The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-03-19
LETTER NO. ".

| Especial Correspondence of the VIRGINIAN.l
The rites of the Endowment House will
one day be performed in the now unfn-
ished Temple of Zion, where Christ is to
reign during the Millennial years. The
Temple is very massive and handsome
structure. and has already cost 81 $780,
| 968.00. The material used in constructing
| it is granite rock, almost as white as mar
| Bile, but slightly speckled, which is found
| in a canyon about twenty miles east of the
| city. The corner stone was laid in 1858,
and its completion and Christs' second
coming. 1.-THE Mormons belieye will be
simultaneous. The foundations of the
Temple are sixteen feet thick, and the
walls of solid granite eight feet thick.
The Temple row stands four stories from
the foundation, and. is really much more
impressive in it's square and solid grandeur
than it appears in the completed plan,
when it is to be capped with six slender
it too high for the breadth Of wall and de-
stroy its symmetry. On the outer walls
are carven the moon in its phases, the
stars and sun, till the Temple might be
fancied an astrologer's tower. Brigham
Young-so reyered by the saints, in fact
| have seen poem in which the blessings
Of the wandering Mormons are thus emu
merated-
HBrl0ham. and God. onon1S hau1O1ad 10
round"
brigham was too much interested for
the church's good (also, perhaps interested
like the conqueror who came ''for your
good, yes, for all your goods'' Ito remove
himself far from the centre of ''Zion. At
the next block to Temple Square begins
his demesne, stretching far to the east.
1t was formerly altogether surrounded by
a high wall Of mud and cohble stones of
which the greater portion remains. At
the rear of the ''Bee Hiye'' house, too,
you can see the remnant of mud fort,
with loop-holes for guns. President Y Dung
built it ostensibly as a defence against
Indians. In any case, after few balls
from camp Douglas were sent whizzing
over the city, and were buried harmlessly
in the earth beyond, just as trial Of dis
tance to be covered. it was established be-
You'd doubt that the wall was useless
I against the United States, however power
ful protection against the red man. Here
are two of the residences Of President
Young, old fashioned stucco buildings,
called respectively the ''Bee Hive" and
Lion house, from the ornaments which
surmount them. Between these houses
are the church offices, hung with pictures
of the fathers of the Mormon church,
which were affably described to us by
| George @. Cannon, fine looking, fresh
colored, elderly gentleman, bearing a
strong resemblance to Horace Greeley
Here also we met President John Taylor,
the present head of the Mormon church.
He is white-haired, frail man, never
! having recovered from the bullet wound
he received in Carthage jail with spare
physique, and keen, nervous face. On
the same block, inclosed by the same wall,
are the buildings occupied by the Deseret
Neics, established in 1850, and for years
the only sheet published between San Fran
cisco and the Missouri river. 1t has a
paper mill, a bindery and type foundry in
connection with its office. The editor,
MI. G. w. Penrose, an elder in the Nor
mon church, as we'll as an able newspaper
man, is most kind and hospitable to the
| ~ ,t,it1, pol, hn
Neaos building are the long warehouses
and yards of the Tithing Officers. Here
the saints bring their tithes to the church
in kind-1our. cattle, grain, and produce
of all sorts. The artisans give their labor
for so many days. Often man will bring
all his gain here, and after the officers have
deducted tenth, they give him an order
on the cooperative store for the remain
der. Here, the candid mind will observe
an opportunity for diversion of the profits
into the church's Golfers. Opposite the
old houses of Brigham Young, stands a
building called by the Mormons the
''Gardo House, and by the rest of the
world the Amelia Palace" 1t is large,
snowy house, with a fine lawn. Archi-
, tecturally considered, it really belongs to
the style SO prevalent in suburban villas
some ten years since, with tall, central.
tower and cupolo. and Mansard roof. The
story goes that President Young built it
for his favorite wife, Amelia Folsom
Young, and after his death the Saints re-
fused to recognize her title to the house,
alleging that it was built with the church Is
funds. The Mormons insist that it was
intended for a sort of executive mansion,
from it's inception. took pains to look
up the matter, and found upon examina.
tion Of Brigham Young's will, that he
therein expressly states:
Harriet Amelia Folsom Young. now
aged IS years, with Mary Ann Angel
Young. shall have residence during theiI
natural lives in my dwelling known as the
Gardo House,"
But no sooner was the prophet dead
than the church and John Taylor, his sue
cessor to the presidency, claimed 81, 0O0,,
900 of the 81. 900 of which the testatol
died possessed Their claim was itemizeG
and ono item ran as f0llows