The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-11-04
DEGRADING THE WOMAN.

DEGRADING THE WOMAN.
Not in . spirit of cnmity, but prob |
ably with q desire TO be properly IN
formed in the matter, several Young /
men who adhere to tho Mormon faith |
have disputed a statement heretofore
made by The Tribune. That statement
is To the effect that the pretended rev
clation commanding the practice OF
polygamy fixes tho alternative Of dam
nation upon The woman who shall dis
obey that commandment by failing toi
give her consent 10 observance of the
"principle' by her husband.
1t is somewhat difficult for The Trlb'
unc 10 conceive why ono convcrsant
with that supposed revelation shoHId
dispute this point But the condition
may arise out of The fact which this
paper has long ago discovcred-that
many of the proponents and defend
crs of the Mormon faith arc not prop
crly read in their own doctrines. The
Tribune s only recourse is 10 the Grey
clstion, itself. as that is recorded in
the Doctrine and Covenants. We have
before us . copy of the latest edition
Of that book, printed under titlc-pagc
date of 1908. In section 1872, paragraph
4, page d6i, We find this:
For behold I reveal unto YOU new
aud an everlasting covenant; and II )"
abide not that covenant, then arc yc
DAMNED: for no ONE can reject this
covenant and he permitted To cntcr into
my glory.
So we see that rejection of the doc
trinc of plural marriage brings damna
ton to the disobcdieut one, inasmuch
as ''no onc' (male or female, natural
ly.) is permitted 10 reject it, But we
shall go little further in the same
revelation to discover emphasis of
the point with especial respect 10 the
woman. Paragraph 6l of the same see
ton (see pages 4IS-4) says:
And again. verify. verify I say unto
you, ii any man have wife, who holds
The KEYS of this power. and he teaches
unto her the law of my priesthood, as
pertaining TO these things. then shall she
believe. and administer unto him. or she
shall be destroyed. saith the Lord your
God, Tor | will destroy her.
Now. if destruction by God Almighty
IL Ubl NIlllUdl ION. lu'I TIC -'l'l ulbN
young men to whom we refer had bet
ter abandon their belief in Him, il
is set forth so plainly IN the polygamous
revelation - contained in the Doctrine
and Covenants that the disobcdicnt
woman (spcaking Of the doctrine of
polygamy) shall he damned that it is
n bit surprising that any one of Mormon
training should raise the question, How
ever we Will carry the matter into
very late authoritative Interpretation
of the polygamous commandment, which
sets out IN unmis.akablc terms the fact
that the woman in' the case is left help
essly without discretion in the matter.
but is completely at the mercy of the
man who is minded TO distribute his
conjugal affections and duties indiscrim-
inately. I'm the testimony produced be
fore the Senate Committee on Privileges
and Elections in the Smoot investiga
tion, volume ], page POI, (of date March
4, 190i) is the following;
Senator PcttuS.-Is the language that
YOU have read lmeanins paragraph g..
as given aboveJ construed TO mean that
she is bound TO consent?
Joseph T.. Snith.-The condition is that
IL she does not consent the Lord VIII
destroy her. bat / do not know how lie
senator Bailcy.--Is it not true that in
the very next verse. II she refuses her
consent her husband is exempt from the
law which requires nor consent?
Joseph +. Smith.-Yes: he is exempt
from The law which requires her consent.
Senator Bailcy.--She is commanded TO
consent. but IL she does not then he is
from tho IrOllrpnpnf'
Joseph f. Smiih.-Thcn he is al lib
erty TO proceed without her consent. un-
der the law.
Senator Beveridgc In other words,
! her consent amounts TO nothing?
Joseph F. Smith.-It amounts to noth-
! ing but her consent.
! there is anything in there concerning her
consent, It might as well not be there.
The proposition is so unusual, in fact
so prepostcrous, that three United States
Senators joined in the examination upon
this point no doubt wondering that
such rank injustice could he advocated
! by civilized beings as divine priu-
ciplc Of diviuey established religion.
The thing is so outrageous that our
Young Mormon friends may he forgiven
for disputing The Tribune 5 presentation
i'm the matter But there are the sup.
posed commandment of the Almighty
and the prophetic Interpretation of
thai commandments Neither The Trib-
uuc nor our voung Mormon friends can
90 behind these, They speak for them
selves in the plaiuest possible Ian
guagc
THE OPPOSITION LIARS.