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Show ANTI-POLYGAM- 12 Y AT es believe in1 the let alone policy, ?nd are opposed through principle to the agitation of this subject, believing SALT LAKE CITY, KTAll MAY, L. that the system will die out of itself, irif.RO when brought more in contact with Iesnc'l moniliy ty !IB St jLTPniva Compaof the Ladies SodietJ the civilization of the outside world. ny, in the iuteret Utah. of But you who pursue the let alone inTERMS: policy simply because you are too .$1.00 One YeRr, ill hUvii&oe ..i .50 different to the morale of the question Six months.., S3 Three incut . to take any sides in the matter, do. you REMITTANCES: not know that your indifference almost may be made by dra't, money order or registered letter, at onr rink. Give Post Office address in full, iamounts to criminality, and it is one ' including County and State. the i.c ip of the greatest difficulties we encounter considered be The receipt of the paper may for the subscription sent vs. in combatting the evil. If you were and out against us we should know Advertisements inserted at reasonable rates, and should out reach ns on or before the 15th of each month, to insure in- where, to find you, but as it is, while sertion in the snccceeding number. disclaiming any sympathy for that Address all communications to The Standard, P. O. Box 3S5, Salt Lake City, Utah. cause, you are really its champions. Correspondence solicited from women in all parts of the is not only womans Territory, which must have the name of the writer, not We claim that it faith. of a as good guaranty necessarily for publication, but province, but her sacred duty to meddle with and fight against any wrong To the Pastors of Christian Churches : and honor that involves the If this paper should fall into the hands of of her sex. And happiness for the very reason any Minister of the Gospel, will he hindly that Government is lax in performing give it to some energetic lady of his congreits duty, it is so much more necessary gation, and ash her to get up a club for it. Will h please call her attention to the appeal that the women of the country should at the head of the 1st page, addressed to the unite their efforts for the suppression Women of America. Let this subject be hept of the iniquitous system. in agitation until public sentiment shall force And now for the third class, some of the enactment of such measures that will tend whom are ladies of standing and into the total abolition of the other twin relic fluence. We agree with you that the barbarism. of subject is not a very agreeable one to deal with ; we know that its influences WOMINS WORK AMONG WOMEN. are low and debasing, but what evil in the world is there that Christianity Why do you not join the Society? has been inquired sets out to combat, to which the same of several ladies in this city, who have analogy is not applicable? Evils of held aloof and not identified themselves any nature are not generally accomYour panied with high and ennobling inwith the labors of the society. fluences. If the system were all purexample and influence could not fail to be productive of much good, and a ity and sweetness, and productive of question like this admits of no medium only good and happy results, there course, you must be either for the right, would be no necessity for us to try and or against it." fight it. But to assure you that laborIn some cases the answer has been, ing in this cause will neither compromy husband does business with the mise your dignity, nor lower your soMormons, and though we heartily sym- cial position, we will recall to your pathize with your efforts and wish you memory several instances of womans complete success, yet for prudence sake philanthrophical work and especially we do not care to join you openly." In among women. Elizabeth Fry was beautiful, talented other cases the reply is, we are only here temporarily, we came on business and wealthy, and belonged to an arisof our own and not to fight this people, tocratic family. Reared in luxury and we do not believe in polygamy our- refinement, she visited all the jails in selves, but what the Mormons do is Great Britian and France teaching and none of our affairs. If it is unlawful, preaching to the prisoners, male as it is the business of the Government to w male, establishing schools and deal with it and not for private parties, manufactures, and we have never heard of her becoming in the slightest especially ladies to meddle with." Still another class makes answer. It degree contaminated by her proximity is such a low and debasing subject, to crime and criminals. Helen Chalthat we consider that we would be de- mers was a perfect type of lovely wograding ourselves to have anything to manhood in every possible sense, and dowith it. In our estimation polyg- in her midnight mission work she went amy is but another term for the worst into the lowest haunts, sometimes untype of depravity, and we have be- attended, and the most degraded in come so disgusted with the matter, those vile dens never ventured an obthat we do not suffer ourselves even to scene word in her presence. Would think of it. The very word should any one dare insinuate that the white in decent society, for we soul of Helen Chalmers received a think the agitation of the subject ex- stain from her association with those ercises a deleterious influence over our vile characters? Catherine Pcnne-fathe- r own people, and we believe the old ad also directed her labors to the age that a person cannot touch coals very worst outcasts of society, but she without being blackened. made her influence so potent, and reps To the we would say it is resented her cause so well, that she poor sympathy that prevents you from was regarded almost as an angel of recognizing even the existence of the light. Lady Burdett Coulls hajj exsociety. Your excuse may seem valid pended over i 5,000,000 in her model enough to yourselves, but permit us to tenement houses and establishment of ask what state would the world be in if home missions, but before commencing every moral question that affects the operations she personally investigated g of society were made sub- the dwellings and life among the lowservient to the selfish interests of a few est classes in the slums of London, and we an- some of the worst features of that tenepersons. To the second-clas- s swer, there are some people who lion-- . ment life are identical with those of giimdmt, gnli-obci- mi y . , . , i . : i l-- Anti-Polygam- y Anti-Polyga- be-tabooe- first-clas- well-bein- STANDARD. my of polygamy, the crowding .together families in one room, and the consequent depravity of children iSared Has any under such circumstances. one discovered that the. character or position of Lady .Burdett., Coulls has ever been compromised; on the contrary no ktiown woman in this age is so loved and venerated in her own land as well as in other countries. It is womans work that is needed here in this Territory, and no broader field for labor can be found than among the women who are in' the chains of But to be successful the polygamy. workers in this cause. must be inspired by the true spirit of Christian charity, their must be none of that feeling, I am holier than thou, but both workers and those to be labored with, must be brought into an understanding and sympathy, on a basis of their common humanity and womanhood. The harvest is plenteous, must we regret that the laborers are few? ; , THE LATE MORMON CONFERENCE. (We had an editorial written on the above subject which we gladly take out, in order to make room for the following communication from an indignant Mormon lady, one who has never considered herself anything but a good Mormon, and who would resent being termed We care not what an apostate. they call themselves, Mormon, Apostate or Gentile, so long as they appreciate the object of our labors, and are willing to lend us a helping hand. Eds,) Eds. Standard: I attended conference the opening day for the first time in two or three years (though I am a Mormon), and I made up my mind it should be the last time if I lived to be a hundred years old. I listened to the harangue of Erastus Snow on polygamy, and though I have heard much vile talk on the stand, yet this last surpassed in vileness anything I ever heard before. Years ago, I had a slight belief in polygamy as a divine doctrine, but I have seen enough of its workings to feel convinced myself that it cannot be from God, for I believe that a tree is known by its fruits. Of late days, I have sorrowed over the depravity of the youth in this Territory, so many cases of thorough corruptness coming under my own observation, and have wondered at the cause of it. But I wonder at it no longer. The Tabernacle that afternoon contained many hundreds of boys and girls just budding out of childhood, and the language employed by this apostle made me, an old woman, blush to the roots of my gray hair, and tingle with indignation to the very ends of my fingers. In speaking of the people of the world, their sius, the crime of infanticide, etc., which I presume is practiced among fashionable classes to a certain degree, the language he used was unAll at fit to be spoken or written. once the thought oceured to me, why is it that these polygamous propagandists are always trying to contrast polygamy with another evil, as if either one or the other of these systems must perforce exist. I answered myself, because the systems are entirely similar, the only point of difference being that much one is practiced under the cloak of religion, and the other is given its proper status and acknowledged to be a sin. Then again I thought, it is. no we&der that the children raised in such a community should be wicked and depraved, listening to language, under the guise of religiO ous teachings, that would put to blush the most degraded in any Eastern city, hearing the practices of one sect extolled as religion, and the very same system in other places denounced as sin. I tell you, I could scarcely restrain my indignation. When he said that polygamy was a doctrine which respected the desires of a woman to be an honorable wife and mother, and contrasted the morality of the Saints with the wickedness of the worlds people, I wanted to ask him if he did not know that the bishops of certain settlements have been complaining, that a largo per cent of the marriages contracted during the past few years have been done under obligation, because circumstances compelled the brides honor to be vindicated. I wanted to tell him of one little settlement where the bishop is the authority for the statement, that in one year, more than v twenty illegitimate children were born, (outside of polygamy) and not one Gentile in the place! When he charged Eastern ladies with murdering their offspring because of the cares and restraints pertaining to maternity. I wanted to ask him if he did not remember how not very long ago, a daughter of one of our high priests, lost her. e own life in committing that crime. I wanted to tell him I could give him the names of four, polygamous daughters of another man high in authority in the Mormon Church, each of whom has been married several for years, and there is not a living child in either familv. v I will not now offend ears polite in telling why this is, but if I should at some future time, there are fifty people who could bear me out in the truth. I wanted to tell him self-sam- that a female physician who practiced' among what is called the higher class of Mormons is responsible for the statement that among the ladies-whconsulted her many were no better than the class of which he spoke in the East, but to her credit it is to be said that she always refused to be an accessory toanv such crime. These, and other thoughts rushed through my mind: like a whirlwind, and it seemed as if the abominations of the system stood, revealed to me as in an open book.. - I saw that polygamy is responsible for this corruption of our youth,, this lax moral principle, the indecency and shameless practices that, prevail ail over our Territory. As. I left that Tabernacle, shamefully miscalled the house of God, I said to myself, although I am not prepared either to denounce or renounce all the principles of that faith of which I have been an adherent for thirty-fiv- e years, influence I have I will exertin yet-wha- t favor of the cause, and will join heart and hand with the noble ladies who are fighting for the extermination of the aborning ble system. No Apostate. anti-polygam- y |