Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1883-12-29
THE MORMON QUESTION.
A Son or the Prophet Makes Out q
Plausible Case for His People.

IMoncure d. Conway in Philadelphia Times.
In conversation with an intelligent lawyer
of New York he mentioned to me that John
W. Young, the son of Brigham Young, was
ON the train and that he would be glad to IN
troduce me to him. / readily accepted his
offer and in the course of a day or two had
frequent interviews with Mr. Young. i
found him an affable and handsome gentle
man, with great deal of that kind OF lntelll-
gence which a man gets only from the uni
versity of life and experience. There was
certain sternnesS about his mouth, but his eye
was light and genial He received me kindly,
surrounded by his young SONS, who,
may remark, We're polite and well-behaVed
lads. told him that l should probably use
my conversations with him in writing Tor
the public some account of my journey, ana
with that understanding we at once entered
upon conversation on the burning question
of polygamy He held in his hand BOOK
recently written about his people, by fnll
Robinson and also the statement OF Judge
jeremiah Black whose death the Mormohs
now lament freely agreed with him that
there was much in masculine human nature
which accorded with the Mormon system and
which had a disastrous development In great
cities. The evolution of man in conquerlng
the lands and seas Of the world, his life IN
camps and in ports have tended to make hlm
q national polygamist.
Young said: You cau't 60 contrary 70
human nature .'But,"I answered, man
is only half the human nature III the world;
there is the nature of woman, whom all the
conditions of life have tended to make a
monogamist There have been forces when
have sometimes suppressed her instinct III
that manner, as in the swaruing populations
of the far east, where there is no career Tor
her and no support but in marriage, ana
where the excessive number of women seems
to suggest polygamy as necessary soclai
economy; but these condluons having
been left behind to large extent, tne
question arises whether the charm ana
beauty and morality of life are not to be Sc
cured rather by the loyalty or one to one IN
matrimony." He then said: Nv oman Is
necessarily the inferior of man. There are
religious reasons why she should be the one to
surrender her feelings in that respect" but
Is it not found" I asked, that the romance
of life and the charm of the relation between
man and maid is diminished by this plurality
of wivesw He said: "Courtship goes on
among us the same as in London. l believe
in love, but not in infatuatlon. Whatever
woman may suppose that she loses by being
one among other wives, she is COM
pensated for in a greater devotion to
her children, for, in our system, the maternal
feelings are regarded as supreme. These
feelings are very early developed and form
the chief earthly happiness of women. They
also increase the affection Of man, who can
not fail to feel a deep tenderness for the
mother of his children. It must be remem-
bered that in our faith this feeling concern
ing the production of the race is profoundly
religious feeling, and brings happiness
which we believe is not realized where the
relations are merely worldly"
asked him whether, in the growth OF
society in Utah, it was not found that there
were not enough wives for all, and was not
this to some extent, reason for the hostility
of the gentiles toward the Mormons. He re-
piled: "The men who settle in this region
are largely adventures; they do not wish to
settle down in permanent homes; they no
doubt desire our women for immoral pur-
poses, but they are not generally OF the mar
rying kind" He dwelt largely upon the
good order, the freedom from crime, which
marked their settlement, even though many
outsiders have come among them, and, un-
Guestionably, Mr. Young made out very
plausible and no doubt sincere case for his
people