American feeling has proved too strong for polygamy, even when
defended on the ground of religions liberty. The Mormons are tired of suffering prosecutions for their "peculiar institution," and the President of the Church has formally announced that the Saints have abandoned the practice, and propose on that subject "to submit themselves to the laws of the United States." They will probably for a time substitute some system of concubinage, but society will soon work itself -clear of that, nothing short of a religious sanction ever sus- pending the tendency of the white races towards monogamy. It will be interesting to observe if the emigration to Utah suffers in consequence of the change. We should say it would not, the real attraction of the Mormon community being that it is a community,—a successful attempt, that is, to organise industry on a grand scale. Polygamy does not attract much, -or all Asia would by this time be Mahommedan. It destroys -domestic life too completely, and establishes too wide a dis- tinction between the rich and the poor.
