Mormon Literature Sampler:
How I Became a "Mormon"
Karl G. Maeser
Only in compliance with the counsel of President F. D. Richards
have I reluctantly yielded to the repeated solicitations of the editor
to relate briefly in the columns of the Era the incidents
preceding and accompanying my conversion to the great work of the
latter days, and my baptism into The Church, at Dresden, Saxony,
October 14, 1855.
As "Oberlehrer" at the Budich Institute, Neustadt, Dresden, I, like
most of my fellow-teachers in Germany, had become imbued with the
scepticism that characterizes to a large extent the tendency of modern
higher education, but I was realizing at the same time the
unsatisfactory condition of a mind that has nothing to rely on but the
ever changing propositions of speculative philosophy.
Although filled with admiration of the indomitable courage, sincere
devotion, and indefatigable energy of the great German Reformer,
Martin Luther, I could not fail to see that his work had been merely
all initiatory one, and that the various protestant sects, taking
their initiative from the revolutionary stand of the heroic monk at
Wittenberg and Worms, had entirely failed to comprehend the mission of
the reformation. The only strength of Protestantism seemed to be its
negative position to the Catholic church; while in most of the
positive doctrines of the multifarious protestant sects their
antagonism to one another culminated only too often in uncompromising
zealotry. These ideas illustrate in the main my views on religious
subjects, at that time, and are explanatory of the fact that
scepticism had undermined the religious impressions of my childhood
days, and why infidelity, now known by its modern name as agnosticism,
was exercising its disintegrating influence upon me.
In that dark period of my life, when I was searching for a foothold
among the political, social, philosophical, and religious opinions of
the world, my attention was called to a pamphlet on the "Mormons,"
written by a man named Busch. The author wrote in a spirit of
opposition to that strange people, but his very illogical deductions
and sarcastic invectives aroused my curiosity, and an irresistible
desire to know more about the subject of the author's animadversion
caused me to make persistent inquiries concerning it. There were no
"Mormons" in Saxony at that time, but, as I accidentally found in an
illustrated paper, they had a mission in Denmark. Through an agent, I
obtained the address of Elder Van Colt, then President of the
Scandinavian mission. My letter addressed to that gentleman brought
the answer that neither he nor his secretary could understand much
German, but that Elder Daniel Tyler, President of the Swiss and German
mission at Geneva, would give me all information I should desire on
the subject of "Mormonism." I addressed myself, therefore, to that
gentleman.
What I now relate in this paragraph, I never learned until twelve
years later, at Beaver City, Utah, where Brother Tyler related it in
my presence, at a meeting of the Relief Society. When my letter
arrived at Geneva, headquarters of the mission, one of the traveling
Elders suggested to President Tyler to have nothing to do with the
writer of the letter, but to send it back without any answer, as it
was most likely only a trick of the German police to catch our
possible connections in that country. President Tyler declared that as
the letter was impressing him quite differently, he would send it back
as suggested, but that it would come back again with more added to it,
if the Lord was with the writer. Thus I got my letter back without any
explanation or signature, only in a new envelope addressed to me. I
felt insulted, and sent it with a few words of inquiries about this
strange procedure, to Elder Van Cott, at Copenhagen. By return mail I
received an apology from President Van Cott, stating that there must
be a mistake somewhere, as Elder Tyler was a good and wise man. He
had, however, sent my letter again to Geneva with an endorsement. This
led to a long correspondence between Elder Tyler and myself. Pamphlets
and some books were forwarded to me. Having some conceited notions in
those days about illiteracy, and no faith in Bible or religious
doctrines, correspondence and publications had no other effect upon me
than to convince me that "Mormonism" was a much bigger thing than I
had anticipated. I therefore expressed a desire for having an Elder
sent to me.
A few weeks after that request had been made, Elder William Budge,
now President of Bear Lake Stake, arrived at my house. It was
providential that such a man was the first "Mormon" I ever beheld,
for, although scarcely able to make himself understood in German, he,
by his winning and yet dignified personality, created an impression
upon me and my family which was the keynote to an indispensable
influence that hallowed the principles he advocated. After about eight
weeks' sojourn in our family, during which time my brother-in-law,
Brother Edward Schoenfeld, and wife, and another teacher at one of the
public schools in Dresden, had become interested in the teachings of
the "Mormon" Elder, Elder F. D. Richards, then President of the
European mission, and Elder William Kimball, arrived in Dresden. A few
interviews at which Elder Budge acted as interpreter, led to the
baptism of eight souls in the river Elbe; the first baptisms after the
order of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in that
country.
On coming out of the water, I lifted both of my hands to heaven and
said: "Father, if what I have done just now is pleasing unto thee,
give me a testimony, and whatever thou shouldst require of my hands I
shall do, even to the laying down of my life for this cause."
There seethed to be no response to my fervent appeal, and we walked
home together, President Richards and Elder Budge at the right and the
left of me, while the other three men walked some distance behind us,
so as to attract no notice. The other members of the family were
baptized a few days later. Our conversation was on the subject of the
authority of the Priesthood, Elder Budge acting as interpreter.
Suddenly I stopped Elder Budge from interpreting President Richards'
remarks, as I understood them, and replied in German, when again the
interpretation was not needed as President Richards understood me
also. Thus we kept on conversing until we arrived at the point of
separation, when the manifestation as suddenly ceased as it had come.
It did not appear to me as strange at all while it lasted, but as soon
as it stopped, I asked Brother Budge what that all meant, and received
the answer that God had given me a testimony. For some time
afterwards, whenever I conversed with President Richards, in England,
we could understand each other more readily than when I was conversing
with others, or rather trying to converse, until my progress in the
English language made this capacity unnecessary.
This is the plain statement of the power of the Holy Spirit
manifested to me by the mercy of my Heavenly Father, the first one of
the many that have followed, and that have corroborated the sincere
conviction of my soul, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints is of God and not of man.
*Karl G. Maeser (1828-1901), one of Mormondom's most beloved
educators, was born in Meiszen, Saxony, Germany. Well educated, Dr.
Maeser became a successful German educator. He was baptized into the
Church in 1855, after which he resigned his position and moved with
his family to London, where he labored among German-speaking
residents, building up a branch of the Church. In 1856, he emigrated
to Philadelphia, where he labored for the Church until 1860, then
moved to Utah and began teaching school. In 1864 he was called to
become tutor to Brigham Young's family. Later, in 1867, while he was
serving as an organist for the Tabernacle Choir, he was called to
preside over the Swiss and German mission, where he founded the Church
journal, Der Stern. In 1876 Brigham Young called Dr. Maeser to
establish the Brigham Young Academy in Provo, Utah (later BYU), where
he worked until his death, a leader in the Church Sunday School system
and in the higher education program of the Church. This account of his
conversion was published in the 1889 Improvement Era.
|