The Van Buren press., 1867-10-18
THE M0RMoNs.
Brigham Young-His Wives and Fam.
ily-Polygamy and Its Effects.

! DIiSutu I Outip, VIM osuSecSuSNSVoVph
Smith in the First Presidency Of tue
Church, was also born in Vermont "a
is six feet high, portly, weighing about
two hundred, in his sixty six year, and
wonderfully well preserved. His face re-
sembles that of the late Thos II. Benton,
though with suggestion Of grossness
about the pulled cheeks aud huge neck
which Old Bullion never gave. His
cheek is fresh and unwrinkled; his step
agile and elastic; his curling auburn hair
and whiskers untinged with gray. is he
new Ponce de Leon, who has found In
polygamy the fountain Of perpetual
youth .. "# 8
He has grayish blue. secretive eyes,
eagle nose, and mouth shuts like vice,
indicating tremendous firmness. He uses
neither tea nor coffee, spirits nor tobac-
co. With an affable and dignihed man
ner he manifests the unmistakable egot-
ism of one having authority. In little
cbulitions Of carnestness he speaks right
at people, using his dexter fore finger
with emphasis, to point a moral. lie
treats the brethren with warmth, throw
ing his arms carelessly about them, and
asking carefully after their wives and ba
bies. .tuf
Provincialism of his Vermont boyhOod
and his Western manhood still cling to
him. He says "leetle," "beyend," and
disremember" An irrepressible con-
fict between his nominatives and verbs
crops out in expressions like they was"
He has observed much, thought much,
mingled much with practical men; but
seems unfamiliar with the usages of cul-
tivated society Yet those who hold
him cheap charlatan are wilder, ifpos-
sible than the Saints who receive him as
an angel of light, or those Gentiles who
denounce him as goblin damned A
striking embodiment of the ne-man
power, he holds a hundred thousand peO
pie in the hollow of his hand. Gathered
from every nation, always poor, usually
ignorant, sometimes vicious, he has
nodded them into an Industrious, pro-
ductive, honest and homogeneous com
munity AS a class they have doubtless
improved their condition by settling in
Utah. Owning the most desirable prop
erty at home, and well husbanded invest
ments in England, he is one of the mil
lionaires of the United States. He Is
universally popular among the Saints, and
rules them with utmost ease. He is
man of brains, who would have achieved
great success in any walk Of life. Many
believe him an impostor and an atheist.
But | fancy that he is that combination
so frequently in history, half deceiver
and half fanatic. tio
He has great knowledge of human ma
ture and rare business capacity, and is
reputed kind hearted and just in his COM
mercial dealings. All Mormons are re-
quired to pay one-tenth of their incomes
annually to the Church, and so far as the
Gentiles can see, Brigham is the Church
and the Church is Brigham.
His inclosure Of ten acres in the very
heart of the city is surrounded by wall
eleven feet high of powders laid in NOR
tar. 1t contains his two chief dwellings
the Lion House and the Beehive House.
In them reside most of his wives, though
few favorite ones occupy separate
dwellings, outside The inclosure con-
tains various other buildings for his do.
mestic and business purposes, and ample,
well kept gardens, abounding in flowers
and fruits.
Babies seem indigenous to Salt Lake.
Their abundance through all the streets
causes wonder, till one remembers that
they are the only product that does not
require irrigation.
BY Brigham's invitation spent an
hour in his school Its register bore the
names Of thirty four pupils--three Brig
hams grand children, all the rest his own
sons and daughters There were twenty
eight present, from four to seventeen,
altogether looking brighter and more in
tellgept than the children Of any other
school | ever visited.
With three Of the prophets daughters
had some conversation. Their Ian
euage is good and their manners grace
full One has classic face; and another
is so pretty that half the young men of
the Church are in love with her. After
ward l visited the ward Schools of the
city. There the foreheads are narrow,
and the average intelligence low. Tui-
ton costs from four to ten dollars a
quarter There are no free schools in
Utah.
Though Brigham has buried eight sons
and two daughters, he has fifty surviving
children and several grand children. His
wives number about thirty; he increases
the list by one or two additions yearly.
The first and eldest is matronly and we'll
looking; all the later ones | saw are ex-
ceeding plain and unattractive. Among
the present generation of Mormons the
men are far more intelligent and cult.
waited than the women.
The Gentiles relate many stories at the
expense Of the leading patriarch OF the
Saints. He is the Grand Supreme Court
of all his people; to him they carry their
troubles for relief and their disagreements
for adjustment 1t is said that one day
a woman went To Brigham for counsel