Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1861-09-24
A Surplus of women.

lfrVh the new YORK sunday Tines
Bishop Calenso,of south Africa, has recer.
ty excited no little surprise and astonish
ment among the religious world in England
by coming out in defence of polygany and
entering plea for its recognition among
the Sarbarous Kafirs and Zehus, whom be
" seeking to convert to the christian faith.
Among these people it seems there is
large surplus Of women when it has been the
eSstt m to divide up among the richer mrs
ton OF the tribe, after the poorer classes
had been duly endowed v it'll a single wife
each. Heretofore the missionaries haye
endeavOred to incueate the super;or NOR
atty Of the one wife system, and have made
u a condition Of church fellowship aC,sr
soDvertioE +; but a great difficulty arose
US to what should be done with the discor-
det women and their families, and also
what rule should govern the selection If
The favored wife. The first married was
Dot always the best beloved, and, moreover
it was equally difficult to separate children
from their mother, or make her responsible
tor their maintenance, Thus the Question
assumed more complicated and perplexino
forms, untin the brethren became create iS
disturbed, and were quite unable to deter,
mine what was best to do.
0S0 'a'o 'ne ulHculty was happily
solved by hopeful convert, who ate the
nusst OF his two wives; but this disposition
or tn EN- 1t would not do to Establish os a
precedent, or as general rule, and SO the
problem remained unsolved as before
some OF me missionaries, to test the self
denial aud sincerity Of the converts. insis-
Ted ON their retaining their Oldest and no.
nest wives, Whlle others recommended the
retention OF their first only as tie most
obvious act OF propriety. But here another
demur was oecasioned by the fact that the
1rst VIE Is often fathers or eldest broth
"iuo"' VINO has been received as a sort
OF legacy, 10 De taken care of IN the absence
VI ner natural protector. and acts as house
lily. Finally. however, Bisbon CaIensn H..
cut the Gordian knot by the bold declare
ton that polygamy is inevitable and 10 he
respected, at least among the Kafirs. esnec
Tally as be can find nothing in The R;bIa
which condemns it. With only one wife
spices to the males, there would be a large
Surplus female population in that section
who would belong nowhere in particuIar
and manage to create an immense amount
CT mlsehiet, as women with nothing to do
always have done.
Of course, these novel and STARTLING
views on the part of reverend bisbo6
attract great deal of attention, and asr
found the old fogies at home who "won't
see it" in the light he does. But the mat
ter does not rest here. The English press
notice the fact that there are 100000 more
women than men in Great Britain, and ask
with some alarm, if the social evil" the
Mormon emigration. and the pretty house.
liz m
ance? The cry Of the fair and minated
daughters Of BeIgravia is found to be cons
mon to all classes of England maidens, who
are compelled to traDsgress the highest
rocial laws, or live a solitary single life and
ale fOrlorn. Strange to say, the MORMON
emigration from England is now composed
mainly, at least two>thirds, Of the gentler
sex fact which shows that the poorer
ana uneducated classes of women are less
afraid Of rivals than of 40 enfurced old
mnidhood. N