1873 11 08 Brooklyn Eagle-The Mormons
The Mormons.
Joe Smith's Disciples in the Eastern District.
How They Worship—Their Emigrant System—Missionaries to Proselyte the Country.
- Come, go with me across the sea,
- Where happiness is free,
- Where Joseph's band blessed by God's hand,
- Inviting, waits for thee.
- With joyful hearts you'll understand,
- The blessings that await you there,
- I know it is the promised land,
- My home, my home is there.
The above words, deficient enough in poetical polish are sung every Sunday from a hymn book compiled for the Mormon Church. The book is of the same form as the "Plymouth Collection," but with about half the number of leaves in it. The Collection was originally published for the English Mormons, by the Birmingham Conference, but it is used by the Utah disciples also. The book contains some of the standard hymns of the Christian Church, such as "Rock of Ages," "From Greenland's Icy Mountains," "While Thee I Seek," and many psalms of Watts and Wesley.
No doubt, many people of Brooklyn regard a Mormon as a sort of Barnum monstrosity, or fabulous creature like the dodo or ichthyasaurous, but they will be surprised to learn that the greatest centre of Mormon operations outside of Utah is Brooklyn itself. The depot of their emigration department, the headquarters of their missionaries, agents and elders, a regularly organized Mormon branch church, where service is conducted every Sunday just as it is in Salt Lake City, are all located in Brooklyn. By industry and perseverance and courage, the three prerequisites to success in this sphere, the followers and devout believers in Brigham Young have achieved in the past 25 years a name among the nations of the earth and a paradise of 135 towns in Utah, with a resident population of over 150,000 souls.
And still the fascinating force of this harmonious commonwealth continues, and thousands of people are converted by the enthusiasm of Mormon preachers, and leave home and friends and cross land and sea to seek the Latter Day Paradise of the West. Elders having from two to a dozen wives a piece are passing freely through the city, and doing business with our merchants. The Mormon is not an exotic. Like the poor, he is always with us, and the only solace is that we don't know of it. All the companies which come from Europe en route for Salt Lake tarry for a while here.
The church of which mention has been made is supported by numbers of professing Mormons residents of the city, who do their parish work, elect their elders, their officers, just as Brother Talmage's Tabernacle membership does. The meeting place of their branch, is in Grand street, E. D., in the fourth story of a brick tenement house. Every Sunday afternoon at three o'clock, the principal service takes place. About 120 persons are seated in the benches and chairs, crowding every part of the room. At one end stands a plain altar, bearing a Bible, and on a table in front of it, is a communion service of silver plate covered with a linen napkin. About twenty-five or thirty elders among the saints, are seated behind the altar ranging across the room. The President of the Branch sits on the high seat at the altar, unless one of the twelve apostles or of the seventy elders, or some other superior officer of the universal church is present, in which case he presides instead of the branch officer. The people, for the most part, are from the unintelligent and uncultivated classes—factory hands predominating. They are past middle age, or else are children; few young men or women are to be observed among them. The physiognomical signs of all nationalities are to be seen—French, German, Swiss, Scandinavian, Scotch, Irish and English. The latter take more kindly to Mormonism than any other race.
The service opens with a hymn, sung standing. A prayer follows, and then the Sacrament is administered. During the communion the following hymn is sung:
- Ye children of our God,
- Ye saints of latter days;
- Surround the table of the Lord,
- And join to sing His praise.
After another prayer, the meeting is open for speaking, and the elders present are at liberty to address the meeting. Some of these sermons are often eloquent and always earnest; cant phrases are abundantly employed. They refer with special unction to "The Holy Church of Jesus Christ," of "The Latter Day Saints," "The Chosen People," "The Beautiful Valley of the Mountains," "The New Jerusalem" and "The Hills of Zion." After all the speakers are through, another hymn is sung, and the meeting is closed with a benediction.
About 13,000 emigrants arrive here every year, and are dispatched to Utah. One hundred and fifty missionaries have been called to go about the United States and preach the Gospel of the Latter Day, and it is intimated that a strong church will soon be established in New York.
