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204 s t a n d a r d i z e d e v e ry w h e re b u t m igh t n o t have i n t h e l i g h t o f economic grow th had i t n o t b e e n f o r th e r e d u c t i o n p r o c e s s w hich c a u s e d s e v e r a l y e a r s o f d e l a y and p e r m i t t e d a f u l l a s s im ila tio n o f fo lk houses in to a s e t o f s ta n d a rd v a r i e t i e s . An i n t e n s e d e s i r e cn th e p a r t of Mormon c o n v e r t s t o conform and become a s s i m i l a t e d i s a s e c o n d and most im p o r ta n t f a c t o r f o s t e r i n g r e g io n a l u n ifo rm ity in th e c u ltu r e a r e a . C o n v e rsio n t o Mormonism was accom panied by an i n t e n s e l y n eg a­ t i v e o s t r a c i s m , r e j e c t i o n , and p e r s e c u t i o n from o l d f r i e n d s and n e ig h b o r s a t home, and a v e ry p o s i t i v e p ro m ise o f a new way o f l i f e , e c o n o m i c a lly a s w e ll as s p i r i t u a l l y , among new f r i e n d s and n e ig h b o r s i n t h e new l a n d o f Z io n . C o n v e r s io n t o t h e Church was synonymous w ith e m i g r a t i o n t o Zion and synonymous w ith r a p i d a s s i m i l a t i o n i n t o t h e Mormon A m erican c u ltu re . Brigham Young p r o c la im e d E n g l i s h t o be t h e d i v i n e la n g u a g e o f t h e Mormon C hurch and d i d a l l t h a t he c o u ld t o e n c o u ra g e i t s u s e , and he and a l l o t h e r Church a u t h o r i t i e s made c e r t a i n t h a t newly a r r i v e d im m ig ra n ts (who o f t e n came a s f o r e i g n e t h n i c g ro u p s u n a b le e v en t o s p e a k E n g l i s h ) were alw ay s accom panied by s e v e r a l e x p e r i e n c e d A m erican Mormons from whom th e newcomers c o u l d l e a r n i r r i g a t i o n and c r o p p in g p r a c t i c e s and t h e a r t o f b u i l d i n g lo g an d adobe h o u s e s (O ls o n , 2 01 ). In d e e d , t h e s o c i a l and r e l i g i o u s c l i m a t e e x e r t e d p r e s s u r e a g a i n s t s e p a r a t e e t h n i c e x p r e s s i o n , even i n t h e form o f home b u i l d i n g , and th e v a r i o u s g ro u p s showed no d e sire to r e s i s t th a t p re ssu re . Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.