The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-01-17
PROFANING THE DEAD.

A few days since The Tribune point
ed out the methods by which the HE
rarchy continue to teach polygamy In
Utah and In all the congregations OF
their people in surrounding States and
Territories There was cited an In
stance where one of the apostles was
speaking at the funeral Of one OF the
devoted women of the Mormon church
who had been plural wife, Not con-
tent with pronouncing her salnted one
and surely the conservation Of her life
to suffering in the belief that God de-
manded 1t from her entitled her to this
much of praiSe-he extended his re-
marks to an urgent eXhortation TO the
young people, within the sound of his
voice" TO yield not one jot or little
Of their faith In the holy ordinances OF
the temple" essentially meaning polyg-
amy without a doubt and as understood
by all the people OF his church who
were present
There comes from Provo another case
OF this kind of teaching, and on a SINH
lar occasion on Sunday last Joseph
+. Smith made spectacular entrance
into a meeting house. where funeral SER
vices were being held over departed
wife and mother In Israel. at the mo-
ment when one Josiah Hickman was
speaking on the subject OF plural mar
rIage, and Hickman directed the atten-
ton of the congregation to the man
of courage" When Smith spoke he
naturally followed In the same strain.
The Tribune Will not criticise nor de-
tract from the tributes OF appreciation
which are paid to the dead who lived
their lives OF sacrifice and devotion-no
matter how mistaken they may have
been: and any proper utterances on
such an occasion, we place beyond the
domain of public or private criticism.
Observers know that the Mormon wo-
men who entered into plural marriage
previous to the manifesto-almost with
out eXceptlon-took upon themselves It's
frightful burden In the belief that God
had issued His command. and that
they were bound to obey. though they
crucifed themselves For such there
tdn DG Dul hliuiS Nipubhl '''
gentle word. whether living or dead
Sometime and somewhere they viii
know to what extent their self-immola-
tlon was required of God. IL at all, and
to what extent Ii was demanded and
secured by the cruelty and hypocrisy
Of man.
But for the men who seize the oppor-
tunity presented at the funeral of one
of these martyrs. to teach directly or
indirectly the sarctity or the propriety
of present day polygamy, there should
be condemnation unstlntcd by the pub
lie and there should be some way OF
reaching them by law. Because these
speakers continue themselves 10 live In
defiance of statutes human and divine
there Is no reason why they should be
permitted to flaunt their evil teachings
over the collins of women who have en-
dured sufferings in this life and have
gone to meet the eternal Judgment.
1t Is blasphemy toward God it Is
treason toward the law, it Is profana-
ton of the dead.
The men who teach plural marriage
today, directly or indirectly. are cast
ing all aspersion upon the motives
which prompted good women to enter
into that relation previous to the man
ifesto The men who practice 1t today
and who teach il indicate by their lives
and words that polygamy never was
instituted because OF any revelation
from heaven. but was u map-made In
stitution-to be imposed upon woman
kind In the bl2sphemed name of God so
long as that was possible. and still to
be practiced by selfish men to the In
jury Of womanklnd after a revelation
from God had decreed that the end OF
polygamy had come.
III