Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1893-04-22
THE NEW MORMON TEMPLE
View OF the lnterior-npressions Of Ono
Who Saw Il.

Who saw H.
.nter-Ocean Special Correspondence:
| was kindly invited, with many other
lon-Mormons, to visit the new Mormon
.emple.
This il the last of the fonr great
temples, the largest, the richest IN
very respect, and cost probably much
more than the other three put to-
yether, and the first one ever entered by
q gentle after being completed. 1t was
only at almost the last moment that
the authorities concluded to grant this
privilege. After the dedication no gen.
tile. under any pretense, will ever en-
ter It's sacred portals. There is pre-.
vailing impression outside of Utah,
that these temples are for public meet
ings. and like the tabernacle, will be
open to the public when meetings oc-
cur, and TO strangers visiting the city
1T all times, but this is not SO: il is fOr,
the ordinances of the church, wholly
and entirely.
All marriages are celebrated there,
the most important probably in point
of ceremony Of any enacted, taking sew
eral hours in its performance. Baptism
is also another ordinance OF great i'm
tortance and religiously observed |
know Mormon lady who was bap-
tiled 100 times in one day for dead
friends. baptism for the remission of
siHs is like confession in the Catholic
church, freely To be used IL considered
necessary or desired. The priesthood
of the Mormon church in point of num-
bers is beyond all the other religions
combined, and embraces the Aaronic
and that after the Order of Melchisedic.
and takes within its folds almost every
male member of the church in some of
it's degrees, and working as perfectly
in It's orders as that of the Catholic
church The Mormon religion con-
tains parts of many of the great re-
ligions of the world, TO say moth.
ing OF spiritualisn, astroiogy. and the
mysticisms of the most ancient religion
of history, embracing the esoteric and
the exoteric, the former confined, in a
more or less degree, to the higher de-
grees in the holy priesthood. Ali these
temples face TO the east, and every part
of the great structure within and with
out has its significance. In the twenty.
three years that | have occasionally
written upon this subject | have found
always something new TO write about,
and when Joseph Cook learned the
whole thing in a four days visit hera
nv astonishment can be imagined. l
make this little depression that the
reader may better understand brief
description Of the temple. The design
Of this temple is the inspiration of
Brigham Young. and nothing has ever
been buiit. perhaps, ut least in this
country, with SO much stability and
perfection as this temple. Its built OF
line granite qnarried out of the big
boulders at the mouth Of Little Cotton
wood canon, twenty miles distant,
quite portion of which was brought
by OK teams, and every piece of which
was marked at the quarry for the posi-
ton il was To occupy, brought to the
temple block, cut TO tit, and in the
whole structure not a chip was used,
aud not particle of lime, just q little
cement in the seams. When the reader
considers that its foundation is 10 feet
wide and i6 feet high, that its walls
are l6SlS feet high and feet thick at
the bottom and feet thick at the top,
with six large towers whose spires are
from 1874 feet in height to 22af feet,
measur ng upon the ground 1861 x99
feet, some idea. may be formed of tho
cost and labor religious enthusiasm
has been able To accomplish. The
aetNal COST is not known, probably
The time occupied in its building
has been precisely forty years, to ac-
cord with the building of Solomon's
temple, as recorded In the bible.
The interior is simply magnificent
ana grand beyond description. From
top 10 bottom not crack of any kind
in the massive halls; staircases, audi
toriums. the hall of the priesthoods
with their grand pnlpits. the beautiful
reception rooms. the baptismal room
with its fine font resting upon twelve
golden oxen of life size. its twelve COM
partments with bathtnb and toilet ap-
continents. finished in onyx; the many
rooms for the different orders of tho
priests, the altars, the rich furniture,
the 1000 electric lights, the rich drap-
.rieA, the display of arts, the illumi-
aated windows, the decorated walls,
the rich ornaments, the organ with its
soft music, the newness and the grand
eur OF the whole is something TO re
member.
There have been $4,000 recommends
ssued by the different wards in the
territory for admission TO the temple,
and the dedication and the visiting of
these members OF the church Is divided
so that the entire exercises will con.
tinue twelve days.
The Mormons may be justly proud OF
this great achievement which does
them honor and credit, and stamps the
honesty Of their convictions and their
implicit faith in their religion what
ever Il may be. From every MorTol
pulpit Il has been preached that every
member Of the church desiring to visit
the t1mple and receive new blessing
must BE- At peace with the world. and
II thcy have any feelings that are not
Of br0therly love they must be recon.
ciled before they apply for admission.
There are IN this coantry 80 collegs1