From the seemingly insignificant beginning of six the membership of the Church has now risen above half a million. In Utah and ad joining States, as also in Canada and Mexico, the people are organized according to resi dence into stakes, each of which comprises sev eral wards; and outside the area so included, the whole of this country, as also many for eign lands, are covered by missions. The the ology of Mormonism is epitomized in the fol lowing exposition: The Articles of Faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His San, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.
3. We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordi nances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: (1) Faith in the Lord Jesus Christi (2) Re pentance,• (3) Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; (4) Laying on of bands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
S. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands, by those who are m authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, viz.: apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists. etc.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, propheey, revela-, tion, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, etc.
& We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that Ha will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of 10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion will be built upon this (the American) continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth: and, that the earth will be re newed and receive its paradisiail glory.
11, We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God' according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where,. or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings. Preaideets, rulers, and magistrates. in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul. We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtu ous. lovely. or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.— Joseph Smith.
The presiding council of the Church is the first presidency, consisting of the president and his two counsellors, each of the three being an ordained high priest. The president is offi cially designated as "prophet, seer, and reve lator" to the Church. Next in authority is the council of 12 apostles, and in addition there are patriarchs, high priests, seventies, elders, bishops, priests, teachers and deacons, the or ganization operating as a theocratic system. Auxiliary organizations are maintained as helps in government; these comprise relief societies, Sunday schools, young men's and young ladies' mutual improvement associations, primary as sociations for the children and religion classes for supplying religious and ethical instruction as a supplement to the secular teachings of the public schools. A system of church schools is operated for those who prefer denominational training, and these institutions range from the kindergarten to the normal school and college. The practice of plural marriage was a feature of the Church from the time of Joseph Smith's presidency to that of Wilford Woodruff. In 1862 the Federal government legislated against the system, but the constitutionality of the law was contested by the Mormons on the ground that it was in effect an infringement on reli gious freedom. More stringent laws followed, and numerous prosecutions resulted. Many members of the Church suffered fine and im prisonment rather than abandon the wives with whom they had covenanted under Church sanction. In 1887 the Mormon Church was disincorporated by Congress and the greater part of its property was confiscated by the gov ernment. In recognition of the final decision of the Supreme Court that the laws forbid ding a plurality of wives were constitutionally valid, the Church in general conference as sembled adopted as a binding rule the Wood ruff manifesto; and except for sporadic cases of violation of this rule of action, plural mar riage has ceased to be an issue in Mormon af fairs. In 1898 Brigham H. Roberts was elected to Congress on the Democratic ticket, but a protest followed on the charge that he was living in polygamous relations, and on the rec of an investigating committee of the House of Representatives he was denied a seat in Congress. In 1904 an effort was made to unseat United States Senator Reed Smoot, on the charge that he, being a member and an official of the Mormon Church, did in effect abet and encourage the practice of plural mar riage, and that he was disloyal to the Federal government. Both charges failed and the sen ator was confirmed in his place in the upper house of Congress.