Show I TABERNACLE TALK I i A Windy Bay for Elder Xicliolson and I Apostle Grant I Soine Vigorous Protesting Against the Polygamy Persecutions 3Ir Grant Mixes Up Protest Anecdote Inspiration and Bob Ingersoll I A congregation numbering four or five thousand people i was present at the opening open-ing of the Tabernacle services yesterday afternoon the lower part of the building being completely filled and I the gallery well sprinkled After singing and prayer cu > iu JOHN NICHOLSON Proceeded to deliver the opening sermon Withput the formality of a text he at once commanded the closest attention by alluding to the persecution the Mormons were now suffering It was the same in the days of the early Church and Joseph Smith had nrmilinsiftd this crusade against the Latterday Saints It is said that celestial marriage is the obnoxious feature I fea-ture of the Mormon religion it is a principle prin-ciple revealed from heaven and is as much a part of the religion of every good Latterday Saint as is baptism by immersion immer-sion The Constitution of the United States a most sacred and inspired document docu-ment guaranteed the right of religious freedom Congress could not take it I I away If the Supreme Court of the United States were to tell him that a black horse was white he would still believe be-lieve it was black All earth and hell could not prevail against this work and woe unto the pervertors of the Constitution Constitu-tion II He had heard a great deal said about the Mormons being in opposition to fifty millions of people The Mormons did not interfere with the rights and privileges privi-leges of these fifty millions of people The Latterday Saints believed in polygamy po-lygamy and had entered into solemn covenants in the houses of God in regard to that principle COULD THEY GIVE IT Ul If they did the strength of the Church would depart and the Lord would cast them off as unworthy the name of Latter day Saints If they gave up one principle princi-ple they might as well give up al Speaking Speak-ing for himself he had decided upon his course Judge Zane might be THE CONCENTHATKD ESSENCE OF FIFTY MILLIONS Of ixjople but the Latterday Saint who would bend his knee and crawl in the dust before him and deny his religion wa a coward a traitor and a miscreant and unworthy of a part or lot with this people During Elder Nicholsons remarks there was loud applause and clapping of hands Mr Nicholson desired the congregation con-gregation to refrain from any manifestations manifesta-tions of this kind saying that he was not speaking for effect APOSTLE IIEnER GRANT Desired the prayers of the people He had been an interested listener to the previous remarks Brother Nicholson night be excused for getting warmed up it made him a little hot in the collar when he heard men accused and branded as criminals whom he had known from his childhood to be pure honest and up right men when women as good true and virtuous as ever lived were stigma tized as criminals he thought it was excusable ex-cusable The principle of celestial marriage mar-riage had been revealed from the heavens and was as true as any other principle of Mormonism lie knew so far as his intelligence in-telligence went that it was a divine principle that its effects were good He had never smoked a cigar never taken a chew 01 tobacco ana never drank a glass I of liquor his mother had taught him the principles of truth and virtue There was nothing in the Bible to condemn polygamy in fact in some instances I God had expressly commanded it and he defied anyone to show a law of animal I ani-mal nature which was against it What heaven the Bible and nature did not condemn it was not for mans laws to in terfere with If a woman chose to have a portion of his affections to be called by his name and to raise children bj him rather than to have the entire af fections of some other man he thought she had a perfect right to exercise her choice Infidels even the illustrious Bob Ingersoll admitted that the Bible sanctioned polygamy While Bob ingeisoll does admit what Mr Grant states that gentleman failed to mention what Ingersoll really does say about polygamy An extract from i Ingersoll bearing upon this point and showing the illustrious infidels opinion is as follows Civilization rests upon the family The good family is the good unit of good government The virtues grow about the holy hearth of home they cluster bloom and shed their per fume round the fireside where the ONE MAN LOVES THE ONE WOMAN Lover husband wife mother father child home without these sacred words the world is but a liar and men and women merely bcastsUm The speaker felt rather glad that the Edmunds law had been passed there had always been a number of Latter lay Saint who were ready to cry Good I Lord Good Devil He had I SUPREME COXTEM1T FOR PEXCE STRAP I ILERt j He liked a man that showed his colors and stood by them At the meeting on Saturday his heart had swelled with pride when he heard the young men of Utah stand forth and make the speeches that they did It was said that the leaders of the Mormon people held them in bondage What kind of serfs were the Latterday Saints anyway Had not many of them left homes of aflluence wireiits and all that made life dear for the sake of embracing the principles of everlasting life and were they not now in poverty and toiling for their living If the leaders of the Mormon people were schemers they were smartenough to win he esttem and confidence of the people which was more than the Governor of Utah could do If he were that official he would hide his head with shame when he knew in what estimation the people held him lIe like Mr Nicholson had heard very much about these fifty mil ions of jeople A gentleman had said to him that the Mormons were something in the same position that the juryman was who declared that the eleven other oon 1 n uiuio iituc uu uuauuaiu iiMiowa or the case would have been decided the other way only I in the case of the Mormons here were 50000000 to 200000 A JURY OF 249 TO ONE And yet the one declares the 249 to be wrong in their judgment of iwlygamy His answer was that so far as his intelli gence could go so far as his prayers had been answered and so far as his faculties I could comprehend polygamy was right und where his eternal salvation I take he could not assent to any was other at pinion even if there were 249 others I against it The gentleman admitted that Ill was right No man would go back on his religion noLatterday Saint would deny the prin ciple of plural marriage unless he had committed some sin and had lost the light given him Brother Pratt had been sentenced to six months imprisonment yesterday while another man shown to have been guilty of cohabiting with his wifes sister without any formality of marriage had been turned loose If this man had been a Mormon he would have been sent to the Pen He thanked God that KUDGAR CLAWSON HAD THE MANLINESS Not to deny his religion his wives or his children but stood up like a man ando and-o His four years in the penitentiary He had more respect lor a DJIUUU Nnes official than he had for the man that denied de-nied his religion for some of the officials might be honest and like the Apostle Paul thinks they were doing the Lord service by I persecuting Gods people The meeting closed with an anthem bv the choir and benediction and in the evening another service was held at which Angus M Cannon was the chief sneaker |