OCR Text |
Show THE TESTIMONY OP A lit OHM ON WOMAN. ! I-.V A V.OM .N. ( l.i tin' null ':iJ. as wr 'jpro:u'lied .i; Jt'ii, one ol" iis einpliirs hold i'orth ! cooleuij-tuiniriy oi'iho Snll Lako poo- ' pie. "Vnii c.iii'i kill a Mormon with ( roiiL'h tinier," lie siJ, in allusion to i the Jro:ii v ;;(rutfcle ot' thrir early days a moil tii.; Monle nioiirj rains; ''(hey liwd on roihinu, and riot much of that. IT it hadn't b.'n lor lit fir do- luions ami vi-ion, and thar, kind of) non.-iinre, liu'y niiver could have kepL up till the ('round wa lirokon and the 1 M.-:d i.Ianti'd. Th'"-Yre nmJo ol that ! uieu iontr,iiry stuft" irnr worries ihvonIi whrn decent folks would Marvo. Why, l"t, of 'em didn't ,cc money ' unoupli iu yoiirs lo buy a poitat-c-stamji (o ?end a it.-lter lionie!" lie in- 1 tfrsperscd this view of Urigham'a peo- j p!c with u variety and plenitude of j oaths that were truly Auicricau iu 1 their character, widiout on.i Mormon; taint about them, and he looked around derisively on the distant hills that i:i nily skirled their refuge lieyond tho shining lake. ":" A quiet-looking woman at my side, with introspective eyes, and a face o naturally subdued and thoughtful as to suggest the idea of au inlieriied sadness, regarded tho speaker with ono ol' the earnest, glances thateeeincd part ol' her though!?, 1 felt that she innpt know something of the Mormon?, and asked her if it were not so. "L am n Mormon!" shu returned, io my intense surprise; for somehow I had imagined that something distinctive distinct-ive and not altogether agreeable would suggest a member of the scot to me if I ever came in contact with one, while this luiddlo-ogcd, genlicdookiug person per-son appeared like any other quiet lady, with nothing remarkable about her except ex-cept the chastened sorrow in her eyes. She was not eager to speak, but, finding find-ing that respectful interest and not idle curiosity questioned her, she told, in a aimplo, unatlectcd way, what she had heard of the journey over tlio mountains, with persecution in the wake and danger and privation iu tho path. Shu was an inlant then, and must have gained the reflected sadness of her mother's eyes when weariness, cold, hunger and disease hung over tho littio company like evil hadows, and l-'aith was their only light iu ail the desert gloom. Of herself she of course remembered nothing. What she had hiuird related mostly to others and was characterized by an intense and apparently unconscious uncon-scious heroism that lifted coarse sutTer-ing sutTer-ing into subtimiiy. One unmurmuring mother trudged onward with her baby at her breast until, after lack of food and unutterable unutter-able exhaustion, she ceased lo sustain it with Mil ure's food, aud the liny creature, sickening witli the fluid hunger hun-ger gave it strength to draw, ejected it iu mouthfuls of biood. Some died, and many barely gained I he lulio shore with their weakened liver-; but. out of that dreary struggle I heir faith loomed up brighter and brighter, and, the haven ul' refuge once gained, industry, unity and contentment con-tentment soon conquered the waste and forced the wilderness into fruitful bloom. - They preached their gospel according to direction, but made no UDjusiiliablc effort at proselyting. President Young, their honored leader, had never attempted at-tempted to keep his people in darkness. dark-ness. I Ic had invited ministers of dif-ferc-ul. liiiths lo spenk in their midst, had liberally aided io "he establishing of other chut dies, and had urged it upou his people to hear and judgo for themselves. ' The Mormons as a people were not easily reached by theexhortcrsol'other doetrincR, she confessed. They were irm in their faith, because it was the latest, ciearo.it and most direct revelation revela-tion of God's law. She denied that there was one word in opposition or refutation to tho Old or .New Testament. Testa-ment. I.t was a continuation of Gospel Gos-pel light, a revival of the dying flame that had gleamed in tlio time of (he prophets and hurried with fplcndor around the Cross. She considered the existing crisis of a flairs as a persecution persecu-tion waged by bitter and prejudiced men whose main idea was plunder, and she feared that the waning spirit of devotion in the church had needed this t-timulua to arouse it to vitality and renewed strength. The leading judge had proven his rapacity in her eyes by his action in llivor of his own mining interests and his vindictive spirit as evinced in tho selection of juries. To try an accused man by inviting in-viting compiainls against him and leaving leav-ing his verdict to the minds of those interested in his downfall and discomfiture discom-fiture seemed unfair and unworthy of the name of justice, liiighani and polygamy were tho war-cries of the prosecution, who called tlu wise and fatherly government of their priest a theocratic system, their faith a crime. Of President Young she spoke with deep respect rtnd affection. His fitness for his office, Ids perfect knowledge know-ledge of the people he guides and governs, gov-erns, rtnd his never-failing conscious-ucss conscious-ucss of their infere&ts and needs have given him a hold oh their hearts equal lo that which his wondeiful strength and sagacily has awakened in their respect. re-spect. :t ,;' " Of polygamy she spoko seriously but freely. She believed in it as an institution insti-tution of the church, yet considered it capable of prostitution, like many other good things. Practiced in the pure spirit of its appointment it was honorable honor-able and righteous. Perverted to gratify lust or evil desire, it must bring its own condemnation, like all hypocrisy hypoc-risy and deceit. Its fruit in the past has been gathered in pure morals; and, as a community, their laws and customs cus-toms could best he tested in ihc fact i that thoy had reared and governed by i them the most moral city in the world. ! Under Mormon dominiou drunkenness, i gambling and debauchery were tin- I known; but, since the amhoiily of their otlieials had been questioned, all these ! three vices had crept in, and prostitutes prosti-tutes flocked like birds of proy in the path of tho persecutors of polygamy, while gambling houses, aud groceries offered additional stimulants to ihose who sought excitement in warfare I with their peace-loving, inolfen.sivc ; community. j The woman's I'aee wa.; touuwful, lor the loved iier people and the laud they had rescued from desolation and forced inlo verdure and bloom. "You are going to Salt Lake," the ! sail. "See our people, juJirc fur your-' scif, and speak t!:a truth "f..r them. ' There is nothing they need so much as tho truth told for them.'' My persona! experience ufuiore than a ibi'tuight auioDg the pouplu of Salt Lako entirely justified my Mormon friend's declaration. I found them a quiet, order-loving community, simple in their tastes and habitp, and hoccst to a proverb. Their streets are the abode of security, and no one need i lock their back doors to secure their dwellings there. .The women, as they appear in their singularly mixed homes, arc a tidy and gentle, rather than a personally lovely sex. The younger girls of Mormon families are generally pretty and frequently blonde; but the matrons arc feodum handsome, though always neat in anpearaive. In their heaves I now aiju-ie to thoc of the better class comfort and cleanliness cleanli-ness arc more apparent than elegance and ad'-rnmciU. V iier,- ;i, v. c-. '.a log''1 tb it, t'.ifii n.i- ior.-v'par;ne : :it:ing-ronm. :it:ing-ronm. uineh is iaive and airv .-puce being part of the Mormon design in everything and the furniture is always fuch as can Le ued and enjoyed. The days of want and struccle are ton to-e-:nt to rive mere show and splendor a stronghold in the Ciry of ihs Saints. W hatever may be the feelings of ihe wlvr towards each oiher, the children of different m others play t outlier as harmoniously as members of tho same family do with us. They flddre" their father's other wives by the title of aunt, and seem to entertain for them jusi the same regard ihat young people do for thfit rel a live in ordinary life. To!, raiu'n towards others is part, of the Mormon policy. Pro.-ident Young ha suhsenbed liberally to the Christian clmiTh.-'s reared by the Gentiles, and I saw n'i (li-po-iiion toward- piwc'.yt-im.' piwc'.yt-im.' bryond the een-!?.nt exposition of iheir faith in ilia Tabernacle and ward-hoii.:e, ward-hoii.:e, and ihe public effort iheymade to convince the hearers of ii- supeii-orily supeii-orily to all other doctrines. "Ministers of different denominations are requested request-ed lo speak at (heir meetings when their presence is known. Mot writers who have recorded (heir vi-;', ihere attribute a sai, subdued sub-dued look to the Licvs of the women, and .-ay that ihur peeuliar po-ition causes the depression thus expressed. This has been vigorously denied to me by those lo whom 1 have named it, and I can only take their word for a happiness 1 should consider it very dillicult to enjoy under tho circumstances. circum-stances. They glory in the sense of having conquered oa price and selfish jealousy, and of having learned to enjoy en-joy tho higher union of true affection and confidence with the husband who i3 to be theirs for eternity, while they pity our shsrt enjoyment of a man's j single love for this lilc only. In (heir belief all women are to taste salvation, their sins are to bo forgiven them, and complete and perfect joy in tho future life is lo be tlio reward oi' a self-subduing policy in this. Tho way of righteousness is narrow and hard with them; but they believe their reward is sure, and so keep the faith perfect. uij(iy lh'xpctch. |