Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-01-15
CHINESE WOMEN
A VITAL FORCE
In New Republic, Mrs. Wells
Holds-Continues History
of Mormonism.

Mrs. B. D. Wells, in the third of her
lectures before the Woman's Mission
airy Social union at Broadway Presby-
terrain church yesterday, continued .
with the history Of the Mormons and .
Mormonism. She began yesterday /
with the history dating from their es-
Enlistment of city at Nauvoo, H., .
which was destined, had their plans .
been carried out, TO be a city of great
wealth and magnitude The land was .
owned by Mormons and gentiles were .
attracted to the rich prospects and .
-endeavored TO buy land. When one
came TO the city he was met by a
band of Mormons who logged his foot /
steps, who remained very silent and .
we're supplied with knives and a stick
Of soft pine which they proceeded to !
white and this was kept up till the
newcomer could no longer stand the
whiting and took his departure Here
the practice Of polygamy was more
extensively carried on and was car
ried to the nearby town of Carthage (
The story goes that Smith at this
place approached a woman and pro-
posed a dual marriage, a fact which
aroused the ire of the citizens. A
mob was formed and Smith and his
followers were driven to a camp out
of town, where they established them
selves and to which place they en-
ticed women, stole cattle and horses
and became so bold that their ar
rest was finally accomplished and they
were placed in the Carthage jail.
mob of men surrounded the jail and
Joe Smith was killed by a gun shot
wound. Smith was not a good man
nor great, but he was unusual in that
he succeeded in making a success of
so great fake. Following his death
split resulted because of the fact
that one portion of the people demand
ed that Smiths son be the next ruler,
and the other portion demanded that
Brigham Young lead them Brigham
Young won out and was probably the
first example of the steam roller be-
cause he literally succeeded in shout
/ ing down his opposition. Young was
a good business man and quick to see
the advantages of a deal By this
time the Mormons saw that they could
no longer remain in Illinois, and, after
4 Young had had a vision in which
the Lord commanded the people to
so west and establish a new city, the
trip was begun on foot Great priva-
tons were endured and hundreds of
people died along the way from ex-
posture and lack of nourishment When
/ Salt Lake was reached, the city was
established. after great trials and trib-
ulatiOns for there was no food, no
seed, no tools with which to work the
land and the people were poorly clad.
Just at this time gold was discovered
in the west and there was a great exc
dus to the western states of people
looking for gold Young had been
appointed governor of this province
and he demanded from the people
crossing that country a tax for the
right to cross and for protection, and
ia this way large sums of money
were accumulated.
Young, according to Mrs Wells,
had few good characteristics. He was
prcfane, obscene, crude, cruel, dom
ineering and full of lust. He had 27
wives and 81 children at the time of
his death. Mrs. Wells explained the
cause for the submission OF the won.
en- among the Mormons to the hard
ships that they were compelled TO I'm
dergO, largely due to the fact that
! the mass of them were uneducated,
uncu.tured and into them had been
!, installed the idea that the leading of
such a life meant for them a high
place in the celestial home.
The foreign topic studied yesterday
dealt with the Chinese women. who
/; are the most vital subjects in the rev
olutiOn Of China, and are a force to
be reckOned with. Their study was
taken Up according to periods from the
beginning Of the Chinese empire TO
1900. the change in women dealing
with the time from 1900 to 1900 and
the coming woman from 1900 into the
future Wrong ideas have been held
Of the former women of China and
these Mrs. Wells refuted. They are
modest. lovsble, loved by their families
and there is companionship between