BY CHARLES W. PENROSE
"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs1 of thistles?" so said the Savior of mankind, (Matt. VII; 16). The Latter-day Saints, or "Mormons" as they are commonly called, have been derided2 and persecuted3 and all manner of evil has been spoken against them, even by people who call themselves Christians5. That in this false witness has been borne against them, may be definitely proved if the criterion given by Christ is accepted. Having obeyed the Gospel as restored to earth by angelic visitations and administered by divine authority, large numbers of the Saints have congregated6 in the valleys of the Rocky Mountains in obedience7 to the command, "Gather my Saints together unto me, those that have made a covenant8 with me by sacrifice." (Psalm L; 5). And also: "Come out of her (Babylon) my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues." (Rev. XVIII; 4).
In the year 1847 a company of Pioneers, led by the Prophet Brigham Young, successor of the Martyr9 Joseph Smith, who was slain10 for the Gospel's sake, marched from the Missouri River across prairies and mountains, sand wastes and rivers, through the wilderness11 known as the Great American Desert, to the place in the mountains where they had been directed by Joseph Smith when living with them in Nauvoo. On July 24th of that year they halted in the valley of the Great Salt Lake, beheld12 by Brigham Young in vision before they commenced their weary journey. Not a human habitation was to be seen. The sun-baked land brought forth13 sagebrush and weeds. Rain was almost unknown and the melting snows from the mountain tops came down but in narrow and scanty14 streams. But they plowed15 the parched16 ground and turned upon it the trickling17 waters; they sowed in faith and trusted in God for the harvest which alone could save them from starvation. The little band was composed of but 147 persons who had left civilization more than a thousand miles behind. Today nearly three hundred thousand people, gathered from all parts of the world, dwell in peace and harmony in flourishing cities {259} and towns or upon fruitful farms and luxuriant ranches18, reaping the results of thrift19 and industry and the blessings20 of God upon the land and upon their labors22. In the cities are fine residences, comfortable cottages, business establishments, manufacturing enterprises, broad streets lined with magnificent trees and with clear streamlets on either side, lighted by electricity and supplied with pure water from works owned by the people. Grand school houses have been erected23, spacious24 places of worship, noble public buildings and splendid temples costing from one million to four million dollars each. All kinds of grains and fruits and flowers are produced in abundance; the rainfalls have wonderfully increased, springs have burst forth in dry spots, grass grows on the hillsides and in the meadows, cattle and sheep graze on a thousand hills, and the face of nature smiles and shines with beauty.
This marvelous transformation26 has been brought about by the blessings of Almighty27 God upon the faith and works of His Saints gathered from afar. Zion that brought good tidings—the everlasting28 Gospel restored to earth—has gone up "into the high mountain." The spirit has been poured out from on high, and the wilderness has become a fruitful field. "The people of the Lord dwell in peaceable habitations, in sure dwellings29, in quiet resting places." They are sowing "beside all waters." "The wilderness and the solitary30 place is glad for them, the desert rejoices and blossoms abundantly." They are the "ransomed31 of the Lord, and have come to Zion with songs of everlasting joy." (See Isaiah XL; 9; XXXII; 15-20; XXXV; 1-10).
Every Sabbath day the children assemble in Sunday schools under a system which is not excelled in any part of the world. In the afternoon and evening the Saints assemble in their Tabernacles and meeting houses, and receive instruction by the voice of inspiration and the reading of holy writ32. Societies are organized for the instruction of juveniles33, of young men and women, of ladies of mature age and for all classes of the community. To serve God and keep His commandments is held up as the first duty of His people. To labor21 for the salvation35 of the living and the redemption of the dead is placed above all earthly consideration. The Church has now in the mission field fifteen hundred or more missionaries36, traveling "without purse and scrip," without pay of any kind, depending upon God and friends whom He may raise up to them for their daily sustenance37. The Church organization revealed from heaven is recognized by all who investigate, as the grandest and most complete ever known on earth. The {260} industry, order, devotion, unity34 and brotherly love displayed by the Latter-day Saints are the admiration38 and commendation of both friend and foe39. The work they have performed under divine direction is a marvel25 to all who have visited the cities of the Saints or know of their achievements. What is the tree that has brought forth these excellent fruits? It is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Let the tree be judged by its fruits.
It is true that the "Mormons" are a people who have been "everywhere spoken against," but this was a characteristic of the Saints in the original Christian4 Church. Paul said: "They that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution40." Jesus exclaimed: "Woe41 unto you when all men shall speak well of you." He prophesied42 of his disciples43: "Ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake." But there are a number of brave men who, after visiting Utah, have not been afraid to speak their honest sentiments concerning that despised people. Among them are the following, whose published remarks are but samples of others that might be adduced:
Bishop44 D. S. Tuttle of the Episcopal church, who resided in Salt Lake City, had the following in the New York Sun: "We of the East are accustomed to look upon the Mormons as either a licentious45, arrogant46, or rebellious47 mob, bent48 only on defying the United States government and deriding49 the faith of the Christians. This is not so. I know them to be honest, faithful, prayerful workers, and earnest in their faith that heaven will bless the Church of Latter-day Saints. Another strong and admirable feature in the Mormon religion is the tenacious50 and efficient organization. They follow with the greatest care all the forms of the old Church."
Henry Edger says, in the New York Evolution: "Driven by mob violence from one state to another, despoiled51 of their legitimate52 possessions—fruits of honest toil—this despaired and grossly wronged people found their way at last across the trackless desert and by an almost unexampled perseverance53 and industry created an oasis54 in the desert itself."
Elder Miles Grant, editor of the World's Crisis, says: "After a careful observation for some days we came to the settled conclusion that there is less licentiousness55 in Salt Lake City than in any other one of the same size in the United States; and were we to bring up a family of children in these last days of wickedness, we should have less fears of their moral corruption56 were they in that city than in any other."
Gov. Safford of Arizona wrote as follows: "They have no {261} drones, and the work they have accomplished57 in so short a time is truly wonderful. All concede that we need an energetic, industrious58, economical and self-relying people to subdue59 and bring into use the vast, unproductive lands of Arizona. These Mormons fill every one of the above requirements."
Gen. Thomas L. Kane of Pennsylvania, after four years experience with the Mormons, declared: "I have not heard a single charge made against them as a community, against their habitual60 purity of life, their willing integrity, their toleration of religious difference of opinion, their regard for the laws, their devotion to the Constitutional government under which we live, that I do not from my own observation or upon the testimony61 of others know to be unfounded."
Chief Justice White, sent to Utah by the U. S. government, testified: "Industry, frugality62, temperance, honesty are with them the common practices of life. This land they have redeemed63 from sterility64 and occupied its once barren solitudes65 with cities, villages, cultivated fields and farm-houses, and made it the habitation of a numerous people, where a beggar is never seen and alms-houses are neither needed nor known."
The late Hon. Bayard Taylor, U. S. minister to Germany, remarked, "We must admit that Salt Lake City is one of the most quiet, orderly and moral places in the world. * * * The Mormons as a people are the most temperate66 of Americans. They are chaste67, laborious68 and generally cheerful, and what they have accomplished in so short a time under every circumstance of discouragement, will always form one of the most remarkable69 chapters in our history."
Notwithstanding the facts set forth in the foregoing, the Congress of the United States was moved upon for several years by anti-Mormon preachers of different sects70, and by petitions from good, pious71, but deceived "Christian" people, also by adventurers who desired to profit by inroads upon the Mormons, to enact72 stringent73 and oppressive measures looking to the suppression of what they called "Mormonism." It was thought by the enemies of the Saints that they could be driven again from their possessions, as they had been driven by mob violence from the states of Missouri and Illinois, where their property became a prey74 to their so-called Christian persecutors, and where many of their number were brutally75 murdered in cold blood, their Prophet and Patriarch, Joseph and Hyrum Smith, being among the number. For some time these efforts gave great promise of success. Much suffering was endured by the Saints, but they possessed76 their souls in patience, having faith in the promises of God made to {262} them through their Prophets and Apostles, and the testimony of the Holy Spirit. The day of their deliverance from this injustice77, sorrow, and tribulation78 has come. Their true character has been measurably recognized, and Utah has been admitted into the union as a free and sovereign State, on an equal footing with the other states in the Federal compact.
There yet remains79 in the world great ignorance concerning the Latter-day Saints, their purposes and works, their doctrines80 and teachings, and the spirit and power of their faith. To these they invite the investigation81 of every rational mind. They urge comparison of their principles, their Church and the ordinances82, gifts, and spirit thereof with those set forth in the New Testament83, in contrast with the contending and discordant84 religions of modern Christendom. They know that they have received the truth, and that God has revealed it in the present age. They have received a divine witness, every one for himself. They are building up Zion in the West. They are sending forth the Gospel into all the world as a witness to the nations before the end shall come.
This is a day of warning. It will be followed by a time of judgments85. The Lord is about to shake terribly the kingdoms of this world. War, pestilence86, famine, earthquake, whirlwind, and the devouring87 fire, with signs in the heavens and on the earth, will immediately precede the great consummation which is close at hand. These are the last days. All that has been foretold88 by the Holy Prophets concerning them is about to be literally89 fulfilled. The everlasting Gospel has been restored to the earth as one of the signs of the latter days. Israel is being gathered. The elect of God are assembling from the four quarters of the earth. The way is opening for the redemption of Judah. Soon all things will be in commotion90: "men's hearts failing them for fear and looking for the things that are coming on the earth." The places of refuge appointed are in Zion and in Jerusalem. The Lord, even Jesus the Messiah, will come to His Holy Temple. He will be glorified91 in his Saints, but will "take vengeance92 on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel." He will break in pieces the nations as a potter's vessel93. He will sweep the earth as with a besom of destruction. He will establish righteousness upon it and give dominion94 to His people. "The meek95 shall inherit the earth and the wicked be cut off forever." Therefore, repent96 and turn unto Him all ye nations, and obey Him all ye people, for these words are true and faithful and are given by His spirit! Salvation has come unto you; reject it not lest ye fall and perish. The time is at hand!
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figs
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| figures 数字，图形，外形 | |
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derided
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| v.取笑，嘲笑( deride的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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persecuted
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| （尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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congregated
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| （使）集合，聚集( congregate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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covenant
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| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
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martyr
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| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
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slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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plowed
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| v.耕( plow的过去式和过去分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过 | |
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parched
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| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
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trickling
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| n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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ranches
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| 大农场， （兼种果树，养鸡等的）大牧场( ranch的名词复数 ) | |
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thrift
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| adj.节约，节俭；n.节俭，节约 | |
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blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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transformation
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| n.变化；改造；转变 | |
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almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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ransomed
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| 付赎金救人，赎金( ransom的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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writ
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| n.命令状，书面命令 | |
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juveniles
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| n.青少年( juvenile的名词复数 )；扮演少年角色的演员；未成年人 | |
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unity
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| n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调 | |
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salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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missionaries
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| n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
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sustenance
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| n.食物，粮食；生活资料；生计 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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persecution
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| n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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prophesied
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| v.预告，预言( prophesy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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disciples
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| n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一 | |
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bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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licentious
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| adj.放纵的，淫乱的 | |
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arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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rebellious
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| adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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deriding
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| v.取笑，嘲笑( deride的现在分词 ) | |
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tenacious
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| adj.顽强的，固执的，记忆力强的，粘的 | |
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despoiled
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| v.掠夺，抢劫( despoil的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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perseverance
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| n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠 | |
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oasis
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| n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方 | |
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licentiousness
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| n.放肆，无法无天 | |
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corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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industrious
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| adj.勤劳的，刻苦的，奋发的 | |
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subdue
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| vt.制服，使顺从，征服；抑制，克制 | |
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habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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frugality
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| n.节约，节俭 | |
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redeemed
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| adj. 可赎回的，可救赎的 动词redeem的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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sterility
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| n.不生育，不结果，贫瘠，消毒，无菌 | |
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solitudes
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| n.独居( solitude的名词复数 )；孤独；荒僻的地方；人迹罕至的地方 | |
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temperate
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| adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的 | |
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chaste
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| adj.贞洁的；有道德的；善良的；简朴的 | |
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laborious
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| adj.吃力的，努力的，不流畅 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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sects
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| n.宗派，教派( sect的名词复数 ) | |
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pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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enact
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| vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演 | |
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stringent
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| adj.严厉的；令人信服的；银根紧的 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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brutally
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| adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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tribulation
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| n.苦难，灾难 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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doctrines
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| n.教条( doctrine的名词复数 )；教义；学说；（政府政策的）正式声明 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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ordinances
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| n.条例，法令( ordinance的名词复数 ) | |
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testament
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| n.遗嘱；证明 | |
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discordant
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| adj.不调和的 | |
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85
judgments
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| 判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判 | |
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86
pestilence
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| n.瘟疫 | |
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87
devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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88
foretold
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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90
commotion
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| n.骚动，动乱 | |
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91
glorified
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| 美其名的，变荣耀的 | |
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92
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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93
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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94
dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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95
meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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96
repent
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| v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔 | |
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