The Methodist Quarterly Review September-October, 1896.

ART. VII.-THE MORMON PROBLEM IN THE WEST. Mormonism is one of the religious problems which have occupied the thoughts of the evangelical Churches of the United States for the past forty years. That the problem is not generally understood is apparent to those best acquainted with it. We do not here discuss its origin and history, but simply speak of it as it now appears. Mormonism is the dominant religious, social, mercantile, and political force in Utah, which has lately become one of the States of the Union. Beyond this, it is getting large control among the people of three other States, Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming, and is extending into Arizona and New Mexico.

It is in the West to stay. Its people are settled in a permanent abode. In the beginning they braved the dangers of a long and perilous journey across a trackless desert occupied by Indians hostile to the settlement of the country by the whites, and at a time when few dreamed of railroads and telegraphs. Many of their women walked and pushed handcarts all the way from Omaha to Salt Lake. On the journey they buried some of their children far from human habitation, where the coyotes and wolves often feasted on their remains, the people themselves sometimes eating roots and herbs to keep from starving. In the space of forty years they have turned a wild and dreary desert into smiling fields, meadows, and orchards, so that the Scriptures are literally fulfilled, "The desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose." Every traveler through the valleys of Utah must admit the industry and frugality of the people. Their perseverance in reclaiming a vast desolate region, the home of wild beasts, and in making it a land of plenty has but few parallels in history. They have built one large city, Salt Lake, and hundreds of smaller towns and villages. Salt Lake, with its magnificent temple, tabernacle, and assembly house, is one of the wonders of this age. With its broad, shady avenues, gardens full of flowers and shrubbery, and beautiful lawns, it delights every beholder. It is to the Mormon people what Jerusalem and Mecca have been for ages to Jews and Mohammedans. Nothing short of an earthquake or some more terrible visitation of Providence, utterly blotting them out, will ever remove these people from their chosen place of abode.

The Mormons are increasing. Many people in the East think that Mormonism is waning. This is a mistake. These people are multiplying rapidly. Every year large accessions are made to their numbers by the labors of missionaries sent to the Southern States and to several countries of Europe. They have churches and schools in large numbers. In hundreds of villages in all this West their meeting houses are the only ones to be seen and their bishops and preachers are the only ones the people hear. In a summer "outing" the writer passed through five villages in which are no religious services except the Mormon. In this county-Uinta, Wyoming, sixty miles wide and three hundred long, and having a population of over eight thousand-not a church of any sort except Mormon can be found outside of Evanston, the county seat. This is also true of many of the counties in Utah. Mormon votes elect the officers in all departments of the State government, and the Mormon Church controls the State university. Should a Gentile be elected to office he will do as those already in office do-ourt the dominant power for bread and butter. An illustration of this is found in the case of a prosecuting attorney of Uinta County, Wyoming. While not himself a Mormon, he has winked at polygamy, although knowing right well the men who have plural wives. As far as enforcing the law against polygamy is concerned, he might as well be an official in the Mormon Church. But some one will ask why the Christian people and business men who are not Mormons do not see that the officers do their duty. The fact is that most business men, whether Christian or not, do not care how many wives a man has if they can secure his trade; and those who do care are powerless.

The Churches are not reaching the Mormons. During the last twenty-five years over two millions of dollars have been put into Utah by the Christian Churches of the East for the purpose of converting the Mormons. While the Churches have been giving their money liberally to build lip the Christian faith in all this West, more has been spent in Utah than in any other Western State or Territory. But, so far as converting the Mormons is concerned, this has been largely wasted. If two hundred real Mormons have been changed and made into earnest evangelical Christians during that time we have not been able to discover them. A Presbyterian pastor who has labored for the past five years in Utah is of opinion that not one hundred Mormons have been converted into actual Christians. For this there are doubtless several distinct reasons:

1. The Mormons are largely a rural people. They occupy all the agricultural valleys and fruit-growing regions in Utah. The work of the evangelical Churches is chiefly given to the cities and railroad towns. There is an aversion on the part of most of the present-day preachers to the old-fashioned Methodist circuits. Hence little is done in the country, and the many thousands of people residing there, especially the young, never bear religious teaching from any other than Mormon tongues.

2. There is little intercourse outside of business between the Mormons and Gentiles. The former are a distinct people, keeping to themselves. There is scarcely more intercourse between the two classes than between whites and negroes in the South.

3. The Mormons resent and resist any effort made to change their religious faith, claiming, as they do, that they are the people of God. For this they present some plausible grounds. They are more evangelical than the Unitarians and Universalists of New England. They believe in the New Testament Scriptures, the divinity of Jesus Christ, and the atonement for sin secured by his death. Their ritual consecrating the bread and water for the sacrament shows this, as do also the sermons of their preachers. Unitarians would be indignant at any evangelical Church sending missionaries among them to convert them to the Christian faith, as if they were heathen. The Mormons have more authority from the Bible for their faith and practice, polygamy included, than have the Unitarians for theirs. When the commissioner from India in a recent Presbyterian General Assembly pleaded that the members of his Church in that country who have plural wives should not be expelled, but educated out of their polygamy, he quoted Bible examples for his plea. The argument against polygamy, like that against slavery, rests chiefly on other grounds than explicit biblical prohibition. Why waste time, money, and labor in carrying on what many regard as a religious crusade against a quiet, sober, religious, and industrious people Let the laity and clergy of the other Churches show by superior living and acting that they have a more spiritual religion, and in time the Mormon Church will discard many of her vagaries and learn a better way.

The time has come for the authorities of all evangelical Churches to change their plans of missionary operation in Utah. Mormonism cannot be overcome by the methods now in use, and the missionary money now wasted there ought to be applied to more fruitful fields. If the evangelical Churches will turn their attention more to the higher education of the young men and women they will in time accomplish more satisfactory results. One great mistake made by the Churches in the past has been in failing to provide opportunities for higher education. The Congregationalists are now recognizing this, and have founded the Salt Lake College, which in the not distant future will give them a commanding position. Had the missionary money spent during the past twenty-five years in supporting missionaries in uncongenial, unfruitful, and barren fields, where very few Gentiles live, been put by the Methodist Episcopal Church into a commanding College much greater results would now appear.

written by Rev. F. S. Beggs, Evanston, Wyo.

Edited by Aaron R. Bynum, Northwest Nazarene College, June 29, 1999. Proofreading, HTML conversion, and other modifications by Brandon Boyd.

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