"I want to bear my testimony to you that this is the
work of God--and nothing can stay its progress--and all who
interfere will be swept away as chaff"--rising to those transports of
auto-hypnotic exaltation which such as he accept as the effect of the
spirit of God speaking through them. "You were born in the covenant,
and the condemnation is more severe upon one who has the birthright
than upon one not of the faith who fights against the authority of
God's servants." I had concluded to try the effect of a resistant mental
force, and while I stared at him I was saying to myself: "This is a mere
vapor of words. You shall not continue in this tirade. Stop!" He began
to have difficulty in finding his phrases. The expected afflatus did not
seem to have arrived to lift him. He faltered, hesitated, and finally,
with an explanation that he had not been feeling well, he resumed his
seat, apologetically.

That left me free to "bear testimony" somewhat myself. I warned the
members of the "court" that no work of righteousness could succeed
except by keeping faith with the Almighty--which meant keeping faith
with his children upon earth. I reminded them of the dark days, which
all of them could recall, when we had repeatedly covenanted to God and
to the nation that if we could be relieved of what we deemed the world's
oppression we would fulfill every obligation of our promises. I pointed
out to them that the Church was passing into the ways of the world;
that our people were being pauperized; that some of them were in the
poorhouses in their old age after having paid tithes all their active
lives; that by our practices we were bearing testimony against the
revelations which Mormons proclaimed to the world for the salvation of
the bodies and souls of men.

They listened to me with the same friendly spirit that had marked all
their proceedings for these men had no animosity against me; they were
merely obeying the orders of their superiors. And when we arose to
disperse, the bishop put his hand on my shoulder and said, in the usual
form of words: "Brother Frank, we will consider your case, and if we
find you ought to do anything to make matters right, we will let you
know what it is."

I returned to my home, where I had left my wife and children chatting at
the dinner table. They had known where I was going. They knew what the
issue of my "trial" would be for them and for me. Yet when I came back
to them, none asked me any ques