Victorian Conceptions of Nineteenth-Century Mormonism

A while back I read Sherlock Holmes offends Mormon mother in Virginia, school board pulls book. Essentially, "A Study in Scarlet," the first Sherlock Holmes story, from a historical perspective, inaccurately portrays Mormonism; the Virginia school district had it on a reading list for students; the Mormon mother asked that it be removed; the school board removed it because it was "inappropriate" for 11- to 12-year-olds.

At the time, I hadn't read "A Study in Scarlet," but I was a bit offended that the mother would make such a big deal about the story. I've run across inaccurate portrayals of Mormons before in Victorian literature, and I mostly find them amusing, since they reflect Victorian anxieties, fears, and double-standards. Now that I've read the story (and I hope the mother in question above read the story, too, or else I'm even more upset with her), I still think things were blown out of proportion in Virginia, but I can understand what offended her. That's not what I'm going to write about, though. I'm writing in defense of "A Study in Scarlet."

[Spoiler Alert!] The mystery and double murder (quadruple, when everything comes out) are founded on misconceptions of Mormons. The story starts with an introduction to Watson and his introduction to Sherlock Holmes. At the end of the first part, Holmes declares who the murderer of two foreign men is, though we are at a loss as to why, how, etc. (ah, the beauty of a well-constructed Homes story). Part 2 begins with the emigration of a man and his adopted daughter, the only survivors of a transcontinental wagon train that died of starvation. They are discovered, starving to death on the prairie with circling vultures, by a Mormon wagon train (featuring Brigham Young in a fancy, well-stocked wagon). A bit of the history of Mormons is given: their being driven from place to place and their final quest to find Zion in Utah. Well, John Ferrier and his daughter, Lucy, agree to become Mormons in exchange for being rescued. They arrive in Utah, and everyone soon becomes wealthy and prospers. Lucy grows into a fine woman. She falls in love with Jefferson Hope (oh, how I love that name!), a trapper-trader-mountain man kind of guy, and they are essentially engaged. Jefferson takes off for a bit to become more wealthy. Meanwhile, Brigham Young tells John Ferrier that Lucy must marry a Mormon (he gives her a choice between a man with four wives and one with seven). John Ferrier, above all, does not want his daughter to marry a Mormon. Brigham Young gives them a month to decide. The engagement with Jefferson is discovered, and Ferrier begins to receive a daily countdown to decision point (numbers painted on various surfaces around his farm). He knows that if he doesn't comply, he will mysteriously disappear, as every man who contradicts Brigham Young tends to. Jefferson Hope returns with a couple of days to spare, and the three escape. While Jefferson is hunting one day, he returns to camp to find Ferrier's grave and Lucy taken. He returns to Salt Lake to find Lucy married. She soon dies (of disappointment, etc.). Soon after this, there is a faction in the Mormon leadership, and several men decide to become "Gentiles"; one is Lucy's husband and another is the other man she could have married. Jefferson proceeds to try to kill both of them, and this begins a long manhunt, where Jefferson follows them across the United States, throughout Europe, and finally to England, where he kills them.

Most of the portrayal of Mormons and Mormonism is incorrect. Salt Lake (Utah) is portrayed as a locked down fortress, where no one may leave without consent of the "Four Elders." Portrayals of Mormon doctrines concerning polygamy are not correct, and a few other things, like the wealth of Mormons (the story suggests the leaders are the most wealthy and marry lots of women who will bring more wealth and land). Side note: The Mormon pioneers were incredibly poor for many years after they got to Utah, and though they prospered to an extent, they struggled for quite a while before becoming as prosperous as the story suggests. I mention this because it was the inaccuracy that stood out the most to me, along with the, for lack of a better term, "cultish" nature of the religion; oh, and it's clear they are headed to "Utah," which didn't exist until well after the pioneers got to the Rocky Mountains). I could point out more stuff, but I'm going to move on, since this is a defense of the story.

As I mentioned, I usually find mentions of Mormons and Mormonism amusing (the episode in Around the World in Eighty Days is great), and the portrayal in this Sherlock Holmes story is very interesting. It is such a central part to the story, and I find it fascinating that Doyle would make almost half the story about Mormonism. Remember, this is the first Sherlock Holmes story, and Doyle had a lot riding on the story's publication. It had to be good in order for him to continue writing more stories. Evidently, it made such a big hit that Sherlock Holmes has become a long-lasting hit (new movie's out!). I'm not suggesting that Mormons made the story a hit (Sherlock is the star, for sure), but why put Mormons in the story that needs to be successful?

(Side: I did a brief search to see if any scholars have written about this, but my search yielded only something in French, which I didn't feel like reading. There could be more out there; I just didn't feel like looking that hard...)

My theory is that Mormonism was a hot topic in Victorian England (not a major topic, necessarily). I've come across a few articles in magazines on Mormonism, and one particular "firsthand" account of Mormons was reprinted in a few different places. My thinking is that there were a lot of rumors floating around, and people were mildly interested in the strange new American religion (especially that it was being proselyted in England). People were getting a skewed view, too, since most firsthand accounts weren't really firsthand or were based on other firsthand accounts. From what I've seen, Victorians were interested in the practice of polygamy because of recent bigamy trials, where some men and women were I believe convicted of being married to more than one person. This (the 1880s and 1890s) is the period just after the sensational decades (1860s and 1870s), where literature began picking up on the subversive in Victorian society, being practiced more or less in the open. This is the time of the rise of the detective novel, where the obsessive interest in crime by regular readers led to the creation of detectives like Sherlock Holmes. Literature was delving into scandalous stuff, and what could be more scandalous than a religion that openly practices polygamy, believes in gods and angels arriving on earth bring sealed golden records, and keeps secretively to itself because of terrible persecutions? Who knows what goes on in that secret valley in the Rocky Mountains, where so many who enter never emerge? Is any of that accurate, historically? Maybe. But what is fascinating is the possibility that it exists! That is what Sherlock Holmes is all about; that's what sensational literature, literature that focuses on crime and scandalous happenings. And guess what: it sells!

The title of my blog post is carefully worded: Victorians had some strange conceptions of nineteenth-century Mormonism (which is much different than Mormonism of today; for instance, we no long practice polygamy and haven't since before the turn of the century--1900; we also are less closed, meaning you'll find members of the church all over the world: when young and insecure, the meager group of followers had to band together; now we're much more secure about ourselves). It saddens me that some people, like the woman in Virginia, can take offense at stories like "A Study in Scarlet." Perhaps I just have a different perspective on the matter, but "A Study in Scarlet" represents an interesting point in literature. It reveals, because of its interest in Mormonism, certain anxieties Victorians had about strange things. The historical portrayal of Mormons is besides the point. If anyone who reads the story really thinks that's the way things were, he or she had better rethink what "fiction" and "poetic license" are. Did Doyle know the "truth" about Mormons? Probably not; he was subject to the misconceptions floating around, just like all other people. Did he care? Heavens no! The misconceptions he so eloquently perpetuates make for a great story.

One question remains: If I had been in the above woman's situation, what would I have done? Well, I would have let my kid read the story and talked to him about why the story is the way it is. I probably would have armed him with information to take to classmates to talk about the differences between what fiction portrays and what really happened. In fact, I probably would have given him a few copies of the Book of Mormon with the instructions, "If anyone wants to read nineteenth-century Mormon literature that's accurate, have him read this."

For more information about Mormonism, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, click here. 

For more (accurate) information on the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, click here.

A Letter Exchange

I came across the following letter exchange while doing research on W. M. Thackeray. Of course, the letters themselves are much more entertaining, but you'll get the general idea.

June 1847

1: John Forster to William Thackeray: Why did you snub me at the party last night?

2: Thackeray to Forster: I snubbed you because a mutual friend told me you said I am "as false as hell."

3: Forster to Thackeray: Charles Dickens told me that Sir Alexander Duff-Gordon told him who the mutual friend is, and I have "no recollection" of saying such a thing about you to Tom Taylor. And if I ever did say such a thing, it's taken out of context and is a breach of confidence between Taylor and myself. If I ever did say such a thing, it was probably related to the caricature sketch you drew of me which wasn't particularly flattering.

4: Dickens to Forster: I gave your letter [letter 3] to Gordon, and he and I agree that what you say is just right. Gordon hopes you and Taylor will still get on, and he thinks Thackeray is in the wrong in all this. I agree.

5: Forster to Taylor: You betrayed our confidence. How dare you!

6: Thackeray to Dickens: I don't want to get Taylor into trouble. I was just really offended by Forster's comment about me; it hurts my "honor & character." If he's offended by the caricature I made, then he's taking things too seriously. "Forster ought not to have used the words: Taylor ought not to have told them: and I ought not to have taken them up." I'm sorry about the whole affair, and I hope you'll reconcile Forster and Taylor.

7: Gordon to Dickens: "It would be absurd that Tom Taylor and Forster should no longer be friends because Thackeray, for once in his life, took things too seriously."

8: Taylor to Forster: I'm really sorry. Will you forgive me? Will you restore my good name and trust?

9: Forster to Dickens: Thanks for sending me Thackeray's letter [letter 6]. It seems Thackeray is sincere. I wrote to Taylor, and we are on good terms again.

10: Forster to Taylor: I forgive you.

July 1847

11: Thackeray to his mother: "There are no end of quarrels in this wicked Vanity Fair, and my feet are perpetually in hot water. Jerrold hates me, Ainsworth hates me, Dickens mistrusts me, Forster says I am false as hell, and Bulwer curses me--he is the only one who has any reason--yes the others have a good one too as times go."

Mountains

Since moving to Lubbock, TX, I've thought a lot about mountains. Lubbock, for those who may read this and not know Lubbock exists, let alone where it is, is in the South Plains region of Texas, northish-west of Dallas about 5ish hours and south of Amarillo about the same distance. It's basically on a giant plateau, and the prominent geographical feature is the horizon. It's as flat as flat can be. It's so flat that the water has nowhere to go when it rains and there are massive flooding problems every time there is a downpour. It's so flat that the sun rises earlier and sets later than I could have imagined. It's so flat that pancakes look like mountains. It's so flat...well, you get the idea.

So, I think about mountains. A lot. I grew up in northern Utah, in the shadow of mountains. As a child, I woke in the mornings to the sound of canyon winds rushing by/through our house with fresh, mountain air. (Now I occasionally wake up to the sound of wind, filled with dust and whatever blows in from the oil wells and farm lands.) As a child, I took lots of hikes with my family, and we explored hidden waterfalls and would look down from the tops of the mountains to the shiny valleys below.

Cedar Breaks, Southern Utah

The hikes were often strenuous, but always worth it. Mountain tops are so peaceful. The world is far below and away, and it's easy to let your mind wander and wonder. The sun is closer yet less fierce, and life's problems seem to melt away. I miss mountains. Even though as I've gotten older I've gone up into them less (time constraints, mainly), mountains have always been a reminder to me of the peace I felt after all that physical exertion. I miss living in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains.

Looking up from Ogden Valley, Northern Utah

Is it a wonder that mountains have traditionally been where prophets have found God? The prime example, of course, is Moses, who saw God in the burning bush on a mountain:

 1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

 2 And the presence of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

 4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. (JST Exodus 3)

Later, when Moses was feeling rather down about his job (convincing Pharaoh to let the Israelites go), Moses learned about who he was and who God was and that God's purpose, His work and glory, "is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). Moses learned his potential as God's son. After Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt, across Jordan, and into the wilderness, the Lord again appeared to him and gave him the Law of Moses. Moses spent a lot of time in the mountains (and he had to hike them several times, poor guy).

Elijah had a similar experience when the Lord taught him about how the Holy Ghost communicates with man. Elijah went to Horeb, "the mount of God," seeking comfort and protection (since someone was trying to kill him). He then had this experience:

10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

 11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

 12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

 Elijah had to go to the mountains to hear the still small voice of the Lord, the Holy Ghost. He had to remove himself from the unrighteousness of his people to find God.


There is a mountain in Lubbock. It's a symbolic mountain, but it is there. Just like the real rocky mountains I miss, Lubbock's mountain reminds of the peace I feel when I go inside it. This mountain is Lubbock Texas Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Salt Lake Temple Spires

Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are primarily places of learning, a graduate school, if you will, for faithful, qualified, worthy members of the church. In temples, we learn more about our relationship with God and our eternal potential as His children. Not all members of the Church can enter the temple; all must be interviewed by two local church leaders, proving that they have a conviction in the beliefs of the Church, they keep God's commandments, and they are full participants in the Church's organizations (among other things). However, all members of the Church have opportunity to meet the requirements to enter the temple.

Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple

We do not speak in specifics about what goes on inside our temples, because temples are in a very literal way Houses of God, and the things done inside are sacred and holy. We have been asked to speak in general terms about these things outside the temple, to preserve their sacred nature. So much in this world has become profane because of overuse and ridicule. We wish to keep temples pure and sacred.

Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple

However, I will say that in temples we participate in rites and ordinances and make covenants (promises) with God essential for salvation. We also vicariously perform these for our deceased ancestors. Ordinances, like baptism, are essential for us to dwell with God forever, and we want everyone that lives, has lived, and will live on this earth to have the opportunity to dwell with God forever. In our temples, we are baptized for our deceased relatives. Other essential ordinances are the endowment (literally, a gift from God) and eternal marriage, where a man and woman can be married, or sealed, together for time and eternity (not "till death do you part"). These ordinances teach us what it means to be with God, to be like God. Eternal marriages and families are the end purposes of the temple, and it is only in temples that we can be bound together forever.


Since I moved to Lubbock, I've been on a spiritual journey. Not that I wasn't on one before, but I've changed more in the last two years than in the six preceding years. Soon after I arrived in Lubbock, I had a greater spiritual desire for all the blessings God offers His children (see Abraham 1). This desire came at a pivotal time in my life; I was just starting my PhD program, and I was wondering how I would make it through the next five years (and the rest of my life). The answer was (and always will be) the temple.

Salt Lake Temple

This journey led me to the temple, God's mountain in Lubbock. In God's temple, on His mountain, I am learning more about Him. I feel a peace and joy in the temple that I cannot feel anywhere else. Like Moses, I find God in the temple and learn more about how I, personally, can gain immortality and eternal life and also how I can help others gain immortality and eternal life. Like Elijah, the temple is the place where I can hear the Lord in a way I cannot anywhere else. The temple provides protection from the troubles of life, and I know that as I keep the covenants I have made, God will bless me in ways I cannot fathom. He already has.

President Thomas S. Monson (current Prophet and President of the Church) said:

The world can be a challenging and difficult place in which to live. We are often surrounded by that which would drag us down. As you and I go to the holy houses of God, as we remember the covenants we make within, we will be more able to bear every trial and to overcome each temptation. In this sacred sanctuary we will find peace; we will be renewed and fortified. (Full address)

How did Moses do all that he did? How did Elijah become the great prophet he was? How will I survive graduate school (and life!)? By going into the mountains.


For more information about temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, click any of the links above or click here.