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Show 4. a A LETTER FROM J. E. BONtt f : $ " n:m w. :25 st , N y. t Editor Uannkii: Dear Sir: I havo IhotiRlit several ,v, times of letting tho Lehi people know, y! through tho columns of your paper, what tlie elders of the Church of Jesus y Christ of halter Day Saints are rioiijg in tho Brooklyn conference of the Eastern States mission. Hut by way of explanation ex-planation befoio proceeding further, I wi.ljiiBta.iy tlmt this conference oin-X". oin-X". braces Greater New York, New Jersey, " ...i i nn lalnml. It has a cburcli mem- , bership of about ono hundred saints. ' ' 1 Elder Arthur Wellington of Kaunlngton 1 ' is president, and un.ler hla jurisdiction twelvo ejdois are laboring. Most of the people hero are very indifferent about religion, and It is almost unnecessary to say that general.; they are very hostile toward "Morinonisni" as they have bee naught lo believe It. And since the Hooper Young niu'der case ("which Is yet very vivid in tho minds of most of , them) thore has been a very bellicose spirit shown toward tho "Mormon" people. Iloweer, In most cases I am porrytoBiiy tho people Inn o been do- - - . ceivcd. They havi judged our people from what they have heard from unro liable sourcoH, and with judgment based upon (alio accusitions, have been lend to believe that ''Mot monism" Is far from what it pui ports to be. Religious prejudice and blgotiy have tried to vilify Ihe chnracter of the "Mormon" leaders by holding them up to ridiculo nnd casting at them a bombardment of tiiipiwory epithet. They have slso said that "MormnnUm" is not n Christian Chris-tian religion, but is nothing more or less than a heathen and pagan philosophy. In view then of these facts wo cannot wholly blame the pro pie for tho opinion I hoy have of so-called so-called "Mormonrstn," because so diabolical havo been some of the accusations accu-sations made against the "Mormon' leadiirs Hint the people have stoed chaj. lined at the thought that such things were tolerated under this unique gov ernment of ours. Such thrn is tho uni-venal uni-venal reputation tho "Mormon" people have hail imposed upon them by nnli-Mormon nnli-Mormon writers and preachirt. For the icasona I tiny (he peoplo,nrc not wholly responsible for their present view of tho Mormon question, We have met with but little opposition, howevpr, this season, with tho exception excep-tion pf a little dlfllculty in precurlug permits.to preaah on the street corners. The readers of Tiiu Hanneh will remember remem-ber an article, some time ago, setting forth our claim In a plea to the Mayor of New York City. Thata.ticle was Instrumental In-strumental In obtaining permits to preach on two corners. Since that time we have been conducting a series of open air meetings, which have been very successful. But the weather Is now becoming cold and we are making preparations for our winter's work. Politics or politicians have, howover, tried to make a little stir by making Bomo nccusations against the "Mormon" eldeis. Aluo In trying to use the "Mormon" question as an Issue in this campaign against the present administration. adminis-tration. That is-to say, they said of Mayor Low' Hint ho did not sign the permits allutvlng the "Mormon" elders to preach on the streets until he had visited 1'reBldent Itoosevolt at Oyster Itsy. The same paper that set forth these statements, after devoting some spaie to what the "Mormons" were doing do-ing In New York, and how taey had al ready sent two hundred poor iiedntoHl i ft shop girls out lo Utah this pnst sum-J mer, slated thrn rhey were eilll hanging' (1 around the Wedlsigh lllsb School j (which is a school for glrW trylriBl9 influence mare of the young (dieso! New York. In an attempt i describe the eldeis they wrote something tn this ! manner. "Thn 'Mormon' eMers at" not that old grny-hearded, sanctimonious, sanctimon-ious, long faced looking lot ofiffsllo'ws we hive len tanaht to belrVye they ) were", but they are good looking, well dressed, well educated, smooth longtted,' j dexterous young men. They have far excelled the New York mashtr, ss mashing Is their special art When tiii-y preach on the streets they hold , large rrowds spell-bound with their flowery and eloquent discourses." We hav, however, lived through Hall, and are still prosecuting our wink with the same enthusiasm as ever, and are getting get-ting on good fooling for our winter work. We havo Just organised a Mutual Improvement Im-provement Association, whtih we intend in-tend to make the cbiof feature and proselyting agency ef the conference this winter. There Is no reason whjf we cannot msko our Ifutual one of the1 best social, as well as religious functions of the church, or at least of any association associ-ation in any mission field. We have In the former line seme of the best lalsnt Utah has yet produced. We have with us for the winter Miss Emma Lucy Gales, lately le turned fmm Paris; Mrs. John Sharp of Salt Lake, formerly Mist J.Ur laFarrlen; Miss Thlllys Tha'ehrr of Logan, and Miss Blanche Thomas of rislt Like City. Thsy are evsrwll'lng and ready to assist us in nuking our n oik success. ( We have had the pleasure of baptirJ ing twenty-one persons into the fold this summer. The elders are all feeling well, and our president Is feeling quite, elsted over the condition of affairs and takeVan optimistic view of our future outlook. The Reverend John Alexander Do wis arrived here on the 10th Inst, from Chicago with between thiee and four thousand of his followers, 'flier expect to invade New York City and call upon a sin-stained 'generation to repent and !' -folrtW KmaU-4aeir transgression! follow them. Dr. Dewle is a very stern man and very pasqulnading In his speeches, for this reason he has been treated with a great deal of uncourteey in New York. They have taken up i their headquarter, at Madison Rous re Harden and ore holding meetings there in the largest auditorium in New York City. It has a seating capacity of about e'xtoen thousand, The ptople OJl the buildinf. to overflowing lo hear the prophet preach. He dwells mostly on healing, when he preaches any doctoring doctor-ing at all. This Is the main criterion on which he wishes people to judge 1.1s genuineness. Tho most of his followers with whom I have talked seem to be sincere, but do not kuow much about their belief except that he has tqld them be is Elijah reincarnated I wish to thank you for Tub Ban.nkk which I receive and read with pleasure. I would bo pleased to hear from any of my friends. If anyone has a friend or relative tn New York they wish me to call on I would be pleased to do so. - Your brother In the pause of truth, J. . Bonk, 630 AV.2IB81., N. Y. |