Editor's Table

EDITOR'S TABLE. PULPIT POLITICS. The Christian Herald is a weekly paper devoted to the protestant denominations in this country, and was formerly edited by Rev. De Witt Talmage, a pulpiteer who was specially severe on the Latter-day Saints in his life-time. The paper has descended to other minds who, though in words and profession devoted to the advocacy of Christian truths, in reality are so narrow in sectarian bias that the old hypocrites and Pharisees of Christ's day in comparison seem broad and saint-like, indeed. It appears, too, that Reverend Talmage has a son, who is also a reverend, and who, as with the paper, has descended in like manner, into a rut of ignorant self-righteousness, narrow-minded bigotry, and Pharisaism. This same reverend, F. De Witt Talmage, writes sermons for the Christian Herald, and a late one, appearing January 17, this year, is directed against the Latter-day Saints, being intended to be a political pulpit shot at Senator Reed Smoot, and to influence against the Latter-day Saints the good old ladies and gentlemen of W. C. T. U. proclivities, who are filled with sectarian intolerance, — men and women who look upon any person having religious views not in harmony with theirs as unreasonable and wicked. This Reverend Talmage is seeking prominence as a man of God, and among his special class is doubtless considered a leader, and is popularly looked up to as an exemplar. He pretends to teach the gospel of Christ, to inculcate the great Christian principle: "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for this is the law and the prophets." Yet, teaching them as facts, he takes occasion to repeat falsehoods about the

EDITOR'S TABLE. 411 Latter-day Saints, without once having investigated for himself ; or, if he has investigated, so much the worse for him, for he then becomes an original liar. It is surpassing strange that he should wish to wear the holy garb generally assigned to ministers, and yet be guilty of wilful misrepresentation, for the sole purpose of influencing the ignorant and uninformed against an innocent people. He appears to take it for granted that men of his class may falsify, lie, or misrepresent the truth, with impunity,if only their tirades are directed against the Latter-day Saints. Out of the sermon referred to, I take as an example and quote only one selection from the many falsehoods which it contains. At the same time, I hereby stamp his assertion and insinuation that the Latter-day Saints are in abject servitude, and under unjust, tyrannical and dangerous priestly domination, —which idea it is intended shall be conveyed to the public by said sermon — all for present political effect — as base, unjustifiable slanders, false in fact and conclusion. In that part of his sermon which refers to the Newman-Pratt discussion, held years ago in Salt Lake City, Reverend jTalmage claims that when he was a young man he entertained Dr. Byron Sunderland of Washington, D. C, former chaplain of the U. S. Senate, and pumped him dry of all his reminiscences of great men like Webster, Clay, Lincoln, Blaine, and others. He finally asked Dr. Sunderland to say who was the strongest personality he had ever known. Whereupon the doctor related the following incident, at least so says Reverend Talmage, though I do not believe Dr. Sunderland, who appeared to be a gentleman, ever uttered such glaring falsehoods as Dr. Talmage would have his flock believe: The scene was not in Washington; it was in Salt Lake City. The man was not Webster or Clay; he was Brigham Young. Many years ago the Mormon Church challenged the Gentiles to a debate; and some of the leading ministers of the east took up the challenge. Bishop John P. Newman of the Methodist church and myself were delegated to meet the Mormon representatives. The debate took place in the Mormon Tabernacle, which holds some ten thousand auditors. The debate had been going on for some days, and we had come to the closing night. Bishop Newman was summing up and making his peroration ; with the skill of an accomplished orator he was wheeling his f^icts into line; and he said substantially: "Therefore, if this is so, and if that is so, and if the other thing is so, then we are

412 IMPROVEMENT ERA. forced to the conclusion that Mormonism stands for nothing else besides licensed libertiiiism and wholesale fraud." Ten thousand angry men and women instantly leaped to their feet and began to press down toward the platform. The cry was taken up everywhere: "Lynch him! Lynch him! Kill him! Stab the heretic's heart ! Kill him ! Lynch him now !' ' I sat beside Newman at the time, continued Dr. Sunderland. I did not see one avenue of escape. Suddenly Brigham Young arose and stepped to the front of the platform. He swung his arms out over that cursing, swearing, angry mob and uttered just two words : "Sit down." They dropped into their seats as the grain falls before the hiss of the scythe. That was to me the most marvelous scene I ever v/itnessed. As I came under that leader's spell, I realized that he was one of the greatest of men and one of the most dangerous, if not the most dangerous to American liberties, who has ever trodden American soil. I attended every meeting of this discussion, and I testify in all truth that no such incident as here related about the action of President Brigham Young ever occurred. There was no occasion for it, for Dr. Nev/man made such a mess of his attempt to prove from Leviticus 18: 18 that polygamy was not taught in the Bible, or practiced by Moses and the patriarchs, that the congregation were rather kept in the utmost good humor, out of sympathy for Dr. Newman for his failure. Furthermore, the Church did not at that time challenge the Gentiles to debate on this question; it was purely a challenge from Dr. Newman to President Brigham Young, and the latter referred the subject to Elder Orson Pratt. It will be seen, then, that about all the truth there is in this whole quotation, aside from the fact that Brigham Young was a great man, is this one sentence: ''The debate took place in the 'Mormon' tabernacle, which holds some ten thousand auditors. ' ' With these facts before us, I think it important enough to pronounce Dr. Talmage's tirade false, and I believe it is evidently concocted for political effect. I believe he has invented the story for the purpose of attempting to falsely show that the Latter-day Saints are under a tyrannical power; and that he has maliciously asserted the fallacy to influence and inflame the public against this people; to induce the uninformed to believe that the "Mormons" are in menial servitude and abject slavery to their leaders, all of which is contrary to the truth and the facts in the case, and infamous nonsense. But this is only one lie in his sermon, in which he also falsely