Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1921-05-26
COST OF temple
GIVEN IN LETTER
INFORMATION SECURED FROM
OLD DOCUMENT FOUND IN
LODGE IN ENGLAND.

The following taken from the De-
troit Free Press recently, will prove |
Of great interest TO Masons of Alma
and vicinity, and to the public in
general, whether Masons or not, as
il relates TO the cost Of Solomon's |
Temple in that city, the most costly
Of modern times. It's publication at
this time, is also fitting in view of
the fact that the Grand Lodge of
Michigan Masons is meeting this
week.
To the Editor: Nearly twenty years
ago business called me to a small
town in England which possessed a
Masonic temple, and although not a
master of craft, | had occasion to
find myself within its portals. Look
ing around generally ] was particu-
larly struck by an old fashioned
printed document, framed and hang
ing on the wall, setting out in Eng
lish money and headed Cost Bill
ions, the cost of the most famous
temple of all times. Mentally | then
multiplied the figures by five, taking
as we did in those days for the pur-
pose Of comparison five dollars to be
equivalent to the English pound ster-
ling, and made a copy Of the docu-
ment These figures then appalled,
rae, but in time, passed from my
I
relic Of many things that one meets
in a lifetime and desires to keep. A
short time back, the announcement
that the Detroit Masons had acquired
a very valuable site and proposed to
build thereon a temple that would be
the most famous and most costly of
modern times, recalled TO my mind
the find | had made years before inl
England. | was enabled TO turn up
my copy of the document setting
forth the figures of the costly build
ing, not only the most famous temple
of olden ines, hut of all times, and
made comparisons, and feeling that
many thousands of others, be they or
be they not Masons, would be equally
interested, | am setting out below, a
copy of the document in its actual
wording, save that dollars have been
substituted for pounds, in the ratio Of
five for one.
Here it is:
COST BILLIONS
The cost Of Solomons temple and
its internal decorations and the
paraphernalia was one Of the Won
ders Of olden times.
According to Villapardus, the "tal-
ents" of gold, silver and brass. used
in its construction was valued at the
enormous sum Of S34 800, 10000.
The worth of jewels is generally
placed at a figure equally as high.
The vessels of gold according to Jo-
sephus, were valued at 10000 "tal-
nets" which reduced, according to
Chapeys reduction tables to every
day coinage was equal to S1,S76,4S1,-
SIS.
The vessels of silver, according to
the same authority, were still more
valuable, being set down as worth
1926, 100000.
The priests vestments and robes
of singers S1O,O5O,OOO; trumpets
100000.
To the above add the expense Of
the building material, labor, etc, and
some wonderful figures present them
selves.
Ten thousand men hewing cedars,
10000 bearers of burdens, $4,000
hewers Of stone, $500 overseers all
Of whom were employed for seven
years and upon whom beside their
wages Solomon bestowed 33,669,-
8S5.
If the daily food was worth 45
cents each (the original document
said two shillings), the sum total for
feeding this army of workmen during
the time of building totals up to
1914, 1886 ,440.
The material in the rough is esti-
mated as having been worth S12,-
26,6s5,OOO.
The several estimates show the
total cost to have been SS7,212,210,-
$40.
haDDl w ollIeS, tne JEWISH muSlCal
historian has stated that during
divine worship at the temple a full
choir consisted Of 100000 men.
During recent years not only this
country but other countries have had
to deal with figures reaching into
great magnitude, but so far as cover
ing a period of seven years, the time
taken during the building of Solo
mons temple, no financial minister
or chancellor of exchequer has had
to confront such figures as those that
tell of the cost Of building this most
famous temple of all times.
John Lyon.