, 1903-09-24

Idaho and California were the
principal participants in that ex-
hibit, though Washington and
Oregon made a showing. Idaho
won the $500 Clark loving cup for
the finest display of fruit. Out
side of the fruit show there was
nothing at the fair grounds except
the ace every afternoon.
Ogden is one of the most beau
tifully situated cities | ever saw.
The Wasatch range rises almost
perpendicularly out of the level
plain. The sloping land is all un-
der cultivation, clear up to the
mountains, and the plain. outside
of the city, is simply one huge
garden spot. so fruitful is the soil.
1t looked good to see apple and
peach trees loaded down with ripe
fruit. the ground covered with to-
matoes, pumpkins, melons and
squashes, besides other kinds of
vegetables, in the utmost profu-
sion. 1t is the finest vale, ! ever
saw, and Ogden certainly has the
most picturesque situation. the
most delightful climate and the
most hospitable people in all the
| West.
While walking along one of the
beautiful residence avenues of this
city | saw a sign: "Weber Stake
Academy on a stone plate on a
large brick building. The word
stake" was new to me, SO | made
enquiry, and learned of an inter-
esting Mormon custom. 1t seems
that whenever it was determined,
by the heads of the Church. to es-
tablish a dew colony, the ground
was carefully gone over and a site
for the location of the central
town was chosen. AT that point
a stake was driven in the ground,
and the site was named, and a
bishop appointed v the new
colony. In this Ease the stake
was named WEBER" hence
Weber Stake Academy" is where
the youth, especially the girls,
of the Mormon church are educa-
ted in the common branches, and
in the tenets of the church. |
looked around for the stake" but
they told me that it had probably
gone out of service some time
since.
There is one thing. connected
with these public gatherings,
which cannot be condemned too
strongly-the practise of charging
exhorbitant prices for accommodate
tions. There were probably 1000
visitors at the city of Ogden from
the outside world, not to mention
a very large number of people
from the immediate vicinity. To
the lasting credit of the hotels be
it said that they did not raise on
the price of beds or meals. though
they were compelled to fill their
rooms with cots in many instanc-
es. But those who were compell-
ed to seek rooms among the resi-
dents of the town had to pay
more for rooms alone than the
first class hotels charged for both
board and rooms. If this custom
had only shown itself in Ogden, L
would not have thought fit TO
mention it; but it seems to be the
common practise among the resi-
dent population of a town, during
an event like the Irrigation Con
gress, to take advantage of visitors
to hold them up for every dollar
it is possible TO squeeze out Of
them. AS a result many Ogden
visitors paid from 81 .50 to 50 80
for rooms alone. The majority of
the visitors to such places, being
of an easy going, tolerant DISPOSE
ton, pungle up the cash and swal-
low their chagrin, vowing men
tally not to get caught that again
if they can help it. But the rank
injustice of the thing has compel
led me to enter my protest
against such a custom. Why
should private families ask Sl2 to
I'll N WnAk For IN rnar, tl,ot tLn,,