Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-08-11
TnE PoLYGAMIC INSTITUTION.

The arrival of returning families present US
with new view Of the system of Polygamy-
but by no means a satisfactory view to superb
cial observation. The plurality wives, so far as
one can observe, are distrustful of each other,
and meet their husbands with a restrained, un-,
certain, unconfiding air, which, should suppose
would be exceedingly unpleasant to a man of
heart OF refined sensi6ility. The husbands,
generally, will admit when pressed closely, that
their wives do not love each other, or agree
like sisters; but this they ascribe to the difficult
ty of overcoming the proneneSS of all flesh to
evil, and never TO the natural sentiments of hui
manity. Occasionally, meet man who pro-
tests that even the women render al hearty assent
to the system. A tailor while sewing on a button
for me, took occasion to expatiate upon the adj
yantages of Polygamy, remarking that he had
tse0 wives, who could not be separated, and that
he did not see how any man was able to get along
with only onel
cussing the subject, indeed they oftentimes press
discussion on stranger, over.confdent in their
ability 20 demOlish every Gentle argument
against PoIygamy. One of the gentry tackled
Governor Powell, the other day, determined to
to make a convert. The Governor, at first, de-
clined discussion, but his companion insisted
upon proving, by the Scriptures, that he was in
great error TO be living without any wife, and
that 1t was the duty of a well preserved man of
his years to take halfdozen at least The
Governor at last consented to listen. Mr.. Nor
mon cited Solomon as one of the wisest and best
of men, and presented the fact that he had 700
wives as an unanswerable argument. Said the
Governor in response: ''You depend upon Sol
omon's example, do you, as the gage of your
duty 2" Certainly" was the ready response.
"Well," continued the Governor, "I'Il accept
Solomon as pattern for the sake of argument.
According tOthe text you have quoted, Solomon
had 700 aOiues and 800 concu6ines. NotO, aohere's
yO1r c0ncu6ines?" The Polygamist was foored
and Abandoned the discussion.
THE MORMON FAITH.
The Mormon faith is a queer mixture of Inf
deity, Romanism, Materialism and everything
else. They teach that God is only perfect
man, and that all men may become Gods in
some future state, if they continue to progress
in truth and righteousness. They deny the
viTginity of Mary the mother of Christ and
maintain that the latter was only man-'the
son of God" just as all other men arc the sons
of God, only that he was the 1frst-6orn son. OF
course they suppose the spiritual Christ which
entered the body of the child born of Mary had
been living for ages before in some other shape
Brigham is much God as Christ was, only
that he has not yet reached the same stage of
perfection. This view of single point of Nor
mon doctrine will give you key to the character
OF their general faith
The Mormon will always tell you that he
W
and instead of presenting the operations of his
reason based upon the study of the book of
Mormon, he will give you, as like as not, some
extraordinary revelation to himself, or recount
some weird-lke tale of remarkable occurrences
which afforded conclusive evidence to his mind
that 10 Smith was prophet asked a genteel
looking waiter at my hotel yesterday, to let me
see the book of Mormon. He replied that he
had it not with him, and added that he had
been Mormon sixteen years without ever hav-
ing readit. In response to my inquiry as to the
foundation of his faith, he proceeded to tell me
that just after he ''embraced the Gospel he
received the 'girt of tongues" asked him to
explain what he meant by that He replied
that he began to talk in tongue which he
had never heard before,-and had never heard
since, either, as a found upon pushing him close
~, for he admitted that he hadn't the slightest
idea as to aedGt tongue it was, didn't understand
a word of it and didn't know anybody else who
did. In pity forbore asking of what use he
found his miraculous gift.