THE SOCIAL PUZZLE (_continued_).
_Reasons why Mormon slavery is maintained_--Hope of earthly
gain--Complete organization of the Mormon Church--Prospect of
promotion in office as a bribe--Fear of earthly loss--System of
espionage--Apostasy formerly punished by death--Mode of inflicting the
punishment--Social ostracism--Religious conviction the mainstay of the
Mormon social system.
Having already shown that the Mormon social system is a system of slavery
so complete as to bind with its fetters body, mind, and soul--the entire
man, let us now briefly inquire into THE REASONS WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO THE
MAINTENANCE OF THIS DEGRADING SYSTEM, which is so utterly hostile to the
enlightened and progressive spirit of the age.
I. There is, first, THE HOPE OF EARTHLY GAIN.
There is probably no system on earth which has a more cunning and complete
organization than the Mormon Church. Supreme over all is the President,
with his two Councillors. Then come the Twelve Apostles, who, in
connection with the President and his Councillors, form a High Council,
from whose decision there is no appeal. They may be regarded, therefore,
as the masters in this system of slavery. Then come the Seventies (who are
travelling missionaries), high-priests, elders, bishops, teachers, and
deacons. One of the most cunning things about the organization is the
large number of office-holders. There are over 23,000 officers reported as
belonging to the Church--that is, one out of every three men holds an
office either of honor or emolument. Each of these has a hope that if he
is faithful to his masters he will be in time promoted. If any one of
these 23,000 officers is disposed to criticise or become dissatisfied with
the system, the office which he holds, and especially the prospect of
future promotions, acts as a bribe to submission and acquiescence. Thus
the hope of earthly rewards is one of the great sources of strength to the
Mormon system, holding it intact.
II. Then, there is THE FEAR OF EARTHLY LOSS.
Hope and fear both operate upon the minds of the people, and cause them to
submit to be bound by the chains of a tyranny whose equal can be found
only by going back to the Dark Ages.
The Mormon hierarchy has a system of espionage, by which they are kept
informed in regard to the feelings of all the people. The whole Territory
is divided into twenty stakes or districts, each of which is presided over
by a high-priest. These districts are again subdivided into about two
hundred and thirty wards, each of which has a presiding bishop. The
teachers and deacons are his subordinates, whose duty it is to visit each
individual in their respective wards and find out all about his affairs,
both temporal and spiritual. In this way, through all these various
gradations, the leaders are able to put their finger on every man, woman,
and child in the whole Church.
Before the Gentiles forced their way into Utah, and Government troops were
stationed there, if any of the Mormons were, through this system of
inquisition, found to be discontented and unsubmissive to the priesthood,
inclined to free thought, free speech, and free action, he was soon taught
a lesson by the "Avenging Angels" that silence is the better part of
discretion, or that "dead men tell no tales." The Church held every man's
life in its hand. Terrible was the punishment meted out for any offence or
act of insubordination.
It is only a few years ago that it was the practice to inflict what they
call _blood atonement_ for any flagrant offence to the Church or any
disregard of its orders. Brigham Young, after the people were well
established in Utah, alluded on one occasion in a public address to the
persecutions in Missouri and Nauvoo, saying that they always began with
apostates and disaffected spirits; and then he said: "Do we see
disaffected spirits here? We do. Do we see apostates? We do. I say to
those persons, you must not court persecution here, lest you get so much
of it you will not know what to do with it. Do _not_ court persecution.
Now, keep your tongues still, _lest sudden destruction come upon you_. _I
say, rather than that apostates shall flourish here I will unsheath my
bowie-knife and conquer or die._ Now, you nasty apostates, clear out, or
judgment will be put to the line and righteousness to the plummet. Let us
call upon the Lord to assist us in this and every good work."
President H. C. Kimball, in an address delivered in Salt Lake City August
16th, 1857, said: "If men turn traitors to God and His servants, their
blood will surely be shed, or else they will be damned;" and this doctrine
was put into actual practice. The culprit was never allowed an opportunity
for defence. He remained in blissful ignorance of his danger, until at
midnight there came a knock on his door, and he was ordered to accompany
the four or five masked men that confronted him when he opened the door.
Then he knew his doom, and so did his family, who knew they looked their
last upon him. Being led to a secluded spot, a shovel was placed in his
hands, and he was made to dig his own grave. He was then seized, forced
upon his knees, his head held over the grave, and his throat cut from ear
to ear. His blood flowed into the grave, into which his body was thrown
and covered up, and no more was ever heard of him. His family dared not
mention their suspicions, and no Mormon ever dared to be inquisitive or
mention his name. Such instances were by no means rare.
Now the influx of the Gentiles has caused them to be more careful how they
punish apostates or insubordinates; but we know little or nothing of the
secret punishments that are still inflicted. The practice of blood
atonement is now stopped by the necessity of circumstances. In the
presence of thousands of Gentiles and Federal troops and Federal control,
the Mormon Church dare not any longer enforce its commands by the pistol
and the knife; but it has means of control none the less effective, which
it does not hesitate to use. The apostate is now, it is said, handed over
to "the buffetings of Satan," to be cursed in his business, in his family,
in his body, in his mind, in all things that belong to him; and the Mormon
priesthood have the will and power to see that these prophetic curses are
fulfilled to the letter.
There does not exist upon the face of this broad earth a more complete
social ostracism for religion than in Utah. Not many months ago a girl
brought home some sewing which she had for a Christian woman. The girl
looked round upon the happy home and burst into tears. Upon being asked
the cause of her grief, she replied: "Oh, that I lived in a happy
Christian home! You think me a Mormon, but I have _never_ been a Mormon at
heart. My mother was once the wife of a Presbyterian clergyman in England.
About three years after her marriage my father died. I was the only child
of my parents. My mother's people became Mormons, and my mother emigrated
with them to Utah, bringing me with her. Here she married a Mormon, and I
have been carefully taught in their religion; but I have my father's
Bible, sermons, and diary. I know that his religion is true, and not this
Mormon doctrine, which teaches of gods many, and heaven attained by
sensual courses--women earning their salvation and exaltation in heaven by
becoming the polygamous wives of some wicked man. I loath it; but I am
poor. I can only do plain sewing for a living, and while I remain with my
mother she will charge me nothing for board. I am not strong, and often
sick. If I come out boldly and say, 'I will go to the Church of my choice
and worship God according to the dictates of my conscience,' I shall be
turned into the street, perhaps be denounced as a bad character--not an
uncommon thing in Utah--and come to want. No, I must stop at home, be
quiet, worship God in my heart, and pray for forgiveness."
If a man apostatizes who is in business he is no longer supported by the
Mormons, and they in many places are nine tenths of the people. He is
despised. He can get no work, since the Mormons control nearly all
business contracts. The Mormon people will no longer hold intercourse with
him. His family is the butt of ridicule and contempt, and his children are
insulted and stigmatized. The entire family is as completely ostracized as
though they had been convicted of an infamous crime. Now, it certainly
requires strong heroism, real, sterling manhood, for one to face such a
prospect for his family. Most people would obey the dictates of the
hierarchy, whatever they might be, rather than bring such loss and shame
upon themselves and their children. Thus it is seen how fear of earthly
loss enters as a prominent factor in holding the Mormon people in bondage.
III. But lastly and chiefly, there is STRONG RELIGIOUS CONVICTION, which
is the main prop of this social system. In discussing the Mormon puzzle in
Utah, we must not forget that for twenty years this community was isolated
by a thousand miles of barren waste from civilization. During this time it
was literally a kingdom within itself; and Brigham Young was king, his
word law, his command a commandment from God. During that time the present
generation of Mormons were reared; and it is their strong conviction that
the word of the priesthood is the word of God.
If we only glance at history, we will find many evidences of the great
power of "Thus saith the Lord" over the minds of men. For religious
conviction persons have burned at the stake and endured all manner of
physical torture, to say nothing of the travail of soul through which they
have passed. It is to this power, also, that Mormonism owes its strength.
So strong is its control that the Mormons dare not, for fear of the loss
of their soul's salvation, enter protest against any command coming, as it
does, with these words prefixed: "Thus saith the Lord." The priesthood
claim to have control of the "seals" and "keys" by which the gates of both
heaven and hell can be opened and shut; and they take the keys by which
they pretend to open the gates of vengeance and rattle them above the
heads of the uneducated and superstitious, until they are frightened into
believing that, if they should disobey any edict of this priesthood, they
would be consigned to the flames of eternal fire. It is this fear of the
loss of their souls if they disobey, and the conviction that their leaders
cannot command anything but what God has commanded, that is the strongest
pillar that holds up their social fabric. Thus do the Mormon people with
their own hands rivet the chains which bind in a fearful bondage their
bodies, their minds, and their souls.