The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-04-15

kpFONNfNNS
Probably Extend Over Fourteen Days.
The great new Mormon Temple at Salt
Lake, Utah, was dedicated on April 9th in
the presence of a throng of believers. 1t
is huge structure, the site for which was
selected July %, 1S47. The fifth day
after the Mormon pioneers entered Great
Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young, Presi-
dent of the Church, with number of the
apostles, was viewing the prospect in the
place selected as his new home, where all
seemed barren waste, and in passing the
southwest corner of where the temple now
stands struck his cane on the ground and
exclaimed, 'Here will be the Temple of
our God"
The southeast corner of a ten-aere plat
selected as the Temple block was made the
initial point for laying out the city and was
afterward adopted by Government officials
as the base meridian line.
Four years later, at the October Confer
ence of the Church in 1851, vote of the
people was taken to build "a temple of the
best material that can be obtained in North
America
The material selected for the foundation
was firestone from a canon four miles dis
tant. When the walls came to be built,
cut granite from Little Cottonwood Canon,
Is miles distant, was chosen as the most
suitable material. Prior TO the advent of
the railway, in 1870. this rock had to be
hauled hv OK and mule teams
GROUND BROKEN.
On February 9th, 1853, ground was
broken and $50 men put to work on the
excavation. On the 9th of April following
the corner-stones were laid 16 feet below
the surface of the ground When Johns
toms army came through in 1858 the foun-
dation of the Temple was entirely covered
over with earth and the people moved
south from Salt Lake for time. Four
years after this work was resumed on the
building, and, with the exception of two
years, 1868 and 1869, when the workmen
of the territory were mostly employed in
constructing the Union Pacific and other
railroads, has continued without serious
interruption. The cap stone was laid
April 9th, 1892, at which time the date
for dedication was fixed for April 6, 1898,
the sixty-third anniversary of the organiza-
tion of the Mormon Church and 40 years
from the day the Temple corner-stones
were laid.
DIMENSIONS OF THE BUILDING.
The building is 1856! feet long and 80
feet wide. With the towers it covers an
area of 21 $50 square feet. The founda-
tion wall is 16 feet thick and 16 deep.
On this the granite walls are 3 feet thick
in bottom and narrow TO 6 feet at the
square There are six towers, three on
the east and three on the west. The corner
towers are 26 feet square at the base.
Those on the east are 200 feet high and
on the west 1914 feet. The east central
tower at the building is 222l feet high,
surmounted by figure with trumpet to
its lips, proclaiming the Gospel. The east
part of the Temple is for the Melchisedec
priesthood, representing the higher or spir-
itual affairs. The west is for the Aaronic
priesthood, representative Of temporal ex-
istence. The figure on the east central
tower symbolizes the angel named in the
xivth chapter and 9th verse of St. Johns
Revelation. 1t is u feet in height, made
of hammered copper, plated with heavy
gold. 1t is gracefully modelled. There
is lamp above the head of the angel and
also on each of the six spires. All these
are strong electric lights.
In each of the four corners of the build
ing are winding stairs of 200 steps of solid
granite built into the walls. In the interior
of the building everything that modern
science and modern taste could suggest has
been utilized. The basement room occu-
pies the whole building. Its floors, walls
and ceiling are Of marble. 1t contains
baptismal font Of bronze, resting on the
backs of twelve life-sized bronze oxen fac
ing in sets of three the points of the COM
pass The first and second floors are di-
vided into rooms for special purposes con-
nected with the rites of the Church. The
upper floor consists of single large room,
120 by so feet, with height of 36 feet.
1t is encircled by a gallery, and will seat
5000 people.
The interior decorations are in good
taste. The prevailing colors are blue and
gold. There is lavish use Of marble,
ONYX, brass, bronze and silver, as well as
painted panels in the different apartments.
Considered from every standpoint this
building is one of the most remarkable ever
erected.
MANY KINDS OF STONES.
There are in the building many stones
symbolical of different conditions of man
kind. Around the base are earth stones.
Above these are moonstones, showing the
moon in its various phases and emblematie
Of terrestrial glory Still higher than these
are sunstones, typical Of celestial or the
highest glory of the heavens. There are
also s,arstones, representing the glory of
the stars. On the west tower is the Ursa
Major, pointing to the polar star. and indi-
eating that there is a fixed guide for fallen
mankind to return to God. Then there
are cloud stones and others Of like symbol
ieal nature. The architecture of the build
ing is without known parallel in ancient
or modern times. There are four doors to
the Temple, two in the west and two in
the east corner towers. The cost Of the
building, as near as can be aseertained, will
be slightly in excess Of s., 900, 600
RELIEF OF THE MORMoNs.
The belief Of the Mormons, or Latter
day Saints, as they call themselves, sis
that without the ordinances and endow-
ments that can be given only 10 Temple
they cannot obtain complete salvation.
These eudowments are the eonferring Of
sarfasn hleQs;nos nartainin0 fn their exist