The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-08-21

The average eastern newspaper wri-
ter who visits Salt Lake City for the
first time. and remains three or four
days. sits down by the roadside on his
way home and writes that Salt Lake
City would be quite nice town to live
IN II 1t were not for the '.blighting in
huence of Mormonisn."
L have been in Salt Lake City pretty
near week, and after a careful in
speetion in the bathroom yesterday
morning, must confess that the ''blight-
ing influence" has not hit me very
hard-yet.
l feel like the old woman in Column
bia, S. c., who. late in 1864. was told by
her maid to hurry and get away, that
Sherman and the Yankee soldiers were
coming, and that all the horrors of
Dante's Inferno would befall the hap
less women who fell into their hands.
The good woman was not a bit dis
turbed by the announcement.
That win be all right 'Cindy." she
remarked. You just keep your eye
peeled down the pike, and when you
see the first line OF soldiers mounted
on critter backs just let me know and
III hustle upstairs and put on my meet
in clothes"
feel a good deal the same way.
have been looking for that Blighting
Influence ever since 1 struck town.
Landlord Holmes of the Knutsford,
who has lived here seventeen years,
says he used to fear it. up to three or
four years ago, when the tourist travel
began to increase. But he never thinks
of it any more.
1 walked out on Temple street, or
some other street, Saturday, think
ing perhaps L might run across it in
front OF some of the saloons or coming
out of one of the big dry goods stores.
Honestly, am beginning to think it's
a false alarm.
OF course. it's just possible they keep
1t tied up in the temple. and only turn
it loose at the dark of the moon or on
| rainy nights in the corner of the GEM
etery.
AS 1 pass up and down the magnif-
] cent avenues of Salt Lake City and
pore upon the mountain brooks that
murmur low in the sunlight and hurry
onward to the Big Water. and look up
on the exterior of what seem like
happy and contented homes, it appears
1 to me that old Blighting Influence is
] about as much of a myth as the kissing
bug.
1 thought would go up and talk tt
/ the man in the tunnel near the temple
about it the other day, but he saw nc
| Snow on my credentials and "didn't
know a thing" ] wouldn't like to have
| it bump up against me while I'm out
on the street unguarded, and am, there
/ fore, very Careful-whep turn The
! corners. 1 was afraid yesterday af-
! ternoon as I turned the corner on Main
street, for it looked very much as if
was up against it-up against two OF
it, in weird Now, TWO Blighting In
| fiuenees in dreams of organdie and
killing summer hats and of ravishing
beauty and a most enhancing grace
would be about as big a contract as &
man who came here in the winter OF
AZ or spring of 80 would want tc
tackle.
You may imagine how 1 felt for 6
moment.
But we will let that pass.
ANYWAY, 1 felt awfully relieved tC
know they were not Blighting Infiu-
ences trying to crush out my young
| life.
But, seriously, what are these Blight
| ing Influences Of Mormonism, we hear
so much Of? It seems to me that The
people of Salt Lake live as long and as
well and get as much for a dollar as
other people.
AS l write the soft notes from g
neighboring piano float upward and
mingle with the whispering breeze
Nearer. Ny God, to Thee" is the bur
den OF the song. Who knows whether
Mormon or Gentle maid manipulates
the keys?
Not I.
Nor care 1 one little copper cent.
AS / look from my window over tht
fair scene spread out to view and the
/ City Beautiful with its mountain sen
tinels in the background looms upor
the vision, rather feel like getting
right up in meeting and hollering Hur'
rah for Brigham Young and his band
of hardy pioneers who had the nerve
to seek and the courage to build up {
home, in what was once desert
but is now a garden where the>some-
time asperities born of conflicting
faiths are being more and more soft
ened as the scroll of Time unrolls an(
men realize that there is but one Goo
who rules and directs the destinies o.
men, and that all the roads perhap:
! lead up to Zion.
l have therefore come to the cOnclu
sion that Salt Lake City is a pretty
good town to live in, to grow up witt
and to die in, and think 1 win offer Z
reward for information that viii LEAD
up to the lair of old Blighting Inhu-
ence
But think, honestly. ghen the lair i:
found we will find this boyle man Ions
since dead.
/ q,
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