except through man's intervention. To be saved, a woman must be "sealed" to a good man,—he can save her; or, if he does not, her sins will be upon his head. Under this system, woman was created expressly for the glory of man; hence the more women and children a man has, the more glory.
This doctrine is openly put forth in the most disgusting form.
Said Brigham, in a public discourse, Sept 20th, 1856,—
"It is the duty of every righteous man and woman to prepare tabernacles for all the spirits they can; hence if my women leave, I will go and search up others who will abide the celestial law, and let all I now have go where they please."
And in accordance with the same view, he publicly proclaimed that after a certain day which he named, all of his women who were dissatisfied should be free to leave him. The following is his language:—
"Now for my proposition: it is more particularly for my sisters, as it is frequently happening that women say that they are unhappy. Men will say,—'My wife, though a most excellent woman, has not seen a happy day since I took my second wife.' 'No, not a happy day for a year,' says one; and another has not seen a happy day for five years. It is said that women are tied down and abused; that they are misused, and have not the liberty that they ought to have; that many of them are wading through a perfect flood of tears, because of the conduct of some men, together with their own folly.
"I wish my own women to understand that what I am going to say is for them as well as others, and I want those who are here to tell their sisters,—yes, all the women of this community,—and then write it back to the States, and do as you please with it. I am going to give you from this time to the 6th day of October next (the day the semi-annual Conference was to meet) for reflection, that you may determine whether you wish to stay with your husbands or not, and then I am going to set every woman at liberty, and say to them,'Now go your way,—my women with the rest,—go your way.' And my wives have got to do one of two
things: either round up their shoulders to endure the afflictions of this world, and live their religion, or they may leave, for I will not have them about me. I will go into heaven alone, rather than have scratching and fighting around me. I will set all at liberty. 'What, first wife too?' Yes, I will liberate you all. I know what my women will say. They will say, 'You can have as many women as you please, Brigham.' But I want to go somewhere, and do something to get rid of the whiners."[219:A]
It does not appear that these unhappy women availed themselves of this opportunity of getting rid of their misery, by being cast off upon the world, in an Indian country, nearly a thousand miles from civilization.
It may seem very strange, that so many women are led into the snare of polygamy. The most specious arguments are advanced, and inducements held out, by the wicked and designing leaders of the Mormon Church, to blind and deceive unsuspecting and simple-minded women. They are told that "the laws of Christendom differ widely from those of the other three fourths of the whole family of man;" that they are the laws and practices of "a wicked and perverse generation," and differ also from the doctrines taught in the Bible. It is a noticeable fact that the Bible is only quoted on the subject of polygamy. On all other topics, the books of Mormonism are used. These being, as already shown, adverse to their favorite institution, resort is had to the Old Testament Scriptures.