Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1895-06-06

the leader be-
IleYed he could found whatever char
acter of institutions should suit him
and his people. In the bitter anti-Mor-
mon crusades of the past 1t has been
alleged that Brigham Young had
chains on mems souls" There Is no
doubt that religious superstition, rem
dered effective by the marvellous ma
chinery Of the church, was partly the
source of the leaders Irresistible power
with his own people; but back OF the
religious superstition and the church
organization stood the brain Of great
and masterful man. He knew that his
power, to be enduring, must rest upon
something material and tangible; and
this something he disCerned to be the
prosperity Of the people themselves,
writes William q. Smythe. Brigham
Young was an organizer of prosperity
This was the real source Of his strength.
He did not aim at mere temporary pros
perity. On the contrary, he fought
GNGA llll1 llldl ltuutu W Nldl GNU bp-
ing to the length Of actually forbid
ding the opening Of the rich mines In
the mountains near at hand, because
he abhorred the spirit Of speculation,
He chose for the cornerstone Of his
state the principle Of industrlalism; and
that principle lies there yet, at the base
OF a noble edihce of economic fact,
reared by human toll, and held firmly
In place by the average prosperity Of
all who had part in its building. II the
great architect, and the superintend-
ents and foremen who surrounded him,
enjoyed a larger share of the profits
than the workmen, 1t Is also true that
the humblest newer of stone and car
rier Of mortar was paid in proportion
to the Importance Of his labors. And
what fair mind can object to an indus
trial system that yields these results?
SO far as can be learned, Brigham
Young had no previous knowledge Of
irrigation when he entered Salt Lake
Valley, He quickly realized that he
had come to an arid country, which
would be hopeless for agriculture UNI
less artiiicially watered. With mar
Vicious perception, he saw that irrlga-
tion was not a drawback, but an adj
vantage OF the most important sort.
He realized that 1t meant freedom alike
from the dangers of the drought and of
the f1ood lie discovered that, having
a rich soil and ample sunshine, and
adding moisture by the construction OF
bitches, it was actually an improve
mcnt upon nature to be able to turn
the rain" either on or off with equal
facility. And therefore he rightly con-
Cluded that he had found in these con-
ditions the basis of the most certain
worldly prosperity and the most sclon-
tific agriculture.
1t remained for a later genius to re-
mark: Irrigation Is not a substitute
for rain. Rain Is substitute for irri-
gation-and mighty poor one" But
IL the Mormon leader did not say so,
he evidently felt it. He perceived,
Furthermore, that irrigation was much
more than an insurance policy upon the
crops. 1t brought all the processes Of
agriculture within the realm Of known
facts, and that Is science. 1t even rem
dered possible the control Of the size
OF vegetables, and this became import
ant many years afterward, when the
Mormon people added great sugar
factory to their industrial system; for
it is important to grow sugar-beets Of
about standard size to get the best
results. Moisture Is required to give
the beet vigorous growth at the be-
ginning; but when it is we'll started
weeks Of interrupted sunshine are de-
sirable in order to develop the sac
charine qualities. Much sunshine at
the wrong time dries up the crop, while
much moisture at the wrong time pro
duces a beet pleasing to look upon, but
Improbable at the factory Brigham
Young also realized, almost at the first
that the necessity of careful irrigation
largely increased the labor upon ar
acre Of land; but he found that thi!
labor was generously rewarded by thu
increased yield both in quantity ant
quality. And from this fact he drew
the most important principle Of hi
commonwealth, which was the division
of land into small holdings. Closet.
related to this is the other twin facto
in Mormon prosperity diverslfi
cation Of farm products to the last de
gree. Natural conditions, even wher
there is the most abundant and we'll
distributed rainfall, are often favorabl
to the production of only few crops
But the Mormons realized that tn
sltillful application of water just wher
and when needed, and in just the RICH
quantity, and by the very best method
rendered possible the widest variety Q
fruits, vegetables, and cereals suited t
the temperate zone. Thus Brigham
Young taught the people that no ma
should own more land than he coul
cultivate to its highest point by h
own and his family's labor, and ths
no man should go to a store for an
article of food or clothing that coul
be probably produced on his own sma
farm.
Nests of tho Gray Squirrel.