given way to honest inquiry he can neither bake nor noi brew such paragraphs as the following by a correspondent in the local paper is what rouses old clovea hoof we have been very much annoyed by two mormon elders who have been at bud rs for the past lour four weeks and they have bave been very successful in their we would like to see these latter day saints so go back to utah as should all those newly converted ones A foulmouthed mout tied falsifier then follows up such an announcement by two columns of the verlest filth anil scum of anti depravity ending with a grand nourish flourish and a call for a mob dob then the editor gen calls attention to a comm ion in an another column headed mormonism moui suh praises the correspondent tor for this fearless exposition etc dilates upon the enormity of the system and shows how the mormons cormons Mor mons are even now passive traitors to the government of the united states four times has the writer written replies to these slanders but only once was his letter published and that at the demand ata of a number of prominent citizens and then the facts were garbled and by three columns of comments comment sl the same ame game was nasr repeated here to th the inte intense use d disgust agust of many prominent men who have learned how groundless are the slanders against our people and as many of these were subs subscribed cribei s and promised to use their influence to isee ise the other side published also the writer was once more induced to write a reply but anticipating the fate of his letter he ke kept t a copy which is herewith cop cl and w which ich you will please pub lishin lish in the NEWS maws for circulating as this paper does in ever every miss missionary ionar y field it may thus assist gy in refuting the same slanderous reports elsewhere MCHENRY maryland january 23 1887 u editor republican in a number of late IL issues sues of your i pal paper annix r you du have published some ve very r unkind and as we shall sh show w untruthful n remarks about us and the cause we represent and as charity bids us believe wat you did not publish these flanders wilfully while ile knowing then them to be blau slanders lerv we venture to hpe hope that you will will have the fairness to publish also the other oilier side your correspondent correspond eat calls mornion mormonism Mo ism a blot on our escutcheon etc and its leaders men of brutal im bulves 1 but it speaks badly tor ter hi him rp in I 1 saying he pot got his bis information from their enemies i e apostates apostate m Ju dases men who have j from the grasp of the monster 1 by similar testimony we can prove our savior to be a wine bibber a glutton and a bastard and the great apostles the of the ea earth r th and the of all things strange that men of 0 depraved instincts should be lio honored nored and sustained by people the majority malo rity of whom have dan e deliberately deli renounced the man maue made creeds ot of so called christianity and joined themselves to the monster at the sacr sacrifice itice of worldly reputation and the cost ot of being ostracized ostracised by friends and kindred but nine tenths efthem came from the slums of europe the abodes of dense ignorance etc and hence they naturally rally aroi around such leaders we shall see by the census of IM 1880 population was found to ue ot of which the american portion numbered in round numbers the great mass can neither read nor write tenor nor do they wish to it will be a simple matter to fit the lie ile here also by tile the same census it was found that only a little more than three per pir cent ceaf ot of population ten ye years 1 ars old and upward could not read aud and write now taking the population of the aake aai ted stales as a whole it was found that tast a little more than pine per cent a the same age ace could neither read nor write but we shall alleged lebed ignorance and depravity of mormonism from another standpoint if the religion of the latter day saints places a perpetual premium on mens lusts and brutal instincts following the statistics which we extract from the criminal records of utah for 1882 ought certainly to be reversed CRIMES COMMITTE 6 BY ai 0 00 0 assault w with intent to commit rape 1 5 prostitution 9 95 r keeping brothels 37 lewd conduct 3 insulting women 9 ft exposing posing person 9 obscene and profane language langu age 4 24 total 5 1 s if mormons and non were equal in population then us will in ill be seen the proportion of crime crim eju m the above table would he be as I 1 to 85 in favor of the former bif bu when it is known that the two classes compare as 70 7 to 22 the true proportion jo in as I 1 to in favor of the 11 mormons cormons Mor mons obber classes of crime beir a similar ratio to the two classes of people with the single exception of plural marriage which the latter day sainto sainta do not regard 1 gard a crime it being sanctioned by holy oly writ we have selected this class to show the utter of the charge that mormonism is abys a system of sensuality in no DO place in the I 1 civilized world are virtue and chastity more highly regarded jealously protected and rigidly enforced thom than among the latter day saints all ali their hopes of eternal exaltation hinge amon among other things upon the sanctity an and eternity ot the marriage covenant which as in the case ot of david is forever severed and dissolved by a breach of chast chastey ky Kne knowing twing this a true lat ter day saint would rather lose his bis life than commit adultery but bat some have more wives than one exactly so they are in id the same box with abraham jacob moses and many other odthe of the prophets ot of god in short with three abree fourths of gods chosen people as can be demonstrated by holy writ and we hope that those who now BOW feel like calling those ancient worthies adulterers may yet have the privilege bof sitting down with abraham isaac and jacob in the kingdom of god 11 day saints on OB this point teach nothing but what is set forth in the new testament vile slanderers slander ers to the contrary notwithstanding 11 the irhe mountain Meadow Massacre 3 john D lee with a few confederates anti and a baud of indians are alone re for that horrible tragedy the mormon people knew knet nothing of the affair until after the butchery and then they believed with thle the rest of mankind that the indians alone were guilty until the arch assassin made his bis confession before tak the court but lee was a mormon 1 admitted but can mormonism be held I 1 accountable for the unwarranted acts of one black sheep within its fold As well charge the churches of christendom with the of the prophet joseph smith because seventeen ministers led the mob that perpetrated the black deed of assassination we have unimpeachable testimony to substantiate the foregoing the kingdom of god sincerely believe that the kingdoms of this world must shortly give way at the approach of the king of kings as chaff before the wind surely it eanno be called coiled treason to prepare for an event that christians have prayed for during eighteen centuries viz athy thy kingdom comet come thy by will be done on earth as it to is in heaven should an any y other king approach our beloved land we are as ready to sell our lives in its defense as any other citizen breathing the air of american Ike freedom edom 11 exploded doctrine dec trine we teach the haine baine gospel that thai paul taught gal 18 9 viz as organization apostles apost lesi prophets seventies elders evangelists pastors teachers deacons cons bis bishops hogs etc as doctrine faith repentance tance baptism bin ou on of hands bands for the gilt of the Holy ghost as signs to bolow the believers belie vete ledge wisdom miracles healing tongues interpretation prophecy revelation visions ministration t on of angels etc we are aware tv V th that the sects of so called christendom have ago exploded these doctrines but bur we are not convinced that man has a right to explode what god has ordained charges can be made in ten lines to which it would take ten columns to reply want ot of space precludes our noticing but one more point ministers of the gospel arise in your might and show the enormity of this system etc yes gentlemen come along and bring yo couf X bibles bible witti you prove us wrong the broad grounds of reason and scripture atit and we promise to depart in peace but dont slander dont throw mud irom from behind a fence but come forward with an honest purpose to teach or be tau glit show toward the despised sect a spirit of christian charity and let our respective systems wherein they differ stand or fall by the test of scripture respectfully N L N |
