The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-12-20

,nestic bliss. Not SO in Mormon ter
r!tory. The whole experience takes
different complexion. If the woman
is the man first wife she is compara-
lively happy, but a black cloud hangs
over her nevertheless. Another wo-
man may at any time intrude and gain
the affection Of her husband
IF the second is more attractive than
the first, then the first suffers neglect
When the number gets to be six or
seven. with an equal number of estab
lishments to maintain, there is either
domestic despair or pandemonium, and
painful rivalry as to which can cap
ture the mau and obtain from him the
largest gifts. AS to home life, we'll,
there can Re no home life to man
who has six families. He fits from
one to the other and leaves jealousy
and bitterness in all.
The level on which these things ex-
ist is shown by the remark of young
girl the other day. Pointing to the
residence of plural wife who seemed
to be we'll provided for, she said II
would rather be the third wife of that
man and have horse and carriage
than the only wife of a poor man
who would make me do the house
work. y
That is the commercial view Of mar
riage, but where is the glory Of it, the
sanctity of it, the happiness Of it?
The marriage certificate is nothing
more than the legal document which
compels man to support mistress,
and to issue such certificate as this
in the name of religion is pure bias
phemy.
There is not woman on the face Of
the earth whom I pity as I do plural
wife. I mean, of course, woman
wLo submits to the indignity Of the
relation from religious principle. She
has to tear herself all to pieces before
she can pield to it.. Being woman
she Graves all the love her husband
can give, but it is denied her by the
Lord. She accepts her fate as she
would any other affliction with what
measure Of resignation she can COM
command, gives her affection to her
children, educates chem as best she
may, sighs her way through life and
eagerly looks forward for some reward
in another world which shall sufficient
ly repay her for her awful sacrifice. l
have had several interviews with cul
tivated Mormon plurals, and l did not
leave them without feeling that wo-
man can do anything, however horri-
BILE it may be, at the the call of what she
deems her duty.
One woman said to me: II don t ac
cept plural marriage. A great many,
the majority Of Mormons do not. l
suppose I am not exalted as [ should
be. can't be good enough for that
I don't believe there is house, not
even q to IN, large enough to hold the
two wives of one man..
"How: then, does it come about?'
asked.
"Well, if child is brought up that
way, lives in that atmosphere, she
naturally thinks Of nothing else. If
there is certain moral standard in
the community, you measure yourself
by that standard. If your elder or
bishop tells you that something is
right; if it is preached, as require.
inert of God from the pulpit, why,
whom can you trust if not your spirit
ual adviser? And yet IN spite OF all
that three -fourths of the Mormon wo
men refuse to be second or third wives.
The younger generation vehemently
repudiates polygamy.
When chatting with another, Isaid:
'sCan several wives behappy under the
same roof?''
II have known of cases, she an
swered. was intimate in the family
of Brigham Young when | was in my
teens, and happier family | never
saw. There was never any pickering
there. But then he was most
remarkable man, and any woman
would be glad to own tenth part of
him.
eyes, but as a general thing?' |
suggested.
She threw up her hands. "Well,
you have perhaps noticed that the
different wives live in different hous
es. Each has an establishment of her
own. It works better in that way. 1t
is a law of nature that women don't
like to share their husbands with 9th