The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1909-10-15
WONDERS OF
MORMON CITY
Described by Visitor TO the FAM
Gus Home of Brigham Young
MAGNIFICENT TEMPLE
Tabernacle of this Religious Sect Seats
Ten thousand Great Salt Lake
Almost Surrounded by Mountains
Mayo, Fla. Oct. 4th, 1909.

Mayo, Fla. Oct. 4th, 1909.
Editor TRIBUNE:
We left Los Angeles Monday, Aug
ust 23rd, and reached Salt Lake City
Wednesday morning, just after sunrise,
many travellers witnessing the sunrise
On Great Salt Lake. Salt Lake City.
is regarded as one of the show places
of its region, and fully satisfies the ex-
pectatons of visitors. The Mormon
temple and tabernacle with its splendid
pipe organ, one of the four largest in
the world, together with the home of
the late Brigham Young-the Bee Hive,
the Salt Palace and salt air on Salt
Lake are special points to be visited.
The system of supplying the city
with delicious cold water from the
streams of the adjacent mountains -
her plan of irrigation and the wonder
full results obi; med therefrom are most
interesting. There is also an unusual
system of sewerage and street clean
ing which might well be adopted in
other places. The streets and side
walks are very wide, the streets being
paved with asphalt, which is found in
large quantities in that region. There
is no appearance of crOwding or close
ness in the city because of the liberal
width of streets. The capital is
handsome building with beautiful sur
roundings and there are many fine
residences, the homes of wealthy mine
owners. There is fine Roman CathO-
lie Cathedral almost completed, also IN
Episcopal church in the Mormon city
The business places were hardly up to
the standard of the coast cities but
were very complete. nevertheless.
The salt palace is an amusement place
and all the foundations, walls and
pillars are made from rock salt mined
in the vicinity of Salt Lake. 1t has
quite the appearance of stone and is
interesting chiefly because of its oddly.
The Mormon Temple is the mecca
toward which all travellers turn. and it
is very splendid granite building con-
Stunning a long period of years in con-
struction. 1t is surrounded by park
like grounds further beautified by many
blooming plants and small shrubbery.
But alas! the exterior is all that may
be seen of the great temple, only the
very elect being allowed to enter the
sacred walls. Members who drink,
swear or fail to pay their debts, or use
tobacco are excluded from participation
in any ceremonial in the temple. 1t
isn't place of general worship by any
means; a chapel and the tabernacle
being used for that purpose. Only the
most solemn ceremonials of the church
take place in the temple such as or.
daining ministers and other affairs of
the church-marrage funerals, bap-
tisms and baptisms for the dead, a
ceremonial peculiar to the Mormon
faith.
The Tabernacle, with seating ca
pacity of eight or ten thousand, is
used for public meetings of all kinds as
well as religious services and is also
loaned to other denominations when
they so desire. Mr.. Taft, you will re-
cali, preached" there. This building
possesses the most marvellous acoustic
qualties-a whisper at the speakers
desk being plainly audible at the Op.
posite end of the building-the space
of half a city block or more. A rare
treat is offered here daily in the form
of an organ recital at noon by the most
skillful performers. 1t is needless to
say we made point of attending, and
the music was heavenly, the tones be-
ing so like the human voice that it was
hard to believe they were not. The
vast audience maintained silence,
profound in its intensity, and passed
from the building with low spoken
words of wonder and appreciation.
The chapel is much smaller than the
tabernacle or temple and is used for
general services including Sunday
school,. The tabernacle has a choir of
five hundred trained voices, perhaps
the largest church choir in the country.
Salt Lake is about ten miles from the
city and is reached bv rail, and we
visited that strange body OF water in
the afternoon. What strange set
ting for a lake! Gray and barren
mountains on three sides with barren
level on the other save where irrigation
has forced the soil to yield bountiful
return for toll. The water is so salt
that it is quite impossible to sink so the
most timid may go bathing without the
least fear. 1t was very amusing to
see people trying to get their feet to
the ground, but it could only be done
by grasping support of some kind
and forcibly, plunging the body down
into the water. The lake looks like
any salt water in color but the absence
of tides and breakers place it in its
proper category of lakes.
We left at five o'clock in the after.
noon and have never seen such wild
. rush to get on a train. This was the
first section and that explained it, All