The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1869-05-13

feet above the level of the sea, and IN |
a dry and bracing climate, equally free
from extremes of heat and cold. and
consequently it should be one of the
healthiest cities i'll the world. The /
reverse is the fact. The death rate, of
all ages, is little more than twice |
that of the State of Oregon, and
greater than that of New York or
New Orleans. When we come to1
children, the disparity is still more
fiightful. BY actual statistics it is
shown that the mortality among the
children in this city is larger than any
other in America, except New Or
leans. and the death rate of Utah is
only exceeded by that of Louisiana.-I
The Mormons have greatly exaggerr
.ated the population of this place,
which really contains little less than
1900 souls, and in this number, the
sections report for October last-the
healthiest month in the year-gives
the interments at sixty, of which for
ty-four were children. Last year was.
unusually healthy, and yet the death
rate exceeds that of any other state or
territory west of the Mississippi. The
'Mormons explain this by SAYING that
their people are generally poor and
exposed to hardships, but much of
that poverty is directly traceable to
their religion. Another sad fact is the
general neglect of medical care, or
rather general tendency to run wild
and absurd schemes of doctoring.-
They also claim that 9aying on of
hands and the prayer of faith will
heal the sick, and yet 10 people with
in my knowledge are so given to
'Thompsonianism,' steam doetoring,'
'yarb medicine and every other irreg-
ular mode of treating the sick. But
few days ago three children died in
the Seventeenth ward of scarlet fever.
In neither case was a physician called.
The bishop came and -Hlaid on hands,
with the holy annointing,' and an old
woman treated two of them with a
mild palliative, such as is used for a
sore throat. s -
1 If the patients live after such treat
ment, it is miracle; and if they die,
it is the will of the Lord.' Two
thirds of the polygamists do not and
cannot attend properly to their chill
children. Heber G. Kimball had sixty
three sons, of whom only forty-eight
are now living. The bishop of our
ward-the Fourteenth--has thirty chill
dren living, and nearly twenty dead.
Joseph Smith had half dozen spirit
al wives; but two sons survived him,
both of his legal wife.
There are five men in this city who
have, together, seventy wives; they
have, all told, less than one hundred
and fifty children.
A Mormon graveyard is the most
melancholy sight on earth. One bishop
here has seventeen children buried in
one row, and the longest grave is moi
over four feet Ii the men have bul
the common feelings of humanity:
how fearfully they are punished fol
the CRIME of polygamy. Brigham''
children are generally healthy, except
!. that the girls mostly have weak eyes
and two of them are nearly blind; but
they are well fed, housed and clothed
But such is the exception, and could
mention a dozen men whose houses
are full of women, but their children
are in the grave . $50
The. Asiatic institution was never
meant to flourish on American soil
and has resulted here in a slaughter o
the innocents,' which is saddening tc
contemplate. .-.- .-,i .-.,-.-..,- aa