The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1893-04-13

having been previously completed, all
the bands and choirs in the city were
called out and the entire population OF
the city, numbering then about five
thousand, assembled on the Temple
block. The southeast cornerstone was
first laid.
Since that tine the work Of building
the Temple has been prosecuted in the
face of enormous difficulties. For the
first twenty years the work proceeded
very slowly, all the stone having to be
conveyed from the quarry by means of
OK teams, six or eight animals usually
being employed to transport a single
rock from the quarry to the Temple
Block and four days being require | 10
make the trip. When Johnstone's army
invaded Utah in 1887 the walls of the
Temple. which had then reached level
with the ground, were hastily covered
over with earth. and the Mormons fled
from In. city, abandoning it to the
army. After Johnstone retired the
walls were uncovered again and work
was resumed where it was left off. At
| the compile ion of the Union Pa"iiic
Railway track was laid to the quarry.
ard from that time forward the work
| was pushed with great vigor, so that
although it is forty years since the
| building was commencet, not more than
| twenty-five have actually been ex-
| pended in its construction.
Like the Jews of old. the building Of
| temples has always held a cardinal
place in the faith of the Mormons. The
| Salt Lake Temple is the sixth building
| Of the kind they have completed and the
! seventh they have begun. The first
| was commenced at Independence, Mo-,
! in 1881. and dedicated by Joseph Smith,
| the founder Of Mormonism, but was
| abandoned shortly afterward owing TO
| mob violence. The second was built in
Kirkland, Ohio. in 1888. and completed
| in 1896. When the Mormons left Ohio
| the building passed into the hands of
| the Josephites, the anti-polygamy fac
' ton of The church, who still hold it.
| The third temple was built in Nauvoo,
| ILL.,, in lS41. and finished in 1919, bat
| was de stroycd by fire in 1918. and razed
| to tho ground when Nauvoo was sacked
| by the opponents of the Mormons. The
/ O.; her temples are located in st. George,
Utah, built from 1873 10 1877; in Logon,
| Utah, built from 1877 to 1894; and in
| Manti. Utah, built from 1879 TO 1883.
| The cost Of all its predecessors COM
binel, however, does not amount to
more than one-half of the money ex-
/
Lake edifcc.
I Some of the main dimensions Of the
| building are as follows: Its whole
| length, including towers. is 1863 feet
| its width is 80 feet: the three towers on
| the east rise to height of 1921 feet in
the center and 1eS feet Oh the sides.
| The three west towers are from to 10
! feet shorter. The height of the walls
| to the top of the rCck work Is 1875 feet.
The thickness of the walls ut tho bot
tom is feet and at the top 6 feet. The
thickness of the footing wall Is Is feet,
and the whole building covers an area
of 2l,s50 square feet. Each corner
| tower has staircase OF solid granite,
cut by hand, of over two hundred steps.
The building has its own electric plant,
heating apparatus. cooling machines,
| rover for elevators, ETC., and the spec
ta.le at night, when all the pinnacle )
| as we'll as the crown of tho angels fig
ure on the central tower are Illuminated
with electricity, is stricking and brill
ant in the extreme.
Everywhere throughout the building
the prevailing style is solidity, richness
IN symmetry. White and gold are the
prevailing colors, though the ceilings
show some rare decorative work. Sew
eral years ago the Mormon church
sent several artists 10 Paris to study
rainting and art decoration for tho
purpose Of having them paint the CELL
iDgs and the rooms in which the most
secret ordinances are celebrated, one
of which is said to be a representation
Of the Garden of Eden, and 1t is de
scribed as n marvel OF beauty by those
who have beheld it.