Show PRE PREJUDICE judil D AGAINST NATURE the bitter opposition to polygamy evin evinced adby by very many throughout cerii tendo gift Is I 1 vie result of ignorance and an entire misconception of the principle to which they are opposed it may be brie briefly fly liy lly stated as a contest between nature and prejudice As individuals and as nations through their legislators they assume prerogatives which belon belong 0 to no created being they attempt to go beyond all first principles in morals and to decide that which is right and wrong independent of the laws of or nature or of god their business is la to study the laws of god as expressed in his revealed will to man and as manifested in his arrangement and government of the universe and the physiological structure and requirements of the intelligent creatures and then in humble reverence seek to carry into effect the great laws of the creator and secure their benefits to the whole human family neither peoples congresses parliaments presidents rings kings nor emperors have the prerogative or power to decide what is right or wrong in abstract principles th that is already decided for them and for all mankind mankin d and even if it sceptics skeptics in regard to written revelation would they but acquaint themselves with the revelations lations of nature science and reason they would not make themselves so re di culous as they too often do generally stated a principle or act is right because its effects are good or wrong because its effects are evil this however like most general principles admits admit of modifications and must be of wide application or it would be apparently untrue rufe rife for instance the thief says 1 41 I want money I 1 steal it the result is beneficial to me therefore it must be good the unhappy victim of mans villainy and sensuality say 1 I must hide hido my shame or be ruined P I 1 will destroy my child I 1 shall be benefited therefore the tho act must be good it is evident therefore that it is only oiny by the ultimate good or evil effects of any act upon society at large and not simply upon ourselves that we can judge of its merits so far as relates to our present existence to the devout believer in the bible it is sufficient that the creator hascon has condemned and forbidden certain acts the sceptic may not be satisfied with this but independent of revelation the great principles of the moral law can be proven to be right and indispensable to the existence of society had the lord lora not said thou do no murder we should still have known it to be wrong because if recognized recognize a as a right and universally acted upon the world would be converted into one vast field of carnage and the human race would soon be extinct the evil of stealing is also self evident for were this practice to b q generally tolerated it would de stroy every motive for industry and introduce universal distrust again adulte adultery ry if commo commonly practiced i tided would gouid plunge the whole human family into bestial degradation loathsome disease and result in their extinction es these acts then from the palpable evidence of their consequences all whether believers in the bible or not recognize as crimes but wherein can polygamy be shown to be a chime crime what evil results from it to ltv individuals visuals or society in a moral or physical sense we have heard bitter opponents of the principle object we believe belleve that polygamy makes women unhappy that it has deprived some of their reason and broken the hearts of many others 1 now we claim the kenderest ten derest regard 0 for the feeling of our mothers wives sisters and dau daughters 0 aters and for the sex in ge general and are decidedly averse to inflicting unnecessary pain upon any one but while we do not know of any such cases as those referred to we are aware that there are many men and women so organized that they cannot or will not help becoming morbidly nervous and actually insane over some idea which has no foundation whatever in truth but supposing the statement true what would it prove thousands b have bave ave become raving maniacs through religious excitement does that prove the tile religion of jesus and the principles of his gospel to be bad no the evil was the result of their own misconception of the truth combined with the unhealthy condition of their minds and bodies mothers have become hopelessly insane at the death of some darling child is it therefore wrong to have children devoted wives have been unable to survive the death of a beloved partner shall all women eschew matrimony for fear their hearts may be broken with sorrow hundreds if not thousands of wives in the world die annually through unkindness neglect and abuse of their chrIst christian lan ian 1 husbands is marriage consequently a corrupt institution ution this argument then if such it may be called proves either too much or nothing it is sometimes said that polygamy has a tendency to physical degeneration physiological facts and the evidence of our senses contradict this what state or nation can produce a healthier more robust or smarter set of boys and girls than utah where can be found a finer physical or keener mental race of people than the jews and they are the descendants of the very closest intermarriages inter marriages polygamy when legitimately practiced does not infringe on the rights of the individuals divi duals directly interested A man does not rob one woman nor deprive i her of other her hen husband by ta taking king another 1 any more than the mother robs her child or deprives it of a father by having a second it does no harm to society it seduces no mans wife or child it brings no blush to the cheek of a brother for a sisters shame it rends no fathers or mothers heart with anguish for a daughters ruin it does not injure the state the power wealth and prosperity of a nation depend upon the number of its inhabitants provided those inhabitants are loyal and industrious dust rious which families necessarily are to a greater extent than mono gamie ones ve we see no reason then why christendom instead of seeking to destroy should not protect and encourage polygamy which while it conduces to purity gives to every woman the right to occupy the sphere for which she is designed by god and nature that of an honorable wife and mother RATHER n HOT last wast Last nast week the thermometer reached 81 91 in the shade and in the sun so says the judge on monday it reached DI 51 in the shade had bad and in the sun suu |