Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1854-08-16
D1ormonism As 1t Is.

lay down the general law, as II is now received
by the Mormons, as the prime article of their faith
and the cornerstone Of their social polity. Thus
!. it runs:
sand again, as pertaining to the law Of the
priesthood, if any man espouse virgin and desire
to espouse another, and the first give her consent;
and if he espouse the second, and they are vir-
gins, and have vowed to see no other man, then
he is justified he cannot commit adultery, for
: they are given unto him for he cannot commit
adultery with that belonging unto him, and to
none else; and if he have ten virgins given unto
him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for
they belong to him, and they are given unto
him; therefore he is justified"
Lest the first wife should not give her consent,
provision is made for dispensing with it:
"And again, verify, verify, say unto you, if
any man has wife who holds the keys of this
power, and he teaches unto her the laws of my
priesthood as pertaining TO those things, then sha
she believe and administer unto him, or she shall
be destroyed, saith the Lord your God for will
destroy her; for will magnify my name upon all
those who receive and abide in my law. There.
fore, it shall be lawful in me, if she receive not
this law, for him to receive all things whatsoever
|, the Lord his God. will give unto him, because
she did not believe and administer unto him ac-
cording to my word and she then becomes the
|
Sarah, who administered unto Abraham, accord
ing to the law, when | commanded Abraham 10
take Hager INTO wife. And now as apperianng
to this law, verify, verify, Tsay unto you, | will
reveal more unto you hereafter therefore, let this
suffice for the present.-Behold! am Alpha and
Omega. Amen"
Let us look little at the practical workings
of the system, as seen and described by Mr..
Ferris in his book just published
DoMEsTIc EcoNoMr.-"Polygamy," says
'ir. Ferris, SIS Introducing new style of build
ing at Salt Lake City. A man with half dozen
wives builds, it he can, long, low dwelling,
having six entrances from the outside and when
he takes in new wife, if aole to do so, adds an
other apartment. The object is to keep the wo-
man and babies, as much rs possible, apart, and
prevent those terrible cat-fghts which sometimes
occur, With all the acconpaniments of Billings
gate, torn caps and broken broom-sticks. As the
divine institution extends, these buildings in
crease, and in few years the city looks. like
collection of barracks for the accommodation of
soldiers. Some have separate buildings in parts
of the city remote from each other, and others
have farm-hoases, and the wives are thus kept
separate, the husband dividing his time between
them ALL"
EFFECT OF PoLYGAaY UPON PoPuLATIoN.--
"The effect Of poygamy upon population is deci-
dedly dele.erous The prophet Joseph had over
forty wives at Nauvoo and the rest of the priest
hood had various numbers corresponding to their
standing and inclination; and nearly all the child
rem of these polygamous marriages died at that
place-indeed it is alleged by Mormons that not
one was taken to Utah. Brigham Young has
thirty. children, of whom eight are by hisi first
ard second lawful wives; the remaining twenty
two are by his spirituais. He has about fifty
wives, some of whom were widows of Joseph
Smith, and are probably past the time of having
children but suppcsing him to have thirty who
are capable OF having isjue-Thlch IS below tho
true number-the twenty-five children would be
less than one child to concubine. If each Of
these degraded females could have been the hon.
ored wife of one husband, the aggregate number
of children, according to the usual average of four
in family, would be one hundred and twenty,
showing loss in population ofninety eight.
"The children are subject to frightful degree
of sickness and mortality. This is the combined
results of the gross sensuaiy of the parents, and
want of care toward their offspring. AS gene
raj rule, the sanity pretenders take as little care
of their wives as of their children, and Of both
less than careful farmer in the States would OF
his CATTLE and nowhere out ofthe Five Points, in
| New York city, can more filthy, miserable,
neglected looking and disorderly rabble ofchildren
be found than in the streets of Great Salt Lake
City. The Governor, again, whose attention to
his multifarious family We are bound to suppose
greater than the average, atfordsa fair ilustra-
ton. He was twice lawfully married, and has
eight legitimate children, who are all living
He has had large number Of children by his
concubines-no one knows how many-lti is only
known that there are only twenty-five surviving.
These females do not reside in the Governors
house, so called, but in different establishments,
from one up to dozen in place.
"Their system of plurality hasobliterated near
ly all sense of decency, and would seem to be fast
leading to an intercourse open and promiscuous az
the cattle in the fields. A man living in COM
mon with dozen dirty Arabs, whether he calls
them wives Or concubines, cannot have very
nice sense of propriety. 1t is difficult to give
true account of the effects which have resulted
from this cause, and. at the same time, decency
| of language. The Saints are progressive. Last
year, lS52,) they seriously discussed the subject
Of introducing new order into the church, by
which the wives of absent missionaries might be
sealed to saints left at home. There are num-
Der ofcases in which man has taken widow
and her daughter for wives at the same time
One has a widow and her two daughters. There
are also instances of the niece being sealed to the
uncle, and they excite no more attention than an
ordinary case. How far the plague spot is to
spread in this direction remains to be seem.
"Bringham Young stated in the pulpit, in lS-
! SO, that the time might come when, for the sake,
of keeping the lineage Of The priesthood unbroken
marriages would be confined to the same families
as, for instance, the son ofone mother would mar
ry the daughter of another by the same Jather.-
There has been some talk of going even beyond
this, and allowing the father to seal his own
daughter to himself"
The HAREMs OF THE PRIEsTHooD.-"The
high priest dignitares Of the church are exceed
ingly skilliul in procuring young girls for wives.
They lncucate the idea that elderly members,
who have been tried and found faithful, are surer
instruments of salvation than the young. who may
apostatize and as marriage TO one who remains
seadfast is essential to escape from the fate OF be-
ing mere angels, great many young women are
fooled into this bubbling and seehing cauldron OF
prostitution.
"EIder Wiford Woodruff, one of the twelve
apostles, has regular system of changing his
harem. He takes in one or more young girls, and
so manages, after he tires of them, that they are
glad to ask for divorce, after which he beats tho
bush for recruits. He took fresh one. about four
teen years old, in March, 1858, and will probably
get rid of her in the course of the ensuing sum-
mer These maneuvres are practiced more or
less by the whole gang; the girls discarded by
one become sealed to others, and so travel the
entire rounds and when they accomplish tho
whole circuit, and are ready to start anew, they
have profoundly realizing sense offemale mod
esty, to say nothing of some of its aduncts."
The MORMON WIFE.-'A wJe, in Utah, can{
not live out halt her days. In families where po-
lygamy has been introduced, she suffers an agony
of apprehension on the subject which can scarcely
be conceived, much more described. There is a
sad. complaining. suffering look. which is obvious