Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-07-25
RICHMOND WHIG.
TUESDAY MORNING...".JULY rs, 1865.
MORMON LIFE

Il Il.
Mr. Bo Wles' of the Springfield RepuJ HcGn, who
accompanied Speaker Colfax on his overland trip
to California, gives, through the columns Of his
paper, some interesting facts in regard to the
Mormons. Although the public are familiar with
their practice, and to some extent with their the
ories, many portions of the account ill be found
instructive. The letter we quote begins as fol-
lows
How do the Mormon women like and bear po-
lygamyl 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 en-
| braced under a religious fanatcism and self-ab-
| negaton rare TO behold and possible only TO wo.
| men. They are taught to believe, and many OF
them really do believe that through and by it
| they secure higher and more glorious reward In
| the future world. Lord Jesus has laid a heavy
trial upon me said one poor, sweet woman, but
mean TO bear it for His sake, and for the glory
he will grant me in His kingdom This is the
| common wall, the common solaCe. Such are the
| teachings OF the church and | have no doubt
both husbands and wives alike often honestly ac-
cept this view of the odiOus practice, and seek
| and submit to polygamy as really Gods holy SER
vice calculated TO make slinis of themselves and
all associated with them in the future world
Still good deal of human nature is visible both
among the men in embracing polygamy and in
| their wives in submitting to II.
After noticing the effect Of the system In sowing
distrust and jealousy among families, Mr. Bowles
shows that The Mormon Eden is by no means
proof against temptation as will be seen by the
following incident
"Of the U. s. soldiers at Camp Douglas two
| companies who went home to California last fall
took about % wives with them, recruited from the
/ Mormon fOcks. There are now some fifty or more
women in the camp who have fed thther from
/ town for protection, or been seduced away from
/ unhappy homes and fractional husbands; and all
or nearly oil find new husbands among the sol.
| diers. Only to-day man with three daughters,
living in the city applied to Col. George for leave
TO move up TO the camp for a residence In order,
| as he said, to save h4 children from polygamy,
| into which the bishops and elders Of the church
i were urging them. The camp authorities tell
many like stories also OF sadder applications, ii
possible, for relief from actual poverty and from
persecution In town"
large proportion of the recruits to Mormon.
ism, are from the poo English aborng classes,
who are brought in by missionaries. Many ma
tionalities are represented among them, and as a
mass they have general appearance of mental
weakness. OF their religious exercises he says
"The gatherings and the services, both speak.
Ing and singing. reminded me of the Methodist
camp meetings fifteen or twenty years ago. The
| singing, ss on the latter occasions, was the best
part OF the exercises simple, sweet and iervent
Daughters Ct Zion, as sung by the large choir
last Sunday, was prayer sermon song and all.
| The preaching last Sabbath vas by Mr. Samuel
| W. Richards, who was OF Massachusetts origin,
but has been Mormon leader and missionary for
mauy years. Beyond setting forth the superlorl.
ty of the Mormon church system, through its
,gIs Z. IL
for the work made incumbent upon Christians
and claiming that IDS preachers were inspired like
those Of old, his discourse was rambling, unim
| presslve eXhOrtation. The Bible, both Old
and New Testament, is used with the same au.
thority as by all Protestants the Mormon Scrip.
lures are simply new and added books confirming
and supplementiDg the teachings of the original
Scriptures. The rite of the sacrament is admin
istered every Sunday, water being used instead OF
| wine, and the distribution proceeding among the
| whole congregation men, women and children,
| and numbering from three TO five thousand, while
the singing and the preaching are in progress.
| The prayers are few and simple, undistingusha.
BILE, except in these characteristics, from those
heard in all Protestant churches and the congTe-
| cation all join in the Amen
| In compliance with the request of Mr.. Colfax,
Brigham Young preached sermon upon Nor.
mon doctrines, which is characterized as
| "A curious medley of scriptural exposition, ex.
| hortAtion, bold AID bare statements, coarse de.
| nunciation and vulgar illusions, cheap rant and
| poor cant. SO far as his statement Of Mormon
| belief went it amounted to this That God was a
| human material body, with like flesh and blood
and passions TO ourselves only perfect in all things;
| that he begot his son Jesus in the same way that
| children are begOtten now; that Jesus and the
| Father looked alike, distinguishable only by the
| former being older that our resurrection would
| he material, and we should live in Heaven with
| the same bodies and the same passions as on
| earth; that Mormonism was the most perfect and
true religion; that those Christians who were not
/ MOrmons would not necessarily go to hell and be
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; tn at polyg.
| amy was the habit OF ell the children of God
| in the earlier ages, and was first abolished by
| the Goths and Nandals who conquered Rome;
| that Martin Luther approved of 1t in a
| single case at least; that clergyman of
| the Church of England once married a
| man TO a second wife while his first was
/ living; and that In England now, II a man want
/ ed TO change his wife, he had only TO offer her
/ at auction and knock her of for pot of beer or
| a shilling and marry another. (This last state
ment called out voice Of dissentlr0m an English
| working face in the audence.) A good deal Of
| boasting of the success of the MoTmons, their
| temperance, frugality and honesty, and a sharp
| denunciation of the few sinking lawyers who
lived down in Whiskey street and for five dollars
would attempt 10 make a lie into truth were
| the only other noticeable features OF this dis.
course of the President of the church of the Lat
| ter Day Saints. 1t was very material interpre-
tstion of the statements and truths of Scripture,
very illogically and roughly rendered and cslcu-
| lated only to influence cheap and vulgar audi
ence Brigham Young may be shrewd business
man, an able organizer OF labor, bold, brave
person in dealing with the practicalities Of life
he must indeed, be all Of these, for We see the
evidence all around this city and country but he
is in no sense an impressive or effective preacher"
The children of the very poor have no educa
ton, while those who are able to pay for it re-
ceive evening instruction from the bishops. 1t
may be question of some solicitude as to the
probable future of this people and the swarms Of
children they are inficting on the world. 1t is
quite probable, however, that if the sect is not
nourished by untimey persecution, 1t will fade
away with the death of some of its chief men,
and before the tide of emigration and the influx
of ideas from the East.
MASTERING OUT.