Sinners and Saints: A Tour Across the States and Round Them, with Three Months Among the MormonsRobinson, Phil
General
Sinners and Saints: A Tour Across the States and Round Them, with Three Months Among the Mormons
Robinson, Phil
Latter Day Saint churches; Utah -- Description and travel; West (U.S.) -- Description and travel
Their superstitious piety which, quaintly enough, he does not seem
to think is exactly like his own, attracted him. He found among
them tribes asking the blessing of the Great Father on their food
before they ate it; invoking the Divine protection on behalf of their
visitors; praying for protection when about to cross a river; returning
thanks for a safe return from a journey; always sending one of their
religious men to accompany any party about to travel, and so on. All
this the pious Mormon naturally respected. But over and above these
more ordinary expressions of piety, he found tribes that believed in
and acted upon dreams; that accepted the guidance of "second sight;"
that relied upon prayer for obtaining temporal necessaries; that lived
"by faith," and were awaiting the fulfilment of prophecy. In all this
the Mormon missionary sees nothing but common sense. For instance,
Hamblin said, "I know that some people do not believe in dreams and
night-visions. I myself do not believe in them when they arise from a
disordered stomach, but in other kinds I have been forewarned of coming
events, and received much instruction!" And, in the spirit of these
words, he thinks it the most natural thing in the world that Indians
should start off after a dream and find their lost cattle; suddenly
alter their course in a waterless journey, and come upon hitherto
unknown springs; predict the most impossible meetings with friends,
and avoid dangers that were not even anticipated. In the most serious
manner possible, he acquiesces in the Indians' theory of rain-getting,
and acts upon their clairvoyant advice. "The Lord," he says, "is
mindful of the prayers of these poor barbarians, and answers them with
the blessings they need." Seeing them quite sincere in their faith, he
joins them in their ceremonies of scattering consecrated meal to ensure
protection on a journey, believing himself that simple reliance on
Providence is all that men of honest lives need.
One tribe has a tradition that three prophets are to come to lead them
back to the lands that their fathers once possessed, that these are to
be preceded by good white men, but that the Indians are not to go with
them until after the three prophets have reappeared and told them what
to do. The Indians accept the Mormons as "the good white men" of the
tradition, but "the three prophets" not having reappeared, they refuse
to leave their villages (as the Mormons have wanted them to do), and
Hamblin has not a word to say against such "reasonable" objections.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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