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Show n The Land of The Mormons" Published I i ticle, dealing with Latter-;it Latter-;it history and education has Wished recently in the Vol-Beobachter Vol-Beobachter or "The Peoples 'h;," German newspaper. The ''written by Alfred C. Rees, t of the East-German mis-'ich mis-'ich was published after a al of effort on the part of S. missionaries, has been 15 -this newspaper by Elder ;e-D. Carson. rould you like to live in a m.t is 4200 feet above sea iat nestles in a broad val-ounded val-ounded entirely by rugged, Mie mountains, whose tops f;-red with eternal snow, a fortress set up by Nature, dtjly intended to defy invasion either by water, land or sky? Such a place is Salt Lake City, capitol of the state of Utah, scenic centre of America, the renowned gathering place and'radiating point I of the Mormon church; two day's travel from New York, one day from the Pacific Coast. As any one of us, who have visited vis-ited that remarkable city, will testify, testi-fy, it is one of the most attractive, beautifully situated cities in all the world; clean, modern, pulsating with life and glowing with hospitality; !with a history of achievement that t once challenges our admiration. And what a tragedy lies back of his outstanding accomplishment! Less than 100 years ago, all that ast, limitless territory, encompassed by the Rocky Mountains, was the very symbol of desolation. Little was known of it. Only a few venturesome venture-some trappers entered that forbidding forbid-ding waste. The silence of centuries brooded over that region of violent excesses of heat and cold. It was in this very valley of threatening starvation and death that a little band of people sought refuge in 1847, after they had been persecuted, pillaged, plundered and driven from their comfortable homes in Eastern United States by mobs of priests and politicians. Since there were no railroad connections con-nections until the late '60s, those who joined the early Mormon forces came by ox-teams and even handcarts. hand-carts. There are still men and women living in Utah, who, as girls and boys, covered that entire distance dis-tance on foot, sustained and strengthened in all of their trials and tribulations by the knowledge that they were escaping the cruel persecutions that had been heaped upon them on account of their religious re-ligious beliefs; and by the hope that peace and security awaited them somewhere in the unknown West. This bitter, historic experience has produced out of the Mormons a determined, de-termined, practical people, as a result re-sult of which, they perhaps, better than many others, can appreciate what the German people endured as they passed through their hardships. hard-ships. Thus the Mormon people know what persecution and suppression mean. And the German people, who have gone through the shadow of the valley since the World War; and who have been forced to rely upon their own strength and determination, determina-tion, and upon their undying belief in their own ability to restore their self-respect and their merited place among the mighty in the sisterhood of nations, reveal that same progressive progres-sive character, which does not shun obstacles. For that reason, to a student of Mormonism, recent developments de-velopments In Germany present a most Impressive study. From the very beginning, the Mormon Mor-mon people took care of their poor. They saw to it that the administration administra-tion of relief was always in local hands, in order to limit abuses. They provided for an Intimate personal acquaintanceship between those who gave and those who received. The result of this system of Mormon relief re-lief has brought about the total absence ab-sence of want and suffering among their people In every community where the established principles and rules of the church are observed. It is upon this deep rooted principle that the Mormon church is now carrying car-rying out its widely publicized and praised program of self help at a time when ten million Americans are jobless and idle, due to a departure de-parture from America's traditional economic, Industrial system. In order to produce a sound body, Mormons have advocated and practiced prac-ticed since 1830, what they call the "Word of Wisdom," which calls for the total abstinence from She use of tobacco, alcohol, tea, coffee, and for the sparing use of meat. Statistics Sta-tistics in the United States show i i . i jwas Brigham Young who announced !that the loafer should not eat the 1 bread of the worker. In fact, the Icoat of arms of Utah is the bee-hive, bee-hive, indicative of the industry and 'cooperative spirit of the people. Perhaps the outstanding financial system of the world for the maintenance main-tenance of a religious organization is to be found in Mormonism: It is their Tithing System. A true, faithful Mormon pays to the church one-tenth of his total Income for the upkeep of the church and its institutions. in-stitutions. This has placed the church on a sound financial basis, and has made possible its remarkable remark-able expansion, growth and development. develop-ment. The fruits of this system are I to be seen in the establishment, development de-velopment and operation of its far I flung educational and social insti-'tutions, insti-'tutions, all conducted under church upervision; also in the erection and 'maintenance of commodious places .of worship, which dot and beautify he entire length and breadth of the Jand, in which the church has a following. Here is the application of the German Ideal: Community welfare before personal welfare. jMormons are practical exponents of .that wholesome doctrine, j Among these institutions of learning learn-ing of which the Mormon church is especially proud, is the Brigham j Young university, located in Provo, about two hour's drive from Salt Lake City. That institution was established under the direction of a distinguished German, Dr. Karl G. Maeser, who was born in Meissen, Saxony, joined the Mormon faith, jcame to Utah, and was charged by iBrigham Young with the responsibility responsi-bility of establishing that institu- tion. The Mormon church makes the tnique claim of having been estab-jlished estab-jlished by direct revelation from God, ; through the instrumentality of a young man by the name of Joseph Smith, who, though unlettered and .untutored, laid down principles of ! conduct in the realm of religion; announced truths in the field of general science; and gave to the world a philosophy of life, that challenge the thinking of every unbiased un-biased mind. I Perhaps the persistent driving force and the unfailing courage of he Mormon people find explanation n their belief that man is immortal; hat he lives beyond the grave; that he continues in his program of eternal eter-nal progression; that divinity and omplete mastery over all forces is lis goal and destiny. In fact, their that, as a result of close adherance to this formula, the Mormon people are freer from contagious and hereditary hered-itary diseases, than any other people peo-ple in the United States, and, in fact, the world. Tliat is why the Mormon people, perhaps, more than any other people in all the world, pay high tribute to the German government gov-ernment for its bold declaration of War against the use of alcohol and tobacco by the youth of Germany. Mormon people are proverbially practical believers, not only in the 'sanctity of the home, but also in large families. They are unalterably unalter-ably opposed to birth control, which they view as a contributing factor to the destruction of any race. The industry of men and women throughout Germany is a reminder of the proverbial attitude of the Mormon people toward work. It belief is crystalized thus: "As God now is, man may become." Mor-monism Mor-monism sees in God a personal, liv-'lng liv-'lng Eeing. I o |