Show A CHARAC characteristic rE LETTER from a missionary laboring in west virginia county west virginia sept 9 1 editor deseret news when meditating upon the travels and labors of myself and companion for the last two months come to theaon elusion that the prophecy of jeremiah has been he says behold I 1 will send for many fishers saith the lord and t they hey I 1 shall fish ash them and aed after I 1 shall se send d for many hunters and they shall hunt huat them from every mountain and from every hill and out of the rocks we entered this hilly billy state on the of june and since then have been hunting up the people known as THE BICKERTON ITES we have found quite a number of them and they generally receive and treat us well wel 1 while on our rounds we have met many people that have seen geo A smith J M graut grant G D watt and other prominent men of early days and some who once belonged to the church in m the days of the prophet joseph smith but for the want of spiritual food they have lost the faith and it is next to impossible to renew them again here we see another fulfillment of the scriptures scrip tires heb 6 4 45 6 and 6 these old people treat asvery us very kindly generally and seem nite quite anxious to hear from om 11 they have numerous questions to ask about many individuals that we are acquainted with either personally or by reputation this is a very rough country and a great deal of the tillable land stands on its edge it seems wonderful to a utah raised boy where all crops are irrigated and consequently have to be on tolerably level land to see what steep hillsides hill sides are cultivated in this part of our globe it is rarely a person can find an elevation high enough to allow one to look halt half a dozen miles away it is all hills hollows and timber as far as you can see this has been the hottest and drnest summer I 1 ever passed through in m my short life and chave heard people peoli of threescore three score years make the same c cata plaint there nas has been but very little rain since the fore part of june and the meadows and corn fields have suffered terribly from the prolonged drouth things look very dry and the leaves inmany of the forest trees are falling and vegetation begins to put on another color winch makes things look like autumn was near at hand band tile the wheat crop was very good generally but the corn and fruit crops are nearly a failure and in some localities quite so all the small streams and a great many wells have gone ENTIRELY DRY and the stock in certain localities are consequently made to suffer the people generally are very hos hoa altane but care little or nothing about the doctrines of the latter day saints there is not quite so much prejudice existing here as in other places I 1 have traveled very few are circulated in these parts in corn at parison with other states the salt lake mormons cormons Mor mons are quite a curiosity to most of the people and when we are traveling along the road or passing a house the whole family will turn out to get a glimpse of the new wonder your correspondent often of ten wonders if it would not be an excellent idea on such occasions to remove his bis hat and let the cut curious ions gazers see that he diet did not have horns the many little incidents in EL a mis sion slon arys travels are unknown to us until we take up the satchel and um orella and try it for ourselves then we can realize in the true sense what a mormon elder has to pass through in order to accomplish his mission first of all he has to be qualified to answer any absurd question that is propounded to him or be branded as a deadhead next he wants to learn to control his temper and nut not be astonished at anything that may be said or deneto done to him b im last evening we went to hear a Hol preacher or one who professes e ases to be without sin sanctified he is a dissen dissenter ter fro from in the letb methodist od is episcopal church and had bad a great deal to say about bout the corruption of that worthy body of worshippers wor shippers as well as all others and denounced a religion that one could feel all tile the argument he produced was slander and abuse I 1 thought many times while listening to him if that was a If mormon elder they would soon rut rout him and very likely give him a bran new suit salt of TAR AND FEATHERS and a free ride on a rail we get the NEWS here once I 1 in n two weeks and its columns are eagerly perused to see what is going on in our far off mountain bome a and nd how the work of god is progressing in other ian lands d s myself almyr if and com companion are both well and enjoying good health in our labors and are endeavoring to do all the good we can in our weak way your bi other and co labozer in the gospel otreace of peace ABIA E EJOHNSON |