National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-16
POLYGAMY AS 1T rs.
SECOND LECTURE ON MoRMoNISM By
THE NINETEENTH WIFE OF THE
DDnDuET


SECOND LECTURE ON MoRMoNISEt By
THE NINETEENTH WIFE OF THE
PROPHET.
Last evening largo and highly seprecistjVs
audience assembled at Lincoln hail. to listen to
the eloquent and Intensely Interesting lecture By
Ann Eliza Young on the enornitIes and intguitieS
which arc indissolubly linked to the Mormon re-
ligion and Infamous system.
The lectures was introduced by Major Powell,
who said that II he were to denomInste the hsor-
mon system he would call 1t perpetual motion.
It Is the most elaborate and complex system OF
the age, and its true character will be explained,
Win the force Of earnestness that Will andoubt-
ediy receive your close and appreetative stteu-
tion, by Mrs. Young. whom now most gladly In
troduce to you.
Mrs. Young commenced by saying: PoIysamJ
among savages or Turks does not especially
shock US. It harmonizes with their religion and
condition. But polygamy q the United States
is to the American mind q revolving fact, Con-
sidered geographically. it Is an unweIcsue I'm.
truder; considered historically, 1t is startling
anachronism; considered In the light Of our
Christian civilization and modern ideas, It is an
ugly excrescencc, PoIygsmy among Anglo
'Saxons-who was original enough to OOncIevs
the ideaf Who was bold enough to inaugurats
the practicef and, above all, how could this be
done under the guise OF religionf
Has 1t, in truth an existence among US, or have
stories which have hosted from Utah to US de-
scribed mere monsters Of tho imagination rather
than realities Of the experienceR Polygamy or
the United States Is no Pigment Of the fancies. 1t
Is not the creation Of sensational storytellers nor
irresponsible Bohemians. Itis prevailing social
custom among one hundred thousand Of your citL-
gems. It has been preached among them as an
essential article Of faith for more than twenty
years. 1t originated with man OF Puritan an
cestry, and born in the State of Vermont
The lectures then reeounted the early history
of poIygamy and Its establishment by Joseph
Smith, and how the polygamous acts were at
first concealed, but ut length finding 1t impossi-
bio to do this they impudently advocated that
both God and nature sanctioned 1t. Polygamy Is
the most desolating and bllghting curse that ever
came upon humanity. No matter what Is the
number of their wives men are never satisfied
with what they have. Taking another, is CON-
mon saying among these people, and what IL
especially significant, the coveted prize must be
young and fair to look upon. They can get
another wife without expense, but an animal
must be paid for. Indeed, they are usually
spoken Of as "my women" A common expression
is ''heIfers," and Heber @. Kimball capped the
climax by calling them imy cows"
He used this language in o sermon preached In
the Tabernacle some time before his death. In
this picture there is one redeeming festure. In
many instances the mother to 1t that the sys-
tenn that has blghted her life shall not blast her
daughters. Hence, few daughters reared In Salt
Lake city enter polygamy. So deep is their aver
sion and so thorough their dread OF experiencing
its horrors, that they will not even marry young
man Of Mormon faith. In conclusion, Mrs. Young
said that no one should think that the women
there were free to accept reject IT. for although
their bodies are not fettered their souls are. I
had encouragements to break away from my faith
and its connections that q very few have; never
theless the step required great forttude, and was
taken with many misgivings. I cannot close,
therefore, without thanking the public for the
kind courtesy which 1 have received on every
hand, and let me assure you, that whatever for
tune the future may have in store for me, shall
never regret having thus attained freedom of &C
ton and conscience