The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-02-10
THE MORMON KINGDOM.
The InterOCeanic Paradise Made a
Political Football and an
Arena Of Strife.
Its Alleged Dangerous and Immoral
Institutions Considered i'm the
Light Of the Statistics
of Crime.
A Polygamous Marriage.

4
great highway of the trans-Missour
region; elevated, and yet sheltered b.
the Rocky Mountains on the east and
north. and the Sierras on the west
insular. and yet more cosmopolitan
than any rural population on the face
of the globe; physically attractive,
and yet rent with the turmoil of pol.
tical and religious distractions; home
OF the sage-brush, and yet raising
| eighty bashels OF grain to the acre; a
day>and-nighfs journey from any
where. and yet in the very eye OF the
world; an empire OF paradoxes and
antitheses; this is thu Utah OF tod Az,
and of the past twenty years.
| The capital city is ons OF singular
sttraotiveness. In its air OF spacious
ness and liberality of plan. it ia sec
ond only to Washington. Even DUR
ing this winter season. what is not
intrinsicslly beautiful is suggessively
30, when spring shall have opened
the flowers. Quickeped the foliage,
and let lcose the waters that shall
cover the valleys With verdure. In
| everything farm-like blocks, the
| wide avenues, and stately and ottsn
graceful architecture, the waterways
for irrigation, sewage, and spripk;ing,
the edifices for worship, education
and amusement, the employment of
gas. the electric light, and railways
in everything is seen. on the part of
this Mormon people. the evidences OF
unbounded faitn In themselves and
their future, and q wise use Of what
ever adds to the comfort and advsn-
tsge of the community. And Salt
Lake City is the magnified prototype
OF a dozen or mere lesser beautiful
cities and towns scattered through
the Utah valleys. All are laid out
on the same comprehensive plan,
looking to the comfort OF the future
dense populations, as we'll as the pre-
sent. There is
SOMETHING WONDERFULLY impress
SIyE.
in the tokens, revealed on every
hand. OF the faith of this singular
people in themselves and their des-
tiny. They plan and build not for the
day. There are Centuries of sntioipa-
ton In every representative act.
The Mormon inhabitants comprise |
about rs per cent. of q population |
which. numbering IA 600 in 1880,
must now count nearly 10000. In |
the % per cent. minority are repre-
sented tbs most prominent of the
Christian sects, though generally with
slender following. The bulk of the
outsiders as they are classed, are
unsectarian or openly irreligious.
They comprise, almost exclusively,
the mining population, the adven-
Lurers, and in the towns q iair pro-
portion of the business class. The
farmers are. with scarcely an excep-
ion, Mormons.
No special bitterness OF dislike
seems to exist between the Mormons
md the various Christian sects. On
he contrary, courtesies which have
quite the seeming OF Christian chars
" are frequently exchanged; often
enough to bear inisrential testimony
n the part of each that the others !.
re not totally depraved. And really,
citing aside the one dogma of plural
carriage. there is no essential differ
nee between Mormon theology and
ny other Of the Christian sort; and
1ch "a exists is less a question of
ifererce than degree. The Mormon |.
reed ia omniyorous; it assimilates ali
all creeds. present and past. The
[ormou is a more latitudinarian Con-
than Beecher, q mere a
irritable Baptist than st. John, and u
g out Romantics any Catholic in Il
is arrap semepts for the reclamation y
the impenitent dead. He swallows q
ithout guIping, and digests without IL
:jping. the entire Bible from Genesis IL
Revelation, Apoohrypha included. Is
i'd thrives on the mass as literal u
anna from heaven, experimenting. 81
! way OF dessert, bis religious menu u
IT'D Q dainty bit OF Bible of his own. y
it is not strange to find among =;
EN- the strait-lsced of the Christian ~
ergy those. like Rev. DR.. futile, =;
piscopal bishop of Utah, who are y. =.
Hing to bear testimony to Mormon -
crit. This liberal prelate, in lee ~
re delivered in New York few 3
are ago, said OF them ~
81 know the people of the east hsye ~ ~
tanned the most unfsvorsble opin- Nc
u OF them, and have judged them =,
Justly. Ihey have many traits -,
at are worthy of admiration, and -.
ey bslievs with feryent faith that ~.
cir religion is direct revelation w
,m God. We of the east are &C
stoned to look upon the Mormons ar
either ljcentious. arrogant or re- be
llious mob, bent only on defying wi
Q United States Government and II
riding the faith of the Chrietians. pu
lis is not go. know them TO be on
nest. faithful, prayeriul workers, It'll
d earnest In their faith tina, heaven al
II bless the Church of Latter. day pa
lnta. Another etrong and adn,ir-
le feature in the Mormon religion th
The tepacious and efficient OrPanis no