Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1921-02-23

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with her sick baby to consult doc
tor, distance of 33 miles. Soon W.
began to pass comfortable farm build
ings, pretty little bungalows of bricl
or cement, brick school houses anG
Norman (ward houses) as they cal
their small chapels and in about ar
hour from the time we left the ferry
we stopped at the Vintah railway
station the Vernal terminal of the
Vintah railroad. Sixty three miles
from the nearest tie. Six months, the
9th of the month, since Vieva and
have heard a train whistle or seen
the smoke of a factory, but don't
think we are a hundred miles from
everywhere because Vernal is quite
spot on the map of Utah.
In the first place it is very well
laid out city the two principal streets
Vernal and Vintah avenues, inter
secting each other, the intersection
forming a public square where we
reads (keep to the right just like
and South, East and West of the
square and if you inquire the location
of place you are told it is so many
making so many streets North and
West OF the square or some place
which you may know. Our business
blocks are none of them over two
stories but the largest including two
large bank blocks are of brick, while
the front of our movie picture block
is of white marble, the blocks being
sent here by parcel post, the freight
nd oh on
Our park is very pretty and would
place. On this park is our court
house, nice brick building and be-
side the park is the public play
ground, well equipped with swings,
slides and teeter boards. Each Sun
day afternoon the Vernal band plays
in the park and as our house is OPP
posite the park we get the benefit of
this with no particular effort.
We have an Episcopal church, two
Norman chapels a Norman taber-
nacle which is used only on special
occasions and our own Kingsbury
Congregational church. We have in
the city one public school of eight
rooms, Vintah Academy which is a
Norman school but does not fit for
college, and our Wilcox Academy
which does fit for college. In our
school we have primary and inter-
mediate grades, junior and senior
high. At present we have seven
teachers but we hope for more next
year and an addition to our building.
The population of Vernal is between
1900 and 1000 about 70 per cent be-
ing Norman, so you see the work of
our school is very important. While
the Mormans seem friendly to US
there is an under current of feeling
which makes one feel that you must
be on guard. We do not oppose Nor
monism as that would be an unwise
way in which to try to exert a good
influence for many of these people
are sincere Christians and do much
good in the community, but the in
f1uence of our church and school is
surely felt as shown by the fact that
while there is an excellent public
school where tuition, books, supplies,
etc., are free and most of the teach
ers are Mormons, we have many Nor
mon chillren in our grades where the
above things are not free, and this
year in particular is hard year in
the valley for money. In fact we have
three grandnephews and a niece of
Brigham Young in our school. The
oldest one the father took from the
Norman Academy and placed in our
school just a few weeks ago. The
little girl is in my fifth grade and she
is a sweet child. Of course there is
no polygamy among the Mormons now.
One day mother in talking with the
mother of the children questioned her
in regard to the polygamous side of
their religion and Mrs. Young said
it was wonderful, the love and har-
mony there was in her husbands
family where there were several
wives and many children; for these
Norman families are very large even
with only one wife. Mother asked if
she thought the different wives really
were in love with each other at heart
and she replied, "To all appearances
they are" Then mother said, "Well,
Mrs. Young, would you be willing to
share your husbands heart with an
other?" And with no hesitation she
replied, "Indeed I would not" And
they are strong Mormons too. There
are so many good characteristics in
their religion, however, that it is
harder to oppose than some religions
puC many OIL the worst points are
yielding to Gentiles as they call the
non-adherents influence and we pray
that in time all will. Vernal is in
the center of large farming district
and many of it's wealthiest men are
sheep owners, their cattle staying on
the mountains and foot hills all the
year, one herdsman caring for sew
eral thousands of sheep. The life of
the herder is a lonely one, as he stays |
on the mountains for weeks at time
seeing no other person unless occa-
slonally forest ranger or perhaps |
his hated foe, the cattle man, for even
as we read in many of the stories of |
Western life there is the hatred be- |
tween the sheep men and the cattle |
men and will be for years to come
and more often it is the lonely |
herder who is slain than it is the
owner of the animals. Just after we
came last summer father officiated at |
the funeral of one of these herders,
who was slain defending his employ
er's rights and by men hired by q
gang Of cattle men made up of some
of the wealthiest men here in the val
ey. The worst of it is most of the
nurderers escape and no one suffers
for the deed except the wife and chill
1ren OF the murdered orr.
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