The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1881-02-20
Mormon Mfseries.

barbarlans know very little abou
the iRner nature of Mormon
pOlygamy, because the saints TAX,
especial care to keep their system
secret SO far as il is possible. Tn,
mere fact of polygamy is with III
very properly held 10 mean the
destruction Of home, as American,
understand that term; the degra
dation Of woman, the impropel
nurture Of children, the carrying
or of debasiEg immortality un.
der the name of religion. But il
the system in its details were bet
ter understood, there Is good rea-
son to believe that it would be- re-
garded with even greater abhor-
renee than is now felt for it.
Whenever the curtain is raised,
Ieven little, and glimpse obtain
ed of the domestic life of the Nor
msns-if they can be said to have
a domestic life-there is sure to be
a revelation Of degraded humanity,
coarse, tyrannical manhood, suffer
ing womanhoOS, and not infre-
quently miserable childhood. The
Anti-POlygamy Standard has un-
dertaken the work Of letting in the
light on the dark places of Mormon
Polygamy, and from it we cut the
following story from real life, not
as a horror, but Us one Of the
features of daily occurrence. 1t is
told by young girl:
NV mother was quite III at one
time, and /, being the eldest
daughter, took care of her, and did
the best j could for her according
to the suggestions of friends, for
We were not permitted to have a
doctor. Father Nsed to spend a
week ia turn with each of his
wives; and when mother was taken
sick her week was just over, and
ne was in the next house STAYING
with another woman. went in
there and told him that ] thought
mother was very I'LL, and asked |
him if he would not come in and
see her for a while. The other
woman answered nae very sharply,
and said mother had her turn last
week and should be satisfied with
what was right. Not replying to
her, ! said, Father mother feels
very badly indeed this evening,
and would like to see YOU par
ticularly; could you not come in
and sit with her for an hour, it
would cheer her up Il can't do
1t, Lucy he answered, because /
have promised certain to 90 with
Mary here to the ward party to-
night; you take good care of her,
and if she is not feeling better in
the morning let me know, and |
will have the bishop go in and lay
hands on her. Tell her Tll try
and drop in on Sunday after meet
ing is over Mother might have
died half a dozen times over
before Sunday, and ] was so
indignant at his carelessness that
had / been sure she would die the
next minute, | wOnld neither have
gone after him no allowed him to be
sent for. He did come in on Sun
day, but fortunately she was SO
much better by that time that she
did not care to see him, and treat
ed him very cody. / tell you that !
pclygamy is the most heartless and
love-destroying system that could
ever have been invented. / was
brought up in it, and would gladly
lay daughter of my own in the
grave rather than see her enter il.
The striking difference between a,
Oriental and Mormon polygamy is
the absence in the latter of the |
seraglio and its vigilant guardians. ,
Strong walls, windowless on the I
outer side, and lighted only by an
court, are needed to i'm
prison the beauties of a sultan:
the constant scrutiny of eunuchs
keeps them out OF mischief. The
sultan distrusts thoroughly the fe- !
male character, and keeps it under !
;ervile restraint. But the Mormon /;
mprisons his wives IN the fetters
Of faith that holds them in abso-
ute subsection, The soul of the )
Mormon woman is under the lock !
Ind key of church discipline that
S to her full of terrors. 1t is vervl
are that these wives, even under !
he eX3SDeratinor crualtiaS and d;s