204 City Homes on Country Lanes 



This leadership has been generally attributed to the 

 Mormon Church, and justly so. It is often said: "Yes, 

 the Church could do it, but nobody else could do it." 

 It is a shallow remark, based on the most superficial 

 knowledge of Mormon institutions. Leadership is 

 leadership; and, great as is the Mormon Church, it is 

 a very small thing when compared to the Government 

 of the United States. 



Many years ago I discussed this subject before a 

 meeting of Boston ministers. One of them arose and 

 asked, in a nasal voice: "Will you tell me how it hap- 

 pens that after half a century of vigorous prosecution 

 on the part of the Government these Mormons are 

 growing faster and prospering more than ever before?" 

 I replied : "That is a very easy question. Your church, 

 I assume, offers the prospective convert a halo in the 

 next world. Now, the Mormons offer him three square 

 meals a day in this world, with a halo in the next world 

 thrown in for good measure. It is a proposition that 

 has appealed to a good many people — especially among 

 the landless, half-hungry people of Europe." 



The fact is, whether it happens to be agreeable to 

 you or not, Brigham Young was an empire builder — 

 a captain of industry, an organizer of prosperity. His 

 policies proved so satisfactory to all concerned, in- 

 cluding the Treasurer of the Church, that they have 

 been continued by all his successors down to the present 

 hour. His emblem was an eagle with open beak and 

 outstretched wings, standing on a beehive. "Fit em- 

 blem," said Joseph Cook; "rapacity preying upon in- 

 dustry !" Another shallow comment. Joseph Cook is 



