New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-05-04
4 Curious Report OF FEormOnism
Visit 10 fhe Happy Family.


Even Mormouism finds defender outside o
It's own limits y correspondent of the Chicago
Times, Democratic, writing from Salt Lake
! City. asserts that the Mormon women are per
/ ieetIy contented under the polygamous system.
| lie writes:
/ g received formal invitation from gentle
man high in authority among the Latter. Day
Saints TO dine Mt his house with himself and
family, consisting of eleven wives and more
/ than thirty children. l was prepared for a
/ very solemn and sedate feast The hour finally
arrived, and with it | arrived at the mansion
of my polygamic friend Your correspondent
has been about the world some, and mingled
with various sorts Of society without any dis
tressiug degree of diifdence But when he
was ushered into the spacious and elegantly
furnished drawing room of his Mormon host,
and was introduced eleven times to Mrs Brown,
the wife of Mr. Brown. aud every time Mrs
Blown was distinct individuality. he admits
( to slight perturbation of spirits, and feeling
ot supreme and excruciating awkwardness
Still, the introductons 10y Mr.. Brown were
genial, iree-handed, and in nowise calculated
10 disturb equanmity.
" But the change from a mnuoyamic ciyi6ga-
ton was so novel and great that for few mo-
ments 1t was hard TO collect ones manners and
proceed to general conversation. However, the
novelty OF the affair soon wore of, and the
! eleven Mrs. Browns and Mr. Brown and q few
invited guests We're rafting away on all sorts
of interesting topics. They all were jovial,
iadylike. and evidently happy as any wives
you ever saw. Thirty-thr children were soon
introduced, and proved themselves as we'll
behaved and In conversation as polite and pro
per as any Juveniles | have ever seen. aener-
ally, the children of Salt Lake City are ms
bright and as well advanced in their studies as
You lind anywhere.
Dinner was announced The dining-room
IS spacious and well furnished The doors and
window castings are of mountain cedar stained
and striped with gliding. The table is supplied
with china and silver About seventy persons.
including children, are soon seated aud after
grace has been said roast turkey, beef, mutton,
ana boiled ham are served, together with a
general assortment Of vegetables and their con
cornitants
The Mosmon women are, taking their own
words for it, perfectly satisfied with the system,
and they certainly commend it in Il most zeal
Gus and earnest manner. Seated at that table
were ladies we'll educated and accomplished
as you will find anywhere. Al the head of the
table was the patriarch of the family.
" The offspring in poygamous families are
physloiogcaliy quite superior, and mentally
exceedingly sharp. On Sunday | observed "a
boy taking down III short hand the sermon of
Elder Orson Pratt. Upon inquiry | learned
that the youth was John Q. Cannon. son of
Elder George .. Cannon, and that he was only
thirteen years of age, could report with envia-
bic correctness, and had just finished reading
Casar's Commentaries in Latin. Upon this !
sought and made the boy acquaintance and
found bun TO be fine student, ambitious and
diligent. And many other of the Mormon
youths whom met evinced equal advancement
in intellectual pursuits.
" The Mormon people, numbering iu the Ter
rItory OF Utah more than one hundred thousand
souls, aggregate as much Of honesty, virtue, aud
industry as sHy other one hundred thousand
human beings Oh the face Of the earth.
AT one mansion where | had the pleasure
Of visiting met the six wives Of my host and
his twenty six children. The six wives had
lived together happily and tremendously, rear
ing their children together, for eighteen years,
and they all assured me that they would not
exchange places with any other wives in the
worIl"