The Complete Works of Artemus Ward — Part 6: Artemus Ward's PanoramaWard, Artemus
General
The Complete Works of Artemus Ward — Part 6: Artemus Ward's Panorama
Ward, Artemus
American wit and humor
I saw his mother-in-law while I was there. I can't exactly
tell you how many there is of her--but it's a good deal. It
strikes me that one mother-in-law is about enough to have in
a family--unless you're very fond of excitement.
A few days before my arrival in Utah--Brigham was married
again--to a young and really pretty girl--but he says he
shall stop now. He told me confidentially that he shouldn't
get married any more. He says that all he wants now is to
live in peace for the remainder of his days--and have his
dying pillow soothed by the loving hands of his family.
Well--that's all right--that's all right--I suppose--but if
ALL his family soothe his dying pillow--he'll have to go
out-doors to die.
By the way--Shakespeare indorses polygamy.--He speaks of the
Merry Wives of Windsor. How many wives did Mr. Windsor
have?--but we will let this pass.
Some of these Mormons have terrific families. I lectured
one night by invitation in the Mormon village of Provost,
but during the day I rashly gave a leading Mormon an order
admitting himself and family--it was before I knew that he
was much married--and they filled the room to overflowing.
It was a great success--but I didn't get any money.
(Picture of) Heber C. Kimball's Harem.--Mr. C. Kimball is
the first vice-president of the Mormon church--and would--
consequently--succeed to the full presidency on Brigham
Young's death.
Brother Kimball is a gay and festive cuss of some seventy
summers--or some'ers thereabout. He has one thousand head
of cattle and a hundred head of wives. (It is an
authenticated fact that, in an address to his congregation
in the Tabernacle, Heber C. Kimball once alluded to his
wives by the endearing epithet of "my heifers;" and on
another occasion politely spoke of them as "his cows." The
phraseology may possibly be a slight indication of the
refinement of manners prevalent in Salt Lake City.) He says
they are awful eaters.
Mr. Kimball had a son--a lovely young man--who was married
to ten interesting wives. But one day--while he was absent
from home--these ten wives went out walking with a handsome
young man--which so enraged Mr. Kimball's son--which made
Mr. Kimball's son so jealous--that he shot himself with a
horse pistuel.
The doctor who attended him--a very scientific man--informed
me that the bullet entered the inner parallelogram of his
diaphragmatic thorax, superinducing membranous hemorrhage in
the outer cuticle of his basiliconthamaturgist. It killed
him. I should have thought it would.
(Soft music.) (Here Artemus Ward's pianist [following
instructions] sometimes played the dead march from "Saul."
At other times, the Welsh air of "Poor Mary Anne;" or
anything else replete with sadness which might chance to
strike his fancy. The effect was irresistibly comic.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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