Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-05-08

THE MoRMON'S DAUGHTER.

yver. created, and the power py which they
are now held in existence, and by which all
that are to come will be organized, gov
erncd, controlled and sustained. This
Priesthood must como to the children OF
men, in order for them to understand the
,noaus ooerandi Of establishing the Kingdom
of God upon earth. This Priesthood must
govern and control the people who under
take TO build up this Kingdom; and the rule
Of the Priesthood of the Son of God will ex-
tend to every avenue, and will control every
department of the labor Of those who are
engaged in this great work. This Priest
hood must govern and control, or else the
people will not become perfect"
So the people toilcd forward under the
yoke; the Priesthood was the State and
every soul a slave. That many decent peo-
pie among them, and even men who we'll
nigh balanced life with liberty, should bow
to such insufferablc assumptions seems as
tonishing. But the student who runs his
eye over this craze and let's the fact that in
large degree this people believed them
selves bettercd by it escape him has missed
the key to its solution. They were in the
main sincere, else they could not have been
trodden under foot; they wore the yoke
looking for the soon coming Of Christ and
the ushering in Of the millennium; they
bent their backs for the lash Of incessant
outrage believing they were suffering that
elements they fed upon were irrational and
demcnting, and had another fourth of o
century passed without civilization having
reached and forced q touch of relieving
light upon them, doubtless their isolation
and fanaticism would have ended in general
madness.
AS it was, when the iron highway and tho
locomotive reached them, through the doc
trine of blood atopement, no life was safe,
murder was prevalent, insanity rife, and
thousand outrages had been committed that
shall be nameless hero. Men were married
to their half-sisters, their grand-daughters,
welded often to mother and her two or
three daughters, the old were mated to the
very young, and such dementia and de-
bauchery prevailed as sends chill Of horror
through gentle heart
Man may not, even in so large body as
this, be long cut Off from the large reason
ableness of general humanity with safety,
or, SO separated, be long fed upon sophistry
and fanaticism without endangering men
tally and life; this is the great lesson Of
Mormonism.
Orson Beam did not come to his mothers
door until the lamps We're lighted that night,
All day he had been lying in the under
growth across the valley, striving and
doubling and supphcating, ashamed to face
his fellows, and ever more and more feeling
the slavery Of his faith Cypress and stifle
him. When his mother saw him standing
In the door she called out his name, with
hands lifted and look of unspeakable dis
may, SO much had hunger, weakness and
emotion changed him.
What had he donea she implored. For
answer he fell down before her with his
head in her lap and cried like child. He
had done the Prophets bidding, he sobbed,
and his heart was brohenl He had lost his
innocencel o, he had lost his innocence
God had turned away His face from him,
and he was in darkness, in bitter, bitter
darknessl
The woman's lips frightened, then she be-
gan to moan over him. This crushed con-
dition of her son was indeed inexplicable
and appalling. Suddenly he leaped up and
cried out in strong feeling against the sys-
tenn under which they suffered.
1--WE are involved as in the meshes of q
net; we have no freedom!" he cried. "Oh,
mother, this is not religion, this is villainy
We are not made free and pure by tho
| Gospel, but enslaved and pollutedl Yes,
| enslaved and polluted! God in Heaven, for
| give us our blindnessl" and he stretched
his hands up imploringly rs he paced to and
fro in his agitation. The woman sat and
stared at him like one struck dumb.
81 tried to kill fellow-man ~ he broke
out again. 81 was hidden to do it by one who
claims to be so pure that God speaks directly
through him to us! Oh, mother, think Of
the villainy Of this! tho deception practiced
| upon US, and tho injury done US! 1t has de-
stroyed me! 1t has taken away my inno-
Ceuce! shall never be clean againr'
| 1t was narrowing thing to witness his
mental suffering. The mother in her con-
| sternation did not notice the torn place in
his clothing at the shoulder, and he, for the
| time being, had forgotten his hurt in tho
| fresh agony Of his inner-wound when look
ing upon her face.
"Mo Their" he went on, beseechingly, ''you
do not know how much Of infamy there is
in this. We, of the lower Priesthood, have
| been compelled to subscribe to such oaths
in the secret chamber of the Endowment
cold. have vowed, under penalty of death,
not to reveal them. But to-day, lying
yonder among the bushes culprit, instead
| Of minister of the Gospel, the hideousness
OF 1t all rose up before mo like a mountain
ofhorrors. These men who are at the front
are using us; from the incipiency Of our
cause have made US slaves and criminals
for their own unholy endi 1 have done
serving them, mother. To-day they came
before me with every selfish purpose laid
bare; their greed and moral deformities a.
clear to me as their physical parts would
be were the walls Of their bodies made Of
transparent ice. The whole system, too,
from end to end, became illumined in my
anguish Of heart; became revoltingl I am
| done with it
'Look ut me, motherl What has it done
for me' Strive as would after purity OF
heart and uprightness of spirit, it has left
me dehled and miserable, q thing Of loath-
ing in the eyes of Heaven! Can such sys-
tenn be Christian and the way Of salvationi
| Neveri o, mother, lying out there I saw
plainly what it was An ancient barbarism
put away by Christ, but fastened again by
designing men upon the present. 1t is the
) same, mother; the exclusiveness, the pre-
tension Of being the chosen and special
children Of God, oil other peoples not in ac
cord with US being supposedly hated BY
Him and our rightful prey, the practice Of
plural marriage, female slavery, blood
atonement, tithing, government by prophets
and priests, the laying on of hands, anoint
4. ill h,.x.G IL