THE SUNDAY OREGONIAX, PORTLAND, JTH.T 31, 1910.
WOODMEN OF THE WORLD MEET IN 10TH TRIENNIAL SESSION
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GATKERKO from nine states on
and contiguous to the Pacific
Coat. delegates to the tenth tri
ennial head camp session of the Pa
cific Coast jurisdiction of the Wood
men of the World have been gathered
In Portland for the past week and will
probably continue their deliberations
until Tuesday night or Wednesday of
this. week.
Tuesday was occupied by the elec
tion of officers. The following are
the officers chosen:
Head consul. I. I. Boak: head ad
viser, T. P. Revelle, of Seattle; head
clerk. C. V. Benson, of Denver; head
banker. A. E. Sunderland, of Fresno,
Cai.; head auditor. F. P. Pertschy, of
Penver: head escort, S. Hepner, of
Helena, Mont.: head sentry. George R.
Brown, of Lewiston. Idaho: head phy
sician. T. A. Hughes, of renver; board
of managers. W. C. Hawley. of Salem;
T. M. Robinson, of Oakland. CaL; Ir.
James Stenhouse. of Denver;. John
Pattlson. of Colfax. Wash.; F. P.
Hawke. of Pueblo. Colo.
Wednesday. Thursday and Friday
were occupied with the consideration
of legislative amendment to the con
stitution and the consideration of re
ports by the chairmen of various com
mittees. Numerous entertainment features
were planned for the women visitors.
These took the form of launch rides,
trips to Council Crest and the Oaks.
A banquet was held Monday night,
at which the majority of the delegates
were present. During the week the
various local camps held banquets, at
which the prominent delegates were
guests.
A water trip to Hood River was ar
ranged for Thursday, but owing to
the steamer breaking down this had
to be postponed. It was held yester
day. The delegates left Alder-street
dock at 7 o'clock In the Bailey Gat
sert. The boat took them to Hood
River and a banquet was served by
the Hood River Commercial Club Im
mediately on the arrival of the party.
The return was made as soon as the
banquet was concluded.
Leaders of the convention . declare
the sessions to be the most successful
ever held. Over 100 delegates were
In attendance, having, a voting power
of 1021.
Sessions of the Ordex of Woodmen
of the World are triennial. This la
the - tenth session.
A MORMON
Writer
VIEWPOINT
Day - Saints
Mew Imuw for Old.
Kajiaaj City Stax.
'When all of ih Jokes are written
And ail of the stories are told.
"What shall ws do? niched Pessimist,-
As tears from his eyelids rolled.
'What shall we do?" grinned Optimist,
"'Juat what we've done before. .
We'll change them around a little bit
and mad . thaoa out ones .mora."
Thinks Latter
Have Xo Superiors.
PORTLAND, July 2S- (To the Editor.)
I read with much Interest the editorial in
The Oregon ian of last Tuesday, under the
heading "An Overbold Statement." which
had reference to my address on the Mormon
pioneers. I read with Interest and unusual
pleasure most of The Oregonlan's editorials
and cannot help but admire Its own bold
and fearless way of handling things.
Perhaps not sufficient time has elapsed
for prejudice to give way to an impartial
and honest investigation as to the morality,
loyalty, integrity and worth of these Mor
mon pioneers. But the clouds of odium
which have been cast upon them by their
traducerl is beginning to lift, and the world
will be forced to acknowledge our claims
for them.
It seems tht I have made "an overbold
statement" when I said that the Mormon
people were "among the greatest peoples
of the world." Still, it has been conceded
that they had no superiors in heroism, de
termination and self -sacrifice, cor as con
querors of the wilderness. But I am told
"that there were dark places in their his
tory, chapters written In the blood of the
Innocent." Lo our critics really believe the
base aud false slander charging them with
being responsible for the Mountain Meadow
massacre?
It is true there were some Mormons im
plicated in this dreadful affair, but they
were tried and proved to be guilty by a
Mormon Jury and paid tbtt paoaity for t.hr-i r
crimes. Why condemn a whole people on
account of the acts of one or two men? I
am well acquainted with the man that car
ried the orders from Governor Young that
the emigrants must be protected if it took
all of Iron County, and that they must not
be interfered with." But his orders ar
rived too late the terrlMe deed had been
accomplished by the Indians with the aid
of a few white men. The Federal Courts,
being .in the hands of our enemies at that
tjme. made every effort to prove that Brij?
ham Young and the Mormon people were
guilty, but failed. Why. then, should this
generation attempt to prove them guilty ?
Mormon ism teaches that "a murderer hath
not eternal life abiding in him." No Mor
mon elder has authority to baptise a mur
derer. No people in the world condemn
murder in stronger terms than do the Lat
ter Day Saints, and none were more -deeply
grieved over this Inhuman action than the
Mormons.
If the church Is to be responsible for the
acts of all Its members, it might be inter
esting to go back to Missouri and investi
gate the driving of 1600 Mormons from In
dependence, Mo., the burning of their
homes, and the butchering of some of them,
tbe wholesale confiscation of property and
the expulsion of 15,000 Mormons from Mis
souri; the Hauns MUI massacre wherein a
score of inoffensive Mormons were mas
sacred, and no Indians were implicated in
it either; the cruel assassination of their
prophet, and the driving, murdering and
plundering which took place when Nauvoo
with 20.O00 Mormons was despoiled from
the rightful possessors, while they were
forced to search for a new home in a wil
derness only inhabited by savages and wild
beasts. - Prominently among tbe names of
these robbers could be found not only, mem
bers of the leading churches, but ministers
as well. Upon this showing, are we Justified
in. charging the churches to which Ihe
mobcrates and assassins belonged, with the
responsibility of their crimes ? .
There have been Mormons who-have made
miserable failures, and these their - enemies
have seized upon, magnified and presented
to the world as the fruits of "Mormonisn"
but nothing has been said about the great
majority . whose lives were above reproach
Would -it be fair to search in tho orchards
of Oregon for a few wormy, shrunken and
deformed apples, and then exhibit them as
what Oregon produces? Neither la It . fair
to represent Mormon failures as samples of
what the system- produces.
Will the world ever know the truth about
any people. . if their enemies are to be the
only witnesses and furnish all . the testi
mony? What would, have been the fate of
Christ and hla religion, with the testimony
of his enemies still accepted? Time is on
the side .of truth and is the most power
ful factor the Mormon people have and
they patiently await the favorable verdict.
It . will -create, that -verdict In the world for
them, when the truth is fully known, and
time discredits the false witnesses. In tbe
meantime let. the. fruits of Mormon ism speak
for themselves .
The birth rata in tbe church la 89 per
1000. while .the .United. States .birth rate la
52. The Latter. Day. Saints. make. a. showing
20 per cent better than the - United States,
and it as a Nation leads the world this,
too, when few if any children are being
bom of a polygamous issue. It is now near
ly SO years since the church decreed against
future plural marriages, but on this question
most, people are as badly Informed as Ella
Wheeler Wilcox was when she visited Utah
In lv OX Of this she speaks In' the Chicago
American of ( May that year and says: "I
am ashamed' to confess that, until recently
I had supposed Mormonlam - and polygamy
to be synonymous terms. Few of the pres
ent generation know the , remarkable and
tragic history of the people who first-settled
Salt Lake City. They, the Mormons, are
essentially a peaceful and Industrial people.
Their sufferings have been manifold, their
Industrial achievements In the desert of tne
West marvelous. Their young men and
women lead beautiful and wholesome lives.
Before- we cast any more stones at their
ancestors, let us weed from the ranks of
our own churches and our, own fashionable
society all the unwelcome and fatherless
children, all the deserted, betrayed girls and
stand them in a row in order that we may
have & surer aim when we stone the polyg
amists again." ...
The death rate In our church Is nine per
thousand, while the death rate in the United
States is IT. The old life line Insurance
companies seldom reach as low as ten and
they select their risks, but Mormonlam with
Its young. ! old, sick and all classes, still
shows a record better than do the insurance
companies. , The .reason is Mormons live
right the majority of whom keep the
"word of wisdom" and use w tea. coffee,
tobacco or liquor, and use meat sparingly.
There are" 16.6 marriages per 1000 among
the Latter Day Saints, a percentage that
leads, the , world while divorces resulting
from Mormon marriages is 1.6 per cent. The
United States shows 7 per cent and In this
. Mormon ism. leads - the t world in . its low di
vorce rate.
There are 300 .teachers In. the .Mormon
VThurch schools, and - not one uns tobacco
or Uuqor, and in more than IO.OOO students
not t per cent uses either.- I defy. the world
U duplicate tbLa showing.
From these and ' many other facts that
might - be stated. I may be pardoned for
making- my "overbold statement" which I
now . reiterate and say that . Mormons ara
not only "among the greatest peoples. of the
world." but they are the greatest and have)
no superiors in anything that .Is lovely,
praiseworthy or desirable, and as a church,
are Invulnerable against any attack. -
MELVIN J- BALLARD,
President Northwestern Mission of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day
Saints.
Tn the Near ' Future.
Detroit Free Press.
Father's in his airship.
Gone to spend 'the day. . J
Looking after loans and bonds . ,
In Europe, o'er the way.
Mother, who likes comfort.
And does not care to roam, .
Is shopping via wireless. v
In Paris, at her home.
Brother, who in deep seas -
Mas a coral grove. -'
Is going -in his submarine
Among bis crops to rove. .
TJncJe, in the Navy, ;
Who's left his ship a span.
Is shooting through pneumatic- tubes
To Join her In Japan.
Sister, who's a suffragette,
Mas worked reforms so rare
That even the ward meetings .,
They open now with prayer.
And when, tired by their labors, -fche'd
body rest and soul.
' 6h goee to spend for pleasure -
week end at the pole