The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-10-09
SOMETHING ABOUT moRMoNs.
ilenn M. Farley Records His impress
sions and Some History.

Glenn M. Farley Records His Lmpres--
sions and Some History.
Madison Outlook: Crossing the bleak,
sandy plains for a thousand miles, and
the rough and broken wreck known as the
Rocky mountains. had prepared the party
to entertain a very wholesome respect for
the staying qualities of Brigham Young
and his pioneer band, who had crossed this
wreck Of worlds by OK team in 1871, before
their arrival in Salt Lake valley, which
they regarded as the promised land
though a very unpromising valley it must
have looked, with its sandy and unproduc-
tive soil. The Mormons however, soon
changed all this into a smiling, fertile
valley by irrigation from the mountain
streams, and laid out the framework of
a solid city, with blocks GOO feet long, and
streets 1872 feet wide, the mountain water
being carried down each street, and rum
ming fresh in the cutters.
Polygamy of course, was one Of the
practices Of the old pioneers, who, fresh
from persecution in the east, and having
withdrawn themselves far from the hauntS
Of their prosecutors. were DESTROYS Of pop
ulating the Mormon valley as soon as pos
sible. Two, three and in rare cases as
many as a dozen wives were united to the.
old brothers. and these were maintained
separately in different homes, the husband
remaining a month with one family, and
then a month with another, and so on, in
nj - SlS llsiLS Llldl Indy 10
said in reference to this heroic courage on
the part Of the old Mormon pioneer; there
was no race suicide about his methods,
and the young wives were not treated as.
mistresses. Matrinony was a grave and
solemn affair, and the business of the
family was to rear strong sons, and ami
able and chaste daughters, without the
evasion Of any Of natures laws. In this;
respect even polygamous Mormonism may
be said to compare favorably with the
practices Of many Gentiies.
However this may be, when the law
against polygamy came into effect there
| was a cessation OF the practice. and at the.
present day nothing of the practice re-
mains, except the plural wives OF a few
OF the older residents. who are still MAIN
tained by their husbands, instead of be-
ing turned out on a cold and unacceptable
| world, at an age when incapable of form
Ing other alliances, or Of making their
| own living. Today the Mormon father
has one wife, to whom he renders shelter
and protection. and If his Gentle neigh
bors speak the truth, is moral, Industrious,
a good husband and father, and q model
itizen.
The head OF the Mormon church today
Is Joseph II. Smith, a descendant OF the
Smith hat had the communication from
the angel Moroni that resulted in the or
sanization of the church. His home is in
che Beehive" the fine old colonial man
sion erected and formerly occupied by
Brigham Young. 1t has adjacent and
auxiliary buildings formerly used by
Brigham's wives, including the Lion
House." where Brigham yielded up the
ghost. These apartments are now used
by the counselors of the church, for Of
fees. We saw a number of the whiskered
old boys porting over their problems as
we passed by. Somehow or other whis-
kers and Mormonism were very closely
allied among the early workers of the
church, though just why a man should
carry around a face full Of human foliage
because the angel Moroni had given him,
a supplementary message is not apparent
at first blush. Brigham was one Of the
very few men who had the nerve to
bunch his seventeen wives under one roof.
AS stated before, he had them all in
stalled In the Beehive which stood not
for multiplication, but for industry.
How doth the little busy bee" etc. But
we know of no man who must have had
more qualifications for compelling peace:
N the family than Brigham Young. What
he said generally went" as one can
read from the masterful. directing pose
of the statue in his honor, on one OF
the principal streets, and it is not of rec
ord that he had any family Jars.
Across the street is the amelia Pal
ace,' built for the favorite wife of Brig
ham Young, who died before the hand
some residence was completed. Near by
is the solid block containing the temple,
the tabernacle. the meeting house and
other buildings of the church.
The religious belief of the Mormon is
largely that shared by other Protestant
denominations. with the difference that
the Mormon has an additional, book in
his bible, which consists of a copy of a
golden tablet. the burial place Of which
was revealed by the angel Moroni to Jo-.
seph Smith. and who dug it up, and un-
der divine guidance, translated 1t into our
| tongue IT nDTn0rtG tn he thu rapnrE Of
the early inhabitants of America, and
is in much the same style of phraseology
as the bible. The Mormon processes a
strict adherence to the golden RUE, and
to all the moral obligations that our civ
I-Zatton lays upon humanity. In addition
he considers 1t an obligation to render
unto God, through the medium of the
church, a 1.-THE, one-tenth, OF all his earn
fngs. AS a result the Norman tithing
house groans with its burden of products,
and the treasures are full. The city of
j Salt Lake is divided into ecclesiastical
wards, with a bishop in charge of each,
ward. All cases of restitution among the
people of each ward, whether Mormon or
Gentle. are reported to the tithing house
by the respective bishops, and relief is
sent from the tithing house to the ind
vidual. This keeps the -four. hay and
vegetables on the move. Script Is also,
printed, and is good at the tithing house
for it's face value in products.
Ihe Mormon church Is a big business.
institution. Being first on the ground, it
has an abundance Of centrally locatedg
and very valuable property, and is inter-
ested besides in many factories, railroads
and other enterprises. The great pleasure
resort at Saltair is owned by the church.
so is the railroad that coins money haul
ing the crowds Of people out and back
from the lake. The stores, whether Nor
mon or Gentle. are provided with Nor
mon clerks-a store without them would,
soon go out Of business, the membership.
OF the church being a compact organiza-
ton. acting as one individual in times of
necessity. Then there are schools. COL
leges and universities galore. The Nor
mon believes in education, and in co-op--
Grafton. There is no such successful so
%cialistic body In existence today any
where as the Mormon membership; it's
financial power is immense, and its politf-
cal power is the dominating force IN the
state which Brigham Young md La fol-