THE MORMON MENACE.

NZ Truth, Issue 406, 5 April 1913, Page 8

THE MORMON MENACE.

MEN OF MANY WIVES AND THOR WAYS. j v- 1ljm::A CONVERT HAS CHRONICLED. - ■ • , : ■■■ "'■--. - - •■_ ■ . •"'..■■■ *'..■■■'■ -. ■'"-■■' Frolicsome Elders and m Effeminate Bishop— Mary Louisa Taylor's Tragic Tale;

Notwithstanding that dnring the last Session of .Parliament r . ' attention . was . drawn to the fact that Mormons from Utah '(U.S.A.) were m New. Zealand and pursuing .." questionable tactics, nothing has been ddrie to place a check on what, m various parts of England, "is denounced. as a pest. Beyond the fact that a promise was made that the Police Commissioner would inquire and a report would be made, nothing seems to have been done. If the Police Commissioner has made a report, it will be interesting to note what that report discloses. Suffice it to say that the Mormons are still active, hot alone 7 m the cities, but m iso-. lated country districts. Their methods of propagating 'their peculiar tenets are open to question. Women are terrorised and many complaints have been made. In,' England a strorig sustained agitation has been led against: Mormonism and' some remarkable disclosures have been ma<te. They concern a Miss Mary Louisa Taylor, now a resident of Canada, who,' when, living at Llandrindod, Wales, became a convert. She was, - m fact, a real, convert. She 4^ not need any persuasion to emigrate; she burned to throw m her lot: with the; brethren and sisters, who were already assembled tn ( Zion. Well educated, 5 young (not then 21)Y and exceptionally; handsome, she was looked upon as a great t ' : VTROPHY^OF GRACE.V , and there was considerable competition among trie ? s Elders^ ;in the neighborhood .^here she was" converted for the privi£ge of "in^tructirig"' so winsome a convert But vwrieri she finally sailed 'down the Mersey 7 ln the v iWhiterStar liner, Dominion she was still a firm believer m Mormonismir despite' one 1 or two rather bold advances on the part of her 'amorous"''spiritual' guides."^ She .rejoiced to think . 'that she was leaving a country where she had .practically; .-no 'relatives to enter upon.: a 'life where -everyone would be ; a brother or sister to her. ! The 'point is thai '* when Miss Taylor filially- arrived ;: at- SalV Lake, City she had a whole "faith, m the irightriess and purity, 6t the system of religion which she had^ embraced.''. Further ! it shduld ; be said ■ that although she had- heard reports coiKJernirig the'^ doctrine of • polygamy she bad not been instrudted; m it; and the purity of her nature brushed the subject aside as one not to ! be;-thought of; Very Boori she was disillusioned, and the story of her trials and tribulations should serve as a warning to any [ New, t Zealand girl who is almost persuaded to embrace the Mormon gospe| of Christianity., Miss - Taylor's experiences are thus narrateaby herself : m "The People," the London Sunday journal:— ■ FIRST IMPRESSIONS OP ZION. I arrived m Salt Lake City on 'July 7, 1908. It was a blazing hot day, and when . I arrived at the depot (railway station) I was fagged out. I had been travelling for 1 over four days m the train, 'and the novelty of seeing a- new country soon wore off . I was niet by Elder Sanders arid his wife/ who were both exceedingly kind to . me, and took me to their home. They lived near the big bank building ("The Batik of iZldh"), and after I had straightened mysejf h out I was introduced to many brokers and sisters who flocked In on hearing that j several converts had arrived from ' England. I met several whom I had heard of by repute from the Elders; who had been associated with me m the old country, arid I thought everything was ; as pleasant as it could be. I went to bed that night with a very smooth feeling that all * the trials .and troubles of my life] were over. Ah, how mercifully the future is hidden fronv us! ' The next day was agreeably spent m going around ana seeing all the sights of Salt Lake City. It is a charming city, well-situated, and containing many 'handsome •buildings, better than those we have m England, As I looked at the fine shops ana huge buildings, I felt proua to think that I had. become a Mormon. Yes, I was quite' m love with the new Bfe that was" opening out before me. I had some nioney with me,' for I was not poor. Therefor^ it was not a necesBity for me to work. But Elder Sanders advised me to get something to do, as otherwise I should find' the time pass slowly! So later I got a situation at a tjandy store (sweet- shop) t just opposite the railway depot. There I was brought Into contact with many people, ana ■gradually' began to- learn, something of , life m Salt Lake City. ' ' FROLICSOME ELDERS. ' , One ' thing came as a great shock to me, and that was the want of refinement iri those around' me. - They seemed lack-j ing m a certain riiceness of speech that I had always been accustomed to at home, -for I had been, exceptionally well • brought up ; and things would be , sa%d m my hearing by Elders and other leading male Mormons that caused my cheeks to burn. And then, too, there was a , freedom m the manner of some of the brothel's when with me— for Mormons are wonderful eaters of candy, and the shop I was m did a great business— that caused me much pain. But yet I thought they were holy men; I reverenced them as being well versed m our religion, and listened to all they had to say with respect. But ' my natural modesty was of- J ten rendered uneasy. Obstinate as a mule, I blinded myself to the true character of many of j these men until my faith m them was torn into pieces by the things I suffered at their hands. "A MOTHER IN ISRAEL." I lodged m the house of a Mrs. Bergen. She was an elderly Danish woman, and had come from Europe 30 years , previo usly. She was a very talkative woman, speaking English very well. A common, Bcandal-mongerlng person I quickly discovered her to be, and yet with a kindly nature that one could not help liking. But quickly I began to learn facts concerning Mormonlsm from her that commenced to make havoc with my peace of mind I would desire to be just with Mrs. Bergen. She has gone to her rest, ana lies buried near to the mighty Wasr atch mountains, that girdle the eastern shores of the Great Salt Lake. When but a girl she had been brought from her native land by the Elder who converted ■ her, and she became his fifth wife. She was, therefore, exceptionally well versed m tho practical side of a polygamous household ; moreover, her easy tongue loved to traverse the subject. She never resented the fact that she had but the fifth share of her husband. On tho contrary, she always strenuously defended polygamy as "a blessed truth,'' and consequently was m high favor with tho church officials as "a mother In Israel," very useful for the purpose of' preparing the mind of any young female convert

to accept the same. T can see how that the reason I was induced to^ lodge m her house was for this very purpose: For the < lodgings were found for me by Bishop Lash, :inv whose ward I was residing; and who was my spiritual instructor for this reason. ■■• , •, A CHILDLESS WIDOW. When I entered the household of Mrs. Bergen she was a widow. Her husband had left seven wives and ra good flock of children at his decease, but Mrs. Becgen had none.:' This was a terrible grie:" to her. She did'really believe that as a result she would have a lower state m Heaven, after lie)- death than some of her companions who were more fruitful This disappointment ■ultimately preyed upon, her mind, and before she died she was -practically insane. Her husband had been a wealthy man, ana had well provided for his numerous widows, consequently Mrs. Bergen lived 7 in s good style and had a large number of visitors. * A DEEP-LAID PLOT. I thought when 1 1 was introduced to the household of Mrs. Bereeri and found that she had other "young r people staying m the; house that I was very 'fortunate. Because I have always been fond of. company,: and have a horror : of being much alone. But now, .of course,. I know that I was placed In that home with a. deai) and double design on the part of the Bishop (who as head of the ward was my superior), and that was to ''break me in'' to the idea of polygamy, and also the fact that she entertained freely made it easy for the heads of the Church to be constantly- calling, and thus' becoming very intimate. But, of course, I was blind to this at first. ■ A NIGHT OF 'NIGHTS ! ':.'■ I had been with Mrs: Bergen about, a week when one evening, arriving home from /business, she .. met ■me m the hall. I noticed that she was very .richly dressed and had her bait dressed elaborately. "I am expecting the< Bishop to. supper tornight,. sister,'/ she said, "and. I want you to look your best. Put on your nicest frock, and .do. your hair so"— ■— and she indicated by. . her hands the style. I was excited. The Bishop was, of course, an . important person. I" may explain that .the organisation of Salt Lake [City for Church! purposes is very far-reaching. There are so many wards, and the head of the ward is the Bishop, who has great power, although he m turn is responsible to; the Council of Seventy. But to have a call from the Bishop, and especially , when he would stay to supper, * caused : quite a nutter in' the household of those Vso favored. Being a woman, L of course! tried to look my best. And when I came down into the drawing-room Mrs. Bergen looked long at me and then nodded her head m an old-fashioned way that she had a' trick of doing, and said, "You look beautiful, my dear.; Now, mind you are kind"— she laid' a 'peculiar stress upon the word, and then repeated it— -"kind to the dear Bishop. And remember that, every word he utters is the infallible utterance of the Church.". I was quite impressed by this. It communicated a tingle of anticipation to my mind, that glowed m my cheeks; and eyes, and when Sister Marie came into the room she flung her arms round me and cried out: "Ah, but you are so beautiful." Then 'we ..''all! sat around m the drawing-room,, restless and excited, until the bell rang and Mrs. Bergen got up m a flutter and cried out, while she pattel her hair and took a last look m the glass: "Sisters, he has come!'" '[;■'■ ■/, A SINQULAB VISITOR. Then the servant opened the , door and announced "Bishop Lash,'.' and Mrs. Bergen went forward to meet him, while we remained standing m the background. "The appearance of the Bishop was a great shock to me. I suppose I had had a hazy-idea of seeing a nice clean sort of man with gaiters and apron and a generally ecclesiastical appearance. But Bishop Lash had not resemblance to the prelate of my fancy. He shambled forward and grabbed at the hand of Mrs. Bergen, a great hunched up figure of a man, with enormous shoulders, short body, and bandy -Jogs that a child could have run through. He was dressed m an ill-fitting sort of .Norfolk coat, and the band was hanging loose. His hands were like flat legs of mutton, and" v positively grubby. He had a huge head, quite bald on the top, but thatched around the ears arid back with iron-grey hair that straggled down upon the collar of his; coat. His small and restless eyes ran •' to and fro under a forehead that jutted out m a most peculiar manner.- His cheeks and upper lip were clean-shaven, but from under his chin there sprouted a wisp of beard m the favorite American style. Beneath his thick lips when he spoke I caught a glimpse of some black and rotting stumps of what had ' once ; been teeth- I was so amazed that all I could /think of was some enormous "Billy" goat that had been dressed up m a Norfolk suit and taught to stand upon its hind legs. When he greeted Mrs. Bergen I had a further shock, for- I Had expected a voice to match his bulk. But the tones of it were soft arid effeminate. < SWEET MEMORIES. After he had "given the kiss of brotherly love" with much- enjoyment, and had complimented Mrs. Bergen upon her appearance, with a flutter of nervousness she began to present us. When my turn came and I felt my hand grasped by Tils huge fist, I had a horrible moment of suspense that I should be drawn forward to submit to the kiss of his moist rod lips that seemed never to be still, but fortunately I was able to dexterously disentangle niy hand while the Bishop was gazing upon the appearance of Sister Marie, whose evening dress was fresh from Paris and more daring m its cut than I have been accustomed to. His beady eyes ran greedily over her fair skin, and turning to Mrs. Bergen he said : "A sweet young convert, Sister Bergen. And from Paris, you say. Ah, I remember when I was on the mission station there that many goodly damsels were turned from " the - darkness cti sin to the light of Truth. But my nosh was sorely tried by the wiles' of some of the female profane, and some of the brothers were on the verge of backsliding. How pitifully weak Is the flesh sometimes!" and ho turned to greet Sister Knight and her companion. Then we all sat round m a circle. with the Bishop holding a sort of court In av ast armchair m the centre. As the weather was hot, and ho was (to use his term) In a "muck of a sweat," we took turns m fanning him, for which

he expressed great gratitude. •AWESTRUCK AUDITORS. Although I was amazed at this man's appearance my faith m his goodlincss remained unshaken. I listened to -every word he said with awo, although somewhat puzzled by some of tho things he said But It was when we sat down to the well-loaded suppef-taole that I ha-1 real cause to feel surprise, l-'or the supply of wine was generous, and apparently the Bishop had an almost' unlimited liquor capacity. His cheeks, nose and tho top of his bald head began to glow with a rich crimson, while his eyes lit up with a burning flame. But at length satiated with soup, clams, canvas-back ducks, and other jellies, he pushed back his chair, clasped his hands across his stomach, and while toying with a cup of cofCeo began to launch forth upon some peculiar topics. ! (To be continued.)