Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-06-08

r1l,or OF the Deseret News
nn,4rg the last three months, ] have
-.,yod several scores Of letters bear
''e' ,,nor what is generally referred to
lls .g,h" Mormon Question The sub
~ ,,s into which these cominunte0-
diVls'V nav be grouped, according 10
tio'i' hnrscter OF their contents and
lhe nov he inferred from the points
Wn% which their writer's have chal-
upoa me- which IN turn may be IN
Sicated briefly as follows
uow can / reconcile myself 10 as
,oe,stlon with "MormonsY
Wg,ot effect do / think the pres
s. Of "Mormon' associations IN the
Na,ional Council Of Women must have
no.. Nasr' ne character of the council as
whole ...uhut.,, o.,
,ha dsgeneracy of current opinion ana
r,cfise I'm respect to marriage
Arc the women of Indiana more
,odtnereut 10 domestic purity than Wo-
n,sr ~ the rest OF the country
no the women OF the National
Co,,rcu realize that Christian women
lii he Obliged to withdraw from II,
y i'AIormons" remain within It?
An of these questions imply that my
,.,,.ssnondents confuse "Mormonism'
with poygamY and treat the former
as if the latter were an essential ~
Ssed an Indispensable element OF IT,
This has never been, nor ~ yet my
odnIon. ! have believed that plural
marriage bears the same relation to
'Mormonim' I'm the present era, that
me system Of concubinage bore To mar
dage IN the time Of the patrlarchs was
due 10 two causes; TO that hardness
N heart" which our Father. God seems
alwaly 10 have taken into account IN
dealing with His children; and to COM
temporary economic and sociological
conditions. AS the evolutionary pro-
cess bore the Hebrews into Il finer
civilization and "a higher spiritual de-
yelopment, plural marriage fell ma
tnraly away, until for many hundreds
Of years, no one has thought OF ASSOC
cisting plural marriage with the He
brsw faith. ! have believed that plural
marriage 10 Brigham Young ana his
followers isolated FIRST by persecution
which drove them into a deseret, and
second By their sef-assumed task NJ
transforming that desert into a gardenl
was due to the same causes and would
by reason of corresponding influences
IN No same manner falI away from
"slo ur
MISUNDERSTANDING the disclosures made
IA. osaers of tho I.ntter-dav Saints be-
f6,a tbe Conpressional commission an.
nolnted ,o Institute inoulrv INTO present
rnnditions beiieye nm Mural mar
,,sca altbougb horn oroven ana con.
i.ssed m he Ain evlstinp exists NOW as
,bs evraption and moi ms tbe rille and
Ma, tho summon, of Il nv mcnbars Of
ma Mormon Cburrh Is rather mat
MA ~ .o,r,port urbicb peonle are cont
bs,ousa If fop,uy pride or sect lovnltv
IN give IN vbatover thoir fathers have
done thap IN any gonuino annroval az
i6e proctlse under prpaont conditinns
To Inc grst ouery of NV corresnond-
ents would roplv that have never. fo,,
a mop,en. geerei tbnt tbo r,,u,bersbt,
Of Mormon women even of lnrge os-
Of oNformon" yvop,en In Tho
National Council az tho Tfritnd gtatoa
would have any deterioratinq offect nm
on the character Of fha council
/ have always believed and stu no.
lleye thai the hest wav Of corractine
q false doctrine is nv bringing a. into
immediate contact WITH Tho tyuo doc-
trlne 10 which II is onnosed and thot
the most direct motbod ~ oybthittns,
the ealtness m, tho sinfuinos, ,rhn,a,t
In anv theory or lr an, nrsc,,sa 4, AZ
bring Il faoo to face win its entitbesis
For example. 7 have aiwavs f feit ~,
efgort would ho ,,,,ch ,, o
effectively carried for,va "a bv hrinoine
people whom ,ye vlsb 70 convor1 ~
faith ana Cbristian nrae,tse
into a country yhero s"ch r,aoi,s 80 rs
'alth prevail than hv am, otbor No. "a
This Statement sppgests No r,o,I,,o,
md line OF reasoning under wbose i'm
pulse became the advocate Of ",ior-
non" women. when NOV nroeanta3
themselves FOR membersbIn IN nreanisa
ions chiefly cornnaed ~ gar.,ia,'
The first tina tbnt was cnnero,,od
eth tho necessity FOR n docision',, O','tu
SSl, When / was tba chairmon AZ ,hn
'Yecutlye committee ~ ~ 10y Ma a. NY
Nomap's Sure W. Natlonal
'ates from tho Ttab svcrogo '', o.snot -
Ion came To Wasbineton anS ,,omo, .',,
heir credentlale rbci. "i'u p,Va'lltru
ormed m ovarv nart v''t,''lolS Uoil-
ional requirements. and copfes o,'I' w., W..
stonished 10 learn II ,,u so COMES was
client women foi, ,hna NJ, son"c Ne,E OK.
~ admitted N tbo e,,e.e,, 10y enu9lu not
q IN. 49, a. Wv 'A'NuliNc Sessions or