The eastern clarion. [volume] (Paulding, Miss.) 1837-1863, 1859-09-14
VOLUME XXI. NO. 40.

rary Jewish accounts of the life and acts
of Jesus Christ, you will find that he and
his disciples were accused Of every abom-
Unable deed and purpoSe--robberv and
murder included. Such a work is still ex-
tant. and may be found by those who
seek it,
IT. G.-What do you say Of the social
ed Danites, or Destroying Angels, belong
ing to your Church?
b. What do yol say? | know of
10 such band no such persons or organi-
zatlon. ! hear of them only in the SIAN
derS of our enemies.
II. G.-With regard, then, to the grave
question on which your doctrines and
practices are avowedly at war with those
| OF the Christian world-that of plurality
OF wlves-is the system of your Church ac-
ceptable to the majority OF its women?
B. l.-Ihey could not be more ayerse
to 1t than ! was when it was first revealed
to us as the Divine will. ! think they
| generally accept it, as ! do, as the will of
! God. d.
H. Glow general is polygamy among
you?
b. u could not say. Some of those
present heads of the Church have each
but one wife: others have more; each
determine what is his individual duty.
II. G.-What Is the largest number of
wives belonging to any one man?
b. u have fifteen; | know no one
who has more; but some of those sealed
to me are old ladies whom | regard rather
as mothers than wives, but whom have
taken home to cherish and support.
II. G.-Does not the Apostle Paul say
that a bishop should be the husband Of
one wife?'
B. $50 we hold. We do not regard
any but a married man as fitted for the Of
fee of bishop, But the Apostle does not
forbid bishop having more wives than
one.
H. G.-Does not Christ say that he who
puts away his wife. or marrics one whom
another has put away, commits adultery
B. Yes: and | hold that no man
/ should ever put away a wife except for
, adulterv-not always even for that. Such
! is D,y individual view Of the matter. do
I not say that wives have never been put
away in our Church, but that l do not ap-
/ prove of the practice.
4 n. Glow do YOU regard what is COM
monty termed the Christian sabbath?
b. Y-As a divinely appointed day of
rest. We enioin all to rest from secular
/ labor on that day. We would have no
man enslaved to the Sabbath, but we en-
/ Join all to respect and enjoy it.
Such is, as nearly as ] can recollect. the
substance of nearly two hours conversa-
ton wherein much was said incidentally
| that would not be worth reporting, even if
! could remember and reproduce it, and
| wherein others bore part but. as Presi-
| dent Young is the first minister of the
| Mormon Church, and bore the principal
part in the conversation, ! have reported
| his answers alone to my question, and OBJ
servatiOns. The Others appeared uniform
lv to defer to his views and TO acquicsce
fully in his responses and explanations.
He spoke readily, not always with gram
matical accuracy, but with no appearance
of hesitation or reserve, and with no ap-
parent desire to conceal anything, nor did
he repel any of my questions as imperti-
nent. He was very plainly dressed in
thin summer clothing, and with no air of
sanctimony or fanaticism. In appearance,
he is portly. frank, good-natured rather
thick-set man of titty-tive, seeming to en-
iov life and be in no particular hurry tC
get 10 heaven. His associates are plain
men, evidently born and reared to a life
of labor, and looking as little like crafty
hvpOcrites or swindlers as any body o
men ! ever met The absence Of cant o.
shuttle from their manner was marked anC
general. vet, ! think may fairly say tha
their Mormonism has not impoverished
them-that they were generally poor mel
when they embraced il. and are now il
very comfortable circumstances-as mel
averaging three or four wives apiece Ger
tainlv need to be.
| bayapJ a1,y- pritipiSr1, ~, Norm on
ism generally, | reserve them for a sepa
rate letter, being determined to max
this fair and full expose of the doctrine
and politv, in the very words of Its Pro
phet. so far as | can recall them. | d
not believe President Young himsel
could present them in terms calculated I,
render them less obnoxious to the Gentil
world than the above. But have a righ
to add here. because ! said il to the as
sembled chiefs at the close Of the abov
, colloquy, that the degradation Tor, If yol
u please, the restriction) of Woman to tn
single office Of child-bearing and its aC
Il cessOries is an inevitable consequence c
= the system here paramount. ! have nc
: observed a sign III the streets. an adve1
i tisement in the journals, of this Mormo
, metropolis, whereby a woman proposes
do ANYTHING whatever. No Mormon h5
l. ever cited to me his wife's or any woman
opinion on any subject no Mormon W.
{ man has been introduced or has spoken
Il me: and, though | have been asked t
'e visit Mormons in their houses, no one hi
a spoken of his wife Tor wives desiring
~ see me, or his desiring me to make h'
- Tor their acquaintance, or voluntarily II
10 dicatcd the existence of such a being {
,e beings. ! will not attempt to report OF
IL talk on this subject, because, unlike whi
d, | have above given, it assumed Somewh
~ ! the character Of disputation, and cou
II hardly give it impartially: but one 7
=, mark made by President Young | thin
III | can give accurately, and 1t may serve
sample of all that was offered on tn
~ side. 1t was in these words, | think e
ne actlv: If did not consider myself col
~ petent to transact certain business wit
Ne out taking my wife's or any woman's cou
, sci with regard to it, ] think ! ought
Us let that business alone The spirit WI
regard to Woman. of the entire MormC
hs as Of all other polygamic systems, Is fail
W displayed in this avowal. Let any su
RS system become established and prevalel
ne and Woman will soon be confined to t
'o' harem, and her appearance in the sire
with unveiled face will be accounted /
'PS modest. | ioyfully trust that the gen
of the Nineteenth Century tends to a
no luton of the problem of Woman's spht
ttr; and destiny radically different from Il
laI II. G.