Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-12-30
interview consented to my doing
So"
A CHAT WITH A MORMON" WIFE.

interview consented to my doing
So
A CHAT WITH A MORMON" WIFE.
The conversation from that point was
taken part In by Mrs. Smith as well as
her husband She talked well, using cx-
collent language. though utterlng senti-
mentS which will seem strange TO her
sex among my Gentle readers Mrs
Smith is O woman Of about nfty years
OF age, though she does not look over
forty. She Is tall straight and fine
looking. She has rosy cheeks and her
face shows as yet no signs OF being
wrinkled with family troubles |
asked her to tell me what she really
thought Of the custom OF plural mar
riages. She replied:
Il believe that the revelation con-
corning plural marriage was given TO
Joseph Smith by God, and that 1t Is a
divine institution. / have seen much
Of the custom, and have had a practical
experience with IT, Mr. Smith and |
have lived together happily for TWEEN
ty-three years, and have had eleven
childen and geyeral grandchildren
Some wears after We were married my
husband told me he believed II his
duty to take another wife II | would
help him bear the load. | consented
because Il was my duty. We had no
words about IT, He married, and by
his second wife has now had eight
children"
What are the relations Of the two
famllies2'
They are perfectly friendly and
have always been so. The children are
treated Just the same by their father,
and love those OF the other wife all
most es much as my own. They call
me aunt or grandma. and respect me
as much as they do their mother"
The two families are, Of course. sep
arate." said l.
Yes. we have separate establish
ments, but we often go about together,
we visit one another and frequently
go shopping together"
EVERY WOMAN HAS A CHANCE.
do you believe the institution Of
plural marriage is for the best interests
Of society, Mrs. Smith,"
Yes. II enables every woman TO
have husband and preserves III puri-
ty Of both sexes. | think our Nor
mon men are better by far in such
things than those Of the Gentiles, II
my husband is not with me | know
what many Gentle wives do not know"
WAS your father Mormon Mrs.
SMITH"
yes, and he had five wives. | had In
the neighborhood OF thirty-eight broth
ers and sisters. Ii was thlrty-eight or
thirty-nine, / don't remember just
which. The family all lived under one
roof, although each wife and her chill
dren had separate apartment"
How did you get along? ] should
think such a family would be in state
of perpetual discord?" said |.
very well, indeed" was the reply.
There We're differences, Of course.
sometimes, but not more than you will
find In q similar number OF families
living In the same neghborhood."
How about your mother, did she ap-
prove Of it?"
Yes, think she did. She was the
first wife, but she believed II her duty
TO consent to and make sacrifice for
what she thought right, and did so.
She taught her daughters that they
should act similarly when they were
married. think you will find all Of the
older women Of the Mormon" Church
hold 10 this same belief They are true
women and are willing to sacrifice their
own inclinations for the sake of their
religion, BELIEVING that God will make II
up to them In the next world We ex-
pect to have higher place In heaven
In consequence.
What do your younger women think
about it?"
81 don't think they like It. A senti-
ment antagonistic to plural marriage
has grown up among our young people
since It has been prohibited by law,
and this is, think, increasing"
BAPTIZING FOR THE DEAD.
Mrs Smith spoke Of the baptizing for
the dead which is now going on almost
daily In the Temple at Salt Lake. Ac-