148 THE STORY OF MORMONISM.
like that of the prophet, a wisdom like his to concen- trate, a power like his to say to ten thousand men, do this, and it is done, with plenty of cheap, virgin land, with a collective knowledge of all arts, and with hab- its of economy and industry, it were a wonder if they did not rapidly accumulate property, and some of them acquire wealth. This they do, though tithed by the church, and detested by the gentiles, and they prosper in a remarkable degree. Of course, in po- litical, as in spiritual and pecuniary affairs, the proph- et's word is law.
"Nauvoo is the best place in the world!" exclaims an enthusiastic saint. Nauvoo, the beautiful indeed! And as to the facilities, tranquillities, and virtues of the city, they are not equalled on the globe." Here the saints find rest. "No vice is meant to be toler- ated; no grog-shops allowed; nor would we have any trouble, if it were not for our lenity in suffering the world,^ as I shall call them, to come in and trade, and
been grossly misunderstood and shamefully libelled . . . The present population is between eight and nine thousand, and of course it is the largest town iu Illinois. The people are very enterprising, industrious, and thrifty. They are at least quite as honest as the rest of us in this part of the world, and probably in any other. Some peculiarities they have, no doubt. Their relig- ion is a peculiar one; that is, neither Buddhism, nor Mahometanism, nor Judaism, nor Christianity, but it is a faith which they say encourages no vice nor immorality, nor departure from established laws and xisages; neither polygamy, nor promiscuous intercourse, nor community of property ... Ar- dent spirits as a drmk are not in use among them. . .Tobacco, also, is a weed which they seem almost universally to despise. We don't know but that the Mormons ought to be expatriated for refusing to drink whiskey and chew tobacco; but vv"e hope the question will not be decided hastilj', nor until their judges have slept off the fumes of their own liquor and cigars.' 'They have enclosed large farms on the prairie ground, on Avhich they liave raised corn, wheat, hemp, etc., and all this they liave accomplished within the short space of four years. I do not believe there is another people in existence who could have made such improvements in the same length of time under the same circumstances. And here allow me to remark, that there are some here who have lately emigrated to this place, who have built themselves large and convenient homes in the town; others on their farms on the pi-airie, who, if they had remained at home, might have continued to live in rented houses all their days, and never once have entertained the idea of building one for themselves at their own expense.' Smacker's Mormoniinn, 159.
®( Jcntilcs were not excluded from the holy city. In Bennett's Hist. Saints, 158, is given an ordinance, dated March 1, 1841, running as follows: 'Be it ordained by the city council of the city of Nauvoo, that the catholics, pres- byterians, methodists, baptists, latter-day saints, quakers, episcopalians, universal ists, unitarians, mohammedans, and all other religious sects and de- nominations whatever, shall have toleration and equal privileges in this city;
