Mormon History
Orson Hyde Exposing Mormonism - 1857
The Mountain Democrat – March 7, 1857
LECTURE ON MORMONISM,
BRIGHAM YOUNG, &c. -- The Rev. Mr.
Hyde, an intelligent and pleasing speaker, a seceding Mormon Elder, lectured in
our town on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday nights, to crowded, attentive and
delighted houses, on the rise, progress and corruptions of the Mormon fanaticism
-- to call it religion would be a misnomer. If half what he asserted be true, a
viler or more depraved sect never polluted the earth. He quoted freely from the
sermons of Brigham Young, published by authority in the Deseret News, to
sustain his positions. -- He gave them credit for great patience, industry and
perseverance. He frankly confessed that Brigham was a remarkable man --
energetic, shrewd, penetrating, intellectual -- a deep thinker, a plausible,
insinuating speaker, and thoroughly understanding human nature. He was a man of
iron will and dauntless courage -- more of an enthusiast than knave. His sermons
were more forcible than elegant -- more passionate than profound -- destitute of
religious fervor, but abounding in vigorous passages. His comparisons were often
vulgar, sometimes blasphemous, but never weak or obscure. Kimball was a weak,
vain. ignorant, scheming, deceitful, fawning scoundrel. The Mormons generally
were ignorant, superstitious, fanatical -- implicitly believing in what their
Elders taught, and slavishly submitting to the most intolerable bondage. The
Elders discouraged education, and kept the converts busily employed to prevent
them from thinking.
On Monday night a Mr. Cook, and elderly man, an Elder of the Mormon church,
after Mr. Hyde had concluded his lecture, asked permission to reply to him,
which was readily granted. His language was so outrageous and disgraceful that
the audience, out of self-respect, were compelled to stop him. Filth flowed from
his mouth as freely and as offensively as from the sty of a hog. He refuted not
one of the arguments of Mr. Hyde -- controverted not one of his assertions. He
injured the cause he advocates, and convinced all who heard him that if we are
to judge of the fruits of Mormonism by the language of its teachers, it is
depraved beyond redemption. Mr. Hyde, in perfectly respectful language, replied
to him, but his sarcasm was withering, and every word fell with the force of a
sledge hammer, blistering and burning like red-hot iron.
On Tuesday evening Mr. Hyde lectured to the largest audience we have ever seen
in Placerville on a similar occasion. Every seat in the Theatre, long before the
lecturer arrived, was occupied, and every available spot was taken up. He
confined himself exclusively to an exposition of the impostures, inconsistencies
and contradictions -- flagrant and absurd in the extreme -- of the book of
Mormon. He traced its history from its appearance up to the present time, and
proved to the satisfaction of all present that that portion of it which was
not stolen, was the silliest, weakest, shallowest of humbugs. He has
evidently studied his subject carefully and understands it thoroughly. He read a
verse from the book, in which a fearful curse is pronounced against polygamy,
and stated that in England the Mormons indignantly deny that it is part of their
creed. They contradict their own words -- repudiate their own book. Many of the
wretched beings now at Salt Lake, having awakened from their delusion, would
willingly leave it, but they cannot get away. The best way to root out
Mormonism, in his opinion, is to settle the country round them with inhabitants
of a different persuasion. He deprecated violence, and said, we use his own
language -- "At no time, under no circumstances, can mob violence be justified.
Any and every infraction of the laws must, sooner or later, be atoned for." --
Men who censored us not a year ago for using similar language, cheered it when
uttered by another, so vacillating is public opinion.
The Mountain Democrat – March 28, 1857
Mormondom.
The Western (Mormon)
Standard of the 20th inst., contains a lengthy and characteristic letter
from our pure and saintly Mormon friend, Elder Cooke, who evidently imagines
himself "some punkins," in reply to our strictures on his indecent language and
the lecture of Mr. Hyde. With unusual modesty, which takes us completely by
surprise, he confesses that his communication is "filthy," and hopes -- an
unnecessary hope -- "it will not sully the pages of the Standard by an
insertion! Of course not, Elder; nothing better was to be expected from you, and
its "filth" was its chief recommendation. It is a precious morecau, and
will give you a free entry into the refined society of Salt Lake City. You must
be aware that it takes an extra quantity of "filth," and evidently there is an
abundance of it in the city of the Saints, it we are to judge by the language of
the Elders it sends out among the Gentiles, to "sully the pages" of a Mormon
paper, or the reputation of a Mormon Elder.
We confess that we have not been initiated into the fascinating mysteries of
Mormonism, nor do we know much about it, but the little that we do know is not
creditable either to the doctrines taught, the teachers, or the members of the
church. From our limited knowledge of it, and from Mr. Cooke's own admissions,
it is admirably adapted to suit the tastes of depraved men; and if the great
Mormon leader Brigham Young [does] not slander his brethren, a greater set of
graceless scamps, liars, thieves, swindlers, perjurers, bloats, gamblers and
libertines never polluted the earth, than are to be found at Sat Lake, in the
very bosom of the church. Mr. Hyde read an article from the Deseret News,
written by Brigham, in which he boasted that the Mormons could "beat
the world at bragging, lying, cheating, swindling, swearing, drinking,"
&c., &c. We do not make these charges -- we only quote the
cannot be what it claims to be, and must therefore be in the graphic
and truthful language of Elder Cooke, "the most stupendous delusion
that has ever" cursed mankind. We do
know, however, that Mormonism, when it was tolerated in Illinois, blighted the
fair name of the State, and drove many respectable families from it, who could
not be forced to believe that prostitution was a virtue or blasphemy religion.
Elder Cooke says:
"I told them I had yet to learn that Mormonism professed to introduce any new
principles, that it was eternal, immutable truth, and claimed to be nothing more
or less than the ancient gospel restored, and that it was either what it claimed
to be or it was the most stupendous delusion which had ever been visited upon
the world."
You did tell them so, and Mr. Hyde proved that you either did not understand or
were wholly and inexcusably ignorant of the Mormon doctrine. He named a number
of "new principles it introduced," disgraceful and repulsive as new, which you
tacitly admitted. If it be "eternal, immutable truth," why does it so frequently
contradict itself? It cannot be true and false at the same time. Mr. Hyde read a
number of passages from what is termed the Mormon bible, flatly and positively
contradicting each other. Truth is not inconsistent, but the Mormon bible
certainly is. If it "introduced no new principle," said Mr. Hyde, "there is no
necessity for it; if it has introduced new principles let us investigate them
and see if they are good and worthy of inculcating." He, not Elder Cooke,
for the Elder was too prudent to mention some of the slight vagaries
of Mormonism, named a number of the "new principles introduced" by the Mormon
Book, every one of which was in direct opposition to decency and religion.
Mormonism, according to its own authority,
We must take one more extract from our amiable Elder's letter before we dismiss
him. He says, with no little assurance:
"Mr. Hyde did not show us that a better state of things existed in what is
called the Christian or civilized world than existed in Utah."
He did far better, Elder, -- he proved by Brigham's own voluntary statements,
published by himself in a boastful manner, that Utah could beat the world in
every species of villainy. No man better understands or is more thoroughly
acquainted with the peculiar characteristics of the society he governs, than the
libidinous Governor of Utah Territory. He is the "father confessor" of the men,
women, and children, their spiritual as well as their temporal master; he knows
all their secrets and kindly indulges them in all their innocent whims.
What he says of them must be true, for he would not needlessly injure the
reputation of his friends, nor bring reproach and disgrace on his congregation
by attributing to them imaginary crimes. How a worse state of things could by
any possibility exist in a heathen country than exists in Utah, if Mormon
authority may be relied on, we cannot imagine. They are superstitious, ignorant
and depraved, says Brigham, and Brigham ought to know. They are a deluded
people, and are more the object of our pity than our detestation. We are
charitable enough to think even Elder Cooke more of a dupe than a vicious man.