ADVENT OF POLYGAiMY. 159
determine. The evidence comes to us in the form of rumors, general assertions, and bold statements from the mouths of men filled with deadly hate, and cannot be altogether trusted. Some of these have said that the leaders of the church, finding their power over the minds and bodies of their female associ- ates so greatly increased, so rapidly becoming abso- lute, could not resist temptation, but fell into grievous sins like Jeroboam and David, and were thereby obliged to adopt some plan either to cover or niake right their conduct.
It was easy for the gentiles to make such a charge appear plausible, in view of the fact that about this time the doctrine of plurality of wives as prac- tised and promulgated in the scriptures attracted much attention. Most of the other acts, customs, and ordinances of the old and new testaments had been adopted in common with those contained in the book of Mormon by the latter-day church; why should not this? Wives and C(mcubines without re- striction had been permitted to the worthy men of old; the holy scriptures had nowhere condemned the custom; God had at no time ordered otherwise. On the contrary, it seemed in the line of example and duty; it seemed necessary to make the holy fabric symmetrical and complete. True, it was not now in vogue with either Jews or Christians; but neither were miracles nor special revelations. Surely, if God disapproved, he would have so declared; his com- mands he makes clear; particularly acts heinous in his sight he denounces loudly and with many repetitions.
Thus argued the elders. They did not consider, nor indeed care for, the fact that, viewed from the stand- point of intellectual progress, the revival of polygamy, or concubinage, in common with other practices of the half-savaq-e Hebrews, was a retros^ression, a turn- ing back toward savagism. They found it sanctioned in the holy book in use by the most civilized nations of the earth, and they felt themselves able to make
