The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-07-27
Salt Lake City.

| salt Lake City, the Mormon capitol
Let us look at 1t. 1t lies deep In the valley
in valley which Is 5000 feet above the
level OF the sea. To the right, to the left.
to the north, the south, the east, and the
! west-mountains Lying in the midst of
them, the city. America has no other like
| IT. Surveyed from the distance, it wears a
distinctly Oriental appearance. 30 we of
! the far West, who have only dreamed of
the East, imagine how Damascus may look.
| White houses shining amid rich masses of
green foliage. a dome, tower, spire
| That may answer for minaret, deep gar
| dens, buildings with fiat roofs, a faint mist
OF dust marking the line of Travelled
street, a sky Of more than Oriental softness
overhead, and an atmosphere so pure that
| 10 breathe 1t Is luxury, and TO look through
IL ls 10 gain such power Of vision that the
peaks of the Wasatch Range, twenty miles
away, seem within the reach of the pcdes
trian who has five minutes to spare. In
the city there arc broad streets, covered
with gravel. Upon each side, where the
gutter should be, there is stream of pure
and delicious water hurling ficrcely along
with the impetus gained at the top of tho
Twin Peaks. The dwellings of stone. of
wood, OF adobe or sunburnt bricks, are far
apart, and enshrined among mighty trees.
Shops here and there, thrust themselves
out 10 the edge of the footway, and offer
their wares to the passcrs- 1t is q queer
crowd that is thus tempted. Such one
as on no other street in this broad earth can
gather. Here is Mormon saint. patri-
arch with twelve wives, and 80 many chill.
dren that he is compelled to refer TO bis
memorandum book for list of them.
Stout rugged, coarse III nature and in fca-
lures, he Is of the kind that found this
valley wilderness, and transformed It into
luscious garden. There is Utah Indian,
clad, perhaps in stovepipc hat, a blanket
and buckskin breechcs. He wears huge
earrings, long straight hair, thick and black
as midnight. Here Is a Mexican, dashing
along at brcak-ncck speed upon shagged
pony. lie wears dress as picturesque as
that OF Greek, and he is rs fine horse
man as the Arabian Desert knows. There
60 Two army officers, wearing blue coats.
and looking as If they were in authority.
They he to the camp upon tho hillside
from whence the guns that they control
can level The city in a day. Gentle miners,
with whiskers, broad hats, trowsers tucked
IN boots, and pistols thrust in belts, swag-
gering ABOUT in search of firewater Nor
mon pollcencn, quiet, reserved, but keen
us hounds, stand upon the corners. Huge
wagons, drawn by six, eight and ten mules
come numbering down the street, bringing
from outlying settlements of the suints the
tithes for the Prophets storehouse. fur
rying past them, dash graceful and elegant
pleasure carriages, such rs Hyde Park might
be proud Of. But Where are the women7
Of men there are enough. Now and then
Gentle woman passes, but not often;
and the Mormon women appear still less
frequently. 1t Is Orientalsm in the cx-
treme Occdent. There is the polygamy
OF Turkey, with an approach to tho custom
which Keeps tho women under veil. 1t Is
strange city, new city, born within the
Inst half century; city of lis own kind-
a city that Ia as striking as novel, as inter-
essing, rs unprecedented to the Wow of the
American who lives east of the Rocky
Mountains, as ii is to that of the citizen Of
London.