Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-07-23
ing place and supports many fine

buildings. It's union depot is the
finest looking along the whole route.
Like all new growing towns and cities
in the extreme west there were some
things about it which an Fastener
could not fail but notice. On some Of
the principal streets he would observe
a beautiful building costing thous-
ands of dollars, beside it shanty of
one of the first settlers, then beside
that another fine building, and SO on
with those disparaging comparisons
for rods at a time. Eventually, Of
course, those first buildings will be
wiped out, and newer ones of more
improved pattern will take their
place; but at present the contrast be-
tween them is very striking. From
the depot down into the principal
partof the city was a street of nearly
a mile in length. Along the street
were business buildings Of all kinds
and descriptions. Many of them were
designated as "shops;" that is, the
signs above them read, "Drug Shop"
Gus were those shops along that par
ticular street, together with Barber
Shops and Saloons, that caught my
self repeating: 'ERum Shop, Drug
Shop, Barber Shop, Saloon; Rum
Shop, Drug Shop, Barber Shop, Sa-
LOOM" until, like the rhyme of
"Punch, brothers, punch, o punch
with care!' which SO troubled Mark
Twain, it kept time with my feet and
haunted my sleep during the rest of
the night. [ do not mention this
out of any disrespect for Ogden; for,
when you get into the central portion
of it, you find an entirely different
condition of affairs; but if the city
was turned the other end to, placing
that railroad street on the back side,
strangers who stop off there between
trains would receive a much better
impression of the place.
Through passengers over the Union
Pacific who wished to visit Salt Lake
City, branched off at Ogden taking
the Rio Grande, tickets being fur
nished them gratis at the depot. By
paying fare they could take the Utah
Central, the two roads running side
by side No other city in the Union
has ever held such weird facinations
for me as the city Of Salt Lake. [
had heard Of it from a child; had
read of Brigham Young and the Nor
%txa.tD
ted to them, until I had pictured them
out in my youthful mind as Gorgons
too frightful to behold: had even be-
ieved that their city must be a kind
Of Inforno or second Sodom and Go
morrah upon earth. Therefore, as I
drew near to it through one Of the
1oveliest valleys in the Tushar noun
tains,it was natural for those thoughts
to come fitting into my mind, and I
wondered how close in resemblance
would be the city to the imaginary
picture l had painted; how like
would be the Mormons to those fright
full Gorgeous my youthful fancy had
represented. Was [ disappointed?
Wait for my description of the city.
AS for the Mormons-WelI,. for two
days and nights my companion upon
the cars was full blooded, intelli
gent Mormon merchant from the in
terror of Utah on his way home from
the Columbian: and if all Mormons
were like him, it is a pity the world
did not contain more Of them. He
was educated; he was we'll read; he
was intelligent; he was a strict be-
lever in the Mormon church; he was
a gentleman; and to him owe much
for what I saw and learned about the
Mormon city. He furnished me with
anecdotes, too; anecdotes that were
interesting, and one of which I shall
take the liberty to repeat. All the
Mormons with whom I associated
were of the same gentlemanly charac-
ter; and though I did not become
converted to Mormonism by any
means, saw and learned enough by
conversing with both Mormons and
Gentiles, to convince me that they
were religious sect which had been
terribly prosecuted and misrepresent-
ed. Most of the books that had been
written about them had been written
to-sell. They we're not authentic.
Neither were they bigamists, as gen
eral rule; not through any compul
sorry law, but by church vote taken
among themselves years ago. They
do not believe in it. I failed to learn
of Mormon with two wives in Salt
Lake City or suburbs. They believe
that their church is THE church; so
do the Catholics; SO, for the matter
of tn at, do every other denomination
under the sun.