The awakening of the desert . i, soon after theirsettlement by the Mormons, numerous adherents of thenew faith were mobbed, tarred and feathered. After con-tinued tribulations, which in the severe winter of 1839 de-veloped into open warfare, they were driven from the state,leaving their possessions chiefly in the control of their per-secutors. They were soon heard of in western Illinois, which theyreached after being goaded at every step by the oppo-sition and derision of the former settlers. Nauvoo, or theHoly City, as it was called by the Saints, became the centerof their proselyting in that
The awakening of the desert . i, soon after theirsettlement by the Mormons, numerous adherents of thenew faith were mobbed, tarred and feathered. After con-tinued tribulations, which in the severe winter of 1839 de-veloped into open warfare, they were driven from the state,leaving their possessions chiefly in the control of their per-secutors. They were soon heard of in western Illinois, which theyreached after being goaded at every step by the oppo-sition and derision of the former settlers. Nauvoo, or theHoly City, as it was called by the Saints, became the centerof their proselyting in that state. There they erected atemple, which in many respects was remarkable, partly be-cause of the fact that it is said to have cost $1,000,000. Itis described in detail in Times and Seasons, Vol. II. Thecornerstone was laid on April 6, 1841. They also estab-lished a university and built several factories. Being in-dustrious, they became prosperous and increased in num-bers until, as stated in Smuckers Mormonism, their church-. lOSEPH SMITH WHY A FAIR CITY AROSE IN A DESERT 305 es in and around Nauvoo embraced from ten to twentythousand members. The Millennial Star, Vol. V, reportsmore than that number in attendance at the October con-ference in Nauvoo, in 1844. During these years they claim to have been guided at alltimes by divine revelations, which were given to their lead-ers and are published in their journals. Having faith inthe authority by which they were being led, they acted asa unit in all matters, and thus became a power to be reck-oned with in the political affairs of the state. This subor-dination of local civil government to the head of a new re-ligious sect, and especially to one which its adherents rec-ognized as a theocracy, seemed contrary to the spirit ofAmerican institutions and was repugnant to the ideas ofthe early Illinois pioneers. It was especially odious to those political leaders onwhom the Mormons would not unite their votes. Thissituation intensifie
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectfrontie, bookyear1912
