The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-03-14
THE IDAHO SCIMITAR.

moral sensbility makes it possible for him to re
gard religious questions at least more i'm
portant than the claims made for confessedly
"sordid, narrow minded materia1istic" magazine
Thus he can class all of these together and write
frivolously of the result; but his testimony is ser
ously vitiated in either case.
Was it in any degree brilliant on the part of Mr.
Hubbard to compare what Mormons claim to regard
as their best acts (poygamy being represented by
them as being meritorious as to be the condition
of the highest exaltation in heaven) with those
practices elsewhere which freely admitted by all
to be dsreputable, and then take the trouble of
drawing the conclusion that the former is at least
better than the latter? We grant that polyga-
my is better than some of the other forms of licer-
tiousness to which he REFERS but we do not thereby
necessarily lift either of the practices out of the
miry clay of uncleanliness to which natural instinct
and the laws of civilized governments consign them
That Mr., Hubbard did not intend to lift po1ygamy
out of the mire of disrepute is indicated by part
of the following: "Men married to plural wives may
stand by them Che seems to have forgotten or not
to have known that they had promised to do exactly
the opposite far regards living with them (see
Smoot investigation, Vol I, pages 10 and 21), but
plural marriages are discountenanced by church.
state, society-and nature in her present condition"
1t he admits that polygamy is contrary to nature
and this seems to be his meaning he goes a long
distance towards conceding the whole question of
the improperly of toerating poygamy in any of its
forms. This witness is evidently not bright enough
to know on which side of this question he really
stands therefore his testimony is practically value
less.
Mr.. Hubbard probably would not have referred
to the of Solomon as an endorsement of the
practice of polygamy had he known of the teachings
in Deuteronomy xviii II, that the tendency of "mu1-
tip1ying wives" instead of insuring the highest
exatation in heaven under any circumstances, is to
turn away the heart from righteousness Then, too
Solomons experience is given in this respect in
[ Kings XII, a. with the added factor of hayward
influence represented by the fact that many of his
wives were idolators. What an example of making
a philosophical examination of the claims of Nor
monism, with the facts (such as Judge Goodwn-to
whom he refers-might have given him) left out
His selfsuffciency naturally not equal to the
quirements
A really we'll posted man, such you, Mr. Editor,
would have us believe what was permitted (never
in Old Testament times, but what are
The facts regarding the present status of poygamy
IN the New Testament dispensation? 1t is not very
important, comparatively, that we know what were
he laws of country hundred years ago, but
t is exceedingly important that we know what they
ire at present 1t can never be shown that even
he liberation of the practice of poygamy is fea-
ure of the New Testament dispensation, to say
lothing of the Mormon representations that it is
nertorous and that the first wife will be DESTROYED
Who does not allow it Doctrine and Covenants
ection 1872 9495).
When praisng Brigham Young, Mr.. Hubbard says,
He was an engineer, and the first in America
0 put irrigation on scientific basis" Poor man!
low he must have been crammed by Mormon
gents! The encyclopedias tell us that irrigation