Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 8.djvu/729

 REVIEWS, 709

the work; and to the organization of the church, the beliefs and doc- trines of the Mormons, and their church government.

The four following books, which treat of the Mormons in the period of the migrations, are based largely upon the aims and objects of the leaders as presented in the "Mormon Bible" and the "Doctrine and Covenants." The latter work consists chiefly of the revelations which "directed the organization of the church and its secular movements," and hence is invaluable as a means of determining the methods of the leaders in controlling the people. Although each of these chapters is full of interest, perhaps chap. 6 of Book III, which gives an account of the revelations received at the time of the organization of the Danites, and those chapters in Book IV which treat of the nature of the city government at Nauvoo and the revelation regarding polygamy, will best enable the reader to understand the nature of the objections of the people of Missouri and Illinois to their new neighbors.

The interest which is centered in Joseph Smith up to near the close of the period of their settlement in Illinois, after the death of Smith is transferred to Brigham Young, who maintained an autocratic rule up to the time of his death. The last book, which deals with the history of the Mormons in Utah, is of interest not merely because it gives an accurate account of pioneer life in a region almost cut off from com- munication with the outside world, but on account of those methods of government, social habits, and modes of thought which differ from those in other parts of the United States, and which seem in some respects to be a reversion to an earlier stage of culture. The closing chapters treat of such questions as the relation of the Mormon people to the federal government, the importance of a federal constitutional amendment forbidding polygamous marriages, and the scope of the Mormon political ambition.

Although the facts presented in many instances are such as would naturally call forth the expression of strong feeling, the author has adhered to his purpose of searching for facts, and has uniformly refrained from drawing conclusions. Only by a faint touch of humor or a pungent remark after presenting the facts which show the methods adopted by the Mormon leaders for obtaining their ends does the author in any way give expression to his own feelings upon the subject.

KATHARINE E. DOPP. CHICAGO.