The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1883-06-06
THE MoRMos MYSTERY UNLOCK


mystery Of Mormonism. A year ago legisla,
ton bestowed all its ingenuity, and govern.
ment expended all its power on the Edmund:
statute for the suppression OF polygamous
Mormonism. We have heard many and
divers things touching the matter since,
among which is that there is Mormonsm
that is not polygamous. We have heard Of
Missionary Christian women laying down
their prejudces in favOr of virtue and deem
cy and campaigning for poygamy. We have
not heard that anything is suppressed, al
though the Edmunds law, we believe, is rec
ognized as in operation. But we hear from
all quarters of the spread Of Mormonism.
Elders with large numbers of proselytes have
gone from Atlanta, Ca; others from else
where; others again have come from Eu-
rope; and the tide Of this debauchery is
swelling into such proportions as promises
soon to demand extraordinary attention
and extraordinary treatment. These people
usurp the attitude of defiant
hierarchy. We say usurp, for we do not be-
eve there is a particle of religion in this
business. Every sincere religious sentiment
is to be respected for its sincerity, even though
it may require to be suppressed. People may
become infatuated with anything, especially
when it squares with any given interest or de-
sire, and many, women especially, are so with
this. But none are so devout that they are
not sensible of more or less craft at the bot
tom of it in both their hearts and understand
ings. When we turn the elementary woman
over in our minds, and see what she is, we
think we get key to the mystery of Nor
monism. Somebody said, Bayley, or
Knowles, perhaps,
"Mans love is OF mans life a thing apart,
'Tis woman's whole existence"
1t is not unlikely that the poet means pas
,ional or sexual love. But woman's ruling
owe is the MATERIAL.
"A happy wife and happier mother now,"
expresses it. Her Office is maternity. Her
physical organization, her affectionate nature,
everything about her and of her, denote that
nature designed her as a mother, and that
vifehood is merely incidental to it. The pas
ional love in its intensity over-rides all
Kings. The devotion of woman to the man
he loves knows no conditions or limitations,
'ut this nature makes the means of security
or the proper discharge of the maternal func-
ions. The young miss wants to be a wife,
nut the wife is the incident; what she really
wants to be is the ultimate, the mother. The
reat purpose OF nature is procreation. The
nind should SO regulate conditions that they
nay be best for the human family men as
veil as women afford evidence of the fact.
The time when the desire for marriage should
e needed in the man mind is when the pa
ernal affection has birth, when he is attracted
0 children, feels the desire to be a father |
The young man who marres before this SEN
iment is recognized by him, makes a mis-
lke). Now this, we take it, will nationally |
olive the Mormon riddle. We find, among
he Mormoms, women perfectly happy |
nd content in being one of many, or of sew
raj wives. Each has her own house and her |
hidren wholly to herself. She is not dis
urbed by the apprehension that her husband
will ever become her rival, or competitor, for
he affection, or possession, of her children.
The great mass OF women, after the paroxys-
nal period has passed, love their husbands
as the father of their children
hat is to say, when they love them at all,
Witch is staggering qualification not to be
orgotten. 1--WE hear the young wife say she
lever heard anything SO completely untrue as
his). We venture to say here that the
Voman's chance for happiness, as men 90, is
letter under Mormon conditions than in ordi-
ary social life. We believe that if the ques-
ion of plurality Of wives were left to women
'ver rs years OF age throughout the Union to-
lay the majority would choose it; we believe,
90, ii would be better for the majority of
women. But that is owing to bad social con-
litons, to the prevalence OF vice and absence
# virtue among men, and better social
conditions, and net polygamy is the cure
or it. P5iygamy is an evil only second to the
ocial vice, so-called. We are aware that
dormonism acquires and wears every aspect
# religious fervor and operates a religious
purpose, but that is an effect, and such phe-
Iomena result naturally and necessarily from
he character OF mind. 1t does not, therefore,
isturb the truth or force of this argument that
here exist undeniable cases, or general tone
4 devout Worship among Moamone Tha.o |