The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-12-17

0elTaSTy Malne
vices, do their own speaking and have
their own choirs. They have State and
Ward conferences in all their organiza-
tions at stated periods. The members
of their General Boards travel constant
/ ly, visiting the branches and missions
where, even extending to England, Ger
many, Scandinavia. Australia, Canada,
i Mexico, and to the islands of the sea-.
There are suffrage organizations in Utah
among the women, with clubs and coun-
ellis, while literature, art and music claim
thousands of the young people as vota-
ries and students. Women have full suf-
frage in Utah.
The chief interest of the visitor is the
great Mormon Tabernacle, which we
entered at the west end and took our
stand on a level with the pulpits and
j almost at the base of the renowned Or
gan. The plainness and simplicity of the
! building first impressed US, but as we
surveyed the long rows of seats ard the
tremendous vaulted ceiling, the vastness
of the place grew upon us and inspired
mingled feelings of solemnity, awe and
admiration.
The Tabernacle is an immense audi
forum, elliptic in shape, and seats 5000
people. 1t is $50 feet long by. $50 feet
wide, and 80 feet in height. The self
supporting wooden roof is remarkable
work of engineering. 1t rests upon pill
lars or buttresses Of red sandstone
! which stand. 10 to IL feet apart in the
whole circumference of the building.
The pillars support wooden arches, 10
feet in thickness and spanning $50 feet.
These arches are put together with wood
en- pins and leather thongs, there being
no nails or iron of any kind used in the
frame work. The building was erected
from 1865 to 1867. This being before the
railroad reached Utah, all the imported
material used in the construction had to
be hauled with ox-teams from the Mis-
souri, River. 1t was for this reason that
wooden pins were used in place of heavy
nails. The roof now has metallic COW
ering, which few years ago replaced
the old wooden shingles. The original
cost of this building was about $500, 900,
exclusive of the cost of the organ.
Regular public services are held in the
Tabernacle Sunday afternoons at two
o'clock, and during the summer season
ITe6 organ TGClIdlS are given udlly LUZ
the visiting public.
Our guide, wishing to illustrate the
acoustic properties of the building, led
end of the building farthest from the
organ. Arriving at this new position our
attention was coul teou sly invited by the
custodian who occu pied the place we had
left few moments before. At this dis
lance of 200 feet, he dropped pin on
the wooden railing. and also whispered,
both of which we heard with incredible
distipctness. Our guide assured us that
when all is quiet this whisper or pin-drop
can be heard from any position in the
building.
"The Tabernacle, said our guide, twas
planned and erected under the direction
of our pioneer leader, Brigham Young.
/ He as a glazier and cabinet-maker by
trade buC had been schooled chiefly by
hardship and experience. By what you
must call wonderful genius he not only
designed such remarkable buildings as
this and the Temple, but he built en-
equally wonderful commonwealth; one
which is unique among middle and west
ern States for the law and order, relig-
ious devotion and loyalty which char
acterize its early history. For all this
you must recognize Brigham Young as
genius, but to US he was an inspired
man; a prophet of God. the divinely
chosen successor to our Prophet founder,
Joseph Smith.
Sincere enthusiasm was apparent in
the face of our guide as she uttered
these strange comments. She spoke
feelingly of the numerous hardships and
persecution which her people had en-
dured, which finally eliminated in the
Mormon Exodus, when. in 1916 and 1S47,
after the martyrdom of Joseph and Hy-
ram Smith, they were forced to seek ref
uge in the Rocky Mountains.
In the west end of the Tabernacle is
the great organ. 1t has been conceded
by visiting musicians that this is the
finest instrument in America, if not in
the world. 1t was constructed over for
ty years ago, entirely by Utah artisans
and mostly from native material. 1t
was built under the direction of Joseph
Ridges, and later reconstructed by Neils
Johnson, assisted by Shure Olsen, Henry
Taylor, and others. In later years many
construction and effects. The church
authorities decided to have this instru-
ment at Last abreast of the times and
called in the services of the w. w. Kim
ball Co. of Chicago, who placed entirely
new mechanism in the instrument, using
such of the old material as was good for
years to come in the way of pipes, and |
re-voiced the instrument according to |
modern schools. The work was complet-
ed some years ago, and since that time
the organ has been regarded as the ne
plus ultra in organ building. Such is !
the verdict of SO eminent critic as the |
late DR.. Geo. w. Walter. organist of the
Temple, Washington, D. c., who paid
special visit to Salt Lake City in April,
1901, for the purpose of studying the
organ. His statements have been echoed
by numerous prominent organists who
have since visited the great Organ. The
front towers have an altitude of 48 feet,
and the dimensions of the organ are 80
by 80 feet; it has 10 stops and acc esso.
ries. and contains total Of over 5000
pipes, ranging in length from one fourth