River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-12-21
One Happy Wife in Mormondom.

Gail Hamilton writes in The Christ
ian Union: She was a very pretty,
lady-like, well-dressed little woman,
and one could but think that she was
sent to the front because she could
stand fire. Her husband was a man
whose reputation as q gentleman of
elucation and elegance made photos
phere of light for many miles around
Salt Lake City. She came accompanied
by her husband, and proffered drives
and such little attentions as are usual
under the circumstances. She was
very frank and amicable. When asked
if it would be quite agreeable to her
to speak of the peculiar customs and
faith of the Mormons, she said, oh,
yes that when she first came among
the MOrmons herself she would have
given great deal to have some one
to whom she could speak freely, and
and from whom she could obtain &C.
curate information and now
that she had become Mormon she
desired to furnish to others what she
would have been to glad to receive
herself. She had been q young lady
living in an eastern city, and was al
ready engaged to be married when She
first mCt her husband. He had three
wives, one of whom was connection
of hers and this lady sent by her
husband, who was going east, some
message to her eastern ldnSWOman.
The message was delivered, and the
thrice married husband and the engag-
ed young lady sfell in love- on the
the spot. The young lady, though
living in the east, had visited in Utah,
and was sufficiently acquainted with
Mormon customs, though not herself
a Mormon. She went and prayed and
bemoaned herself her unhappy love,
but dismissed her first lover, and,
after vainly struggling against fate,
became a convert to Mormonism. Her
parents opposed her to the Hast, and
She went to Utah'a and was!there married
to the Young man of her (second)
choice, having first secured the hearty
consent of his three wives, without
which. she assured me, she would
never have agreed to the marriage.
She had been married some six or seven
wears. Her husband had taken no
wife since herself. and she did not
think he would ever take another. lie
and she lived together in pretty
little cottage, with several children.
The other wives lived 20 or so miles
away outside the city.
These young people seemed truly at
tached to each other. In many quiet
and perfectly proper, indeed, winning
ways, they showed a lover-like fond
ness that had survived the engagement
ring and the honeymoon. When asked
if plurality of wives was considered
duty, or whether it depended on the
inclination. she said that it was consid-
cred a religious duty. How then
would the church consider her hus-
band justified in taking no more wives!
She said there had been some talk
about Il, but that many older members
of the church had not so many wives
as he. and that it lehooyed them to
mend their own ways before taking
any special exception to his; and she
added. with very un-MOrmOn but
very feminine spark of spirit, that it
would make no difference if they did.
lie would do as be chose about it
What was the feeling Of the women
+ generally about it 7 Oh that depended
on what degree of exaltation they had
attained. If by PRAYER and submission
and right living they had got into that
spiritual state of mind which was prop
er and desirable for them, they were
said to be exalted, and then they were
willing their husbands should have
wives. She acknowledged that it was
a rather difficult virtue, that it was
only consideration of the Heavenly
and spiritual blessings accruing from
it that made it tolerable. and that no
height of exaltatiOn could make it in
herently desirable. She admitted that
she had not reached that height of
spiritual stature in which she would
be willing to see her husband take
another wife.