The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1903-12-05

lhuss nave great difficulty in excit-
ingg It's sensibilities to that degree
q modesty which would enable il
TO experience a moral shock.
think, the real objection to %.
iygamy must be found in political
economy, as defined by Ruskin.
and not in any transient ethical
code o. equivocal religious dogma.
st any rate it is sufficient objection,
sufficiently demonstrated, that the
practice can not be included in, "the
system Of conduct and legislature
which multiplies human life at its
highest standard"
The Mormon people were led into
an unscientifc social practice by an
honest belief that it was Gods de-
sign to re-establish. through them,
His "patriarchal system" Their
faith was as firmly and sincerely
rooted as that of any religious peo-
pie ever was; and, Mr.. Boyd, permit
me to tell you that you can no more
shake that faith by isolated quota
tions about the t'grosser crime"
than | can shake yours by pointing
out verbal inconsistencies in the
Four Gospels. Mormons are not
the only religious people who have
been suddenly confronted by the
fact that their faith did not accord
with the teachings of science; but,
to their credit, let it be said, they
have shown more ready DISPOSE
ton to yield to the hard facts of
science than any other strong reli-
gious body ever did. Have they
abandoned belief in polygany2
Probably not. Why should they?
Besides, belief and disbelief are not
altogether matters of will. Have
Presbyterians abandoned belief in
infant damnation? If so, why So?
If not, why not? 1t takes time to
uproot religious faith, especially
when no more perfect instrument
than hum an legislation is employed
in the process. If Mormons con-
tinue to believe in polygany, will
they continue to practice it? Indi-
viduals may. suspect today there
are good many polyganous fami-
lies in Utah and Idaho and, posi-
bly,, neither you nor I will live to
see the very last of it. But let us
not be disturbed over the possibility
of few surviving cases. If we
shall be able to turn over to poster
ity social order with no greater
canker spot in it than that, we may
be very we'll satisfied with our min
istry. I fear, though, we shall not
succeed half as we'll with the "red
light district as we have with the
"patriarchal order;" and, confden-
TALLY, Brother Boyd, I would rather
entrust the moral keeping of my
children to a community that dig
nifes sexual intercourse by the
forms Of plural marriage, than to a
community which regards prostitu-
ton as legitimate commerce and
| impartially licenses women to offer,
in open market, green groceries or
naked bodies. I have seen both
sides of that picture.
Now, you may want to ask me
how l reconcile Mormon belief III,
and practice of, polygamy with the
manifesto? 1 don't; l don't at
tempt to. The Mormon people
themselves, if what I have stated
on belief and suspicion is true, must
harmonic these things But 1t is
no sign that it cannot be done be-
cause I do not do it. Why, there
are ten thousand human actions
every day that neither you nor
could harmonic with his own pc
culiar system of logic; and, ven
ture to say, it would be impossible
to find a Latter Day Saint who
could reconcile your profession o
friendship for the Mormon people
with your apparent eagerness te
1..1:.o than That kind OF love