St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-01-10
QUEER MORMON BELIEF.
--s-
The TFanslmigratiOn of Souls 2
Part of the Mormon
Greed.
tFrom the San Francisco Post.D
"UNsEALED" WOMEN soULLEss.

find dwelling places IN heshy taoeFna-
leIes. But their belief goes further, ana
they claim that in man the creative es-
sence becomes part OF the spirit realm,
and, as in that realm the status is nXed
by the number of defendants OF whom
he is the head, they offer that as one ex-
cuse for polygamy. Apart from the De-
lief that the size of the family deter
mines the status of man in the realm OF
bliss, the MOrmOns believe that men are
born with different degrees OF luminous
ness. They compare men TO the plan,
ets-somG luminous, some 0paque-and
often speak of Christ as the sun, Joe
Smith and Brigham Young as the moon,
and others as the stars of different de-
rrees Of intensity. The luminous ones,
they say, partake to that extent. OF the
character of the divinity, and they be-
Iieve that they will go on increasing I'D
light until at last they
EYoLUTE TO THE PANTHEON
and become gods. One man said to me
when discussing this question: be-
aieve will be a god.n Now, here again
is theory on which they base a reason
for polygamy. They say taat the spirit
essence does not dwell in woman that
she has no soul and no hope OF lmmOF-
tality apart from that which she derives
from her matrimonial relations to man,
and it is only by being sealed to man
that woman can hope to enter into the
eniritual hereafter. Woman would die
ohysically and spiritually unless Joined
TO man, and she can only hope for I'M
mortality by partaking OF mans lmmor-
taiity. A woman not sealed to man
loses her identity; she is simply tiesn
without indwelling spirit. Another
feature of the Mormon belief is that
strOng, luminous spirit goes from one
body to another, becoming stronger ana =!
brighter, until, at last, it achieves dl-
yinity but If by reason Of weakness
enirit cannot stand alone and achieve
immortality, it has to pass through
long period of probation. These hne-
spun theories are involved and peTplex-
ed in a mass of rubbishy expressions
which sound we'll, but are really mean
fngless, and even they are not under
stood by the people at large, but only
nv the Driests and feaeoBs. The people
are kept in snperstiti0us ignorance, and,
being taught that tile church alone can
save them, they stick to the church for
fear Of hideous consequences held be-
fore their eyes by the crafty men who
are in charge of the temple.
The institution and practice OF pOiyga-
NV in an exclusively Mormon cOmmunl,
ty like Beaver or Logan Imparts pecu-
liar tone to society that the men, 6eIng
at liberty to marry when they please,
and as often as they can, are never re.
rarded in the light of married men, and
are always at liberty to go counting. !
attended ball given by q prominent
deacon q short time before left.
There were 800 odd young people OF
both sexes present. My companions
were three muchly married MOrmons,
and / noticed that as soon as we entered
the ball room they acted just as three
Young men would have done. My
host,
would have come under the head of
'sulasherD in any Gentle community,
and he was especially attentive to a girl
not IN wears OF age, who had caught his
eve. He paid her all the compliments
that a young lover pays to his sweet
heart, and her father looked on approx
ingly to think there was good chance
0f her becoming the tenth MRS:
The three married mashers with me
were all treated by the girls as eligible
Young men. My status being unknown
Mas Of course bar TO any Irritation.
Normonism is queer estate. The Wo-
man has to cleaye to the man, put ne
does not recipfocate. The cleaving Is
szssr.v nne-sided. Infidelity in wife is
n1nisllable with death. The seduction
s1f n wife is punishable with death, for
the church holds that the man who COM
mits adultery outside of the marriage
relation is guilty of an objectionable
ain, which never can be cOndOned. HE
sfs cut off from the congregation OF the
nainfR. and has no chance hereafter ex-
.cept by
TEE MEDIUM OF BLOOD AToNEMENT,
which, in plain language, is suicide.
The man who saves the church the trou-
Ible Of killing him has chance OF heav-
en-. For an unmarried man 90 seduce
an unmarried woman is looked upon as
q lighter offense, and is punished only
nv sort of social ostracisED. At the
ball spoke of before there was q young
man summarily elected by the commit
tee. asked the reason, and was told
Shat he had been guilty of seducing
,0iTI. and he never would be allowed
s9sgain to associate with the young
daughters of Zion nor detlie them WlGn
his touch. I was very much struck Oy
fhe remarkable physical superiority q
fhe Mormon girls over the youths. ihe
Girls Of the young generation are, as
sIass, ! 4 well formed. straight, plump and
fairly good looking, With some rev W
beauties among them. The boys arr
an rickety, bow-legged, knock -kneed
sfoop-sllonidered, OF deformed in somt
yvav. did not see q fine looking, wei
set.up young man in Logan that car
ren1ember, They were poor, scru00y
Iot. The number of girl children, too
fs greatly IN excess Of boys. cam