History of Utah, 1540-1886 - Brigham Young University

542 THE UTAH WAR.
fit was wrought by the movement, especially with regard
to cleanliness ; but as in other religious agitations,
the effect was mainly emotional, the people being
worked up to a state of frenzy, and most of them
believing that the coming of Christ was at hand.
The revival lasted well into the following year, and
coupled with the excitement of the approaching war,
may serve to explain the abnormal condition of the
community at this critical period. 47
47 In Stenhouse's Rocky Mountain Saints, 292-305, and Stenhouse's Tell It
All, 310-23, are sensational accounts of the reformation, the former by an
eye-witness, who appears to have witnessed things which no one else
observed. He states that teachers were appointed for each ward, whose duty
was to pry into every secret, and learn the private history of every family,
men, women, and children being asked the most indelicate questions about
private actions and secret thoughts. He declares that a catechism of an
obscene nature was printed by authority of Brigham and put into the hands
of every elder, bishop, missionary, and teacher, those who refused to answer
the questions being in danger of the ban of the church, and those who answered
them being reported to the authorities and roundly abused at the
public meetings. At a gathering held at the social hall, attended only by
men, Brigham bid all who had been guilty of adultery to stand up. More
than three fourths of the audience rose to their feet. This Mr Stenhouse
explains on the supposition that the crime was admitted as having occurred
at any time during the whole course of their lives as Mormons. He also
states that during his twenty-five years' connection with Mormonism he
knew only of two or three cases of adultery. The account of the reformation
as given in the text is taken principally from the files of the Deseret
News.