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"The . . . methodists and baptists are
working hard for proselytes
. . . but in the main they beat the bush and the mormon catches the birds."
[Missionaries] Joel DAMON (hatmaker). ORIGINAL HANDWRITTEN LETTER to his brother, Rev. David Damon, well-known clergyman in West Cambridge, Massachusetts. Written from Peterboro, New Hampshire, February 22, 1842.
25 X 20 cm. (9¾ X 7¾ inches). Three full pages of writing, half of it discussing the Mormons. Manuscript postal markings on address portion. This is a stampless folded cover, a letter folded into a packet for mailing, sealed with wax, and addressed on the outside. In very good, strong condition. As usual, there is slight loss of text in one small area (not the Mormon section) where the seal was torn to open the letter in 1842.
$450**SOLD**
Letters by non-Mormons observing the activities of Mormon missionaries are not common. This is one of the best I have seen, with more content than usual! It teaches us something about the type of people who responded to early LDS evangelists, and shows how the brother of a distinguished minister saw the matter.
In November, 1841, the writer (Joel Damon) had visited his brother (Rev. David Damon, 1788-1843; Harvard, 1811. Unitarian) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, more than fifty miles from Peterboro. He now writes to catch up on news, and tells how the return trip went . . .
. . . We had a cold time that morning but by running and walking we managed to get to Groton Ridge tavern without stoping where we took dinner though it was early. In the afternoon we had a pretty comfortable time and got home about 7 oclock in the evening. That confounded Mormon spoiled my visit. It was short at best, and he made it nothing. however in my anual visit next summer I will try and make up for it. By the way I have not much but mormonism to write about The way brother McGin makes proselytes is a caution He baptized one or two the sabbath we were down, and since that enough more to make the whole number about thirty. We hear rumours of some twenty or thirty more that are coming forward soon. How that may be I do not know The Orthodox methodists and baptists are working hard for proselytes and get some particularly the orthodox but in the main they beat the bush and the mormon catches the birds.
This is the fourth or fifth week I believe the orthodox have had meetings two or three afternoons and nearly every evening in the week, and orthodox ministers from neighbouring towns have been pretty plenty. The mormon and baptist ministers had a discussion some five or six weeks ago. The mormons said the baptist was down and the baptists said the mormon was down. I believe those who were disinterested pronounced it a draw game. I did not go. You gave elder Nickerson credit for being sincere. I must say you have more charity than I have. I noticed he (and it is so with Mc Gin) would not give a simple yes or no to a question but instead of answering directly would tell you what Paul or James or John or sombody else said about something or other which was no more to the point as I thought than Harrisons inaugural address.
To use a vu[l]gar comparison he put me in mind of the paddy's flea you put your thumb on him and he is not there There is cunning, and craft enough about them but very little candid fair argument.
Elder Snow of Salem has been here. I heard him twice. He's a pretty smart saucy little fellow; but I think he is much like an abolition or temperance agent, the old story with a few variations. The converts in general are such as would get converted at a methodist campmeeting. However give the devil his due as the saying is. The mormon has got out people who have not been at meeting so long that they scarcely knew how the inside of a meeting house looks or knew how to behave (and for the matter of the looks I do not know as they all know now for he preaches mostly in the town house) and to appearance some have been converted and become good men who have heretofore been the reverse. So far so good. -
THIS
IS THE STUFF from
which history is written. The letter
is both significant and believable. The description of Freeman NICKERSON,
for example, corresponds exactly to an early newspaper description of his
preaching techniques (Boston Courier for June 2, 1841, sold in my Mormon
List 62, item 25).
Future apostle Erastus SNOW (only twenty-three years old when this letter described him - shown here in later life) was indeed headquartered in Salem, Massachusetts, at the time, and one can read Eli P. MAGINN's report of this very mission in the History of the Church IV:566-7: even the number of converts reported is similar.
