The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1865-03-10

house has an acre of land, and each is al
most invariably adorned with fruit and
flowers in front and abundance of vegeta-
bles cover the land back. The houses are
mostly adobe or unburned brick, which
answers well for building materials in this
dry climate. Fine shade trees line nearly
all the streets of. the town. Beneath
these trees, down the side Of every street
there runs a small clear stream of water,
fresh from the mountain above. A large
brook or river which flows by the base of
the mountain above, loses all its water
through gates placed along its lower bank,
by which it is distributed over all the streets
of the city. This is principally for the
purpose Of garden irrigation. They have
no rain during the whole summer, and
nothing can grow only when stream can
be turned upon the land. They never at
tempt to cultivate where they cannot irri
gate. Every garden is supplied with its
gate, through which certain portion of
water is turned upon it from the street -
Besides this, these streams sweep off the
nlth and dirt that collect and keep the
city clean and neat. On hot sultry day
in summer no one can imagine their value.
They cool and refresh the air, wash off the
dust, and render the side walk delightful.
They ripple over their stony beds, and
make joyful music over all the dry and
dusty city.
The Mormons are neat people. The
front fence AMI gate, clean graveed walk,
the beautiful garden and general appear
ance indicate a degree of attention to
these things which is truly commendable.
Inside although the floors are neither car
peted or planned yet they are SECURED, the
windows clean, the bed dressed in white,
the air sweet and everything comfortable
and inviting. They all work. ! spent
the Sabbath in Tooie village, a small set.
Element thirty-fve miles southwest of the
city. On the Sabbath attended church
in small square adobe building, with
rough board seats to accommodate from
one to two hundred 1t was Tiled There
was no minister present, and [ learned
that the Mormous in none of their towns
large or small, have any regular appointed
pastor, whose Sabbath duty is to conduct
the religious services. The chairman of
the meeting reads a hymn, which the PEG.
Pile sing. He then calls on one brother to
offer a prayer, aud another to preach SER
mon. The discourscs, both morning and
evening were badly delivered, poorly ar
ranged, disconnected, wordy, wandering,
and of commonplace expression, as of
course sermons must be when delivered
without forethought and preparation, espe-
cially by man of limited education, as all
the Mormous from the President down are
After the introductory services in the af-
ternoon, the chairman rose aud gave no.
tice of dance which would be held next
Fourth of July evening, and that the pro-
ceeds would 90 to buy provisions for the
poor. Another brother then arose, and,
after ur-ng the necessity of all keeping
in good repair, read the names of dozen
or more men whose fences we're badly neg
lected and broken, and called upon them
loudly to do their duty before the coming
Sabbath, or they would receive the open
censure of the church. Neglectin, one's
fences, he said, was sin the Chuch could
not tolerate. The chairman then called
upon another brother to preach the SER
mon. 1t Was q short exhortation for them
not to sell their grain for money, but to
keep it, and store it up against tune of
need. He said that season of want
would overtake them by and by, and they
would need then not gold but grain.
The Mormons are sectarian, selfish, mar
row and conceited. They believe that
they are the on y saints of God, and their
Church the only true one; that Tod in an
cient times spoke only through one prophet
at time, so now he speaks through one,
and that one is Brigham Young, whose
word is infallible, whose commands are
absolute, and whose decisions are final
In all the great movements of the world
they believe the hand of God is working
for the glory Of Brigham Young and the
Mormon Church.
Great Salt Lake is twelve miles to the
west Of the city. 1t is beautiful sheet
of water, sixty miles long and Thirty wide.
1t is think the safest body of water on
this continent. No fish can live beneath
its waves. We went to the shore and
bathed | could throw myself at full
length upon its surface aud float like log.
| could not possibly get myself beneath its
waters. The shore for many rods is cov-
cred with thick salt crust, and in holows
where the water has f1wed back and
stood portion of the year and then reced-
ed, are found deposited large beds of clean
white salt. Salt is obtained also by the
process of boiling in large shallow pans,
TOUR barrels of water yielding one of salt.
Hot springs are founl by the mountain
base, boiling up from their beds, which
furnish water for the warm baths through
the city.
BsS~A western editor thus distinguishes
between different sorts of patriotism ::
"Some esteem it sweet to die for ones
country; others regard it sweet to live