Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1898-09-01
Impressions of the Land of the Mormons
Letter from Rev. Frank Mcdaniel.

Letter from Rev. Frank Mcdaniel.
1t is doubtful whether any section OF
our country has been more talked about
than the State of Utah. The variations
and descriptions which have come TO
the Eastern people have aroused an in
tense curiosity. |, with others, have
been possessed by this curiosity and
have always desired to see Utah. have
visited the State. inspected the peculiar
faith, conversed with the people and
have been much impressed with what l
have seen and heard.
Nowhere in the West have | seen such
a garden as the valley of the Salt Lake
1t is literally trimmed in by mountain
walls and furnished an ideal refuge for
the MOrmons in lS41. In fifty years, 1t
has been transformed from a desert into
a veritable garden.
This was made possible by a system OF
irrigation which has, since that time.
been adopted in the other seml-arld
States. The Mormons were the pioneers
of irrigation in this country and TO them
belongs the credit of scientific farming
This system has impressed me very
much and am certain the readers OF
the REGISTER would be affected similar
". After a long ride of seven hundred
miles through the arid country. through
the dust and heat, the traveller suddenly
reaches once of the districts which is very
fertile and productive.
Here | have seen that man can be
come independent of nature and by
means Of irrigation can be assured of
steady crops with abundant harvestS
and meyer a failure. Statistics prove
that the returns are larger on irrigated
lands than those dependent on rain and
il has been demonstrated that ten acres
i'm Utah will produce more than five
times that area in a country where the
farmer waits for showers which do not
arrive in time. The value of water to
the farmer has been magnitied 10 me as
never before by iourneying through this
section.
What would Jefferson county farmer
give in hard dollars for water on his
fields when he wanted ii and for as
much as he wanted? In this country
the bitches can be cut at any point and
the fields flooded The water IS CON
Quoted distances of eighty and more
miles.
The actual cost of irrigation in Utah
is about 81 per acre. The immensityo OF
this plan can be appreciated when the
statement is made that the present ditch
system in Utah covers |, 100000 acres.
The Mecca Of the tourists is the far
famed Salt Lake City. Here Brig
ham Young and his band of MormonS
came in 1917 10 find a refuge from a
people whose hostility they had aroused
by their doctrines and practices. Salt
Lake City is now a modern, hustling
CITY of -. 600 inhabitants. The Mormon
people are almost solely familiar to the
public mind in their character as polyg-
amists, and for that doctrine they have
been prosecuted. And today the same
thing is largely true among the people
of the Eastern States and the name,
Mormon. still has power 10 awaken
prejudice As is well known, this doc
trine has been rcnounced by the Church
and pOygamy is now punishable by a
fine Of one thousand dollars and three
years Imprisonment. Upon inquiry from
MormOuS the assertion was made that
the law was strictly observed and the
penalty greatly feared. y minister OF
my own denomination declared 10 me
that the law was continually violated
and that the anti-MOrmon community
was puwcrlcSs since the State machinery
with the courts was under control OF
officials who are members of the Nor
mon church. agree with the latter
view of the situation and am aware that
the visitor sees the favorable side Of
church life. The counter-agcncies Of
Mormonism are aggressive and much
encouragement comes TO the ministers
and missionaries.
Brigham Young has always been to
me the perSonItication Of the sect and,
truly. he has been to the world at large.
NV visit to the Mecca of MormoniSm
has proven the truth of that idea. His
statue ornaments the principal circle OF
the city and his memory is perpctuated
in many ways. The erstwhile resi-
dences, in one case palace, Of his many
wives and his grave are points Of inter
est pointed out to the visitor by the dcv-
otcc of the faith.
OF course. the chief place of historical
interest is the Temple enclosure, which
is located centrally. Inside the Temple
Square are to be found the Temple,
Tabernacle and assembly Hall
The Temple is truly massive and its
style of architecture is symmetrical and
impressive 1t is built OF white granite
of Utah production. Its dimensions are
lSG 80 feet: walls 100 feet high, 10 feet
thick at base and feet at the square:
eastern tower 22O feet high. The foun-
dations were laid in 1888 and the pre-
determined forty Years were occupied.
in its construction. The laws Of the
chnrch make the building sacred and
visitors are not admitted.
The Tabernacle is the largest and
most satisfactory auditorium in the
country, 1t will accommodate 1900
persons. The dimensions are $50 2JO
feet. the ceiling is 20 feet and the roof
is 50 feet from the floor 1t was my
great privilege to hear a recital upon
the great organ, which is one Of theyery
largest in the world. Personally never
heard its equal. 1t is wonderful in
strument and it is marvellous to think
il was manufactured in Salt Lake when
the nearest railroad was 800 miles
distant.
The services are famous on account
of their splendid music. heard a choir
of over 500 young voices sing and the
completeness Of the reuditions compare
favorably with any singing societies in
the country
As result of my visit to Salt Lake
City and after an honest and thorough
examination of their energy and pro-
gressiveness, common sense compelS me
to surrender many of my former Opin-
ions We must condemn their religious
ideas and theories, but we must com
mend their persistent energy and ceaS-
less endeavor as it reveals itself TO you
in every accomplishment.
This letter would be incomplete with
out a brief description Of that most
wonderful of inland seas. Great Salt
Lake. Its only fellow in the world is
the Dead Sea Of Palestine. This re-
markable body of water is 100 miles
long by 60 wide and covers about 1000
square miles. 1t is said to have lost
nineteen-twentieths Of its ancient orig
inal dimensions which are still traceable.
The afternoon Of August -. the tenn
perature of the water was over 50 de-
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