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Show APOSTLES OLD AND NEW. It is a favorite theme of the Deseret News to expatiate first on the purity of the faith of the Latter Day Saints, to declare that It Is the religion re-ligion which the master taught, and then when any outsider objects to some of the proceedings to explain that it has always been so, that the modern persecutions are actuated by the same spirit which caused Stephen to be stoned and Paul crucified. But did Peter ever start a bank, get himself elected president and have a big block of the stock put to his credit, because of his official place? Did John, the beloved, ever head a corporation to build a sugar factory and amid the rich lands of Mesopotamia, work the Legislature for a bounty, get himself made President of the company com-pany and claim a huge block of stock for his eminent services? Did Jamos ever organize a light and power company in Jerusalem, get the city to give his company the right of way through most of the streets and steal the right of other streets, get himself elected president, water the stock to the limit of drowning, then send to Antioch and sell tremendous blocks of the stock; then put on cars and run them for years without even sweeping them, or repairing the roadbed? Did Andrew get a franchise to light Jerusalem and Capernium and sell G candle power lights for 20 and charge four prices for them? Did Philip ever name any candidate for office and Insist upon his election? Did Bartholomew monopolize the salt business on the shore of the Dead Sea? Did Thomas work to build up an aristocracy aris-tocracy and save the fat offices for two or three families whether they were qualified or not, and Ignore all on the outside? Was the chiefest apparent desire of the whole band for commercial gain, political office and the attendant emoluments? Did they establish cooperative co-operative stores and manufacturles and appropriate appropri-ate all the offices for their particular families? Did either one when put upon the stand declare de-clare that he was in the habit all the time of violating both human and divine laws, and say it In a tone which seemed to" ask: "What are you going to do about It?" Is the history true that the Master said: "I will have meroy and not sacrifice," or did he say: "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son f Man hath not where to lay his head?" or is that perverted history only? Did the old company com-pany ever preach that neither the Jewish nor tho Roman government was binding on them, because they possessed the only legal government? If they did then we can all understand why they met with persecutions, for Romans were not friendly with those who disputed their political authority, and the Jews were jealous of their rule which had even then existed for twelve hufidred years of written history. But the parallel between one ancient and the modern apostles is somewhat marked. When Judas sold out for thirty pieces of silver all the excuse he could give was that he wanted tho money. Did he not display one of the marked attributes of the modern apostle? As the modern church is being run how long will it be able to hold its people up to the steady graft, with a poor article of electric light over head and the free school house on every corner? |