MORMONS IN ENGLAND

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 281, 19 April 1913, Page 9

MORMONS IN ENGLAND

PROSELYTISING CAAiIWINN. .London, February R

The Mormons are on a systematic scheme lor emigrating young women from European countries to Utah. Unlike oilier organisations engaged in emigration work, they do not boast of tiie success of ttieir efforts. They are anxious that as little public attention as possible should he directed to their work in this direction; but the extent of their operations in England has increased so much within the past few years that a league is being formed to oppose them, to awaken public interest in the danger to which English girls are exposed by specious promises from MOJIII9II elders engaged in proselytising work in this country, and to urge Parliament to pass an Act making it ii criminal offence to emigrate girls to Utah.

So quietly have the operations of the Mormons been carried on in England that most people express incredulity regarding their presence in this country. It seems strange to them to think of the advocates of polygamy living in England and teaching their doctrines. As a matter of fact, the Mormons lay little stress 011 the doctrine of polygamy, aiid as they call themselves Latter Day Saints, there are many people who do not recognise them as Mormons, even when brought into contact with their teachings. The. Latter Day Saints have a small following in Victoria, but there the. work of proselytising and sending girls; to Utah is more difficult than it in England. The Mormons in England are able to offer English domestic servants and factory girls higher wages and ■ .better conditions of employment in Utah than girls can obtain in England. but the wages and labour conditions -of domestic servants in Victoria are better than thev are in Utah.

The lie.nlquarters of. the Mormon organisation in Europe are at Liverpool, and the president of the organisation is Mr. TiodgerClawson. He has under his control itOO Mormon elders, who are engaged in missionary work in European countries, and more titan half of them are at. work in the "t'nited Kingdom. Til order to carry on the'work systematii (.'ally, Oreat Britain .is, divided into thirteen districts, eafllt of which lias a ' president in control of , a number of i elders.. These elde.rs. are assisted by minor church officials, wiio are called teachers .and priests. Very few of the elders engaged.. !w -this'missionary work ■are clderlv men. The.ware chicflr young men who ha.v'e lieen .chosen for'niissionary work because of the diplomatic manner in which they preach their creed, so as to smooth away prejudice*, and because of-the magnetic influence tliey are able to exert over emotional young woj inen,The elders ns»ke house to house [,.A:isits in the large iities, and .up and I jlrtWiiv" the country. They make their '.friji-frs while (lie nu.le members of the jlfniKchold are awav at work. The result of eajdi visit, is carefully recorded. All i the faei'S'the visitbig elder has been able to 'glean regarding the female members lot cach-vi-it is carefully recorded. All I guidance, so that further efforts ei.n j be made to secure the conversion of any | of those who diwplav an <?itercst in the ; ''truth." Mo sicond visit is paid to a l house wlirre the elder is ltnecrcmoilionsI )v dismissed, lint in those where he is lisI teiied to sympathetically the female mombers of the household are invited to: attend the services of the Latter Day Saints, which, are held in Llni neighbourhood. Pundav schools are conducted ,bv the 'Latter Day Saints for the ! purpose of getting hold of the children, and. in .the Week davs evening 'classes are .lipid . with ihe objept ; of getfinp bold of .XP.vvpsf. popple- , ; who. jub ; .ft&iJKflrk., the day. Ostensibly the object-.of*-the elders is to establish the Latter Dav Saints in England on a firm footing, aud to bring "the true faith - ' home to-peo-ple who are, in ignorance of it. They claim to teach a higher form of religion than Christianity. In their ordinary service?; nothing is said about polygamy or emigration to Ctah. It is not lintil after a- girl or 'voting married woman has been converted, ami has been baptised into the church bv immersion, that it is suggested that she should emigrate to Salt .Lake City- the Zion of the Latter Day Saints. According to the "Millennial Star." the official organ of the Latter Day -Saints in England, which is published monthly, 3li.noo.onn leaflets and 0(1.722 b-ooks were personally distributed in the United Kingdom by the elders in twelve months: 3ti,543 houses were visitted. 2.1.142 gospel conversations were recorded and 104.") services were held. These leaflets and books are libera II v sprinkled with texts, and set forth that tliev are "the lirst principle of the pel." but not one of them contains any reference to Mormon ism,' or indicates | that the distributors are the agents of I the Utah Mormon Church.

'lt, is estimated (hat 1200 jjirls and voting women are being sont, nwav amuiallv from England to Utah. They are not sent over as prospective wives of Mormon elders, lmt Hie ultimate fate of most of them is to become one of the wives of a much married Mormon. Those people who r|iiestion the elders ill England regarding polygamy are told that, under (lie manifesto issues in 180(1 (lie church officially abandoned the doctrine of polygamy. The object. of issniiinr (his manifesto was to enable Utah, as a Stale in the American Union. to obtain full State rights. The American Congress would not consent to Utah beadmitted to the Union while polygamy was regarded as lawful by tliat State. Hut although polygamy has been officially abandoned by the church. it is still practised bv the elders. They believe that polygamy is Innght in the Rible. and tlicv regard that doctrine as "a blessed (ruth." The monev for the passages of the girls sent over from .England is advanced by the church, as tlio girls arc not well enough oil' to pay l.licir own passages, but after their arrival at Salt Lake Citv. they have to sign a bond to rcpav the money. A girl <lll arrival at Salt Lake Citv enters into the service of an elder of (lie church as a "help" or companion, and he is prepared on certain conditions to relieve her of the responsibility of repaving her passage money. She is a member (if the Mormon Church, ami living in an atmosphere of polygamy she eventually accents even dial doctrine and becomes a plural wife. Tin' Mormons in England are most active in Liverpool. Manchester. Ilirmingham. London. Ipswich. Portsmouth, ami Nuneaton. In each of these cities an anti-Mormon league has been formed bv inili"nant men and women, and tliev are combining their forces to form a national anii.'Mornion lesvue. and carrv on an anti-Mormon crusade throii'rliout the count n-. In sonic litres Ihe Mormon elders have been subjected to violence, bv over-zealous Christians who have not been able to control their indignation on finding (hat their womenfolk lane been secretly cotl'eiled and' baptised info the Mormon Church without their knowledge. At a suburb of London, iu wlp'""' tin 1 latter |Vn- Saints recent lv begat, ,'o establish themse'ves, the Church of England vicar indue.l a number of bis congregation to cavr on peaceful picketinr outside the ball in which tin' Mormons held (hei>- services. All persons who approached the hall to at'end the services of the i.alier l)av were s(oni>"d bv the pickets. and were told that Hi" Latter l)av Saints were fillip,, His ml wej'C |l''::e,l not to e\nose themselves ,)>■ (heir il-uighl crs io (lie danger- of a creed which regards tlll'V'«-M|!V as ''-I bI"SS(.,I tf'ltll." Till" w"s aii in"'ease In flie eougrei'a'',ci ~f the ('lnivb of Kngbi'iil and the cinri> i.f the Mormon* from Stockwell.