told us. The Old Testament and the New assure us of personal identity in the future life, that our bodies shall rise; but they are silent as to the quality of the body.

"But some will say, How are the dead raised? and with what manner of body do they come? Thou foolish one, that which thou thyself sowest is not given life except it die, and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not the body that shall be but a mere kernel, it may be of wheat or of some other grain, but God giveth it a body, even as it pleased him. . . . It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body."

And there we are content to rest our assurance in the power and promise of our covenant-keeping God.

ARTICLE II.

A STUDY OF MORMONISM.

BY THE REVEREND GEORGE R. LUNN.

II. SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CHARACTER.

THE Mormon religion is essentially social; so that no adequate conception of Mormonism is possible without a consideration of its results, as manifested in the social, political, and industrial activities. Such an investigation is very much handicapped by the absence of reliable data. The Mormon representations are extravagant, and the Gentile accounts are never free from prejudice; making a scientific study of conditions very difficult.

A Consideration of the General Social Life among the Mormons.

Nearly every ward has its pleasure house, often in the same building as the meeting-place, and considered equally necessary. It is here that the common people find their greatest enjoyment in the social dance, which, strange to relate, is opened and closed with prayer. Perfect decorum is supposed to be observed, and a high moral tone preserved. But in a letter from a friend, who is not given to exaggeration, he says: "You can judge of the social conditions of a people who exalt animalism, teaching that the highest exaltation, in heaven, comes of the exercise of man's procreative powers, which are to continue in the next life, as in this. The social pleasures of the common people are found in the dance and the unmentionable excesses which follow."

The more cultivated, however, have their literary clubs

and social life of a higher order. There is in nearly every ward a young men's mutual improvement society, as well as one for young ladies, in which current topics are discussed. These clubs are supposedly literary, though the bishops use them primarily as feeders to the church. Both Mormons and non-Mormons can become members of the association.

The societies are under the direct supervision of the church hierarchy, to which regular reports must be made. From the office of this general superintendency, a set of instructions is sent to the stake officers of the associations; another to these superintendents; another to ward presidents; and still another to members. A study of these instructions has revealed the absence of any freedom to choose courses for study, or of any liberty as to methods employed. The entire program is outlined by the general superintendency, which insists on its being followed minutely. The various officers of these associations are to answer, in addition to many others, the following questions:"Did you examine the records of each association in your stake last year?"

"Did you confer freely and fully with the presidency of your stake, in superintending the M. I. A. work last year?" "Are the programs for the joint meetings as per instructions to presidents in the manual?"

"Do your missionaries fill their appointments, and do other missionaries visit you regularly?"

"Is your civil government class progressing intelligently, as per instructions in the manual?"

"Have the records of the associations been inspected by ward presidents?"

"Do the officers all possess a copy of the manual, and are they following it?"1

The above is sufficient evidence for the conclusion that

1 Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association.

these improvement associations are under the complete dominance of the church, being directed in every detail. Even in the selection of officers, the ward authorities are to be fully conferred with, and great care taken to choose such persons as are fitted for the position by ability, popularity, and inclination to do the work required.

The four basic studies of the course are Theology, History, Science, and Literature, with ever-recurring emphasis laid on Theology. "All intelligent students," says the Manual, "will agree that a theological foundation is essential, indispensable, imperative." A careful perusal of their course of study reveals the fact that this theological bias touches every other department of instruction; for, as a matter of fact, the ultimate purpose of these societies is not so much to instruct and give culture to the young people, as to make them intelligent expounders of the Mormon religion. And it follows, that their study of Science is limited accordingly to the most narrow channels.

Legitimate theatricals are believed in and encouraged by the church. One of the teachings of Brigham Young was, that the people must be amused; and so, in the very dawn of Salt Lake's history, the Home Dramatic Association, an association which lives to-day, was organized. Throughout the State are many of these dramatic clubs, in which the best plays are carefully studied and skillfully produced. All the best young people are deeply interested in this feature of social life. Ordinarily these clubs are local, but a few travel over the State, visiting the smaller cities. Nearly all the prominent Utah officials of to-day have been more or less proficient actors. The present governor was quite an adept. Maud Adams, the charming actress, was born in Utah, and began, when a child, her artistic career in the Salt Lake Theater. Every city of any size has a commodious opera house, properly equipped for the appearance of large companies.

The people of Utah are imbued, by long years of training and opportunity, with the desire for relaxation. This is evident by their enthusiastic patronage of their amusement houses, by the encouragement they give to societies organized for pleasure purposes, and by their daily visits, in season, to their lake and other resorts. In all social matters they are up to the standard in every way.

As to morality, the general level of Utah is not high. The conditions give indisputable proof of a moral retrogression, subtle yet effective. That sexual morality is low, is an assured fact. The sins of the fathers are being visited upon the children. An epidemic of sexual immorality, among the children, seems to be the resultant effect of the polygamy of the fathers. A short time ago, in conversation with a Mormon, he said to me, that the article on Mormonism recently published by Mr. Spahr in the Outlook, was a fair and just presentation. Referring to this matter of sexual purity, Spahr says, "On the cars and in the streets, the impressions received were less favorable in this regard, and the testimonies of scandal-hating people, without regard to creed, convinced me that sexual morality in Utah was much lower than in any other American community, and but little higher than in Continental Europe."

A further evidence of moral retrogression, at least in the cities, is gained by a study of prison records. In a comparison of all the States as to the number of prisoners in 1890 over 1880, I find that Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, and Utah show the greatest increase. It is hardly reasonable to believe that all of these culprits are of Gentile extraction; so that the following statement which is circulated, cannot be true: "The Mormon population hardly figures among those arrested for crime or disorder, or among those who minister for gain to criminal or vicious taste."

The consumption of liquor among the Mormons is far