University of California Berkeley JOHN PHILLIPS MEAKIX Leaves of Truth UTAH AND THE MORMONS BY JOHN PHILLIPS MEAKIN Papers, Poems and Letters. An Appeal for a Nobler Manhood. Salt Lake City, Utah, 1909 Copyright, 1909, By JOHN PHILLIPS MEAKIN. , / DEDICATORY. To the memory of the one, in all the world, who developed in me the power of reason, Who taught me to be temperate in all things use everything, abuse nothing, Who taught me to act kindly and to speak lovingly to all I should meet on life's highway, Who taught me that the highest attainment in life was perfect manhood. Who taught me that by character, intellectual and humane development, the world might some day be civilized; To the one who sang in my ears on my jour- ney from boy to man. "Do what is right, let the consequence follow, Battle for freedom, in spirit and might, And, with stout hearts look ye forth till tomorrow, God will protect you, do what is right." I dedicate this book TO MY MOTHER. Introductory. Men and Women. My Brothers and Sisters : Being sole proprie- tor of myself, it falls to my lot to introduce my- self. My name is John Phillips Meakin, I came into this world in the same good old way that every- body else did. The date was July 9th, 1851. England. My parents were James and Sarah Meakin. I came to America in 1869. Salt Lake City has been my home ever since. I married Miss Sarah Frances Wolcott, a Utah girl, on Novem- ber 25th, 1872. Eight children have blessed our union; three have passed on; five are living boys. I was fortunate in being well born. I had a splendid, intellectual mother and a sturdy good father; both were purely honest. I am emulat- ing their virtues it is natural. Since the dawn of my existence I have been a welcome guest at life's great feast and the pleas- ures have continued throughout the years and are growing brighter and more harmonious every day. I am in love with life and with my home and loved ones. I have many good friends and no IV INTRODUCTORY enemies. "No enemies, you say !" No ; if I have they are silly. My answer is not understood. Thus far I have done my best for all I've met on life's highway, and the best can do no more. I have no regrets for the past and no fears of the future. I have a purpose in life and that purpose is: to improve myself and help my fel- low men in unfolding the higher faculties and sensibilities which are latent in every human be- ing, thus making them more humane, more thoughtful, more tolerant and more kindly ; to ob- tain a harmonious development in all phases of human life. I am not a "funny" man, but I am having a good time and am happy because there is sun- shine in my soul and no hatred in my heart. I have been a devout student and I carry my diploma with me in mind and heart always and everywhere. PERSONAL. In the present status of civilization's unfold- ment there are but few men who can comprehend the position or thought of a man who toils for and is ever ready to appeal for justice for men, or for tribes other than his own. A man on this plane must work irrespective of appreciation or gratitude from the masses, letting the doing of the deed carry with it its own re- ward, cheered only by the consciousness of hav- INTRODUCTORY V ing been faithful to the Divine inner self the real man. I am proud of my American citizenship and of my State Utah, but irrespective of fence lines I love my fellow men. "The world is my country; To do good my religion." The lectures tell of "UTAH AND THE MORMONS" what I told the people of the East about the peo- ple of the West. The letters tell the people of the West about the people of the East. The poems form a golden chain connecting both. In behalf of Utah "I am only one, but I am one; I cannot do everything, But I can do something, What I can do I ought to do, And by the grace of God I will do." It is Glory Enough. By William Herbert Carruth. It is glory enough for one day To have marched out alone before the seats of the scornful, Their fingers all pointing your way; To have felt and wholly forgotten the branding iron of their eyes; To have stood up proud and reliant on only your soul And go calmly on with your duty It is glory enough. It is glory enough for one day To have dreamed the bright dream of the reign of right ; To have fastened your faith like a flag to that immaterial staff And have marched away, forgetting your base of supplies. And while the worldly wise see nothing but shame and ignoble retreat, And though far ahead the heart may faint and the flesh prove weak To have dreamed that bold dream is glory enough, Is glory enough for one day. Contents. Address to Liberal Club 91 Boston Ill Beautiful Handiwork of Nature 174 Columbus and Brigham Young 63 Educational 226 Great Salt Lake, The 223 Grasshoppers, The 248 Lake and Climate 246 Mrs. Weed's Views of "Mormonism" 123 Mormons, The Story of the 9 Mind of the Mob, The 50 Music in Utah 205 New York as Seen from a Yacht 128 On the Wing 152 Old Folks' Day 243 Out in the Desert 256 Polygamy 18 Places of Worship, Their 29 Philosophy of Mormonism 32 Prejudice 87 Presidents, The 16 Portrayal of Poverty-stricken Conditions which Drive Men to Thievery and Crime . . 99 Plea for the Right, A 142 Phases of Human Life 164 Pioneers, The 187 Picture Beautiful, A 241 Smith, Joseph Fielding 69 Smoot, Senator Reed 73 Scattered Leaves 218 VIII CONTENTS State Emblem, The 250 Sunny Side of Life 251 Story of a Life, The 268 To Live and Grow 43 Utah and the Mormons 1 What Mormons are Doing 37 Word to Mrs. Schoff, A 182 "What Ails this Town" 229 POEMS A Man 72 A Universal Prayer 82 Be Strong . . 42 Columbus 67 Down Here 39 Guard their Action 85 It Is Glory Enough Introductory. It is Coming 110 If I Were a Voice 276 John Anderson, My Jo 245 Life's Mirror 90 My Doctrine 41 Not Understood 15 Out to Ol' Salt Lake 220 O, My Father 239 Quit Your Knocking 61 Sleep, Old Pioneer 203 The Under Dog 122 The Ninety and Nine 266 What Makes a Man 48 We Be Sweethearts . 275 LEAVES OF TRUTH. Utah and the Mormons. "Not a word of hate or malice Would I weave into my song ; From adobe hut to palace Was a weary way and long." Ladies and Gentlemen: Come with me and in imagination I will lead you across plains and rivers and deserts to the western slope of the great Wasatch range, which is the west-most upheaval of the mighty back- bone of the continent, known in common par- lance as the Rocky Mountains. They stand in a sovereignty all their own, stand with out- stretched arms to welcome you to the sheltering valleys of the golden west that nestle at their base. Silent, solemn sentinels are these great moun- tains, and as one beholds them, they become an inspiration, for they seem the pillars that sup- port the vaulted blue above. In thought they become beings uplifting their heads in majestic splendor, bidding humanity to look up. The 2 2 LEAVES OF TRUTH winds that come down from their lofty summits, bring us the message of protection promises to guard the beautiful valleys at their feet. The man who lives under the uplifting influ- ence of these august sentinel heights assumes something of the patience of eternity, his soul expands and his mind broadens, discourage- ment and narrow, morbid grasping form no part of his life. All men become his brothers and petty trifles pass him by. As we travel on in our imaginary journeyings, over these wondrous heights, mother nature speaks tenderly to us and bids us pause in one of these wondrous gardens of Eden, and desig- nates it Utah ! Truly can we say, using William Cullen Bry- ant's words "To him who in the love of nature holds Communion with her visible forms, She speaks a various language; For his gayer hours she has a voice of gladness And a smile and eloquence of beauty; And she glides into his darker musings With a mild and healing sympathy That steals away their sharpness Ere he is aware." Friends: We will leave figures, which deal, however, only in truth; leave poetry that only reveals the same, and come to plain facts. Utah occupies an important position in the LEAVES OF TRUTH 3 Trans-Mississippi group of States. She is situ- ated between the parallels 37 and 42 North Lati- tude. On the same parallels are Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Southern Illinois, Kentucky, Virginia, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Corea. The State of Utah adjoins Colorado, Arizona, Nevada and Idaho. It is 275 miles wide and 345 miles long. Its total area is 84,970 square miles. Its land area is 82,190 square miles (52,601,600 square acres). Its water area is 2,780 square miles (1,779,200 acres), and it has a population of about 300,000. Utah is a chain of beautiful valleys, extending from the far north to the extreme south, each gemmed with a lake. The State is growing in strength and grandeur every day. Salt Lake City, the capital of the State, and the County seat of Salt Lake County, is situated 100 miles north and a little west of the geographical center of the State. It was founded by the Mor- mons on July 24, 1847. It is the ecclesiastical center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints. It has an estimated population of 100,000. The city is laid out directly to the points of the compass, sloping gradually from the north. The streets are 132 feet wide, with 20 ft. side- walks. Streams of water flow gently down on either side of the street, with beautiful shade trees everywhere. 4 LEAVES OF TRUTH Salt Lake City is really a fairy garden spot, nestling at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains. Above it are the snow-clad, cloud-kissed peaks. Below it are thriving farms and valleys stretch- ing for miles and miles, like an immense checker- board of yellow and green. Beyond them, like a silver thread, winds the river Jordan. In the distance gleams the Great Salt Lake, the Dead Sea of America, the wonder of the world. But today there is a cloud of misunderstand- ing over Utah. A mist exists between the minds of the East and the minds of the West. Let me say with the Poet : "When the mists have rolled in splendor From the beauty of the hills; And the sunlight falls in gladness On the river and the rills, We recall our Father's promise In the rainbow of the spray, We shall know each other better When the mists have rolled away. "We shall know as we are known, Nevermore to walk alone; In the dawning of the morning Of that bright and happy day, We shall know each other better When the mists have rolled away." The Mormon people have been all along the line, and are now being maligned beyond meas- ure by thoughtless people. When the Church LEAVES OF TRUTH 5 was organized in 1830, envy, jealousy and super- stition were rampant, and from this basis the crowd began to shout until it grew into a mob. Then selfish men saw material gain, and prob- ably fame, by molding public prejudice into uses for their own selfish ends, and many of them suc- ceeded well. These men led the crowd under the flags of envy and hatred, arousing the ever- ready clamor of the masses. The mighty power of the press was brought into use and the fires of hate and ignorance have been fanned into a con- suming flame. This cruelty is performed under the banner of the cross with the name of Christ emblazoned upon its folds. Utah's prosperity and its advancement, the peo- ple's good name and their right to religious lib- erty all of these natural rights have been and are being held up to scorn and to sacrifice upon the altars of revenge and selfishness. Men whose records are honor-bright, men whose characters are as far above their traducers as are the stars above a duck's tracks in the mud, are assailed and vilified. The people of the United States and the world have had sugar-coated pills composed of sensa- tional falsehoods prescribed for them by very smooth doctors, and in allopathic doses they have gulped them down as sweet morsels, and like hungry robins chirped for more. It is a great relish for people to talk about polygamy, and very 6 LEAVES OF TRUTH fashionable to say mean things about the Mor- mons. A sensational lie embracing the physical is always welcome. Truthful mental stories are so simple and uninteresting. The lie that goes the farthest is the lie that has a little truth in it. The lie about Utah and the Mormons has been a most successful one. The mental atmosphere of Utah is kept con- tinually in a turmoil. Families are disrupted, friendships destroyed. The man who wrote the song, "We Never Speak as We Pass By," surely got his inspiration in Salt Lake City, and all of this through chattering tongues. I intend to contribute my mite during my short life toward establishing the kingdom of the unselfish a no- bler manhood on earth; that is, such a structure of life that deceit, envy, and unkindness which now hold sway will be replaced by intellectual liberty, truth and reason, with the golden chain of fraternal love binding all men and all nations together in one harmonious brotherhood. I have been a resident of Salt Lake City since the 21st of August, 1869. I know the Mormon people, their religion and their lives, and their plan of operation. The clamor and abuse going on and continually heaped upon this people and their leaders is unjust and is born of ignorance and low selfishness. It is an impeachment on the intelligence and reasoning powers of the Ameri- can people and the boasted religious liberty of the United States. LEAVES OF TRUTH 7 The one acknowledged mistake, namely, poly- gamy, was righted as near as possible from 1890 to 1896. The fight between "Gentiles" and "Mor- mons" was closed during these years. All I ask for Utah is a square deal, and for the Mormon people religious toleration and American freedom to worship God according to their own intelligence and dictates of their con- science. Religious intoleration has caused untold suffer- ing all across the ages. In Massachusetts the Protestants have abused the Catholics, and the Catholics have abused the Protestants. At Summerville, there are two monuments standing but a few rods apart, one erected by Catholics in memory of a nunnery de- stroyed by a Protestant mob, and on the other side of the street is a monument erected by the Protestants in memory of a Protestant church de- stroyed by a Catholic mob. "What fools these mortals be/' My mission in life is to do what I can to stop such absurd foolishness. A man's religion is his own personal, private concern. We have no more right to interfere with him in an unkindly man- ner as to his beliefs and opinions than we have to meddle with his pocketbook, and Shakespeare said "He who steals my purse steals trash," and although money is now a God in the eyes of the selfish man it still remains trash in comparison 8 LEAVES OF TRUTH with the inner soul of a God-man, soul con- science, mental and personal liberty. "Yet I doubt not thro' the ages one increasing purpose runs, And the thoughts of men are widen'd with the process of the suns." "Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers, and I linger on the shore, And the individual withers and the world is more and more." The Story of the Mormons. The denomination known as "Mormons" is properly called by them, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," and takes its basis from the Old and New Testament, and the teach- ings from the Man of Nazareth. Since the Church was organized, a prejudicial war has been waged against it, for no cause whatever, unless it be a political one, until it has become popular and fashionable to abuse the Mormons. It is a source of amusement to listen to the stories told about the people of Utah. Slush books and vile stories find a ready sale, if the plot revolves around a Mormon, or some vile deed depicted therein is laid at the door of the Church. "Mormon" was a nickname applied to them by non-believers. This name, in turn, was taken from the "Book of Mormon," a translation from plates said to have been found in the earth by the founder of the Church, Joseph Smith. The plates were supposed to be engraved with hiero- glyphic characters, and were thought to have been buried in the state of New York four hun- dred years after Christ. The Mormons believe the Book of Mormon to be the history of a peo- 10 LEAVES OF TRUTH pie, originally Jewish, who crossed the sea to America, bringing with them the old Biblical be- lief. This book is not the Mormon Bible, as many suppose. However, the Mormons do believe that the Book of Mormon was to the ancient inhab- itants of the American continent what the books of the Bible were to the people of the old world. It is publicly published, and any reader can as- certain that it does not add to nor contradict the Bible. It does not teach polygamy, and it fore- tells, as does the Bible, the coming of the "King of the Jews," and his subsequent crucifixion. Mormon was the prophet or leader of this peo- ple, and the ancient Aztecs, also the Mound Build- ers, are believed to represent them. The mod- ern American Indian is believed to be the dying remnant of the race. The Mormons believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church, also that the power of conferring the priesthood was lost to the Christian world because of unbelief, and was again restored through Joseph Smith. Their or- ganization consists of a President, who governs the entire organization. He is elected by the vote of the people, and is assisted by two counselors or advisers. Then come the twelve apostles and seventies, bishops, elders, teachers and deacons. The twelve apostles and seventies assist in the management of Church affairs, and hold positions LEAVES OF TRUTH 11 relative to the Senators and Rerpesentatives at Congress. A Bishop presides over a portion of the com- munity and is in turn assisted by his two counsel- ors also teachers and deacons. A Bishop re- ports at quarterly Conference to the President, the affairs of his special community. These meet- ings are open to the public and are held four times a year. There are in Salt Lake City alone, thirty-five Bishops. An Elder is a member of the Church in full standing, who serves, without recompense, for two or three years as a missionary. Any mem- ber of the Church is liable to be called upon to serve in this capacity. TRUTH AND JUSTICE What but a strong conviction of right, a pro- found belief in divine aid could have induced this handful of people to face the horrors of an un- peopled wilderness? This inspiring belief, this oneness of thought and tenacity of purpose enabled the Mormons to open up the great West, to place a Mecca in the wilderness, where upwards of a half million stur- dy, honest citizens live and sing their songs of gladness 'mid flowering vines, waving grasses, bending trees, singing birds, babling brooks and majestic rivers. In presenting to you through the pages of this 12 LEAVES OF TRUTH book the subject "Utah and the Mormons," a brief outline of their doctrine has been given for the purpose of bringing to your minds the found- ation upon which this structure is builded, prov- ing that it is not a murderous mob nor a licen- tious institution. Utah was settled by the Mormons about sixty years ago, and it is not my purpose to argue or to say whether the "Mormons," correctly speak- ing, the "Latter-day Saints," be right or wrong in their religion, because the right or wrong con- ception of religion is a matter of individual ideas ; but it is my purpose to deal with them in justice and fairness, as I would with any other body or sect of people, and to give those desirous of know- ing the facts concerning conditions in Utah a dis- passionate statement of the history of this unique and interesting people. I will endeavor to state the facts as I understand them, after a residence in Utah for forty years. The Mormon question seems to arouse every- where a bitterness and wrath of feeling, so I do not expect other than censure from those who may have written and read literature disgustingly full of vile and licentious abuse and from those who follow a Brutus or an Antony without giv- ing any reasoning thought or investigation on the subject for themselves ; but I know that thinking people will give me credit for being unprejudiced. While I often respectfully repeat the stories as believed by the Mormons, it is not meet or rele- LEAVES OF TRUTH 13 vant for me to stop and question whether or no Joseph Smith had visions or that his dreams were vagaries. I know, however, that his teachings, his religion and thoughts concerning the same, have builded up an organization and a following that has withstood unheard of abuse, and still exists in powerful numbers; and this I do know, that they are an industrious, honest, virtuous, chaste and sober people. I leave it to the theo- logians to figure out the cause. I am here to im- part information and not to solve problems. A true man gives to the other man the same rights and privileges he claims for himself, and then protects both. One should never imagine himself capable of a judgeship as to other people's hearts and minds, and do not think for a moment you are the only pebble on the beach of life's great ocean. THE JUDGE AND THE IRISHMAN Remember the story of the old judge who was compelled by circumstances to share his bed with an Irishman. As Paddy climbed over the rotund form of the wise man to occupy the inner side of the bed, in dignified tones the judge said : "Irish ! you would be a long time in Ireland before you would be permitted to sleep with a judge." Pat replied : " Yis, yer Honor, but it would be a long toime in Ireland before you'd git to be a judge." 14 LEAVES OF TRUTH Nothing was ever achieved by abuse and un- kindness. "Freedom and reason make us men Take these away, what are we then?" Take freedom away and we are slaves. Take reason away and we are animals. Fight for prin- ciple and not with man. I am not a member of the Mormon Church. I do not say this to court favor from the crowd I tell it simply as a fact. I am a fraternalist, which includes all that the word implies. I have adopted for my guide Lincoln's motto, "Good will toward all, and malice toward none." I am a friend of all and love all who follow the Master in His steps of love and kindness. I am not friendly to bigoted churchianity. I do not follow the mob nor shout with a Brutus, although he be a senator. "The world with calumny abounds; The whitest virtue slander wounds. There are those whose joy is night and day To talk a character away." "Eager from place to place they haste To blast the generous and the chaste And hunting reputation down Proclaim their triumph through the town." Give a listening ear to the stories continually told on Utah and one would soon be imbued with LEAVES OF TRUTH 15 the idea that the Mormon people are not fit to live; that they are ignorant and vile; that they dwell in dugouts and caves and beat tom-toms for their music ; that Utah is only on a par with the jungles of Africa. The listening ear is ever ready for sensation; and without stopping to think, to question, or to reason, people have accepted any vile story or works of fiction against the Mor- mons as facts. The following beautiful poem by Thomas Bracken is very applicable : NOT UNDERSTOOD Not understood. We move along asunder, Our paths grow wider as the seasons creep Along the years ; we marvel and we wonder Why life is life, and then we fall asleep Not understood. Not understood. We gather false impressions And hug them closer as the years go by, Till virtues often seem to us transgressions ; And thus men rise and fall and live and die, Not understood. Not understood. Poor souls with stunted vision Oft measure giants by their narrow gauge ; The poisoned shafts of falsehood and derision Are oft impelled 'gainst those who mould the age ; Not understood. 16 LEAVES OF TRUTH Not understood. The secret springs of action Which lie beneath the surface and the snow Are disregarded ; with self satisfaction We judge our neighbors, as they often go; Not understood. Not understood. How trifles often change us. The thoughtless sentence or the fancied slight Destroy long years of friendship and estrange us, And on our souls there falls a freezing blight ; Not understood. Not understood. How many breasts are aching For lack of sympathy ? Ah, day by day How many cheerless, lonely hearts are breaking, How many noble spirits pass away : Not understood. O, God, that men would see a little clearer Or judge less harshly where they cannot see. O, God, that men would draw a little nearer To one another, they'd be nearer Thee. And understood. THE PRESIDENTS First Joseph Smith, the Prophet Born December 23, 1805, in Sharon, Wind- sor County, Vermont. Became President April 6. 1830. Died June 27, 1844, at Carthage, 111. LEAVES OF TRUTH 17 Second Brigham Young Born June 1, 1801, in Whitingham, Wind- ham County, Vermont. Became President De- cember 27, 1847. Died August 29, 1877, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Third John Taylor- Born in Milnthorpe, Westmoreland, Eng- land, November 1, 1808. Became President October 10, 1880. Died July 25, 1887 in Kays- ville, Davis County, Utah. Fourth Wilford Woodruff Born March 1, 1807, in Farmington, Hart- ford County, Conn. Became President April 7, 1889. Died September 2, 1898, in San Fran- cisco, California. Fifth Lorenzo Snow Born April 3, 1814, in Mantua, Portage County, Ohio. Became President September 13, 1898. Died October 10, 1901, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sixth Joseph Fielding "Smith Born in Far West, Caldwell County, Mis- souri, November 13, 1838. Became President October 17, 1901. Polygamy. One of the strongest factors in any religious sect, is its belief regarding the life of the soul past, present and to come. The Mormon view of immortality is very com- prehensive and liberal, no matter what we may personally believe. The people of the United States have taken it for granted that polygamy is the sum total of the religion called "Mormonism." It is only fair to the Mormon people, and my aim is to be true to the truth, to state that poly- gamy is not the basis of the Mormon religion. It is but a small part or an incident to their mar- riage system. Their actual belief is in the resurrection and the life. They believe in immortality of soul and body, therefore they believe that all of God's children will sooner or later receive the message of Christ through Joseph Smith and attain exal- tation in the "House of many mansions ;" accord- ing to the life lived here on earth and the deeds done in the body. Christ said, "I go to prepare a place for you." The Mormons believe in Christ, LEAVES OF TRUTH 19 but, say they, each individual must prepare him- self for the place. In Utah there are four Temples dedicated to this work of preparation, so that all may fit them- selves for the various glories that are to come. Each one of these temples is so situated that a cer- tain number of people comprising a district, or stake, come under its direct jurisdiction. One of the fundamental ideas of the "Mor- mons" is that they should emigrate to one place and make that their permanent home. When a Mormon community grows to sufficient propor- tions, they immediately proceed to erect a temple. A temple is not a house of public worship, but a building set apart for the performance of church ordinances only, such as baptisms, confirmations, marriages, sealings, and anointings. These buildings are supposed to be copied from "Solomon's Temple," and are models of architec- tural beauty. To show the reverence inspired in these peo- ple's hearts for their temples, I quote from one of their own writers : "The completion of a temple means more to our minds than the mere finishing of a costly pile of masonry. It means that an enduring bond of unity between time and eternity has been welded. It means that a faith which enables a people to honor God in keeping his commandments, will enable them also to prevail mightily with him in 20 LEAVES OF TRUTH securing their own salvation and the redemption of mankind." In these beautiful temples are performed all ceremonies pertaining to their marriage system. The living are married to the living and the living may be sealed to the dead, and baptized for the dead. Scripture teaches : "Then why are we baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all." To non-Mormon minds this appears a queer custom, but it is a part of their faith and they are entitled to it, and before we criticize and ridicule their queer customs let us turn our attention to our own religious idiosyncracies. The marriage system of the Mormon Church differs in many particulars from the prevailing ideas of the vaious Christian churches, whose marriage contracts are made for this world only, or, in their own words, "until death doth part them." The new idea with the Mormons is that they marry for time and all eternity. Their belief is that the family relations and associations which contribute so much to man's refinement, spiritu- ality and intellectual happiness here in this world will continue on through every cycle of life that is to be. The poet, Robert Burns, breathed this same beautiful idea in his "Cotter's Saturday Night." The reader will remember the story. At night when the family circle was all complete, the songs of love had been sung, and the good nights had been said ; LEAVES OF TRUTH 21 "Then, kneeling down, to Heaven' eternal King, The Saint, the father, and the husband prays. Hope 'springs exultant on triumphant wing.' That thus they all shall meet in future days There ever bask in uncreated rays, No more to sigh or shed the bitter tear. "Together hymning their Creator's praise In such society, yet still more dear, While circling time moves round in an eternal sphere." When Utah and the Mormon religion is spok- en of the world never associates with it such sen- timents as these. The Mormon idea of home life and marriage is not understood. It is poly- gamy vulgarity polygamy, that is uppermost in the minds of the people. It has been said that "to the pure all things are pure." In my estima- tion Mormon polygamy was not as bad as it was represented to be. The world always looks up- side down to the man who is himself upside down. People seldom look for the better side of things nor question the whys and wherefores of any im- portant question which may affect the lives of their fellow beings. The Mormon church existed ten years before the question of polygamy was ever promulgated to the people, and polygamy was never held to be a commandment to all their people, but rather a permission granted to men and women of good character, and then under special rules and condi- tions. 22 LEAVES OF TRUTH The age, time, conditions and environment were vastly different sixty years ago than now, and with all these things and although it was a vital principle of the Church, polygamy did not make much headway with the Mormon people. Really, the talk about it was greater than the thing itself. The continued noise reminds me of a campaign story: "THE FARMER AND THE FROGS." A farmer approached a hotel man and pro- posed to sell him a carload of frog legs. The ho- tel man smiled, chuckled, and derided the old fel- low, but the farmer stuck to it and persisted in his claim that he could procure and have on hand after the 3rd of November a carload of frog legs. The hotel man, not to be bluffed, agreed to take all the old man could bring of legs at 20c a dozen. The date set rolled around, as all dates do, and the next day, after the frogs had been caught and counted, the farmer approached his prospective customer w r ith a sheepish look and with his head bowed in disgust, carrying in his hand a small tin pail, its contents being about a couple of dozen frog legs. The hotel man smiled and asked for the carload. The farmer meekly replied, "It was the croaks that fooled me. Say, 'Don/ if there had been as many frogs as croaks I could have easily had two carloads, but alas, noise is not al- ways indicative of truth. LEAVES OF TRUTH 23 When polygamy was most urged upon the membership of the church and reached its highest point in practice there were never more than three per cent of the population who entered into poly- gamy. Mormon polygamy did not mean licentiousness, but it meant an additional home ; it m'eant toil for the husbandman; it meant food, raiment and education for the children born of the union. It meant wifehood and protection. It meant joy and responsibility of motherhood ; in other words, it meant all the responsibilities that go with mon- ogamous marriages. Surely a bestial man would not assume such obligations. If so, he surely was a beast and a fool combined. I am glad to say that polygam'ous marriages ceased in Utah eighteen years ago. The senti- ment of the people of the United States was against it. When Utah knocked at the portals of the government for permission to enter as a State into the sisterhood of States one of the binding declarations demanded was voiced through the national congress, that before admis- sion could be allowed, polygamous or plural mar- riages must be forever prohibited. The people of Utah accepted this condition and obligated them- selves to it by incorporating the very language of the enabling act into their constitution, at their State Constitutional convention, and further, they took the definition of the national congressional enactment of polygamous or plural marriages and 24 LEAVES OF TRUTH adopted its punishment for the offense, and the amount of fine and imprisonment that should be imposed for the crime. This was the agreement entered into, and I am sure the Mormon people have kept it. If individuals have broken the law, the individual is responsible, and is punished ac- cording to the law when arraigned before the court, as any other criminal who violates the statutes of this or any other State. There are many men who commit errors that are mem- bers of churches and societies, but this should be no reflection on the church itself. The church does not teach it nor tolerate it. Nearly every murderer who was ever hanged belonged to a church, but it was no reflection on the church. There are many criminals, but it is not all crim- inals who are sinners. Christ was a criminal in the eyes and mind of the mob, but he was not a sinner ; and so it is with some of the Utah people today. Justice and law are in many cases two different things. We shout justice and practice law. The people involved in this plural marriage re- lationship belong not to the criminal class and they are not sinners but splendid men and women. The men are counted among the most honorable in the State. The women who accepted this order of marriage, both first wives and plural wives, are as refined and pure, both in body and in mind, as can be found anywhere in the world. The men and women of Utah are earnest, honest, sincere LEAVES OF TRUTH 25 and as pure as any, and I will defend them while I have mind and strength to do so. Among the Mormon people exist the dearest family ties, that of husband and wife, children and grand- children,with all the collateral relationships grow- ing out of the family. I ask you to remember the purity of motive with which those marriage relations were formed, Think of the religious honesty of the people! and while it may seem strange to you, they believed they were doing God's service when accepting that order of mar- riage. In my estimation an attempt to obliterate the polygamous relationship at one stroke would be unreasonable, unmerciful and un-American. A good man will never desert a good wife and their children, if the bony finger of all the world's hate and malice were pointed at him. There is a higher and deeper law than those made by ordinary men and framed in statutes and constitutional law books, and that is the law of the soul of things, honor, love, affection, between father, mother, child and friend; call it if you will the moral law. This law is sustained by a refined monitor called by us, conscience, which was born in man and is a part of that mysterious something Divinity. This law of truth and justice has been struggling toward the light in and through man since he first turned his eyes from the sod to the stars. All that concerns us nationally is the moral sta- 26 LEAVES OF TRUTH tus, present and future, of any State in this our Union. It ought to be in America that any man who has a just cause and is honest need not fear to appeal to the American people. This country is made up, or should be, of individuals and not of tribes. My Friends: After all the fuss that has been made about this dreadful poylgamy of Utah do you not honestly think, from a biblical standpoint, which every Church in Christendom insists that we must believe, that there is some little excuse for the Mormons introducing polygamy? Let us be square, honest, and just a shade reasonable. The doctrine of polygamy is as much a part of the old Bible as the doctrine of the trinity is a part of the New Testament. Abraham, David, Jacob, and Solomon are held up to the whole civilized world by orthodox min- isters as examples of all that is good and holy, and yet these men were polygamists of the most pro- nounced type. Solomon had enough wives and children to start a good-sized town with. The Bible tells us he had three hundred wives and seven hundred friends. Solomon was certainly one of two things, a very clever old man or the biggest fool that ever lived. These men, in their day, were respected and loved by the commu- nity in which they lived, and their names are per- petuated in sacred history to be used by the hu- man race yesterday, today and forever. LEAVES OF TRUTH 27 Life is a funny proposition, after all, is it not? We cannonade while living, canonize when dead. The majority of people believe nowadays, or pretend to believe, in the monogamic system of marriage. This belief is mine. However, any m'an or woman has a right to his or her own belief or opinion, even if it is not in keeping with constitutional law, providing he does not practice it. A government or a nation has no right to take out a man's brain nor kill the use of it. They did that in olden times, but it won't do now. "In men whom men condemn as ill I find so much of goodness still. In men whom men pronounce divine I find so much of sin and blot I hesitate to draw the line Between the two where God has not." Do not worry any more about Utah polygamy. It has been dead eighteen years. Turn your eyes from mole hills of imagined wrongs to mountains of real sorrows and wickedness. It is said there are eight hundred thousand fallen women in the United States. Statistics of fallen men not given. In 1900 there were one hundred and ninety-eight thousand, nine hundred and fourteen devorced persons in the United States. There were about seventy thousand divorces in 1903 and eighty thousand in 1907. 28 LEAVES OF TRUTH A bulletin issued by the census bureau, Novem- ber, 1908, says : "A higher divorce rate in the United States than in any of the foreign countries where sta- tistics are available, is announced by the census bureau, which, in a bulletin just issued, says that at least one marriage in 12 in this country ulti- mately terminates in divorce. The report covers the twenty years from 1887 to 1906, inclusive. In that time there were 12,832,044 marriages and 945,625 divorces, against 328,716 divorces for the preceding twenty years. Divorce is now two and a half times as common compared with the married population, as it was 40 years ago." These are our real troubles. Their Places of Worship. The Salt Lake Temple, which is one of the four in the State of Utah, was erected at a cost of from three to four million dollars. Its corner stone was laid April 6, 1853, by Pres- ident Brigham Young, assisted by his counselors, Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards. After forty years of .constructing, this building was ded- icated April 6, 1893, by President Wilford Wood- ruff and his counselors. This massive structure is built entirely of na- tive granite, and occupies a space 186J feet long and 90 feet wide. It is surmounted by six towers, three on the East and three on the West. The height of the central tower to" the East is 22 1J feet, upon which stands the golden figure of the Angel Moroni, blowing a trumpet. This fig- ure is twelve feet five and a half inches high, and conveys the idea of a messenger and represents the fact of Moroni bringing the gospel to the earth in this latter day dispensation. The figure is made of hammered copper, entirely covered with pure gold leaf. A 100 candle power incan- descent light crowns and illumines this marvelous piece of handwork of Dallin, the famous Utah sculptor. 30 LEAVES OF TRUTH This Salt Lake Temple is built upon a founda- tion wall, which is 16 feet thick, the lower walls of the building are nine feet thick and those at the top six feet. The height of the West towers is 219 feet, the east side towers are 200 feet and the west side towers 194 feet. It stands a silent testimony in granite of a peo- ple's industry and devotion. Incidentally, let me remark, upon its com- pletion it was entirely free from any sort of obli- gation. If the tax-payers of America could study the methods pursued by this Church and apply them to the erection of government buildings, many of our fair cities would not be burdened with inter- est-bearing bonds. MEETING HOUSES The Mormons have no pew-holders or collec- tion plates in their houses of worship. Saint and sinner, rich and poor, stand an equal chance of obtaining front seats. These public places of wor- ship are called "Meeting Houses." They are se- verely simple. In Salt Lake City and vicinity there are thirty- five meeting houses. In these are held Sabbath Schools each Sunday morning, and six o'clock Sunday evening service. On Tuesday evenings are held the "Mutual Im- provement" meetings; also a monthly fast day LEAVES OF TRUTH 31 meeting is held here. Sunday afternoon service is held in a common meeting place for all these various branches or districts, at a church known as the Tabernacle, and is presided over by the President, assisted by the twelve apostles. TABERNACLE This great tabernacle is 250 feet long, 150 feet wide, and 100 feet high in the center of the roof, which is a single arch, unsupported by pillar or post. The walls are twelve feet thick, and there are twenty huge double doors for entry and exit. This Tabernacle resembles in appearance, the back of a vast turtle. The building seats 8,000 people. Its acoustics are so wonderful that the slightest noise can be heard. An interesting fea- ture is that the dropping of a pin can be heard distinctly throughout the building. Within this building stands the famous pipe organ, which ranks among the largest organs in the world. Added to the music of this organ are the voices of 500 men and women, the largest or- ganized church choir in the world. Philosophy of Mormonism. What may be called the "Philosophy of Mor- monism" embraces not only the doctrines and dog- mas, the precepts and practices of this life, but reaches back to the eternities that have passed and forward to the eternities that are to come. The mortal probation which we call "life" is re- garded by the "Latter-day Saints" as one stage significant and of transcending importance, it is true nevertheless a stage only in the course of that eternal progression which is the heritage of the children of Deity. And under this title are included all members of this great family of ours the human family. The Latter-day Saints boldly affirm their belief in a pre-existent state; they combat the thought that the beginning of individual existence dates from birth, or even from the conception of the mortal body, which body, indeed, they regard as the earthly garb of an immortal spirit. This spirit had an existence as an intelligent and self-acting entity before its body of flesh took shape and shall continue to exist even after the tabernacle of earth earthy has gone to decay. These adherents of the new theology contend that the evidence of a hereafter in which the LEAVES OF TRUTH 33 immortal man shall rise above the seeming vic- tory of the grave is not less strong than is that pointing to a conscious and progressive existence in the "herebefore." From this it follows as a matter of course that they affirm an intimate relationship between the past or primeval existence and the present, as also between the present existence and the future state. They say that the Eternal One, who is both merciful and just, and who is literally the Father of our spirits, is not limited by the mortal span of His children's lives in bestowing upon them His good gifts; that even in the great be- yond far on the other side of the grave it may be possible for the children of God to repent, to separate themselves from their sins, and to set out on the upward road of progression. Let it be remembered, however, that in this be- lief of theirs there is no mawkish sentimentality, no comfortable carelessness as to present respon- sibilities, no flattering "unction" to ease the soul of regrets for opportunities missed, and for re- pentance procrastinated. Repentance, say they, is not to be had for the whimsical asking, or on the prompting of a fleet- ing fancy. The man who through his acts be- comes hardened in sin loses not alone the ability to repent, but the capability of exercising even a forceful will toward repentance. Not a sin com- mitted in life shall fail to leave its wound or scar ; no opportunity can be wilfully spurned or care- 4 34 LEAVES OF TRUTH lessly cast aside and then be made good. What- ever the later victories in the great struggle in life, the fact of ignominious defeat is a fact of history and of record to be overshadowed, per- haps by subsequent triumphs, to be forgotten, perchance, in the joy of better accomplishments, but never to be obliterated from the page of what has been. The "Mormons" believe in no exclusive heaven nor hell. In the future state of the soul there will be formed infinite gradations of intelli- gence and capacity. They often quote the words of the "Man of Nazareth, "In my Father's house there are many mansions," and every soul, say they, shall find there as he finds or makes for himself here, a home of beauty and refinement, or a hovel. But as children of the eternal God we are capable of endless advancement, however slow one's progress, if indeed we do advance; however small our capacity if we do but utilize what we have; however great the mistakes we make if we do not persistently make the same blunders over and over again; no matter how clumsily we stumble or how sore may be the bruises from our fall, do we but stumble less and blunder less as the years roll by we shall rise and grow, we shall develop and advance, for have we not eternity before us ? This theology tells of varied grades of glory, many mansions of the blest, but the splendor of the heavenly abode, the glory of the righteous, is no state of idle ease and irresponsible rest. Sal- LEAVES OF TRUTH 35 vation, exaltation to them is but an increase of facilities for advancement under better conditions for the work essential to progression. Heaven is a state of advanced work, of increased power for good, of glory that consists of intelligence and wisdom to use it. This feature of their philosophy necessarily en- tails a liberal regard for and willing recognition of the good in all men. Every man, "be he Mor- mon, Jew or Gentile, Catholic, Protestant or Unitarian, Presbyterian Congregationalist or what-not shall find his place in the Father's man- sion, according to his fidelity to the truth he has learned according to the purity and capacity of his soul. Their commentaries affirm that even the heathen who has lived up conscientiously to the highest law of righteousness he has learned, shall advance and develop, while the man of civ- ilization and high earthly station shall serve and not rule, follow and not lead, obey and not com- mand, if he has trampled the laws of righteous- ness under his feet, and wandered from the path illuminated by the light of truth and beauty. The fate of the "damned" is to these people the loss of power to advance, the cessation of de- velopment. Hell with its brimstone and fire finds no place in their theology; nor does heaven as a place where the redeemed sit on stools of flitting clouds and spend eternity in twanging harps and singing praises. They believe in a God who is best worshiped by service, not by words alone ; 36 LEAVES OF TRUTH by deeds, not by dogmas; by effort, and not by any attainment of abstract goodness. This life is but one of the departments in the great school of the eternities. Death is the grad- uation to a higher grade. The grade does not revolutionize the individual. We shall carry with us ous characters, our natures whatever our rep- utation among our fellows may have been; but to the soul that loves the light, there is offered the opportunity of endless progression, and this is salvation, according to Mormon philosophy. (I am indebted to Dr. J. E. Talmage for this article, for which I am truly grateful.) What Mormons are Doing. The "Mormons" are spreading out, clearing the desert of sage brush, killing reptiles, digging canals planting trees, building homes school houses and churches. They are making of a wilderness a flower garden. Mormon leaders seldom' sit by the fireside of home sweet home; they are journeying and toil- ing continually for the welfare of their people, bettering their conditions physically and intellec- tually. While the croakers sit and croak, the "Mormons" are toiling on and on. "Mormons" have learned the old, old story, that every advancement is at the cost of infinite struggle, and they are struggling. There is but little difference in the plans of the various churches and societies and while I have profound respect for all, I have the right to ex- press my appreciation of a good point wherever I find it. The principal work of the ordinary church is spiritual, up in the clouds, with, seemingly, but little thought of the conditions of the people here on earth. It is one continuous donating proposi- 38 LEAVES OF TRUTH tion, freed, of course, from commercialism, but the rich man, a commercialist contributes some of his wealth irrespective of how he got it to the building of a church. When this church is half finished more money is solicited to com'plete it, and, after all, isn't this commercialism? I am sorry to find, too, there is but little room for the rags amongst the velvet and a poor wayfarer feels, when visiting, about as much out of place as would a Mozart in a chemical laboratory. A poor fellow waiting at the door of one of ihe stylish eastern churches asked, whose church is this? He was answered, "Christ's church." The stranger then said : "Is He in ?" Of course he was then shown to a seat. The various churches have charitable clubs, etc., attached to the main body. The Salvation Army is a good institution. It feeds thousands of indigents over and over again. I agree with the sentiment that "He who stoops above the fal- len stands erect," but why not encourage an in- stitution that keeps a man from falling? The "Mormon" church, as I understand it, stands for both temporal and spiritual affairs. The Apostles are on the go year after year, col- onizing, blazing the forest and performing the greatest of all charities helping others to help themselves, and in my way of thinking, the best way to show your love of God is by helping your fellow man. The "Mormon" church or religion is the most practical of any. LEAVES OF TRUTH 39 DOWN HERE "The parish priest of Austerly, Climbed up in a high church steeple, To be near God, so that he might hand His word down to the people, And in sermon script he daily wrote What he thought was sent from heaven, And he dropped it down on the people's heads Two times one day in seven. In his age, God said, 'Come down and die/ And he cried from out the steeple, 'Where art thou, Lord ?" and the Lord replied, 'Down here amongst the people.' " The "Mormons" have been called a menace. "Uncle Sam" need have no fear of a people who are brave and industrious, who cultivate the di- vine art of music, who sing and teach their chil- dren to sing, who are happy and contented in their mountain homes. Uncle Sam need not be afraid of a church that has the best kind of char- ity and takes care of its poor. A state is not a menace that has sent many of the best and brain- iest men and women in the Union into the world sculptors, artists, vocalists, musicians, preach- ers, soldiers sailors and statesmen. It is an absurd idea that the state or states can be a menace whose people are chaste and vir- 40 LEAVES OF TRUTH tuous, who love children and welcome them into the world with songs of joy. The country is safe where women prefer the dashing boy and the pretty girl for their pets rather than a bull canine or a Maltese feline. Uncle Sam need have no fear of a state whose public school system ranks among the best in the United States; that possesses school buildings which for general excellence are not outclassed in the whole United States; where there stands an investment of $100 for every child of school age. The people of Utah have their eyes on the stars, but they keep pegging away on earth. During the war a personal friend said to Mr. Lincoln : "Mr. President, do you really expect to end this war during your administration ?" "Can't say, sir ; can't say, sir." "But, Mr. Lincoln, what do you really mean to do ?" "Peg away, sir ; peg away ; keep pegging away." WILL KEEP PEGGING AWAY The "Mormons/' it strikes me, will keep peg- ging away. Through all the ages in the realms of art, science, inventions, discoveries and pro- gress, there have always been the knockers. All good springs from eternal combat. The "Mor- mon" people will never be a menace to good gov- ernment under the Stars and Stripes of Old Glory. They are not dumb driven cattle and the men LEAVES OF TRUTH 41 who continually insult them by calling them such are not very apt to get their votes. When you abuse the leaders you abuse the people. If the selection of a president of these United States depended upon the citizens of Utah, their judgment would not be very bad. Of course, they wouldn't vote for a bigot who would kill them. They would select men with similar minds to Theodore Roosevelt, who believes in a square deal for everybody. MY DOCTRINE "My doctrine is to lay aside Contention and be satisfied ; Just do your best and praise or blame That follows, that counts just the same." "I've always noticed great success, Is mixed with trouble, more or less, And it's the man who does his best That gets more kicks than all the rest." Be Strong. Be strong! We are not here to play, to dream, to drift ; We have hard work to do and loads to lift ; Shun not the struggle ; face it ; 'tis God's gift. Be strong ! Say not the days are evil who's to blame ? And fold the hands and acquiesce oh, shame ! Stand up ; speak out, and bravely, in God's name. Be strong ! It matters not how deep intrenched the wrong, How hard the battle goes, the day how long. Faint not ; fight on ; Tomorrow comes the song. D. Maltbie Babcock. To Live and Grow. It is better a man be half wrong, and think for himself than be all right by allowing some one else to think for him. Human life is very like a tree, its growth is upward toward the light. A man who has more light, more talents, it is his duty, and should be his pleasure, to extend a strong helping hand to his less favored brother. Hold aloft the torch of reason and in manly confidence and kindness lead him from the morass of error into the sunlit fields of golden truth. We should aim to be men in the true sense of the term and attain the highest perfection in hu- man life a man; a king can be no more. The right thinking man is without fear of any sort or shape. He is not an asker of favors and is never a failure. The mind is vaster than the earth and he is al- ways true to his higher and better self. The animal man who dissipates, who does not think and reason, who begs and bows and cringes to his fellows exchanges higher values for lower values, and thus surrenders the Divinity within his keeping, leaving ere long a rotten hulk, 44 LEAVES OF TRUTH spoiled and ruined, a thing to be despised only to be inhabited by bats and bugs on the filthy banks of stagnant pools. Live for something; have a purpose and that purpose keep in view. TRUE MANHOOD "Build it well whate'er ye do; Build it straight and strong and true. Build it high and clean and broad; Build it for the eye of God." A real man, in word and deed, is an honest one. Death to him is preferable to dishonor. He is genial and ever faithful to his trusts ; he is as true as the compass and as tender as the flowers. His influence is felt for good at home, on the street, in business circles, and in public places. He is slow to condemn, and when preju- dice controls the hearts of men, clamor and scan- dal fill the air, he exercises care and prudence and does not run with, nor echo the ravings of un- thinking minds. He cultivates the higher faculties and sensibil- ities. He looks with pity rather than with blame at the mistakes, faults and frailties of his fellows. He is honest, prompt, kind and true. He stands erect and craves more than bread and sleep. He loves his God and works and hopes for every man, himself included. He knows the poet spoke the truth when he said: LEAVES OF TRUTH 45 "Tis not so much what now we are As what we may become. God reckons on the growth of man; Eternity gives room." We shall never have a decent civilization until a noble, intellectual manhood is builded. Then every human being will walk under the torchlight of reason and will think and act according to the dictates of his conscience God's monitor. SUGGESTIONS If a tale-bearer pours poisonous stories into your ear about a friend, play fair, give your friend the slandered one an equal chance with the slanderer. Never judge harshly nor slight a man through the tongue of a chatterer ; if you do, you are on the same plain as the chatterer. Men talk monkeys chatter ; be men ! An honest man is never insulted nor slighted, an inferior man can't insult him and a superior won't. Never worry as to people liking you, live your own life, be worthy of self-esteem, honor-bright. This is enough ! In every man there is the power of greatness needs development, that's all. 46 LEAVES OF TRUTH Be honest, energetic ; it's the only way. Mind and heart make the man. The business man who claims for himself "no sentiment in business" and means it is an ani- mal. The world needs individual strength for a higher and more extended form of unity. It needs groups of thinkers harmonizing their best thought into universal fellowship. The tribal age is past. You are what some one else tells you to be, unless you think it over yourself. The most valuable asset is honesty. A mar. may be a fool, but if he is honest, no honors are too great, and he has them. It's mighty good to come across a man who is sincere. Boys, be somebody, and get experience knowledge. There is something wrong with a man who is afraid to live or afraid to die. LEAVES OF TRUTH 47 Thousands of people are in the business of sav- ing souls, but few are trying to make them worth saving. Reason separates men from animals. To be a success stop singing so much about the "Sweet By and By," but sing sweet songs of the eternal now. Think of it change your opinions, you are compelled to change your friends it is laughable, but it's the truth. Many people will fight for their religion, but seldom have a thought of living it. The world boasts of civilization, but it's ever so far away. Reason is the lamp of the mind and the source of justice. Many people call themselves liberals, but they insist on mental slavery for the other fellow. Remember always that religion is personal an