1869-11-11-Philadelphia Inquirer-Mormonism in New York
Mormonism in New York
Philadelphia Inquirer, 11 November 1869, p. 3 c. 2
From the New York Times.
A Mormon temple is to be erected in this city within the coming: rear. A committee, at whose disposal the requisite funds will be placed by the Mormons in this country, has been appointed to choose a suitable site, and to make the necessary arrangements for the edifice. They have nearly completed their plans, and meet next week to draw up a report of their proceedings, which will be laid before the saints and elders ruling the sect in America.
This building, which will cost at least $500,000, is to be a house of reception for Mormon emigrants from Europe, and a resting place for the traveling brethren of the United States. A portion of it will be set apart for the accommodation of unprotected females, who, because of the general belief that they are polygamists, are looked upon as loose characters, and are beset by men for no other than vicious purpose.
Here, however, it is intended they shall be received, watched over and kept until they can pursue their journey to their friends in safety. Those who are poor and without the means to provide for their immediate wants will here find a home until they get employment and can settle themselves comfortably. Apartments will be furnished also for the use of missionary saints and elders sojourning in this section to watch over the religious welfare of the faithful scattered throughout, the Eastern States. This temple they will make their Eastern headquarters, whence they will journey from time to time to make a circuit North and South among the various Mormon communities. In the centre of the building will be erected a house of worship, from which the whole will take the name of temple. The establishment will be ruled by a resident saint, assisted by a number of elders and a regular board of commissioners, all of whom are to be appointed by the government of Utah.
The enterprise has been on foot for some time, as the maturity of the plan indicates, and the purchase of a satisfactory location will be made within a month or two. The reasons for the erection of such an establishment are the increase of Mormon emigration and the difficulties under which the emigrants labor on their arrival here. There is hardly a European packet comes to our shores that does not bring a Mormon family. Agents are stationed in all parts of Europe, whose duty it is to send the United States such of the faithful as are ready and willing to travel Westward toward Utah, their promised land. Most of them are Swedes, Germans, Welsh, English and Scotch, and have no friends or relatives in the Atlantic States. They were regularly consigned by the European agent to the agent in New York, whose business it is to look after and provide them with boarding places until they can shift for themselves.
Like most other strangers in our city, they often fall into the hands of the harpies who are ever on the watch for like unsuspecting prey, and are mulcted of their money, despoiled of their effects, and left to wander houseless and homeless through our streets. With men this is bad enough, but with the females it is terrible. Their miseries in many instances only began with robbery and starvation. The fate of living death is often theirs. These dangers will be lessened, if not entirely obviated, by the existence of the Mormon Temple. Emigrants will step from the ship to it, where they will find warm friends ready to shelter and aid them. The Mormons are fast becoming a sect among us. They are numerous in this city and Brooklyn, although so quietly has Mormonism grown up in our midst that its progress has been scarcely observed by the general public.
At present there are upward of three hundred families of Latter-day Saints in Brooklyn and as many, if not more, in New York. They have a church in Brooklyn, which is open to all comers, and are governed by a saint and several elders. These people ever look forward to the day which will see them located in the City of the Saints and their prophet Brigham Young. They are all well off and in good business circumstances, and bear excellent characters among their Christian neighbors. Every Sunday is spent in devotional exercises at their church, which is well filled from nine A.M. until nine P.M. In their business transactions with Christians they are scrupulously honest, and where they deal once they invariably strive to keep up the connection. It seems to be their object, however, to trade as little as possible with those who are not of their creed, in consequence of which they do not come so much under the notice of outsiders, and are so little known to the public.
Some of the men, it is said, have as many as four and five wives living in different parts of the city. No doubt it may seem curious to the reader that polygamy can be practiced in a city where the laws against it are so stringent. But the Mormons do not marry their wives according to the common law of the State; they live in a state amenable to no law. Our reporter had an interesting interview with a celebrated Mormon dignitary yesterday. This gentleman is an elder and a practical polygamist, having, we were informed, eleven wives at present. He was very affable and communicative, and spoke without the slightest embarrassment on some of the most delicate topics connected with his religion. He invited investigation, he said, and had no doubt of being able to convince the most skeptical of the truth of Mormonism.
He had oftentimes met with men who sought him at first for amusement's sake, and to laugh at what they were pleased to term Joe Smith's humbug. To them he accorded an interview and bore good humoredly their sneers and mocking, and invited them to attend a prayer meeting of the Mormons. They accepted and entered the house of worship full of vainglorious thoughts, and prepared to satirize everything they saw and heard. He had watched them narrowly, had seen their smirk and sarcastically curling lip at the commencement of the service.
Then he noted the gradual change to attention, then the look of deepening interest and at the close of the first service felt the nervous grasp of their hands accompanied by the apologetic look for former levity. They went home from that service confounded and returned to the next with an earnest desire to learn more about this new religion. From that time to others step by step he watched them, sometimes standing aloof and sometimes stretching forth the supporting arm of advice to prevent their stumbling in the darkness of error, until he finally felt the enthusiastic grip of their hands, as they told him that the light had broken in upon their souls, and they believed, rejoiced, and were Mormons.
Speaking of the temple he said that the committee had orders to push the enterprise along as fast as they could and to hasten its completion. Being asked how much money, if any, had been appropriated for it, he answered that no fixed sum had been yet set apart for the work, but that whatever the committee having the matter in hand considered necessary would be immediately forthcoming, as the Mormons were well off, many of them wealthy, and a'l prepared to furnish any sum commensurate with their means. Earnestly hoping to meet us in the vale beyond the mountain, he bade our reporter good-by, who departed, obtaining from him the promise that next week he would furnish us with a clear statement of the plan, cost, and location of the Mormon Temple.
