1857-07-16-New York Tribune-Mormonism Exposed
Mormonism Exposed
New York Tribune, 16 July 1857, p. 6
Mr. JOHN HYDE, late an Elder among the Saints in Utah, gave a lecture on Tuesday evening in Hope Chapel on Mormonism. Forty people were present. Mr. Hyde said that the Mormonism which he learned in England was a very different thing from what he found in Utah. He learned to consider it like the ancient Christian Church, as giving the power to work miracles and to speak in tongues. Polygamy was then called a doctrine of devils by the same Elders whom he found when he went to Utah in 1853 living with half a dozen wives. Brigham Young explained the wickedness of the people of Salt Lake to him by telling him that wicked as the Children of Israel were, they were still the chosen people, and Moses's mission was a divine one, as was that of Joseph Smith. However, this was not sufficient to settle his doubts, and when he was sent out to the Sandwich Islands he shook off the shackles of his youth. The three characteristic doctrines o fthe Mormons were the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, the divine authority of Joseph Smith and the reestablishment of polygamy. This last was severely denounced in the Book of Mormon, and reprehended publicly and by revelation until 1843, seven years after it began to be practiced by Joseph Smith. And it was only in 1852 that Brigham Young thought proper to make public profession of their faith in these practices. Now, when a man was found faithful enough, he was induced to go to Salt Lake,and inducted into the mysteries. The Mormon theory was that a man's glory was counted by the size of his family, and all children born of a woman sealed to him were counted as his. So that a man's glory increased when he was sealed to a new woman, and he could be sealed to any woman who did not love her husband, if Brigham Young would permit it. So, too, when a saint died or went away on a mission it was the duty of some good brother to see that his "glory" went on increasing in spite of his absence. Mr. Hyde contended that the Bible did not preach Mormonism. Mr. Samuel Richards left Salt Lake, and on his return took three other wives. The sober and dejected face of his wife showed how she liked it, although he took her to her share of the balls and theaters. Mr. Horace Eldridge wa one day told by Brigham that he must take another wife. Mr. Eldridge said he had promised his wife he would never mary another. Brigham said: "If I had a wife who would try to extort such a promise as that, she might go to h__l. You must, or I will cut you off." Mr. Eldridge submitted, and soon after his new wife had entirely engrossed his affections. Mr. Hyde related several cases of extreme suffering on the part of first wives. Some, however, were not so. A Mrs. Cahill, for two or three years, endeavored, by inviting young ladies to come and live at her house,to give her husband an opportunity of overcoming his inveterate bashfulness. It was indeed made the duty of the wife to go to the intended second and beg her to accept the proposition. It was a principle among the Mormons to send out their worst men to preach Mormonism. If a man were a gambler or a horse-thief, he would be sent out a as a preacher. It was Brigham's doctrine that it was no matter who preached a principle, provided that it was pure. Many of the men who were sent to the States and to England were sent to get them away from their creditors, or becuase they were too drunken to stay. It was a difficult thing, this Mormon question. The Mormons were isolated; 30,0000 had immigrated thither from Europe; the number was 5,000 to 6,000 last year, and was rapidly increasing. He had most hope in this, that all fanaticism contained the seeds of its own destruction. At the conlusion Mr. Hyde was loudly cheered.
