Karl G. Maeser’s Conversion through a Mormon Elder

“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. My attention was first called to the 'Mormons' by a book written by a German author named Moritz Busch, entitled 'Die Mormonen.' It was a book written in a spirit of bitter hostility, and yet, in spite of the author's evident desire to hold the 'Mormons' up to ridicule, he had incorporated into his work so much of the history and the doctrines of the Church, that I was led to see that there was something more in 'Mormonism' than the mere vagaries of a fanatic. I felt that there was a system of philosophy and a depth of religious truth in the doctrines he quoted, that were worthy of a more serious investigation than he had given them. I determined to learn more of this people. I wrote to the mission headquarters in Copenhagen, and in due time received a reply from Elder John Van Cott, who referred me to the mission in England. I then opened a correspondence with Elder William Budge, who was then laboring in England. The result of this correspondence was that Elder Budge came to Dresden, and I had the pleasure of meeting him. He was the first 'Mormon' I had ever seen. I found him to be a man of intelligence and sincerity, and his explanations of the principles of the Gospel were so clear and so in harmony with the scriptures, that I was convinced of the truth of his message. I was not long in deciding to cast my lot with the people of God. President Franklin D. Richards, then President of the European mission, and Elder William Budge, 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. It was a night of great solemnity. We went down to the river, and there, under the cover of the darkness, I was baptized by President Richards. As I came up out of the water, I felt that I had entered into a new life. I had prayed to the Lord that if what I had done was pleasing in His sight, He would give me a testimony, and I felt that my prayer was answered. As we walked home, President Richards and I were engaged in conversation. He spoke in English and I in German, and yet, by the power of the Spirit, we understood each other perfectly. It was a manifestation of the gift of tongues, and it was a testimony to me that the work was of God. This gift continued with us until we reached my home, when it as suddenly ceased as it had come. From that hour, I have never had a doubt of the truth of the Gospel.”

— Karl G. Maeser, 'How I Became a Mormon', Improvement Era, November 1899