Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1865-08-25

PoITGANY N UTAH.-Mr. Samuel Bowlcs
writes to the Springfield, Mass, Republican.
from Utah:
" The marrying Of two or more sisters j.
very common; one young Mormon merchant
in Salt Lake City has three sisters for his
three wives. There are several cases Of men
mai rying both mother "a widow and her
daughter Or dauEhters-taking the odd wo-
man for the sake OF getting the young ones
but having children by all. Plcare cipher
ont for yourselves how this mixes things
More di-gusting associations are known
even to the marrying Of half-sister by one
Mormon. Consider. too. how these children
of one father and many mOtbers-the latter
often blood relations-are Tx, " - become
crossed again in new marriages. in the second
or third. il not the first generation. under the
/ operation Of this polygamous practice and
! It Is safe TO predict that lew generations Of
such social practices will breed physical.
moral and mental dehasemcnt Of the people
most frigEtful TO contemplate. Already
indeed, are such indications apparent, fore
shadowing the sure and terrible realization.
" Brigham Noung's wives are numberlcss
at least no one seems to know how many
he has and he has himself confessed to for
ge;lulncss IN the matter. The probability is
he has from lG TO 20 genuine or complete
wives. and about as many more scaled to
HIM for heavenly association and glory. The
latter are mostly pious old ladies', eager for
high seats in the Mormon heaven. and know
ing no surer way to get there than 20 he
lacked on 10 Brigham's angelic procession.
Some of these sealed wives are the earthly |
wives Of other men but lacking faith IN !
their hushand's heavenly glory. seek to make |
a sure thing Of it for the future bv the grace 1
Of gracious Brigham. Down East. you know.
many husband calculates On stealing into 4
heaven under the pious petticoats Of his bet |
ter wife !; here the thing is reversed and |
women go TO heaven because their husbands |
take them along. The Mormon religion is
an excellent institution for maintaining mas
culine authority in the family: and the great
ness of a true Mormon is measured, indeed
by the number OF wives he can keep in sweet
and loving and especially i Obedicnt subject
ION. Such a man can have n many wives rs
he wants. But President Young objects to
multiplying wives for men who have not this
rare domestic gift. So there there is no
chance for you and me, my dear Jones, lie
coming successful Mormons
=. In many cases the Mormon wives not
only support themselves and their children.
but help support their husbands. Thus
clerk, or man with similar limited income,
who has yielde1 10 the iascinations and de-
sires OF three or four women and married
them all. makes his home with No |. per-
haps. and TIA, rest live apart, each by herself,
taking in sewing or washing, or engaging in
other employment, to keep up her establish ,
ment and he no ciIrge to her husband. lie
comes round, once in while, to make her a ,
visit. and then sh, sets out an extra table
spends all her accumulated earnings to make Z
him as comfortable ard herself as charming I
he possible, so that her fraction of the dear c
sainted man may be multiplied as much as S
possible. So the fellow, if be Is lazy and has 5
turned his piety to the good account of get
ting smart wives, may ,eally board around u
and live in clover, at no personal G
sxIensc but his own clothing. Is not this Q
Irvine institution, indeed =
g Brigham Young's younger children. as = =
cen in his school. to which we were admitted !. ].
ook sprightly and bright and handsome a
md some -oi his grown-up daughters are >,
,omely ard clever; but his older sens give 6,
10 marked sign of their fathers smartness. q
he Oldest. Brigham, Jr., is mainly distin- {,