The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1883-09-13
WHAT A MORMON SAYS.

A MANS CHANCE FoR SALVATION IN
PROPORTION TO THE NUMBER OF
HIS wIvKs--A BAcHELoRsURE
OF DAMNATfoN.
The most interesting man I have
met to-day was one who had wooed
and won three women simultaneous.
ly. lie had just arrived with them
from England, aud intended to mar
ry them collectively as soon as he
got to safe place. The only one
within the limits ofcivilizatiou where
that kind Of thing is allowed being
Utah, il is hardly necessary for me
to add that he was ,on his way to
that territory OF polygamy. He was
an elder, named Ephrim Measor.
and had spent four ;sears on the
other side Of the world as q Mormon
missionary. lie was ouly one of q
party of twenty-five Of these oyapge.
lists who arrived in the steamer Ne
vada, bringing 672 converts He
had selected his three spouses with
sentiment and utility in view.
When l went away on nv mis-
sion for the church, he said, II
left my FIVE motherless children TO
the cnre of q relative. | had nevor
practiced onr doctrine of conjugal
plurality,..lthough believing aud
preaching it, and my one wife bad
recently died. leaving me to realize
that, il had done my duty, the
youngsters would not have been left
half-orphaned Well, | made up
my mind, if the Lord should pros.
per my mission, to return prepared
to set up such household as our
church contemplates for every faith
ful saint. | have done so"
He introduced me to the three
women whom his religious court
ship had captured II was not nec-
essary for him to explain that he
had picked them out with that dis
cretion which | have already men-
toned. could see it without be
ing told. Emeline was o brawny,
ignorant, bard-handed widow OF for
ty or over, and her lot was to be
that of drudge in the admirably bal
anced family which I.dcr Aieasor
contemplated. She was to "look
after the domestic economy" as he
expressed it. Sarah was neither q
handsome nor young woman, but
some refiument was discernble, and
he told me that she had been q
schoolmaam in Wales She was for
practical use, too, his plan being TO
make her governess for his chill.
dren. lottie WAS blooming Lam
cashire lass of twenty or so, quiet
pretty in her coarse way, and | did
not ask the elder why he had chos-
EN- her. They we're evidently in love
with each other. That was not sur
prisiDg in him, though marvellous in
her, considering that bo was sixty
and ugly She was TO be the queen
Of the reorganized establishment.
"Will there be triple wedding 7"
inquired.
Yes the elder replied. ave
call the ceremony sealing, and is
performed in secret. Thereafter, l
shall hold more approval position
before the church, for we maintain
that polygamy is not only a privil-
ege, but also a duty which no saint
can be entirely excused from fulfill
ing. There was some hesitation
about sending me out asa missionary
because | bad taken but one wife,
and l don't suppose | should have
received the appointment if had
not given assurance Of my intention
|, 10 bring back two or more wives"
"Then your church does moro
than to merely contenance polyga-
my 7" said
40 be sure," was the reply, "the
examples of the patliarchs are ali
that way, and there stands the in
junction Of st. Paul: A bishop,
then, must be blameless, the bus-
band of one wife,"
Il should take that to mean that
more than one wife wouldn't do for
a bishop in Paul's days"
You make common mistake, sir
Paul eujoined bishops to take at
least one wife, and we believe that
they had several. We also know,
by divine revelation to us. that q
mans chances for salvation are
greatly increased by the increasing