Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-03-30
aoRMoN FAITH AnovE THE Law
CONTINUED from page ono.j

ANOnl VakG VHCsl
to the words celestial and 'patrlar-
char than to the words bigamy and
polygamy, and indeed, we have been
unable to learn where any member
OF the convention ever offered to de-
fine either of these terms as meaning
anything other than bigamy or poly
gamy--no stress seems to have been
laid upon them.
SO, far as we are able to ascer-
tain, section appears to have been
adopted by the convention without
debate. and whatever discussion or
debate took place in the convention
on this subject must have occurred
over the adoption OF section of ar
ticle 6, or concerning the declRra-
ton OF rights, or both. The consen-
sus of opinion seems to have been
that the convention would strike
down polygamy, and that since the
Mormon church taught these prac-
tices, the incidental result would be
10 strike at that organization and de-
prive its members and adherents of
the elective franchise. The conven-
ton seems to have thought that since
the church taught a specific and PEE
cullar doctrine with reference to 'ce-
lestial and patriarchal marriage that
In the event OF prosecution they
might disclaim the doctrines of big
amy and polygamy and yet justify
substantially the same teachings and
practices under the church names OF
celestial and 'patriarchal'
In this connection 1t is interest
ing to know Just what the church OF
Latter-Day Saints taught and bellev-
cd in 1889 and prior thereto with
reference to the marital relation and
particularly TO celestial and patrIar-
chal marriage For this latter pur-
pose we have consulted the opinion
IN Hilton W.. Roylance very freely
for the reason that II gives more in
formation and reference on this spe-
ciflc subject than anything else we
have found. We presume the SUI
preme court Of Utah. from which that
opinion comes, Is and has been in a
better position to know the tenets
and doctrines OF the Mormon church
and the meanings of these terms as
then used by that organization than
any other court OF judicial body In
the land"
Following this the courts decision
quotes at length from various utter
ances of the ofiieials OF the Mormon
church aud Of It's books. In regard
to the marriage relation and especial
" as to the meaning OF celestial or
patriarehal marriage. This tenet OF
the Mormon faith might be summed
up In the quotation by the court Of a
portion OF speech made by Presl-
dent wilford Woodruff OF the Nor
mon church in 1883. IN which he
said:
SO ] say to our friends here--the
strangers within our gates-that any
man that marrles a wife by any au-
thority other than the authority OF
the holy priesthood Is simply mar
ried for time. or until death do you
part, When YOU so into the spirit
world you have no claim on your
wife and children. The ordinance
Of having them sealed to you by one
having authority of the holy priest
hood must he attended to In this
world. Father Abraham obeyed the
law of the patriarehal order OF mar
riage. His views were sealed to him
and ali eternity. and so were the
wives OF all the patriarchs and
prophets that obeyed the law"
After quoting several other church
authorities and from the Articles of
Faith the decision goes ON TO say.
From the foregoing II seems clear
that the church looked upon and re-
garded marriages celebrated and sol
emnized by mere civil authority and
with only the sanction of law as mar
rlages Of time only, while marriages
s0lemnlzed by duly constituted
church authority, or as they put Il,
by the holy and eternal priesthood
or the saints. was termed and deaig-
nated by them as a celestial or pa
triarohat marriage. binding not only
during this life. but throughout the
life TO come.
1T viii also be seen at once from
these quotations aud citations that at
the time OF the constitutional con-
yentlon the church recognized the
two kinds OF marriages one for time
only, or, In other words, for this life
only; ana the other for both time
mnA a. - g.. A. Naa. -