The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-18


debarred, servile air, looking like tolerated
slaves rather than anything else One OF them
told me that she had six children, another that
she had twelve and another that she had fif-
teen Qaughter), and half of all of them were
dead and looked at the other half, and when
saw the wretched, unhealthy creatures, cried,
my God! the hand of death is on them too"
BR1GHAM's THEATRE.
went to the theatre i went expecting to be
disgusted but ] was more than that. There
were women all around me, and would see one
man here and another there, and each bending
over ten or fifteen women and was told they
were his wives and as looked around and saw
these women and their degradation, such sense
and feeling of shame and despair came over me
that cried, 80, God let me die where / stand;"
and then the second thought came, and said
'Oh no, let me not die, for that would be
cowardly indeed, but give me strength to with
stand and do battle against this !"
NAUGHTY GENTLE VISITORS.
came out to Salt Lake City with the best
men in the country-men whom the country
delights to honor and reverence-and, as we all
knew we were coming to Salt Lake City, we
naturally talked great deal about it, and what
do you think was the tenor of these mems con-
versation? Why, after / had listened for some
time thought / should pray for deafness or
cotton 10 put in my ears. They thought Nor
monism q fine institution; it must be q jolly
place where a man can have dozen or two OF
wives and yet be respectable. It must be
jolly to live in a place where divorces can
be had for five dollars, and where, II
you get tired of your wife, you can tack
on q pretty little Mormon and no one can
say a word to you. Nice conversation for re-
spectacle men, and all of them married but two,
and they were the best behaved of the lot "Oh
it was only a joke" Well, suppose it was
joke. Supposing a lot of respectable married
women were to talk in the cars and say, "Oh
it's a fine institution, Mormonism. You can
have dozen husbands, and get divorced any
time for five dollars. When you get tired of
your husband you can get rid of him, shove him
fT 81 ha-f Loo 1itNgs np
mon you find" Now, what would people
think who heard them speaking in that way,
even if ''it all was joker" Why, they would
think them women who we're lost to all sense of
dignity and honor.
SLAVERY OF MORMON WOMEN.
/ asked why, and simultaneously with the
question came the answer. and | saw why. In
this second Sodom--this Salt Lake City-is
sanctioned openly what is tolerated in San
Francisco and New York. The idea is nothing
more than this that woman is mans property
all over the world, his to hold and to keep, she
to be humble and to serve and he to be indis-
putable lord and master. / stand here to say to
you tonight, to you men who listen to me, that
a woman is just as individual and responsible
and capable of action for herself as q man. |
stand here to enter my protest as woman
against such blasphemy, as this:-"That.a
woman is made for man." 'that she is his
property, goods, and chattels, ''that beside
him she is nothing-a myth" That is what is
being thundered from every pulpit in every city,
what every newspaper in the land says and
every man. Woman is to abject herself and de-
base herself and humble herself and lose all her
individuality, and if she rebels society will only
increase her misery. Men want to control in
everything, they want to be the masters of ALL
They have always had the muscle and the force
and now they want to revive the old brutality,
the old serfdom and slavery that characterize
barbarous and uncivilized people.
INSIDE OF A HAREM.
In Salt Lake City 1 went to the house of
Now nl1 I fn1h 1af han Il lnA1 had
two wives, and that they had both lived toge-
ther some fifteen years, and were perfectly
happy and contcnted- they lived together in
their house and were perfectly contented
with their lot, and would not change it if
they could. was not man. / did not believe
word of it, and so went to see for myself. |
went into their house, and it was magnificent
one. Here in San Francisco it would be fine
house. and there in Salt Lake it was splendid
one. Magnificent furniture, fine rooms, fine
gardens, and numerous servants. l and my
friends sat down in the parlor, and in came one
of this mans wives. She was fine, cookbook
ing, healthy Englishwoman, who could not
speak ten words of grammatical English to save
her life. l talked freely to her; there was no
hindrance to that. l asked her how long she
had been married Seventeen years"
England" mo" Where were e. you m
married, them" 'In st. Joseph" Her
husband began to fidget, ands dssent her out to get
piece of gold, or quartz, or something OF that
kind. l understood it all. She came back, and
couldn't find it, of course. l knew that. tried
to commence where we had broken off, and her
husband Immediately wanted something on the
top of the house. When she got back again,
tried to commenc again where we had left off,
and he broke in, ''Miss Dickinson came to eat
Strawberries and cream; now, Maria, go off and
see they are ready" / understood it all. Yes,
every word of it. By and by in came another
sad-looking but handsome woman. looked at
her. Said | at once, MADAM, you are the
second wife, and so it turned out. She also
was an Englishwoman, and the two of them
were the handsomest women / saw at Salt Lake.
But she appeared sad and worn. There was no
| ''joyous happiness Of married ife' about her.
| There was a piano in the room, and
in came the little girl of the house,
| and at once the father said something
about music and was evidently very
proud of his daughters capabilities in that line.
| So l asked her to play and she did, and made
hOrrid din, and under cover of thenoise and din,
| had my conversation with the wife. She had
| not understood their doctrines. / asked herr
band that he could, if he would, marry another
| woman?" mo" 'Did he not tell you so at
| the time ?" mo, he did not. Our missionaries
and preachers when they go out never preach
| that" $50 you knew nothing of it ?" Nothing
at all" But when you came here and saw it
| was so were you not greatly disappointed and
| chagrlned? 2" mo- was not ] was sure my
| husband would never marry again" But he
| did, sdid l. ''Yes," she answered. and q sad
| narrowed look came over her counteuance.
| eyes, only year after he married again."
| sand do you like that do you like him to
have more wives than oneT ,,oh, yes, do!
| | wish he had six or seven.' | saw through
| it all in q minute. understood the
| state of that womans mind at once. But was
not surprised. looked blank and went back
| on the old tack. / commenced and questioned
her about her English life, and ! painted the
~ - hnVnn aud tho