The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-09-13
The Prophets Big Wall.


Young around the suburbs of Salt Lake.
As we came in from the Hot Sulphur
Springs, which ran like little river
from the base of the Wasatch Noun
tains, about mile north of the city, we
passed dilapidated adobe wall, a wall
made from unbaked clay. The wall
had been eight or nine feet high, but it
is now little more than ruin.
"What was that wall built for?'h
asked.
"That wall was built for two pur-
poses" said the Prophet. 50 1t once ex-
tended all around Salt Lake. 1t was
little Chinese wall, with loop-holes and
gates and round-houses."
"Then Salt Lake was once walled
CITY,"
Eyes, it wasywalled all around, and
the wall cost a great deal of labor, too.
Hundreds of men worked all winter on
/ it,"
"But YOU have not told me the two
purposes for which. it was built" sug-
! gested.
"Well, the chief purpose of this wall
was to keep three or four hundred emf
grants from being idle. You see, we
had large emigration one year, three
or four hundred able-bodied men. They
arrived in August, too late to do any
thing on their farms. Now, an idle
man is always bad man. Still, we had
nothing for them to do. How can |
employ them?' asked myself. Then
l thought OF this wall To make it
seem necessary, we had to pretend that
we were threatened by the Indians
around US. This was easily done, for
several parties of Indians had been seen
lowering around the town. In a few days
we worked up the enthusiasm for pro-
lection and put these hundreds of idle
men to work. The wages were small,
but they all worked steadily during the
whole fall and winter"
And no Indians ever troubled the
town."
"No, and never thought they would
But four hundred idle men would have
troubled it. We were in more danger
from idle men than from Indians. AnC
this has always been my idea; whenev
, er l have found an idle Mormon l have
; set him to work-kept him busy with hi
, hands and brain, and then he is Away
I sure to make good citizen"
0 This 1 found has always been tn
Prophets theory. If poor emigran
came to Salt Lake without money, Brig
ham placed him on farm and gave hin
= implements and seeds. He made hin
self-sustaining. Every thing in Sal
f Lake was built right there. A Mormon
t built the big organ in the tabernacle
MOrmons build and officer their rail
: roads, and Mormons are building thei
great temple. Before he died the Pre-
: phet had Mormon furniture factories,
II Mormon mint where they once eoine
: their own money, and six cotton an
O wooden factories. In fact, Brigham
a Young taught his people to make ever
a thing they ate, drank, or wore, oxceE
+ coffee, tea, sugar, pepper, and spice.
The river running down from tn
70 Wasatch Mountains behind Salt Lake
r good water power with $50 feet fal
The same water runs through two mi
/, lion dollars worth of irrigating canal
h, and waters the whole Salt Lake plat
lie before it finally empties into the lake.
d, Brigham Young was good mechani
y He could make any thing he ever say
70 and when occasion required he could il
d vent new appliances. He was a roug
crude man, but terribly in earnest. l
* was like lack Chandler in polite
er Sherman in war, and st. Paul in Il
i ministry. He was always aggressiy
~ His son, John W., on the contrary,
N always on the defensive. He is alwa
IN patting people on the back, always ira
90 QUILTING and making peace. He is Il
IT most gentlemanly and quiet-manner
VI man ever met. He wins every bot
% with his smiles and kind ways. L
morning we left for Ogden John '
i came down to the cars with us. In
ing from the depot to the cars no lie
#, than six MormOns put their arms aroul
H. him. Some even kissed him. Brigha
ne Young was feared, but his son John
will and has made himself beloved.
y, will not fight. All strife will now end
~. Utah. Polygamy will gradually die OF
no John w. will let it die, but the Norm
ad Church, with 100000 followers, W
he stand.
ave double once in seven years
re- the Prophet said one day.
" Chow double once in seven years"
''.n' asked.
mi "Why,in 1910 we had $1,000 Peep
In 1856 we had $4,000; in 1868 we h
n $4,000; in 1870 we had $4,000, and
lie day in 1877 we have 1872, 900"
of "And in 1883 you will have"
"Two hundred and eighty-four tho
r. sand, and nothing but national Gala
ID, ity or a judgment from God can st
'iO u.s. said the Prophet.
There is no doubt in my mind Il
under the conservative policy of 10
w. Young, with the death of polygan
h., that the Mormons will number 2S4,C
W. W. in 1888, and that they will control
ra- politics of Utah, and perhaps of Arizo
vn and New Mexico.-EA Perkins, in
he NeaC York Sun.
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