The times., 1901-06-10
The MORMONS IN MEXICO
Army of Converts Said to BE Rap
idly Increasing.
Bisaop Bunker Declares That the
Latter Day saints Colonies Are
GrowinS-Eisht Now Established.
Containing Six Thousand Persons.

Continuing Six Thousand Persons.
JUAREZ, Mex. June 9.-The new Nor
mon colonies in Northern Mexico are
| growing faster than their projectors eX-
pectcd Said Bishop Bunker the other
Gay:
The Church of Latter Day Saints is
! growing at the rate of from 2o,ooo to so,
100 conversions annually. our colonies in
Mexico are waxing every day and a great
part Of the time of the dignitaries of our
Church is given to devising ways and
means for receiving the strength which
| is coming so freely to US. There are now
over GG90 active Mormons in the States
| of Sonora and Chihuahua and there is a
steady stream of emigration to our colo
| nies in these States from all parts of the
Southwest. There is good reason to be-
| lieve that by another year the Mormons
/ of Mexico will number upward of 10000.
! Three years ago there were three Nor
mon colonies in Mexico with combined
population of 200 Now there are eight.
! The original and main settlement is Co
lonia Juarez. and the others are Colonia
Diaz, Oaxaca, Jarcia, Dublan. Chuichu-
pa, and Morelos. The colonies are agri-
cultural and cultivated by means of irri
cation.
The chief settlement, Colonia Juarez,
is beautifully situated in a broad valley
| about forty miles south of the Rio
! Grande. More than $4,000 was expended
| by the Utah Mormons on irrigation sys-
| TENS before colonists were invited to go
! there. The Mormon homes are artistic
brick and frame structures enbowered
amid creeping roses, honeysucke, and
| jasmine. Tens of thousands of plum,
! peach, pear, and prune trees have been
planted in orchards throughout the valley
and contracts have been made for the
planting of double the number of trees in
| the next two years. The President of the
Mormon State in Mexico. embracing all
| the colonies, lives here in a $4,000 brick
| residence.
! The largest building in each of the
! Mexican Mormon colonies is the school
! house. At Dublan a three-story brick
| school building has been erected at
! cost of $23. zoe, capable of seating 1,500
| pupils There are now some 800 pupils
! in the school so it viii be seen that the
| Mormons believe in education and in the
! future of their colonies The Mormons
! there were building schools even before
/ they erected a church. Their boast is
| that no police, saloon. tobacco shop, or
| gambling place may be found in any of
their colonies.
The most striking transformation by
the Normons in Mexico of dreary land
scape into a populous, prosperous COM
munity is at Dublan. At present it is the
most important commercial colony in
this region. The village, with its 2,VtO
inhabitants. is scattered over some 6U,UJO
acres Some Of the orchards here are
eight years old and produce prodlglous
crops. The potatoes of Dublan have oeen
famous in the Southwest for hdlI dozen
am
Mormons have laid stone foundations Tor
a temple which viii in time stand a close
second TO that at salt Lake W orknen
are now busy at Dublan on the hneSt
public school building in Mexico. All
Mormon colonies have timing house
where one-tenth OF every product OF the
Mormon family is taken for the support
of the Church. The tithing house at
Dublan has been built with a view TO
handling the products Of 5000 persons.
The emigration of the Mormohs 10
Mexico began in 1887. The vanguard CON
sisted of seventy-eight people: Iheir
hardships were many. After renting lands
nj what is now Dublan they were at
tackled and prosecuted by the Governor
of Chihuahua. President NoodTuh OF the
Mormon Church was appealed 10. IIe
went down to see the new colonlsts. IIe
found an enormous area OF fertile land,
rivers fun of irrigation water, ana the
possibilities of agriculture in a dehshIui
climate. He went back 10 Dtah ana toid
the Church what he mad seen ana lhe
great promise for Mormonism in Mexico.
From that day TO this the Utah Church
has been heart. soul, and pocketbook In
the building up Of the new Zion soulh
AS coIonists the Mormons are remark
ably successful They are intelligent. IN
dustrious and devoted to their own in
terests. Good farmers. their well-culti-
yated acres form some OF the choicest
farms perhaps, in northern Mexico. Good
road makers, the roads TO their colonies
are well graded, well laid and offer an
excellent example to their Mexican neigh
bors Their houses are built TO last, well
planned and unostentatious.
The Mormon colOnlSts are thrifty ana
economical and nearly all are prosperous.
Strictly temperate, each colony hnds that
IL helps business and social interests i"
allow one man, generally Blshop. TO
have the privilege Of partakng of spirit
uOus liquors. But woe to him If he ever
allows himself 10 succumb to lntoxication.
Cooperation prevails among all Nor
mons Colonies are organized primarily
for the advancement Of the Church inter-
Csts. which depend, of course, upon the
/ individual success of the COiOniStS. The
irrigation canals are constructed by the
cooperation Of all interested. The farms
and orchards are situated around the VII
lagos. Some farmers and orchardists
travel five miles morning ana evening TO
and from work. No fencing Is TO be seen
except around pastures. The cooperative
plan secures the safety of the farm and
prevents damage from rowing animals
one man is q : much interested as another
in the growing crops and ripenIng fruit,
the harvesting OF the alfalfa ana the corn
The entire colony cares for the property
Of each Individual Individual prosperity
thereby ensures colonial abundance. obi
cations are paid iE labor and the products
of labor If one Mormon builds "a house
other Mormons help. They have differ
ences sometimes, but the elders or Bishops
settle the trouble. of if they do not then
the President of the State does.
The women in the Mormon colonies
work very hard and know few of the
luxuries and conveniences of the average
housewife in America. Very few of them
have ever been inside of a theatre The
gospel of economy and hard labor is drill
ed into them day after day. They work
in the gardens feed the hocks, make the
clothes of the family. and care for the
cows. Laziness is a cardinal sin among
MOrmonS.
Nine out of ten Of the Mormon CON
verts come from the humblest ranks of
life A great MANY of the more recent
converts to MOTmouism in Mexico are Of
Scandinavian and German origin. a few
weeks 20 a party of Mormon Bishops
brought some 200 Danish men and women
TO be scattered among the eight colonies
in northern Mexico. The late President
Woodruff of the Mormon Church used
frequently to defy his Gentle critics to
point to an instance among all the Nor
terial condition of the men and women
the Church.
MAGNFSIA WORKS DESTROYED.
Loss of SI5O,OOO EntniIcd by Fire