The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1904-04-02
THE CELESTIAL Marriages
MoRMANS PRACTICE PoLYGAMY
Ola Practices sim EXist- Undispated case
OF Plural Marriage -Live Like Patr'-
arehs Of old Temple Wedding Cere-
monies.


the law of the priesthood II any
man espouse a virgin and desire TO
espouse another, and the first give
her consent; and il he espouse the
second, and they are virgins and have
ayOwed to no other man, then Is ne
justified: he cannot commit adultery
with that that belongeth unto him
and to no one else.
"62-Aud if he have 10 virgins
given unto him by the law he can not
commit adultery, for they belong to
him and they are given unto him.
therefore, he is justified. "
From The Doctrine and Coven-
ants"
To people of other Christian de-
nominations the marriage customs OF
the Latter Day Saints form the strang-
est part Of a strange faith. The
doctrine of a plurality Of wives, so
much like the Mohammedan system,
the varied and complicated forms OF
"sealings," and the supposed effect
Of much marrying on the future
spiritual status Of the married these
essential portions of the Mormon
creed are full of absorbing interest to
the student Of comparative religion,
as we'll as to the merely curious.
The church as an organization
claims to have abandoned the solemn
izing Of pluarl marriages since a
president of the church, MILFORD
Woodruff, ISSUED manifesto calling
on the Mormons to obey the law and
abstain from the old custom. But
the old practice still prevails, though
admittedly to a somewhat lessened
extent. Joseph F. Smith, the present
head Of the church, who is regarded
as q legitimate successor Of the pro
phet," lives openly with five wives
in Salt Lake city. Two-thirds of the
IL apostles set similar examples. Nc
high officer Of the church. and but d
handful of the rank and file OF
Mormons, will acknowledge even now
that the doctrine of polygamy Is not
a direct revelation from God, and III
practice therefore justifable. Poly
gamy was allowed to the prophets o.
old, and was revealed in modern times
to Joseph Smith as the law Of God,
they will tell you.
The Mormons, or the leaders Of tbs
Mormons, now allege that plura-
marriages are not performed with tbs
sanction or authority Of the church
They maintain, however. that il
living with their plural wives, pre-
viously acquired, they are obeyinl
the dictates of conscience.
81 will continue to live with my
wives and take chances with the law, y
said President Smith.
This declaration voiced the seuti.
ment Of the great majority Of the
Mormon chiefs followers. Whatever
difference Of opinion there may be as
to the desiraDility of practicing poly
gamy in these days, there is a unani
nous belief that the plural wives
already existing should not be
deserted.
But plural marriages have been per
formed since the Woodruff manifesto,
and are still being performed Evi-
dence Of 20 or more such marriages
has been obtained Data Of this
nature Is not easily procurable, how
ever, owing TO the intense secrecy that
shadows all the mysterious marriage
rites Of the Mormon church. This
was illustrated in the case of one Of
the quorum Of the IL apostles, George
Teasdale. This old man, who had
been numerously married during his
three score and 10 years, resolved to
take unto himself a bride of % in
the person Of a pretty school teacher,
by name, Marian Scholss, who had
recently come from England It was
several years after President Woodruff
had Issued his famous manifesto. For
one Of the governing body Of the
Mormon church deliberately to violate
the law by taking plural wife at this
time would not look we'll in the
public eye. And so the wedding was
kept a profound secret. Miss SchoIes
was installed in the house of the
apostle, ostsnsibly a. governsss for
some Of the motherless children OF
the Mormon leader. A year later she
died. Heart failure was given "a
the cause Of death, but the facts soon
developed. Another son had been
born to the apostle Then the fact of
the secret marriage came 10 light. |
The young mother was buried with
the honors beHtting the wife Of
high priest Of the Mormon church
At the funeral we're present several
Of the leaders Of the church, inclnd-
ing President Joseph F. Smith. At
the grayeside announcement vas made
that the dead woman was the wife NJ
Apostle Teasdale, and this fact il
duly inscribed on her Tombstone,
When this incident occured ApogtI.