The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-02-21

rolyeansy Amsnest shc Saints.
[Fron tho nrst number Of the New York Mormonl
bince this doctrine has bssn promulgated By Us
a. part OF our religious creed, every variety Of
opinion has been expressed b. men 10 ll classes Of
society Il has been talked about By religious aud
iJiegi0us, proft sser and profsne II has Deen the
theme in the legislative hall, the pulpit, the bar
room, and the press. PiygAny aud ths Mormons
wheIe. A universal hue and CRY has gone through
the length and breadth Of the land from Aifornia
to Texas, and from LouiAaDa to Maine. {. The cat
is no. cut OF the bsg"-Eartka! Eureka! {! w have
fond it. U.r f.4. = n
On this, our frst issue, u may be expected tina.
something shoud 10 said by ~ in rslation to this
matter. This We undertake % cheerfuly 90 any
other task; for we are not ashamed, here, in this
the great metropolis Of America; this theatre OF
arts science, and commerce; shis nucleus Of inell-
gence and ignorance, wisdom and folly, religion and
i.fdelty, virtue and vice. purity and corfu tion ia
this city OF gorgeous Bplendor and squslid misery
and want, to declare that We are polygamists. We
sre not Ashamed to proclaim to this great nation;
to rulers and people; to the President, Senators,
Legislator, and Judges; 70 high and low, rich and
scertious believers In poygamy; and tbasit Is part
ard parcel Of our religious creed. We do this
calmly, seriously. and understabdingly; after due
CATION OF ih principles and bearings; religously,
socially, morally, physically, aud politically, VS.
untesitatiDgy prom our full and i'm picf faith
In this principle, as emauatiDg from God, and that
under bis dissection 1t would be blessing to the hu
We have not room to enter Into the merits Of this
subject, tbs tssuc but shall touch upon few tie Ms
Which circumstances render necessary, and leave
the details for another time.
We are aware that strong prejudccs exist 10 the
minds Of the coed and vrtuous, the nor sbls aad
fiQhmLded Of cur land, In relation to this subjs 81
and we think We can res 1ecs and aparec ate
sill such feelings, wien honestly aud candidly
expressed. These are serious matters, pregnant
with importance. and not to be trifsd with. They
enter into the domestic circle and sinuate them.
selves into all the conditions and relationships Of
life, and therefore demand the most serious, calm,
and dispassiopate nsderason. Society is aleesdy
corrupt enough, God knows; and 10 seek to tear
down the aimg barriers that 80 teebly guard our
weak, Iiskety standard OF morality, would be
thing to be deprecated BY every honorable man.
These things are not with rs a mater OF ths0ry
and speculation, nor system Of loaths0me sensual
gIatifcation. We have higher aims and mo ,e ex.
aite3 views Of the relationship OF man aud wife;
ano It pains us to ssehe fountain Of life thus per.
verted and corrupted We cannot without symps.
thy behold man, who was created Ia the image of
God, 70 stand at the head OF creation, become q
beautiful and lovely deceived, crushed, bartered,
betrayed sunk in crime, creature Of aud for last;
or view the powers given Of Col to man for the
propagation OF bis species, perverted 70 debau hey
ADD lascivOusr esq, with all It's rsvotng, deadly,
corrupt and damDiDg effsce, without some regard
fer to KEN humanity. Neither can we bshold with
ont emotion tina: body whi,h Christians expsci to
be the residence OF their spirit in t,e resurrection
AID noble, become polluted and degraded resp
tacle Of 0isease-the effects OF transgressiOu-un-
healthy, weak, emac ated-a wing, l,athesoma
crawling nass--and children iohsriting from their
birth diseases entaied by their parents Ito the
third snd fourth ger erations."
We, as eternal beiogs, believe in eterlal laws,
covenants and unions, emanatiDg from God, and
based upon Iuri:y aud virtue: We are not united
only until death do US part, but expect an eter.
nal union In the eternal worlds, based q Jon living
Intelligent eternal princi ples-0ur gosDel our ral-
EioD, our c9Yeuant, and marriages. All our aoss re-
fer to this and one detect the loathsoms, de
graded, corrupt, aud miserable state OF the world,
in relation to leWdness, lss,iviousness, adultery,
and Cebauchery, more Il an We do; and were women
treated with US So they are In thousands ofnsaacss
here, it would cost q man his head They would
dare use the jaw him.
We ale not surprised, Their, that men Of reflection
and virtue. havir 6 knowledge Of TIA world, should
feel Indignant g. poly ss%y They look upon !. a.
and from he exceeding low standard Of virtue, can
hcsIce conceive Of ANYTHING but DISTINGUISHES asso
c'sted with the sex We respect the conscientious
ideas OF such things they must DO extremity revolt
jpRi but We would respectfully ask such pers2ns X
ih,y ever seriously upon the matter And,
further, is 1t prejudice, educ3ton, and the corrupt
state Of sciety that has led them to the Sc conci
reason, histcry, or precedence Did they ever think
that Abraham, Jacob David, Solomon and host of
other 60, man mentioned In the Scriptures, were
polyeanists2 That the twelve tribes OF lsrae, to
whom belonged the covenants, promises" DC de-
sceDded from four women, the wives Of one mao. Did
they ever reflect that those polygamists were more
virtuous than this generation; and that for such
thing. az are practiced here every day with impuuty
ADULTERY; man would be stoned TO death by all
Israeli" Did they ever reflect that IL might be pos
sible for the Lord to be unchangeable2 That he
bad not learned much from mau in Q few thousand
yesrs; and that possibly he was not in error thsn
and if rot then, that the same principles might pro-
baby be as correct nov as they were at thai timer
1t is well for not to be too hasty. Did they ever
reflect that Peter says there shall be !" restitution
Of all thingsW Did they ever think that there
and politically sropg, wbi b leads to the amount Of
corruption that now exists2 II not, we would re-
commend them to pause and consider before they
condemn. We would here state that this 1, sub
ard good in all ages. It is subject that states.
meu phianthropisis, and phios )phers have, 10 all
couLtiies, vaiDly endeavored to check, tor genera
tioDs and that princes, kings, presidents AID en-
perors, have vairly tried to remove.
TO Oh. OK this, legal enactments have besn made
sometimes, as in England, licensing brothel
houses; at otbee times, putting up before such
places lantern at the door, with burning shame"
laws, with various penal enactnents appended.
Vsrious legislative enactments have been made in
PIusais, Austria, France, and other continental
nations. But wha, has II all resulted inl No
thing. Go to England now, and you see thousands
Of poor, miserable, homeless outcasts, wandering
about the Streets and seeking to drag out the rem
nants Of mist rabe existence by barterlng their
was going to say virtue Oh! name it not! II
is too humiliating, loAthsome and degra ling. In
some Of the leading cites Of France these poor out
casts have their beats the sidewalk allotted
TO them; and in the sale Of their dish0nor (who are
the purchasers in all these cases y will show their
tickets like cabmen, or p0rters. In some Of the
cities in Germany--take Hamburg, for instance
they are prohibited from going abroad profession
the city, and there they swarm by hundreds. Whole
streets full may be seen, bedecked AND bsdizsued,