East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1865-08-02
NUMBER 313..

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guised adherence.
Many, she said accepted it from a
sence Of religious duty but even they
regarded it as sore trial to be COM
pensated for only by the happiness of
eternity. Two or three sisters often
have the same husband Some men
are married to a mother and her
daughter, and so / am told to their
own half sisters. When possible each
wife occupies a separate house or
rooms but poverty sometimes compels
three or four to live in the Same APP
,partments.- l think they never bring
in the. mother-in-law! Even Nor
mon grace would hardly suffice for
that Not more than one man in
four is a practical Poligamist. The
first wife nearly always deems herself
superior to the rest, sometimes refus-
ing to speak to them, or to recognize
the legitimacy of their marriage,---
"Are you Mr.. IS only wife ?'
asked a GENTLE lady of a Mormon sis
ter. 'Iam.' was the reply; ''though
several othor women call themselves
/ his wives"
But l know one husband whose two
spouses dress precisely alike, go much
together, and really seem to- regard
each other with sisterly affection. -
The lattor wives are little addicted
to running away with Gentiles. Our
military authorities receive all who go
to them for protection. There are now
between forty and fifty recanting Nor
mon women at the fort. In many
eases the soldiers marry them Only
yesterday father told Col. George,
commanding, that the Bishops were
urging marriage upon his throo young
daughters who were opposed to Poly
gamy, and that he wished to remove
his family to the fort. Here is the
natural solution of the Mormon prob
lem. While it is grossly inconsistent
for the Government las now) to ap-
point to lucrative and responsible o.
fees men who have taken second and
third wives since the anti Poligamy
act became the law Of the land, l SEQ
no special advantage in actively en-
forcing that act. Witnin two or three
years there will be great mining
population here, in which men will
largely preponderate. Human nature
will triumph. The majority Of these
women will no longer accept one un-
divided half or sixth of husband
in some cases q very vulgar fraction
indeed-when a full unit is attaitia-
bic. s -.sds
On Saturday night we attended tho
theatre. The playing, costumes and
scenery were decidedly better than
Metropolitan theatres will average
and the building in size and elegance
is excelled by none in the United
States. The performance closed with
an exquisite fairy spectacle, which
made it difficult to realize that We
were in the heart of the American
Desert A dozen of Brigham Young's
children were among the actors and
ballet girls. The President himself
sat in his private box, beside his first
whe--a fine looking, matronly lady
of 60. His newest wife was in the
parquette. SO were score Of his
children and eight or ten more Of his
better thirtieths, for his wives are said
to number nearly thirty, including all
who are "sealed" to him. The latter
class are wives for eternity; and
the relation in this world is supposed
to be spiritual, not physical. l have
received the explanatory assurance
that they are mainly like Othello, "de-
clined into the vale Of years ''a'iaf-'
Having said so much OF Hamlet,
must not omit a description of the
Prince. The President Of the Nor
mon Church is six feet high, portly,
and weighs about 200. He is won
derfully well preserved for a man
passed his sixty fourth birthday, His
face is fresh and unwrinkled, his step
agile and elastic. / can hardly detecs'
q single grey hair in his curling
auburn locks, or whiskers of the same
hue, which in smooth, crescent line
fringe his cheek and chin. Is Brig
ham Young indeed a new Ponce do
Leon, who has discovered in poligamy
the fountain of Perpetual Youth,
His eyes are of grayish blue
They do not impress me as frank and
open, but have a secretive expression.
He has an eagle nose and amouththat
shuts like vice, indicating tremen-
dous frmnes. HIS manner is digni-
fied-agreeable and affable rather
than cordial and he carries the un-
mistakable air of one having author
ity. Ordinarily cold in conversation,
he has little ebulitions Of earnestness
in which he speaks right at people
using his dexter fopo-fnger with great
force to point out a moral. He treats
the brethren with warmthy throwing,
his arm carressingly about them and
asking carefully after wives and0ba-
bies for l rng1o
Yet those who hold Brigham Voting
n cheap cheap charlatan, are wilder,
if possible, than the Saints who re-
csive him as an angel of light, or those
Gentiles who dcnounce him us a Cob
lin damned. Almost striking embod-
iment Of the One Man Power he
holds huddred thousand persons in
the hollow of his hand Gathered
from every nation, always poor, usu-
ally ignorant, sometimes vicousi he
has nodded them into an industrious,
productive, honest and homogeneous
community. He has grown very
rich; the Gentles charge him with
extortion among his own people. He
certainly owns much of the most de-
sirable property in Utah. iflsut' his
adherents MS a class have vastly inn
proved their conditions by coming
here. believe Gall admit tha'I his
large commercial dealings are charac-
terized by integrity; and thatihet os-