Scrap Book of Mormon Literature, Volume 2 (of 2). Religious Tracts
Religion
Scrap Book of Mormon Literature, Volume 2 (of 2). Religious Tracts
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- Doctrines; Latter Day Saint churches -- Doctrines; Latter Day Saints
My Dear Sir:--Your second installment of abuse, falsehood and
misrepresentation, called "Is Mormonism Anti-Christian," I see, by the
_News_ of Jan. 1, was duly delivered, as per previous announcement.
As some well-meaning people might take your performance in earnest,
I hope you will take it in {135} good part if I make a brief reply
before the incident is closed. I am glad that this is a country
of free speech, free thought, and religious liberty, even though
narrow-minded religious bigots cannot comprehend this basic principle
of our heaven-born government, and sometimes abuse it. American history
tells us that during the revolutionary days of America's struggle for
independence the British once had Gen. Marion and his little band of
struggling patriots surrounded; that the British, in order to tantalize
the starving patriots, fired wheat from their cannon into the American
camp, and as I have authentic evidence of having descended from one
of those hungry defenders of the flag, and also that I have proof,
beyond truthful contradiction, that my progenitor was once a member
of George Washington's body guard, I trust you will have no serious
objections to my calling myself an American by birth, and entitled to
a small portion of the freedom of speech and thought guaranteed to
Americans by our constitution. Should there be any objections upon
the possible ground that your progenitors possibly have been on the
other side of that fight, I pray you to let family feuds, for this
occasion at least, be buried. No people on earth love liberty and true
Americanism more than my people, and no people realize to a greater
extent that the favorite weapons brought against truth are, generally,
ridicule and billingsgate; and in a vain attempt to successfully answer
my former letter you liberally employed this unsavory method with the
hope of laughing the case out of court. We have not been accustomed to
throwing mud in order to bolster up our cause, but in this case, if
I should stoop to a little ridicule, avoiding slush, I hope you and
the public will pardon me. I understand from parties who witnessed
your performance last Sunday night, that the recital of your little
piece would have done much credit to a Punch and Judy show; but, shorn
of its stagey effects and set in cold type, without even a moving
picture accompaniment, I hope that I may be forgiven if I do not fully
appreciate the force of your masterful (?) logic. I have no doubt
that the thinking people of this city can, without any assistance,
distinguish between inflated sophistic bombast, and logic; but a little
airing and brushing always takes away the mold, removes the rubbish and
gives things a more healthful appearance. Now, as the physician said to
his patient, "just hold still, and I will not insert the knife deeper
than is absolutely necessary."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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