Mormonism's "extraordinary zeal"

This post continues the series on Mormonism from the previous post about their early practice of polygamy.
Most people are aware of the zeal of Mormons... the pair of boys on bicycles in neighborhoods neatly dressed with only maybe a book or book pack on them...  looking to stop at houses to "convert" the households to their sect.  Franz Pieper reports how it was in 1898 of these captive people in Lehre und Wehre, volume 44, pages 121-122:

Activity of Mormons. A Presbyterian journal reported that in North Carolina there are more Mormon missionaries than Presbyterian preachers, and that they work in mountain areas with great success. There exists no prospect that the Mormon sect becomes extinct soon.  An error can be even so crass: the devil already provides for the fact that he finds followers. As the above was already written, we found the following said about Mormons: "The statistics of their last General Conference shows that the increase in membership by baptism of children who have reached the eighth year, and by 'conversion' of adults in the last year was greater in Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona and Canada than in any year in the history of Mormonism. In other states, even in Mexico, they have experienced a significant increase, proportionally the largest in New England, in the States east of the Missouri, north of the Ohio river, and in California and Oregon. They have divided well their 'work area' and occupy not less than 1400 traveling missionaries, mostly men in the prime of life that exhibit an extraordinary zeal.  As in all of Wisconsin, for which a special Mormon conference is set, their missionaries work in Fond du Lac, especially in Milwaukee; they not only move as much as possible from house to house, and try to win in particular women for their cause, but also every evening, hold conversion meetings on the street, in the manner of the Salvation Army."    F.P.

I will repeat Pieper's phrase: "...the devil already provides for the fact that he finds followers".

And in 1893, Pieper reported on the massive new Mormon temple completed at that time (L.u.W., vol. 39, pg 122).  This temple still is the main temple of Mormons.

The new Mormon temple which was "initiated" on the 6th of April is described in the newspapers: "The building is 186 1/2 feet long and 99 feet wide . The foundations are 19 feet thick; on these rest the granite walls which are 9 feet thick at the bottom and upwards narrowing to 6 feet thick. The immense stone construction which seems to be calculated for eternity carries 6 towers of about 200 feet high. The cost of the construction, as far as it can be determined is estimated about $4,000,000. The real temple has space for more than 6000 people, while the upper floors still contain many meeting rooms from which the biggest 2500 people can touch." What for offerings the fanaticism brings for a false religion! The devil is served much more keenly than Christ.    F.P.

The next post on Mormonism (last in this series) shows their true colors... their vengeance against true Christianity.