The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-04-04
Twenty Thousand Persons
Gather in Temple Grounds
on Opening Day of Great
Mormon Church Conference.
INDICTMENT WEATHER DOES
NOT INJURE ATTENDANCE
About Five Thousand Persons
Are Unable to Gain Admit
tanCe Either to tabernacle
or Assembly Hall Meetings,
OTHERS EXPECTED TODAY
ttT EFT the nations he gathered to-
ge5ber and let the people be
asSemhIRd-


ge5ber and let the people be
assembled
People of Mormon faith from all parts
of The world seem 10 have Obeged the
scriptUrai mandate, and they have gath
ereG at salt Lake for the conference
as they never gathered before.
Indictment weather had no discourage
ing effect ON the conference visitors
yesterday.
Thousands walked to and from the
tabernacle in sIcet and snow and
seemed tO pay NO heed TO the weather.
They were all intent upon securing
"a sent, preferably in the Tabernacle,
but ii not under the dome of the great
edifice, they turned to sbe Assembly
hall ina the Temple grounds, where over
flow meetings were held both morning
and afternoon.
Had the weather been more propitiOus so
that the normal Sunday crowds would
have been out, the principal streets of Salt
Lake would have been crowded as they
never have been before during a Mormon
church conference time.
For hours before meeting time, on eth
ef side of Main street from Third South
10 the Temple grounds, there was a surg
ing mass of humanity all headed north.
Realizing that the Tabernacle would be
taxed to its utmost capacity, the people
had barely time to partake of a lunch
after the morning session until they again
turned back toward the Temple grounds
ernacley where the main exercises were to
be held. Belated ones to the number Of
5000 turned toward the Assembly hall.
where q meeting under the direction of
Apostle Orson Il. Whitney was held
Twenty Thousand Persons
p Still more belated ones we're turned
away because of the inadequaCy Of the
Tabernacle and the Assembly hall to hold
more than 1900 persons. 1t is cOnserva-
lively estimated that fully S00OJ persons
entered the gates of the Temple grounds
between the hours of 1870 and 2:3O clock
yesterday afternoon. The morning attend
ance was but slightly less than that OF
the afternoon. and altogether it surpassed
in point of attendance any previous open
ing day Of conference.
Anxious as they were TO be seated III the
Tabernacle and hear the sermons, the
great pipe organ and hear the choir sing
anthems, nOn-MOrmOns cOurteOusly re-
Trained from pressing for seats yesterday
so that the visiting conference Mormon
church people might have the first call.
Twenty minutes before O'Clock every
seat in the Tabernacle was taken A rev
minutes later there was no Standlng room
within and people crowded into the arches
of the spacious dOOrways and remained
there standing and craning their necks
during the afternoon services. Flndlhe
the Tabernacle crowded beyond any hope
Of even pressing another man, woman or
child within, many Of the conference Vls-
itors cOntented themselves with gong 10
the overflow meeting.
Ordinarily and under most any otheI
known condition the assembling OF twenty
thousand people would for safety precau-
lions require the presence or a squad Oh
police While the crowd was coming az
its flood. one solitary policeman STOOD at
the gate There was really no need OF
his presence and he withdrew
Come From All Points.
The overflow meeting ended perhaps ten
m. l. .,.a1, ices
minutes before the Iabefnacle services
and enabled those who We're IN the Assem-
blv hall to pass without the gates before
the congestion came. However, j Wa
fully thTee-quarters OF an hOuf before lnS
egress congestion was tlnaily relleNeu- u
course there was no pushing or crowd
ing, despite the fact that a Ii were anxious
to get out that they might reacn nome,
have dinner and be ready 20 return carry
for the Sunday school night session
The crowds are composed OF conference
visitors from Canada TO Old Mexico on the
western hemisphere and from many polnts
in Europe and in Salt Lake form an IN
teresting study. -.
which started with violent wind and closed
with snowfall savOring of blizzard. the
PRINCIPAL streets of the city were thfohseu
long after midnight. Every Mormon no
matter from what remote point in the
world he comes, feels at home When ne
reaches Salt Lake.
Canada is esDecially well represented at
this April conference and the marcy man
or woman from Canada paid no heed 10
the storm of Sa turday night and the
cbangeabIe weather flurries of yesterday
II only made them feel the more at home.
There viii be no diminishing of the
crowd today. in fact, it will be augmented;
as it was reported yesterday that belateu
trains on the "a ilroads leading TO SALT
7 axe had prevented the arrival of many
who had figured too closely on railroad
time cards. If the weather is fair today
the streets will be thronged as they never
have been before al conference time.