THE MORMONS.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2741, 5 January 1882, Page 2

THE MORMONS.

A North Island paper thus discusses tho Mormon question : The arrival of another Mormon Mission party to Now Zealand by tho last San Francisco mail deserves some comment by the Press of tho colony. The mission is composed of six persons, among whom will be found a Timaru convert. They arc s f aying at the Governor Brown Hotel, Auckland,where they can bo interviewed. They are by no means a prepossessing lot of men in masculine eyes, whatever they may bo in feminine. They are ascetic in their diet and not sociable in their bearing, as though they had determined during their pilgrimage to mortify the flesh for the impurity of the soul their Utah surroundings produced. Of course they conic here women hunting, with tho chance of picking up some credulous and not over-witted man with money. By the same mail that the Mormon Elders came, we also obtained the October number of the “ Fortnightly," which contains a paper headed “ The

Latter Day Saints as they are,” by I Edward A. Thomas. From this paper, j in the interests of morality, quotations are made. He says : —“ The system of proselytising is now carried on with more skill and energy than ever. Numerous missionaries are sent from every conference to Great Britain, Scandinavia, Australia, and the Southern States. As the converts pour into Utah, new colonies arc planted in every adjoining State and territory. Laws are enacted by the Mormons rather for the encouragement of licentiousness, than for the prevention of vice. When trains, loaded with emigrants, reach Salt Lake City, the apostles and the dignitaries of the Mormon Church—men, sleek and opulent, gather to receive them ; and to gather for their own harems fairer and more, yonthfu inmates. Until this object is accom plished other brethren must remain in the background and gaze in silence. Some time since one of the twelve cast his odious glances upon a girl from Denmark. Ho was nearly 60, she not over 18. The desires of the great apostle were intimated to her by the the Duteh bishop. She acknowledged that the union with so high a dignitary of the Church woqld confer great honour upon her, but confessed that a young countryman of hers had won her affection during the voyage, and that she had promised to marry him on the following day. She supposed that that statement would settle the matter. She was told, however, that she must not resist the wishes of one of the annointed of Israel. She remained firm. The expectant bridegroom was next inter viewed by the bishop,but with no better success. Great surprise was expressed by the priesthood at such contumacy. The will of one of the twelve was not to be gainsaid. That night the maiden was forced into his harem. The next morning her lover, the victim of the Danites, was found alive but mutilated iu a glen of the Wahsatch mountains.” Such is one phase of Mormon life, described by an impartial witness in one of our leading London monthlies. Coe other extract, and we eonclude these prurient details. Mr Thomas says ; “ Seduction is common in Utah, and as the result becomes manifest the girl is saved from open shame by being the third or fourth wife of her seducer. Ho may soon tire of her, and procure a divorce. She will enter another harem as the wife of another polygamist. By these methods of procedure, one woman may, at the age of 40, have had several so-called husbands, all of whom are at that time alive. But the worst features of the custom Is that a woman hitherto specially virtuous is frequently divorced and compelled by the usages of the country and by the necessities of life to follow the same course.