The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1853-05-26
From the ST. Louis lntelligencer.
THE MORMONS.
The Sect and Their Doctrines.

| with q slash OF the whip across the shoulders,
and dash of the rowes into the danks of their
| respective animals, a company of young Mormon
bellies and beaux on horseback the bellies array
| ed in long skrted riding dresses and green vel
vet caps, and the beaux in their shirt sleeves
and bare necks, with slouched hats upon their
heads, and slips of coarse leather wrapped
| around the lower extremties of their legs, from
the knees down, in the fashion of leggings, rush
at full gallop past my window, / step to the door
, to observe more closely the unusual sight. and
while watching with curious eye the receding fig
ures, am reminded of my promise to sketch you
| a few of the peculiarities of Mormon life, man
nefs, Character and institutions, such they
have presented themselves to my mind during
! residence of several weeks in the Valley.
| The task have imposed upon myself is n
somewhat difficult one. When there is so much
ignorance and fanaticism upon the one side and
so much prejudice and contempt upon the 9TH
er, 1t IS impossible that should in what | shall
have to say, entirely please either Mormon or
! Gentie-for such the Saints term~6t Who disa-
gree with them IN point of religious faith GEN
tiles will dare say, attribute TO me too lenient
an indulgence to the abOminable doctrines and
hateful persons of sacrilegous idolaters while
Mormons wlli accuse me OF severity merging in
to persecution of Gods faithful and chosen
saints 1t is even doubtful whether shall my
self feel altogether satisfied as to the truth aud
fidelity of my own impressions. But as truth
and justice, and the presentation of correct and
u hSooiouo III u Su'.leCtS WHICH
are beginning to excite very general interest
throughout the country are my only objects,
shall write simply as L think, careless alike who
approves or who condemns.
The population of this city l should suppose
to be between eight and ten thousand That of
the Valley at large have no reliable means of
estimating. Upon a rude computation, based
upon the best sources of information which are
accessible to me, should estimate il as rang
ing somewhere between twenty and thirty thou
sand. This population is of an altogether hyb-
rid or heterogeneous character, being composed
OF emigrants from every section of the Union
and almost every country in Europe. Here are
cnngregated the keen, sharp-witted restless
Yankee, the prudent, canny, slim -visaged
Scotchman, the pursy, self-complacent conse-
quential Englishman, the dull, phlegmatic Ger
man, with rare occasional specimen of the
more gay, hght-hearted Irshinan or French
man, all Of whom associate together in this de-
sert girt retreat upon terms of the most social
harmony and brotherhood.
OF the American portion of the population by
far the grenter number came from New York
and the other Middle and Eastern States. Oc-
casionally representative from the various
Southern and Western States is to be found
among their numbers. How Missourian or
Eentuckian, Carolinian, could ever have
strayed of TO these comparatively unknown
wlds to unite himself to the Mormon Church,
| is mystery which, confess, quite altogether
surpasses my comprehension. Yet here they
are to be found. The Mormons almost unver-
sally belong TO what are usually denominated
the lower or laboring classes of society in the
States and countries where they originally resi-
ded The state of learning and intelligence pre-
vaiiing among them generally, / should judge,
by the appearance and conversation of most of
those who come under my observations. to be at
a very low standard, while many, very many of
them are destitute of the first rudiments of a
common English education, being rude and ig-
to h;rrbA
do not recoect to have ever met or seen
among them single person whose appearance,
manners or speech, would indicate him a gen
| tleman of refined, cultivated educated
mind. | do not except from this remark either
the President, Governor Young, or any of the
other leaders of the Church. And yet there are
| not a few men among them of naturally keen,
shrewd strong intellects. But if the natural
intelligence of the Mormons is none of the most
penetrating, their acquired knowledge none the
most perfect, their manners the most polish
ed they possess as in some measure compen-
sation for these deficiencies, those two cardinal
virtues of the classes from which they have gen.
orally sprung, industry and sobriety, in very
| remarkable degree. If external manifestations
are to be taken as true types of inward feeling
! and character, energy, perseverance and sobrie-
| ty are certainly prominent, not to say predomi-
nent, traits of the Mormon character.
| Every Mormon has some employment, and
what is more, usually prosecutes it with praise
worthy assduity An idle or drunken Mormon
| is a social phenomenon which has not yet fallen
| under my eve. There are but few liquor shops
| in the city. l believe that these are rarely en-
! tered by any but emgrants and transient resi-
| dents The streets of the city are quiet and
! orderly at all hours, both of the day and night
! AS an illustration of Mormon enterprise and
| perseverance will mention well authenticated
| fact in their history. Within an hour after the
| first ad venturers had entered the Valley in 1S47
! some of them had htched horses to the plough
and were engaged in turning the sod, while 9TH
| ers were occupied in digging bitches and ma
/ king other preparations for irrigation. General
| ly speaking, | have found them civil and not
( indsposed to give me all the information
| sought in regard to the principal features of
| their religious and social organization.
In regard to the honesty of their character
and conduct it is the fashion of most of the Gen
tiles to doubt and distrust it. Possibly may
have fallen into the prevailing fashion in this
respect but must candidly admit that in my
limited dealings with them L nothing to
cause me to believe that the Mormons were in
their business transactions either better worse
| than other people.
Having said thus much of the men, must of
course devote few words to the women or Ia
dies of Salt Lake With all due regard to the
obligations of galantry and Difference to the
rights of the sex, | cannot say that the Mormon
ladies can lay claim to any superiority over their
lords and masters, the Saints, either In appear
ance manners education. With some very
few exceptions they generally impressed me as