Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-09-06
POLYGAMY.

SALT LAKE CITY, July 10, 1899.
do not believe the plural-wife system can
long endure; yet almost every man with
whom l converse on the subjectseems intense
ly, tanatcally devoted to it, deeming this the
choicest of his earthly blessings. With the
women, am confident it is otherwise; and l
watched their faces as Elder Taylor, at a So
cial gathering on Saturday night, was expatia-
ting humorously on this feature of the Nor
mon system, to the great delight of the men;
but not one responsive smile did | see on the
face of a woman On the contrary, thought
they seemed generally to wish the subject had
been passed over in silence. Fanaticism, and
belief that we are Gods especial, exclusive fa-
vorites, will carry most of us great way !; but
the natural instinct in every woman's breast
must teach her that to be some mans third or
fourth wife is to be no wife at ALL | asked
my next neighbor the name of fair, young
girl who sat some distance from us with babe
on her knee. "Thatis one of Judge Smiths la
dies, was his quiet, matter of course answer.
VI course, no woman spoke publicly be-
lleve none ever speaks in a Mormon assem-
blage-and shall not ask any one her private
opinion of polygamy but think l can read
an untavorable one on many faces.
Yetpolygamy is one main pillar of the Nor
mon church. He who has two or more wives
rarely apostatizes, as he could hardly remain
HSIG III Safety anu CUilllOTl IT'S all dDOSlaLe anu
dare not take his wives elsewhere. | have
heard of but single instance in which a man
with three wives renounced Mormonism and
left for California, where he experienced no
difficulty; "for" said my informant ia woman)
she introduced his two younger wives (girls of
10 and Ia as his daughters, and married them
both OFT in the course of six weeks"
am assured by Gentiles that there is a
large business done here in unmarrying as well
as marrying; some of them assure me that
the church exacts fee of $40 on the marriage
of each wife after the first, but charges still
heavier fee for divorcing do not know that
this is true, and | suspect my informants were
no wiser i'll the premises than am. But it
certainly looks to me as though a rich dign-
tary in the church has a freer and fuller range
| for the selection of his sixth or eighth wife
than poor young man of ordinary standing
has for choosing his first. And / infer that
abe more sharpsighted young men will not al
ways be content with this.
| Since the foregoing was written, have ell
Joyed opportunities for visiting Mormons, and
studying Mormonism, in the homes of its vo-
taries, and of discussing with them what the
outside world regards as its distinguishing fea-
ture, in the freedom of friendly social inter
course. In one instance, veteran apostle of
the faith, having first introduced to me a wor.
thy matron of fitty-ive or sixty, the wife of
his youth, and the mother of his grown-up
sons-as Mrs. x, soon after introduced a
young and winning lady of perhaps twenty-five
summers, in these words "Here is another
Mrs X" This lady is a recent emigrant from
our state, of more than average powers of
mind and graces of person, who came here
with her brother, as "A convert, a little over
year ago, and has been the sixth wife of Mr.
X. since few weeks after her arrival. THE
intermediate four wives Of Elder X live on
farm or farms some miles distant.) The man
ner of the husband was perfectly unconstraned
and ofi-hand throughout but could not well
be mistaken in my conviction that both ladies
failed to conceal dissatisfaction with their po-
siuon in the eyes Of their visitor, and of the
world. They seemed to feel that it needed
yindication. Their manner toward each other
was most cordial and sisterly-sincercly SO, /
doubt not-but this is by no means the
rule. A Gentle friend, whose duties require
him to travel widely over the territory, informs
me that he has repeatedly stopped with n
bishop, some hundred miles south of this,
whose two wives he has never known
! to address each other, or eyince the slight