The Mormon Creed

Krom tbe Clinutauqua Herald, A.UZ. 13, '"). What Miss Kate Field has to eay about it : In Introduclnj; lier subject, Miss Field said: "I hopo I do not lack humility iu asstimiag tht I possoss average iutclligence. From childhood 1 have been more or les ausocuitod with that great gource of popular education, the press, anil yet iintil iwo years ago, I knew nothing ot Mormoitisni. Judgitig otherg by myself, it is sute to couclude that the facts connected with 150,000 human beings, who, while living under the American flag are asalien to American institutions as Feejee Islanders, will be as great revelations to the majoiity of my auilumce as they wei e to me. Let me onnfta; however, that I uwe my rntorwation entirely to accident. 1 luid become ashamed ot' sailing east year after yt'ar, and determinad to hitou my wagon to "The Star of Empire" and lciirn soinething of our own great country. I nilj?lit visit Utah, all would depend upon circumstanres. All did. I wh iu the Colúrado tnlning camp, intending to cross the mountaias on horseback; wow blocked tbe way. Indespair at gettlng nothing to eat, nor tolerable place in which to sleep, I hurried to the nearest big towu. It chnnced to be Salt Lake City, where I expected to remain one week; and tarriea many months. Why? Because 1 could not help it. Not long since, a New England clergyinan said to me, 'Well, you see it is yery diüi cult to get up interest in Utah, because it is such a long way ofl' This remark seemed to me to be stnpidly selfish, and wheri selfishness is stupld, it is inexcusable. If these United States be a nation, which, really, I sometimes doubt from the sectional way many people look at them, what concerns one part of the country concerns all parts, and it is about time we realized that when the Rocky MoUDtalni take poison, the Atlantic seaboaid must cali in the doctor." "The flrst questiou likely to arise in the average miad is, 'What do Mormons believe?' Meet an eider in Utah, or encountera missionary in the wicked outside v, i.rld, ask tiim what fae belieres, and he will immcUiately present bis card, on the back of which you will read thirteen AUTICLKS OF FAITH, ot' the Church of Jesua ChrUt of Latter day ijaints: 1. We believe in Qxl, the Kternal Fatlier, and in his Son, Jesús Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. 2. We believe that men will be punkbed for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression. 3. We believe that throuorh the atonement of ('lirist all luunkiiul may be saved, by obedience to the luws and ordinances of the Gospe'. 4. Wc believe that these ordinances are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Ucpeiitance; third, Baptigm by immersion for the remission of ring; and fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. 5. We believe 'that a man must be ciilled of God, by 'prophecy, and by the laying on of hands, by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer mi the ordinances thereof. G. We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church, viz.: apostles, prophete, pastors, teachers, evangellsts, etc. 7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, etc 8. We believe the Bi,bl to be the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of, Hormon to be the word of God. 9. Wc believe all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal, and we believe that he will yet reve:il many great and important tilines pertalmng to the kingdom of God. 10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel, and in the resioration of the Ten Tribes. That Ziou will be built upon this continent. That Christ will reign personally upon the earth, and that the earth will be renewed aud teceive its paradisic glory. 11. We claim tbe privilege of worshipIng Alniiglity God accurding to tbe dictates of our eonscience. and allow all men the same privilege, let tliem worship how, where or what they my. 12. We believe in benig subject to kings, presidenta, rulers and magistrales, in oheying, honoring, and sustaininif the law. 13. We believe in belng honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing gnod to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul. 'We believe all things, we hope all things,'we have endured mauy things," and hoped to be able toendur all things. If there is anything virtuou9, lovely or of üood report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. JoSErn Smitii. The creed seems harmeless the remarkable feature of Utah Jlormonlsm being not what it promulgates to Gentiles, but what it privately teaches when the faithful have gathered to Zion." The preaching and practico of Morinonism are as opposite as the poles. For example, the Latter Day Saints believe in a plurality of Gods as well as a plurality cf wives, yet there is no mention of eitlicr In the cleverly arranged creed. They believe that "Adam is God," and the "only God with whom they have to do." They believe that Christ was a polygamitt They believe that polygamists only will be allbwed to see Christ. Saints are baptiscd for the dcad as well as for the living, and no ('entile after death can escape from the clutches of Morraonism, provided, it be truc, if some Mormon friend goes down lato the water In his or her behalf. In this connection Miss Field related how Julia Dean, a beautiful western actress, won the special admlration of Brigham Young, who Implored her to marry turn, but in vuin. At her death, Brigham Young went to the Endowment house with one of his plural wives, who aetod as proxy, and was baptlaeil tor Julia Dean, to whom the prophet was scaled for time and eteriiity. The plural wife declared that she was proudto stand as proxy, because Julia Dean dld not know what was good for lier. When refeiring to the gift of prophecy Miss Field related an amusing prediction that Jospph Smith made to the late Josiah Qulncy. When that admirable man and tlie present Charles Francia Adama, Sr., viited Xauvuo in 1844, Mr. Quiucyasked the revelator to test his powers by naniiug the successful candldute la the approaching presidential election. "Welt, I will prophesy that John Tyler will not be the uext president; fr some things are possible, and some things are probable, but Tyler's eleetion is neither one nor the other. Harrison and Tyler wcre electcfd. Harrison died, and the impoosible Tyler became president." "8trnge is t seems to anyone conversant with Mormonism," said' Miss Field, it is none the less true thnt most persons beliove that the evils of Utah are due to giiorance of the Bible. Without the Scriptures, the establinhed churches of Utah could never have heen founded. It is the ingenious and literal interpretfttion of cortain portions of the old .uut new tostaincuts; that Is the bait wheroby converts were caught in tke beginning and will continue to be caught unto the end. Yet good Aniericans have proposed to flood Mormondom with Bibles, in order to overeóme polygamy and home misBionaries have actually gone there for this purpose. Fancy ttieir eiubarrassmen t on learning the truth, and Haring Abraham and Jacob blandly quoted by the saints ss original polygamists, and after God's own heart." In dwelling npon the eleven th article of faith, Miss Field demonstrated that lts generous tolerstlon wa a inyth. "What is the record in LTtah ? " she exclaimed "Ask the tirst Chrtstiai) missionaries Asfc the elders of the Josephites, the anti-polygauiy Mormons, whose lives have more than once boen in danger. Ask the Gentile school teachers who go Into setüeraents remóte í'roin Oentile influence. Said, some years ago, Eider Willard Snow, J. P., whlle try Ing John Galvin for striking a Mormon, 'If you ever lay your hands on another suint, 1 will have your head out ofl' before you leave. the city. I thank God that the time is not far dlstant, and I shall rejoice when it comes, that I shall have anthority to pass sentence of life and death on "the Gentiles, and I will have their he-ids snatched off like chickeus in the dooryard. 'If I had my way,' added Qoorge Qrant, deputy-sheriti', 'I would drownyou in the Jordán river.' " Many another fact,did Miss B'ield deduce to prove the falsky of Moruion toleration. She likewise annlhilated the twelfth article of faith by shovvini; that Mormons acknouiedae no ruler but the president of their church, ind honor and sustain no law deiioiinced by him. In dissecting the thirteenth article of faith. Miss Field began with Joseph Sniith, asked whéther he was '"lionest, true and chaste? " "We will take no Gentile opinión, but harken unto his sucecssor, Briham Young: 'Joseph was anything but a saint; his virtues few, his vices many, among the least of which were gambling, drinking and sedueing women.' Was Brigham honest? If so why did the church lorce his helrs to pay back $1,000,000 that he had dltshonestly appropriatèd and willed to his numerous families? And what said this prophet of his own people? 'We have in otir communlty uu? wotsi creatures that the world qan produce. We huve the greatestand smoothest Hars, the cunningest and most adroit thieves, and any other shatte of character that you oan mention. We eau piek out elders of Israel right here who can beat tlio world at gambling, who can handle the cards, can cut and shuttle them with the sharpest rogue ou the face of God's footstool. I can produce elders here who can shave their sharpest shavers, and take their money from them. We eau beat the world at any game.' " Tlius with anecdote, criticism, comment, and Mormoo quotation, Miss Fields left, "not a wreak behind" of the sain's thlrteen articles of faith. Holding her large audience for an hour and a qiiarter, sho closed with a graphic weiCero ftory, such as Abraham Lincoln might havech8en "to point a moral atid adorn a tale."