Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-07-24

valley began active preparations for
winter They we're thoroughly or
gained and the greatest system pre-.
vailed in all their work Each family
made every effort to build a house
for itself and all houses were joined
TO afford mutual protection. On the
Old Fort square the adjoining
houses formed continuous
wall on one entire side, and a high
stocllade completed the enclosure.
The houses were poor and uncom-
Portable, the food was very scarce
and the people did not know what a
full meal meant, but all shared alike.
There we're many poor perhaps, but
there were at least no rich, Rations
we're divided equally. regardless Of
position, and communism existed
that is without parallel. The most
OF it, maintenance lay in the zeal of
those who upheld it and their will
ingness to suffer all for their faith.
After winter closed in not much
active york could be done. lust as
soon as spring opened, however, the
people swarmed out from their cell
like homes and began to pillow the
land and SOW. There were nearly
two thousand in the valley now and
so diligently did they work that be-
fore the spring passed away they
had brought over five thousand acres
under cultivation.
From the moment President
Young cast his inspired gaze over
the site Of Salt Lake City and the
vista Of adjoining lake, river and
valley, this place became the center
Of the commonwealth he established.
But out from the mother colony
the original hive of Deseret-other
swarms were to go, and with the
help of the Great Apiarist and in
dustry that proved them worthy OF
their motto, settle and begin the
gathering Of the honey with which
this land of promise was to flow.
Much OF the surrounding country
had been explored and found fertile
and favorable for grazing stock.
Men began moving away with their
families and besides caring for their
cattle also busily engaged themselves
in tilling the soil. Weber county
had growing crops in the spring OF
the second year. The region living
south, named after Capt. Davis, also
assumed importance, first on ac-
count Of its pasturage and later
through its fertility Utah and
Tooele counties were rapidly oc-
cupied and farther south and west
Sanpete and Juab counties were
settled.
Those who thus Withdrew from
the main part OF the people in no
sense did so with the idea that they
would be independent and that their
interests were different from the in
tereSts Of those they left. 1t was in
accordance with the plan OF their
leader and the counsel he gave that
they departed, and there was Just as
close community of feeling after
their separation as before. When
Indians grew mischievous the
stronger colony sent aid to the
weaker ones, and the outlaying set.
Elements joined to help when the
central one was endangered. Dis
lance in no way tended to weaker
the religious bonds uniting them
And SO it was that the leaders o
the people felt safe in advising then
to scatter out. They knew tina
conviction was so deep and the com
mon motive SO strong that it matterec
not whether the people had removed
a hundred miles northward or three
hundred miles to the south, whethe
they had passed even beyond the
limits of the nation and were living
on Mexican or Canadian territory
their faith was not to be undermined
by location nor their organization b,
circumstance. Under all condition
they would be Saints still.
Since there was nothing to b
feaged from colonization there wa
evidently much to be gained. |
was not hard to see, even if insplra
ton be cast aside, that this land wa
not always to remain undesirable. |
was necessary that the people tax
possession while it was yet unoccu
pied. The holding Of inheritance
was as sacred among them as amonj
the ancient lsraeltes, and the earl
location upon what they could ca
their own and leave to their childre
and children's children was a nature
desire. Thrift and independence
would be developed to a greater eX
tent in many small communities tina
in one large one and greater oppoI
tunities would be given the peopl
of governing themselves.
Besides this, thousands in thi
country and in Europe were turnin
their faces westward to cast in the
lot with the Saints. At no time di
the leaders deem circumstances S
hard that men could not be spare
to go forth and preach, and as lonJ