History of Utah, 1540-1886 - Brigham Young University

398 MISSIONS AND IMMIGRATION.
had been baptized into the faith in various parts of the
world, and were waiting for means or opportunity to
emigrate, there are no reliable data; but they probably
amounted to not less than 150,000, and possibly
to a larger number.
Thus within little more than twenty years the
church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints had increased
from a handful to an army. And theirs was a
new religion, a new revelation, not an ancient faith;
they chose for their proselytizing efforts civilized
rather than savage fields. In their missionary adventures
no sect was ever more devoted, more self-
sacrificing, or more successful. The catholic friars
in their new-world excursions were not more indifferent
to life, wealth, health, and comfort, not more
indifferent to scorn and insult, not more filled with
high courage and lofty enthusiasm, than were the
Mormon elders in their old-world enterprises. In all
their movements they were circumspect, moderate,
studying the idiosyncrasies of the several nations in
which they labored, and careful about running unnecessarily
counter to their prejudices.
On reaching the scene of his labors, the missionary
earned his daily bread by some trade or handicraft,
not even refusing domestic service, in order to provide
for his wants, and meanwhile studying the language
of the people among whom he lived. Many were cast
into dungeons, where they were forced to live on
bread and water; many travelled on foot from district
to district, with no other food than the roots which
they dug near the wayside; many journeyed under
the rays of a tropical sun, the water trickling from
the rocks and the berries hanging from the bushes
forming at times their only sustenance. 2
The term of their labors had no certain limit, depending
entirely on the will of the first presidency.
For the more distant missions it was seldom less than
two years or more than six. They must remain at
1 Remy, Jour, to O. 8. L. City, ii. 199.