MEXICAN MORMON COLONIES. 37 
to the peculiar organization of their 
Church, which so fits them for the work of 
making the wilderness blossom as the rose. 
No other Christian Church exercises so 
much authority over the temporal affairs 
of its members as the Mormon Church. 
However debatable this exercise of au¬ 
thority may be in civilized communities, 
surrounded by people of the same kind, 
there is no doubt in my mind as to its 
favorable effect upon pioneer associa¬ 
tions, encompassed by enemies in man 
and nature. This view of the subject 
must be admitted by everyone who has 
grown up on the Gentile frontier and 
seen the innumerable bickerings between 
adjacent towns, the internal dissensions 
in the towns themselves, the rivalry 
for “ booms,” the shotgun contests for 
county seats, the thousands of exaggera- 
