The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-04-07

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opponents would have it appear? When
this noble array of Gods favorite chill
dren are remembered, and when, IN ad-
dition, we call to mind the fact that the
Bible itself, which has given to the
Christian world all the knowledgeit has
of God and goodness. has principally
under God polygamists as his authors.
Its averred by some of our enemies
that this is not religion. This is not
the view, however, of the members
of the Utah Commission, for they have
said:
This article of faith is as much an
essential and substantial part of their
creed as their belief in baptism, repent
ance for the forgiveness of sins, and the
like" And again: ''All orthodox
Mormons believe polygamy to be right,
and that it is an essential part of their
creed"
1t has also been alleged in Congress,
by those who take pleasure in denounc-
ing our system of marriage, that the
English government in India has put
down the Suffice, and that, therefore.
the United States ought to put down
plural marriage. If those venerable
Solons had made themselves little
more acquainted with the action of the
they would have found that, while that
government put down widow burning
1t protects by law, in all their rights,
privileges and franchises, 1S0.0OO,OO0 OF
polygamists and places them ON an
equal footing with others.
The Lord has revealed to us by His
special revelations. as clearly and pos
itively as he ever did to any of the an
cient prophets, certain principles associ-
ated with the eternity of the marriage
covenant, has given definite commands
pertaining thereto, and made them OBJ
ligatory to US to carry out. He has
made manifest to us those great and
eternal principles which bind woman to
man and man to woman, children to
parents and parents to children, and
has called upon US in the most emphatic
and pointed manner to obey them.
These glorious principles involve our
dearest interests and associations in
time and throughout the eternities that
are to come. We are told that this is
His everlasting covenant, and that II
has existed from eternity; and, further
more, all covenants that relate only to
time shall be dissolved at death and be no
longer binding upon the human family.
He has, moreover, told US that if we do
not obey those principles we shall be
damned Believing these principles to
be of God and from God we have entered
into eternal covenants with our wives
under the most solemn promises and in
the most sacred manner. Among the
rights guaranteed to us in the Constitu-
ton of the United States is not only that
Congress shall make no law respecting
an Establishments of religion or prohibit
ing the free exercise thereof" but that
no State shall enact any law impairing
the obligation of contracts. "Ours are con-
tracts of most sacred character and
of such vital Importance for time and
eternity that all worldly obligations
and contracts sink into insignificance
IN comparison with them. Among
Christianity this is looked upon as ait
error. and without inspiration or revela
ton on this subject, all the idea that
is ever presented associated with the
marital relations, IS that they enter
into these contracts until death do
them part" The beauties. the glories
and perpetuity of those domestic ties.
those .endearing associations which
cluster around the family organization,
perish whenever the great messenger
Death approaches. 1t is now made a
crime by uninspired men to possess
those hopes and practice those princi-
pies which the most virtuous, up
right, holy and eminent men of God
have esteemed as treasures beyond
price. Under an infatuated, mistaken
and suicidal policy they seek to blast
those hopes which are a solace to the
life of the believer in the revelations of
God. and to sever those connubial ties
which bud in time and will blossom
and bear fruit in the Celestial Kingdom
Of our God in the eterni'ies to come.
The Christianity of to-day cannot
,ffer US anything of an eternal charac-
er to compensate Us for the abandon
nent of the truth which is demanded
If US. The fact is, mankind. in their
have adopted a system
which is entirely inadequate to save
nan from the dreadful evils by which |
ne is surrounded. While there are
thousands and millions of honorable. |
Upright men in the world. who have |
devoted their entire lives to the pro-
notion of morality and virtue, and the
of every sinful practice. |
he evils against which they battled
rave steadily increased around them |
rhe system which they taught was not
Gods system; 1t did not, therefore |
meet mans wants. Those channels
which God has provided for the lawful |
exercise of the appetites with which |
he has endowed man, under the sys-
em n, W in vogue have been damned |
I'D. and the history of Christendom in |
orms us with what terrible results
he degradation and prostitution Of |
woman and the spread of the most |
errible scourge known to humanity, !
he social evil, with its attendant train |
IF loathsome horrors. With our
of Gods laws, we never
IAN adopt such a system and call it
,iyilic alton. And we again take this
of warning the Latter-day
Saints against those murderous and
tanning practices OF fGticide and in
'anticide, to introduce which in our
midst attempts have been made. These
practices are also the horrible fruits of
. man-made system of marriage, and so
terrible haveIthey become that many of
The leading thinkers of the East, have
.old their people, and brought statistics
10 prove, that unless these crimes are
stopped, it will only be short time
lntif the primitive, Puritanic stock will
become extinct and foreigners take
their place, their lands, their houses.
md their homes. These fiendish prac-
ices are becoming so common that one