The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-28
Mormon Family
Ricks Who Nas Greater in a
Way Than Brigham Young


Young are building themselves new
kingdom. to the rrooical wfds q Chitua-
hna. Mexico. where they have icng en-
| joyed imperial blessings. members 81 tais
family are farmers. merchants cat u
ranchers Missionaries. high cbuvchm n
almost a people IN themselves. Thee
are - OF them. ranging from ba5ies an
/ the cradle TO men of almost three score.
and they are al descendants Of a griEz E
man cf seventy-seven who still lives ar1
conducts a ranch in the valley OF thr
Snake river. near the place where thsI
stream forms the boundary lire between
Idaho ard Wyoming
He is the Mormon q Mormons-one for
whom there IS % oe glory and honor IN
the rext world the thinksl because 81 his
progeny. Even Bingham Youns-.With his
nineteen wives and 6fty-six children AID
scores OF grsn5childres-win not be able
to rival this clS man Even Lorenzo
Snow, whose chEldren are scattered Rom
one end 81 the world 70 another. must
bow 70 him Even George Q. Cannon.
who has established a family village on
the outskirts OF SAT- Lake City. must
aeknowledEe rs supremacy. He Is tho
posssssor % perhaps the largest family
in the country.
Il Is an euvia5Ee thing n Mnrmondom
10 have So many children. Mornons
believe the first recorded command %
God-"Be fruitful and maltiply and ~
plenish the earth"-ts the foundation -
all gospel. the keystone in the Erea; plan
Tor the universe sIln0ns e spirits aSa
waiting IN another world they beIieva FOR
'taberuacIes Of fish which they must
assume before they can attain the high
est glory IN the world e come To ore
who Is Industrious in Obedience To this
command Is 60 come the power % found
ing a world % his own and becoming sol
over it-just as IN their belief Adam
founded this world and viii be is god IN
the end.
So this aged man. who IS living on MS
ranch. sim surrounded with his twelve
wives ard many II his children AMI
grandchildren. g. regarded with vcnera-
ton ay the Mormon coloay which has
spread Throughout the southeastern part
~ Idaho lie Is a high priest IN tho
church one who IS supposed to Be ia
communion with Cod. and whose voics
carries authc=lty whether he speaks On
religion or business.
Members % his family who have re-
manned near him arc scattered over a
stretch Of country fourteen miles long ~
two miles broad. They have n dozen
ranches. one for each wife. ard IN the
centre IL the town Of Ricksvlile. over
which the father rules Ike a patriarch of
old He visits each OF his families az
times. and is always welcomed By hit
children. once a year q reunion of al
v-h~ -a- -o-@h che r,faaa e held
Kicks Is SIN a giant in FORM and
strength. Whence he came or who were
his parents re vfl not tell All that IS
known Is that he heard % the teachings
of the Mormons in a foreign land long
before the civil var. and landed IN ST
Louis in IS42 He was an earnest convert
and when ne Joined the followers % JOS
eph Smith. near independence. Mo he
was soon marked sor q leader
He was among the lighting men -
Joseph smith who tried 20 prevent the
Missouri MODS from driving tho Mormon
people out Of the state Tic was a menu
Der of the Eauvoo Legion. that splendid
body ~ cts militia with which J5-eph
Smith dcfe1 The whole state ~ Illinois
Finally when the Mormons were driven
into the wilderness. after an IuineL mob
had failed thc founder - their reIixt9a.
be became q pioneer. following the party
led ny Brigham Young across the sreaf
trackless plain.
On his way n the promised land f7
the valley q the Great SAT- Lake. b
was leader in the party. n guard against
The Indians who constantly tareatenef
the travellers. lie was already "a husband
and father many times over. for when ha
arrives IN the promised lsed" re rad
FIVE wives re settled near Salt Lake.
and after the doctrine - roiygan1y vas
formally announced he showed hls fslth
l1 f. - taking seven more woman into
hla family
when Pc had established - viyss snd
Children i7 such comfort as was poTTitls
in taa bleak valleys % tse great hasin
EirkF w7r called ur1n 20 shos ~ faftH
1 bic -e- by ~srrfgtsug AZ thaf be
had accomairss5. Brigham Voting. vif3
the cye ~ ~i1cr seFirfnE 20 create an
empire bad seen tae great rossfhiffiea
% THE narrow. mountain sBar9c9 valleys
% The north 40 Utah and Tdah0. sn1 hsd
SET out ~ bring them within ere soms4a
~ his church Just ~ - called men a.
missionaries % carry abroad t1e r-TrrI
- bis faith r0 ~ called rea to Hs p.5u-
sers in ssizlnz fhls virgin country
With two % three score ~ erniwrant
families Who had come from E8rope -
voul1 place anout q score ~ fsrnilIrs whs
had become reasoned snB star faern oss
20 found new col1rlaa IN cbgr-h guar
antced 20 keep tbeu fr7m ~sarTi7g. sst
othersEss shsy bad 70 hew tae'r eva for
tones oat ~ nature.
Ricks bsa5as one - fasae parties. whirh
iu lsss took gozasssi9n % csc 81 - river
valley. he fa5k - rRneaea fr- hirassf
ard au 80 wiref and flffrfasfrs -
f-.fawrrs ese- ere r1~ragr1as sa1snfrT.
Thsre hs s5eus f1rfane sssftlfleut 80 raise
h.a family. anf hla f7lfezers ErsE G. -
l-o.itl.al factors ir I1tHs
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