The Woman's Exponent was a semi-official publication of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that began in 1872. It published articles advocating for women's suffrage and plural marriage, in addition to poetry and other writings. Lula Greene Richards and Emmeline B. Wells were its editors until 1914, when the Exponent was dissolved. It was "the first long-lived feminist periodical in the western United States." While it had no direct successor, the Relief Society did launch its own magazine, the Relief Society Magazine, in 1915.

A new publication, independent of the church but partially inspired by the earlier magazine, was launched by a women's group in Massachusetts in 1974, entitled Exponent II, and continues to the present day, along with a program of annual retreats, and latterly a semi-autonomous blog site, The Exponent.

Goals and approach

The Woman's Exponent (A Utah Ladies' Journal) was a periodical published from 1872 until 1914 in Salt Lake City with the stated aims of defending and inculcating right principles, and sharing useful knowledge, and to "discuss every subject interesting and valuable to women." Its goals have been summarized by later commentators as uplifting and strengthening women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and educating those not of the faith about the women of the Church. The prospectus of The Woman's Exponent cited grievances with the portrayal of Utah women in the press as a reason for the paper's creation, asserting: "Who are so well able to speak for the women of Utah as the women of Utah themselves? 'It is better to represent ourselves than to be misrepresented by others!

Though not an official LDS Church publication, the Exponent was owned, operated and edited by LDS Church members in a private capacity. The periodical was closely tied to the Church's women's organizations, the Female Relief Societies, unified as the Relief Society. It was approved by the General Authorities of the Church, The Exponent also published excerpts from Elizabeth Cady Stanton's The Woman's Bible and passages on the Mormon doctrine of Heavenly Mother. In addition to these religious, social, and political topics, the Exponent included poems and stories, tidbits of humor or wisdom, and current news. Recipes and other housekeeping tips and notes on dress were also published. To promote a more financially-independent Utah, the Exponent "constantly exhorted women to consume only locally made products." Reports from meetings of Relief Society bodies and other auxiliary organizations, such as young women’s and primary groups, were often included. Though it was a private publication, women of the Relief Society were actively encouraged to subscribe, as well as contribute to the paper.

Format and circulation

The newspaper was generally issued semi-monthly at first and later monthly, on quarto paper in three columns. Its circulation was estimated by the Pacific States Newspaper Directory to be 4,000 in 1888, and its readership likely exceeded that number; the Exponent was used in women's meetings and exchanged with papers outside of Utah. It was credited with considerable influence in Utah, and was quoted in other journals.

History

The editor of the Salt Lake Herald, Edward L. Sloan, originally intended to create a woman's column in the Herald itself. When the staff refused to support his idea, and having heard of the idea of a journal for women circulating in the Relief Society,

The periodical faced increasing financial pressures from the late 1800s or early 1900s, and Wells unsuccessfully lobbied the Relief Society General Board to adopt the newspaper as its official publication. The paper was forced to close in February 1914. The Relief Society Magazine, a separate magazine and an official publication of the LDS Church, began in January 1915.

See also

  • List of Latter Day Saint periodicals

References

Sources

Footnotes

  • Woman's Exponent (PDF scans) courtesy of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University.
  • Woman's Exponent Digital Exhibit, University of Utah and Brigham Young University
  • Database of advertisements in the Women's Exponent
  • Exponent Blog The Exponent Blogsite
  • Searchable transcript of Woman's Exponent