Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-09-20
THE CITY OF THE SAINTS.
A Travellers Impression of Salt Lake
City. the Mormon Stronghold.
A Visit to the Great Tabernacle and
the Unfinished Temple.

A Visit to the Great Tabernacle and
the Unfinished Temple.
At six o clock in the morning and be-
fore scarcely any of the Pullman passen-
gers had risen from their berths, the west
bound Denver & Rio Grande train stopped
for a few minutes at Provo. forty-six miles
from Salt Lake City. Provo is a quaint
little village of about 5000 inhabitants. all
but about 200 of whom are Mormons. The
houses are small. old-fashioned. adobe struc-
! lures. each set back IN small orchard of
shade or fruit trees In fact, this is a pecu-
liarity of Mormon villages. All along the
line of the railroad can be seen what at
first sight appears to be shady groves. and
it is only by careful search that the houses
can be discovered, hid as they are amid
dense foliage.
If you step out on the platform of the
car to get better view of the little city,
the fact that you are in the midst of a
| great fTuit-grOwlng region is quickly i'm
pressed upon you. Boys and girls of all
sizes and ages crowd about the car with
different kinds of fruit-apples, peaches,
apricots-and different kinds of berries.
Wont you please buy some apples;
only five cents dozen. pleads one of the
! little girls, with d remarkably dirty face.
1t is not easy to resist such an appeal. es-
pecially as the fresh fruit makes excellent
eating before breakfast.
In few minutes the train is off again.
1t is about an hour and a half run from
Provo to Salt Lake City. The railroad
passes through what is probably the finest
farming portion of the Salt Lake Valley
| The entire valley has the appearance of
to be a single foot of uncultivated ground
| along the edge of Utah Lake for several
miles and you can have an excellent
view of Salt Lake City, lying at the foot
of the Wasatch Mountains This city is a
| great stopping off place between San Fran
cisco and Denver, and is we'll supplied with
| hotels to accommodate this transient
| population. If you do not know at what
hotel to stop the hotel runners will tell
| you. They all tell you at once. In this
respect, at least. Salt Lake City is like all
| others.
| AMONG THE MORMONS.
| In the City of Latter Day Saints of
course the chief interest centers in the
| MOrmons and their institutions. In fact
| the Mormon influence is felt immediately
| The fight between the Gentiles1 and the
| MOrmons has been a bitter one; it forms
| the only political issue-the Liberals YER
sus the People. The Zion Cooperative
| Mercantile Association owns and controls
! the largest business institutions in the
city and are supported by almost the en-
tire Mormon population. The Mormons
| In Ilr,
| the Gentiles. Naturally this state of af-
fairs has depressing influence upon trade
| and enterprise. The city has two theaters
one for each party. The Gentiles seem
| to have a natural aversion to anything
| Mormon, and therefore do not patronize
| the Mormon theater, and the Mormons
studiousy avoid attending the Gentle
| theater.
The vigorous measures adopted by the
| United States Government have entirely
| destroyed the practice of polygamy, and
| that, IN connection with the great confsca-
| ton of property, has undoubtedly greatly
weakened the church.
The visit to the Temple and Tabernacle
| is always of great interest to the stranger
| On approaching Salt Lake City, for many
miles your attention has been attracted to
| a great granite structure situated in the
center of the city This is the Mormon
| Temple, built of large blocks of granite
and commenced, as the inscription on the
| building tells you. in the wear A. d. 1853.
| 1t is not completed yet. and the way the
work is dragging at the present time re-
minds one of the progress of a government
| building. 1t is said to have already cost
| $4,000 The massiveneSS of the build
| ing is It's only especial feature The tow
ers, though not yet completed, afford an
excellent view of the city.
The Temple. Tabernacle and Assembly
Hall are situated in the Temple Square.
| which is surrounded by a heavy stone wall
twelve feet high. The Tabernacle is
A WONDERFUL BUILDING
In its way. The roof is one large self
supporting dome. The building is in the
| form of an eclipse. Its dimensions are $50
by $50 by SO feet. The building, owing
| to It's shape and roof is famous whisper
| ing gallery. If the visitor stands at one
| extremity of the building he can distinctly
| hear a whisper or the falling of a pin at
the other, over 200 feet distant. The
| Tabernacle will seat 5000 people. and. as
| it contains twenty-eight doors. the entire
| building can be emptied III a very few
minutes 1t is said that the appearance of
| the inside of the vast dome was not pleas
| ant to the eve, and this has been remedied
! bv draping the interior with long stream
| ers of evergreen and cOlOred paper. The
| great organ of the Tabernacle Is an instru-
ment Of remarkable power and sweetness.
| This organ Is an object of considerable in
| terest. as it is of home manufacture and
| contains 264S pipes. 1t cost 500 900. The
| services on Sunday afternoon are always
well attended The auditorium was not
| filled entirely on the occasion the writer
| was there. only about 5000 people being
present The acoustic properties of the
| building are perfect: every word of the
| sermon can be distinctly understood, even
| if You are 200 feet from the speaker. The
| sermon was long and rambling, inter
| Spersed every minute with some remark
on the persecution of the government. The
! Desert News, the leading Mormon paper,
! had a stenOgrapher present. and Monday
| published what purpOrted to be a verbatim
! report of the service. but the writer
noticed that some very careful editing had
| been DONE and all reference to the govern
ment quietly dropped. The choir is large
| and well trained, and with the mellow
! tones of the organ. the effect Is excellent
! The Lion House. the Bee Hive House.
| the Amelia Palace. Eagle Gate and Brig
! ham Young grave are also objects of great
| interest to the stranger
The city itself is beautifully situated and
| well laid out. The principal streets are re-
markably broad-l3O feet-and lined with
heavy shade trees. Whatever opinion one
may have Of the MOrmons as a religious
sect, the Mormons individually, be it said to
| their credit. are kind-hearted and generous
people, who by their thrift and perseverance
have truly made the valley blossom like
| the rose.
| BATHING IN THE GREAT SALT LAKE
Is an experience so unique. so delightful
and exhilarating, that it can never be for
gotten. There Is probably nothing like it
in the world. 1t differs entirely from or
dinary ,.alt water bathing. The water of
| the lake Is so extremely heavy (being near
ly 20 per cent. salt that person cannot
sink. 1t Is really a strange sensation to one
who Is not accustomed to bathing in this
water 10 walk out into the lake You i'm
mediate.y feel yourself growing lighter
| and lighter rs Won advance. until Won seem