The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-08-15 00:00:00

AMONGST THE MORMONS.
(From St. James's Magazine.

This morning we were up betimes, walking abou
the city. We visited a great establishment belonging
to a few of the leading Mormons, who supply the
saints with all kinds of goods, from a paper of pins to
a plough, and including every conceivable article, both
ornamental and usefuL They informed us that their
sales last year amounted to over six millions of dollars
(V 1200,000 a remarkable proof of the great industrial
activity of the Mormons. At nine o'clock we were in
the special train on our way to Brigham Young's
country retreat. We were accompanied by half-a.
dozen of the leading saints, and several of the ladies of
their families, including two of President Young's
daughters. We conversed freely with all the members of
the party on the peculiar tenets of Mormonism, and I
am quite sure from what was said that the ladies then
present will never consent to be married except in
accordance with the good old Christian practice of a
husband sticking to one wife. Some of the Mormon
ladies were quite emphatic on this point, and spoke so
strongly as to convince us that if the existence of poly-
gamy depended upon the women of Utah its doom was
already sealed. On our arrival at the terminus of the
road, one of Brigham Young's sons met us at the depat,
and escorted us to his fathes residence, where we were
cordially receivedby the President, and invited to remain
to lunch. The reader can imagine better than I can
describe our feelings at sitting down to a hospitable
repast with Brigham Young, and several of his princi-
pal male apostles • and especially at our being waited
upon by one of his numerous wives, a lady between
forty and fifty years of age, and by the two daughters
who had travelled with us from Salt Lake City. In
our conversation about various matters I asked
Brigham Young what book I could buy which would
give me the most accurate information concerning the
Mormon religion. He answered pat, "The Bible." I
then asked what was the next best book, and he men-
tioned a work written by a well-known literary saint.
During our conversation one of President Young's
sons, a young man about twenty, asked if he might
go up with us to Salt Lake City, and hear Canon
Kingsley preach on the following, day. The father
consented at once, simply requesting his son to return
on Monday morning. Not far from his house, which
is a modest two-story structure, built nearthe principal
street, he has erected a large steam factory for the
manufacture of all kinds of woollen fabrics. After
spending a pleasant hour or two with the veteran
Mormon chief, who, I may add, is a rather stout-
built man, of apparently about seventy years of age,
and the expression of whose countenance IB peculiarly
keen and shrewd, we returned to the city, stopping by
the way at one station to visit the great American
Kanyon, and at another to inspect the works where
a large portion of the silver ore found in Utah is
brought for smelting purposes. On our arrival at the
city we visited the theatre with a Mormon, who, be-
sides being one of Brigham Young's official colleagues,
is a man of great wealth, and who told us that he
hailed from Birmingham in England. The theatre,
which was built by the Presider, t, was moderately
filled, and the audience greatly s pplauded the actors,
an English company, who certainly did their utmost
to entertain the people.