Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-05-01

denomination, WnO ike all lnlnOrltleS, are
very compact, and remain united by the
common bond of antipathy to Mormon
rule Even Jews, who are quite numer-
Gus, contribute to this Church, and in ex-
cited moments talk earnestly about g us
Shentiles - for it is a strange feature of
this strange community that all the Saints
are Sinners and all the Jews are Gentiles
Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon
Church, was a native OF Vermont, who
claimed that the Book of Mormon, the
Bible of the Latter-day Saints, buried in
the earth, was pointed out to him by the
Angel Maroni; that, upon digging it up.
he found it written upon metallic plates
in mysterious characters, which special
revelation from God enabled him to trans
late Claiming to be the production of
several writer's 1t is about as large the
Old Testament of which it Is weak, in
coherent and vapid imitation. Several
hundred Of its verses are stolen, with very
slight alteration, from the New Testament,
which, according to Mormon chronology,
was written hundreds of years later than
their own inspired volume. Singularly
enough, it contains many denunciations of
pOlygamy but consistency is Il Jewel
rarely found in the casket Of the Latter
day Saints. Smith possessed great force
of character and business sagacitv, and
was said to have accumulated fortune Of
some millions Of dollars
Brigham Ioung, who succeeded Joseph
Smith in the First Presidency Of the
| Church, was also born in Vermont. lie
Is six feet high, portly, weighing about
two hundred, III his sixty-ffth year, and
wonderfully well preserved. His face
resembles that Of the late Thomas II. Ben
ton, though with a suggestion of grossness
about the putfed checks and huge neck,
which Old Bullion never gave. His face
/ Is fresh and unwriukled, his step agile
and elastic. his curling auburn hair and
whiskers untinged with gray. l. he, indeed,
new Ponce dc Leon. who has found in
pologamy the fountain Of perpetual youth ?
He has grayish-blue. sccretive eyes, ca
/ gle nose, and mouth that shut, like a vice,
/ indicating tremendous tirmneS> His man
ner Is cold and egotistical. He uses neither
tea nor coffee, spirits, nor tobacco, speaks
ungrammatically, j. very rich, owning the
most desirable property IN tan. and UNI
versally popular among the Saints, whom
/ he rules with utmost ease. He has great
/ knowledge of human nature and rare bu>i-
ness capacity. j. kind-hcartrd, and said to
be just in hi, commercial dealings. All
Mormon~ are required to pay one-tenth of
their incomes annually to the church and.
so far as a Gentle can See Brigham l. the
church and the church j, Brigham.
Ills enclosure Of several acres j. in the
very heart ofthc city, surrounded by high
stone wall 1t contains hi, two chief resi-
deuces, the Lion House and the Bee Hive
. House, where most of his wiYc, reside !:
though few of the more favored ones oc-
cupy separate dwellings outside It also
contains his ,chool-hou~c where | saw about
thirty Of his offspring engaged in their
studies. They are peculiarly bright and
promising children; though in the ward
schools Of the city. which | also visited.
the average intelligence Is low. Their tu-
iton cost, from four to ten dollars a quar-
ter. There are no tree SchoolS IN Lah.
Though Brigham has buried eight son,
and two daughters, ne has fifty surviving
children and several grandchildren. His
wives number about thirty H. increases
the li,t by one or two additions yearly.
The first and eldest Is matrouly and we'll
looking: All the later ONES saw are eN-
cecdingly plain and unattractivc, though
some of their daughters are pretty VIM
ning and graceful Among the present
generation Of Mormon~ the men are far
more intelligent and cultivated than the
women.
The Gentle, relate many stories At the
expense of the leading patriarch Of the
Church. He j. the grand Supreme Court
Of all his people to him they carry their
troubles for rclicf and their difficulties
for adjustment. There Is a legend that
+ one day Il woman went to Brigham for
counsel touching some alleged oppression
by an officer Of the Church. Brigham.
like a true politician, assumed to know
her; but when it became necessary to re
cord her ease, hesitated and said:
Let me see, sister, forget your
name.
" My name!" was the indignant reply !;
''why, | am your wife -
:" When did marry you?"
i The woman informed the President,
who referred to an account-book III his
desk and then said
well, believe YOU are right knew
your face was familiar"
Brigham's ample and well-shaded
grounds contain an abundance Of fruits
and flowers, and many indications of that
industry universal among the Mormons.
Twenty miles from the city is the Great
Salt Lake. forty miles by one hundred and
twenty, containing several islands, all of
rugged mountains, and its surface forty
two hundred feet above the level Of the
sea Though four trcsh-Water rivers flow
in, it has no visible outlet, and is bitterly
salt At low water, three gallons Of it,
fluid produce one Of clear. fine salt. No
fishes are found IN the lake. If one be
careful to keep the water out of his eyes,
nose and mouth, it is delightful to swim
in, though 50 buoyant to make it diff
cult to walk in the shadows. 1t Is claim
ed that one cannot sink but its pregnant
waters must render strangulation very easy.
Lake Utah, thirty miles distant, is clear,
shining, mountain-environed body of fresh
water, twenty miles by thirty The river
Jordan has its origin here, and flows across
the beautiful valley like a stream of sill
yer, into Salt Lake
Tepid springs abound III the territory
4 mile west of the city Il stream, redo
lent of sulphur and large as ones thigh,
gushes from a hillside The water is 50
hot Zone hundred and two degrees) that
one shrinks from its first touch, but soon
finds it delightful After ten minutes of
plunging and swimming he comes out
cleansed from head to foot every muscle
relaxed, every nerve pervaded by delicious
languor 1t is claimed that the stream
Il,