By these specious arguments and falsehoods, are thousands lured on to their destruction. Oh! could this volume reach the eye of all such,--as it surely will of many,--to them I appeal to examine carefully the foundation of the system to which they are committing themselves. To them I respectfully and earnestly submit some considerations and facts worthy of their serious attention, before they enter irretrievably upon their own ruin.
Polygamy, or plurality, so called, is not only contrary to the laws of our country, which we are all in duty bound to uphold and obey, but it is adverse to the genius of our free institutions, and is, moreover, contrary to the laws and instincts of our nature, and to the suggestions of a sound reason.
In the first place, is polygamy reasonable or natural?
In pursuing this inquiry, the first fact that stares us in the face is the equality in the numbers of the male and female sexes, in all countries, and in all ages of the world. If polygamy were the natural relation between the sexes, the number of females born into the world would far exceed the number of males. So far from that being the case, there is a larger number of males, and the excess about equal to the greater loss of life, among males, by wars and accidents; thus leaving a substantial equality in the numbers of those living.
The following figures will show the number of males and females in the United States, at the close of each of the last five decades:--
Excess of Per cent. Year. Males. Females. Males. of Excess. 1820 4,898,127 4,740,004 158,123 3.2 1830 6,529,696 6,336,324 193,372 3 1840 8,688,532 8,380,921 307,611 3.5 1850 11,837,661 11,354,215 483,446 4.1 1860 16,086,059 15,359,021 727,038 4.5
Thus it will be seen, that nature has made no provision for the practice of polygamy in this country. On the contrary, there has continually been an excess of the male population. This fact is owing, in part, to the large excess of males in the immigration from foreign countries.
Let us pursue this subject a little farther. In 1851, the population of Great Britain and Ireland was,--males, 13,537,052; females, 14,082,814. Excess of females, 3 per cent. But emigration, and the heavy wars in which that country had been engaged, had been draining off the male population for many years previous.