| Show COMMUNICATED J THEN AND NOW The history of the emigration of the Mormons their settlement in Utah their battles with privations poverty and danger dan-ger reads like a romance The courage and ability of their leader during those times show that he was no ordinary man The patient endurance of the people evidences evi-dences that according to their belief there was something in their religion worthy the sacrifice That which then bound them to their faith was not a belief in the doctrine of polygamy as now taught for then its practice was not insisted in-sisted upon as essential John Taylor had recently publicly denied that it was taught practiced or tolerated by the Church Other prominent men had solemnly and authoritatively denied that it was a doctrine of the Church In early lays in Utah while the practice was allowed al-lowed it was not enjoined as it now is Where we find an earnest entliusiasm which sustains a people through long and severe trials it is a pleasure to know that it is based upon a hope a principle or a belief which honors rather than degrades human nature It is therefore a relief to know that those early trials of the Mormons Mor-mons were not animated by the doctrine now principally taught and stated with such disgusting indecency in the recent epistle to the Logan conference It is due to humanity to maintain whenever and wherever we can that heroism does not cannot arise out of or be sustained by that which is evil The Mormon people owe it to themselves and to their dead friends to see to it that it shall not appear to the world nor to I their children that this one thing polygamy poly-gamy is their highest or most sacred principle They can see if they will but think that the men who have abandoned all else of their doctrines or who at least make this their chief principle have at the same time abandoned their courage It is not a principle which leads to heroism but which has led and must always lead to evasion lying and cowardiceit is evil and not good In early days when the people were in trouble or danger their leaders did not desert them but were at hand to share in their privations and dangers and to enCOUra2e liv examnlenot so nmv When St Louis of France was in Egypt with his crusaders his army defeated de-feated and forced to retreat himself so ill and weak that he frequently fainted from exhaustion he was urged tosail down the Nile in a boat with the wounded and other sick but his was a noble cause and it prompted the heroic reply I will not be separated from my people in the hour of danger I When from following fol-lowing the advice of their leaders the people of Utah are in trouble these I leaders deemed it wise under the circumstances cir-cumstances to withdraw etc etc X |
