The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-02-17
No LINT On WIVES
Mormons ignore the Laws,
Just as They Always Have.
SECRETS OF THE TEMPLE
How Mormon Women are
Buncoed Into ACquieScence.

ham II. Roberts to Congress, the stonine
of Mormon missionaries in Kansas and tbs
activities of missionaries in this country
and in Europe have again attracted uni
| versaI attention TO the Latter Day Saints
Everywhere women are holding meetings
protesting against the seating of Roberts
because he is known to have three wives
whom he married before the Territory OF
Utah was made a state. Legislatures have
passed condemnatory resolutions. There
is no question that a determined effort
viii be made to keep Roberts out of Con-
| gress.
These things have caused millions of peo-
| pie to make inquiry about Mormonism as
| q is today, butLwith reference to one fea-
ture of it only-that feature which has
caused more TO be written about it than
| any modern sect-polygamy.
strange and wonderful people are
| these Mormons. They are recruited from
| the nations of the earth, speaking different
| languages, having antagonistic heredites,
yet the fanaticism of religion has welded
| them into a homogeneous whole.
Since 1890, when the proclamation pro-
hbiting polygamy was made and the Fed
eral Government employed drastic mea-
sures to blot out the curse, resulted in a
formal decree by the Mormon officials that
it was prohibited, it has been taken
for granted that the practice was dis
continued. As a result there was little
agitation.
AS a matter of sober and demonstrativ
fact, polygamy was not discontinued. 1t is
in, Toda r. i n Cd baf
nearly all the high officials in the Mormon
Church are now living in polygamy. The
World herewith prints a list of no less than
thirty with the number of wiv es.
Strangers who wander through the older
parts of Salt Lake City are struck by the
number of long-low dwelling houses each
having more than one entrance, usually
having as many as four, frequently six
or eight and occasionally a dozen.
Nearly all of these houses are built Of
sun-dried brick called adobe, with ehng-
led roofs. Usually they are one story
high.
They are known as the polygamous
houses.
In former days they were the homes of
the leading Mormons, frequently of the
Bishops Of the wards or others holding
high places. Each wife had her own
apartments, completely separated from the
others and with distinct street entrance,
so that she was not compelled to hold any
communication with the others unless she
was 50 disposed.
When a man took a wife he added an
addition to his home fro her accommodation
and it was therefor easy to determine how
many wives he had by the number of en-
| frances. A man had as many wives as
he could support often more, because
| they increased his standing in the Church.
When the United States government
warred upon polygarny in good earnest and
sent many Mormans 20 Jail for practising
il, the polygamous houses, were of course,
abandoned or put to some other use.
But the wives were not abandoned. They
We're scattered about the city, and it is
very seldom now, except among the very
poor classes. that more than one wife is
found under the same roof
The rich polygamist provides each Of his
wives with her own home, visiting her
periodically and very quietly. He lives
with his legal wife in what Is publicly
! known ais his home. The others hold their
homes in their own names.
The theory was and is, for that matter.
that a man is required to treat his wives
! with strict impartiality, and he IS not per-
mitted to take additional wives without
! the consent of those he already has. Ma
/ turally every husband has his favorite
wife upon whom he hestows the ma
! jOr part of his attention and income This
! provision about consent sounds Well AS
! matter Of fact il was wrung from the
wife or wives already married by force.
| if she or they didn't happen to be agree
! able In the first place it should he borne
in mind that ever since 1913 the adherents
/ Of Mormonism have been taught that po-
lygamy is a divine institution. It became
a fundamental part of the religious belief
/ of a people who are fanatics. The woman
felt that it was her duty to sacrifice her
/ personal feelings, and that by so doing
she would win a higher place in Paradise.
/ If she was not amenable to these ar
guments and refused 10 allow her hus-
/ band 10 take a younger and prettier woman
/ a sa second wife he st about breaking
her refractory spirit with the aid of the
! officials. In the old days he would deny
his wife mis- society. cut off her income and
otherwise harass her 80 that she usually
gave her consent It used to be a theory
that 3 husband passed a week with each
wife
In years gone by IL was the custom for
the patriarchs 10 walk forth 10 church on
sunday with all their wives in their train.
one Of the most familiar sights in the
city was that of Brigham Young, Orson
Pratt and others leading their procession
Of wives. numbering from six to a dozen
and sometimes more. Occasionally jeal-
ousy would assert itself even in public
places.
/ The greatest suffering from polygamy
was shown plainly among the poorer Nor
mons. It is one Of the laws that a man
/ may not take another wife until il is show
4 that he Is able 10 support her. I, can
/ readily he understood that this was a very
! elastic provision that might be stretched
almost At viii. Furthermore II very often
/ happened that a man took several wives
when he was prosperous and then lost his
money.
Even today in the small towns through
nut the state. where isolation protects the
/ Normons from legal interference. II e. not
/ infreauent Tor a man % live in a small
mean house with two or three wives and
a multitude of children.
BUt there was great deal OF misery in
/ high places The most revolving practises
/ grew up one was the sealing of women.
I This Vas Of Two kinds. \ man could seal
a woman whom he hoped some day
I 10 marry. and IN the mean time there
were no obstacles in his way. Originally
this sealing vas NOT for an earthly rela-
aonshiP. but for one IN heaven, is being
belieN ed that in the future world al h.
wives and those TO whom he was sealed