Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-03-17

lono aud seventy feet wide. AT one end is
4 a rsised platform and pulpit, and at the
other the big organ and choir.
went in and took seat in as free and
easv manner as if it had been Methodist
establishment. The seats are very close
together, leaving barely roSm for ones
knees. and are separated by two ais es run
ming the length of the church. The mid
die row will each hold twenty persons, and
those at the end about ten each. The
men occupy those upon the right and the
| left and the ladies the center.
Upon the raised platform about the pull
pit, reminding me ola jury box on large
/ scale, were over hundred of the honora-
able and old of the church, deacOns, elders,
and so on. The pulpit itself is elevated a
! little above the platform, and mounted with
1 red velvet.
| was surprised at the attendance, there
bling full two thousand present, although
the occasion was but ordinary; there was
| something in the vast, packed congregation
| that reminded me of Beechers church, only
! there was an entire absence of display of
/ fine jewelry, lace shawls, or elegant attire,
eithtr on men or women. All were plainly
dress d; nothing fancy, fiashy or ultra-fash-
! ionable, no fuss and feathers, but all plain
and substantial in the way OF dress, and
| earnest in worship. The MOrmons do not
! 90 TO church to show their fine clothing,
which is another symptom that they are be-
| hind the times, and ought TO be brought
/ forward to our advanced standard of civiI-
cation.
The seats are very plain, without cush
/ ions or ornament of any sort, nothing
but plain, hard benches. There is an alb
sence of jack-knife and pencil marks upon
4 them, quite noticeable to Eastern people,
who are not used to seeing plain pine
| benches in public places that are un-
marked. uncut and unscribbled over.
The MormOns have big organ and an
excellent choir, and the music and sin ing [
heard to-day was fully equal to that of
Beechel's church. The choir contains
about one hundred. A popularity about
their music is that it costs nothing; it is not
bought music, but it is the free offering of
such of the congregation as can play and
sing.
After singing, an Elder offered a prayer, a
general sort Of prayer that would suit a
! Mormon Church OF any other. He then
4 requested that if there was any returned
missionaries present they would please
come forward. The MOrmons keep mis-
1 si0nalies out all the time in various parts of
lhe NO Id in bringing in recruits to Zion.
The missionary service of the Mormons
is hard upon the missionaries. At the Or
der Of the church they have 10 leave their
homes and journey all over the world
| p eaching the Mormon Gospel, and paying
their OWn expenses. The missionary who
preached to day had sold his oxen, wagon
| and horses TO raise money to bear his ex-
| penses. Nobody in the Mormon service
gets a cent for his labor, not even President
| Young himself, although half his time is
taken up with church dUt es. Not salary
is paid in the Mormon Church from top to
/ bottom.
This is all the more singular when we re-
Gsct upon the large fund at the disposal of
the church, for every member contributes
yearly a tenth Of his or her income. This
! large revenue is all devoted to the building
of tabernacles, churches and the support Of
the poor. How many of us are there in the
East, the headquarters of civilization and
| higher intelligence, who give tenth'Of our
incomes TO like good purposes We de-
vote fully a tenth Of our time to growing
a som body else's religion, but when it
| comes to supporting our own, We are not
50 forward
A MORMON BALL
The correspondent describes a Mormon
ball which be attended on the following
! (Monday) evening. "The Mormons," he
says, ''are great dancers. All dance, young
and old, Church Elders and Deacons, and
even President Young himself joins in the
merry whirl, even now, seventy-one years
Of age that he is, and when he has to go
and come in the custody of the United
S ates Marshal. Hardly q week, day night
passes in Salt Lake City without one or
more balls, and frequently as many as half
a dozen are going on at once. The balls
are always opened and closed with prayer
by some Elder who is present"
BRIGHAM YOUNG
came in, leaning upon his cane, and accom-
| panied bv the United States Marshal. The
old man looks even better than he did the
other day when l saw him, and if bis
church sails IN safety through the breakers
that at present surround it, he may live TO
a green old age TO rejoice in its prosperity
! and comfort his sixteen wives and sixty
| eight children. His church is his very life,
and his health goes and comes as the pros
| peCt for a solution of the troubles darkens
and brightens.
The love of the people for Mr.. Young
amounts TO veneTatiOn, absolute VeneratiOn.
He is considered holy man of God, full OF
years and good deeds and hODOTs, who,
when called home, will shine as star in
the heavens forever and ever.
A YOUNG MORMON.
I fell into conversation with one Of Mayor
Wells sons, a boy some seventeen years of
aye, and so bright and intelligent that l
took great liking to him.
Have YOU good schools heTe?" l asked.
VERY good" he replied, "as far as they go.
We haven't any fine colleges and seminarieS
like YOU have il the East, but we will some
time. We have to get along now with what
we've got.'
"Au these young ladies l see seem to be
INTELLIGENT and pretty. Are they all Nor
mOns?'
Eyes, sir, every one, think. There are
Oaly two GenIiles here besides you, and one
Of them is President YOung's guard"
: "Are these young ladies pretty well edu-
Cdt-d?' | askad.
"Fully as much so as the Territory affords
faclrias. They are all well up IN The pri
mary branches. and few of them have
S,ulltu Lit L itilCll Id y tid5Cs 40 W uASiS,
we are considerably behind, because YOU
, know the railroad has only been built few
years, aud before that it took small fortune
to get piano over the Plains. Now we
can get them easier, and our young ladies
have chance TO learn that they never had
before"
is it true" I asked Gas have heard it
reported, that the rising generation are OPP
/ Tospd IN n ,lVramV p
1T is not" he replied with emphasis.
eve believe il 4 God-Ordained institution,
and as sacred as any other tenet of our re
ligion."
"Would you not yield it in order to get
Utah admitted as State, so that you could
get out from under Ties presumpuve
/ Judges, and regulate your own affairs"
No, sir; We would not yield it for any
thing; it is part Of our religion, and if we
give way to one demand, we will soon
have-n to another, and after awhile they
will rob us Of all
You speak Of the men" said, "and
don't doubt but what many Of you are op-
DpSpd IN giving IN uOlvUamV. but among