  The Wisdom That Perishes. The wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.—Isaiah 29:14. The Wise and Prudent.—Most strikingly have these prophetic words been realized by "Mormonism," in its relations to the lofty and the learned who have endeavored in a worldly way and by means of human wisdom, to account for and dispose of it. Strange it is that men and women, intelligent, educated and profound, do not see in this great religious phenomenon something more than a topic to be treated lightly, or in a spirit of harshness and intolerance. Giants in intellect as to other themes, when they deal with the doctrines, aims and attitude of the Latter-day Saints, they seem suddenly changed into dwarfs, mere children, as powerless to cope with the mighty problem as were the learned Rabbis in the Temple with the youthful and divine Son of God. Especially is this the case when they approach the question in a captious mood, determined to find fault, to berate and ridicule, rather than to fairly investigate. They cannot analyze, cannot even grasp it, and appear incapable of forming any just or adequate conception regarding it. To reply to all the bitter assaults made upon my religion and my people would be impossible, even were it worth while. I shall not attempt the hopeless task. It will suffice my purpose to consider here some of the more temperate judgments passed upon the subject, giving to each such comment as may be deemed necessary. A Catholic Opinion.—Many years ago there came to Utah a learned doctor of divinity, a member of the Roman Catholic Church. I became well acquainted with him, and we conversed freely and frankly. A great scholar, with perhaps a dozen languages at his tongue's end, he seemed to know all about theology, law, literature, science and philosophy, and was never weary of displaying his vast erudition. One day he said to me: "You Mormons are all ignoramuses. You don't even know the strength of your own position. It is so strong that there is only one other tenable in the whole Christian world, and that is the position of the Catholic Church. The issue is between Catholicism and Mormonism. If we are right, you are wrong; if you are right, we are wrong; and that's all there is to it. The Protestants haven't a leg to stand on. If we are wrong, they are wrong with us, for they were a part of us and went out from us; while if we are right, they are apostates whom we cut off long ago. If we really have, as we claim, the apostolic succession from St. Peter, there was no need for Joseph Smith and Mormonism; but if we have not that succession, then such a man as Joseph Smith was necessary, and Mormonism's attitude is the only consistent one. It is either the perpetuation of the Gospel from ancient times, or the restoration of the Gospel in latter days." My reply was substantially as follows: "I agree with you, Doctor, in nearly all that you have said, but don't deceive yourself with the notion that we "Mormons" are not aware of the strength of our position. We are better aware of it than anyone else. We have not all been to college; we cannot all speak the dead languages; we may be 'ignoramuses,' as you say; but we know that we are right, and we know that you are wrong." I was just as frank with him as he had been with me. An Episcopal View.—At a later period I conversed with another man of culture, a bishop of the Episcopal Church. He affirmed that if Joseph Smith, at the beginning, had become acquainted with that religious organization, he would have been content, and would have looked no further for spiritual light. "But," said the Bishop, "Joseph encountered the Methodists, the Baptists, the Presbyterians, and other sects; and their creeds failing to satisfy him, he sought elsewhere. Now the Episcopalians have an unbroken succession of authority all down the centuries, and if Joseph Smith had only formed their acquaintance, he would never have gone to the trouble of organizing another church." A Psychological Notion.—Still another scholar, a student of psychology and an applicant for a doctor's degree at Yale University, presented, in a thesis forming the basis for the degree, the theory that Joseph Smith was an epileptic, and that this accounted for his mental attitude and marvelous assertions. That is to say, the Seer did not actually behold the wonderful manifestations described by him, but only imagined that he beheld them. A distinct departure, this, from the charge of conscious duplicity, usually flung at the founder of "Mormonism." He was sincere, then, however much mistaken, and was not guilty of intent to defraud. So far, so good. But in the mind of the author of this remarkable hypothesis, the magnificent organization of the "Mormon" Church, conceded by intelligent observers of all creeds and parties to be one of the most perfect systems of government in existence, to say nothing of its sublime doctrines, replete with poetry and philosophy, couched in logical and majestic phrasing—all this sprang from the diseased brain of a fourteen-year-old boy who had fallen in an epileptic fit! Self-evident absurdities need no argument. They have only to be stated, and they confute themselves.[ Learning's Lack of Knowledge.—And these are some of the views that learned men take of "Mormonism." With all their learning, they are not able to come to a knowledge of the Truth. They do not begin to dream of the greatness of God's work, the grandeur of Christ's cause. They comprehend but in part its real aims and attitude. Even the most conservative assume that Joseph Smith stumbled upon something of which he did not know the true value, and that it was sheer luck which gave to this religion its vantage ground, its recognized strength of position. Never was there a grosser error. There are concepts as much higher than these, as the heavens are higher than the earth. The "Mormons" are not the "ignoramuses," when it comes to a consideration of the Gospel's mighty themes. Spiritual Illumination.—Yet it is not because of native "smartness"—not because the followers of Joseph Smith are brainier than other people, that they have a greater knowledge of God and are capable of loftier ideals in religion. It is because they have received, through the gift of the Holy Ghost, a perceptive power, a spiritual illumination, which the world, with all its learning, does not possess, and without which no man can comprehend Divinity or divine purposes. It cannot be had from books or schools. Colleges and universities cannot impart it. It comes only in one way—God's way, not man's. The Latter-day Saints possess it because they have bowed to the will of Heaven and rendered obedience to its laws, thus making themselves worthy of the inestimable boon. All men may have it upon precisely the same conditions. Still Another Misconception.—My Episcopalian friend said to me on another occasion: "My main objection to Mormonism is its narrowness, its illiberality. You Mormons are not interested in anything going on outside of your own social and religious system. You are insulated, wrapped up in yourselves, you take no note of what other peoples are doing, and you give them no credit for the good they accomplish. For instance"—he went on—"the Bible is retranslated, with a view to making it plainer and more intelligible; but you attach no importance to work of that kind. Ancient ruins are uncovered, buried civilizations brought to light, mystical inscriptions on old-time obelisks deciphered and interpreted, in order to acquaint the present with the past; but you put no value upon such enterprise. Hospitals are founded; missions maintained; Christ's name is carried to the heathen; the Bible is published by millions of copies, and persistent efforts are made to place one in every home. But you take no account of these things; you do not commend such labors—you deem them all vain and of no worth." Not Narrow and Illiberal.—The Bishop's remark surprised me. I was astonished that one so well informed in other ways could entertain such an opinion of the Latter-day Saints. There may be such a thing as a narrow "Mormon;" there may be such a thing as a narrow notion in the mind of some "Mormon;" but there never has been and never will be such a thing as a narrow "Mormonism." To those who know it best, it is a synonym for largeness and liberality, another name for all that is generous charitable and sublime. Takes Note of All.—So far from ignoring what other peoples and other systems are doing, the typical "Mormon" takes careful note of all that happens; and the spirit of his religion, "the Spirit that searcheth all things," enables him to assign events and achievements to their proper place in the universal scheme. He appreciates and applauds every step in the march of progress. "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." So says the Church in its Articles of Faith. The Fruit of Falsehood.—How, then, do such gross misunderstandings arise? They spring from prejudice and faulty inference. They are the fruit of falsehood, and of that propensity in most people for allowing themselves to be influenced by a one-sided statement—too often by mere rumor and hearsay. Confounding principle with practice, they mistake the conduct and expressions of individuals connected with a cause, for the cause itself, its character, its spirit, and the ends at which it aims. Translation and Discovery.—Contrary to my Christian friend's erroneous deduction, the Latter-day Saints are interested in the retranslation of the Scriptures. And why should they not be? Joseph Smith was a translator. Did he not translate the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham? We believe the Bible to be the word of God only so far as it has been translated correctly. Our Prophet also revised, by the Spirit of Revelation, the English version of the Hebrew Scriptures, making it in many respects more comprehensible, and at the same time restoring to it many "plain and precious things" that had been taken away.[ As for archaeological discoveries, we hail them with joy, especially those that throw any light upon the Book of Mormon, that silent witness "whispering from the dust"[ Christian Endeavor and "Mormon" Propaganda.—Go on, good Christian brother! Build as many hospitals and found as many missions as you like. Spread the glad tidings over the world, and sound the Savior's name from pole to pole. You cannot blazon the fame of Jesus Christ too far or too widely to suit us. You cannot publish too many Bibles, nor place them in too many homes. Such enterprise makes the follow-up work of the "Mormon" missionary just that much less difficult. It virtually introduces the message that he comes to proclaim. The Stick of Joseph and the Stick of Judah are "one in the hand of Ephraim,"[ Footnotes |
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