The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-07-26
UTA H

U IT a IT.
What the Mormon Women Think OF
POIYgOnS--BriEham Young Preach.
ing. 100"
We copy the following paragraphs
from one of Mr.. Bowles's interesting
letters to the Springfield RcpW6lican:
How do.the Mormon women like and
bear pOlYgamy? is the question most
people ask as to the institution. The
universal testimony of all but their
husbands is that it is grievOus sorrow
and burden; only cheerfully submitted
to and embraced under a religious fa-
naticism and self-abnegation rare to
| behold and possible only to women.
Iney are taught to believe, and many
OF them really do believe, that through
and by it they secure n higher and more
glorious reward in the future world.
Lord jesus has laid n heavy trinl upOn
me, said one poor, sweet woman, ''but
mean 10 bear ii for His sake, md the
! glory He will grant me in His king
DOM" This is the common vail. lie
common solace. Such are the teach
ings of the church; and have no doubt
both husbands and wifes alike often
honestly accept this view of the odious
practice, and seek and submit to polylr-
amy as really Gods holy service, cal
culated to make saints of themselves
ibII XII itSSOSluJeu WIFI Ileln III The FIJI
ture world. Still n good deal of human
nature is visible, both among the men
in embracing pOlyEamy and in their
wives i'll submitting to it. Mr.. Young's
testimony on this point is significant.
Other signs are not wanting in the looks
and character of the men most often am
nOlntcd i'll the holy bonds SofmRtrimony,
and i'll the well-known disagree!
ment of. wives i'll many families.
In some cases they live Harmonious
~ and lovingly together; oftener
it would seem, they have separate
houses: Tho first wife is generally the
recognized OF society, and frequently
fassumcs contempt for the others. re-
garding them as concubines, and not
wives. But ii is IL dreadful state of So
ciety to any one of fine feelings and
true instincts; it robs married life of
all its sweet sentiment and companions
ship; and while it degrades woman,
brutaliZeS man, teaching him to des-
plSe and domineer over his wives, over
women. 1t breeds jealousy, listrust
and tcmpts to intidelity; but the police
system of the church and the commu-
nifty is so strict and constant that it is
claimed and believed the latter vice
is very rare. The effect upon the chill
dren cannot help being debasing, how
ever well they may be guarded and cd
ucated. But tits a chief failing, even a
scandal to the Mormons. that, plenti-
fully as they are providing children,
who swarm everywhere as did the To-
Gusts in Egypt, they have organized no
free school system. Schools are held
in every ward of the city, and probably
in every considerable village, in build
ingS provided for evening religious
meetings under the direction of the To-
cal bishops, hut tuition fee is eXacted
for all who attend, and the poor are
practically shut out. The anti-DOIypa-
of
eStly to reform this eYil-it is n strong
point against the dominant party, and
weak point in the welfare of the ter
ritory. 1t is a good and encouraging
sign to learn from intelligent sources
that as the young girls, daughters of
they are indisposed to polygamy, and
seek husbands among the GentiIes
rather than among their own faith. 'sl
Brlgham Noung'S preaching today
was n very unsatisfactory, disappoiIit-
! ing performance. There was every in
centlve TO him to do his best: he had an
immense audience spread out under the
"Dowery" to the number Of five or six
thousand before him was Mr.. Colfax,
who had. asked him to preach upon
Mormon doctrines; around him were
all his elders and bishops, in unusual
numbers; and he was fresh from the
| exciting discussion of yesterday on the
7
lacked logic, lacked effect, lacked Who'll
ly magnetism or impressiveness 1t
was a curious medley of scriptual OK
position, eNhortation, bold and bare
statements, coarse denunciation and
vulgar allusiOn, cheap rant and poor
can't. So far as his statement of Nor
mon Rellef went, 1t amounted to this,
/ thHt God was human, material body,
with like flesh and blood and passions
I TO ourselves, only perfect i'll all things :;
thnt ne begot his son Jesus in the same
way that children are begotten now !;
thnt Jesus and the Father looked alike
I and were alike, distinguished ONLY by
the former being older; that our resuf-
rectlon would be material, and we
| should live in Heaven with the same
/ UouleS and the same passions as on
earth; that Mormonism was the most
perfect and true religion that those
/ Christians who were not Mormons
burned by living fire and tortured by
/ ugly devils, but that they would
not occupy so high places in
/ Heaven as the Latter Day Saints /:
I that polygamy was the habit Of all the
tchtldren of God in the earlier ages. and
was first abolished by the Goths and
Nandals who conquered and construct
/ ed Rome that Martin Luther approved
1 OF II in n single case at least; that n
clergyman of the church of England
once married man to second wife
/ Willie his first was living; and TINT in
England now, If man wanted to
change his wife, he had only to offer
her at auction and knock her of for a
pot of beer or shilling, and marry
! another. This last statement called
I out;i voice of dissent from an English
working-face in the eaudience.l a good
deal of bOasting of the success of the
iMormons, their temperance, frugality
! and honesty, and Il sharp denunciation