styled apostles of the so-called Mormon Church. The Bible is a book of far-reaching wisdom. It rightly divides the word of truth. It gives to every man his portion.

Concerning the origin and history of this society, which goes under the name of a church, let us briefly refresh our memories.

Origin of Mormonism.-In the little town of Manchester, N. Y., in 1830, Mormonism was brought to the light of day. It had its origin in the not too fertile brain of one Joseph Smith, whose parents were shiftless and suspected by their neighbors of dishonest deeds. Joseph's mother was a fortune teller, who doubtless taught her son the tricks of the trade. It is claimed that early in life this Joseph dreamed wonderful dreams and saw visions, and that heavenly messengers visited him, among whom were Peter, James and John. These apostles of our Lord, who had been received up into heaven and crowned, it is claimed, came down to earth again and selected this said Joseph to be a prophet of God, to be the founder of the Mormon Church, to appoint its officers and to administer its ordinances. It would seem that Peter, James and John might have made a wiser selection, had they looked the community over. Furthermore, it is claimed that said Joseph was directed by one Moroni to dig in a certain hill, where he would certainly find some metal plates on which were en

graved some curious characters which he was to translate, and from which he was to make a new Bible.

In 1831, said Joseph Smith, with his thirty followers, came to Kirtland, Ohio, where he intended to make his headquarters. But the good people of that little Ohio town did not take kindly to Joseph and his flock. Consequently they were compelled to move on, and on they moved to Jackson County, Missouri. Here the good people liked him no better than the people in Ohio. In 1838 he settled in Illinois, building up the town of Nauvoo, where he intended permanently to establish himself. But here he became so offensive and so immoral that he was arrested and put into the Carthage jail. So enraged was public sentiment that the jail was attacked, and in the melee that ensued both Joseph and his brother Hyrum were shot and killed. They have always been considered by their followers as martyrs to the faith.

Brigham Young's Advent.-While in Kirtland, Ohio, this new society was joined by Brigham Young, who, by force of character, became the leader of Mormonism. Brigham Young was a very different sort of man from Joseph Smith. By him the crude system of Smith was rearranged, improved and greatly strengthened. To make a long story short, in 1847 this new leader led his followers to Salt Lake City, "the chamber

of the hills," where Mormonism became permanently located. Mr. Young was a strong character, a man of commanding appearance, a man of unusual organizing and executive ability. It was Young who created in the Mormon Church an ecclesiastical despotism. It was Young who created in this church a system of tithes and revenue and co-operative industries by means of which he got control of large sums of money. It was under the management of this man that large areas of barren land were irrigated and made immensely productive. Consequently, the industrial prosperity that sprang up under the hand of Brigham became a drawing card to win converts to this false system of religion. Brigham Young, it is said, had nineteen wives, and children too numerous to count, lived like an Oriental prince and died a multimillionaire.

Mormonism on the Inside.-But what shall we say of Mormonism as a religious system? What do the Mormons believe, teach and practice? Careful investigation will reveal to any one the fact that this ism looks very different on the inside from what it does on the outside. The words of the Master, addressed to a certain class in His day, are certainly appropriate to the Mormons: "Ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanliness." Were you to listen to the preaching

of the Mormon elders who go around through the country with their pious looks and godly pretensions, preaching the doctrine of repentance, faith and obedience, you could hardly distinguish them from other preachers of the Gospel. But when we get down into the very heart of Mormonism and view it in its true light, we find that it takes rank with the darkest and vilest paganism known to history. In some features it is worse than Mohammedanism. In other features it outranks the polytheism of the Greeks and the Romans, for, as one has said, "The polytheism of the Greeks and Romans was the apotheosis of heroes. It deified humanity. But the polytheism of Mormonism humanizes and brutalizes the Deity. It is a monstrous compound of paganism, Mohammedanism, Judaism and Christianity. They have taken some of the crudest elements of polytheism and paganism and the vilest elements of Mohammedanism, and have incorporated with these just enough of Judaism and Christianity to give the resulting product somewhat the appearance of the biblical system."

Sensual Idea of God.-Now, if you can get hold of a society's conception of the object of its worship, you have that which gives form and color to the whole system. What is the Mormon conception of God? In their "Journal of Discourses" we find it: "God Himself was once as

we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits en

throned in the heavens." Their idea of God, the Father, involves the sensual idea of actual paternity. They claim that God, in human form, consorting with Eve, became the father of the human race, and, consorting with the Virgin Mary, became the father of Jesus Christ. They teach that Jesus Christ had several wives, and that His seed, spoken of in the fifty-third of Isaiah, is to be strictly natural sons and daughters and not spiritual children. Mormonism teaches that there are many gods. In the "Key of Theology," page 41, they say: "Gods, angels and men are all of one species, one race, one great family. By consent and authority of the head, any one of these gods may create, organize, people, govern, control, exalt, glorify and enjoy worlds on worlds, and the inhabitants thereof." In one of Joseph Smith's sermons he says: "You have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, the same as all the gods have done before you." By the practice of polygamy and obedience to the priesthood of the Mormon Church men may become gods, and the more wives a man has the greater god he will be, and the greater will be his glory in the world beyond.

Heaven a Turkish Harem.-The Mormon conception of heaven is a place of physical, sensuous enjoyment. The saints in heaven, they claim, will have bodies of flesh, needing food and raiment, houses and lands, just as they do here. All