The Holy of Holies:The central of the three small apartments connected with the Celestial Room,—situated therefore between the Sealing Room for the Living and Sealing Room for the Dead,—is of all the smaller apartments within the Temple walls by far the most beautiful. Yet its excellence is that of splendid simplicity rather than of sumptuous splendor. It is raised above the other two rooms and is reached by an additional flight of six steps inside the sliding doors. The short staircase is borderedby hand-carved balustrades, which terminate in a pair of newel-posts bearing bronze figures symbolical of innocent childhood; these support flower clusters, each jeweled blossom enclosing an electric bulb. On the landing at the head of the steps is another archway, beneath which are sliding doors; these doors mark the threshold of the inner room or Holy of Holies of the Temple, and correspond to the inner curtain or veil that shielded from public view the most sacred precincts of Tabernacle and Temple in the earlier dispensations.
The floor is of native hard-wood blocks, each an inch in cross-section. The room is of circular outline, eighteen feet in diameter, with paneled walls, the panels separated by carved pillars supporting arches; it is decorated in blue and gold. The entrance doorway and the panels are framed in red velvet with an outer border finished in gold. Four wall niches, bordered in crimson and gold, have a deep blue background, and within these are tall vases holding flowers. The room is practically without natural light, but it is brilliantly illumined by a large electrolier and eight side clusters of lamps. The ceiling is a dome in which are set circular and semicircular windows of jeweled glass, and on the outer side of these, therefore above the ceiling, are electric globes whose light penetrates into the room in countless hues of subdued intensity.
On the south side of this room, opposite the entrance doorway, and corresponding in size therewith, is a window of colored glass depicting the appearance of the Eternal Father and His Son Jesus Christ to the boy Joseph Smith. The event here delineated marked the ushering-in of the dispensation of the fulness of times.The scene is laid in a grove; the celestial Personages are clothed in white, and appear in the attitude of instructing the boy prophet, who kneels with uplifted face and outstretched arms. Beneath is inscribed the scriptures through which Joseph was led to seek Divine instruction:
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
And Below:
"This is my beloved Son, hear Him."
"This is my beloved Son, hear Him."
This room is reserved for the higher ordinances in the Priesthood relating to the exaltation of both living and dead.
Dome Room:Near the landing of the granite stairway in the southeast tower on the third floor, is the entrance to the large Dome Room, thirty-nine by forty-four feet. On the south side are three oval windows, and opposite these on the north are semi-discs of pebbled glass looking down into the Celestial Room and set in the arches thereof. In the center appears a large dome, fifty-one feet in circumference at its base and seven feet high. This is set with seventeen jeweled windows and may be readily recognized as the ceiling of the Holy of Holies already described as a prominent feature of the second floor. In each of these windows electric bulbs are placed, and it is from these the room below derives its beauty of ceiling illumination and coloring. The walls are hung with portraits of Church authorities. No specific ordinance work belongs to this apartment. At the northwest corner this room opens into a hall or corridorseventy-five feet long, eight feet wide throughout the first fifteen feet of its extent, and ten feet wide for the rest of its course. From the corridor rooms open on either side.
The Elders' Roomis the first apartment on the south side of the corridor, west from the Dome Room. It is thirty-one by thirteen feet and is lighted by one oval window. The furniture consists of an altar for prayer, chairs and a table. The room is reserved for council and prayer by the several quorums of elders within the Salt Lake City stakes, each body having the right of occupancy within specified times.
The Council Room of the Twelve Apostleslies to the west from the last, on the south side of the corridor. This is twenty-eight by twenty-nine feet, and has two oval windows on the south. It is furnished with twelve chairs of oak upholstered in leather, other chairs for recorders or clerks, desks, table, and altar. On the walls are seen portraits of latter-day Apostles now living. Adjoining this chamber is an ante-room fourteen by twenty-one feet.
The Council Room of the Seventyis entered from the corridor near its westerly termination. The room is twenty-eight by fourteen feet, and has one oval window on the south side. This chamber is reserved for the use of the First Seven Presidents of the Seventies, or more accurately stated, the First Council of the Seventy. It is furnished for its purpose with seven chairs of a kind, an extra chair for the recorder or clerk, a table and a prayer altar.
The Council Room of the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostlesis situated on the north side of the corridor, and with its ante-room occupies the greater partof that side. The main apartment is forty by twenty-eight feet. In the center is a prayer altar of white wood upholstered in crimson velvet. Twelve large upholstered chairs of oak are arranged in three quadrants of a circle around the altar. The other quadrant is occupied by a table, behind which are three chairs of a kind for the three presiding high priests who constitute the First Presidency of the Church, and another chair for the Presiding Patriarch. These pieces, with desk, table, and chair for the use of the recorder, constitute the essential furniture of the room; all additional pieces are decorative. The walls support several fine paintings, among which are two canvases depicting the descent from the cross, one of the burial of the crucified Christ, and others of scenes in the life of the Savior. Beside these there are original canvases showing landscape scenes of interest in the history of the restored Church.
The ante-room to this chamber is sixteen by fourteen feet. On the north side is seen a commemorative window of colored glass, presenting in the central panel a splendid picture of the finished Temple, above which appears the sacred inscription, "Holiness to the Lord." Each of the side panels presents an escutcheon with scroll and inscriptions.[8]
The High Council Room:Immediately north from the ante-room to the chamber reserved for the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles, is a room twenty-five by sixteen feet, allotted to the use of the Presidency and High Council of each ofthe stakes of Zion included within this district. The occupancy of this room is regulated by rule, and the presiding bodies of each of the stakes concerned have access thereto at appointed times, specifically for devotional service. In business session these organizations meet elsewhere, not in the Temple. The room is furnished with the requisite number of chairs, a table, a desk, and an altar.
The Main Assembly Room, which with its vestries and the end corridors occupies the whole of the fourth floor, is one hundred and twenty by eighty feet in area, and thirty-six feet in height. A commodious gallery extends along both sides, and but for the space occupied by the stands, includes the ends. At either end of this great auditorium is a spacious stand,—a terraced platform,—a multiple series of pulpits. The two are alike as to finish and furniture; a description of one will serve for both.
The stand comprises four terraces, the lowest of which is one foot above the floor, while each of the other three has a rise of two feet. On each of the lower three terraces is a settee or dais eighteen feet long; the upper terrace is furnished with a settee eight feet long for the seating of the president and his two counselors. On each terrace is a central lectern, with a smaller desk of corresponding design on either side. All the woodwork on these terraced platforms is hand carved, and is finished in white and gold.
The upper stand at either end of the room is covered by a canopy, supported by columns, and bearing on its front the designation of the order of Priesthood to which the end is devoted. The stand at the west end is inscribed "Aaronic Priesthood," and the one at the east, "Melchisedek Priesthood." It will be remembered in connection with the description of the Temple exterior that thetowers at the east rise to a greater height than do those at the west. It is now seen that this difference is in accordance with the graded orders of Priesthood, stationed within, the Higher at the east and the Lesser at the west.
Flanking the official stands at either end of this auditorium are seats for officials in the Priesthood not directly called to officiate in the services of the day. The gallery and the wings of the stands are furnished with folding chairs; the seats belonging to the body of the auditorium are of reversible construction, so that the auditors may face the stand in which the Priesthood officiating on the occasion belongs.
This great room is finished in white and gold. From the paneled ceiling large electroliers depend, and these with the cornice lights present a total of three hundred and four electric globes. In the rear of each stand are commodious vestries with entrances on either side. In each corner of this imposing auditorium, is a spiral stairway leading to the gallery; the stairway is of graceful design with hand-carved embellishments.
The Upper floors: Above the level of the main assembly room with its accessories, there are no rooms. The next floor has an elevator landing at the west and a cross-corridor connecting the two corner towers at both the east and west ends of the Temple, but these are all. The next landing is on a level with the roof of the Temple, above which are only spires and finials.
The Four Granite Stairways: In each of the four corner towers is a stairway leading from basement to roof, each and every step of solid granite. The stairs are attached to a central column of granite four feet in diameter, and every step is set and anchored to withstand forages any and all ordinary loosening by time. In each of these four corner stairways there are one hundred and seventy-seven steps, a total of seven hundred and eight in all. Each step is six feet long with an insert of three inches at either end; at the narrow end each step is five inches wide, and at the other end twenty inches; the steps present a projecting tread of one inch and a half. There are broad landings at convenient intervals in the long spiral. Each complete step weighs over seventeen hundred pounds, and the aggregate weight of the granite in the four stairways is over one and a quarter million pounds. On each floor is a cross corridor ten feet in width, running north and south, connecting the tower stairways. At the west end of the structure are two commodious elevators running in separate shafts of granite from basement to roof. At first hydraulic elevators were installed, but these have been replaced by automatic electric lifts.
Be it remembered that the Temple has been built not for the present alone. In structure it is stable and of the best construction skill and devotion could achieve. In the interior its appearance is strictly in keeping with the stability of the walls and in harmony with the impressive and imposing appearance presented without. In no part is there evidence of hurried plan or careless execution. Even the attic rooms and muniments—but seldom used—are well and fully furnished.
However, the Temple is not beautified throughout with equal elaboration. There has been no lavish nor unnecessary expenditure in embellishment. The predominating intent has been that of appropriateness. There are many rooms of plain design, furnished in but simple style;there are others in which no effort has been spared nor cost considered to secure the essentials of grandeur and sublimity. In no part is there a hint of incompleteness; nowhere is there a suggestion of the excessively ornate. Every room has been planned and constructed for a definite purpose, and both finished and furnished in strict accordance therewith. Within this, the greatest Temple of the present dispensation, there is no mere display, no wasting of material, no over-ornamentation. The Temple has been planned and built as was believed to be most appropriate to
The House of the Lord.
1. Prior to 1911 the Temple was supplied with heat and light from its own boilers and dynamos; and during that period electric generators were operated in these rooms. Steam and electricity are now furnished from a central plant situated immediately west of the Temple Block. See chapter IX.
2. Compare with the "molten sea" in the Temple of Solomon, I Kings 7:23-26; II Chron. 4:3-5.
3. See Doctrine and Covenants, section 128.
4. Doctrine and Covenants, 128:13.
5. See "The Articles of Faith," XIV:1-3.
6. See Doctrine and Covenants, section 116.
7. See page105.
8. See page137.
Marvelous as was the achievement of the people in rearing the great Temple, and particularly so in the commencement of the work under conditions that appeared so generally unfavorable, the undertaking becomes even more remarkable when we take into consideration other building-work carried on while the Temple was in course of erection. Not only were three other Temples begun and completed during this period, but meeting-houses were reared all in the various wards and stakes, and other structures of yet greater capacity were erected for assemblies of the Church in general. The buildings constructed on Temple Block in Salt Lake City represent in and of themselves great undertakings when considered in the light of circumstances prevailing at the time. Among such buildings are the existing Tabernacle; the structure long since removed and now referred to as the Old Tabernacle, and the Assembly Hall.
It is interesting to know that the first shelters erected for public gatherings within what is now Salt Lake City were boweries; among these the Old Bowery is distinctively named and known. On the 31st of July, 1847—but one week after the arrival of the pioneers in the valley of the Great Salt Lake, a detachment of the MormonBattalion,[1]which had just reached the settlement, or as it was even then called, the city, built for the accommodation of worshipping assemblies a bowery of poles and brush. This in time was superseded by a yet larger structure of the kind, one hundred feet by sixty feet, which came to be known in local history as the Old Bowery. It consisted of posts set up at convenient intervals around the sides of a quadrangle, the tops of the posts being joined by poles held in place by wooden pegs or lashed in position by rawhide thongs, and upon this skeleton-roof, willows, evergreens, sagebrush, and other shrubs were piled, resulting in a covering which was a partial protection from the sun, though but a poor barrier against wind and rain.
The old Tabernacle: At first this building was known as the Tabernacle; since the erection of the present building bearing that name, the earlier structure has come to be known as the Old Tabernacle. It was one hundred and twenty-six feet in length by sixty-four feet in width, and occupied the site of the present Assembly Hall in the south-west corner of Temple Block. For its day and time it was a large and pretentious building. As to its seating capacity, we read that at the time of its dedication during the April conference of 1852, there were twenty-five hundred persons present at one session. Its ceiling wasarched and was supported without pillars. Many of the posts and poles of the Old Bowery entered into the construction of the Old Tabernacle.[2]
The Tabernacle: The building now so known was distinctively designated the New Tabernacle at the time of its construction. It was begun in July, 1864, and was so far advanced as to permit the holding of the general conference beneath its roof in October, 1867. This remarkable structure was planned and erected under the direction of President Brigham Young. For it no claim of architectural beauty is asserted; the general appearance is that of a huge inverted bowl resting on pillars. It is in truth a vast elliptical dome supported at the edge by massive sandstone walls and buttresses. The buttresses measure nine feet in width or depth and three feet in thickness. The space between the buttresses is occupied by doors, windows, and walls; the doors open outward, thus affording ready means of exit. The building measures two hundred and fifty feet in length and one hundred and fifty feet in width at the center. The ceiling is seventy feet from the floor in the middle; and from the ceiling to roof the distance is ten feet. A capacious gallery, thirty feet wide, extends along the inner walls and is broken at the west end only, where it gives place to the grand organ and the seats reserved for the great choir. In contrast with the usual methods of construction this enormousgallery is not continuous with the walls. At intervals of twelve to fifteen feet great beams connect the gallery with the wall buttresses, but between these beams the gallery is set forward two and one-half feet from the inside of the walls and the open spaces are guarded by a high railing. It is believed that the surprising acoustic properties of the building are due in part to this feature of construction; the great dome is, in fact, a colossal whispering gallery, as the hundreds of thousands of visitors who have inspected the building know. When it is emptied save for the few, the fall of a pin dropped at the focal point of the ellipse near one end of the building may be heard at the corresponding point near the other end. The convenient seating capacity of the building, including that of the gallery, is nearly nine thousand, though under conditions of crowding, congregations much larger than this have assembled.
At the west end are the stands including the pulpits. There are really three pulpits rising in tiers or terraces; these afford accommodations for the Church officers of different grades in authority. On either side of the pulpit-terraces are extended platforms for other bodies of Priesthood. Behind the stands and pulpits, rising on either side to the level of the gallery and occupying the space in front of the great organ, is the choir space, seated to accommodate approximately three hundred singers, with extra provision in the gallery for nearly as many more.
At the west end of the building is the great organ, generally admitted to be one of the best instruments of its class ever built. At the time of its construction it was the largest organ in this country and the second or thirdlargest in the world. One of the many surprising features connected with the instrument lies in the fact of its having been constructed by local artisans; the woodwork, including pipe and mechanical equipment, is wholly of native material. The organ occupies a floor-space of thirty-three by thirty feet, and rises to a height of forty feet for the body of the organ itself, while the towers in front reach a height of forty-eight feet. Its stops and regulators number one hundred and ten; it contains over three thousand six hundred pipes, which range from half an inch to thirty-two feet in speaking length. There are four complete finger key-boards and one pedal system, making in all five individual organs. In size and proportions the organ comports with the great building in which it is installed; while in tonal quality and mechanical equipment it is of an order of excellence corresponding to the other appointments of this splendid auditorium.
The domed roof is constructed on the principle of lattice-work support, and is self-sustaining throughout its entire extent, there being no pillars between ceiling and floor. The roof-work is of wood, and at the time of its construction the beams and trusses were held together by wooden pegs and rewhide thongs. These materials were used instead of nails from necessity rather than from choice; nails were obtainable only as new supplies were brought in by prairie wagons, and the cost of the long haul precluded their use. While at present there are many larger roof-spans in the great buildings of the country, most of the more recent structures are of steel; and it is doubtful if ever there has been made a more stable structure of its kind consisting wholly of wood.
The Assembly Hall: In the south-west corner ofTemple Block stands the Assembly Hall, a substantial structure designed for congregations of smaller size than those requiring the great Tabernacle auditorium. During the summer of 1877 the Old Tabernacle, about which so many pleasant memories had clustered, was removed to make room for the new building. The Assembly Hall was begun in the year named, and, though meetings were held in the unfinished structure, it was not until 1882 that the building was ready for dedication. The edifice is one hundred and twenty by sixty-eight feet, including the extreme recesses. The walls are of granite from the quarries in Cottonwood canyon.
General Service Plant: All the buildings at present occupying Temple Block, together with many others on adjoining squares, are supplied with steam, hot-water, and electric current for light, heat, and power, from an independent plant situated near the middle of the city square immediately west from Temple Block. From this plant great subterranean tunnels lead to the several buildings connected therewith. The main tunnel is six feet six inches in height, by five feet six inches in width; through this run all pipes for steam and water, ammonia pipes for cooling purposes, and, in addition, a full equipment of electric conductors. The diverging branch-tunnels are each six feet six inches by four feet. The buildings supplied from this plant with electric light, heat, and power, and with steam and hot water, are the following:
1. All the buildings on Temple Block, comprising the great Temple and its accessories, viz., the Annex, the conservatory, the gate house or porter's cottage, the Tabernacle, the Assembly Hall, and the Bureau of Information.
2. All the buildings belonging to the Latter-day Saints' University, comprising the Business College, Barratt Hall, the Brigham Young Memorial Building, and the Lion House.
3. The Bishop's Building, and the old Tithing Office or Bishop's Store House, now used for work in connection with the Latter-day Saints' University.
4. The Deseret Gymnasium.
5. The offices of the First Presidency of the Church, together with the official residence of the President, known as the Bee Hive House. These buildings are situated at a distance of two and one-half city squares from the main plant.
6. The large and famous hostelry, the Hotel Utah.
7. The Deseret News Building and the Deseret News Annex.
8. The Vermont Building.
9. The Sharon Building, and several other smaller structures.
The entire length of the tunnel system is over fourteen hundred feet, and the tunnels are constructed of reinforced concrete with walls six inches thick. From this brief and partial description, it will be seen that the equipment of buildings occupying or adjoining Temple Block, is commensurate and adequate.
1. The Mormon Battalion was a body of five hundred men furnished by the migrating people on demand of the general government to assist in the war between the United States and Mexico. The Battalion was mustered into service in July, 1846, and formed part of the forces commanded by General Stephen F. Kearney. The main part of the Battalion marched from Fort Leavenworth to Santa Fe, and arrived in southern California during January, 1847. A detachment from this band, comprising those who had become disabled while on the march, had wintered at Pueblo; this body reached Salt Lake Valley in July, 1847, but a few days after the entrance of the Pioneers.
2. Descriptions of the Old Tabernacle and accounts of the proceedings incident to its dedication and opening for public use appear in the "Deseret News" of that time, April, 1852. Reprints in part appear in the "Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star," Vol. XIV, Nos. 22 and 23, July 24th and 31st, 1852. These accounts comprise also synopses of the minutes of the general conference of the Church for that year and include the dedicatory prayer.
Of the sanctuaries reared by the Latter-day Saints, the great Temple at Salt Lake City has been the first to be considered specifically and in detail in these pages. This course has been followed because of the fact that among modern Temples the one at Salt Lake City is the largest, the costliest, and by far the most generally known; and moreover, as already stated, of the four Temples thus far erected in Utah this was the first begun and the last finished. While it was in course of construction three other Temples were proposed, planned, built, dedicated, and opened to sacred ordinance service. These are known from their locations as the St. George Temple, the Logan Temple, and the Manti Temple. The sequence in which they are named is the order in which they were completed and opened; it will be convenient to follow this order in further considering them.
Each of the three is constructed on the same general plan, and for similar specific purposes. While they are of varying richness, and each is smaller and less elaborate than the great Temple at Salt Lake City, their appointments and equipment are essentially the same. No detailed description of internal arrangements or furnishings will be attempted, as such would be little more than a reiteration in part of what has been said.
The city of St. George, the county seat of Washington county, Utah, is situated near the southwesterly corner of the State, about two hundred and seventy miles from Salt Lake City in a direct line, and three hundred and thirty as the road runs. Before the walls of the Temple at Salt Lake City had been carried above the basement story, the erection of a Temple in the southern part of the Territory of Utah had been fully determined. The site for the St. George Temple when selected by President Brigham Young lay in the suburbs of the city. The grounds comprise an entire city block of six acres.
On Thursday, November 9th, 1871, President Brigham Young and his First Counselor, George A. Smith, together with Erastus Snow, then President of the Southern Mission, Joseph W. Young, then President of the St. George Stake of Zion, a goodly number of other bearers of the Priesthood, and the general public, dedicated the site and broke ground preparatory to laying the foundation of the building. After the prayer, which was offered by Elder George A. Smith, President Brigham Young addressed the people. From the report of his remarks the following excerpts are taken, as they furnish an illustration of the earnestness with which the commission to build Temples was regarded, and of the practical nature of what the people considered to be their duties as members of the Church. The President urged a concentration of effort on the part of the people in the work, and continued:
"The idea may arise that this is a hard land in which to get a living. Now I am very thankful for the land just as itis. I am glad that it is just as it is. It is a splendid country to rear Saints in. Among our other duties we have to build a temple here. I advise that the Bishop of this city, the Bishop of Santa Clara, and the Bishop of Washington, apportion labor among the members of their respective wards to excavate the ground for the foundation of the temple, and to haul rock, sand, clay and other material. If the brethren undertake to do this work with one heart and mind, we shall be blessed exceedingly, and prospered of the Lord in our earthly substance. Now, if the people present are one with the First Presidency in this work, and will unite with them to prosecute the labor of building this temple, by faith, prayers and good works, let all, brethren and sisters, manifest it by the uplifted hand."
"The idea may arise that this is a hard land in which to get a living. Now I am very thankful for the land just as itis. I am glad that it is just as it is. It is a splendid country to rear Saints in. Among our other duties we have to build a temple here. I advise that the Bishop of this city, the Bishop of Santa Clara, and the Bishop of Washington, apportion labor among the members of their respective wards to excavate the ground for the foundation of the temple, and to haul rock, sand, clay and other material. If the brethren undertake to do this work with one heart and mind, we shall be blessed exceedingly, and prospered of the Lord in our earthly substance. Now, if the people present are one with the First Presidency in this work, and will unite with them to prosecute the labor of building this temple, by faith, prayers and good works, let all, brethren and sisters, manifest it by the uplifted hand."
The people with one accord raised their hands. The official record continues as follows:
"President Young took a shovel in his hand and said, pointing to the stake which had previously been driven in the south-east corner of the building site: 'Immediately under this stake and in the foundation will be placed a stone containing sacred records, and immediately over this stake, when the building is completed, will be placed another stone containing records of the temple' He then said, suiting the action to the word: 'I now commence by moving this dirt in the name of Israel's God.' All the people said 'Amen.'"
"President Young took a shovel in his hand and said, pointing to the stake which had previously been driven in the south-east corner of the building site: 'Immediately under this stake and in the foundation will be placed a stone containing sacred records, and immediately over this stake, when the building is completed, will be placed another stone containing records of the temple' He then said, suiting the action to the word: 'I now commence by moving this dirt in the name of Israel's God.' All the people said 'Amen.'"
An address was delivered by Elder Erastus Snow in which he called to mind the promises and prophecies made ten years before, relative to the prosperity that would attend the people in the southern region, and furthermore he pointed out the fulfilment of many of the predictions. Then followed the solemn Hosanna shout.
Work on the excavation began immediately; on the afternoon of the very day of dedication, plows and scraperswere put in action. As announced at the time of the dedication of the site, the following specifications as to dimensions and construction had been decided upon:
"Outside measurement, 142 feet long by 96 feet wide, including the buttresses, and 80 feet high to the top of the parapet. It will be built of stone, plastered outside and inside. There will be a tower in the center of the east end, and on the extreme corners of the same end, right and left of the tower, are cylindrical staircases; one side of the stairs rests in the cylinder, the other side in a newel in the center of the cylinder. The roof will be flat, and covered with roofing similar to that on the New Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. The building will consist of two stories and a basement. The two main rooms or halls, one over the other, will each be 100 feet by 80 feet. The ceiling of these will be arched, resting upon columns, and so constructed as to admit of sixteen rooms for council and other purposes in each of those two main stories. The height of the main ceiling in the centre is 27 feet; the height of the other ceilings about 9 feet. The basement will contain the font, and will be used for ceremonial purposes."[1]
"Outside measurement, 142 feet long by 96 feet wide, including the buttresses, and 80 feet high to the top of the parapet. It will be built of stone, plastered outside and inside. There will be a tower in the center of the east end, and on the extreme corners of the same end, right and left of the tower, are cylindrical staircases; one side of the stairs rests in the cylinder, the other side in a newel in the center of the cylinder. The roof will be flat, and covered with roofing similar to that on the New Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. The building will consist of two stories and a basement. The two main rooms or halls, one over the other, will each be 100 feet by 80 feet. The ceiling of these will be arched, resting upon columns, and so constructed as to admit of sixteen rooms for council and other purposes in each of those two main stories. The height of the main ceiling in the centre is 27 feet; the height of the other ceilings about 9 feet. The basement will contain the font, and will be used for ceremonial purposes."[1]
A record-stone was placed at the south-east corner of the building, and therein were deposited, on March 31, 1873, a metallic box containing copies of the scriptures and other publications of the Church, together with a silver plate bearing the following inscription:
"Holiness to the Lord."The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized and established agreeable to the laws of our country,by the will and commandments of God, on the sixth of April, 1830. Which commandments were given to Joseph Smith, Jr., who was called of God, and ordained an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to be the first Elder in the Church."Joseph Smith, Jr., President, with his brother Hyrum, Patriarch of the whole Church, suffered martyrdom in Carthage, Illinois, June 27th, 1844, and the Church was driven into the wilderness in 1846."
"Holiness to the Lord.
"Holiness to the Lord.
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized and established agreeable to the laws of our country,by the will and commandments of God, on the sixth of April, 1830. Which commandments were given to Joseph Smith, Jr., who was called of God, and ordained an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to be the first Elder in the Church.
"Joseph Smith, Jr., President, with his brother Hyrum, Patriarch of the whole Church, suffered martyrdom in Carthage, Illinois, June 27th, 1844, and the Church was driven into the wilderness in 1846."
Then followed the names of all the general authorities of the Church as at that time constituted.[2]
To the specifications given in the foregoing it is necessary to add only the following to make the description fairly complete. The tower is thirty-one feet square; the vane on the tower is one hundred and seventy-five feet from the ground. The foundation of the entire basement story consists of a black basaltic lava, a rock occurring abundantly in the region and well adapted to the purpose. The soil of the place is sandy and heavily impregnated with alkaline mineral salts; and no rock that readily undergoes disintegration, either through abrasion or as the result of a solution of cementing material, is suitable for foundation work in this soil. The foundation of the building extends below the ground-level ten feet. About two-thirds of the east end and a portion of the northerly side rest on bed-rock in place; throughout the rest of its extent the foundation is laid on a thick layer of broken volcanic rock firmly compacted under the blows of a nine-hundred-pound pile driver. A capacious drain encircles the building and connects with a yet larger drain fifty feet easterly from the square tower. The foundation is twelvefeet wide at the bottom, and the walls are gradually diminished in width so that at the level of the basement window sills they have a thickness of three feet eight inches. Above the basement story the building is constructed of the fine red sandstone of the region, from quarries specifically located and opened for this work. Timber and lumber had to be hauled by team from distances of from seventy to ninety miles.
The Temple stands in the open plain on but a slight elevation, practically devoid of all the prominence that belongs to a commanding position of altitude. The ground on which the building rests, as well as the region for miles round about, is of a prevailing dark-red color; and this, too, is the color of the sandstone of which the Temple is built. Naturally, the building as a whole would blend with its surroundings, so as to be practically invisible from even a moderate distance. A contrast has been afforded by whitening the walls; and as a result the structure has become a striking feature of the landscape.
As to the interior it may be sufficient to say that all the ordinance work connected with baptism, ordination, endowment, and sealing, as performed in the Temple at Salt Lake City, is administered in a similar manner in this Temple, and provision therefor is made. For all the sacred ordinances there is ample equipment of rooms and furnishings. The basement floor is divided into fourteen rooms of which the baptistry or font-room, thirty-five by forty feet, is one of the largest and most important. As is usual, the baptistry is situated below the general level of the assembly rooms. Also as in the other temples, the baptismal font rests upon twelve oxen of cast iron, which occupy a depression slightly below the floor. The font,oxen, iron stairs, and all accessories, weighing in all over eighteen thousand pounds, were cast in Salt Lake City and were hauled by team thence to St. George. The entire baptistry equipment was the personal gift of President Brigham Young.
Above the basement there are two stories. In each of these there is one main room ninety-nine by seventy-eight feet inside measurement, with an arched or elliptical ceiling twenty-seven feet from the floor in the center. Flanking this main apartment on either side are a number of smaller rooms used for ordinance work and as assembly rooms for councils of the Priesthood. The large room on the middle floor corresponds in use to the splendid Celestial Room already described as a prominent feature of the Temple at Salt Lake City. In the same way the large room on the upper floor corresponds to the main assembly room on the fourth floor of the Salt Lake City Temple, and is provided with pulpits at both east and west ends, the former devoted to the use of the Higher or Melchisedek Priesthood, the latter reserved for the officials of the Lesser or Aaronic order of Priesthood.
Adjoining the main building is an accessory structure known as the Annex; this is seventy-four feet long by twenty-four feet wide, exclusive of a "lean-to" on the east side, which is forty-three feet by nine feet. The Annex was built in 1882. It contains boiler and engine rooms, apartments for the guard, a refectory for the accommodation of workers, recorder's offices, etc.
The St. George Temple was built by free-will offerings and by appropriations from the tithings of the people. In one year, specifically the year 1875, over one hundred and twenty-three thousand dollars were expendedin the work, and the total cost of the completed building was considerably more than five hundred thousand dollars. The structure was practically finished by the close of 1876. Some parts were dedicated on January 1, 1877, so as to permit of certain ordinance work to be done before the dedication of the building as a whole, which event occurred on the sixth of April following. At the preliminary dedicatory service, January 1, 1877, twelve hundred and thirty persons were in attendance. Music, some of which had been specially composed for the occasion, was rendered by the choir, and dedicatory prayers were offered by members of the Council of the Twelve as follows: by Elder Wilford Woodruff in the basement story; by Elder Erastus Snow in the main room of the story next above the basement; by Elder Brigham Young, Jr., in the room designated as the sealing room. Addresses were delivered by Elders Erastus Snow, Wilford Woodruff, and by President Brigham Young.
Baptisms for the dead were first administered in the St. George Temple on January 9, 1877; and endowments for the dead were begun two days later.
Proceedings incident to the dedication of the Temple as a whole began on the 4th of April, 1877, and terminated on the sixth, the last day's assembly being held in connection with the annual conference of the Church, which conference had been appointed to be held at St. George, in view of the dedication. On the fourth and fifth of the month general assemblies were held in the Temple during both forenoon and afternoon, each sessionmarked by the rendition of special music and by inspired addresses from the Church leaders. At ten in the morning on Friday, April 6th, the general conference was opened in the Temple. The presiding officers of the several quorums occupied the stands exclusively allotted. There was but little in the way of special addresses, two days having been devoted to the work of instruction and preliminary preparation. The dedicatory prayer was offered by Daniel H. Wells, Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church.[3]
Scarcely had the St. George Temple been finished and opened to the sacred ordinances for which it had been built, when another House of the Lord was begun by the Latter-day Saints, this at Logan in the northern section of the long-time Territory and present State of Utah. The St. George Temple was dedicated on the 6th of April, 1877; the Logan Temple was begun on the 19th of September in the same year.
The city of Logan is the county seat of Cache county and the distributing center for the rich and beautiful Cache valley, a valley that has won for itself the distinguishing name of the Granary of Utah. Logan is sixty-six miles on a straight line from Salt Lake City, and one hundred and two miles as the railway runs. The Temples of St. George and Logan are therefore three hundred and thirty-six miles apart in a direct line. Logan is prominent in the valley by virtue of its commanding situation;it occupies the delta and adjoining terrace built by the mountain stream that flowed from the canyon into old Lake Bonneville, and commands a view of the entire valley with the majestic mountain-wall in the background. The Temple occupies a position of prominence in the city, situated as it is upon one of the higher terraces locally known as the Bench, and visible from practically all points in the great valley. The grounds comprise an entire city block of eight acres; and the Temple stands in the north-east quarter of this block.
The site of the Logan Temple was dedicated on May 17, 1877, under the direction of the Presidency of the Church and the Council of the Twelve Apostles. There were in attendance the full First Presidency, composed of President Brigham Young and his counselors, John W. Young and Daniel H. Wells; also John Taylor, president of the Council of the Twelve; Orson Pratt and other members of that Council, together with a large concourse of people. The dedicatory prayer was offered by Elder Orson Pratt, after which Counselor John W. Young broke the ground and threw out the first spade-full of earth; in this ceremonial moving of the soil he was followed by Counselor Daniel H. Wells and President John Taylor. Brief addresses were delivered by President Brigham Young and by Elders Daniel H. Wells and John Taylor. The remarks of Brigham Young, expressive of the purpose for which temples are built and of the unselfish spirit in which the work was to be prosecuted, were as follows:
"We have dedicated this spot of ground upon which we expect to erect a temple in which to administer the ordinances of the House of God. Into this house, when it iscompleted, we expect to enter to enjoy the blessings of the Priesthood and receive our anointings, our endowments and our sealings; and the brethren will be sealed to brethren to continue the links and make perfect the chain from ourselves to Father Adam. This is the object of the temple which we are about to commence building at this place. We require the brethren and the sisters to go to with their might and erect this temple; and from the architect to the boy who carries the drinking water to the men that work on the building, we wish them to understand that wages are entirely out of the question. We are going to build a House for ourselves and we shall expect the brethren and sisters, neighborhood after neighborhood, ward after ward, to turn out their proportion of men to come here and labor as they shall be notified by the proper authorities."This may be called a temporal work, but it pertains to the salvation of ourselves as well as our friends who have passed behind the veil, and also the generations who are to come after us. We can carry this temple forward with our labor without any burden to ourselves if our hearts are in the work and we will be blessed abundantly in doing so. We will be better off in our temporal affairs when it is completed than when we commenced, and than we would be if we did not build it. The time we enjoy is the Lord's, but we have permission to direct its use according to our good pleasure. When the brethren come to work on this temple they may expect to be blessed of the Lord according to their faith.* * * * * * *"We pray for you continually that you may be blessed. I feel to bless you according to the power and keys of the Holy Priesthood bestowed upon me and my brethren with me, heart and hand, and all the Saints feel to say 'Amen.' Feel to bless each other, feel to do the work of the Lord and dismiss the narrow, contracted, covetous feelings that are so interwoven with the feelings of our natures. It seems hard to get rid of them but we must overcome them and unite ourselves together in the holy order of God thatwe may be Saints of the Most High, that our interests, our faith and labors may be concentrated in the salvation of the human family."Brethren and sisters, try to realize these things. Awake and lay these things to heart. Seek the Lord to know His mind and will and when you ascertain it also to have the will to do it. God bless you. Amen."
"We have dedicated this spot of ground upon which we expect to erect a temple in which to administer the ordinances of the House of God. Into this house, when it iscompleted, we expect to enter to enjoy the blessings of the Priesthood and receive our anointings, our endowments and our sealings; and the brethren will be sealed to brethren to continue the links and make perfect the chain from ourselves to Father Adam. This is the object of the temple which we are about to commence building at this place. We require the brethren and the sisters to go to with their might and erect this temple; and from the architect to the boy who carries the drinking water to the men that work on the building, we wish them to understand that wages are entirely out of the question. We are going to build a House for ourselves and we shall expect the brethren and sisters, neighborhood after neighborhood, ward after ward, to turn out their proportion of men to come here and labor as they shall be notified by the proper authorities.
"This may be called a temporal work, but it pertains to the salvation of ourselves as well as our friends who have passed behind the veil, and also the generations who are to come after us. We can carry this temple forward with our labor without any burden to ourselves if our hearts are in the work and we will be blessed abundantly in doing so. We will be better off in our temporal affairs when it is completed than when we commenced, and than we would be if we did not build it. The time we enjoy is the Lord's, but we have permission to direct its use according to our good pleasure. When the brethren come to work on this temple they may expect to be blessed of the Lord according to their faith.
* * * * * * *
"We pray for you continually that you may be blessed. I feel to bless you according to the power and keys of the Holy Priesthood bestowed upon me and my brethren with me, heart and hand, and all the Saints feel to say 'Amen.' Feel to bless each other, feel to do the work of the Lord and dismiss the narrow, contracted, covetous feelings that are so interwoven with the feelings of our natures. It seems hard to get rid of them but we must overcome them and unite ourselves together in the holy order of God thatwe may be Saints of the Most High, that our interests, our faith and labors may be concentrated in the salvation of the human family.
"Brethren and sisters, try to realize these things. Awake and lay these things to heart. Seek the Lord to know His mind and will and when you ascertain it also to have the will to do it. God bless you. Amen."
On Monday, May 28, 1877, the work of excavation was begun. Workmen were supplied by wards of the Logan Temple District, which at that time comprised the Cache, Box Elder, and Bear Lake Stakes of Zion. Besides giving of their time and energy,—gifts known as labor donations,—the people contributed freely of cash, livestock, merchandise, and farm produce, and their contributions were supplemented by liberal appropriations from the general Church funds. Truman O. Angell, Jr., was the architect. Rock-laying began on July 20, 1877, on what was known as the extension—a building eighty feet by thirty-six feet in area and twenty-three feet high, lying immediately north of the Temple proper and connected therewith; this has been used since the completion of the Temple for engine room, office, reception, and assembly rooms, thus corresponding to the Annex of the Temple in Salt Lake City.
On September 19, 1877, the corner stones were laid under the immediate direction of John Taylor, president of the Council of the Twelve. President Taylor laid the south-east corner stone and Franklin D. Richards offered the dedicatory prayer thereon. The south-west corner stone was laid by Edward Hunter, Presiding bishop of the Church, and the dedicatory prayer thereon was offered by his counselor, Leonard W. Hardy. The north-west corner stone was laid by George L. Farrell, president ofthe High Priests' quorum of the Cache Stake of Zion, and the accompanying prayer was offered by Moses Thatcher, of the Council of the Twelve. The north-east corner stone was laid by Albert P. Rockwood, one of the First Council of the Seventy, and the accompanying prayer was offered by Horace S. Eldredge, another member of the First Council of the Seventy.
The Temple as it stands is one hundred and seventy-one feet long, ninety-five feet wide, and eighty-six feet high at the square, with an octagonal tower at each corner one hundred feet high, and a large square tower at each end. The tower at the west end is one hundred and sixty-five feet, and that at the east one hundred and seventy feet high. In this feature of the east tower being higher than that at the west the Logan Temple resembles the greater structure at Salt Lake City. Massive buttresses strengthen the walls, and the masonry is of the best. As to architecture, the Temple may be described as belonging to the castellated style.
The rock used in the building was brought from the mountain quarries near by, and is a very hard, compact, dark-colored silicious limestone, locally called fucoid rock from its content of fossilized marine plants known as fucoids. A more typical limestone was used for the arches and for the uprights and lintels of doors and windows, this material being susceptible of a better dressed surface than was possible with the silicious rock. Watertables, string-courses, and the caps of battlements and towers, consist of a light buff sandstone, brought from quarries near Franklin, Idaho. As the rock used in the walls is of diversified color the entire exterior has been painted in buff.
The lumber used in the building was obtained from Logan canyon and was prepared at the Temple saw-mill, which had been specially installed for the purpose. An interesting sidelight is thrown on the spirit of earnestness with which the people went about this work of temple building, by the fact that even the saw-mill was ceremonially dedicated when first put in commission. All the lumber used was selected, and, as nearly as possible, was chosen so as to be free from defect. The principal varieties are red pine for the heavier work and white pine for such interior construction as stands and altars. The framework of the roof is of the best red pine, and is of ingenious construction, spanning a distance of ninety-five feet without under-pinning. At first the roof was covered with sheet-metal, but this proved unsatisfactory because of leakage due to fractures resulting from variations in temperature; and the old but efficient style of shingle roof was finally substituted. The workmanship throughout is high class; indeed it is said that after nearly thirty years not a door has been known to sag or a wall to crack. The total cost of the Temple when completed was approximately seven hundred thousand dollars.
The building has five full stories. The basement story is occupied by the font room and adjoining dressing rooms. In common with the practise followed in Latter-day Saint Temples generally, the font is supported on twelve oxen of cast-iron which stand in a well beneath the general level of the floor. From the basement level rise at intervals of a few feet a number of rooms used in ceremonial work. Thus, about eight feet above the basement floor is the room corresponding to the Lower Lecture Room, four feet higher one corresponding to the GardenRoom, and five feet higher one corresponding to the World Room, and yet ten feet higher a room corresponding to the Upper Lecture Room or Terrestrial Room, as already described in connection with the Temple at Salt Lake City. The rest of the space in the first and second stories is occupied by offices for the president of the Temple, the recorders and other officials, library room, etc. The third story is occupied by what is known as the C Room, which corresponds to the Celestial Room elsewhere described. As in other Temples this is the most splendidly finished of all the large rooms. Connecting with this room on the east side are three small apartments used in the sealing ordinances.
The fourth floor is wholly occupied by the main assembly room with its vestries and ante-chambers. The assembly room itself is one hundred and four feet long by ninety-five feet wide, and the ceiling is thirty feet high. At the east is a large elevated platform with stands or pulpits reserved for the officers of the Melchisedek Priesthood, and at the west is a corresponding platform with stands devoted to the officers of the Aaronic Priesthood. The auditorium is occupied by reversible seats, allowing the audience to face either way according to the nature of the services at any time,—whether conducted by the Higher or Lesser Priesthood. This room provides for the comfortable seating of fifteen hundred people. The fifth floor comprises detached rooms in the east and west towers. There are no rooms in the main body above the assembly room on the fourth floor already described.
The Logan Temple was seven years in building. On May 17, 1884, the structure was dedicated to the service of the Lord and immediately thereafter was opened forsacred ordinances. The dedicatory services lasted three days, that is to say, services were held on each of two days following the official dedication, and on these later days the dedicatory prayer was read to the assembly. The ceremonies and services attending the dedication were held in the large assembly room on the fourth floor, and the seating capacity of the great auditorium was taxed to the utmost at every meeting. President Brigham Young had died before the laying of the corner-stone, and the building of the Temple had been prosecuted at first under the administration of the Council of the Twelve, which, on the dissolution of the First Presidency becomes the presiding council of the Church, and later under the direction of the new First Presidency. On the day of the dedication the prayer was offered by President John Taylor, after which his Counselors, Elders George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith, made addresses, and they were followed by Elders Wilford Woodruff and Lorenzo Snow of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. A brief address was then delivered by President John Taylor, after which the stirring Hosanna shout was rendered. Benediction was pronounced by John Smith, the Presiding Patriarch.[4]
Before construction work had been begun on the Logan Temple, preparations were in progress for the erection of another House of the Lord. Manti, the chief city of Sanpete County, situated about one hundred and four miles southerly from Salt Lake City in a direct line,and one hundred and thirty miles by rail, was selected as the place of this new sanctuary. In a circular issued by the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve, October 25, 1876, the boundaries of the Manti Temple district were specified, as the following shows:
"We feel led to say to the Latter-day Saints throughout these mountains, let us arise and build temples unto our God at such places as He shall designate, into which we and our children can enter and receive those blessings that He has in store for us. Let the Bishops of the settlements in Washington, Kane, Iron, Piute, Beaver, Millard, Sevier, Sanpete and Juab counties call the people of their wards together and ascertain from them how much each one is willing to do in labor and means, monthly, quarterly, and annually, toward the erection of a Temple at Manti, Sanpete County."
"We feel led to say to the Latter-day Saints throughout these mountains, let us arise and build temples unto our God at such places as He shall designate, into which we and our children can enter and receive those blessings that He has in store for us. Let the Bishops of the settlements in Washington, Kane, Iron, Piute, Beaver, Millard, Sevier, Sanpete and Juab counties call the people of their wards together and ascertain from them how much each one is willing to do in labor and means, monthly, quarterly, and annually, toward the erection of a Temple at Manti, Sanpete County."
Let it not be forgotten that at this time the people were putting forth strong efforts to complete the temple at St. George, and were taking preliminary steps toward the erection of that at Logan; and throughout this period the greatest temple of all was in course of construction at Salt Lake City. Yet, notwithstanding the weight of these duties, which many would call tasks if not burdens, the call of authority was heard directing another great undertaking of the kind.
As to the location of the precise site on which the Manti Temple should stand, a decision had been reached in a council of the authorities held at Ephraim, June 25, 1875, and the spot known as the Manti Stone Quarry had been reserved for the purpose. The spot so designated is the termination or point of a hill, which in turn appears as the spur of a low range of hills, marked by the outcrop of a well stratified and evenly bedded deposit of oolite. This is a granular rock, the separate particles of which areminute spheroids consisting of concentric layers of calcium carbonate; the stone appears under a lens not unlike fish-roe, hence the name oolite, literally meaning egg-stone. The selection of this spot on which to found the temple meant that the structure would literally be built upon the rock,—upon rock in place, upon an unbroken and undisturbed terrane. The temple was to consist of stone found at the spot, cut and shaped for beauty and service. The material is admirably adapted for the purpose; readily quarried, easily tooled, and withal attractive both in texture and color. The Manti oolite is of uniform grain and of a fine cream color. It has been used extensively for the erection of some of the more pretentious residences in Salt Lake City and, moreover, is the material of the Annex to the Salt Lake Temple, and of the window-facings and other trimmings of the great granite structure.
The site at Manti was dedicated April 25, 1877. In the presence of many of the general authorities of the Church and hundreds of other people, President Young, standing at the south-east corner of the temple lot, broke ground and dedicated the site by solemn service, he himself offering the prayer.[5]He then gave brief instructions as to further procedure, emphasizing the fact that the temple was to be built by the labor of the people and as a free-will offering, and that work thereon was not to be made a means of profit. His address, so clearly illustrative of the peculiar regard with which the Latter-day Saints invest the great commission they hold to build temples unto the Lord, follows:
"We now call upon the people, through the several bishops who preside in this and the neighboring settlements, for men to come here with teams and wagons, plows and scrapers, picks and shovels, to prepare this ground for the mason work. Let this work be commenced forthwith; and as soon as possible we shall expect from 50 to 100 men every working day throughout the season to labor here."We intend building this temple for ourselves, and we are abundantly able to do it; therefore no man need come here to work expecting wages for his services. The neighboring settlements will send their men, and they can be changed whenever, and as often as, desirable; and they can get credit on labor tithing or on donation account for their services, and we expect them to work until this temple is completed without asking for wages. It is not in keeping with the character of Saints to make the building of temples a matter of merchandise."We want to rear this temple with clean hands and pure hearts, that we, with our children, may enter into it to receive our washings and anointings, the keys and ordinances of the holy Priesthood, and also to officiate in the same for our fathers and mothers and our forefathers who lived and died without the gospel, that they with us may be made partakers of the fruits of the tree of life, and live and rejoice in our Father's kingdom. The gospel is free, its ordinances are free, and we are at liberty to rear this temple to the name of the Lord without charging anybody for our services."We call upon the sisters also to render what assistance they can in this matter. They can do a great deal by way of encouraging their husbands and sons, and also by making clothing of various kinds for them, and in otherwise providing for them while they are working here."Now, Bishops, if any person should inquire what wages is to be paid for work done on this temple, let the answer be, 'Not one dime.' And when the temple is completed, we will work in God's holy house without inquiring what we are going to get, or who is going to pay us, but we will trustin the Lord for our reward, and he will not forget us. 'Behold the fowls of the air (says the Savior) for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?'"Let this work be commenced without delay. Building cannot be performed here in the winter, as in St. George. The rearing of this temple will have to be done in the milder portions of the season, when the air is free from frost."God bless you, brethren and sisters; we hope and pray that you will be inspired to perform this work with honor to yourselves and glory to God. This is the work of the latter days that we are engaged in, and this is the way that Zion is to be built up. We will continue our labors at home, and we will carry the gospel to all the nations of the earth, to the whole house of Israel, and the good work of redemption and salvation will continue until all is completed, and Jesus presents the kingdom to the Father. Amen."[6]
"We now call upon the people, through the several bishops who preside in this and the neighboring settlements, for men to come here with teams and wagons, plows and scrapers, picks and shovels, to prepare this ground for the mason work. Let this work be commenced forthwith; and as soon as possible we shall expect from 50 to 100 men every working day throughout the season to labor here.
"We intend building this temple for ourselves, and we are abundantly able to do it; therefore no man need come here to work expecting wages for his services. The neighboring settlements will send their men, and they can be changed whenever, and as often as, desirable; and they can get credit on labor tithing or on donation account for their services, and we expect them to work until this temple is completed without asking for wages. It is not in keeping with the character of Saints to make the building of temples a matter of merchandise.
"We want to rear this temple with clean hands and pure hearts, that we, with our children, may enter into it to receive our washings and anointings, the keys and ordinances of the holy Priesthood, and also to officiate in the same for our fathers and mothers and our forefathers who lived and died without the gospel, that they with us may be made partakers of the fruits of the tree of life, and live and rejoice in our Father's kingdom. The gospel is free, its ordinances are free, and we are at liberty to rear this temple to the name of the Lord without charging anybody for our services.
"We call upon the sisters also to render what assistance they can in this matter. They can do a great deal by way of encouraging their husbands and sons, and also by making clothing of various kinds for them, and in otherwise providing for them while they are working here.
"Now, Bishops, if any person should inquire what wages is to be paid for work done on this temple, let the answer be, 'Not one dime.' And when the temple is completed, we will work in God's holy house without inquiring what we are going to get, or who is going to pay us, but we will trustin the Lord for our reward, and he will not forget us. 'Behold the fowls of the air (says the Savior) for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?'
"Let this work be commenced without delay. Building cannot be performed here in the winter, as in St. George. The rearing of this temple will have to be done in the milder portions of the season, when the air is free from frost.
"God bless you, brethren and sisters; we hope and pray that you will be inspired to perform this work with honor to yourselves and glory to God. This is the work of the latter days that we are engaged in, and this is the way that Zion is to be built up. We will continue our labors at home, and we will carry the gospel to all the nations of the earth, to the whole house of Israel, and the good work of redemption and salvation will continue until all is completed, and Jesus presents the kingdom to the Father. Amen."[6]
The beginning of excavation was marked by a further ceremony of prayer. We read that at 8 a.m., April 30, 1877, about one hundred people assembled upon the temple site where all kenlt while prayer was offered, after which the men and horses entered upon the work of preparing for the foundation of the great structure. The peculiar location required the construction of terraces or other form of graded ascent leading from the level of the valley to the temple hill. By December, 1878, four terrace walls were completed in the rough, and by April following the excavation for the foundation was ready. The terrace structure has been substituted by a uniform slope with a retaining wall below.
On April 14, 1879, the corner-stones were laid. PresidentYoung, under whose direction each of the temple sites in Utah had been selected and work thereon begun, had passed from earth; and a new First Presidency had not been inaugurated at this time. The presiding authority in the Church was the Council of the Twelve Apostles, of which Council John Taylor was president. On the day named a large body of people assembled near the temple site and, forming in procession, moved to the south-east corner of the grounds. There, after appropriate preliminaries of singing and prayer, an address was delivered by Elder Erastus Snow, one of the Twelve, Wm. H. Folsom, the architect-in-charge, laid the south-east corner-stone, and Elder Lorenzo Snow of the Council of the Twelve offered the prayer thereon. This being regarded as the chief corner-stone, it was designated as the record stone. In a cavity previously prepared, Church publications and other literature were deposited and sealed up before the stone was officially laid. Bishop Edward Hunter, the Presiding Bishop of the Church, laid the south-west stone, and his counselor, Leonard W. Hardy, pronounced the prayer. Elder F. W. Cox, president of the High Priests' quorum of the Sanpete Stake, then laid the north-west stone, and Elder Canute Peterson, president of the stake, offered the prayer. Elder Horace S. Eldredge of the First Council of the Seventy, laid the north-east stone, and his associate in that Council, Elder John Van Cott, pronounced the dedicatory prayer. The services were witnessed by approximately four thousand people.
From the laying of the foundation stones to the completion of the building, the work progressed without serious hindrance. As it stands, the structure is one hundred and seventy-one feet in length, and ninety-five feet inextreme width. From the top of the first water-table to the square the height of the building is seventy-nine feet; the water-table is three feet above the ground. The walls are three and a half feet thick at the base with buttresses four feet in thickness, and both walls and buttresses narrow as they rise. At the square the walls are three feet and the buttresses two feet six inches. The main front of the building is toward the east, as is the case with all existing temples; nevertheless, the doorways most commonly used and the entrance from the Annex are at the west. The foundation on the east end abuts against the hill; and this end of the structure is seen in its entirety by those only who climb the hillside to a commanding position. A tower at the east rises to the height of one hundred and seventy-nine feet; the tower at the west end is ten feet lower. Each of these towers is thirty feet square at the base. The grade or ground-level surrounding the Temple is a little over sixty feet higher than that of the street at the foot of the hill on which the building stands. The drive-way at the east end is at the elevation of the short flights of steps which rise to the doorways on the level of the main assembly room on the top floor.
Adjacent to the main structure and connecting therewith is the Annex building, one hundred feet in length, forty feet in width, and of but one story. In this building is installed the apparatus for heating, and herein also are provided reception rooms, offices, and an assembly room for preliminary services. The Temple is furnished with its own water supply from perennial springs situated in the hills at a distance of a little over a mile.
In the interior the rooms are practically counterparts of those already described in connection with other Temples.The main assembly room on the upper floor has a seating capacity for over fifteen hundred persons. The estimated cost of the building as it stood ready for dedication was one million dollars.
Dedicatory services were set for May 21, 1888. From accounts published at the time it is plain that the interest in the great event was intense. Thus we read:
"From an early hour on the 21st of May people began to assemble on the hill east of the Temple, at which admission was to be gained, and by 9:30 the grounds were black with people. The day was lovely, the threatened rain of the night preceding having passed away. As for two days before, all the roads leading to Manti were clouded with incoming teams, each loaded with living freight bound for the dedication."[7]
"From an early hour on the 21st of May people began to assemble on the hill east of the Temple, at which admission was to be gained, and by 9:30 the grounds were black with people. The day was lovely, the threatened rain of the night preceding having passed away. As for two days before, all the roads leading to Manti were clouded with incoming teams, each loaded with living freight bound for the dedication."[7]
President John Taylor who, as the presiding officer of the Council of the Twelve Apostles had directed the laying of the corner-stones, and who afterward became the President of the Church, had died in July, 1887. Again The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was without an organized First Presidency of three, and at the time of the dedication of the Manti Temple, the Council of the Twelve was the presiding quorum[8]of the Church. Wilford Woodruff was at this time the president of the Council of the Twelve.
The services began at 11 a. m., by which time thegreat room was filled to its utmost capacity. The principal feature, of course, was the dedicatory prayer, which was offered by Elder Lorenzo Snow of the Council of the Twelve. Addresses were delivered by the Presiding Patriarch of the Church, by several of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, and by other prominent brethren in the Priesthood. On account of the large numbers desiring to attend, services were repeated on the two days following, May 22 and 23. On each of these occasions the dedicatory prayer was read, hymns and anthems were rendered and addresses given by speakers chosen by the presiding authorities. On the first day the actual services occupied five hours, and over seventeen hundred people attended. Many of the Saints testified to remarkable manifestations of Divine power which they witnessed on this grand and solemn occasion.
"On the first day, just as Professor Smyth was concluding the voluntary—a selection from Mendelssohn—a number of the Saints in the body of the hall and some of the brethren in the west stand heard most heavenly voices singing. It sounded to them as angelic, and appeared to be behind and above them, and many turned their heads in that direction wondering if there was not another choir in some other part of the building. There was no other choir, however. * * *"Some of the Saints saw the spirit of Presidents Young and Taylor, J. M. Grant, and others in the Temple, and the heads of some of the speakers were surrounded by a halo of heavenly light during the services. The saints enjoyed a spiritual feast extending through the three days, and many shed tears of joy while listening to the testimonies and admonitions of the servants of God. There can be no question but that God has accepted the Manti Temple at the hands of His Saints and will bless all who have in anydegree assisted to build it, or who, not having the means to assist, have said in their hearts, 'I would have helped if I could.'"[9]
"On the first day, just as Professor Smyth was concluding the voluntary—a selection from Mendelssohn—a number of the Saints in the body of the hall and some of the brethren in the west stand heard most heavenly voices singing. It sounded to them as angelic, and appeared to be behind and above them, and many turned their heads in that direction wondering if there was not another choir in some other part of the building. There was no other choir, however. * * *
"Some of the Saints saw the spirit of Presidents Young and Taylor, J. M. Grant, and others in the Temple, and the heads of some of the speakers were surrounded by a halo of heavenly light during the services. The saints enjoyed a spiritual feast extending through the three days, and many shed tears of joy while listening to the testimonies and admonitions of the servants of God. There can be no question but that God has accepted the Manti Temple at the hands of His Saints and will bless all who have in anydegree assisted to build it, or who, not having the means to assist, have said in their hearts, 'I would have helped if I could.'"[9]
Work on the grounds has been carried on of late years, to the greater beautification of the site. A magnificent stairway has been constructed from the grade of the street to the level of the Temple threshold. This stairway is twenty feet in width with retaining walls on either side, connecting with large square pillars at each landing. The steps have a tread of twelve inches and a rise of six, and of these there are one hundred and twenty-five. There are nine landings between top and bottom, each six feet wide. The top of the stairway connects directly with the roadway surrounding the Temple. The stairway, its walls and pillars, are all constructed of cement; and cement walks encircle the buildings.[10]Scattered over the lawn which occupies the slope on the west are attractive trees and shrubs; each of these is planted in a hole excavated for the purpose in the solid rock. The soil for shrubs, grass, and flowers is foreign to the place.
On May 28, 1888, the Manti Temple was opened for ordinance work and from that time to the present this work has been in progress without interruption except that incident to the regular recess periods each year.[11]