Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-10-06
Letter from Lady ill Utah to a Friend
 in the States.

Letter from Lady in Utah to a Friend
 in the States.
 1"e Wraters Accommodation af Mormonism-A
 Picture ct Mormon Hfs
 Great Suh Luke Ctg. J1iy Is 1858
 MY DEAR FRIEND: have to thank you for your ahectlohate letter, which gave me more pressure than can express, recalling the many nW'Ppy hours or the pist spent in your society. ioq feproacn me for egiecting to write to you aS prom'sed. acknowledge ge my negligence; ont way should l cast a shadow on the sunsine 9i your existence by writing, as 1 must d. if write lruthfully, to my early friend. Ton know, dear Katharine-fo you. in the mi1st ot my ln'atuation, d.d justice to the purity of my motves--you know with what deen ear- heStnesS, wlht what thorough belief in the ai. Vlne mission of Joseph Smith. und ertook to quit home and friends, the comforts and ela. gance ot llfe, for the gathering place of those believed to be Gods people, prepared to cheer iuiiy undergo every hardship, difficulty or dan- gei Tor the bLssul assurance that in So doing l was owned aud accepted as the child of Col II you could enter into and understand the n tense longing which has filled my soul from cu"dhoo1 to know myself secure of enterino Heaven at last, you would never have wonder ed as you dld that should have grasped with the aVldity of drowiny man at a straw. than at the otty prentenses of Mormonism. Do not start, Katharine; even I, bliudly infatuated as nave been, can stamp them as lofty Dretens.e now. The dream Is over with me; the idol has fallen from the pedestal, and have awakened alas, loo late, to the real character and aims of those whom so long and anxiou<y believed in De co-wokers with the Son of God in the r,- generation of sin stained world
 But what does it avail me that a awaken ed! Will my widening restore me to the homo ana society which I volentarilv forfeited Will It give me back friends position. inAuence2 Alas, no! And yet dear Katherine, many who have wlllfuly erred will walk the world m. scathed hy It's wthering frown; while l. whose only crime has been credulity-whose every aspiration has been for the high. the loftv and the pure--l must be content to be nointed at because have been too faithful to a false creed Rather l believe, will many high-headed woman Tn this city cling to that cree1 and en- dure the life of martvrdom she entered unon fin secure salvation, although she may now be fear. tuily CONSCIOUS of its fatal tendency, than she will return to the world to be lighted by those who were incapable of her lofty self-abeneoa. ton, or who were fortunate enough to be les religiou>ly credulous. You ask me of myself dear Katharine. 1 have spoken Of a life of martyrdom, and, truly, such is the life of a woman here, unless she be false to her own nature and tyrant to those around her. am myself, marred since last heard from vou: bnt oh. what mockery of the holy relation. snip IS here, and to think that up to the hour when took the fatal step was blind to every 1 thing bat the blessing to b. attained by becom- l ing the ptrtner of triel servant of the Almighty One. Aye, and through many weary weeks after my marriage did struggle to be- IieVe that all was yet tri3nt. Many a tune when low SprItei and sick at heart, have I taken my pen and written to the dear ones far away. cohlurlng them to delay coming to this place and then awhile afer, when perhaps my mind was more resigned and tranquil, or h,I been ls5enng to an exciting oration trembled lest any perauaSion ot mine should peril the eternal salvation ot those dear to me, and I would write and beg them to keep faithful to the cnrch-for although as the trials attending its vo5ares were heavy, 1t was only they who en- 1 dured them, could share it's blessings. To the world my letter would doubtless have appear cd strangely inconsistant--tor only they who live in Utha can tell the huctuatng feelings which pervaie the bosom of it's inhabitants. 7 pense, the painful stru gle between the reality If matters and the ideal which h,d So oadIy clung to-as slowly, but surely, the conviction dawned at last that I hal been decsived-I. who had fought 50 earnestly for the truth of Mormonism, who had lai home, friends, free. dom, society, all, upon the altar of conscience for its sake-l, who had so worshiD3d the mo- bic, the upright, the beautiful, the pure -tha. I had been the dupe of the sinful, the deyrad |. and the vile-waS beyond expression horrible 10 think of The only thought capable of bringing consolation was, that it was at least the mask ot holiness which had won my adherence to the cause. l had not willingly knowin rlv, delivered myself up to serve the opposite. and l had beer here living in this community nD- wards of two years before could believe it ia SC before l came to an acquaintance with the dark deeds secretly conuvel at, while publicly | denOunced before 1 could real in the melan- choly conferences of some, and the forced galety ot others of my sex, anything but the re- slgnatlon and the cheerfulneSs which h ld con- slrued thelr appearluce into at first. An, Kath- ariue, what a chapter in the history of D 3seret would the wrongs of woman present as con- prehend them now! There Is bat one family of all my acquaintance, where there are more wives than one which believe to have any happiness anon! them. And if 1 were to at tempt to give yon any idea of the misery which exists, case, would 80 multiply uponmv memo " that time and space would fail me to con- muucate them.
 obtained, bv stealth, peep, some months ago at Mr. Hyde's excellent work on Mormon Ism--aud you cannot have truer idel than that work conveys The preachers of Mormonism abroad in the world used to tell us that pov.a- my was only allowed to those who had proven themselves in the cause of God--the tried and faithful among his servants-aS a rewad for the trials they had endured in the defense ol truth. to increase their glory in his eternal kingd om But the true state of the case Is this. It is not the tried alone. A man may come her single, and comparatively unknown, or he may have wives esewh.re-otil if they do not accompa- ny him, he is virtually single m 4n in Utah. if he be Mormon; and such man. if he have not single cent in his pocket, or a pound of flour to commence with, provided he is on hand to comply with every requirement of the au- thorites, may take to hms- If not only one wife, but two or three, if he pleases, and he is all the better saint for doing so. Any elder or bishop can marry such man to one wife in Utah, but If he wishes to take two or three at once. he must apply to the first presid ,ncv The first wife married by the priesthood to him Is his first legal wife. and after her he can be m ,rred only by one of the first presidency. We are also informed before we come to Salt Lake that the consent of a mans first wi le is necessary to his union with second. This is false If his first wife refuses her consent 1 never knew a marriage 10 be delayed unless it happened that the husband was greatly attached to his first wife. Bat as far as the priest hood goes, if the first wife cannot give Il sufficient reason for re- iusing her cOnsent-and what would be suf ciem reason in the eyes of the church. l have nevor been able to di>cover-the ceremony proceeds without, and she may console herself as well as she can
 remember one lady who refused her con- sent on the plea of incompatibillty of tempera- ment. but that was very inefficient reason for refusing to allow another to share the affection of her husband, and withdraw his confidence from her. know one couple who were mar ried in England and came here, enduring much hardship in getting up their little homestead | ha xuifn lahn ,Dly tn f ba