It was Alma who began it, by asking if a Mormon’s first wife was always willing that he should take a second.

“Oh, no, no!” Zoe exclaimed; “how could she be?”

“No,” said Edward; “but she is considered very wicked if she refuses her consent, or even ventures upon a remonstrance.

“One day a Mormon and his family, consisting of one wife and several children, were seated about their table taking a meal, when the husband remarked that he thought of taking a second wife.

“His lawful wife—­the mother of his children sitting there—­objected.  Upon that he rose from his seat, went to her, and, holding her head, deliberately cut her throat from ear to ear.”

“And was executed for it?” asked Christine, while she shuddered with horror.”

“No,” said Edward; “he was promoted by the Mormon priesthood to a higher place in the church, as one who had done a praiseworthy deed.”

“Murder a praiseworthy deed!” they cried in astonishment and indignation.  “How could that be?”

“They have a doctrine that they call ‘blood-atonement,’” replied Edward.  “Daring to teach, contrary to the express declarations of Scripture, that the blood of Christ is insufficient to atone for all sin, they assert that for some sins the blood of the sinner himself must be shed or he will never attain to eternal life, and that therefore it is a worthy deed to slay him.

“That terrible, wicked doctrine has been made the excuse for many assassinations, and was the ground for not only excusing the horrible crime of which I have just told you, but for also rewarding the wretched criminal.

“Polygamy is bad enough—­especially as instances are not wanting of a man being married at the same time to a mother and her daughters, or several sisters, and in at least one instance to mother, daughter, and granddaughter; and Mormon theology teaches, too, that a man may lawfully marry his own sister.  Yet it is not the worst of their crimes; we have it upon the testimony of credible witnesses—­Christian citizens of Salt Lake City—­that their temples and tithing-houses are ’built up by extortion and cemented with the blood of men, women, and children whose only offence was that they were not in sympathy with the unrighteous decrees of this usurping priesthood.’  And ’that all manner of social abominations and domestic horrors, and mutilations, and blood-atonings, and assassinations and massacres have been perpetrated in the name and by the authority of the Mormon priesthood.’”

“Oh, sir, how very dreadful!” exclaimed Christine.  “Are they not afraid of the judgments of God against such fearfully wicked deeds?”

“It seems not,” said Edward.  “The Bible speaks of some whose consciences are seared as with a hot iron.”

“But why is such terrible wickedness and oppression allowed by your government?”

“There you have asked a question that many of our own people are asking, and which is difficult to answer without bringing a heavy charge against our law-makers at Washington; a charge of gross neglect, whether induced by bribery or not I do not pretend to decide.”