The Brigham Young Center

Gt. Salt Lake City,
January 29th, 1867.

H. Clark, Esq.
22 William St., New York.

Dear Sir:

Your favor of the 6th instant has come safely to hand. You ask: "Can you not drop Polygamy, and still keep your present religion?" It was not our wish to embrace or practice Polygamy. We had nothing to gain,--looking at the doctrine from the stand point which we occupied at the time of its revelation,-- by its adoption. On the contrary, all our traditions and prejudices were opposed to it, and in favor of the institution of monogamy. But God revealed the principle and commanded His people to obey it, and we have done so. We would be perfectly willing to drop Polygamy, or any other feature of our religion, if the Lord would command us to do so. But until He does <so command> we must practice the principle, and leave the consequences with Him. It is the world and the Lord for it. If the sustenance and defence of the principle depended upon us, then our position would be far from hopeful; but He has promised to sustain us and, up to the present, He has done so, and we still rely upon Him. There is this fact connected with our history that is very noticeable: We are hated no worse, and treated no more harshly, since our adoption of this principle and its promulgation to the world, than we were before. The greatest persecutions that we have been subjected to we endured before polygamy was believed by us. When we were driven out of Missouri, and afterwards out of Illinois, and came to this country, those who were active in their persecution against us had not polygamy for the basis of their action. They could not then accuse us of being a "polygamous horde"; our marriage relations were strictly orthodox.

You say that if we do not drop polygamy, we little dream of the future that awaits our people. We have a pretty good idea of what the feelings of those who are opposed to us, also of what our future will be. We have no fears for the future. We will trust in God for the future, as we have done in the past. But the future of the wicked, of those who reject God and His truth, is not known to them; neither do they know our future; but we know theirs. When you wish to know what the future will be, we can tell you.

Hoping that these explanations will be satisfactory to you, and thanking you for the kind feeling which has seemed to prompt your note

I remain
Yours, &c.

Brigham Young