New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-05-24
A Letter from Mormon wifs defending
Poligamy.

in which she defends polygarny, and sustains her
course Of life The letter is written with ability
a vein Of pious devotion pervading it, Itisvery
long, but We make the following extract, to
shoW the strength Of the delusion under which
these people are laboring:
Now, dear friends, much as I long to see you,
and dear as you are to me, / can never come To
these terrns. feel as though the Gospel mad
introduced me into the right family, into the
right lineage, and into good company. And
besides all these considerations, should 7 ever
become so becIouded with unbelief Of the Scrip
lures and heavenly institutions as to agree with
my kindred in New Hampshire in theory, still
my practical circumstances are different, and
Fould, fear, continue to separate us by wide
and almost impossible gulf
My dear sister, with the Scriptures before me-
! could never find it in my heart to reject the
heavenly vision which has restored to man the.
iuiiness OF the Gospel or the Latter-day Prophets
anu Apostles, merely because in this restoration
Is included the ancient law of matrimony and Of
family organization and government, prepara-
tory to the restoration Of all Israel.
But, leaving all Scripture, history, or pre-
cedent, out OF the question, let US come to
natures law.
What, then, appears to be the great object Of
the marriage relationss / answer, the multi
plying of our species-the rearing and training
u '4'l4fs
And while kind husband should nourish.
sustain and comfort the wife Of his beseu by
every kindness and attention consistent with her
situation, and with his most tender affection,
still he should refrain from all those umtinlely
associations which are forbidden in the great
constitutional laws Of female nature which iaws
we seei carried ont in almost the entire animal
economy--human animals excepted
Poiygamy, thens as spractised under the Pa
triarehal law Of God, tends directly to the
CHASTITY OF women, and to sound health and
morals IN the constitutions Of their offspring
The polygamic law Of God opens to all vige--
Gus, healthy and yirtuous females a door by
which they may become honorable wives of yir-
tuous men, and mothers Of faithful, yirtuous.
healthy and vigorous children.
And here let me ask you, my dear sister, what
female in all New Hampshire would marry a.
drunkard, d man of hereditary disease, a d.
bauehs, an idler, or a spendthrift? Or ahat
woman would become prostitute, or, on the
other hand, live and die single, or without form
ing those inexpressibly dear relationships of
wife and mother, if the Abrahamic covenant, or
Patriarchal law Of God, were extended over
your State, and held Eaered and honorable by
all
This law leaves females exposed to life of
single s' blessedness, without husband, child or
friend, to provide for and comfort them OF to a.
life of poverty and loneliness, exposed to tempta-
ton, to perverted affections, 20 unlawful means
to crafty them, or to the necessity Of selling
themselves for lucre. While the man who has
abundance of means is tempted to spend 1t ON a
mistress in secret, and in a lawless way, while
the law of God would have given her 10 him AZ
an honorable wife These circumstances give
rise to murder, infantieide, suicide, disease re-
morse, despair, wretchedness, poverty, rsntinsIIy
death, with all the attendant train of iealousies.
heart-rending miseries, want of confidence in
families, communicating diseases, ETC. and final
ty, to the horrible license system, in which Gov
ernments, called Christian, license their fair
daughters, will not say to play the beast. but
to a degradation far beneath them, for every
species of the animal creation, except man, re-
frain from such abominable excesses, and OBJ
serve, in great measure, the laws of mature in
procreation.
| again repeat, that nature has constituted
the female differently from the male, and for a
different purpose.
s The strength Of the female constitution is de-
signed to flow in a stream of life, to nourish and
sustain the embryo, to bring it forth, and to
nurse it on her bosom.
have a good and virtuous husband, whom L
love. We have four little children which are
mutually and inexpressibly dear TO us. And
besides this, my husband has seven other living
wives, and one who has departed to better
world. He has in all upwards of TWENTY-FIVE
children. All these mothers and children are
endeared to me by kindred ties--by mutual af-
teetion--by acquaintance and association; and
the mothers IN particular by mutual and long
continued exercises Of toll, patience, long sufe
fering, and sisterly kindness We all have our
imperteetions in this life; but know that these
are good and worthy women, and that my hug
band is a good and worthy man; one who keepe
the commandments of Jesus Christ, and presides
IN his family like an Abraham. He seeks to
provide for them with all diligence: he loves
them all, and seeks to comfort them and make
them happy. He teaches them the command
ments OF Jesus Christ, and gathers them about
him in the family circle to call upon his God,
both morning and evening.
He and his family have the confidence. es-
TEEN, good will, and fellowship of this entire
Territory, and of a wide circle of acquaintance,
in Europe and America.
He is a practical teacher of morals and reli-
gion; promoter of general education; and at
present occupies an honorable seat in the Lecis-
lative Council of this Territory
Now, as to visiting my kindred in New Hamp-
shire, | would be pleased to do so, were it the
will OF God But first, the laws of chat State
must be SO modified by enlightened legislation,
and the customs and consciences of its inhabi-
essheos dAa VI hihuISu, 81 all6T6u, U1aG INV
husband can accompany me with all his wives
and children, and be as much respected and
honored in his family organization, and in his
holy calling, as he is at home, or in the same
manner SIS the patriarch Jacob would have been
respected had he, with his wives and children
paid q visit to his kindred.
As my husband is yet in his youth, as Fz.l as
myself, tondly hope We shall live to see that
day.
For already the star Of Jacob is in the aacen-
daney; the House of Israel is about to be re-
stored; while IS Mystery Babylon, with all her
institutions, awaits her own overthrow.
I Till this is the case in New Hampshire my
kindred will be under the necessity of coming
here to see us. or, on the other hand, we will be
mutually compelled to forego the pleasure Of
each others company.
kindred and old acquaintance to see this letter,
or copy thereof; and that they will consider il
as ifwritten to themselves I love them dearly
and greatly desire and pray for their salvation
and that we may all meet with Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob, in the kingdom ofiGed.
Dear sister, do not let your preiudiees and
traditions keep you from believing The Bible
nor the pride, shame, or love of the world keep
you from your seat in the kingdom of heaven,
among the royal family Of poly gamists,
AJEW ORLEANS SEWING FACTORY.
~ MACHINE SEWING.
hare almost
any End done with Asst
IN atgEe neat and durable annr han II done