Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-05-07
EVENING STAR.
LIFE AMONG THE MORMoNs.

naturalist:
We are 10th to believe that all the wives Of
the same man can be happy and content, al
! though all of them that we have interroga ated
have painted their position as one exceedingly
delightfui, replete with joys that Gentiles
never comprehend or experienced. They en-
deavor to create the impression that Jealousy
IS stranger to their bosoms. The household
Of Farley p Pratt was often instanced as a
very model OF harmony and union. This
| truly patriarchal apostle, a man of high dis
| t!nction amongst the Mormons, is the happy
spouse of nine ladies, and the reputed father
of three-and- thirty children. His wives, who
all live together like so many sisters, reside in
| the same house, and seem to have n general
understanding that each one is to partake of
| the conjugal bed in turn-a partition, which,
| In less fortunate households, is ofttimes the
| source of petty rivalries and lasting animosi-
ties Belinda Marden, one of the wives of
Pariey Pratt, young woman as remarkable
tor the graces OF person for the gift of intel
lect, has gwen to the world pamphlet on
polygamy, in which she undertakes to prove
that plurality Of wives is authorized by the
| Almighty, and contains within itself the eIe-
ments of perfect unalloyed happiness here be.
low She adds that the title Of grand polyg-
amist is. synonymous with that of a great
saint, and is word that is peculiarly pleas
ing to the ears Of the Eternal While on this
subject, L would remark that one of the fra.
ternIty, who was accustomed 10 join us very
| frequently in our evening parties, once made
| this serious remark, when speaking of the
hope that was generally entertained Of seeing
US shortly demand the rite Of baptism t" The
saints, gentlsmon, cherish the pleasing antici-
patton OF one day seeing you grand polyga-
mlsts IN the sight OF the Almighty"
The fidelity of the Mormon women is exeu-
plary. l freely and cheerfully testify to this
| IN Hotr "a
attributing to adultery the punishment Of
| death
When the system Of polygamy obtains, am
| lar, very far from asserting to the statement
that the women are as happy as they profess
to be Such belief would be as repugnant
to the dictates of my reason as to those of my
| heart. Ii indeed they are sincere in this re-
gard, which any one must be led to doubt
who knows and reflects upon the degree of
| reserve that the church imposes, I am bound
by strong and irresistible impulse to at
tribute this pretended happiness to certain
degree of moral degradation and obliuuity,
which seems TO indicate the kind of life that
| goodly number Of them construed in TOO broad
| or universal sense. Personally, l know
many and most estimable exceptions But
cannot conceive that woman, if she has the
| taIntest idea of the richest treasure of love
| that Heaven has encaSed in her soul can
lower and degrade herself to such an extent
as to surrender her charms to a very Sultan,
and knowingly give up a heart chastened
| and sublimated by strong and Jealous love-
| for mere fraction or bit of a heart that he
| may or may not vouchsafe her The i'm.
| pulses OF nature can be corrupted they can
| not be changed. The sympathies of the hu-
man breast translate themselves 10y two senti-
ments of the same nature, which must not be
| confounded-f friendship and love The first
| OF these sentiments can embrace several oh
II mi aHD matt of
| Less sublime In its nature, less impulsiye in
Its effects, 1t has within itself more durability
more stability, more individuality. Love the
other sentiment, is a more lofty, sublimated
essence, jealous as the God whence il pro-
| ceeds, and consequently is not fully deveI-
| oped amongst all men; it is the seIfshness of
two persons him and her, herself and him
| self. One cannot consent to a partition of
this sentiment without entirely abdicatine il
| to assume that other sentimentwhich is only
| friendship. L fear very much that the ma
Jority Of Saints belonging TO this list of imper-
| feet souls that are not susceptible of love |
prove 1t by honorable exceptions that are to
| be found in their midst
We ourselves have seen at the Salt Lake
some luckless beings, who, more subject TO
the laws Of their Creator than TO the cora
| mandments of the church, were pinng away
| with sorrow at the apprehension of seeing
| their houses filled with rivals TO their love as
| multitudinous as their household gods that
the old Romans were in the habit of setting
up In their habitations. Others, who were
not married, and who hardly contemplated a
settlement at all, braved i'll treatment, and
even death itself, sooner than fall into the
prevailing fashions, and become parties to a
Seraglio. L am bold to acknowledge that we
saw nothing at all indecent in the system of
polygamy, such as obtains amongst the Nor
mons However, certain appearances lead US
IN hali hat WITH hipp fhar
As an evidence of it. L only beg leave to state
| the following fact:
One day, whilst saunterins about the gates
of the city, We came upon two women sitting
upon corn stubbles. They appeared 20 be the
prey of bitter thoughts, for the tears were
trickling down their cheeks Recoiecting to
havo seen them at the family freside, we APP
preached them and recognized mother and
her daughter. The mother, to all appear
ances, very respectable lady, was married
In her widowhood to polygamist saint. We
stopped to inquire into the causes of their
sadness. The absence of all witnesses and
their profound grief together with our char
acter as strangers, inspired them with conf
dence to unbosom their hearts and give US
| this piece Of information. The husband of
| the mother, whom we know, and who ap-
peared to US to be one of the most reliable
| and candid men in the world, had conceived
| n terrible passion for his step daughter, and
ha1 demanded her In marriage. The poor
child, scarcely sixteen years Of age, bearing
upon her gracious countenance the rose OF
| beauty, with the lily of virtue, could not
brook the idea of erecting herself up into her
mothers rival, and had rejected the alliance
| with the repugnance and dignity Of Roman
matron. the mother. on her part, refused to
| exert her authority to overcome the scrupies
| of the daughter By consequence, the hus-
| band lover mad confounlsd them beth in one
II nd ufol hat
from his house, after having beat them in the |
most inhuman manner. In the depth of their
sorrow and depression, the poor woman in
voked the sovereign judge of the universe to
deal with them according to the laws of jus
| tice, and graciously put period at once to
tn cir sufferings and to their existence.
L give this anecdote for what it is worth,
without seeking to draw from it any other
conclusion than this-fear Of the church causes
the members to veil many hidden miseries
All the wives of tho same Saint live under
the same roof, generally, but sleep in sepa-