Show MORMONS IN UTAH delegate J T caine interviewed in washington HE TALKS OX THE SUBJECT OF CELESTIAL MARRIAGE and also of the organization of the mormon church june 28 mr john T caine the mormon delegate from utah is a monogamist in practice if not in theory lie has but one wife and mrs caine is a handsome dark eyed lady of about 35 or 40 years of age she lives here at the capitol with her husband during the congressional sessions and though she does not care much for the society of alie american capital she is a woman of culture and accomplishments she is a relative of florence nightingale and an enthusiastic mormon 1 with mr caine last night about mormon women tie said the mormon women are in the true sense of the vord helpmates help mates they have an exalted idea af the and responsible obligations of wifehood and motherhood anis is a result of the belief that marriage is for ity the solemnities which attend a mormon the teachings of the church tho of mothers all tend tu develop the true biblical idea of the marriage slate the true mormon woman considers herself an integral part of the community and is inspired with an earnest purpose to fulfill her destiny in this lii e ana is sustained and cheered by the unwavering belief that in the life to come her reward will correspond to the part she has sustained in the preparatory state of existence the condition of mormon women continued mr caine has been systematically ati cally misrepresented prom the founding of the morman church the spirituality of women which is so largely developed has contributed in a marked degree to the growth and spread of the gospel as revealed to the latter day saints the constancy the heroism the self sacrificing self abnegating characteristics of the good and nohle woman have in no age and among no people been more conspicuously displayed regard for a moment what they have had to endure il has not been mere privations incident to expulsions from one settlement to another culminating in the unparalleled pilgrimage from abo banks of the mississippi to salt lake valley and the dreadful dread tul experiences perien ces of the first years in that desert region above and beyond all all mere physical dis comforts and sufferings there rested alie weight of the worlds reproaches pro aches the sneers the contumely the pointing of alie linger of scorn and during all the years from the days of the saints sojourning sojo at kirtland 0 how maby instances have there been of women foi baking their church disavowing their belief in the gospel revealed to joseph smith of complaining of their lot of seeking to escape thu slavery they have been represented to be living in but said I 1 were they not and are not the mormon women of today to day than average american women 1 I think not replied sir caine our women ever since the daya when joseph smith began to preach the new and wonderful things which had been revealed to him haye been of the best stock of new england new york pennsylvania and the western deserve 01 ohio they were just as intelligent just as refined juat as well educated aa hiie average wives mothers and daughters of the faria erg of western ew york eastern and western pennsylvania ot vermont massachusetts connecticut new hampshire and of northeastern ohio it is said that a majority of the mor mons are foreigners that is altogether false there is a mailer percentage of aliens among them than is to be found in the population of many states and territories we have as good a school system as any territory can boast are fewer cormons mormons who cannot read and write than among the people of many northern abates the percentage of illiteracy in utah is precisely that of the state of connecticut how about comans womans rights in utah cormons mormons were among the first replied mr caine to dignify womankind with the right of suffrage under alie laws of the territory women can hold real as well as personal property in own right sell and convey the same and engage in any kind of business independent of their husbands there is not a settlement in utah which has not a young ladies mutual improvement so ciet bome of the ablest exi ponente of atie rights of women are mormon wives and mothers the comans womans exponent edited and published by mormon women is a bright and able wo mana journal how do alie mormon women regard the anti polygamy movement the majority of our women like the great majority of mormon men have never been in polygamy they believe us all cormons mormons do that the revelation to joseph smith concerning celestial marriage came direct from god and that in certain cases and under certain circumstances plurality of wives wab permissive the nature of woman is the same the world over only religious convictions of an overwhelming character can constrain adv good woman t have her husbands affections shared by another but that conviction of religious duty and aalf sacrifice will enable a woman to curb her feelings and endure unselfishly and even with so great a trial there can be no doubt some of the best the purest the noblest women eliat ever lived have been mormon plural wives Is celestial marriage and plural marriage ono and the same tiling 1 asked certainly not celestial marriage L simply our marriage ceremony and those who act according to it are bound to each other for ail eternity plurad marriages are always celebrated according to the celestial rite but celestial marriages are not necessarily plural marriages are marriage among cormons mormons Mor mons for and not for but all good cormons mormons should be married for eternity as well as for time what mr caine said I 1 is the general effect of the mormon religion in making good citizens well you can book at alie facts wac the reply it Is forty one years ahe cormons mormons pitched their tents where the city of salt bakri now stands you know the history of their expulsion frum nauvoo and the etory of their pioneer band crossing the mississippi river on aliu ice and the main body in within two years more than people made a journey of 2 miles from illinois iowa and missouri to the valley of alie great salt lake they had to sustain themselves en route to grow their corn and wheat to brind their meal and sour to provide their meat to shear their spin the yarn and weave the cloth for raiment they had to deal with savage indians abil while doieg all this thy th y contributed of the flower of their manhood to help fight the battles of their country against tho mexicans there ie not in all the annals of the human race another euch example of a great boda of people co and successfully performing buch an undertaking their religion alone enabled them to oo 00 it the founding of their communities in the deport region of great salt lake and the redemption of these sterile goold net ban but for the mormon religion prom 10 who gathered in utah from the banks of the mississippi the mormon people in the antei mountain region have grow n to souls they ha c colonized sterile and inhospitable regions ninety baer cent of the ft hole cumber ire land owneta the title being vested in each individual and biot in the church or community as commonly supposed there is not a settlement vv ith mt a school hoube alie of the people is the remark of every stranger who maits a mormon community the absence ot alms houses and ot haupers paupers pau pers of rum shops and of gambling hella la always doted and commented upon 1 ell me something about our missionaries sion aries ro enable yon to understand oui missionary system eaid mr came 1 I must premise that in utah we have ecclesiastical divisions of the territory ahto and vv ards each stake hab a president and tuo a areat eror leaa number ot by a bishop and two counselors a A sach senn anguil of the hole tle arc ot the the names jt men residing within their aiho are aai aDle as missionaries irom those ho a e so aa to be able to go and preach alie capel they are buch as are considered to ue tor the aorl ho are milling to go and are able to provide for their lau u married marr ned or ho can be spared by their parents if unmarried or ho are without bamily it is entirely a v voluntary olun tary ice chose ho are able to do to bear their on traveling expenses hile others hae traveling expenses paid to their missionary nelda by olun lAry contribution 1 irom their ilenda nud neighbors neigh bora all support themselves kunle on mis anty jiniv about tithing Is the law compulsory Jot atall atone time when the church was established m missouri there was a law oi tithing one tenth 01 the increase and income being an obligation to contribute to the lord but tuning is now simply a voluntary obligation and the conscience of the contributor tri butor is the only guide to hia giving what is the total membership of the mormon church and where does the greatest success attend the labors of your missionaries the total membership will probably bot exceed half a million our mission adriea of course have met with atie greatest success in the united estates ahey are still laboring in almost every state and territory in england wales i scotland ireland denmark sweden switzerland and germany there is a beeady gr ath of the church we have missions in australia new zealand and the islands the spread of the gospel among the laoris maoris of new zealand and the sandwich islands has been very marked and the corresponding improvement of those people has been acknowledged by every oue familiar with the work of our missionaries our colonies in mexico and in british columbia are flourishing the influence of our missionaries among the indians on this continent has always been for good and the prevention of more anan one bloody war has been due to our people it is the peculiar mis sion of our church to convert tho indians alio we believe are the decoud ants of an ancient civilized people who possessed the christian fath on this continent as recorded in the book of mormon tell me something of mr woodruff alie acting head ri r i the church wilford woodruff as president of the twelve apostles became tho executive head of alie charch on iho death of president john toy lor he was born alarca 1 1807 in tho town of avon hartford county conn and is in hia eighty second year becomes He comes of good old fashioned puritan stock and for more alian half a century has been an active untiring and marvelously worker in the church he was baptized in 1833 and soon after became an intimate companion of the prophet joseph from eliat lime he began to journalize events transpiring within hia knowledge recording them by a system of shorthand invented by him seii A great part of his life has been devoted to missionary work and his success was remarkable during seven months in herefordshire Hereford shire Gloucester shire and worcestershire england he and his fellow laborers convened and baptized more than 1800 pen ons including some j preachers of various denominations he was one of the pioneer band that led the exodus from nauvoo ills to halt lake valley and has been one of the foremost men in the founding and building of utah all his life lie lias been active tireless in church work and at the same time an industrious hard farmer although in the year of his life he possesses a clear and robust intellect and displays remarkably physical vigor he is not a politician in auy sense of the word his is marked and in keeping with the simplicity of liis nature he is sympathetic kind loving and wonderfully persuasive A great part of the latter years of his life haa been spent visiting outlying mormon settlements helping the unfortunate encouraging the despondent and directing material aa well as spiritual works he cant be idle A genial disposition endears him to all who come in contact with him he has been for many years the church historian and liis retentive memory his of journalizing and his conversational powers make him a most delightful and interesting companion G |