| Show A MORMON VILLAGE liow ilow THE LATTER DAY SAINTS LIVE SCHOOL TEACHERS AND THEIR LAWSUITS f salt lake rake city january 10 to illustrate the daily dally life of rural latter da day dax saints I 1 select the town of mayfield field for five years I 1 have visited this and 0 ther other towns ina lna in a professional capacity and know whereof I 1 write what I 1 write of mayfield ma may ho however be e said of nine tenths of ai all ali the towns town in utah mayfield Mayfle ld was settled about eight years ago by families crowded out of larger settlements the population now numbers some seventy families or I 1 about souls all told they are swedish danish and english emmig immigrants and the children of the same races born and raised in utah I 1 together with several american families all are members of the latter day church with the exception of one or two families alies who never joined the church and two who have left it all live 41 lel harmony and good will the latter receiving Li elther neither persecution nor insult when the aee town was first established by the councel of the head authorities three of the best men in the community were chosen by the people to manage and control the settlement these men are designated the bishop and his counselors their instructions were to act as fathers counselors and instructors to ithe people under their charge to ur ure urge e them to habits of order intaj industry try and ana frugality and to instruct them in the principles of their religion to my own knowl knowledge edze they have earnestly err nestly and faithfully performed their duties to further assist their bishopric a number of the best men are selected to visit each family each man has a special block under his charge for the purpose of seeing to the welfare of each and imparting spiritual and secular advice it is something on the same irle igie principle igle that an episcopalian E allan alian rector sends his is cun cur curate ate to visit his parishioners only the basis is wider and more comprehensive these men are termed teachers and these are they of whom so much nonsense has been written terming them canites Da and destroying in angels these simple yeomen destroy detroy only the gophers and weeds in their admirably cultivated grain fields agriculture is their main occupation they flourish at it ZI all ail disputes and differences are settled by these teachers through arbitration if a difficult case cannot be thus settled it is taken to the bishops court formed f 0 e by the bishop counselors and t teachers eachers who determine the case upon t the he principle of moral and common law F erom from rom this court there is an appeal to the high council of the county or stake I 1 and from thereto there to the council ol of the twelve A apostles astles and finally to the 01 the church these courts are open to all non noh members of the church as well as members I 1 know of many instances in which outsiders have preferred to recover from a Mor Mormon monin jn this court chanto than to sue in inthe the re court wayfield mayfield has a good public school under the tutorship of an experienced teacher the children of the mormons cormons Mor mons apostates and gentiles attend tills this school without let or hindrance when I 1 last visited the school about eighty names were enrolled the teacher passed to several of the pupils a late copy of the deseret news and asked them to read at random an article which was done in every case with fluer fluency acx and understanding after sharp questioning in physical geography he named promiscuously countries and cities in all parts of the world when their location was at once described and pointed out ou on the mali maly map without hesitation the pupils also drew a map of utah from memory locating the counties towns and rivers the teacher next asked them thern to write a letter ordering or derin a bill of goods it was quickly and well done the articles were arranged in their proper departments in arithmetic the cost of the construction of arakal that of a bin of a wheat a pile bf lumber tests in fractions and an account of of sale were given and done quickly and accurately I 1 know that every school in the territory 18 not up to the standard of this yet ket there theio are many equal to if not superior to it and this not taking into account high school or colle colleges es the authorities of the church jo john rn taylor and und georgeq georgeq cannan especially are urging the people to educate their sll children and improve kneir school system A camorite lavo tavo rite remark of mr taylor is better ted to have no teacher at all than a poor and incompetent one you cannot amno ammo anford amford r d it will not day cay ay notto not to educate your childr children enIll I 1 yet for all tills this the majority malo maio rity of the people are cents wise and dollar foolish for they cri engage aoe age cheap excuses for teacher sand gru m eke out gge ile hips chips and whetstones whet stones ln in payment in this as in many other things the he head men of the church have no easy time in ruling the people the average A mormon formon is often as obstinate and self willed as a pennsylvania nute dute dutchman hman it Is amusing to lir hear of this down trodden sodden priest ridden people when the he truth Is that they are as free and independent nde pendent as any people I 1 have ever seen in any part of the world and I 1 have it A ward politician a he vennest verlest slave in lil comparison ditl witia witla I 1 them the secret is that their faith is nd grand and when their religion is at stake e they are one olie it is their all in other matters they are the same as other people no catholic reverences reveren ces the pope more than the mormons cormons love and honor the men they have placed at their head no matter how great and popular any of them may have been if they fall from grace they have to ask the peoples for forgiveness gi veness or step down and out A case occurred oft of this his kind a short while ago john taylor does not profess in fallibility himself and will not countenance such an assumption in his colleagues ills liis exhortation is human nature is far from being perfect but let us try to be as near perfect as we possibly can public worship is held twice on the sabbath and on a weekday week day evening there is also a well weli attended sunday school the young men and women have each a society for mutual improvement pro the children have a similar society the matrona matrons of the ward have a relief society for the purpose of looking after the ip poor and sick A dramatic co company pany also aiso also aiso exists I 1 called upon the justice of the peace of the precinct and asked permission to look at his docket ills his reply was that he had none ile he had no use for it as he had not tried a case since he t took ok office two years ago the town possesses a well stocked store worked on the operative cooperative co plat pian and al owned by the people also a gr grist and saw mill in an ado adjoining InIng canyon the people eople of May mayfield mayfield Mayfle field fiela ld are not rich but trey they have enough and to spare they have neat and comfortable homes an and A a mortgage is a rare occurrence they pay their debts promptly and have a reserve for a rainy day and with that they are haeny happy and contended they are not jay goulds and dont want to be out of the seventy families six are polygamous this was so when I 1 first visited mayfield Mayfle ld five years a ago ao o 1 and I 1 am positive that there h has as been e en no lc marriage in the settlement since that time As the female children dren predominate there are many marria marriageable e young women in the town waiting for husbands yet a case of seduction has never been known in mayfield Mayfle ld and an instance of marital unfaithfulness has never been brought to light saloons gambling and prostitution are unknown in the community these are plain facts and can be verified at any time salt lake edke city and ogden are not fair criterions crite rions for an impartial criticism and these alethe are the towns th atthe traveling contributor generally ene rally raily writes up A K kin cin C in the new gork tork york S sun |
