CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 263, 28 March 1911, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

AN ECHO FROM UTAH. Although the Mormon propaganda in New Zealand is not particularly aggressive, mysterious "elders" have from time to time wandered round gathering in converts and in some cases inducing them —particularly if they are women—to throw in their lot with the elect at Salt Lake City. There are some small Mormon communities in New Zealand, which is rich soil for foreign frauds—religious or otherwise—to sow their doctrines in and reap their harvests. It is cabled that Mormonism grows apace in England, and that there are well-popu-lated colonies in that country. The Countess of Chichester alleges that Mormons decoyed to Salt Lake City last year 555 English girls. Polygamy iB forbidden by the laws of the United States, but it is positively asserted by responsible British journals that it is still carried on in Salt Lake City, and that this is the chief reason for the attraction of female "converts." The leading European elder was lately the subject of a searching inquisition'by an English journalist, and asserted that the Mormons did not practise polygamy, because, although "God had revealed to them that it was right and proper to have a plurality of wives, they obeyed the laws of the United States!" The Mormon "doctrine of covenants" emphasises very distinctly the rights of men Mormons to a plurality of wives, and clauses in the covenants surround references to polygamy with a mass of unctuous verbiage. The Salt Lake City Tribune gives an account of the matrimonial meanderings of one of the Mormon "elders." The manifesto prohibiting polygamy was issued in 1890. This elder married wife No. 2 in the same year anil after the issue of the manifesto. After this he married three sisters, one after the other, the latter of whom had been married in monagamy to another gentleman. The last of this series of wives hiul been induced to marry the polygamous pillar of the church because he told her she couldn't possibly be "saved" unless she obeyed the laws of the sect and broke the law of the United States. In New Zealand the Mormons have got in their finest work with Maori converts, and possibly the fact that polygamy is not new to our colored brethren is a reason for the success of the smoothspoken elders, whose vineyard is the earth and whose wine-press is at Utah. In case of a recrudescence of Mormonism in this country, it would be interesting to carefully enquire into the ultimate destination of converts and the methods of the "brothers" with the smooth tongues.

A GOOD " CHARACTER." It. is hoped that we New Zealanders are modest folk, and are superior to the complaint common outside this Dominion and known as "swelled head." Not long ago some excellent Anglican clergymen came to this country undertaking a phenomenally successful mission and leaving behind with thousands of people very pleasant memories of their manliness, their practical everyday normal commonsense. nnd their understanding of the colonial character. These clerics have returned to Britain, and are there giving New Zealanders the very highest possible character for decent living, high ideals and intelligence. In the very lengthy report of the proceedings at Church House, Westminster, at which each of the missioners spoke, there is no word of blame. This is a very remarkable point, .indeed, and, if one may be permitted to say so, unusual in men whose business is the spiritual leadership of the people. One remembers so vividly that men who live in this Dominion merely emphasise

the sins of the people, and are perpetually vocal in dispraise of those they are supposed to help and guide. It is' good to be told that New Zealanders "are Englishmen at their very best, generous, open-hearted and hospitable to a degree past all praise." One has heard worse things than that about the people of this country. One of the chief points of interest about the references of these missioners to New Zealand is their advice to "take a trip to New Zealand." Apart from letting the Home people know that we are not quite so black as some "little New Zealanders" paint us, tnese clergymen are sounding advertisements for the Dominion as a place for settlement. While all the missioners have been exceedingly industrious in persuading English people that we are a very decent lot, they have exhibited a modesty that makes their appreciation the more welcome. One of them described the missioners as "extraordinary ordinary." The Archbishop of Canterbury, in welcoming the missioners, asserted that no serious effort of the Church outside its own land had been so successful as the mission to New Zealand. The fact seems to be that the clerics anticipated a colder welcome than they got, and were delighted to find their earnestness and enthusiasm reciprocated. The experience of the travellers should be useful to thoße leaders among us who are more ready to blame than"to assist, and must have an influence on prevailing methods.