--and I fancy it isn't at all necessary for me to grow
virtuously indignant over something we all know is hideously
wrong.

You will be surprised to hear--I was amazed to see--that
among the Mormon women there are some few persons of
education--of positive cultivation. As a class the Mormons
are not educated people--but they are by no means the
community of ignoramuses so many writers have told us they
were.

The valley in which they live is splendidly favored. They
raise immense crops. They have mills of all kinds. They
have coal--lead--and silver mines. All they eat--all they
drink--all they wear they can produce themselves--and still
have a great abundance to sell to the gold regions of Idaho
on the one hand--and the silver regions of Nevada on the
other.

The President of this remarkable community--the head of the
Mormon Church--is Brigham Young.--He is called President
Young--and Brother Brigham. He is about 54 years old--
altho' he doesn't look to be over 45. He has sandy hair and
whiskers--is of medium height--and is a little inclined to
corpulency. He was born in the State of Vermont. His power
is more absolute than that of any living sovereign--yet he
uses it with such consummate discretion that his people are
almost madly devoted to him--and that they would cheerfully
die for him if they thought the sacrifice were demanded--I
cannot doubt.