The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1858-08-12

|quite pretty, and an d. them, so far as
| 1 could Judge, intelligent. I suppose
saw in the shanty quarters" some
thirty women-but whether they all Of
them were wives of the Prophet, OF
whether these constituted his entire
household, of course am not informed.
The general impression here seems to
be that he has nearly or quite 6fty
wives. He only CLAIMS to- have forty
children living, having had forty ty-seven
altogether. This, doubtless, is the
highest figure he can claim, as the
"Saints" consider large number Of
children subject of pride and boast
These wives are all their own SER
wants, and the nurses OF their own
children. To see them sitting under
the overhanging caves of the shanties
just at dusk, with their numerous chill
dren hanging around them, all crying,
chattering or teasing at once, was GER
tainly suggestive Of founding hos
pital.
was curious to know whether these
women were happy in the strange life
which they led, and a glance at their
faces impressed me with the conviction
that theirs was the happiness of stolid
hstlessness, an existence in which all
the higher and holier sentiments of re-
fnement and affection had been sacri-
feed upon the alter of fanaticism.
They seemed to be virtuous willing,
perhaps, and resigned but neverthe-
less unhappy victims of self-inficted
tortures, by which they hoped to merit
sanity reward. To a few of them,
perhaps these remarks would not APP
ply. Some of the younger females
appeared thoughtless or reckless, but
the elder, who were educated in circles
where woman was queen rather than
vassal slave, wore their chains evidently
with inward murmurings.
Among the latter / fancied 1 could
distinguish her whose name had been
secretly communicated to me by a mu-
tual friend as one whose eyes had long
since been opened to the degradation
of her condition, and who was looking
forward with earnest anticipation to
the hour when she can safely claim
protection and abandon the association
with polygamy. l did not attempt to
converse with any of the sisters" in
Provo in regard to the institutions
amid which they live, for we gentiles
are watched with jealous eyes, and
could not have introduced the subject
without making trouble for the part
nership wives as well as for ourselves.
A couple of young Californians there
on business the other day ventured a
little of the commonest gallantry to the
younger wives of an aged Bishop, who
sported EIGHT. and were suddenly
brought up short by the fathcrly hus-
band with sundry significant and for
chile intimations that the ladies in
question were has wives. Our gallants
took the hint and subsidized, missing
thereafter the refreshing bouquets
which gentle hands had placed in their
rooms day by day. But l digress.
BRIGHAM YOUNG.
In one story adobe building, op-
posite his family block, Brigham Young
has his office. He is man of bust
ness, having large possessions, numer-
ous mills and extensive herds of horses
and cattle, and employs several clerks
to keep his books, &c. An hour spent
in this Office, satisfied us that Brigham
fully understands the value of the axi-
om that " Order is Heavens first law"
Rr.o ho har0 ox,1
his adherents assure us that he received
not cent from the Church as Presi-
dent, or in any other way. Yet he has
become immensely wealthy. If the
premises stated are true, he must have
discovered how to SNAKE bricks out of
straw"-for his riches cannot be the
product of the labor of his own hands,
nor the result of speculations, nor the
rise of real estate in this Valley, where
no man holds title to a foot of landed
property.
My first view Of Brigham was OBJ
tanned at public service on Sabbath
morning. Service was held in a
"Bowery," as it is called, on a public
square in the centre of Provo. City,
This Bo very is constructed simply of
posts driven in the ground supporting
frame work some fifteen feet over
head, upon which are laid willow brush
cut on the neighboring creeks. The
bower thus constructed was capable of
seating perhaps two thousand persons.
AT one end is erected rude platform
or staging for the Presidency, the
preachers and elders. As the hour of
meeting approached, the streets were
thronged with the people of all ages
and conditions flocking to the bower,
each with chair of some sort in hand
as no benches had been provided UNI
der the shelter. The city Marshal SUI
perintended the seating of the crowd,
manifcsting quite as much energy in
closing up all gaps and making the
most of room as would the most indie
fatigable usher at the Academy of Mu-
sic on Lagranges benefit night-for
room was San object" Around the
edge of the bower, within hearing dis
tance of the stand, wagons were drawn
up, their occupants maintaining their
seats in the vehicles while awaiting the
words of inspiration from their Pro-
phets lips.
BRIGHAM AS AN ORAToR-HIs INFLU-
ENCE OVER THE MoRMoNs--PERsoNAL
DESCRIPTION.
On Sabbath morning, June 27, Brig