Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-09-10
IMPRESSIONS AMONG MoRMoNs.


The editors who visited this city a
short time ago. are giving their re-
spectlve readers the benefit OF the Inn
pressions they received while here. The
editor Of the Sumner Bremen Co, Iowa,
Gazette, Of sept. 3, has this to say
"AIormonlsm as an institution and
IN It's impress upon frontier civlllZa-
ton, and especially IN It's enduring
monuments of bronze and stone TO the
industry sacrifice, zeal, and devotion OF
the followers of this strange religion,
has placed Salt Lake pre-eminent
among the cities of the world, both the
old and the new. in It's claim upon the
interest ana attention Of the slght-seer
and the student Of history and material
progress
Later on, In the same letter he says
"The Mormons are a clean, intelll-
gent, Industrious, good looking, aud
we believe honest and vlrtuous people,
barring polygamy which they relig-
lOusly believe in, but for fear Of the
law Of the land and the power OF Uncle
Sans arm, do not practice. a Mormon
IN good standing must be total abb
stainer from all intoxicants and stimu-
lants. including tobacco, tea, and coffee;
hold Sunday sacred, must not swear,
and must practice the golden rule, even
toward 'gentiles,' We believe partly
from the teachings Of the Church and
partly from the force OF circumstances
that Mormon measures up close to
the standard of n true man and a true
woman. IN their Church work no SAL
aries are paid, all are preachers In more
or less degree, seats are free, oollec-
ton or subscription is never taken yet
they rival all other churches In the
richness beauty, and commodiousness
Of their edhces, In their benevolences,
and IN their world wide missionary
spirit and undertakings. II would seem
that the Mormon people make the near
est approach In all time to Christs yis-
ible kingdom on earth; and that Salt
Lake Is the best illustration of the
Eternal City this world viii ever see"
Miss Katie NJ. eastman writes In
the yicksburg, Miss Post
"roo much cannot be said in praise
OF the Mormons and their clover treat
ment Of the N. u. A. They were In
fact the only ones who interested
people and each and every one OF
these 'Latter-day Saints fass they
term themselves made Il pleasing i'm
preston upon all who came IN contact
with them. The Mormons are Intelli-
gent, well meaning and charitable,
and there exists n unity between
them, so striking as to be admitted
by those most prejudced against
them and In every way In decided con-
trast to the wrangllng and dissenslon
| among so many other denominations
and religious sects'
The editor Of the White Lake, South
Dakota Wave. of Sept, 4, says:
with one single exception this was
the first visit any Of the party had made
| TO the city OF Zion--the wealthlest and
| apparently the most prosperous city
| upon the western continent In one
respect at least this Is unquestionably
| true-there is less poverty here In pro,
| portion to the population than In any
other commercial center. Indeed there
| doesn't seem to be any of the really
poor among Hion's population OF
course they are not all wealthy, moi
even what might be called well-to. do
| but Il Is the almost universal rule thai
the people own their own homes ant
| where this Is the case you will not
need to be told that the residences Nv,
| al homellke
Others write In a similar vein tn,
prejudices against the Latter-da!
Saints, their doctrines. and institutions
are artificial, worked up by parties In
tereslcd I'm strife because benefited
thereby "Mormons' and "Mormonsm,
when viewed IN their true light. an,
without partlallty, always appear Il
advantage, Many when their eyes an
opened so that they can see for them
selves wonder that they have permit
ted themselves to be deceived, as t.
subject with which every America
ought to be familiar, because 1t IS s
Intimately connected with America
history.