Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-12-19
COMMUNICATIONS.
Polygamy i'm Utah.

A stranger visiting the Mormon Taber- |
is struck by the large majority of dreary-
eyed, detected looking women in the great
congregation; women, without one ray of
animation in their spiritless faces. They
hear with dull apathy the words of the
preacher, listen to the really fine music of
the choir and partake of the bread and
water, with the same stolid Indifference.
There are no bright, joyous, RANT young
girls in that vast assembly; for alasl the
shadows of their swiftly coming future
are gathering thick and dark around them,
enveloping them in gloom and crushing
all their girlish light AS their
mothers are, so will they be. One cannot
doubt the sincerity of these poor Mormon
women. They earnestly believe in the
plural wife system, and think that is the
only way of entering heaven; else how could
they suffer the indignities they are daily
and hourly subjected to; how could they
subject themselves to cruel insults and
trample upon every true feeling of their
own natures, as they do!
If the seranger is lady and makes an
inquiry of one of the sisters she is
answered civilly, and with dull meekness;
unless, indeed, she. e..addresses one of the
active workers in the Church of the Latter
Day Saints, then she is overwhelmed with
quasi arguments, the glories of the heaven
" world are portrayed in glowing colors,
and the tempting idea of being queen in
that bright abode is held out as an induce
ment to embrace their religion. She will
enlarge on the pure lives of Mormon men
and women, and compare them with the
Gentiles, who suffer by comparison; for,
according to her theory, there are no pure
minded, upright men among us; no loving,
trusting wives; no happy homes.
Helen Mar Whitney, one of the saints,
writes: 'tPolygamy at different periods has
been practiced as a correcter of evils and
promoter of purity, because of the wicked
ness and corruption into which the world
has sunk, and this is the present condition
of all civilized nations. 1t
was revealed to Prophet Joseph Smith that
there were thousands of spirits yet unborn
who were anxiously waiting for the privi
| lege of coming down to take tabernacles of
flesh, that their glory might be complete.
~ ~ Our children are considered
| as stars in a mothers crown, and the more
| there are, if righteous, the more glory they
will add to her and their fathers eternal
| kingdom, for their parents on earth, if they
continue righteous, will eventually become
as gods to reign in glory"
| As polygamy is to be abolished in the
future, whatare these ignorant superstitious
people to believe, after years of such teach
| ingl The frail straws to which they have been
clinging are swept from their grasp, and
! they are hopeless indeed, unless some new
creed is added to their very elastic doc
| trines. s.s-s-
In 1869 few of the disaffected Nor
mons formed what was called .'The New
Movement" which, after many long and
| ty and of crime; of slavery, more abject
then negro bondage, has resulted in the
abrogation of polygamy in Utah.
President Wilford Woodruff, the
present head of the church of the
Latter Day Saints, ''after an executive
session with the almighty" has decreed
the adjustment of the plural wife system.
He has also had personal communica-
ton" with Joseph Smith and with Brigham
Young, wherein he has been advised to
abide by the laws and constitution of the
United States. As he is s'the only man on
the earth at the present time who holds
the keys of the sealing ordinances" he is
considered "fully authorized to issue the
manifesto dated September "a. 1890, and
his decision concerning plural marriages
is authoritative and binding" and the en-,
dowment house is to be abolished. Could
those walls speak what secrets might they
reveal; what tales of purifyings, of anoint
ings, of celestial weddings could they tell
what ridiculous farces have they witnessed
what fearful oaths have they heard.
A peculiar feature of Salt Lake City i:
the number of long, low one-storiet
houses to be seen, with succession o
doors and windows. These are the homei
of Mormons, who add door and a win
dow to their dwellings each time thel
marry; and it is often quite easy to de
termine the number of wives in hous'
by counting these. If in exiguous circum
stances, and the man is literally married
large dry goods box is sometimes added
to which the old wife is relegated to max
room for the new favorite.
have in my possession photograph oi
poor Mormon family in the country
taken from life. In front of a small 10!
house, which contains but one door ant
. window, the entire family are grouped
five wives and the same number o
children In the center, an old hat ol
: his head, his feet encased in heavy boot
: that extend to his knees, sits the lord O
the manor, a stupid, hebetated- old man
His coat hangs from projecting log nea
the roof. One of his ancient wives is seat
3 ed in a chair at his right, and little gin
a at her side rests her hand upon her shoul
der; another aged woman stands in from
of a large spinning wheel. Two of hi
8 Younger consorts stand on either side G
$ the door, while the favorite wife, larg'
!, broad-faced woman, sits at his left, httl
one on her lap and two children at he
!, side. A young girl, evidently in her teen
5 completes the group. 1t is picture {
y squalid indigence and one frequently seer
especially in the country.
/ D.sr q ma nf
Q and was painter and glazier by trade. E
was Methodist until he was about thirt,
one years of age, when he Joined and WI
A baptized into the Mormon church. Thr
J. wears later he was elected one of the twel'
n apostles. In 1S4T he assumed the pres
dency of the church, and in 1850 he VI
u chosen governor of Utah. He had min
r teen wives, three of whom were proxy, al
D. was the father of ffty-six children. III
At proxy wives were widows of prophets al
apostles and were only sealed to him f
'r time: in eternity they with all their CHI
dren were to be given back to their form
=. husbands. Besides the proxy he had nur
'h berless spiritual wives, who were sealed
or him throughout eternity, but had no clai
Ie on earth. His purse, like that of Fortu
tb atus, was never empty, for his spiritu
= wives were always old ladies wi
ne money, which he most accommods
Is ingly took charge OF. The uthln
lt) also, were q constant revenue to t
ba church; as he was the church, mon
~ poured into his Golfers. He was a shrew
ne calculating man and evidently had an e
IT, to business, when he chose his vario
d, wives; for instance, his sixth, had "a
l;o qualifications as ho1sekeeper and "
'i' installed in that Office in the Lion hou
which was the family residence. 7
tenth had charge of the dairy and ma
in excellent butter and cheese; one was
re- cook, another good laundress, etc., e
=. His thirteenth wife-Amelia Fols'
~ Young-having a bit of temper of
ID. own, managed her hege lord and was
on reigning favorite. For her, he built
es. mansion called the Gardo house, or Anne
- palace, which is at present occupied
President Woodruff.
on Brigham Young died in 1877 and '
ro- buried in the family cemetery on Brigh
-;ff street, short distance east of Eagle Ga
He was the originator and instigator of
"o terrible Mountain Meadow massacre, VIII
ect one hundred and twenty helpless m
snt women and children were cruelty m
tn dered. Their agonizing cries for mer
unheeded by their cruel assassins, went
." to God, who has said: ''Vengeanceis is mi
'le, / will repay"
Id, If,Ike those poor soursin Dante'sP Pun