1869-05-23-New York Times-Our Metropolitan Mormons
Our Metropolitan Mormons
- New York Times, 23 May 1869, pg 1
Our Metropolitan Mormons
Is Polygamy Practiced in New-York by the Latter-Day Saints?
The Mormon Colony in Williamsburg—Interesting Account of their Homes,Habits, Business and Religious Services—A Mormon Church in Our Midst—Curious Phase of Life in New York.
In this City of many races and many churches it is but natural that multifarious sects should exist. There is hardly a Christian denomination known which has not a branch to represent it in New York and its environs. Even the Mormons, who are generally supposed to be located only in Utah, have a colony and a church in this vicinity.
Just across the East River, in Williamsburg [Brooklyn area] there is a settlement or congregation of the "Latter-Day Saints," who are English and Welsh principally, and number 175 families. They live in Grand, Sixth, South First and Second streets, occupying the floors above the stores, and living in some of the smaller houses in the rear of the east front of Sixth street. They are nearly all members of the working classes, and have not much pretension to education; neither do they seem to be overburdened with this world’s goods, although want and suffering from privation of any kind are not to be met with among them. Perhaps that is the result of their obedience to law set down in JOSEPH SMITH'S book of Revelations. "If there shall be properties in the hands of the Church or any individuals of it, more than is necessary for their support, it shall be kept to administer to those who have not." They seem to be fully convinced of the infallibility of JOSEPH SMITH'S doctrines as laid down by him in the Book of Mormon. These people have been established in Williamsburg seven years and came here originally with a view to emigrate to Salt Lake City, the "Zion" of the Saints, for which purpose they have raised a fund, by special contribution, styled the "Perpetual Emigrating Fund." They are now so numerous as to be called a branch conference, and are ruled by a President, Elders and Deacon. They have a church or chapel at No. 145 Grand Street. It is a tastefully carpeted and furnished room, having at one end a raised dais, on which stands a large walnut desk with corner gaslights, and three green velvet armchairs for the President and Elders, around the sides of the apartment; two rows of green morocco covered chairs are arranged for the accommodation of the audience, and during service additional seats have to be furnished, owing to crowded attendance. The church is free to all persons during service, which commences at 3 p.m., on Sundays. It is opened with prayer and singing, after which a portion of the Scripture (according to the Mormon version) is read and expounded. The sacrament is then administered to the faithful by the presiding officer and his associates. It consists of plain bread and water, and is carried round the room on plates and in glasses or cups, and handed to the partakers by the Elder; after this any member who wishes to do so, may make a few remarks for the benefit of the church. Such was the style of afternoon service witnessed by us not many Sundays ago. There was nothing very remarkable about it, except that the congregation certainly had somewhat the aspect of pilgrims journeying to some distant shrine, and were pausing here to rest. The ladies were not remarkable for any great personal attractions, unless one should look upon age and worldly experience as such, and the male portion of the congregation looked like hard-fisted, hard-working mechanics. On the evening of our visit the service was presided over by two of the most distinguished luminaries lately arrived from Salt Lake City—JOSEPH A. YOUNG, the great BRIGHAM’s eldest son, and ORSON PRATT, formerly President of the Saints in Great Britain. They lectured on the decided indication of the divine approval of the purposes of Mormonism given by the providentially successful completion and opening of the Pacific Railroad, which will render the transit of Saints to Utah, the Canaan of their prophet, more rapid and easy. They were enthusiastically received.
After church we had an opportunity of conversing with some of the members with regard to their social and domestic views and conditions. Being introduced to a gentleman said to be an Elder, we conversed with him on polygamy, as to its existence among the members of this Conference. He denied it, and assigned as a reason therefor the inability of the husbands to support more than one wife. Thinking that this was only an attempt to evade the question, we asked him whether it would be permitted if a man were able to support two wives. He answered "that it certainly was admissible, all parties being agreeable." He was next asked if it had ever existed here in Williamsburg.
"Well," said he, "yes or no, that is to say, there have been men in this community who had more than one wife, but without the knowledge of the Elders. It was in this way: Some Englishmen came out to America a little while ago, and after being here some time professed a strong desire to become members of the church. Believing their professions to be true, we received them to our bosoms as brethren. They married our daughters and lived with us happily for a time, until the truth leaked out that the object of their becoming Mormons was to pursue a course of licentiousness which is strictly forbidden and condemned, and, moreover, had deserted women, their former wives, whom they had left in England. According to the law of the Master, as revealed to the Prophet: 'we laid the ax to the root of the evil, lopped off the dead branches, and purified the Church of these corrupt members; since then, we, of this community, have altogether discountenanced anything like polygamy, although we are again suffering from some such trouble, but are applying the same remedy."
We asked him as to the worldly prospects of his flock, whether they were rich or not. His reply was characteristic of the spirit which seems to pervade every member we met.
"We are not rich, nor are we poor," said he. "We work for our daily bread each and every one of us. I myself am a painter. More than that, we always deal with each other, as far as is practicable, and with no one else."
We were next introduced to a Mormon lady who resides in Grand-street. She kindly invited us to call whenever we were in her neighborhood, which we did the next afternoon.
The interview was long, amusing and interesting. She said she had been brought up in the Church of England, but becoming convinced of the truth of Mormon doctrine, she had embraced it twenty years ago, and remained steadfast to that faith ever since. She had been married many years, and was the mother of grown-up children. In reply to our questions on polygamy, she said it did not exist among the Latter-Day Saints in Wiliamsburg. She considered it right that a man should take another woman to wife, if his first was willing, and he could support both. She could not see why a man in these more modern days should be a sinner for doing that which God permitted Abraham and the patriarchs to do in former days. This and many other similar arguments she used to bolster up her theory of polygamy's not being contrary to the laws of God and Christian morality. But the tables were somewhat turned by putting a case in point to this effect:
"Supposing, madam, that your husband should come to you to-morrow morning and say I am going to get married again, what would you say?"
"Well, if he could show me just reasons for so doing and the woman was a good one, I should not be a Mormon if I refused," was the answer.
"But would you, the mother of his children, after all these years of wedded bliss, consent that another woman should step in to supplant you in your husband's affections?"
"My husband wouldn't do any such thing."
"But suppose he should, ma'am? No doubt there are many other Mormon gentlemen that do."
"He would'nt, I tell you," said she angrily, her face assuming a peculiar expression, which almost made us feel somewhat uneasy. But being determined to sift the matter right to the bottom, we put one more question.
"Would you consent to have a lady friend of your own good standing in society and in the church, a sharer of your husband's love, if he felt her necessary to his happiness—would you, I say, let him bring her to this house?"
"I'd just like to see him do it!" she said, as she bent over the sewing she had in her hands, "I would just like to see him do it!"
At this we dropped the subject altogether, for we had proceeded so far as almost to incur her displeasure. With regard to matters of Church practice, such as the religious education of children, she was not quite so communicative. We had put her in bad humor, and there was no help for it but to bid her good-day, and do as many wiser and better men had done before, put a good face on and retire as gracefully as possible, which we did, turning our attention this tie to the
It is a cave in reality—an excavation beneath No. 145 Grand-street—and beneath the street also. It is kept as a restaurant by an Englishman, who owns the house and lets the upper rooms to the Saints as a chapel, in which to hold their services. Here the conversation with the landlord turned on his tenants and their habits. Many people who live in this neighborhood were present, and all concurred in the opinion that if the Mormons had no other good in them, the virtues of brotherly love, and earnest solicitude for each other's welfare, were sufficient to make them highly respectable and respected citizens. As to their having a multiplicity of wives, divers opinions were expressed. Some believed they had, but none knew definitely. The Mormons are so reserved and exclusive that their domestic matters are entirely hidden from neighbors, and so secret are they on all things connected with any member of the community, that to the public all is mystery and enshrouded with uncertainty. One man asserted positively that he knew a follower of JOS. SMITH, who lived in the same house with three female disciples of the same prophet, but whether they were wives or distant relatives he could not say. Yet he often thought they were wives. Be that as it may, certain it is this Mormonism in our midst is another curious phase of life, the result of the cosmopolitan character of the population of New-York. The object of this colony here is to assist and receive emigrants from the sect in Great Britain, of whose departure therefrom they on this side are apprised by the Mormon agencies in Europe, to provide them with homes on their arrival, and finally send them to Salt Lake, whither all intend to go sooner or later. Within the year some seven hundred have been thus received and sent on by this Conference, and one hundred are expected to leave this week. Williamsburg is but one of many stations for foreign members, and like the rest furnishes passes to Utah signed by BRIGHAM YOUNG and properly certified by the President of the Conference. Without such an one an emigrant would receive but a cold reception at his journey's end.
