The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-03-12

accommodate three thousand persons
The most salient point of the Assembly
Hall is fresco. The ceiling is divided into
sixteen pannels. Upon some of these are
depicted, in a cold brown the Mormon
temples Of Kirtland Nauvoo, Logan.
Manti, and Salt Lake, (the latter as it will
look when done). Now nothing can be
! more absurd to an even partially cult
waited eye than the spectacle of flat TEN.
pies. standing crosswise or upside down as
the case may be, over your head, and the
j effect is heightened by sundry pictures of
Joseph Smith. flying in company WITH
I Christ. Moses, Elijah. the angel Moreni,
) &c. attired all the while in swallow
! tail coat and stock. We are told that
! the artistic freseo work. is the pfodilet
4 iqf W. q. Morris, ESQ.,, and are curious to
know what the William Morris wolld
think of his namesakels labor. It might
suggest to him some original notions for
4 his latest Wallpapers. 4iuis g $50
Il In the northwest corner of Temtjle block
4 Is small adobe building, much Tesem-
4 bling one of the two.story dwellings, SO
common in Salt Lake. The high wall
I shuts it in, and it's shades are closely
drawn. This is the famous Endowment
House, round which cluster so MANY dark
anu mysterious tales. | must frankly con
less that OF the rites of the Endowment
House | hnooo nothing. It's secrets are
zealously guarded. On one occasion T
sllpped within the wall and plucked a
mower as souvenir. | noticed that the
other members of our party, (''Gentiles''
resident in Salt Lake evinced the great
est repugnance to lingering in the neigh
/ borhood. and seemed to share the awe
with which the Mormons have invested it.
The illustrated papers of the country have
printed theatrical Illustrations of victims
bound before the alter of the Endowment
House, &C., and the Mormons profess
to regard these as too ridiculous to
disprove. | believe, however, that
conscientious Mormons admit that
| the death penalty is lawfully in
flicted in three cases, viz: adulterers,
| apostates, and those who reveal the secrets
OF the House Of the Lord l. e. the En-
dowment House" Nevertheless. there
are plenty of apostate Mormons alive and
unmolested in Salt Lake city to-day. How
much the menacing guns of Camp Doug
las have to do with this, leave the reader
to determine.
Exposure" of the rites of the l1ndow-
ment House are plenty whether reliable
or not, the uninitiated have no means of
ascertaining, l give summary of one for
what it is worth. The book supposes a
number of men and women assembled in
the Endowment House to solemnized their
MARRIAGE rite which, according to this
authority, will occupy the hours from eight
a. M TIL half past three p. m. Poor Lat
ter Day Saint brides-witb, as we shall
see, no trousseaux, no white satin and or
ange blossoms, no cake, no wedding guests,
and perhaps very small share of their
husbands The women are taken possess
sion OF by the priestesses, the men by the
! priests, are bathed, Amounted, blest, given
a celestial name, &c. They then have an op-
portunity to witness species of miracle
play-for | can find no better anne forit in
which people personating God, archangels.
NC, GO through the creation of the world.
and then In another room, representing
Eden, the devil and Adam and Eve enact
the Fail. Then are administered with at
tendant ceremonies, three grips, ''(whieh
must bear faint resemblance to Masonic
signs two Of the Aaronic or lesser priest
hood and one Of the MelchiZedek or higher
PRIESTHOOD. The celebrants are also said
to take oathS of obedience to the Mormon
Church and priesthood in preference to the
United States and another to avenge the
death of Joseph Smith on the American
people, and to teach their children and
children S children SO to do. The penal
ties for revealing, these oaths and grips are
the cheerful ones of having the tongue
torn out, the throat cut from ear to ear.
being sawn asunder and cast into the sea,
&c. After prayer the men and women go
into another room divided by mystic
| veil with Masonic signs. The men
pass to the other side Of the veil, which is
| called Heaven and the women clasp
them through the veil, and after
whispering their celestial names to their
husbands, both repeat an oath of conse-
Grafton. Then the women are also adj
| mltted to Heaven Their names are re-
corded in marriage register, and then
kneellng at an alter, the prospective hus-
bond and wife are questioned as to their
Willingness to marry each other, and after
some eXhortation, they are sealed for time
and eternity.
At different stages Of this ceremony. the
neophyteS are dressed in their endowment
ralment. This consists firstly, of close
garment made in one piece highnecked
and long-sleeved and cut in Masonic signs.
The Lord is said to have revealed the pat
tern OF it to Joseph Smith. 1t must not
be cut low III the neck or short in the
sleeves, which would be patterning after
"6entlles," and good Mormons are said
always to wear it next the skin, and to slip
into clean one with the greatest haste
and trepidation, lest evil spirits OF disease
should attack them while unprotected
The other garments consist of caps, wells,
ltor the women only,) mocassins, robes
made in straight piece, and aprons of
green silk embroidered in brown fg-leaves.
Latter Day Saints are buried in the
whole paraphernalia, and if on the resur-
rectlon morning you are properly attired,
can give grips ''and your celestial name
you will enter upon blissful eternity. in
a beatific state higher than that of the
angels each Mormon having. [ believe,
possession Of a starry world, as his special
Kingdom, to be occupied by himself, his
wives and his progeny. The Headquarters
OF heaven, if one may be permitted the ex-
preston. will be this world, made new. and
Christ will reign in his temples at Jerusa-
lem and Zion (Salt Lake City,
The Mormons are so thoroughly of Mil
tons opinion in regard to the relation of
the sexes
'He for God, only-she for God through him."
that they hold no woman can rise on the
resurrection morning, unless her husband
takes pity on her, and calls her by her