{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_45149/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_45149","id":"gutenberg_45149","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45149","summary":null,"tags":["Category: History - Religious","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Latter Day Saint temples","Latter Day Saints","Temples"],"text":"THE HOUSE OF THE LORD\n\nA STUDY OF HOLY SANCTUARIES ANCIENT AND MODERN\n\nINCLUDING FORTY-SIX PLATES ILLUSTRATIVE OF MODERN TEMPLES\n\n\n\nBy\n\nJAMES E. TALMAGE\n\nOne of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day\nSaints\n\n\n\nPublished by the Church\n\nSalt Lake City, Utah\n\n1912\n\n\n\nPREFACE\n\n{iii} Among the numerous sects and churches of the present day, the\nLatter-day Saints are distinguished as builders of Temples. In this\nrespect they resemble Israel of olden time. It is not surprising that\ngreat and widespread interest is manifest respecting this peculiarity\nof the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, nor that questions\nare continually arising as to the purpose and motive behind this great\nlabor, and the nature of the ordinances administered in these modern\nHouses of the Lord. To answer some of these questions, and to place\nwithin the reach of earnest inquirers authentic information concerning\nthe doctrine and practise of Temple ministration, this book has been\nwritten.\n\nBy way of affording means of easy comparison between the\nTemple-building achievements of past and those of current time, a\nbrief treatment of the sanctuaries of earlier dispensations has been\nincluded. While detailed information pertaining to ancient Temples and\nrelated sanctuaries is accessible to all, through cyclopedias, Bible\ndictionaries and works of more special scope, but little concerning\nthe Temples of today and the sacred service therein rendered has\nbeen published in separate form. The official \"History of the Church\nof Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints\" contains abundant data on the\nsubject; but the information is distributed through many tomes, and is\nof access to comparatively few.\n\nAmong the special publications in this field, most of which are\nprimarily devoted to the history and description of the Temple at Salt\nLake City, are the following:\n\n{iv} \"Temples: Descriptive and historical sketches of ancient and\nmodern sacred edifices,\" a pamphlet of 28 pages, by J. M. Sjodahl, Salt\nLake City, 1892. This covers the history of the Salt Lake City Temple\nto the time of the laying of the capstone, April, 1892. The pamphlet\ncontains outline drawings.\n\n\"The Salt Lake Temple,\" an article by James H. Anderson, published in\n\"The Contributor,\" Vol. XIV, No. 6, April, 1893, 60 pages with numerous\nillustrations of the Temple at different stages, together with details\nof construction, and portraits of Church officials and others connected\nwith the erection of the great structure.\n\n\"Historical and descriptive sketch of the Salt Lake Temple,\" an\nillustrated pamphlet of 36 pages published by the Deseret News, Salt\nLake City, April, 1893.\n\n\"A Description of the Great Temple, Salt Lake City, and a statement\nconcerning the purposes for which it has been built,\" a pamphlet of\n40 pages, by D. M. McAllister, Salt Lake City, 1912. This contains\nhalf-tone engravings of both exterior and interior views.\n\nIn the present undertaking the author has been the recipient of many\ncourtesies and much assistance from the officials of the several\nTemples, the Church Historian and his assistants, the general\nauthorities of the Church, and many others. To all who have assisted in\nthe pleasing labor his obligations are respectfully acknowledged.\n\nThe photographs showing interior views of the Salt Lake City Temple are\nthe work of the C. R. Savage Company, to whom thanks are tendered for\nliberal, courteous, and efficient service.\n\nJames E. Talmage\n\nSalt Lake City, Utah, September 21, 1912.\n\n\n\n  CONTENTS\n\n  CHAPTER I.\n  A PRE-VIEW OF THE SUBJECT.\n  A general view of sanctuaries of ancient and modern times.\n\n  CHAPTER II.\n  SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS.\n  The \"Testimony.\"--Provisional Tabernacle.--Third Tabernacle.--Temple\n  of Solomon.--Temple of Ezekiel's vision.--Temple of\n  Zerubbabel.--Temple of Herod.\n\n  CHAPTER III.\n  NEED OF TEMPLES IN THE PRESENT DISPENSATION.\n  Necessity of obedience to the laws and ordinances of the\n  Gospel.--Authority to labor in behalf of the dead.--Temples\n  required for vicarious service.\n\n  CHAPTER IV.\n  MODERN TEMPLE ORDINANCES.\n  Baptism for the dead.--Ordination and endowment.--Salvation and\n  exaltation.--Degrees of glory.--Sealing in marriage.--Other\n  sealing ordinances.\n\n  CHAPTER V.\n  MODERN DAY TEMPLES.\n  Temple-site at Independence, Missouri.--Kirtland Temple.--Temple-site\n  at Far West, Missouri.--Nauvoo Temple.\n\n  CHAPTER VI.\n  THE GREAT TEMPLE AT SALT LAKE CITY--HISTORICAL.\n  Beginning of the work.--Early description.--Laying of\n  the capstone.--Completion of the building and its\n  dedication.--Dedicatory Prayer.\n\n  {vi}\n  CHAPTER VII.\n  THE GREAT TEMPLE AT SALT LAKE CITY--EXTERIOR.\n  Architectural style.--General description.--Emblematical stones.\n\n\n  CHAPTER VIII.\n  THE GREAT TEMPLE AT SALT LAKE CITY--INTERIOR.\n  The Annex.--Corridors and rooms of the Temple.\n\n  CHAPTER IX.\n  TEMPLE BLOCK.\n  The Old Tabernacle.--The Tabernacle.--General Service Plant\n\n  CHAPTER X.\n  OTHER UTAH TEMPLES.\n  St. George Temple.--Logan Temple.--Manti Temple.\n\n  CHAPTER XI.\n  CONCLUSION.\n  The Lesser or Aaronic Priesthood operative in ancient Temples.--The\n  Higher or Melchisedek Priesthood operative in Temples of today.\n\n  PLATES.\n  Illustrations of Modern Temples.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I\n\nA PRE-VIEW OF THE SUBJECT\n\n{1} Both by derivation and common usage the term \"temple,\" in its\nliteral application, is of restricted and specific meaning. The\nessential idea of a temple is and ever has been that of a _place_\nspecially set apart for service regarded as sacred, and of real or\nassumed sanctity; in a more restricted sense, a temple is a _building_\nconstructed for and exclusively devoted to sacred rites and ceremonies.\n\nThe Latin _Templum_ was the equivalent of the Hebrew _Beth Elohim_, and\nsignified the abode of Deity; hence, as associated with Divine worship,\nit meant literally the HOUSE OF THE LORD.[1]\n\nStructures regarded in their entirety as sanctuaries, {2} or enclosing\napartments so designated, have been reared in many different ages, both\nby worshippers of idols and by the followers of the true and living\nGod. Heathen temples of antiquity were regarded as abiding places of\nthe mythical gods and goddesses whose names they bore, and to whose\nservice the structures were dedicated. While the purlieus of such\ntemples were used as places of general assembly and public ceremony,\nthere were always inner precincts, into which only the consecrated\npriests might enter, and wherein, it was claimed, the presence of\nthe deity was manifest. As evidence of the exclusiveness of ancient\ntemples, even those of heathen origin, we find that the altar of\npagan worship stood not within the temple proper, but in front of the\nentrance. Temples have never been regarded as places of ordinary public\nassembly, but as sacred enclosures consecrated to the most solemn\nceremonials of that particular system of worship, idolatrous or Divine,\nof which the temple stood as visible symbol and material type.\n\nIn olden times the people of Israel were distinguished among nations as\nthe builders of sanctuaries to the name of the living God. This service\nwas specifically required of them by Jehovah, whom they professed to\nserve. The history of Israel as a nation dates from the exodus. During\nthe two centuries of their enslavement in Egypt, the children of Jacob\nhad grown to be a numerous and powerful people; nevertheless they were\nin bondage. In due time, however, their sorrows and supplications came\nup before the Lord, and He led them forth by the outstretched arm of\npower. No sooner had they escaped from the environment of Egyptian\nidolatry, than they were required to prepare a sanctuary, wherein\nJehovah {3} would manifest His presence and make known His will as\ntheir accepted Lord and King.\n\nThe Tabernacle, which from the time of its construction in the\nwilderness and thence onward throughout the period of wandering and for\ncenturies thereafter, was sacred to Israel as the sanctuary of Jehovah,\nhad been built according to revealed plan and specifications. It was a\ncompact and portable structure as the exigencies of migration required.\nThough the Tabernacle was but a tent, it was made of the best, the\nmost prized, and the costliest materials the people possessed. This\ncondition of excellence was appropriate and fitting, for the finished\nstructure was a nation's offering unto the Lord. Its construction\nwas prescribed in minutest detail, both as to design and material;\nit was in every respect the best the people could give, and Jehovah\nsanctified the proffered gift by His divine acceptance. In passing, let\nus be mindful of the fact that whether it be the gift of a man or a\nnation, the best, if offered willingly and with pure intent, is always\nexcellent in the sight of God, however poor by other comparison that\nbest may be.\n\nTo the call for material wherewith to build the Tabernacle, there was\nsuch willing and liberal response that the need was more than met: \"For\nthe stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and\ntoo much.\"[2] Proclamation was made accordingly, and the people were\nrestrained from bringing more. The artificers and workmen engaged in\nthe making of the Tabernacle were designated by direct revelation, or\nchosen by divinely appointed authority with special reference to their\nskill and devotion. The completed Tabernacle, viewed in {4} relation to\nits surroundings and considered in connection with the circumstances\nof its creation, was an imposing structure. Its frames were of rare\nwood, its inner hangings of fine linen and elaborate embroideries with\nprescribed designs in blue, purple, and scarlet; its middle and outer\ncurtains of choice skins; its metal parts of brass, silver, and gold.\n\nOutside the Tabernacle, but within its enclosing court, stood the\naltar of sacrifice and the laver or font. The first apartment of the\nTabernacle proper was an outer room, or Holy Place; and beyond this,\nscreened from observation by the second veil, was the inner sanctuary,\nthe Most Holy Place, specifically known as the Holy of Holies. In the\nappointed order, only the priests were permitted to enter the outer\napartment; while to the inner place, the \"holiest of all,\" none but the\nhigh priest might be admitted, and he but once a year, and then only\nafter a long course of purification and sanctification.[3]\n\nAmong the most sacred appurtenances of the Tabernacle was the Ark\nof the Covenant. This was a casket or chest, made of the best wood\nobtainable, lined and overlaid with pure gold, and provided with four\nrings of gold to receive the rods or poles used in carrying the Ark\nduring travel. The Ark contained certain objects of sacred import, such\nas the golden pot of manna, preserved as a remembrance; and to this\nwere afterward added Aaron's rod that had budded, and the tablets of\nstone inscribed by the hand of God. When the Tabernacle was set up in\nthe camp of Israel, the Ark was placed within the inner veil, in the\nHoly of Holies. Resting upon the Ark was the Mercy Seat, surmounted by\na pair of cherubim made {5} of beaten gold. From this seat did the Lord\nmanifest His presence, even as promised before either Ark or Tabernacle\nhad been made: \"And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune\nwith thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims\nwhich are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will\ngive thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.\"[4]\n\nNo detailed description of the Tabernacle, its appurtenances or\nfurniture, will be attempted at this place; it is sufficient for our\npresent purpose to know that the camp of Israel had such a sanctuary;\nthat it was constructed according to revealed plan; that it was the\nembodiment of the best the people could give both as to material and\nworkmanship; that it was the offering of the people to their God, and\nwas duly accepted by Him.[5] As shall yet be shown, the Tabernacle\nwas a prototype of the more stable and magnificent Temple by which in\ncourse of time it was superseded.\n\nAfter Israel had become established in the land of promise, when,\nafter four decades of wandering in the wilderness, the covenant people\npossessed at last a Canaan of their own, the Tabernacle with its sacred\ncontents was given a resting place in Shiloh; and thither came the\ntribes to learn the will and word of God.[6] Afterward it was removed\nto Gibeon[7] and yet later to the City of David, or Zion.[8]\n\n{6} David, the second king of Israel, desired and planned to build a\nhouse unto the Lord, declaring that it was unfit that he, the king,\nshould dwell in a palace of cedar, while the sanctuary of God was but\na tent.[9] But the Lord spake by the mouth of Nathan the prophet,\ndeclining the proposed offering, and making plain the fact that to be\nacceptable unto Him it was not enough that the gift be appropriate,\nbut that the giver must also be worthy. David, king of Israel, though\nin many respects a man after God's own heart, had sinned; and his sin\nhad not yet found atonement. Thus spake the king: \"I had in mine heart\nto build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and\nfor the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building: But\nGod said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because\nthou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood.\"[10] Nevertheless,\nDavid was permitted to gather material for the House of the Lord, which\nedifice not he, but Solomon, his son, should build.\n\nSoon after Solomon's accession to the throne he set about the labor,\nwhich, as heritage and honor, had come to him with his crown. He laid\nthe foundation in the fourth year of his reign, and the building\nwas completed within seven years and a half. With the great wealth\naccumulated by his kingly father and specifically reserved for the\nbuilding of the Temple, Solomon was able to put the known world under\ntribute, and to enlist the co-operation of nations in his great\nundertaking. The temple workmen numbered scores of thousands, and every\ndepartment was in charge of master craftsmen. To serve on the {7} great\nstructure in any capacity was an honor; and labor acquired a dignity\nnever before recognized. Masonry became a profession, and the graded\norders therein established have endured until this day. The erection\nof the Temple of Solomon was an epoch-making event, not alone in the\nhistory of Israel, but in that of the world.\n\nAccording to commonly accepted chronology, the Temple was finished\nabout 1005 B. C. In architecture and construction, in design and\ncostliness, it is known as one of the most remarkable buildings in\nhistory. The dedicatory services lasted seven days--a week of holy\nrejoicing in Israel. With fitting ceremony, the Tabernacle of the\nCongregation and the sacred Ark of the Covenant were brought into the\nTemple; and the Ark was deposited in the inner sanctuary, the Most\nHoly Place. The Lord's gracious acceptance was manifest in the cloud\nthat filled the sacred chambers as the priests withdrew: \"So that the\npriests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the\nglory of the Lord had filled the house of God.\"[11] Thus did the Temple\nsupersede and include the Tabernacle, of which, indeed, it was the\ngorgeous successor.\n\nA comparison of the plan of Solomon's Temple with that of the earlier\nTabernacle shows that in all essentials of arrangement and proportion\nthe two were so nearly alike as to be practically identical. True,\nthe Tabernacle had but one enclosure, while the Temple was surrounded\nby courts, but the inner structure itself, the Temple proper, closely\nfollowed the earlier design. The dimensions of the Holy of Holies, the\nHoly Place, {8} and the Porch, were in the Temple exactly double those\nof the corresponding parts in the Tabernacle.\n\nThe glorious pre-eminence of this splendid structure was of brief\nduration. Thirty-four years after its dedication, and but five years\nsubsequent to the death of Solomon, its decline began; and this\ndecline was soon to develop into general spoliation, and finally to\nbecome an actual desecration. Solomon the king, the man of wisdom, the\nmaster-builder, had been led astray by the wiles of idolatrous women,\nand his wayward ways had fostered iniquity in Israel. The nation was\nno longer a unit; there were factions and sects, parties and creeds,\nsome worshipping on the hill-tops, others under green trees, each party\nclaiming excellence for its own particular shrine. The Temple soon lost\nits sanctity. The gift became depreciated by the perfidy of the giver,\nand Jehovah withdrew His protecting presence from the place no longer\nholy.\n\nThe Egyptians, from whose bondage the people had been delivered, were\nagain permitted to oppress Israel. Shishak, king of Egypt, captured\nJerusalem--the city of David and the site of the Temple--\"and he\ntook away the treasures of the house of the Lord.\"[12] Part of the\naforetime sacred furniture left by the Egyptians was taken by others,\nand bestowed upon idols.[13] The work of desecration continued through\ncenturies. Two hundred and sixteen years after the Egyptian spoliation,\nAhaz, king of Judah, robbed the Temple of some remaining treasures,\nand sent part of its remnant of gold and silver as a present to a\npagan king whose favor he sought to {9} gain. Furthermore, he removed\nthe altar and the font, and left but a house where once had stood a\nTemple.[14] Later, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, completed the\ndespoiling of the Temple, and carried away its few remaining treasures.\nHe then destroyed the building itself by fire.[15]\n\nThus, about six hundred years before the earthly advent of our Lord,\nIsrael was left without a Temple. The people had divided; there were\ntwo kingdoms--Israel and Judah--each at enmity with the other; they had\nbecome idolatrous and altogether wicked; the Lord had rejected them\nand their sanctuary. The Kingdom of Israel, comprising approximately\nten of the twelve tribes, had been made subject to Assyria about 721\nB. C., and a century later the Kingdom of Judah was subdued by the\nBabylonians. For seventy years the people of Judah--thereafter known\nas Jews--remained in captivity, even as had been predicted.[16] Then,\nunder the friendly rule of Cyrus[17] and Darius[18] they were permitted\nto return to Jerusalem, and once more to rear a Temple in accordance\nwith their faith. In remembrance of the director of the work, the\nrestored Temple is known in history as the Temple of Zerubbabel. The\nfoundations were laid with solemn ceremony; and on that occasion\nliving veterans who remembered the earlier Temple, wept with joy.[19]\nIn spite of legal technicalities[20] and other obstructions, the\nwork {10} continued, and within twenty years after their return from\ncaptivity the Jews had a Temple ready for dedication. The Temple of\nZerubbabel was finished 515 B. C., specifically on the third day of\nthe month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.\nThe dedicatory services followed immediately.[21] While this Temple\nwas greatly inferior in richness of finish and furniture as compared\nwith the splendid Temple of Solomon, it was nevertheless the best the\npeople could build, and the Lord accepted it as an offering typifying\nthe love and devotion of His covenant children. In proof of this Divine\nacceptance, witness the ministrations of such prophets as Zechariah,\nHaggai, and Malachi, within its walls.\n\nAbout sixteen years before the birth of Christ, Herod I, king of Judea,\ncommenced the reconstruction of the then decayed and generally ruinous\nTemple of Zerubbabel. For five centuries that structure had stood,\nand doubtless it had become largely a wreck of time. Many incidents\nin the earthly life of the Savior are associated with the Temple of\nHerod. It is evident from scripture that while opposed to the degraded\nand commercial uses to which the Temple had been betrayed, Christ\nrecognized and acknowledged the sanctity of the temple precincts. The\nTemple of Herod was a sacred structure; by whatsoever name it might\nhave been known, it was to Him the House of the Lord. And then, when\nthe sable curtain descended upon the great tragedy of Calvary, when\nat last the agonizing cry, \"It is finished,\" ascended from the cross,\nthe veil of the Temple was rent, and the one-time Holy of Holies was\nbared. The absolute {11} destruction of the Temple had been foretold by\nour Lord, while yet He lived in the flesh.[22] In the year 70 A.D. the\nTemple was utterly destroyed by fire in connection with the capture of\nJerusalem by the Romans under Titus.\n\nThe Temple of Herod was the last temple reared on the eastern\nhemisphere. From the destruction of that great edifice onward to the\ntime of the re-establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ in the\nnineteenth century, our only record of temple building is such mention\nas is found in Nephite chronicles. Book of Mormon scriptures affirm\nthat temples were erected by the Nephite colonists on what is now known\nas the American continent; but we have few details of construction\nand fewer facts as to administrative ordinances pertaining to these\nwestern temples. The people constructed a Temple about 570 B. C. and\nthis we learn was patterned after the Temple of Solomon, though greatly\ninferior to that gorgeous structure in grandeur and costliness.[23]\nIt is of interest to read that when the resurrected Lord manifested\nHimself to the Nephites on the western continent, He found them\nassembled about the Temple.[24] The Book of Mormon, however, makes no\nmention of temples even as late as the time of the destruction of the\nTemple at Jerusalem; and moreover the Nephite nation came to an end\nwithin about four centuries after Christ. It is evident, therefore,\nthat on both hemispheres temples ceased to exist in the early period\nof the apostasy and the very conception of a Temple in the distinctive\nsense perished amongst mankind.\n\n{12} For many centuries no offer of a sanctuary was made unto the Lord;\nindeed, it appears that no need of such was recognized. The apostate\nchurch declared that direct communication from God had ceased; and in\nplace of Divine administration a self-constituted government claimed\nsupreme power. It is evident that, as far as the Church was concerned,\nthe voice of the Lord had been silenced; that the people were no longer\nwilling to listen to the word of revelation, and that the government of\nthe Church had been abrogated by human agencies.[25]\n\nWhen, in the reign of Constantine, a perverted Christianity had become\nthe religion of state, the need of a place wherein God would reveal\nHimself was still utterly unseen or ignored. True, many edifices, most\nof them costly and grand, were erected. Of these some were dedicated\nto Peter and Paul, to James and John; others to the Magdalene and the\nVirgin; but not one was raised by authority and name to the honor of\nJesus, the Christ. Among the multitude of chapels and shrines, of\nchurches and cathedrals, the Son of Man had not a place to call His\nown. It was declared that the pope, sitting in Rome, was the vicegerent\nof Christ, and that without revelation he was empowered to declare the\nwill of God.[26]\n\nNot until the Gospel was restored in the nineteenth century, with its\nancient powers and privileges, was the Holy Priesthood manifest again\namong men. And be it remembered that the authority to speak and act in\nthe name of God is essential to a Temple, and a Temple is void without\nthe sacred authority of the Holy Priesthood. In the year of our Lord\n1820, Joseph Smith, the prophet {13} of the latest dispensation, then\na lad in his fifteenth year, received a Divine manifestation,[27] in\nwhich both the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared and\ninstructed the youthful suppliant. Through Joseph Smith, the Gospel\nof old was restored to earth, and the ancient law was re-established.\nIn course of time, through the ministry of the prophet, The Church of\nJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, and its establishment\nwas marked by manifestations of Divine power.[28]\n\nIt is a significant fact that this Church, true to the distinction\nit affirms--that of being the Church of the living God as its name\nproclaims--began in the very early days of its history to provide for\nthe erection of a temple.[29] The Church was organized as an earthly\nbody-corporate on the sixth of April, A. D. 1830; and, in July of the\nyear following, a revelation was received designating the site of a\nfuture temple near Independence, Missouri. The construction of a temple\non this chosen spot is yet delayed, as is also the case with another\ntemple-site in Far West Missouri,[30] on which the corner-stones were\nlaid in 1838. The Church holds as a sacred trust the commission to\nbuild the temples so located, but as yet the way has not been opened\nfor the consummation of the plan. In the meantime temples in other\nplaces have been reared, and already the modern dispensation is marked\nby the erection of six such sacred edifices.\n\nOn the first day of June, 1833, in a revelation to the {14} Prophet\nJoseph Smith, the Lord directed the immediate building of a holy\nhouse, in which He promised to endow His chosen servants with power\nand authority.[31] The people responded to the call with willingness\nand devotion. In spite of dire poverty and in the face of unrelenting\npersecution, the work was carried to completion, and in March, 1836,\nthe first Temple of modern times was dedicated at Kirtland, Ohio.[32]\nThe dedicatory services were marked by Divine manifestations comparable\nto those attending the offering of the first Temple of olden times; and\non later occasions heavenly beings appeared within the sacred precincts\nwith revelations of the Divine will to man. In that place the Lord\nJesus was again seen and heard.[33] Within two years from the time of\nits dedication the Kirtland Temple was abandoned by the people who\nbuilt it; they were forced to flee because of persecution, and with\ntheir departure the sacred Temple became an ordinary house, disowned of\nthe Lord to whose name it had been reared. The building still stands\nand is used as a meeting-house by a small and comparatively unknown\nsect.\n\nThe migration of the Latter-day Saints was to the west; and they\nestablished themselves first in Missouri, and later in Illinois with\nNauvoo as the central seat of the Church. Scarcely had they become\nsettled in their new abode when the voice of revelation was heard\ncalling upon the people to again build a house sacred to the name of\nGod.\n\nThe corner-stones of the Nauvoo Temple were laid April 6, 1841, and\nthe capstone was placed in position {15} May 24, 1845; each event was\ncelebrated by a solemn assembly and sacred service. Though it was\nevident that the people would be forced to flee again, and though they\nknew that the Temple would have to be abandoned soon after completion,\nthey labored with might and diligence to finish and properly furnish\nthe structure. It was dedicated April 30, 1846, though certain\nportions, such as the baptistry, had been previously dedicated and used\nin ordinance work. Many of the Saints received their blessings and holy\nendowments in the Nauvoo Temple, though, even before the completion\nof the building, the exodus of the people had begun. The Temple was\nabandoned by those who in poverty and by sacrifice had reared it. In\nNovember, 1848, it became a prey to incendiary flames, and in May,\n1850, a tornado demolished what remained of the blackened walls.\n\nOn the 24th of July, 1847, the \"Mormon\" pioneers entered the valleys\nof Utah, while yet the region was Mexican territory, and established\na settlement where now stands Salt Lake City. Four days later Brigham\nYoung, prophet and leader, indicated a site in the sage-brush wastes,\nand, striking the arid ground with his staff, proclaimed, \"Here will\nbe the Temple of our God.\" That site is now the beautiful Temple\nBlock, around which the city has grown. In February, 1853, the area\nwas dedicated with sacred service, and on the 6th of April following,\nthe corner stones of the building were laid to the accompaniment of\nsolemn and imposing ceremony. The Salt Lake City Temple was forty years\nin building; the capstone was laid on the 6th of April, 1892, and the\ncompleted Temple was dedicated one year later.\n\nOf the four Temples already erected in Utah, the one {16} in Salt Lake\nCity was the first begun and the last finished. During its course\nof construction three other Temples were built by the Latter-day\nSaints, one at St. George, one at Logan, and one at Manti, Utah. Add\nto these the two earlier Temples--at Kirtland, Ohio, and at Nauvoo,\nIllinois--and we have six of these sacred structures already erected in\nthe present and last dispensation of the Priesthood--the dispensation\nof the fulness of times.\n\nIt is not the purpose of the present chapter to consider in detail any\nparticular Temple, either ancient or modern; but rather to show the\nessential and distinguishing features of Temples, and to make plain\nthe fact that in both ancient and modern times the covenant people\nhave regarded the building of Temples as a labor specifically required\nat their hands. From what has been said it is plain that a Temple is\nmore than chapel or church, more than synagogue or cathedral; it is\na structure erected as the House of the Lord, sacred to the closest\ncommunion between the Lord Himself and the Holy Priesthood, and devoted\nto the highest and most sacred ordinances characteristic of the age or\ndispensation to which the particular Temple belongs. Moreover, to be\nindeed a holy Temple--accepted of God, and by Him acknowledged as His\nHouse--the offering must have been called for, and both gift and giver\nmust be worthy.\n\nThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaims that it is\nthe possessor of the Holy Priesthood again restored to earth, and that\nit is invested with Divine commission to erect and maintain Temples\ndedicated to the name and service of the true and living God, and\nto administer within those sacred structures the ordinances of the\nPriesthood, the effect of which shall be binding both on earth and\nbeyond the grave.\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n1. In this connection it is interesting and instructive to consider\nthe significance of the name _Bethel_, a contraction of _Beth Elohim_,\nas applied by Jacob to the place where the presence of the Lord was\nmanifest unto him. Said he, \"Surely the Lord is in this place; and I\nknew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place!\nthis is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of\nheaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that\nhe had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil\nupon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Beth-el.\"\n(Genesis 28:16-19; read verses 10-22.)\n\n2. Exodus 36:7.\n\n3. Hebrews 9:1-7; Leviticus chap. 16.\n\n4. Exodus 25:22.\n\n5. Exodus 40:34-38.\n\n6. Joshua 18:1; see also 19:51; 21:2; Judges 18:31; I Samuel 1:3, 24;\n4:3, 4.\n\n7. I Chron. 21:29; II Chron. 1:3.\n\n8. II Samuel 6:12; II Chron. 5:2.\n\n9. II Samuel 7:2.\n\n10. I Chron. 28:2, 3; compare II Samuel 7:1-13.\n\n11. II Chron. 5:14; see also 7:1, 2, and compare Exodus 40:35.\n\n12. I Kings 14:25, 26.\n\n13. II Chron. 24:7.\n\n14. II Kings 16:7-9, 17 and 18; see also II Chron. 28:24, 25.\n\n15. II Chron. 36:18, 19; see also II Kings 24:13; 25:9.\n\n16. Jeremiah 25:11, 12; 29:10.\n\n17. Ezra, chaps. 1 and 2.\n\n18. Ezra, chap. 6.\n\n19. Ezra 3:12, 13.\n\n20. Ezra 4:4-24.\n\n21. Ezra 6:15-22.\n\n22. Matt. 24:2; Mark 13:2; Luke 21:6.\n\n23. See Book of Mormon, II Nephi 5:16.\n\n24. See Book of Mormon, III Nephi 11:1.\n\n25. See the author's \"The Great Apostasy,\" chap. IX.\n\n26. See the author's \"The Great Apostasy,\" chap. X.\n\n27. See the author's \"The Articles of Faith,\" Lecture I, and references\nthereto.\n\n28. See the author's \"The Articles of Faith,\" specifically Lecture I,\nand notes thereon.\n\n29. See Doctrine and Covenants 36:8; 42:36; 133:2.\n\n30. See Doctrine and Covenants 115:7-16.\n\n31. See Doctrine and Covenants, Section 95.\n\n32. See Doctrine and Covenants, Section 109.\n\n33. See Doctrine and Covenants, 110:1-10.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II\n\nSANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS\n\n{17} As understood and applied herein, the designation \"temple\" is\nrestricted to mean an actual structure, reared by man, hallowed and\nsanctified for the special service of Deity, such service including\nthe authoritative administration of ordinances pertaining to the Holy\nPriesthood, and not merely a place, however sacred the spot may have\nbecome. If sacred places were to be classed with sacred buildings as\nessentially temples, the category would include many a holy Bethel\nrarely considered as such. In the more extended application of the\nterm, the Garden in Eden was the first sanctuary of earth, for therein\ndid the Lord first speak unto man and make known the Divine law. So\ntoo, Sinai became a sanctuary, for the mount was consecrated as the\nspecial abode of the Lord while He communed with the prophet, and\nissued His decrees. The sanctity of such places was as that of Horeb,\nwhere God spake unto Moses from the midst of the flame; and where,\nas the man approached he was halted by the command: \"Draw not nigh\nhither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou\nstandest is holy ground.\"[1] A temple, however, is characterized not\nalone as the place where God reveals Himself to man, but also as the\nHouse wherein prescribed ordinances of the Priesthood are solemnized.\n\nTHE \"TESTIMONY\"\n\n{18} Prior to the construction of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, and\nindeed during the early stages of the memorable journey from Egypt,\nthe people of Israel had a certain depository for sacred things, known\nas the Testimony. This is definitely mentioned in connection with the\nfollowing incident. Under Divine direction a vessel of manna was to be\npreserved, lest the people forget the power and goodness of God, by\nwhich they had been fed:\n\n    \"And Moses said. This is the thing which the Lord commandeth,\n    Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may\n    see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I\n    brought you forth from the land of Egypt.\n\n    \"And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of\n    manna therein, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your\n    generations.\n\n    \"As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the\n    Testimony, to be kept.\"[2]\n\nThere appears little room for doubt that the Testimony here referred\nto was a material structure, and that its name is suggestive of Divine\nwitness as to its sacred character. Inasmuch as the account of the\nexodus contains no mention of the making of such a structure, and\nmoreover as its existence and use were definitely affirmed before the\npeople had had time or opportunity to shape it in the wilderness, it\nwould seem that they must have brought the sacred Testimony with them\nfrom Egypt. This incident is of interest and importance as indicating\nthe existence of a holy sanctuary during the formative {19} stages of\nIsrael's growth as a nation, and while the people were in subjection\nto idolatrous rulers. This application of the term Testimony must not\nbe confused with later usage by which the tables of stone bearing the\ndivinely inscribed Decalogue are so designated.[3] It is to be noted\nfurther that the Tabernacle, wherein was housed the Ark of the Covenant\ncontaining the sacred tables of stone, is distinctively called the\nTabernacle of Testimony. These several uses of the term lead to no\nambiguity if the context be duly considered in each case.\n\nTHE PROVISIONAL TABERNACLE\n\nWhile Moses communed with the Lord on Sinai, the people, left for a\ntime to themselves, set up a golden calf in imitation of Apis, an\nEgyptian idol; and in consequence of their idolatrous orgies, the\nLord's anger was kindled against them. During the period of their\nconsequent estrangement, before a reconciliation had been effected\nbetween Jehovah and His people, Divine manifestations ceased within\nthe camp and only afar off could the Lord be found. In connection with\nthis condition we read of the establishment of a temporary place of\nmeeting--possibly the dwelling tent of Moses, which became sanctified\nby the Divine Presence. Thus runs the record:\n\n    \"And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp,\n    afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the\n    congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the\n    Lord went out into the tabernacle of the congregation, which was\n    without the camp.\n\n    \"And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that\n    all the people rose up, and stood every man {20} at his tent door,\n    and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle.\n\n    \"And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the\n    cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle,\n    and the Lord talked with Moses.\n\n    \"And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle\n    door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his\n    tent door.\n\n    \"And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto\n    his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant\n    Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the\n    tabernacle.\"[4]\n\nThat the tent here called the Tabernacle of the Congregation[5] is\nnot the elaborate and costly structure specially built as the Lord\ndirected, is evident from the fact that the greater and more enduring\nTabernacle had not been constructed at the time referred to in the\nscripture last cited. Unlike the later Tabernacle, which was set up in\nthe center of the camp with the tribes massed about it in specified\norder, this Provisional Tabernacle was pitched outside the camp--afar\noff--perhaps as an indication of the Lord's withdrawal following\nIsrael's idolatrous turning away from Him. That the Provisional\nTabernacle was, however, a holy sanctuary is attested by the personal\ncommunion therein between Jehovah and His servant Moses.\n\nTHE TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION\n\nFrom amidst the clouds, and to the accompaniments of thunders and\nlightnings on Sinai, the Lord gave unto {21} Moses the law and the\ntestimony. Not alone did Moses there talk with the Lord in person, but\nby Divine command, Aaron and his sons Nadab and Abihu, together with\nseventy of the elders of Israel, went up upon the mountain and did see\nGod, even the God of Israel. Over Sinai the glory of the Lord abode\nfor many days: \"And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat\nhim up into the mount; and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty\nnights.\"[6]\n\nWhen he descended Moses bore with him the commission to call upon the\nchildren of Israel for contributions and offerings of their substance\nand all their precious things, such as would be suitable for the\nconstruction of a sanctuary for service in the wilderness.\n\n    \"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,\n\n    \"Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering:\n    of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take\n    my offering.\n\n    \"And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and\n    silver, and brass,\n\n    \"And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,\n\n    \"And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,\n\n    \"Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,\n\n    \"Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the\n    breastplate.\n\n    \"And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.\n\n    \"According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of {22} the\n    tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so\n    shall ye make it.\"[7]\n\nThe response of the people was so liberal and prompt that a surplus of\nmaterial was soon amassed.\n\n    \"And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than\n    enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to\n    make.\n\n    \"And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed\n    throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any\n    more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were\n    restrained from bringing.\n\n    \"For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it,\n    and too much.\"[8]\n\nDivine direction was manifest in the appointment of men who should be\nin charge of the labor. Bezaleel, the son of Uri, and Aholiab, the son\nof Ahisamach, were designated by revelation as the master craftsmen\nunder whose direction the other workers should labor until all had\nbeen finished in direct accord with the revealed pattern and plan. And\nwhen so finished it was the embodiment of the best in material and\nworkmanship.\n\nThe Tabernacle stood in an outer enclosure or court, walled in by\ncanvas screens with entrance curtains finely embroidered. The curtains\nthat formed the walls of the court were suspended from pillars, which\nstood at intervals along the sides of an oblong. The longer walls ran\neast and west, with the main entrance to the enclosure on {23} the\neastern side. Of the two squares within the curtains, the easterly was\nreserved for assemblies of the people, while the square to the west\nconstituted the more sacred area pertaining to the Tabernacle itself.\n\nThe entire space so enclosed covered one hundred cubits east and\nwest and fifty cubits north and south, or approximately one hundred\nand fifty feet by seventy-five feet.[9] In the easterly section,\nand therefore removed from the Tabernacle, stood the altar of\nburnt-offerings. Between the altar and the Tabernacle stood the\nlaver; this was a large vessel of brass standing upon a pedestal and\ncontaining water for the ceremonial cleansing of the hands and feet\nof the priests. It is interesting to note that the laver and its\nsupporting pedestal were made by special contribution of the women,\nwho gave their brazen mirrors for this purpose. The Tabernacle stood\nwith its longer axis east and west, and with its entrance on the\neasterly side. The structure was but thirty cubits long by ten cubits\nbroad, or forty-five by fifteen feet; these are the dimensions given\nby Josephus, and they are practically in accord with the description\nin Exodus, which states that the walls comprised twenty boards on a\nside, each board one and a half cubits wide; at the west end there were\nsix boards, each one and a half cubits wide or nine cubits in all;\nthese with the angle posts would make the entire breadth equal to that\ngiven by Josephus, ten cubits. The boards of the walls {24} were held\ntogether by tenon-joints having sockets of silver, two to each board;\nthe boards themselves were overlaid with gold and were provided with\nrings of the same metal to receive the bars, which also were overlaid\nwith gold.\n\nIt will be seen that the Tabernacle was but a small structure, entirely\nunsuited to the accommodation of large assemblies, but it is to be\nremembered that for such it was never intended. Within the Tabernacle,\nonly the appointed bearers of the Priesthood officiated; and of these\nnone but the few actually engaged in the service of the day could be\nadmitted.\n\nThe Tabernacle was divided by a curtain, specifically called the Veil,\ninto two compartments, the outer of which was known as the Holy Place,\nand the inner as the Most Holy Place or Holy of Holies. Josephus and\nsome others state that the Tabernacle comprised three parts; the third\ndivision, however, was really outside the main tent and appeared as\na porch at the east end, five cubits deep, and extending across the\nentire front. The Veil, which separated the Holy Place from the Holy\nof Holies, was of fine workmanship, \"of blue, and purple, and scarlet,\nand fine twined linen of cunning work,\" and was embroidered with\ncherubim. It was hung upon four pillars of wood overlaid with gold;\nthe hooks were of gold and the sockets of silver. The wood used for\nthese pillars, as indeed that used in other parts of the structure, was\nthe rare, costly, and durable shittim or acacia, sometimes known as\nthorn-wood. Beyond the Veil the enclosure was most holy, and therein\nwas placed the Ark of the Covenant with its Mercy Seat bearing the\nsacred cherubim, the description of which appears in the record as\nfollows:\n\n    {25} \"And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a\n    half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of\n    it, and a cubit and a half the height of it:\n\n    \"And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a\n    crown of gold to it round about.\n\n    \"And he cast for it four rings of gold, to be set by the four\n    corners of it; even two rings upon the one side of it, and two\n    rings upon the other side of it.\n\n    \"And he made staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold.\n\n    \"And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, to\n    bear the ark.\n\n    \"And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was\n    the length thereof, and one cubit and half the breadth thereof.\n\n    \"And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he\n    them, on the two ends of the mercy seat:\n\n    \"One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the\n    other end on that side: out of the mercy seat made he the cherubims\n    on the two ends thereof.\n\n    \"And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with\n    their wings over the mercy seat, with their faces one to another;\n    even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims.\"[10]\n\nOutside the Veil, yet within the Tabernacle, was the Holy Place; in\nthis were placed the table of shewbread, the altar of incense, and the\ngolden seven-branched candlestick.[11]\n\nThe rich fabrics of delicate workmanship forming the walls and roof\nof the Tabernacle were protected by coarser hangings of goats' hair,\nand these in turn by a covering of skins. The structure as completed\nis referred to in the scripture sometimes as the Tent of the {26}\nCongregation and at others as the Tabernacle of the Congregation; the\nformer expression occurs thirteen times, the latter one hundred and\nthirty-three times; yet notwithstanding this difference, the original\nin each case was _Ohel Moed_, the best authenticated translation of\nwhich is the Tent of Meeting. Let it not be supposed, however, that\nthis means in the ordinary sense a meeting-house, for the meeting here\nexpressed is not that of a concourse of worshippers, but the place of\ncommunion between God and His Priesthood. The Tent of Meeting, or the\nTabernacle of the Congregation, in Israel, was the Lord's tent wherein\nHe met the authorized representatives of His people.\n\nOn the first day of the second year following Israel's exodus from\nEgypt, the Tabernacle was set up for the first time, and all the sacred\nfurniture was disposed according to the direct commands of the Lord.\nThe veil was hung, and the place was consecrated as a most holy spot,\nineffably sacred as the dwelling place of Jehovah. Then, even as on\nSinai a cloud had shrouded the temporary abiding place of God, so was\nit with the Tabernacle:\n\n    \"Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory\n    of the Lord filled the tabernacle.\n\n    \"And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation,\n    because the cloud abode thereon and the glory of the Lord filled\n    the tabernacle.\n\n    \"And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the\n    children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:\n\n    \"But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till\n    the day that it was taken up.\n\n    \"For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by {27} day, and\n    fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel,\n    throughout all their journeys.\"[12]\n\nThe all-pervading and all-controlling thought in the erection of\nthis portable sanctuary was that of expressing the close association\nbetween Jehovah and His people. The people were to consider themselves\nspecifically the people of God, and amongst them should be His\ndwelling, surpassing in a transcendent degree the presence of the gods\nof wood and stone housed among the idolatrous nations with whom Israel\nhad to contend. This thought was expressed in the earliest commandment\nrespecting the building of the Tabernacle: \"And let them make me a\nsanctuary; that I may dwell among them.\"[13]\n\nEven more truly indispensable than Tabernacle or Temple, in the\nmaintenance of close relationship with Deity, is the Priesthood. It\nwas therefore to be expected that with the establishment of a holy\nsanctuary, appointments and ordinations should be made whereby men\nwould be truly set apart to the sacred offices of the Priesthood. While\nMoses was the great high priest of Israel, standing at the head of a\ndistinctive dispensation of Divine authority and power, there were many\npriestly functions pertaining to the less exalted orders, and unto\nthese Aaron and his four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazer, and Ithamar, were\nset apart. As the Tabernacle had been built under express direction\nextending even into minute detail, so the ministrations of the\nPriesthood were prescribed and the order of worship was established,\nwhereby the people should be reminded that amongst them dwelt {28}\nJehovah, before whom they should set none other gods.[14]\n\nThe Tabernacle was prepared primarily for migratory service; its parts\ntherefore were separately finished and so fitted as to permit of easy\nputting together or taking apart. When set up within its court, the\nTabernacle occupied the place of honor in the center of the camp.\n\nOn the east, and therefore immediately before the entrance to the\ncourt, were the tents of the Priests; while on the other three sides\nthe Levites were encamped. These, being closest in attendance have been\nlikened to the body-guard of the Great King[15] whose throne was within\nthe sanctuary; and beyond them were stationed the other tribes in order\nof established precedence. While dismantled and in transit, when the\npeople were on the march, the Tabernacle still held the central place;\nits bearers were the Levites, and the whole army of Israel was its\nguard.\n\nUntil Israel had become permanently established in the land of promise,\nthe Tabernacle of the Congregation had but temporary resting places. As\nthe people moved the sanctuary was carried, until it found a somewhat\nmore permanent home at Shiloh. There, at the door of the Tabernacle,\nthe final apportionment of Canaan among the tribes was made.[16]\nThere it remained during the period of the Judges, and until after\nthe Ark of God had been allowed to pass from the custody of Israel\nto that of the Philistines, because of sin.[17] The glory of the\nsanctuary {29} was largely lost, and though the Tabernacle continued\nin existence its sacred service was in abeyance. Sadly was the truth\ndeclared, \"The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is\ntaken.\"[18] There is evidence that for a short time during the reign\nof Saul, the Tabernacle was established at Nob; for there we find the\npriest Ahimelech maintaining the service of the shew-bread,[19] but\nthe Ark of the Covenant was certainly not there.[20] We next learn of\nthe Tabernacle having been set up at Gibeon, though the conditions\nresulting in its removal thither are not fully stated.[21] The Ark was\nhoused in another tent, and finally both were brought into the splendid\nTemple of Solomon by which all earlier sanctuaries were superseded.\n\nTHE THIRD TABERNACLE\n\nYet another tent of sanctuary was made and used in Israel prior to the\nerection of the great Temple. This we may call for convenience the\nThird Tabernacle; it was erected by David the king, in his own city, as\na shelter for the Ark of the Covenant. As already cited, the scriptural\nrecord tells of the capture of the Ark by the Philistines, and of its\nreturn to Israel. This incident occurred during the latter part of the\nadministration of the Judges, before Israel had bowed to a king in\nCanaan.[22]\n\nThroughout the reign of Saul, the Ark remained under the roof of a\nprivate dwelling; wherein, however, a priest was maintained for its\ncare and ministry. One of the early acts of David after he became king,\nwas to {30} plan the removal of the Ark to a more suitable situation.\nIn the course of this removal, Uzzah was stricken, because without\nauthority he essayed to take hold of the sacred vessel; and this\nmanifestation of Divine displeasure so affected David that he delayed\nhis purpose of setting up the Ark in his own city and placed it in\nanother private house--that of Obed-edom the Gittite.[23] While the Ark\nremained beneath that roof the household was blessed and prospered.\nIn course of time the original plan was carried into effect and the\nArk was set up in a tent specially prepared for its reception in the\nCity of David: \"And they brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in\nhis place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for\nit: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the\nLord.\"[24]\n\nThus, during the reign of David there were two places regarded as\nsanctuaries; and the worship of the people was divided. Solomon\nappears to have acknowledged the sanctity of both places--the resting\nplace of the Ark at Jerusalem and the place of the Tabernacle of the\nCongregation at Gibeon.[25] Through him both shrines were again brought\ntogether.[26]\n\nTHE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON\n\nScarcely had the Ark of the Covenant been deposited at the capital\nof the kingdom--the City of David,--when the king became desirous of\nerecting for its accommodation a more enduring shelter than the tent\nin which it had {31} been installed with pomp and ceremony. It appears\nthat the conscience of the king was troubled by the thought that he\nwas better housed than was the sanctuary of the Lord: \"Now it came to\npass, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet,\nLo, I dwell in an house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the\nLord remaineth under curtains.\"[27] It was David's desire to build a\nsuitable House for the Lord and Nathan the prophet at first encouraged\nthe undertaking. The Lord spake to Nathan however, and directed him to\ndecline the king's proffered gift. Although Jehovah had been without a\nfixed place recognized by the people as His, though as He said He had\nnot dwelt in a house amongst Israel, but had gone from tent to tent\nand from one tabernacle to another,[28] though as the context implies,\nthe Lord had been neglected in the long delay attending the erection\nof a house to His name, nevertheless David could not be honored with\nthe commission or even the permission to build such a house for he\nwas accounted a man of blood.[29] Let us not undertake to judge the\nextent of David's offending; to do so would be to usurp the Divine\nprerogative; it is enough for us to know that even the gift of royalty\nmay be declined if there be aught requiring reconciliation between the\nmortal and his God. David, however, was permitted to provide means and\nto gather material which afterward should be used in the erection of\nthe Temple,[30] moreover, the very site on which the great building\nwas subsequently erected was chosen and sanctified through his agency.\nA great pestilence had fallen {32} upon Israel, and the Angel of the\nLord, sent forth with the warrant of destruction, was seen by David,\nstanding, sword in hand, on Mount Moriah at the threshing floor of\nAraunah the Jebusite.[31] That spot, hallowed by the presence of a\nheavenly messenger, though that messenger was the Angel of Death, was\nmarked by the erection of an altar, as the Lord directed through the\nprophet Gad.[32]\n\nAs David realized that his years of life were few, he laid upon\nSolomon, his son and chosen successor, the solemn charge to build the\nhouse he had been forbidden to build. The king dwelt pathetically upon\nhis own disqualification, and then repeated the Lord's promise of\nacceptance at the hand of Solomon. The scriptural record runs thus:\n\n    \"So David prepared abundantly before his death.\n\n    \"Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an\n    house for the Lord God of Israel.\n\n    \"And David said to Solomon. My son, as for me, it was in my mind to\n    build an house unto the name of the Lord my God:\n\n    \"But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood\n    abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house\n    unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in\n    my sight.\n\n    \"Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest;\n    and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his\n    name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto\n    Israel in his days.\n\n    \"He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I\n    will be his father: and I will establish the throne of his kingdom\n    over Israel for ever.\n\n    {33} \"Now, my son, the Lord be with thee; and prosper thou, and\n    build the house of the Lord thy God, as he hath said of thee.\n\n    \"Only the Lord give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee\n    charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the Lord\n    thy God.\n\n    \"Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfill the\n    statues and judgments which the Lord charged Moses with concerning\n    Israel: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.\n\n    \"Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the\n    Lord an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand\n    talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it\n    is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou\n    mayest add thereto.\n\n    \"Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and\n    workers of stone and timber, and all manner of cunning men for\n    every manner of work.\n\n    \"Of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, there is no\n    number. Arise therefore, and be doing, and the Lord be with thee.\n\n    \"David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his\n    son, saying,\n\n    \"Is not the Lord your God with you? and hath he not given you rest\n    on every side? for he hath given the inhabitants of the land into\n    mine hand; and the land is subdued before the Lord, and before his\n    people.\n\n    \"Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; arise\n    therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the\n    ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the holy vessels of God, into\n    the house that is to be built to the name of the Lord.\"[33]\n\nDavid gave Solomon detailed instructions as to the design and\nspecifications of the house and its appurtenances, the plan of the\nporch and that of both the main {34} structure and the accessory\nbuildings, \"and the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit.\"\nFurthermore he gave directions as to the ministry of the various\ncourses of Priests and Levites, \"and for all the work of the service of\nthe house of the Lord, and for all the vessels of service in the house\nof the Lord.\"[34]\n\nThe actual work of construction was begun in the fourth year of\nSolomon's reign, and the Temple was ready for dedication in the\ntwelfth, or about 1005 B. C. At the inception of the labor, Solomon\nentered into an agreement with Hiram, a neighboring king, whereby the\nresources of Tyre and Sidon were annexed in the great undertaking.\nThrough this alliance the splendid forests of Lebanon were made\naccessible; cedar, and fir, and other trees were felled and floated by\nthe thousand to the most convenient point for land transportation to\nJerusalem. It had been previously explained to Hiram that the demand\nwould be a heavy one, for, as Solomon had said: \"The house which I\nbuild is great: for great is our God above all gods.\"[35] Sidonian\nhewers were put to work,--the most skilful of all known woodmen; and\nthe timbers of Lebanon were supplied in abundance. The extent of the\ndemand may be judged from the enormous payment proffered and made by\nSolomon.[36]\n\nIsraelitish workmen were employed in great numbers, both in\nco-operation with the Sidonians and at home. Thus we read:\n\n    \"And King Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was\n    thirty thousand men.\n\n    {35} \"And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses:\n    a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and Adoniram\n    was over the levy.\n\n    \"And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and\n    fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains;\n\n    \"Beside the chief of Solomon's officers which were over the work,\n    three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that\n    wrought in the work.\n\n    \"And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly\n    stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.\n\n    \"And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, and the\n    stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the\n    house.\"[37]\n\nFor the successful employment of such great numbers of workmen an\neffective system of organization was necessary; we are not surprised,\ntherefore, in reading that thirty-three hundred overseers were in\nservice. The efficiency of the system is attested by the success\nattending the great undertaking. The Israelites and the men of Tyre and\nSidon worked in harmony, and much of the building material was shaped\nby pattern and measurement in forest and quarry; therefore \"the house,\nwhen it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was\nbrought thither; so that there was neither hammer nor ax nor any tool\nof iron heard in the house, while it was in building.\"[38]\n\nOur primary source of information relating to the erection of the great\nTemple is the scriptural record contained in I Kings, chapters 6 and\n7; a later account appears in II Chronicles, chapter 3 and 4, which\naccount as {36} well as the description given by Josephus[39] appears\nto have been derived from the record first cited.\n\nIn general, the design of Solomon's Temple was that of the specially\nconstructed Tabernacle of the Congregation, though the dimensions of\nthe Temple were double those of the Tabernacle. It will be remembered\nthat the porch of the Tabernacle was five cubits deep; that of\nthe Temple measured ten cubits in depth; in each case the porch\nextended across the full width of the house. The Holy Place, or first\ncompartment within the walls, was twenty cubits long, ten cubits wide\nand ten high in the Tabernacle; that of the Temple was forty by twenty\ncubits and twenty cubits high. The inner sanctuary, Oracle, or Holy of\nHolies, in the Tabernacle was cubical and measured ten cubits each way;\nin the Temple this sacred enclosure was a cube of twenty cubits. Thus\nthe ground plan of the Tabernacle covered thirty-five by twenty cubits,\nand that of the Temple seventy cubits by forty. These measurements\ndo not take into account the side chambers, which in the Tabernacle\nwere five cubits wide; those connected with the Temple measured ten\ncubits in extreme width; with these included, the entire area of the\nTabernacle was forty by twenty cubits, and that of the Temple eighty\nby forty cubits; or, at the usually accepted equivalent for the cubit,\nsixty by thirty feet for the Tabernacle, and one hundred and twenty\nfeet by sixty feet for the Temple. In height the same relation was\nmaintained; the Tabernacle rose fifteen cubits and the Temple thirty\ncubits. The Temple porch appears to have towered above the height of\nthe main structure.[40]\n\n{37} In the porch, standing as a guard at the threshold of the Temple,\nwere two brazen pillars, of elaborate design, and doubtless of\nemblematical significance. They were regarded as of such importance\nas to merit detailed description, and the name of their maker was\ninscribed in the Temple archives. They were wrought by Hiram of\nTyre,--not the king who bore the same name--but a master-artisan,\nskilled in the working of brass. Hiram fashioned the pillars, each\ntwelve cubits in circumference and eighteen cubits high exclusive of\nthe massive chapiters, which were ornamented with pomegranates and lily\nwork. The pillar at the right of the entrance was named Jachin, meaning\n\"He shall establish,\" and that at the left was called Boaz, signifying\n\"In it is strength.\"[41] Whatever deeper meaning may have been attached\nto these massive columns, their suggestive symbolism of strength and\nfirmness is plainly apparent. As to whether they actually supported the\nroof of the porch, or were free, standing as embellishments and symbols\nalone, the scriptural text is not definite.\n\nThe walls of the great Temple were of hewn stone, yet on the inside no\nstone was visible; for the walls were wainscotted from floor to ceiling\nwith cedar, richly decorated with carvings of flowers, trees, and other\ndesigns, and the flooring was of fir.[42] Moreover, the interior was\nrichly embellished with overlaid work in pure gold. The partition by\nwhich the Oracle or Holy of Holies was divided off, corresponding to\nthe veil in the Tabernacle, was thus overlaid, and was hung with chains\nof gold.[43] The cherubim that stood as the symbol of guardianship {38}\nover the Oracle were of olive wood, covered with gold, the precious\nmetal being fitted upon the carved work.[44]\n\nThe vestibule or porch stood at the east end; and this constituted the\nonly entrance to the Temple proper. On the other three sides, therefore\nsurrounding both the Holy Place and the Oracle, were numerous small\nchambers, built in three tiers or stories. The width of these was five\ncubits in the lowest story, six cubits in the middle, and seven cubits\nin the top story; this peculiarity in width increasing with height was\nmade possible by the decrease in the thickness of the walls. By this\nrebatement of the walls, the cedarn chambers were well supported yet\nthey formed no part of the main structure; it was so designed \"that\nthe beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house.\"[45] These\nsmall apartments were therefore \"chambers round about, against the\nwalls of the house,\" yet of independent construction. From the mention\nmade by Ezekiel[46] these chambers are supposed to have numbered\nthirty, though no precise specification is found. They were probably\nused for service required of the priests aside from the ceremonial\nlabor connected with the general ritual. Entrance to these chambers was\nprovided on the right side of the building with winding stairs leading\nto the upper rooms. Above the level of the upper chambers were windows\nby which the outer apartment or Holy Place was lighted; the Holy of\nHolies, however, was without natural light.\n\nThe furniture within the Temple comprised but few objects, yet every\npiece was of special design and for exclusive use. In the Holy Place\nstood the table, or a {39} series of tables to bear the sacred\nshew-bread. Mention is made also of an altar of gold, and of ten\ncandlesticks of pure gold set in front of the entrance to the Oracle,\nfive on either side; furthermore there were tongs of gold, bowls and\nsnuffers, basins and spoons. The Oracle was prepared for the reception\nof the Ark of the Covenant, and to overshadow that holy vessel there\nwere prepared the two great cherubim, each ten cubits high; these were\nof olive wood overlaid with gold.\n\nThe Temple stood within walled enclosures, generally spoken of as outer\nand inner courts respectively. The wall of the inner court is described\nas consisting of three courses of hewn stone, in which was set a course\nof cedar beams. This corresponded to the single enclosure of the\nancient Tabernacle. Inasmuch as all the specified measurements show\nthe Temple to have been double the size of the Tabernacle, this court\nmay have been of corresponding proportion; it is therefore generally\nbelieved to have extended one hundred cubits north and south and two\nhundred cubits east and west.[47]\n\nWithin the court, \"before the porch of the Lord\" stood the altar of\nsacrifice. This was of brass twenty cubits square and ten cubits high.\nTo the service of the altar belonged many of the utensils such as\nbasins, pots, and shovels, specially made under the direction of the\nmaster craftsman, Hiram of Tyre. Another prominent object within the\ncourt was the molten sea, called also the brazen sea.[48] This great\nfont measured thirty cubits in circumference and stood five cubits\nhigh, and was richly {40} ornamented. The walls were a hand-breadth\nin thickness, and the brim was embellished with flower work. It was\nmounted on twelve brazen oxen, arranged in groups of three, the groups\nfacing respectively north, south, east and west. The great font stood\nbetween the altar and the porch \"on the right side of the house,\neastward, over against the south.\"[49] Associated with the molten sea\nwere ten smaller vessels called lavers, mounted on bases of special\nconstruction and provided with wheels to facilitate removal.[50] The\nlavers were used in connection with the service of the altar, for the\nwashing of the offerings; but the main font or molten sea was reserved\nfor the ceremonial cleansing of the priests.\n\nWhen the House of the Lord was completed, elaborate preparations were\nmade for its dedication. First came the installation of the Ark of the\nCovenant and its appurtenances, the Tabernacle of the Congregation,\nand the holy vessels. With great solemnity and to the accompaniment of\nceremonial sacrifice, the Ark was brought by the priests and placed\nwithin the Holy of Holies beneath the wings of the cherubim. At this\ntime the Ark contained only the two tables of stone \"which Moses put\nthere.\" The staves by which the Ark was borne were so drawn out as to\nbe visible from within the Holy Place, and then \"it came to pass, when\nthe priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the\nhouse of the Lord, So that the priests could not stand to minister\nbecause of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of\nthe Lord.\"[51]\n\n{41} Then Solomon addressed the assembled multitude, reciting the\ncircumstances under which the building of the Temple had been conceived\nby his father David and executed by himself, and proclaiming the mercy\nand goodness of Israel's God. Standing before the altar of the Lord, in\nthe court of the Temple, the king spread forth his hands toward heaven,\nand offered the dedicatory prayer. The king then blessed the people,\nsaying \"Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people\nIsrael, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one\nword of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses\nhis servant. The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers:\nlet him not leave us, nor forsake us.\"[52]\n\nThe principal services with the attendant festivities lasted seven\ndays, and \"on the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed\nthe king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all\nthe goodness that the Lord had done for David his servant, and for\nIsrael his people.\"[53]\n\nFor only a third of a century did this splendid edifice maintain its\nsupremacy and glory. In the later years of his reign Solomon had done\nwickedly in the sight of God and the people had not been slow to follow\ntheir king in evil paths. Israel had grown weak in their allegiance to\nJehovah and had gone after strange gods. Following the death of Solomon\nthe nation was disrupted. In the fifth year of the reign of Rehoboam,\nShishak king of Egypt besieged the City of David and even despoiled\nthe Temple {42} and carried away part of the sacred treasures. Next,\nJehoash, king of one part of the divided nation, took away gold and\nsilver and sacred vessels from the House of the Lord and carried\nthem into Samaria.[54] It is thus shown that the desecration of the\nTemple was not effected wholly by the enemies of Israel; the people to\nwhom the House had once been sacred contributed to its profanation.\nAhaz, the wicked king of Judah, removed the altar from its place and\nsubstituted therefore another fashioned by his own order after the\npattern of the altars of the heathen; moreover he took down the molten\nsea and dismantled the lavers.[55] Mannasseh, another evil king who\nreigned in Judah, followed after Baal and set up idolatrous shrines\nwithin the very precincts of the Temple.[56] The precious things of the\nHouse of the Lord were used as barter between kings. So, Asa king of\nJudah purchased the aid of Ben-hadad, to fight against Israel;[57] so\nalso did Jehoash purchase peace from Hazael king of Syria;[58] and so\ndid Hezekiah strip the House of the Lord for plunder wherewith to pay\ntribute to the Assyrians.[59]\n\nSome attempts were made to repair the worst of the ravages upon and\nwithin the Temple[60] but it seemed that the House had been abandoned\nto its fate. In the year 586 B. C., Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,\ncompleted the destruction of the Temple in connection with {43} his\nconquest of the kingdom of Judah. Whatever of value was yet there he\ncarried away, and the building was destroyed by fire.[61]\n\nThere occurs yet one later mention of some of the vessels that had been\nmade for the service of Jehovah,--when they were brought out to crown\nthe triumph of Belshazzar in his heathenish feast. Then was manifest\nthe displeasure of the Lord, and the trembling king heard from the\nlips of Daniel his doom,--for he had been unmindful of the fate that\nhad overtaken his father, and had lifted up himself against the Lord\nof heaven; and had brought out the vessels of the house of God that he\nand his lords, his wives and his concubines might drink wine therefrom;\nand he had praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood,\nand stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know; but the God in whose hand\nwas his breath and whose were all his ways had he not glorified. He had\nbeen weighed in the balances and was found wanting; and his kingdom was\ntaken from him. That night, Belshazzar the king was slain.[62]\n\nTHE TEMPLE OF EZEKIEL'S VISION\n\nIn the twenty-fifth year of the Babylonian captivity, while yet the\npeople of Israel were in exile in a strange land, the word of the Lord\ncame to the prophet Ezekiel; the power of God rested upon him; and he\nsaw in vision a glorious Temple, the plan of which he minutely {44}\ndescribed.[63] As to whether the prophet himself considered the design\nso shown as one to be subsequently realized, or as but a grand yet\nunattainable ideal, is not declared. Certain it is that the Temple of\nthe vision has not yet been builded.\n\nIn most of its essential features Ezekiel's ideal followed closely the\nplan of Solomon's Temple; so close, indeed, is the resemblance, that\nmany of the details specified by Ezekiel have been accepted as those\nof the splendid edifice destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. A predominant\ncharacteristic of the Temple described by Ezekiel was the spaciousness\nof its premises and the symmetry of both the Holy House and its\nassociated buildings. The area was to be a square of five hundred\ncubits, walled about and provided with a gateway and arches on each\nof three sides; on the west side the wall was to be unbroken by arch\nor portal. At each of the gateways were little chambers regarded as\nlodges,[64] and provided with porches. In the outer court were other\nchambers. The entire area was to be elevated, and a flight of steps led\nto each gateway. In the inner court was seen the great altar, standing\nbefore the House, and occupying the center of a square of one hundred\ncubits.[65] Ample provision was made for every variety of sacrifice\nand offering, and for the accommodation of the priests, the singers,\nand all engaged in the holy ritual.[66] The main structure comprised\na Porch, a Holy Place, and an inner sanctuary or Most Holy Place, the\nlast named elevated above the rest {45} and reached by steps. The plan\nprovided for even greater exclusiveness than had characterized the\nsacred area of the Temple of Solomon; the double courts contributed\nto this end. The service of the Temple was prescribed in detail; the\nordinances of the altar, the duties of the priests, the ministry of the\nLevites, the regulations governing oblations and feasts were all set\nforth.[67]\n\nThe immediate purpose of this revelation through the vision of the\nprophet appears to have been that of awakening the people of Israel to\na realization of their fallen state and a conception of their departed\nglory. The prophet was thus commanded:\n\n    \"Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that\n    they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the\n    pattern.\n\n    \"And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, show them the\n    form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out\n    thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and\n    all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the\n    laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the\n    whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.\n\n    \"This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the\n    whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is\n    the law of the house.\"[68]\n\nTHE TEMPLE OF ZERUBBABEL\n\nFor three score years and ten the Jews had grieved and groaned under\nBabylonian rule. The greater part of the once proud Kingdom of Judah\nhad been carried {46} away captive, and such as remained in the land\nof their fathers had lost their national status and had become largely\nmerged with the Gentiles. With dreadful exactness had been fulfilled\nthe dire prediction of Jeremiah. Through that prophet the Lord had\nspoken, saying:\n\n    \"Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Because ye have not heard\n    my words,\n\n    \"Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith\n    the Lord, and Nebuchadrezzar [Nebuchadnezzar] the king of Babylon,\n    my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the\n    inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations around about,\n    and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and\n    an hissing, and perpetual desolations.\n\n    \"Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice\n    of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the\n    bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.\n\n    \"And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment;\n    and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy\n    years.\"[69]\n\nHowever, the gloom of the saddening prophecy had been lightened by one\nray of hope and promise--the assurance that when the seventy years of\nthe Lord's chastisement had been completed, the people should return\nto the land of their inheritance, and once again be recognized as the\nLord's own.[70] In the encouragement of that hope the people had lived;\nby its inspiration their prophets, even while in captivity, had sought\nthe Lord, and declared His will to the people; by its light Ezekiel had\nseen in the {47} vision of seership the re-establishment of his people\nand the possibility of a Temple greater and grander than the first. In\ndue time the God of Israel made good His word, and vindicated anew His\npower as King of kings; He ruled and overruled the passions of nations\nand the acts of earthly rulers, and once again brought His people\nfrom the land of their bondage. Persia had become the controlling\npower among the nations, and by decree of the Persian king, Judah was\nemancipated. Behold the power of God in directing the rulers among\nmortals:\n\n    \"Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word\n    of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the\n    Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made\n    a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in\n    writing, saying,\n\n    \"Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given\n    me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build\n    him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.\n\n    \"Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and\n    let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house\n    of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.\n\n    \"And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the\n    men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with\n    goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house\n    of God that is in Jerusalem.\"[71]\n\nUnder this gracious permission the people returned to the land of their\nfathers, and set about the work of building anew a House to the Lord.\nCyrus had issued his royal decree that the structure be worthy the\ngreat Name to which it was to be reared--the foundations were to {48}\nbe strongly laid; the height was to be three score cubits, and the\nbreadth the same; there were to be set three rows of great stones and a\nrow of new timber; moreover, the expenses were to be met by the royal\ntreasury.[72] The king restored to the people the vessels that had been\ntaken by Nebuchadnezzar from the first Temple,--all these, numbering\nmany thousands, were formally delivered by the king's treasurer.[73]\n\nSo great was the enthusiasm of the people, so strong their desire to\nhave individual part in the holy undertaking, that many who had been\ncareless of their heritage now claimed priestly standing; but, as\ntheir genealogy had not been preserved, they were debarred from the\npriesthood, though permitted to return with the rest. The prerogatives\nof the priestly order were denied them until one would arise with power\nto declare their genealogy through Urim and Thummim.[74]\n\nZerubbabel and Jeshua had charge of the work; and without delay they\nbuilded anew the altar of the God of Israel and re-established the\nritual of sacrifice, and the observance of the sacred festivals.[75]\nMasons and carpenters, workmen and artisans of all kinds and degrees\nwere brought into service; again were Tyre and Sidon put under friendly\ntribute, and once more the wealth of the forests of Lebanon was brought\nto Jerusalem. Priests and Levites were marshalled in order as of old,\nand the sound of trumpets and cymbals was mingled with the voices of\nthe singers. Is there cause for wonder that {49} as the foundations\nwere laid, old men who remembered the first House and its glory wept\naloud and shouted in their tearful joy?[76]\n\nBut adversaries arose who put obstacles in the way of the builders.\nThe people of Canaan--Israelites who had forgotten their allegiance to\nGod, and had mingled with idolaters, took offense at the activity of\nthe returned Jews. At first they offered to assist in the work, but\nbeing refused recognition because of their idolatrous associations,\nthey became obstructionists, and \"weakened the hands of the people of\nJudah, and troubled them in building; and hired counsellors against\nthem, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia,\neven until the reign of Darius king of Persia.\"[77] The claim was made\nthat of old the people of Judah had been a trouble to other nations,\nand that with the restoration of their Temple they would again become\nseditious. At last the protests and charges reached Darius, the\nreigning monarch; and he, having investigated the whole matter, issued\na decree, that not only should the Jews be free from interruption in\nthe building of the Temple, but that a portion of the king's tribute,\nthe regular taxes of the land, should be devoted to the work; and, said\nthe king:\n\n    \"Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word,\n    let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him\n    be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this.\n    And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all\n    kings and people, that shall {50} put to their hand to alter and to\n    destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made\n    a decree; let it be done with speed.\"[78]\n\nWith such support the people soon completed the building. Though nearly\ntwenty years elapsed between the laying of the foundation and the\nfinishing, the greater part of the labor was done during the last four\nyears. The dedicatory services were solemn and inspiring. For seven\ndays the Feast of Unleavened Bread was observed; the Passover was eaten\nby those who had returned from captivity and by such others as had\n\"separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of\nthe land, to seek the Lord God of Israel.\"[79]\n\nThis, the second Temple, was finished in the year 515 B. C.; it is\nknown in history as the Temple of Zerubbabel. In general plan it was\npatterned after the Temple of Solomon, though in many of its dimensions\nit exceeded its prototype. The court was divided into a section for\npriests only and another for the public; according to Josephus the\ndivision was effected by a wooden railing.[80] An alter of unhewn\nstone was erected in place of the great brazen alter of old.[81] The\nHoly Place was graced by but one candlestick instead of ten; and by a\nsingle table for the shew-bread instead of the ten tables overlaid with\ngold which stood in the first Temple. We read also of a golden altar\nof incense, and of some minor appurtenances. The Most Holy Place was\nempty, for the Ark {51} of the Covenant had not been known after the\npeople had gone into captivity.\n\nIn many respects the Temple of Zerubbabel appeared poor in comparison\nwith its splendid predecessor and in certain particulars, indeed, it\nranked lower than the ancient Tabernacle of the Congregation--the\nsanctuary of the nomadic tribes. Critical scholars specify the\nfollowing features characteristic of the Temple of Solomon and lacking\nin the Temple of Zerubbabel: (1) the Ark of the Covenant; (2) the\nsacred fire; (3) the Shekinah, or glory of the Lord, manifested of old\nas the Divine Presence; (4) the Urim and Thummim, by which Jehovah made\nplain His will to the priests of the Aaronic order; (5) the genius\nor spirit of prophecy, indicative of the closest communion between\nmortals and their God. Notwithstanding these differences the Temple of\nZerubbabel was recognized of God and was undoubtedly the site or seat\nof Divine revelation to duly constituted prophets.\n\nThe inferiority of the second Temple as compared with the first is\ngenerally conceded; the difference, however, was rather in matter of\nsplendor than in point of size.[82] But even such glory as it did\npossess was not to be long maintained. Again the people became recreant\nto their God, and the voice of the prophet was unheeded. Again did\nJehovah permit the heathen to oppress Judah. Of the later history\nof this Temple the Biblical record gives but few details; but from\nother sources we learn of its vicissitudes. In connection with the\nMaccabean persecution the House of the Lord was profaned. A Syrian\nking, Antiochus Epiphanes, captured Jerusalem (168 to 165 B. C.) {52}\nand perpetrated blasphemous outrage against the religion of the people.\nHe plundered the Temple and carried away its golden candlestick, its\ngolden altar of incense, its table of shewbread, and even tore down the\nsacred veils, which were of fine linen and scarlet. His malignity was\ncarried so far that he purposely desecrated the altar of sacrifice by\noffering swine thereon, and erected a heathen altar within the sacred\nenclosure. Not content with the violation of the Temple, this wicked\nmonarch had altars erected in the towns and ordered the offering of\nunclean beasts upon them. The rite of circumcision was forbidden on\npain of death, and the worship of Jehovah was declared a crime.[83] As\na result of this persecution many of the Jews apostatized, and declared\nthat they belonged to the Medes and Persians--the nations from whose\ndominion they had been delivered by the power of God.\n\nAmong those who remained true to the religion of their fathers was\nMattathias, who was a priest, and a man of prominence. He was besought\nto offer heathen sacrifice; not only did he refuse but in righteous\nindignation he slew those who did attempt the sacrilege. This act\nled to further strife and for three years the struggle continued.\nJudas, son of Mattathias, came into prominence and is known as Judas\nMaccabeus,--the first of the Maccabees. Under his leadership the\npeople returned to Jerusalem and found the Temple deserted, as it had\nbeen left by the army of Antiochus. Its gates had been broken down\nand burned; and within the walls weeds were growing. Judas tried to\ncleanse and rehabilitate the House; he brought in new vessels, and\nreplaced the candlestick, the altar of incense, the table of shewbread,\nand the veils, {53} and built a new altar for burnt offerings. Then\nin the year 163 B. C. the House was rededicated; and the occasion was\nremembered in annual festival thereafter under the name of the Feast of\nDedication.[84]\n\nIn the interest of self-preservation the Jews entered into an alliance\nwith the Romans, who eventually became their masters. During the reign\nof the Maccabees the Temple fell into decay, and when the last of that\ndynasty had been succeeded by Herod the Great, the House was little\nmore than a ruin. Nevertheless the priestly orders had been maintained;\nand some semblance of ritualistic worship had continued. The history of\nthe Temple of Zerubbabel is merged with that of the Temple of Herod.\n\nTHE TEMPLE OF HEROD\n\nIn the year 37 B. C. Herod I, known in history as Herod the Great,\nwas established on the throne as King of Judea. He had already served\nsuccessively as procurator and tetrarch, and, indeed, had been king in\nname for some time prior to his enthronement, during which period he\nhad been in hostile conflict with the people over whom the decree of\nthe Roman Senate had made him ruler. He came to the throne noted for\narrogance and cruelty; and his reign was one of tyranny, in which even\nfamily relationship and the closest ties of blood proved unavailing\nto protect the victims of his displeasure. In the early part of his\nreign he put to death nearly all the members of the Sanhedrin, the\ngreat Jewish Council, and throughout he ruled with increasing severity.\nNevertheless he was successful in maintaining peace with other {54}\ngovernments, and by his Roman masters was accounted an able ruler.\nAmong his acts of cruelty was the slaughter of the babes of Bethlehem,\na murder planned and executed in the hope of including among the\nvictims the Child Jesus.[85]\n\nSuch is the character of the man who proposed to replace the time-worn\nTemple of Zerubbabel by a new and more splendid structure. Can it be\nthought that a proffered gift from such a donor could be acceptable to\nthe Lord? David had aforetime offered to build a House to the Lord,\nbut had been restrained, for he was a man of blood. Herod's purpose in\nthe great undertaking was that of aggrandizing himself and the nation,\nrather than the rendering of homage to Jehovah. His proposition to\nrebuild or restore the Temple on a scale of increased magnificence was\nregarded with suspicion and received with disfavor by the Jews, who\nfeared that were the ancient edifice demolished, the arbitrary monarch\nmight abandon his plan and the people would be left without a Temple.\nTo allay these fears the king proceeded to reconstruct and restore the\nold edifice, part by part, directing the work so that at no time was\nthe Temple service seriously interrupted. So little of the ancient\nstructure was allowed to stand, however, that the Temple of Herod must\nbe regarded {55} as a new creation. The work was begun about sixteen\nyears before the birth of Christ; and while the Holy House itself was\npractically completed within a year and a half, this part of the labor\nhaving been performed by a body of one thousand priests specially\ntrained for the purpose, the temple area was a scene of uninterrupted\nbuilding operations down to the year 63 A. D. We read that in the\ntime of Christ's ministry the Temple had been forty-six years in\nbuilding;[86] and at that time it was unfinished.\n\nThe Biblical record gives us little information regarding this the\nlast and the greatest of ancient temples; for what we know concerning\nit we are indebted mainly to Josephus, with some corroborative\ntestimony found in the Talmud. In all essentials the Holy House or\nTemple proper was similar to the two earlier houses of sanctuary,\nthough externally far more elaborate and imposing than either; but in\nthe matter of surrounding courts and associated buildings, the Temple\nof Herod preeminently excelled. In proceeding from the outer wall to\nthe innermost enclosure occupied by the Holy House one would traverse\nsuccessive courts, each at a higher level than the last, to which\narrangement the slopes of Mount Moriah were favorable. The courts\nextended as enormous platform-terraces, supported by foundations of\nmassive masonry, which rose vertically in some places seven hundred\nfeet from the foot of the hill.\n\nThe outer wall enclosing the entire temple area, which approximated\nthe form of a square, measured four hundred cubits, or one stadium,\n(about six hundred feet) along each side. The east wall, constituting\nthe principal {56} defense of the city on that side, was unbroken\nby gates; on each of the other three sides one or more large and\nbeautiful portals afforded passage through the fortress-like wall.\nThe four sides of the great enclosure, immediately within the outer\nwall, were occupied by a series of magnificent porticoes, of Grecian\ndesign, forming a covered colonnade in which every pillar was a\nmassive monolith of white marble. This colonnade was interrupted at\nthe north-west corner, where the continuity of the wall was broken\nby the Tower of Antonia, in reality a fortified castle, from which a\nsubterranean passage led into the inner enclosure where stood the Holy\nHouse. The colonnade or line of porticoes along the south side was\nparticularly elaborate, and was known as the Royal Porch. Here were\nfour rows of huge columns, and consequently three corridors, of which\nthe inner was forty-five feet wide and one hundred feet high, while\neach of the side corridors measured thirty feet in width and sixty feet\nin height. The imposing effect of the Royal Porch is dwelt upon by\nJosephus, who states that its beauty was incredible to those who had\nnot seen it, and amazing to those who beheld.\n\nThe east colonnade or row of porticoes was known as Solomon's\nPorch,[87] the name having reference to a tradition that the porch\ncovered and included part of the original wall erected by the builder\nof the first Temple. Within the colonnade was a spacious area, to which\ngeneral admission was allowed; this was the Court of the Gentiles. It\nwas in this court that money-changers and traffickers in animals used\nfor sacrifice had established their stalls at the time of our Lord's\nministry, and from which {57} they were expelled through His righteous\nindignation, the while He declared: \"It is written, My house shall be\ncalled the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.\"[88]\n\nBetween the Court of the Gentiles and the inner courts rose a wall\ntwenty-five cubits high; this marked the boundary of the more sacred\nprecincts within which no Gentile could be lawfully admitted. At\nintervals along the wall were inscription tablets, warning all who were\nnot of Israel to enter not on pain of death. A literal translation\nof such inscription reads: \"Let no alien enter within the balustrade\nand embankment about the sanctuary. Whoever is caught makes himself\nresponsible for his death which will follow.\"\n\nThe inner courts were accessible from the Court of the Gentiles through\nnine gates, of which one was on the east, and four were on the north\nand south respectively; as in the earlier Temples the west wall was\nwithout a gate. Of these portals the principal one was on the east;\nthis was an elaborate structure built of the costly Corinthian brass,\nand known as the Corinthian Gate, though sometimes called from the name\nof its donor, the Gate of Nicanor; furthermore this is held by many\nauthorities to be the Beautiful Gate, before which sat the lame man who\nwas healed through the ministrations of Peter and John.[89]\n\nPart of the space within the inner courts was open to Israelites of\nboth sexes, and was known distinctively as the Court of the Women.\nThis was a colonnaded enclosure, and constituted the place of general\nassembly in the prescribed course of public worship. Chambers used\nfor {58} ceremonial purposes occupied the four corners of this court;\nand between these and the houses at the gates, were other buildings,\nof which one series constituted the Treasury wherein were set\ntrumpet-shaped receptacles for gifts.[90]\n\nBeyond the Court of the Women and really a continuation thereof, was a\nsection sufficiently described by its name, the Court of the Men; these\ntwo courts are sometimes referred to as one and designated the Court\nof Israel. Within this court were numerous buildings reserved for the\nstorage of sacred things or devoted to special assemblies. Within and\nabove the Court of Israel was the Court of the Priests, wherein was\nplaced the great altar of sacrifice, and to which were admitted none\nbut duly appointed priests and laymen who came to make offerings. The\naltar was a large structure of unhewn stones, forty-seven feet square\nat the base, and diminishing upward to the hearth which was a square\nof thirty-six feet. The inclined way of approach was on the south\nside.[91] A laver or font, reserved for the prescribed ablutions of the\nofficiating priests, stood nearby on the west.\n\nWithin the Court of the Priests, on an elevation reached by twelve\nsteps, stood the Holy House, the Temple itself. In comparison with\nits many and massive outliers, this was a small edifice, but in the\narchitectural plan it was made the most impressive, if not the most\nimposing feature of the whole. It has been properly described as \"a\nglittering mass of white marble and gold.\"[92] {59} Like the earlier\nTemples, this comprised Porch, Holy Place, and Most Holy Place or\nHoly of Holies. The Porch measured one hundred cubits both in width\nand height. The Holy Place was forty by twenty cubits, as in the\nTemple of Zerubbabel, but its height was increased to forty cubits.\nBy adding side chambers, with a passage between them and the main\nbuilding, Herod made the new Temple greater and grander than either\nof its predecessors. The Holy of Holies retained the original form\nand dimensions, making it a cube, twenty cubits in each measurement.\nBetween this and the Holy Place hung a double veil, of finest material,\nelaborately embroidered. The outer of the two veils was open at the\nnorth end, the inner at the south; so that the high priest who entered\nat the appointed time once a year could pass between the veils without\nexposing the Holy of Holies. The sacred chamber was empty save for a\nlarge stone upon which the high priest sprinkled the sacrificial blood\non the Day of Atonement; this stone occupied the place of the Ark and\nits Mercy Seat. Outside the veil, in the Holy Place, stood the altar of\nincense, the seven-branched candle-stick, and the table of shewbread.\n\nThat the Temple of Herod was by far the grandest structure ever erected\nas a Temple in any age is generally admitted; yet its beauty and\ngrandeur lay in architectural excellence rather than in the sanctity of\nits worship or in the manifestation of the Divine Presence within its\nwalls. Its ritual and service were largely man-prescribed; for while\nthe letter of the Mosaic Law was professedly observed, the law had\nbeen supplemented and in many features supplanted by rule and priestly\nprescription. The Jews professed to consider it holy, and by them it\nwas {60} proclaimed as the House of the Lord. Devoid though it was\nof the Divine accompaniments of earlier shrines accepted of God, and\ndefiled as it was by priestly arrogance and usurpation, as also by the\nselfish interest of traffic and trade, it was nevertheless recognized\neven by our Lord the Christ as His Father's House.[93] Therein the\nBoy Jesus was presented as required by the Law,[94] thereto came He\nwith His people at the time of the Passover;[95] within its precincts\nHe declared Himself and the Father who sent Him.[96] When at last,\nrejected by His own, and by them brought to the cross, He wrought the\nsacrifice through which salvation was made possible to man, the veil of\nthe Temple was rent by an unseen power and the last vestige of supreme\nsanctity departed from the place.[97]\n\nAs long as it stood, however, the Temple was held by the Jews in high\nveneration. An utterance of the Savior, construed by the dark-minded as\nan aspersion upon the Temple, was used against Him as one of the chief\naccusations on which His death was demanded. When the Jews clamored\nfor a sign of His authority He predicted His own death and subsequent\nresurrection, saying, \"Destroy this temple, and in three days I will\nraise it up.\"[98] They blindly regarded this remark as a disrespectful\nallusion to their Temple, a structure built by human hands, and they\nrefused to forget or forgive. That this veneration continued after the\ncrucifixion of our Lord is evident from accusations brought against\nStephen, and still later against Paul. In their murderous rage the\npeople accused {61} Stephen of disrespect for the Temple, and brought\nfalse witnesses who uttered perjured testimony saying, \"This man\nceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place.\"[99]\nAnd Stephen was numbered with the martyrs. When it was claimed that\nPaul had brought with him into the temple precincts, a Gentile, the\nwhole city was aroused, and the infuriated mob dragged Paul from the\nplace and sought to kill him.[100]\n\nFor thirty or more years after the death of Christ, the Jews continued\nthe work of adding to and embellishing the temple buildings. The\nelaborate design conceived and projected by Herod had been practically\ncompleted; the Temple was well-nigh finished, and, as soon afterward\nappeared, was ready for destruction. Its fate had been definitely\nforetold by the Savior Himself. Commenting on a remark by one of the\ndisciples concerning the great stones and the splendid buildings on\nthe Temple hill, Jesus had said, \"Seest thou these great buildings?\nThere shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown\ndown.\"[101]\n\nThis dire prediction soon found its literal fulfilment. In the great\nconflict with the Roman legions under Titus, many of the Jews had taken\nrefuge within the temple courts, seemingly hoping that there the Lord\nwould again fight the battles of His people and give them victory. But\nthe protecting presence of Jehovah had long since departed therefrom\nand Israel was left a prey to the foe. Though Titus would have spared\nthe Temple, his legionaries, maddened by the lust of conflict, started\nthe conflagration {62} and everything that could be burned was burned.\nThe slaughter of the Jews was appalling; thousands of men, women and\nchildren were ruthlessly butchered within the walls, and the temple\ncourts were literally flooded with human blood. This event occurred\nin the year 70 A. D.; and according to Josephus, in the same month\nand on the same day of the month as that on which the once glorious\nTemple of Solomon had fallen a prey to the flames kindled by the king\nof Babylon.[102] Of the temple furniture the golden candlestick and the\ntable of shewbread from the Holy Place were carried by Titus to Rome as\ntrophies of war; and representations of these sacred pieces are to be\nseen on the arch erected to the name of the victorious general.\n\nSince the destruction of the splendid Temple of Herod no other\nstructure of the kind, no Temple, no House of the Lord as the terms are\nused distinctively, has been reared on the eastern hemisphere. Sometime\nbetween 361 and 363 A. D. the Roman emperor Julian, surnamed because\nof his reversion from Christianity to paganism Julian the Apostate,\nattempted to reconstruct the Temple at Jerusalem. His purpose was\nnot that of devotion to nor love for God; but that of controverting\nprophecy, and thus proving false the Christian belief.[103] So ends the\ncategory of Temples reared to the name of the living God prior to the\ndispensation of the fulness of times.\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n1. Exodus 3:5.\n\n2. Exodus 16:32-34.\n\n3. See Exodus 31:18; 25:16; 32:15; 34:28, 29.\n\n4. Exodus 33:7-11.\n\n5. In the Authorized Version of the Holy Bible this sanctuary is called\nthe Tabernacle of the Congregation; in the Revised Version it is\ndesignated the Tent of Meeting; preponderance of authority is in favor\nof the latter reading.\n\n6. Exodus 24:9, 10, 18; read the entire chapter.\n\n7. Exodus 25:1-9. For details of the building and furnishings of\nthe Tabernacle of the Congregation see Exodus chapters 25-31, more\nparticularly chapter 25, which account is in part repeated in 36:8-38.\n\n8. Exodus 36:5-7.\n\n9. The cubit is an ancient measure of length, the value of which\nvaried in different countries and at different times. As the term\noccurs in the Bible, it denotes varying lengths. In line with modern\nencyclopedias, Bible dictionaries, etc., the length herein adopted\nis one foot six inches. See Encyclopaedia Britannica. Smith's Bible\nDictionary, etc.\n\n10. Exodus 37:1-9; compare 25:10-22.\n\n11. See Exodus 37:10-29; compare 25:23-40.\n\n12. Exodus 40:34-38.\n\n13. Exodus 25:8.\n\n14. See Exodus chapter 28.\n\n15. See Smith's Dictionary of the Bible (Barnum's ed.), art.\n\"Tabernacle.\"\n\n16. Joshua 18:1-3; 19:51; see also 21:2; Judges 18:31; I Sam. 1:3, 24;\n4:3, 4.\n\n17. See I Samuel 4:10-18.\n\n18. I Samuel 4:22.\n\n19. See I Samuel 21:1-6.\n\n20. See I Samuel 7:1, 2.\n\n21. See I Chron. 21:28-30; compare II Chron. 1:3-6.\n\n22. I Samuel 4:10-22; also chapters 5 and 6; and 7:1-2.\n\n23. II Samuel 6:1-12; see also I Chron. chapter 13.\n\n24. II Samuel 6:17; see also I Chron. 15:1, and 16:1.\n\n25. See I Kings 3:15 and II Chron. 1:3, 4.\n\n26. See I Kings 8:1-4.\n\n27. I Chron. 17:1; see also II Samuel 7:1, 2.\n\n28. I Chron. 17:4, 5.\n\n29. See I Chron. 22:8; compare 28:3; and I Kings 5:3.\n\n30. See I Chron. 22:1-5.\n\n31. II Samuel 24:15-25; see also I Chron. 21:15-17; and II Chron. 3:1.\n\n32. See I Chron. 21:18-30; compare II Samuel 24:18-25.\n\n33. I Chron. 22:5-19; see also 28:1-8; 29:1-7.\n\n34. I Chron. 28:11-13.\n\n35. II Chron. 2:5; see also the entire chapter.\n\n36. See I Kings 5:11; and II Chron. 2:10, 15 15.\n\n37. I Kings 5:13-18.\n\n38. I Kings 6:7; compare Deuteronomy 27:5, 6.\n\n39. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book VIII: chaps. 2, 3, 4.\n\n40. See II Chron. 3:4.\n\n41. See I Kings 7:13-22.\n\n42. I Kings 6:15-18, 29.\n\n43. Verses 19-22.\n\n44. Verse 35.\n\n45. Verses 5, 6.\n\n46. Ezekiel 41:6, 7.\n\n47. For specifications as to the courts, see I Kings 6:36; compare\n7:12; see also II Kings 23:12; II Chron. 4:9; 33:5 33:5.\n\n48. I Kings 7:23-26; II Chron. 4:2; see also II Kings 25:13; compare\nJeremiah 52:17.\n\n49. I Kings 7:39.\n\n50. I Kings 7:27-39; compare II Chron. 4:6.\n\n51. I Kings 8:10, 11.\n\n52. I Kings 8:56, 57; for the dedicatory services in full see the\nentire chapter.\n\n53. Verse 66.\n\n54. II Kings 14:13, 14.\n\n55. II Kings 16:10-18: see also II Chron. 28:24.\n\n56. II Kings 21:1-7; see also II Chron. 33:1-7.\n\n57. I Kings 15:18.\n\n58. II Kings 12:18.\n\n59. II Kings 18:15, 16.\n\n60. See II Kings 12:2-14; compare II Chron. 24:7-14; see also II Kings\n22:3-7; compare II Chron. 34:8-13.\n\n61. II Kings 24:13; 25:9-17; II Chron. 36:7, 19; compare Isaiah 64:11;\nJeremiah 27:16, 19-22; 28:3; 52:13, 17-23; Lamentations 2:7; 4:1; and\nEzra 1:7.\n\n62. See Daniel, chapter 5.\n\n63. See Ezekiel, chapters 40 to 43.\n\n64. So designated in the Revised Version.\n\n65. Ezekiel 40:47.\n\n66. Verses 44-46.\n\n67. Ezekiel, chapters 44-48.\n\n68. Ezekiel 43:10-12.\n\n69. Jeremiah 25:8-11; see also 29:10.\n\n70. See Jeremiah 25:12-14. See also the author's \"The Articles of\nFaith,\" Lecture XVII, \"The Dispersion of Israel.\"\n\n71. Ezra 1:1-4.\n\n72. Ezra 6:3-4.\n\n73. Ezra 1:7-11.\n\n74. See Ezra 2:61-63.\n\n75. Ezra 3:1-6.\n\n76. Ezra 3:8-13.\n\n77. Ezra 4:1-6; see also verses 7-24, and chapter 5.\n\n78. Ezra 6:11, 12; see also verses 7-10.\n\n79. Ezra 6:21.\n\n80. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews: XIII, 13:5.\n\n81. Compare Exodus 20:25; Deut. 27:5; Joshua 8:31.\n\n82. See Haggai 2:1-4; compare Zech. 4:10.\n\n83. See Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book XII, 5:3-5.\n\n84. See Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book XII, chaps. 6 and 7;\nand II Maccabees 2:19; 10:1-8; see also John 10:22.\n\n85. See Matt. 2:1-10, 16-18. \"A little child made the great Herod\nquake upon his throne. When he knew that the magi were come to hail\ntheir King and Lord, and did not stop at his palace, but passed on to\na humbler roof, and when he found that they would not return to betray\nthis child to him, he put to death all the children in Bethlehem that\nwere under two years old. The crime was great; but the number of the\nvictims, in a little place like Bethlehem, was small enough to escape\nspecial record among the wicked acts of Herod from Josephus and other\nhistorians, as it had no political interest.\"--Smith's Comprehensive\nDictionary of the Bible, art. \"Jesus Christ,\" page 466.\n\n86. John 2:20.\n\n87. See John 10:23; Acts 3:11; 5:12.\n\n88. Matt. 21:12-13; see also Mark 11:15; Luke 19:45; John 2:14.\n\n89. See Acts 3:2, 10.\n\n90. See Mark 12:41-44.\n\n91. Compare Exodus 20:26.\n\n92. See Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th ed., art. \"Temple.\"\n\n93. Matt. 21:12; compare Mark 11:15; Luke 19:45.\n\n94. See Luke 2:22-38.\n\n95. Luke 2:42-50. See also John 2:13-23; 5:1; 12:12-20.\n\n96. Luke 19:47; John 10:22-39.\n\n97. Matt. 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45.\n\n98. John 2:19-22; see also Matt. 26:61; 27:40; Mark 14:58; 15:29.\n\n99. Acts 6:13.\n\n100. See Acts 21:26-40.\n\n101. Mark 13:1, 2. See also Matt. 24:1, 2; Luke 21:5, 6.\n\n102. Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book VI; 4:5, 8. For a detailed and\ngraphic account of the destruction of the Temple see chapters 4 and 5\nin their entirety.\n\n103. \"He actually began excavations, but his workmen were driven in\ngreat panic from the spot, by terrific explosions and bursts of flame.\nThe Christians regarded the occurrence as miraculous; and Julian\nhimself, it is certain, was so dismayed by it that he desisted from the\nundertaking.\"--P. V. N. Meyers, General History, page 334.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III\n\nNEED OF TEMPLES IN THE PRESENT DISPENSATION\n\n{63} Among the numerous sects and churches professing Christianity,\nthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands alone in the\nteaching and practise of temple ministration. The devotion of this\npeople to the sacred labor of building temples and administering\ntherein the saving ordinances of the Gospel has attracted the attention\nand aroused the wonder of both philosopher and layman. It is not\nenough to attempt an explanation of this singular and stupendous\nsacrifice by ascribing it to assumed and unproved fanaticism; the\nearnest investigator, the careful observer, and even the cursory\nreader, indeed, if he be honest, admits that beneath this devotion is\na deeply-seated and an abiding faith. It cannot be affirmed that the\nLatter-day Saints build temples as monuments of communal wealth nor\nin the pride of human aggrandisement; for we find them thus arduously\nengaged even while bread was scarce and clothing scant among them; and\nthroughout their history the people have looked upon their temples\nas edifices belonging to the Lord, and upon themselves as stewards\nentrusted with the custody of the consecrated properties. Nor can it\nbe said that this Church builds temples as other sects erect chapels,\nchurches, cathedrals, and synagogues; for the Church has the equivalent\nof these, and indeed the meeting-houses and places of public worship\nmaintained by the Latterday Saints are proportionately greater in\nnumber than {64} are those of other denominations. Moreover, as already\nstated, these temples are not used as places of common assembly, nor as\nhouses of general and congregational service.\n\nWhy, then, does The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints build\nand maintain temples? In answer let the following pertinent facts be\ncarefully considered.\n\nNECESSITY OF OBEDIENCE TO THE LAWS AND ORDINANCES OF THE GOSPEL\n\nAs part of its declaration of faith, the Church proclaims:\n\n\"_We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be\nsaved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel_.\"[1]\n\nWhile professing belief in the possibility of a universal salvation,\nthe Church affirms that salvation is assured only on condition of\nindividual compliance with the requirements established by the\nRedeemer, without whose atoning sacrifice none could be saved. The\natonement wrought by the Christ on Calvary was a vicarious offering, in\nthe beneficent results of which all mankind are made partakers. As to\nredemption from the thrall of mortality incident to the transgression\nin Eden, the sacrificial death of Christ met in full the exactions\nincident to the broken law; and none but Adam shall be held accountable\nfor Adam's disobedience, nor for any results thereof. In the just\njudgment to which every mortal shall come, all conditions of inherited\nweakness, temptation due to {65} environment, the capacity to choose\nand to act, the measure of knowledge to which the subject has attained,\nthe meed of truth he has accepted or rejected, the opportunities he has\nused aright or wrongly spurned, the fidelity with which he walked in\nthe light or the depravity through which he wandered in the forbidden\npaths of darkness,--these and every other fact and circumstance\nentering into the individual life will be duly weighed and considered.\nAt the bar of God the distinguishing feature of Divine mercy will\nbe, as in the affairs of mortal life it now is, not an arbitrary\nforgiveness of sin nor unearned annulment of the debts of guilt, but\nthe providing of a way whereby the sinner may be enabled to meet the\nrequirements of the Gospel, and so in due course pass from the prison\nhouse of sin to the glorious freedom of a righteous life.\n\nThere is but one price set on forgiveness for individual transgression,\nand this is alike to all,--to poor and rich, to bond and free, to\nilliterate and learned; it knows no fluctuations, it changes not with\ntime; it was the same yesterday as today it is, and even so shall be\nforever,--and that price, at which may be bought the pearl beyond all\nprice, is _obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel_.\n\nHear this further declaration of faith taught by the restored Church:\n\n\"_We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel\nare:--(1) Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; (2) Repentance; (3) Baptism\nby immersion for the remission of sins; (4) Laying-on of hands for the\nGift of the Holy Ghost_.\"[2]\n\n{66} _Faith_ in the Lord Jesus Christ is the fundamental principle of\nthe Gospel, the first letter in the alphabet of salvation with which\nare spelled the words of life eternal. Yet who can have faith in aught\nof which he knows nothing? Knowledge is essential to faith, and faith\nimpels its possessor to seek further knowledge, and to make of that\nknowledge, wisdom, which is but knowledge applied and put to use. To\npreach Christ and Him crucified[3] is the one and only way by which\nfaith in Him may be taught through the medium of either precept or\nexample. While knowledge and faith are thus closely associated, the two\nare not identical, nor is the one an assured outgrowth of the other. A\nman may have learned the truth, and yet may ignore it. His knowledge,\nfar from developing within his soul the faith that leads to right\naction, may but add to his condemnation, for he sins without even the\nmitigation of ignorance. Evil spirits have testified of their knowledge\nthat Jesus is the Christ, nevertheless they remain the fallen followers\nof Satan.[4] As living faith develops within the soul of man it leads\nits possessor to seek a means whereby he may rise from the thraldom\nof sin; and the very thought of such emancipation inspires a loathing\nfor the evil contamination of the past. The natural fruitage of that\nglorious growth is repentance.\n\n_Repentance_, as a requirement made of all men, constitutes the second\nprinciple of the Gospel of Christ. It comprises a sincere sorrow for\nthe sins of the past, and a resolute turning away therefrom with\nthe solemn determination to endeavor by Divine assistance to return\nthereto no more. Repentance comes as a gift from God {67} to him who\nhas treasured and nurtured the earlier gift of faith. It is not to be\nhad for the careless asking; it may not be found upon the highway; it\nis not of earth, but a treasure of heaven, and is given with care, yet\nwith boundless liberality unto those who have brought forth works that\nwarrant its bestowal. That is to say, all who prepare themselves for\nrepentance will, by the humbling and softening influence of the Holy\nSpirit, be brought to the actual possession of this great gift. When\nPeter was charged by his fellow-worshippers with a breach of law in\nthat he had associated with Gentiles, he told his hearers of the Divine\nmanifestations he had so recently received; they believed and declared\n\"Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.\" Paul\nalso, in writing to the Romans, teaches that repentance comes through\nthe goodness of God.[5]\n\nWilful persistency in sin may lead to the loss and forfeiture of the\nability to repent; and for man to procrastinate the day of repentance\nis to invite and eventually to insure such forfeiture. The Divine word\nthrough the mouth of a modern prophet is thus explicit:\n\n    \"For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of\n    allowance;\n\n    \"Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the\n    Lord shall be forgiven;\n\n    \"And he that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light\n    which he has received, for my Spirit shall not always strive with\n    man, saith the Lord of Hosts.\"[6]\n\nThe Latter-day Saints believe and teach that repentance {68} will\nbe possible, and indeed required to the yet unrepentant, even after\ndeath; and they affirm that this doctrine is supported by scripture\nboth ancient and modern. We read that while the body of our Lord lay\nin the tomb, between the evening of the day of crucifixion and the\nglorious resurrection morn, He was engaged in ministerial labor in the\nworld of disembodied spirits. Peter specifically declares that our\nLord \"went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime\nwere disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the\ndays of Noah.\"[7] The context with which appear these words of the\ninspired apostle, shows that the event referred to occurred prior to\nthe Savior's resurrection. Furthermore, it will be remembered that one\nof the condemned malefactors, whose cross of death stood alongside\nthat of Jesus, manifested faith and even some degree of repentance,\nand received from the suffering Christ the benediction and assurance\n\"Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.\"[8] It cannot be maintained\nthat this promise implied the passing of the repentant sinner directly\nfrom the cross into Heaven--the abode of the redeemed in the presence\nof God; for surely there had been no opportunity for the suffering\npenitent to put his repentance into effect by complying with the\nestablished laws and ordinances of the Gospel, and without such\ncompliance, even as to the single requirement of water-baptism alone,\nthe man could neither enter nor see the Kingdom of God, or the word of\nChrist would have been proven false.[9] Moreover, as conclusive proof\nof the fact that between the time of Christ's death and resurrection,\nneither He nor the contrite {69} sinner had gone to the abode of God,\nwe have the words of the Risen Lord to the sorrowing Magdalene: \"I am\nnot yet ascended to my Father.\"[10]\n\nIn view of scriptural affirmation that the disembodied Christ did visit\nand minister among the spirits who had been disobedient, and who,\nbecause of unpardoned sin were still held in duress, it is pertinent to\ninquire as to the scope and object of our Savior's ministry among them.\nHis preaching must have been purposeful and positive; moreover, it is\nnot to be assumed that His message was other than one of relief and\nmercy. Those to whom He went were already in prison, and had been there\nlong. To them came the Redeemer, to preach, not to further condemn,\nto open the way that led to light, not to intensify the darkness of\ndespair in which they languished. Had not that visit of deliverance\nbeen long predicted? Centuries before that fateful time Isaiah had\nprophesied of proud and wicked spirits: \"And they shall be gathered\ntogether, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in\nthe prison, and after many days shall they be visited.\"[11] And again,\nreferring to the appointed ministry of the Christ, the same inspired\nvoice of prophecy declared part of that work to be \"to open the blind\neyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in\ndarkness out of the prison house.\"[12] David, filled with the emotions\nof contrition and hope, sang in measures of mingled sadness and joy:\n\"Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also\nshall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell.\"[13]\n\n{70} From these and other scriptures we learn that the ministry of\nChrist was not confined to the few who lived in mortality during the\nshort period of His earthly life, nor to them and the generations\nthen future; but to all, dead, living, and yet unborn. It cannot be\ndenied that myriads had lived and died before the meridian of time,\nand of these multitudes, as of the many since born, unnumbered hosts\nhave died without a knowledge of the Gospel and its prescribed plan of\nsalvation. What is their condition, as indeed what shall be the state\nof the present inhabitants of earth, and of the multitudes yet future,\nwho shall die in ignorance and without the faith that saves? Let us ask\nagain, how can those who know not Christ have faith in Him, and how,\nwhile lacking both knowledge and faith can they avail themselves of the\nprovision made for their salvation?\n\nThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints affirms that the\nplan of salvation is not bounded by the grave; but that the Gospel\nis deathless and everlasting, reaching back into the ages that have\ngone, and forward into the eternities of the future. The ministry\nof the Savior among the dead doubtless included the revelation of\nHis own atoning death, the inculcation of faith in Himself and in\nthe divinely-appointed plan He represented, and the necessity of a\nrepentance acceptable unto God. It is reasonable to believe that the\nother essential requirements comprised within the _laws and ordinances\nof the Gospel_ were made known.\n\nTo the less thoughtful reader it may appear that to teach the\npossibility of repentance beyond the grave may tend to weaken belief\nin the absolute necessity of repentance and reformation in this life.\nA careful consideration {71} of the matter, however, will show that\nthis doctrine affords no reason for such objection. To reject or ignore\nin any degree a gift of God is to forfeit to the corresponding extent\none's claim upon that gift. To the soul that has wilfully neglected the\nopportunities for repentance here offered, repentance in the hereafter\nmay be, and indeed it is reasonable to believe will be, so difficult as\nto be long unattainable. This conception is justified by scripture, as\nwitness the words of Amulek, a Nephite prophet, who thus admonished the\nChurch on the western continent four score years before the birth of\nChrist:\n\n    \"For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God;\n    * * * therefore, I beseech of you, that ye do not procrastinate the\n    day of your repentance until the end; * * * Ye cannot say, when ye\n    are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will\n    return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit\n    which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this\n    life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that\n    eternal world. For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of\n    your repentance, even until death, behold, ye have become subjected\n    to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his.\"[14]\n\n_Baptism by water_ is taught by the Church in this dispensation as an\nessential ordinance of the Gospel. Baptism is the gateway leading into\nthe fold of Christ, the portal to the Church, the established rite\nof naturalization in the Kingdom of God. The candidate for admission\ninto the Church, having obtained and professed faith in the Lord Jesus\nChrist, and having sincerely repented of his sins, is properly required\nto give evidence of this spiritual sanctification by some outward\nordinance, prescribed {72} by authority as the sign or symbol of the\nnew profession. The initiatory ordinance is baptism by water, to be\nfollowed by the higher baptism of the Holy Spirit; and, as a result of\nthis act of obedience, remission of sins is granted.[15]\n\nThat baptism is essential to salvation is attested by many specific\nscriptures; yet even without such its essentiality appears in view of\nthe unconditional requirement of repentance, and the evident fact that\nto be of value and effect repentance must imply obedience to the Divine\nrequirements, which include baptism by water. Be it remembered that\nJesus, the Christ, though untouched by the taint of sin, submitted in\nperson to this ordinance, which was administered by the Baptist in the\nwaters of Jordan. The burden of John's teaching was \"Repent ye; for the\nkingdom of heaven is at hand,\" and to such as came to him professing\nrepentance he administered baptism by water immersion. Then came Jesus\nunto John, to be baptized of him; and the Baptist, regarding Him as one\nwithout sin, demurred, saying:\n\n    \"I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?\n\n    \"And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for\n    thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered\n    him.\n\n    \"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the\n    water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the\n    Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:\n\n    \"And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in\n    whom I am well pleased.\"[16]\n\n{73} It is evident from the foregoing that the baptism of Jesus was\nacceptable unto the Father, and was by Him characterized as an act of\nhumility and obedience on the part of the Son, with which He was well\npleased. Some time after His own baptism Jesus affirmed, in words at\nonce forceful and unequivocal, that baptism is required of all men as\na condition of entrance into the kingdom of God. To Nicodemus, a ruler\namong the Jews, who came by night professing some measure of faith,\nJesus said: \"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of\nwater and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.\"[17]\nWhen in the resurrected state He manifested Himself to the apostles,\nHe instructed them by way of final and special commission: \"Go ye\ntherefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the\nFather, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.\"[18] The necessity and\npurpose of the ordinance appear in His further words on the same solemn\noccasion: \"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he\nthat believeth not shall be damned.\"[19]\n\nThe Apostles, inspired by that Divine commission, ceased not to teach\nthe necessity of baptism, even as long as their ministry endured among\nmortals.[20]\n\nThe elders of the Church in the present dispensation have been directed\nand empowered by the same authority, and almost in the same words:\n\"Go ye into all the world, preach the Gospel to every creature,\nacting in the authority which I have given you, baptizing in the name\nof the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and {74} he\nthat believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth\nnot shall be damned.\"[21] On another occasion the Lord added, in a\nrevelation through the modern prophet, Joseph Smith: \"Therefore, as\nI said unto mine apostles I say unto you again, that every soul who\nbelieveth on your words, and is baptized by water for the remission of\nsins, shall receive the Holy Ghost.\" And further, \"Verily, verily, I\nsay unto you they who believe not on your words, and are not baptized\nin water, in my name, for the remission of their sins, that they may\nreceive the Holy Ghost, shall be damned, and shall not come into my\nFather's kingdom, where my Father and I am.\"[22]\n\n_The Gift of the Holy Ghost_ follows baptism by water, and its\nauthoritative bestowal constitutes the next essential ordinance of the\nGospel.[23] In both ancient and modern times this endowment has been\nregarded as a higher baptism, lacking which the baptism of water is\nincomplete. John, distinctively known as the Baptist, so taught on the\nvery eve of our Savior's personal ministry. Consider well his words: \"I\nindeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after\nme is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall\nbaptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.\"[24] John testifies\nfurther that the One who should thus inaugurate the higher baptism\nwas Jesus, Himself. Not until after he had administered the ordinance\nof water baptism to Jesus, did John recognize Him as the Christ;\nbut immediately {75} after that recognition, the Baptist fearlessly\nproclaimed his testimony:\n\n    \"Behold the Lamb of God * * * This is he of whom I said, After me\n    cometh a man which is preferred before me * * * And I knew him not:\n    but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me,\n    Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on\n    him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.\"[25]\n\nJesus repeatedly promised the apostles that the \"Comforter\" or the\n\"Spirit of Truth\"[26] should be given unto them; and this assurance\nwas made specific and final immediately prior to the ascension. He\n\"commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait\nfor the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.\nFor John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the\nHoly Ghost not many days hence. * * * Ye shall receive power, after\nthat the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto\nme.\"[27] The promise was fulfilled at the succeeding Pentecost when\nthe apostles received power never before known to them, the endowment\nbeing marked by an outward manifestation of fiery tongues.[28] The\napostles thereafter promised the Holy Ghost to those who sought\nsalvation. Peter's exhortation to the multitude, on that same memorable\nday of Pentecost, is particularly explicit and forceful. In answer to\nthe inquiry, \"Men and brethren, what shall we do?\" the chief of the\napostles replied: {76} \"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the\nname of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive\nthe gift of the Holy Ghost.\"[29]\n\nA similar assurance as to the higher endowment of the Holy Ghost\nfollowing the ordinance of water-baptism was made by Nephite\nprophets,[30] and by the resurrected Christ in His visit to the people\nof the western continent.[31] And later still this has been repeated\nthrough the Church in the current dispensation, that of the fulness of\ntimes: \"I say unto you again,\" said the Lord in a revelation to certain\nelders of the Church, \"that every soul who believeth on your words, and\nis baptized by water for the remission of sins, shall receive the Holy\nGhost.\"[32]\n\nBy way of summary let it be repeated: The Church of Jesus Christ\nof Latter-day Saints holds as a fundamental doctrine, attested and\nproved by scripture both ancient and modern, that compliance with _the\nlaws and ordinances of the Gospel_ is an absolute and irrevocable\nrequirement for admission into the Kingdom of God, or in other words,\nfor the securing of individual salvation to the souls of men, and that\nthis requirement is universal, applying alike to every soul that has\nattained to age and powers of accountability in the flesh, in whatever\nperiod or dispensation that soul has lived in mortality. It follows as\na necessary consequence that if any soul has failed, either through\nignorance or neglect, to render obedience to these requirements, the\nobligation is not removed by death.\n\nVICARIOUS SERVICE OF THE LIVING FOR THE DEAD\n\n{77} A question now arises as to how it is possible for the dead to\ncomply with the terms of the Gospel and do in the spirit what they had\nfailed to do in the flesh. The exercise of faith and the manifestation\nof repentance by disembodied spirits may offer no great difficulty to\nhuman understanding; but that the dead shall obey the ordinances of\nthe Gospel requiring water-baptism and the baptism of the Spirit by\nthe authorized laying-on of hands, appears to many as truly impossible\nas seemed the new birth to Nicodemus. He listened in amazement to the\nSavior's words: \"Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom\nof God;\" and asked: \"How can a man be born when he is old? Can he\nenter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?\" At last he\nlearned that the new birth referred to was baptism by water and the\nbaptism of the Spirit. With equal pertinency it may now be asked: How\ncan a man be baptized when he is dead? Can he enter the second time\ninto his body of flesh and be immersed in water by human agency? The\nanswer is that the necessary ordinances may be performed for the dead\nby their living representatives, the mortal subject acting as proxy for\nthe departed one. Thus, even as a man may be baptized in his own person\nfor himself, he may be baptized as proxy for and in behalf of the dead.\n\nThe validity of vicarious service, in which one person acts in\nbehalf of another, is generally recognized as an element of human\ninstitutions; and that such service may be acceptable unto God is\nattested by the written word. Ancient and modern scripture, the\nrecord of {78} history other than sacred, the traditions of tribes\nand nations, the rites of bloody sacrifice, and even the sacrificial\nabominations of pagan idolatry, involve the essential conception\nof vicarious propitiation and of service rendered by proxy. The\nscape-goat[33] and the altar victim[34] in the Mosaic dispensation,\nwhen offered by constituted authority and with due accompaniment of\nacknowledgment and repentance, were accepted by the Lord as sacrifices\nin mitigation of the sins of His people.\n\nThe most significant sacrifice of all, the greatest work ever wrought\namongst mankind, the pivotal event in human history, the supreme\nachievement which was at once the most glorious consummation and the\nmost blessed beginning, is the Atonement of Christ; and this was\npre-eminently a vicarious offering. No one who believes that Jesus died\nfor man can doubt the validity and efficacy of vicarious ministration.\nHe gave His life as a fore-ordained sacrifice, voluntarily offered and\nduly accepted as a propitiation for broken law, and the means by which\nsalvation was made possible unto man. That His death was literally an\naccepted offering in behalf of human kind is thus set forth in the\nwords of the resurrected Christ, given through modern revelation:\n\n    \"For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that\n    they might not suffer if they would repent, but if they would not\n    repent, they must suffer even as I, which suffering caused myself,\n    even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to\n    bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit: and would\n    that I might not drink the bitter cup and shrink--nevertheless,\n    glory be to the Father, {79} and I partook and finished my\n    preparations unto the children of men.\"[35]\n\nThe vicarious effect of the atonement of Christ is twofold; it has\nwrought a universal redemption of all men from the mortal death\nincident to the transgression of Adam; and it has provided a means of\npropitiation for individual sin whereby the sinner may attain salvation\nthrough obedience. It is by His mortal life and sacrificial death\nin behalf of others,--and those others, all who have lived or shall\nlive,--that Jesus the Christ earned His title, Savior and Redeemer of\nmankind. And as He by effort, sacrifice, and suffering, did for men\nwhat they never could accomplish for themselves, and so became in very\ntruth the one and only Savior and Redeemer of the race, so may each of\nus by opening the way to our departed dead whereby they may be brought\nwithin the saving law of the Gospel, become in a small measure saviors\nunto those who would otherwise be left in darkness.[36]\n\nIn every instance of vicarious ministration, it is an indispensable\nrequisite that the proxy be worthy and acceptable; and of necessity he\nmust himself have obeyed the laws and ordinances of the Gospel before\nhe can officiate in behalf of others. Further, the ministrations of the\nliving representative must be in accordance with Divine appointment,\nand in no wise a merely human assumption. The acceptable sacrifices of\nancient Israel were such as had been definitely specified and minutely\nprescribed; and the sacrificial rites could be solemnized only by\nauthorized priests. The supreme sacrifice involved {80} in the atoning\ndeath of Christ was as truly appointed and fore-ordained. Prophets,\nthrough the long centuries antedating the Christian era, predicted the\nbirth, life, and death of our Lord as already provided for;[37] and\nthese prophecies were confirmed by Jesus Himself.[38] Consider also\nthe testimony of the apostles to the same effect. Peter specifically\ndesignates Christ as \"a Lamb without blemish and without spot: who\nverily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world.\"[39] The\ndesignation \"Lamb\" is indicative of a sacrificial victim. Paul in\nwriting to the Romans characterizes our Lord as the one \"Whom God hath\nset forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare\nhis righteousness for the remission of sins that are past.\"[40]\n\nThe Latter-day Saints affirm that their vicarious work in behalf of\nthe dead is required of them by the call of the Lord through direct\nrevelation; and that it becomes the duty and privilege of every\nindividual who accepts the Gospel and enters the Church to labor\nfor the salvation of his dead. He is expected and required by the\nobligations and responsibility he has assumed as a member of the Church\nof Jesus Christ, so to live as to be a worthy representative of his\ndeparted ancestors, in holy ordinance, and to be of clean life, that he\nmay not forfeit his right to enter the sacred confines of the Lord's\nHouse, where alone he may officiate in that privileged capacity.\n\nLet it not be assumed that this doctrine of vicarious {81} labor for\nthe dead implies even remotely, that the administration of ordinances\nin behalf of departed spirits operates in any manner to interfere with\nthe right of choice and the exercise of free agency on their part.\nThey are at liberty to accept or reject the ministrations in their\nbehalf; and so they will accept or reject, in accordance with their\nconverted or unregenerate state, even as is the case with mortals to\nwhom the Gospel message may come. Though baptism be duly administered\nto a living man in behalf of a dead ancestor, that spirit will derive\nno immediate advancement nor any benefit therefrom if he has not yet\nattained faith in the Lord Jesus Christ or if he be still unrepentant.\nEven as Christ offered salvation to all, though few there be who accept\nin the flesh, so temple ordinances may be administered for many in the\nrealm of the departed who are not yet prepared to profit thereby.\n\nIt is evident, therefore, that labor in behalf of the dead is two-fold;\nthat performed on earth would remain incomplete and futile but for\nits supplement and counterpart beyond the veil. Missionary work\nis in progress there--work, compared with which the evangelistic\nlabor of earth is but a small undertaking. There are preachers and\nteachers, ministers invested with the Holy Priesthood, all engaged\nin declaring the glad tidings of the Gospel to spirits who have not\nyet found the light. As has been shown, this great labor amongst the\ndead was inaugurated by Jesus the Christ, during the brief period of\nHis disembodiment.[41] The saving ministry so begun was left to be\ncontinued by others duly authorized and commissioned; even as the work\nof preaching the Gospel {82} and administering therein amongst the\nliving was committed to the apostles in the Church of old.\n\nAUTHORITY TO LABOR IN BEHALF OF THE DEAD\n\nIn the closing chapter of the compilation of scriptures known to us\nas the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi thus describes a condition\nincident to the last days, immediately preceding the second coming of\nChrist:\n\n    \"For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all\n    the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the\n    day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that\n    it shall leave them neither root nor branch.\n\n    \"But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness\n    arise with healing in his wings.\"\n\nThe fateful prophecy concludes with the following blessed and\nfar-reaching promise:\n\n    \"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of\n    the great and dreadful day of the Lord:\n\n    \"And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and\n    the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite\n    the earth with a curse.\"[42]\n\nIt has been held by theologians and Bible commentators that this\nprediction had reference to the birth and ministry of John the\nBaptist,[43] upon whom rested the spirit and power of Elias.[44]\nHowever, we have no record of Elijah having ministered unto the\nBaptist, and furthermore, {83} the latter's ministry, glorious though\nit was, justifies no conclusion that in him did the prophecy find its\nfull realization. In addition, it should be remembered, that the Lord's\ndeclaration through Malachi, relative to the day of burning in which\nthe wicked would be destroyed as stubble, yet awaits fulfilment. It is\nevident, therefore, that the commonly accepted interpretation is at\nfault, and that we must look to a later date than the time of John for\nthe fulfilment of Malachi's prediction. The later occasion has come;\nit belongs to the present dispensation, and marks the inauguration of\na work specially reserved for the Church in these latter days. In the\ncourse of a glorious manifestation to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery,\nin the Temple at Kirtland, Ohio, April 3rd, 1836, there appeared unto\nthem Elijah, the prophet of old, who had been taken from earth while\nstill in the body. He declared unto them:\n\n    \"Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth\n    of Malachi, testifying that he (Elijah) should be sent before the\n    great and dreadful day of the Lord come, to turn the hearts of the\n    fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the\n    whole earth be smitten with a curse. Therefore the keys of this\n    dispensation are committed into your hands, and by this ye may know\n    that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the\n    doors.\"[45]\n\nOne of the fundamental principles underlying the doctrine of salvation\nfor the dead, is that of the mutual dependance of the fathers and\nthe children. Family lineage and the sequence of generations in each\nparticular line of descent are facts, and cannot be changed {84} by\ndeath; on the other hand it is evident from the olden scriptures\nalready cited, and attested by the equally sure word of modern\nrevelation, that the family relationships of earth are recognized\nin the spirit world. Neither the children nor the fathers, neither\nprogenitors nor descendants, can alone attain perfection; and the\nrequisite co-operation is effected through baptism and related\nordinances, administered to the living in behalf of the dead.\n\nIn this way and through this work are the hearts of the fathers and\nthose of the children turned toward each other. As the living children\nlearn that without their ancestors they cannot attain a perfect status\nin the eternal world, their own faith will be strengthened and they\nwill be willing to labor for the redemption and salvation of their\ndead. And the dead, learning through the preaching of the Gospel\nin their world, that they are dependent upon their descendants as\nvicarious saviors, will turn with loving faith and prayerful effort\ntoward their children yet living.\n\nThis uniting of the interests of fathers and children is a part of the\nnecessary preparation for the yet future advent of the Christ as ruling\nKing and Lord of earth. Joseph Smith thus taught:\n\n    \"The earth will be smitten with a curse, unless there is a welding\n    link of some kind or other, between the fathers and the children,\n    upon some subject or other, and behold what is that subject? It\n    is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made\n    perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect.\"[46]\n\n{85} The Church today cites as authority for its administration\nof ordinances in behalf of the dead, the special bestowal of this\npower and office through the ministry of Elijah; and furthermore,\nthe Church holds that the giving of that power marked the fulfilment\nof Malachi's portentous prediction. There appears an element of\nparticular fitness in the fact that the minister through whom this\ngreat work has been inaugurated in the present dispensation, is none\nother than Elijah,--who, not having passed the portals of death, held\na peculiar and special relation to both the dead and the living. As\nto the fidelity with which the Church has served under this special\ncommission, the temples it has reared with such sacrifice and\nself-denial on the part of its devoted adherents, and the ordinance\nwork already performed therein, are sufficient proof.\n\nThe importance with which the Latter-day Saints regard their temple\nwork in behalf of the dead naturally produces among this people a vital\ninterest in the genealogical records of their respective families.\nOrdinance work in the temples, in behalf of any departed person, can be\ndone only as that person may be described on the record, as to name,\nrelationship, time and place of birth and death, etc., by which data\nhe may be fully and certainly isolated and identified.[47] It is a\nmatter of common knowledge that interest in genealogical research has\ngreatly increased in the United States and in Europe during the last\nseven or eight decades. Genealogical societies have been formed, and\nindividual investigators have devoted great treasures of time and money\nto the compilation of records showing {86} numerous lines of family\ndescent and the many ramifications of complicated relationship. In all\nthis work the Latter-day Saints profess to see the operation of an\nover-ruling power, by which their service for the dead is facilitated.\n\nTEMPLES REQUIRED FOR VICARIOUS SERVICE\n\nWhile the ordinances of baptism, imposition of hands for the bestowal\nof the Holy Ghost, and others, such as ordination to the Priesthood,\nmay be performed upon the living in any suitable and proper place, the\ncorresponding ordinances for and in behalf of the dead are acceptable\nunto the Lord, and therefore valid, only when administered in places\nspecially provided, set apart, and dedicated for these and kindred\npurposes; that is to say, such ordinances belong exclusively to the\nHouse of the Lord. For a very brief period only, and that the earliest\nin modern Church history, before the people had opportunity to erect\ntemples, did the Lord graciously accept a temporary sanctuary, even\nas He accepted the Tabernacle of old as a temporary temple during the\nperiod of Israel's wanderings.\n\nIn a revelation given to Joseph Smith, the prophet, at Nauvoo,\nIllinois, January 19th, 1841, the Lord called upon His people to build\na house to His name \"for the Most High to dwell therein,\" and added by\nway of explanation and instruction:\n\n    \"For there is not a place found on earth that he may come and\n    restore again that which was lost unto you, or which he hath taken\n    away, even the fulness of the Priesthood;\n\n    {87} \"For a baptismal font there is not upon the earth, that they,\n    my saints, may be baptized for those who are dead;\n\n    \"For this ordinance belongeth to my house, and cannot be acceptable\n    to me, only in the days of your poverty, wherein ye are not able to\n    build a house unto me.\n\n    \"But I command you, all ye my saints, to build a house unto me; and\n    I grant unto you a sufficient time to build a house unto me, and\n    during this time your baptisms shall be acceptable unto me.\n\n    \"But behold, at the end of this appointment, your baptisms for\n    your dead shall not be acceptable unto me; and if you do not these\n    things at the end of the appointment, ye shall be rejected as a\n    church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God.\n\n    \"For verily I say unto you, that after you have had sufficient time\n    to build a house to me, wherein the ordinance of baptizing for the\n    dead belongeth, and for which the same was instituted from before\n    the foundation of the world, your baptisms for your dead cannot be\n    acceptable unto me,\n\n    \"For therein are the keys of the holy Priesthood, ordained that you\n    may receive honor and glory.\n\n    \"And after this time, your baptisms for the dead, by those who are\n    scattered abroad, are not acceptable unto me, saith the Lord;\n\n    \"For it is ordained that in Zion, and in her Stakes, and in\n    Jerusalem, those places which I have appointed for refuge, shall be\n    the places for your baptisms for your dead.\n\n    \"And again, verily I say unto you, How shall your washings be\n    acceptable unto me, except ye perform them in a house which you\n    have built to my name?\n\n    \"For, for this cause I commanded Moses that he should build a\n    tabernacle, that they should bear it with them in the wilderness,\n    and to build a house in the land of promise, that those ordinances\n    might be revealed which had been hid from before the world was;\n\n    \"Therefore, verily I say unto you, that your anointings, and\n    your washings, and your baptisms for the dead, and your solemn\n    assemblies, and your memorials for your sacrifices, {88} by the\n    sons of Levi, and for your oracles in your most holy places,\n    wherein you receive conversations, and your statutes and judgments,\n    for the beginning of the revelations and foundation of Zion, and\n    for the glory, honor, and endowment of all her municipals, are\n    ordained by the ordinance of my holy house which my people are\n    always commanded to build unto my holy name.\n\n    \"And verily I say unto you, Let this house be built unto my name,\n    that I may reveal mine ordinances therein, unto my people;\n\n    \"For I deign to reveal unto my church, things which have been kept\n    hid from before the foundation of the world, things that pertain to\n    the dispensation of the fulness of times.\"[48]\n\n* * * *\n\nThis then is sufficient answer to the question as to why the Latter-day\nSaints build and maintain temples. They have been instructed and\nrequired so to do by the Lord of Hosts. They have learned that many\nessential ordinances of the Church are acceptable only when performed\nin temples specially erected and reserved for the purpose. They know\nthat within these precincts of sanctity the Lord has revealed many\ngreat and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God; and that\nHe has promised to reveal yet more to man in houses sacred to His name.\nThey have learned that a great part of the mission and ministry of the\nrestored Church is the administration of vicarious ordinances in behalf\nof the unnumbered dead who never heard the tidings of the Gospel, and\nthat for such sacred and saving service\n\n_Temples are a necessity_.\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n1. See the author's \"The Articles of Faith,\" Lecture IV; and references\ntherein given.\n\n2. See the author's \"The Articles of Faith,\" Lectures V--VIII with\nreferences therein given.\n\n3. I Cor. 1:23; 2:2.\n\n4. See Mark 1:24; 3:11; 5:1-18; and Matt. 8:28-34.\n\n5. Acts 11:18; Rom. 2:4; see also the author's \"The Articles of Faith,\"\nLecture V:19-30 and references therein given.\n\n6. Doctrine and Covenants 1:31-33.\n\n7. I Peter 3:19-20; compare 4:6.\n\n8. See Luke 23:39-43.\n\n9. Consider our Lord's declaration to Nicodemus, John 3:1-5.\n\n10. John 20:17.\n\n11. Isaiah 24:22.\n\n12. Isaiah 42:6, 7.\n\n13. Psalms 16:9-10.\n\n14. Book of Mormon, Alma 34:32-35.\n\n15. \"The Articles of Faith,\" Lecture VI:1. For a general treatment of\nBaptism see Lectures VI and VII.\n\n16. Matt. 3:13-17.\n\n17. See John 3:1-7.\n\n18. Matt. 28:19.\n\n19. Mark 16:16.\n\n20. See Acts 2:38; 9:1-18; 10:30-48; 22:1-16; I Peter 3:21.\n\n21. Doctrine and Covenants 68:8, 9.\n\n22. Doctrine and Covenants, 84:64, 74; see also 112:28, 29.\n\n23. See \"The Articles of Faith,\" Lecture VIII.\n\n24. Matt. 3:11; compare Mark 1:7, 8; Luke 3:16.\n\n25. John 1:29-33.\n\n26. John 14:16, 17, 26; 15:26; 16:7, 13.\n\n27. Acts 1:4, 5, 8.\n\n28. Acts 2:1-4.\n\n29. Acts 2:37, 38.\n\n30. For an instance, see Book of Mormon, II Nephi 31:8, 12-14, 17.\n\n31. III Nephi 11:35; 12:2.\n\n32. Doctrine and Covenants 84:64.\n\n33. Lev. 16:20-22.\n\n34. Lev. chap. 4.\n\n35. Doctrine and Covenants 19:16-19.\n\n36. See Obadiah 21; I Timothy 4:16; James 5:20.\n\n37. Deut. 18:15, 17-19; Job 19:25-27; Psalms 2:1-12; Zech. 9:9; 12:10;\n13:6; Isa. 7:14; 9:6, 7; Micah 5:2.\n\n38. See Luke 24:27, 45, 46.\n\n39. I Peter 1:19, 20.\n\n40. Rom. 3:25. See further Rom. 16:25, 26; Eph. 3:9-11; Col. 1:24-26;\nII Tim, 1:8-10; Titus 1:2, 3; Rev. 13:8.\n\n41. See pages 68-70.\n\n42. See Malachi 4:1, 2, 5, 6.\n\n43. Compare Matt. 11:14; 17:11; Mark 9:11; Luke 1:17.\n\n44. Luke 1:17.\n\n45. Doctrine and Covenants 110:13-16.\n\n46. Doctrine and Covenants 128:18.\n\n47. See Doctrine and Covenants 128:5-8.\n\n48. Doctrine and Covenants 124:28-41. Read the entire section.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV\n\nMODERN TEMPLE ORDINANCES\n\n{89} A more detailed consideration of modern temple service now claims\nour attention. The ceremonial work comprises:\n\n1. Baptism, specifically Baptism for the Dead.\n\n2. Ordination and associated Endowments in the Priesthood.\n\n3. Marriage Ceremonies.\n\n4. Other Sealing Ordinances.\n\nAs will be understood from what has been already written, each of\nthese ceremonies or ordinances may be performed either for the living,\npresent in person, or for the dead who are represented each by an\nindividual living proxy. The living are but few compared with the dead;\nand it follows of necessity that the ordinance-work for the departed\nexceeds by a great preponderance that done for the living. The temples\nof today are maintained largely for the benefit and salvation of the\nuncounted dead.\n\nBAPTISM FOR THE DEAD\n\nAs demonstrated in the preceding pages, the law of baptism is of\nuniversal application; in short, baptism is required of all who have\nlived to the age of accountability. Only those who die in infancy\nare exempt. Children, having no sin to expiate, and being unable to\ncomprehend {90} the nature of the baptismal obligation, are not to be\nbaptized while living, nor is the ordinance to be performed for them\nshould they die before reaching a responsible age and state. As to the\nchild's part in the heritage of mortality incident to the transgression\nof Adam, the atonement of Christ is of full effect, and the redemption\nof the child is assured.[1] Regarding the general applicability of the\nlaw prescribing baptism as essential to salvation, the scriptures make\nno distinction between the living and the dead. The atoning sacrifice\nof Christ was offered, not only for the few who lived upon the earth\nwhile He was in the flesh, nor for those alone who were born in\nmortality after His death, but for all inhabitants of earth then past,\npresent, and future. He was ordained of the Father to be a judge of\nboth quick and dead;[2] He is Lord alike of living and dead,[3] as men\nspeak of dead and living, though all live unto Him.[4]\n\nAmong the pernicious dogmas taught by a perverted and mis-called\nChristianity, is the heinous doctrine that never-ending punishment or\ninterminable bliss, unchanging in kind or degree, shall be the destiny\nof every soul,--the award being made according to the condition of that\nsoul at the time of bodily death; a life of sin being thus nullified\nby a death-bed repentance, and a life of honor, if unmarked by the\nceremonies of established sects, being followed by the tortures of hell\nwithout a possibility of relief. Such a dogma is to be ranked with the\ndread {91} heresy which proclaims the condemnation of innocent babes\nwho have not been sprinkled by man's assumed authority. In the justice\nof God no soul shall be finally condemned under a law of which he has\nhad no chance to learn. True, eternal punishment has been decreed\nas the lot of the wicked; but the real meaning of the punishment so\ndecreed has been made known by the Lord Himself.[5] Eternal punishment\nis God's punishment; endless punishment is His; for \"Endless\" and\n\"Eternal\" are among His names, and the words are descriptive of His\nattributes. No soul will be punished for sin beyond the time requisite\nto work the needed reformation and to vindicate justice, for which\nends alone punishment is imposed. And no one will be eligible to enter\nany kingdom of glory in the abode of the blessed to which he is not\nentitled through obedience to law.\n\nIt follows as a plain necessity that the Gospel must be proclaimed\nin the spirit world; and that such ministry is provided for, the\nscriptures abundantly prove. Peter, defining the mission of the\nRedeemer, thus declares this solemn truth: \"For this cause was the\ngospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged\naccording to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the\nspirit.\"[6] As already shown, the inauguration of this work among\nthe dead was wrought by Christ in the interval between His death and\nresurrection.\n\nIn his first epistle to the Saints in Corinth, Paul presents a brief\nyet comprehensive treatment of the doctrine of the resurrection,--a\nsubject which at that time and among those to whom he wrote, had given\nrise to much {92} contention and debate;[7] and, having shown that\nthrough Christ the resurrection of the dead had been made possible, and\nthat in due course all mankind shall be redeemed from bodily death,\nthe apostle asks, \"Else what shall they do which are baptized for the\ndead, if the dead rise not at all? why then are they baptized for the\ndead?\"[8] As the question is put by way of finality and climax to the\npreceding argument, it is evident that the subject so introduced was\nno new or strange doctrine, but on the contrary, one with which the\npeople addressed must have been familiar, and which to them required\nno argument. Baptism for the dead was, therefore, both known as a\nprinciple and practised as an ordinance in apostolic times. That the\npractise was continued in some form for a century or more after the\napostles had passed from the earth is evidenced by numerous passages in\nthe writings of the early Christian Fathers, and by later authorities\non ecclesiastical history.\n\nThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaims the present\nas the dispensation of the {93} fulness of times, in which shall be\ngathered and re-established all the saving principles and essential\nordinances of earlier dispensations, and during which the great plan of\nuniversal redemption shall be fully revealed. The Church, therefore,\nprovides for the actual work of baptism for the dead, and in the\ntemples of today this sacred labor is in uninterrupted progress.\nAs will be seen, each of the temples is provided with a baptismal\nfont, with every necessary provision for the administration of this\nordinance.[9]\n\nThe rite of water-baptism in behalf of the dead is followed by that\nof the laying-on of hands for the bestowal of the Holy Ghost; and in\nthis as in the preceding, the dead person is represented by the living\nproxy. The imposition of hands for the conferring of the gift of the\nHoly Ghost constitutes the higher baptism of the Spirit required\nalike of all, and includes the rite of confirmation by which the\nperson becomes a member of the Church of Christ. In all essentials\nthe ordinances of baptism and confirmation are identical, whether\nadministered to the living for themselves or as proxy for the dead. As\nthese ordinances are administered in existing temples it is required\nthat, beside the recorder and the officiating elder, two witnesses be\npresent, and that they attest the ceremony as duly performed.\n\nORDINATION AND ENDOWMENT\n\nWater-baptism, and the higher baptism of the Spirit by the authorized\nimposition of hands for the conferring of the Holy Ghost, constitute\nthe two fundamental ordinances of the Gospel. The repentant soul who\nhas thus {94} entered the Church of Christ may afterward attain to\nposition and authority in the Holy Priesthood--not as an earthly honor,\nnot as a title of personal aggrandizement, not as a symbol of power to\nrule and possibly to oppress,--but as an endowment bespeaking authority\nand the express responsibility to use that authority in the service of\nhis fellows and to the glory of God. In the temple service, the man\nwho appears as proxy for his dead relative must be ordained to the\nPriesthood before he can pass beyond the baptismal font.\n\nIt is a precept of the Church that women of the Church share the\nauthority of the Priesthood with their husbands, actual or prospective;\nand therefore women, whether taking the endowment for themselves or\nfor the dead, are not ordained to specific rank in the Priesthood.\nNevertheless there is no grade, rank, or phase of the temple endowment\nto which women are not eligible on an equality with men. True, there\nare certain of the higher ordinances to which an unmarried woman cannot\nbe admitted, but the rule is equally in force as to a bachelor. The\nmarried state is regarded as sacred, sanctified, and holy in all temple\nprocedure; and within the House of the Lord the woman is the equal and\nthe help-meet of the man. In the privileges and blessings of that holy\nplace, the utterance of Paul is regarded as a scriptural decree in full\nforce and effect: \"Neither is the man without the woman, neither the\nwoman without the man, in the Lord.\"[10]\n\nFaith and sincere repentance, followed first by water-baptism and\nthen by the laying-on of hands for the bestowal of the Holy Ghost,\nare the prescribed means of {95} admission into the Church of Christ\nand prospective salvation in the Kingdom of God. But there is a\ndistinction between salvation and exaltation. At this point it may be\nwell to consider this distinction, and to set forth the doctrines of\nthe restored Church as to the graded degrees of exaltation beyond the\ngrave.[11]\n\n_Salvation and Exaltation:_--Some degree of salvation will come to all\nwho have not forfeited their right to it; exaltation is given to those\nonly who by active labors have won a claim to God's merciful liberality\nby which it is bestowed. Of the saved, not all will be exalted to the\nhigher glories; rewards will not be bestowed in violation of justice;\npunishments will not be meted out to the ignoring of mercy's claims.\nNo one can be admitted to any order of glory, in short, no soul can\nbe saved, until justice has been satisfied for violated law. In the\nKingdom of God there are numerous degrees of exaltation provided for\nthose who are worthy of them. The old idea, that in the hereafter there\nwill be but two places for the souls of mankind,--a heaven and a hell,\nwith the same glory in all parts of the one, and the same terrors\nthroughout the other,--is wholly untenable in the light of Divine\nrevelation.\n\n_Degrees of Glory:_--That the privileges and glories of heaven are\ngraded to suit the various capacities of the blessed, is indicated in\nChrist's teachings. To His apostles He said: \"In my Father's house\nare many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to\nprepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I\nwill come again, and receive you unto myself; that {96} where I am,\nthere ye may be also.\"[12] This declaration is supplemented by that of\nPaul, who speaks of the graded glories of the resurrection as follows:\n\n    \"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the\n    glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is\n    another.\n\n    \"There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and\n    another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another\n    star in glory.\n\n    \"So also is the resurrection of the dead.\"[13]\n\nA fuller knowledge of this subject has been imparted in the present\ndispensation. From a revelation given in 1832[14] we learn the\nfollowing: Three great kingdoms or degrees of glory are established\nfor the future habitation of the human race; these are known as the\nCelestial, the Terrestrial, and the Telestial. Far below the last and\nleast of these, is the state of eternal punishment prepared for the\nsons of perdition.\n\n_The Celestial Glory_ is provided for those who merit the highest\nhonors of heaven; in the revelation referred to, we read of them:\n\n    \"They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed\n    on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial,\n    being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the\n    commandment which he has given, that by keeping the commandments\n    they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive\n    the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is\n    ordained and sealed unto this power, and who overcome by faith, and\n    are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds\n    forth {97} upon all those who are just and true. They are they who\n    are the Church of the First-born. They are they into whose hands\n    the Father has given all things--they are they who are Priests and\n    Kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory, and are\n    Priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchisedek, which was\n    after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only\n    Begotten Son; wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even\n    the sons of God--wherefore all things are theirs, whether life or\n    death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and\n    they are Christ's and Christ is God's. * * * * These shall dwell\n    in the presence of God and his Christ for ever and ever. These are\n    they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in the clouds\n    of heaven, to reign on the earth over his people. These are they\n    who shall have a part in the first resurrection. These are they who\n    shall come forth in the resurrection of the just. * * * These are\n    they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of\n    the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through\n    the shedding of his own blood. These are they whose bodies are\n    celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God,\n    the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written\n    of as being typical.\"[15]\n\n_The Terrestrial Glory:_--This, the next lower degree, will be received\nby many whose works do not merit the highest reward. We read of them:\n\n    \"These are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs\n    from that of the Church of the First-born who have received the\n    fulness of the Father, even as that of the moon differs from the\n    sun in the firmament. Behold, these are they who died without law,\n    and also they who are the spirits of men kept in prison, whom the\n    Son visited, and preached the Gospel unto them, that they might be\n    judged according to {98} men in the flesh, who received not the\n    testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it. These\n    are they who are honorable men of the earth, who were blinded by\n    the craftiness of men. These are they who receive of his glory,\n    but not of his fulness. These are they who receive of the presence\n    of the Son, but not of the fulness of the Father; wherefore they\n    are bodies terrestrial, and not bodies celestial, and differ in\n    glory as the moon differs from the sun. These are they who are not\n    valiant in the testimony of Jesus; wherefore they obtain not the\n    crown over the kingdom of our God.\"[16]\n\n_The Telestial Glory:_--The revelation continues:\n\n    \"And again, we saw the glory of the telestial, which glory is that\n    of the lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from that of\n    the glory of the moon in the firmament. These are they who received\n    not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus. These are\n    they who deny not the Holy Spirit. These are they who are thrust\n    down to hell. These are they who shall not be redeemed from the\n    devil, until the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the\n    Lamb shall have finished his work.\"[17]\n\nWe learn further that the inhabitants of this kingdom are to be graded\namong themselves, comprising as they do the unenlightened among the\nvaried opposing sects and divisions of men, and sinners of many types,\nwhose offenses are not those of utter perdition:\n\n    \"For as one star differs from another star in glory, even so\n    differs one from another in glory in the telestial world; for these\n    are they who are of Paul, and of Apollos, and of Cephas. These are\n    they who say they are some of one and some of another--some of\n    Christ and some of John, and {99} some of Moses, and some of Elias,\n    and some of Esaias, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch; but\n    received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither\n    the prophets, neither the everlasting covenant.\"[18]\n\nThe three kingdoms of widely differing glories are organized on an\norderly plan of gradation. We have seen that the telestial kingdom\ncomprises several subdivisions; this also is the case, we are told,\nwith the celestial;[19] and, by analogy, we conclude that a similar\ncondition prevails in the terrestrial. Thus the innumerable degrees\nof merit amongst mankind are provided for in an infinity of graded\nglories. The celestial kingdom is supremely honored by the personal\nministrations of the Father and the Son. The terrestrial kingdom will\nbe administered through the higher, without a fulness of glory. The\ntelestial is governed through the ministrations of the terrestrial, by\n\"angels who are appointed to minister for them.\"[20]\n\nExaltation in the kingdom of God implies attainment to the graded\norders of the Holy Priesthood, and with these the ceremonies of the\nendowment are directly associated.\n\n_The Temple Endowment_, as administered in modern temples, comprises\ninstruction relating to the significance and sequence of past\ndispensations, and the importance of the present as the greatest and\ngrandest era in human history. This course of instruction includes\na recital of the most prominent events of the creative period, the\ncondition of our first parents in the Garden of Eden, their {100}\ndisobedience and consequent expulsion from that blissful abode, their\ncondition in the lone and dreary world when doomed to live by labor\nand sweat, the plan of redemption by which the great transgression may\nbe atoned, the period of the great apostasy, the restoration of the\nGospel with all its ancient powers and privileges, the absolute and\nindispensable condition of personal purity and devotion to the right in\npresent life, and a strict compliance with Gospel requirements.\n\nAs will be shown, the temples erected by the Latter-day Saints provide\nfor the giving of these instructions in separate rooms, each devoted to\na particular part of the course; and by this provision it is possible\nto have several classes under instruction at one time.\n\nThe ordinances of the endowment embody certain obligations on the part\nof the individual, such as covenant and promise to observe the law of\nstrict virtue and chastity, to be charitable, benevolent, tolerant and\npure; to devote both talent and material means to the spread of truth\nand the uplifting of the race; to maintain devotion to the cause of\ntruth; and to seek in every way to contribute to the great preparation\nthat the earth may be made ready to receive her King,--the Lord Jesus\nChrist. With the taking of each covenant and the assuming of each\nobligation a promised blessing is pronounced, contingent upon the\nfaithful observance of the conditions.\n\nNo jot, iota, or tittle of the temple rites is otherwise than uplifting\nand sanctifying. In every detail the endowment ceremony contributes\nto covenants of morality of life, consecration of person to high\nideals, devotion to truth, patriotism to nation, and allegiance to\nGod. The blessings of the House of the Lord are restricted to no {101}\nprivileged class; every member of the Church may have admission to the\ntemple with the right to participate in the ordinances thereof, if he\ncomes duly accredited as of worthy life and conduct.\n\nSEALING IN MARRIAGE\n\nThe Latter-day Saints regard the marriage ceremony performed\nexclusively within temple precincts, as the one and only perfect\ncontract of matrimony.[21] They recognize the full legal validity and\nmoral obligation of any marriage entered into under the secular law;\nbut civil marriages and indeed all marriages made without the binding\nauthority of the Holy Priesthood they regard as contracts for this\nlife only, and therefore lacking the higher and superior elements of a\ncomplete and perpetual union. They hold that the family relationships\nof earth may be made lasting and binding beyond the veil of death. They\nsay that under the perfect law operative in the celestial worlds, the\nearthly relation of husband and wife, parent and child, will endure in\nfull force and effect, provided such relationship has been sealed on\nearth by the power and authority of the Holy Priesthood. The ordinary\nrite of matrimony as established by secular law, and as prescribed by\nsectarian rule, unites the man and the woman for this world only; the\nhigher law of marriage as divinely revealed joins the parties for time\nand eternity.\n\n\"Celestial Marriage\" is a term in current use among the Latter-day\nSaints, though it does not occur in any revelation contained in the\nstandard works of the Church. {102} The Church adopts and validates\nthe scriptures of earlier dispensations with respect to marriage. It\nholds that marriage is honorable[22] and ordained of God.[23] Under\nthe teachings of the Church, marriage is the duty of all who are not\ndebarred by physical or other effective disability from assuming the\nresponsibilities of the wedded state. The Latter-day Saints declare\nthat part of the birthright of every worthy man is to stand at the head\nof a family as husband and father; and equally strong is the right of\nevery worthy woman to be an honored wife and mother.\n\nThe Church denounces as false and pernicious the teachings of misled\nand morbid men who say that the union of the sexes is but a carnal\nnecessity inherited by man as an incident of his degraded nature; and\nit repudiates the thought that celibacy is a superior condition more\npleasing to God. Concerning such false teachers the Lord has spoken in\nthis day:\n\n    \"Whoso forbiddeth to marry is not ordained of God, for marriage is\n    ordained of God unto man * * * that the earth might answer the end\n    of its creation, and that it might be filled with the measure of\n    man, according to his creation before the world was made.\"[24]\n\nThe Latter-day Saints affirm that perfect marriage provides for the\neternal relation of the sexes. With this people marriage is not merely\na contract for time, effective only as long as the parties shall live\non earth, but a solemn covenant of union which shall endure beyond the\n{103} grave. In the complete ceremony of marriage as ordained by the\nChurch and as administered only within the temple halls, the man and\nthe woman are placed under covenant of mutual fidelity, not until death\ndo them part, but for time and for all eternity.\n\nA contract as far-reaching as this, a covenant declared to be effective\nnot only throughout the period of mortal life, but in the realm of\nthe hereafter, of necessity requires for its validation an authority\nsuperior to any that man may originate. It is admitted without argument\nthat men have the right to form among themselves associations and\ncommunities, to organize sects, parties, companies, churches, clubs, or\nany other union they may choose to create, provided, of course, such\nbodies are not inimical to law and order. It is further admitted that\nany established association of men may enact laws and ordain rules\nfor the government of its members, provided the rights of individual\nliberty are not infringed thereby. Both church and state, therefore,\nmay enact, prescribe, and ordain, lawful regulations as to marriage or\nas to any other form of contract; and such regulations are acknowledged\nto be of full effect within the domain of actual jurisdiction. Thus,\nmarriages may be legally and properly authorized by states and nations,\nand the contracts of marriage so made are effective during the life of\nthe parties thereto.\n\nBut, can it be said that any association of men may create and\nestablish an authority that shall be effective after death? Can any\npower legislate beyond its lawful jurisdiction? Can a man sitting in\nhis own home prescribe family rules for the household of his neighbor?\nCan our nation ordain laws that shall be valid in a foreign {104}\nrealm? Can man enact laws to regulate the affairs of the Kingdom of God?\n\nOnly as God delegates authority to man, with the assurance that\nadministration under that authority shall be acknowledged in heaven,\ncan any contract be made on earth and be of assured effect after the\ndeath of the parties concerned. Authority to act in the name of the\nLord is the distinguishing characteristic of the Holy Priesthood. As\nthe Lord hath said:\n\n    \"All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows,\n    performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that\n    are not made, and entered into, and sealed, by the Holy Spirit of\n    promise, of him who is anointed, both as well for time and for all\n    eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment\n    through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on\n    the earth to hold this power, * * * are of no efficacy, virtue\n    or force, in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all\n    contracts that are not made unto this end, have an end when men are\n    dead.\"[25]\n\nIn application of this principle to the covenants of matrimony, the\nrevelation continues:\n\n    \"Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry\n    her not by me, nor by my word; and he covenant with her so long as\n    he is in the world, and she with him, their covenant and marriage\n    are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the\n    world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out\n    of the world.\n\n    \"Therefore, when they are out of the world, they neither marry, nor\n    are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which\n    angels are ministering servants, to minister {105} for those who\n    are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight\n    of glory;\n\n    \"For these angels did not abide my law, therefore they cannot be\n    enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in\n    their saved condition, to all eternity, and from henceforth are not\n    gods, but are angels of God, for ever and ever.\"[26]\n\nThis system of holy matrimony, involving covenants for both time and\neternity, is known distinctively as _Celestial Marriage_, and is\nunderstood to be the order of marriage that exists in the celestial\nworlds. This sacred ordinance is administered by the Church to those\nonly who are adjudged to be of worthy life, fit to be admitted to\nthe House of the Lord; for this holy rite, together with others of\neternal validity, may be solemnized only within the temples reared and\ndedicated for such exalted service.[27] Children born to parents thus\nmarried under the celestial law are heirs to the Priesthood; \"children\nof the covenant\" they are called; no ordinance of adoption or sealing\nis required to give them place in the blessed posterity of promise.\n\nThe Church, however, sanctions and acknowledges legal marriages for\ntime only, and indeed solemnizes such unions between parties who may\nnot be admitted to the House of the Lord, or who voluntarily choose the\nlesser and temporal order of matrimony.\n\nWithin the temple and not elsewhere, are marriages solemnized for and\nin behalf of parties who are dead. Husbands and wives who have lived in\nmortality together and now are dead, may be sealed under the authority\n{106} of the Priesthood, provided, of course, the preliminary temple\nordinances have been administered in their behalf. In the marriage rite\nfor the dead as in other ordinances, the parties are represented by\ntheir living descendants acting in the capacity of proxy.\n\nThe ordinance of celestial marriage, whereby the contracting parties,\nwhether living or dead, are united under the authority of the Holy\nPriesthood for time and eternity, is known distinctively as the\nceremony of _Sealing in Marriage_. Husband and wife so united are said\nto be sealed, whereas if united under the lesser law for time only,\neither by secular or ecclesiastical authority, they are only married.\n\nHusband and wife who have been married for time only, either by\nsecular or ecclesiastical ceremony, may afterward be sealed for time\nand eternity, provided they have become members of the Church, and\nare adjudged worthy to enter the temple for this purpose; but no\nsuch confirmation of an existing union, nor any sealing of married\npersons is possible unless the parties furnish proof that they have\nbeen legally and lawfully married. No marriage of living persons is\nperformed in any of the temples except under license duly issued as\nrequired by the laws of the state. The sealing ordinance extends to\nother associations than those of matrimony as will be shown.\n\nThe actuality of the sealing ordinance in marriage finds an\nillustration in the personal teachings of the Savior. On one occasion\nthere came unto Him certain Sadducees,[28] and these, be it remembered,\ndenied the possibility of the {107} resurrection of the dead. They\nsought to entrap Him by a difficult question. They thus stated their\ncase:\n\n    \"Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother\n    shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.\n\n    \"Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had\n    married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto\n    his brother:\n\n    \"Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.\n\n    \"And last of all the woman died also.\n\n    \"Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the\n    seven? for they all had her.\"\n\nNote the sequel:\n\n    \"Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the\n    scriptures, nor the power of God.\n\n    \"For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in\n    marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.\"\n\nIt is evident that in the resurrected state there could be no contest\namong the seven brothers as to whose wife the woman was,--for after\ndeath there was to be no marrying nor giving in marriage. The question\nof marriage between individuals was and is to be settled before that\ntime. The woman would and could be the wife of but one in the eternal\nworld, and that one the man to whom she was given by the authority of\nthe Holy Priesthood on earth, as a consort for time and eternity. In\nshort, the woman would be the wife of the man with whom she entered\ninto covenant for eternity under the seal of Divine authority; and\nno contract or agreement for time only would be effective in the\nresurrection.\n\n{108} This exposition seems to have been convincing; the multitude\nwere astonished, and the Sadducees were silenced;[29] moreover some\nof the Scribes declared: \"Master, thou hast well said.\"[30] Our Lord\nadded what appears to have been a supplementary question, coupled with\ninstruction of the greatest import:\n\n    \"But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read\n    that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,\n\n    \"I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of\n    Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.\"[31]\n\nOTHER SEALING ORDINANCES\n\nChildren born outside celestial marriage, yet within legally\nestablished wedlock, are the lawful and legitimate heirs of their\nparents in all affairs of earth. They are the offspring of an earthly\nunion that is in every respect a legal, moral, and proper relation\nunder the laws of man. That these children will belong to their parents\nin the hereafter is as uncertain as that the parents will belong to\neach other. The parents have been but temporally and temporarily\nmarried, and the offspring are theirs for the period of their own\ncontract only. Even as husband and wife though legally wedded under the\nsecular law must be sealed by the authority of the Holy Priesthood if\ntheir union is to be valid in eternity, so must children who have been\nborn to parents married for time only be sealed to their parents after\nfather and {109} mother have been sealed to each other in the order of\ncelestial marriage.\n\nThe Church affirms the eternal perpetuity of all family relationships\nexisting on earth under the seal and authority of the Priesthood; and\ndeclares that none other relationship will be binding after death. The\noffspring of parents not joined in celestial marriage are thus sealed\nto or adopted by their parents as members of the family organization\nwhich shall endure through eternity; thus, husbands and wives who are\ndead are married or sealed to each other by proxy ministration, and\ntheir children are similarly sealed to them in the family relationship.\n\nIt will be seen, therefore, that the vicarious labor of the living for\nthe dead, as performed in the temples of the present day, comprises\nmore than baptism and confirmation. The work is completed on earth only\nwhen the parties, in the persons of their living representatives, have\nbeen baptized, confirmed, endowed, and sealed both in the relationship\nof husband and wife as once existent and in the family union of parents\nand children.\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n1. For a concise treatment of Infant Baptism, see the author's \"The\nArticles of Faith,\" Lecture VI, 13-17; and for treatment of Baptism for\nthe Dead, see Lecture VII, 18-33.\n\n2. Acts 10:42; II Tim. 4:1; I Peter 4:5.\n\n3. Rom. 14:9.\n\n4. Luke 20:36, 38.\n\n5. Doctrine and Covenants 19:10-12.\n\n6. I Peter 4:6.\n\n7. I Cor. chap. 15; see specifically verse 29.\n\n8. This passage has been the subject of much controversy. Dr. Adam\nClarke, in his masterly Commentary of the Scriptures, says: \"This\nis certainly the most difficult verse in the New Testament; for,\nnotwithstanding the greatest and wisest men have labored to explain it,\nthere are to this day nearly as many different interpretations of it as\nthere are interpreters.\" Yet, notwithstanding its enigmatic meaning,\nthis passage of scripture is part of the prescribed burial service\nin the Episcopal Church, and is duly spoken by the priest at every\nfuneral. But wherein lies the difficulty of comprehension? The passage\nis of plain import, and only when we attempt to make it figurative\ndo difficulties arise. It is plain that in Paul's day the ordinance\nof baptism for the dead was both understood and practised, and the\napostle's argument in support of the doctrine of a literal resurrection\nis sound: If the dead rise not at all, why then are they baptized for\nthe dead?\n\n9. Read Doctrine and Covenants 128:12, 13.\n\n10. I Cor. 11:11.\n\n11. See the author's \"The Articles of Faith,\" Lectures IV and XII,\nportions of which are included in the present treatment.\n\n12. John 14:1-3.\n\n13. I Cor. 15:40-42.\n\n14. Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 76.\n\n15. Doctrine and Covenants 76:51-70.\n\n16. Doctrine and Covenants 76:71-79.\n\n17. Doctrine and Covenants 76:81-86.\n\n18. Doctrine and Covenants 76:98-101.\n\n19. Doctrine and Covenants 131:1; see also II Cor. 12:1-4.\n\n20. See Doctrine and Covenants 76:86-88.\n\n21. See the author's treatment of \"Marriage\" in \"The Articles of\nFaith,\" Lecture XXIV, pp. 455-460.\n\n22. Heb. 13:4.\n\n23. Gen. 2:18, 24; 1:27; 5:2; 9:1, 7; Lev. 26:9.\n\n24. Doctrine and Covenants, 49:15-17.\n\n25. Doctrine and Covenants 132:7.\n\n26. Doctrine and Covenants 132:15-17.\n\n27. Doctrine and Covenants 124:30-34.\n\n28. See Matt. 22:23-33; Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27-40.\n\n29. Matt. 22:33, 34.\n\n30. Luke 20:39.\n\n31. Matt. 22:31, 32.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V\n\nMODERN DAY TEMPLES--THE TEMPLES AT KIRTLAND AND NAUVOO\n\n{110} As to general design, and indeed as to details of plan and\nconstruction of the earlier sanctuaries, much has been preserved to\nus through the pages of sacred writ. From the Biblical record alone\nit would be possible to practically reproduce the Tabernacle of the\nCongregation and the later Temple of Solomon; though, had we no\ninformation to supplement the Biblical account, we would know but\nlittle as to procedure requisite to the administration of ordinances\nspecifically pertaining to temples.\n\nRegarding the plan of building and the structural design of temples,\nwe find no close similarity, far less of aught approaching identity,\nin these holy houses as erected in different dispensations; on\nthe contrary we may affirm that direct revelation of temple plans\nis required for each distinctive period of the Priesthood's\nadministration, that is to say for every dispensation of Divine\nauthority. While the general purpose of temples is the same in all\ntimes, the special suitability of these edifices is determined by the\nneeds of the dispensation to which they severally belong.\n\nThere is a definite sequence of development in the dealings of God with\nman throughout the centuries; and it is this unity of order and purpose\nthat constitutes the {111} eternal unchangeableness of the Supreme\nBeing. Today is no mere repetition of yesterday; on the contrary, every\ntoday is a sum of all precedent time, so that in each succeeding age\nthe Divine plan is farther advanced, and the grand finale in the great\ndrama of human salvation is brought nearer.\n\nFrom the days of the ancient Tabernacle of the Congregation, and thence\nonward to the meridian of time, animal sacrifice was required as an\nordained rite of propitiation and worship; and such was in prototype of\nthe sacrificial death predicted as part of the mission of the Son of\nMan. The temples of the Hebrews who were living under the Mosaic law,\nprovided, therefore, for the slaughter of animals, for the ceremonial\ndividing of the carcasses and for the due disposal of the blood, for\nthe convenient immolation of the offerings, and for numerous other\ndetails of ceremony associated with worship under the law of Moses.\n\nThe Latter-day Saints are one with other Christian sects in the\nunreserved acceptance of the doctrine that the atoning death of Christ\nterminated the Mosaic rites of sacrifice involving the ceremonial\nshedding of blood, that, in truth, the prototype was consummated in the\nreality. The temples of today are provided with no altars of sacrifice,\nno courts of slaughter, no shambles red with the blood of beasts, no\npyres on which carcasses are burned, no censers of incense to becloud\nthe fumes from burning flesh.\n\nEven among the temples of the present dispensation there is a graded\nvariety in the details of construction. The first temple of modern\ntimes was in a measure incomplete as compared with the holy houses of\nlater construction. {112} The fact was doubtless known to the Lord,\nthough wisely hidden from common knowledge, that the Kirtland Temple\nwould serve but for the beginning of the re-establishment of those\ndistinctive ordinances for which temples are essential. Even as the\nTabernacle of old was but an inferior type of what would follow,\ndesigned for temporary use under special conditions, so the earlier\ntemples of the latter-day dispensation, specifically those of Kirtland\nand Nauvoo, were but temporary Houses of the Lord, destined to serve\nfor short periods only as sanctuaries.\n\nScarcely had The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints been\norganized when the Lord indicated the necessity of a temple, in which\nHe could reveal His mind and will to man, and in which the sanctifying\nordinances of the Gospel could be administered. In a revelation given\nas early as December, 1830, the Lord said: \"I am Jesus Christ the Son\nof God: wherefore gird up your loins and I will suddenly come to my\ntemple.\"[1] In February 1831, the Lord further indicated His purpose\nthus: \"That my covenant people may be gathered in one in that day\nwhen I shall come to my temple. And this I do for the salvation of\nmy people.\"[2] More definite instructions as to the practical labors\nincident to the procuring of a site and the rearing of a temple soon\nfollowed.\n\nTEMPLE SITE AT INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI\n\nThe principal seat of the Church had been temporarily established at\nKirtland, Ohio; nevertheless the prophet had learned through early\nrevelation that Zion would be {113} established far to the west. In\nJune, 1831, a conference of elders was held at Kirtland, on which\noccasion a revelation[3] was received directing certain of the elders\nto start westward, traveling in pairs and preaching by the way. In the\nmonth following, these elders reassembled at a designated place in\nwestern Missouri, all rejoicing in their ministry and eager to learn\nthe further will of the Lord. The burden of their prayer and song is\nthus expressed by the prophet: \"When will the wilderness blossom as\nthe rose? When will Zion be built up in her glory, and where will thy\ntemple stand, unto which all nations shall come in the last days?\"[4]\nIn answer to their supplications the Lord spake by the mouth of His\nprophet, designating the western part of Missouri as the land of Zion,\nand the site occupied by the town of Independence as the \"center\nplace,\" and specifying a spot as that upon which a temple should be\nbuilt.[5]\n\nOn the third of August, 1831, the prophet Joseph Smith and seven other\nelders of the Church assembled on the temple lot and dedicated the\nsame to its sacred purpose. Though the company was small, the occasion\nwas one of great solemnity and impressiveness. The prophet himself\noffered the prayer of dedication.[6] The temple so projected is yet to\nbe built. Though the Latter-day Saints acquired by purchase title to\nand possession of the {114} temple lot, they were later by violence\ncompelled to abandon their rightful possessions.\n\nTHE KIRTLAND TEMPLE\n\nThe building of a temple in Missouri was regarded, even by the prophet\nand those who assisted him in dedicating the site, as an event of the\nfuture, perhaps even of the far distant future. The center of activity,\nthe seat of the Church for the time being, was in Ohio, and Kirtland\nwas the place of temporary gathering. In Kirtland too was to be erected\nthe first temple of modern times.\n\nIn a revelation given December 27, 1832, the Lord commanded the\nestablishment of a holy house.[7] Perhaps because their eyes were\ndirected too steadily toward the \"center place,\" and because the people\nwere prone to contemplate too absorbedly the glory of the future to\nthe neglect of then present duties, compliance with the requirement\nto proceed at once with the erection of a temple was not prompt; and\nthe Lord rebuked the people for their tardiness and neglect, declaring\nagain His will that a house be reared to His name and promising success\non condition of faithful effort.[8]\n\nThe Saints were aroused to great activity in the matter of erecting\na temple for immediate use. A building committee was organized, and\na call issued to all branches of the Church.[9] On the second day of\nAugust, 1833, the voice of the Lord was heard again respecting the\nmatter of temple building, and while the specific requirement {115}\nappears to directly apply to the temple of the future in Jackson\nCounty, Missouri, nevertheless the revelation had immediate effect in\ninspiring greater effort in the building of a temple at Kirtland.[10]\n\nThe Kirtland Temple was built as projected and designed, though the\nwork was marked by an unbroken course of supreme sacrifice on the part\nof a poverty-laden people. Consider the words of one who was present\nand saw, one who helped and suffered, one who spoke from personal\nknowledge and keen remembrance. Eliza R. Snow, a gifted poetess and\nhistorian of modern-day Israel, has written:\n\n    \"It [the Temple] was commenced in June, 1833, under the immediate\n    direction of the Almighty, through his servant, Joseph Smith, whom\n    he had called in his boyhood, like Samuel of old, to introduce the\n    fulness of the everlasting gospel.\n\n    \"At that time the Saints were few in number, and most of them very\n    poor; and had it not been for the assurance that God had spoken,\n    and had commanded that a house should be built to His name, of\n    which He not only revealed the form, but also designated the\n    dimensions, an attempt towards building that Temple, under the\n    then existing circumstances, would have been, by all concerned,\n    pronounced preposterous.\n\n    * * * * * *\n\n    \"Its dimensions are eighty by fifty-nine feet; the walls fifty feet\n    high, and the tower one hundred and ten feet. The two main halls\n    are fifty-five by sixty-five feet in the inner court. The building\n    has four vestries in front, and five rooms in the attic, which were\n    devoted to literature and for meetings of the various quorums of\n    the Priesthood.\n\n    \"There was a peculiarity in the arrangement of the inner {116}\n    court which made it more than ordinarily impressive--so much so\n    that a sense of sacred awe seemed to rest upon all who entered.\n    Not only the Saints, but strangers also, manifested a high degree\n    of reverential feeling. Four pulpits stood, one above another, in\n    the center of the building, from north to south, both on the east\n    and west ends. * * * In front of each of these two rows of pulpits\n    was a sacrament table, for the administration of that sacred\n    ordinance. In each corner of the court was an elevated pew for the\n    singers--the choir being distributed into four compartments. In\n    addition to the pulpit-curtains were others, intersecting at right\n    angles, which divided the main ground-floor hall into four equal\n    sections, giving to each one half of one set of pulpits.\n\n    \"From the day the ground was broken for laying the foundation of\n    the Temple, until its dedication on the 27th of March, 1836, the\n    work was vigorously prosecuted.\n\n    \"With very little capital except brain, bone, and sinew, combined\n    with unwavering trust in God, men, women, and even children, worked\n    with their might. While the brethren labored in their departments,\n    the sisters were actively engaged in boarding and clothing workmen\n    not otherwise provided for--all living as abstemiously as possible,\n    so that every cent might be appropriated to the grand object, while\n    their energies were stimulated by the prospect of participating in\n    the blessing of a house built by the direction of the Most High,\n    and accepted by Him.\"[11]\n\nThe corner stones had been laid July 23, 1833--just when opposition\nand persecution were most rife in the western branches of the Church,\nthe very day, in fact, on which a lawless mob served notice of\nexpulsion on the Saints in Missouri.[12] Nevertheless work on the\nKirtland {117} Temple continued without interruption, though to the\neager Saints progress was all too slow. On the 7th of March, 1835, a\nsolemn convocation was held in Kirtland,--\"called for the purpose of\nblessing in the name of the Lord, those who have heretofore assisted\nin building, by their labor and other means, the House of the Lord in\nthis place.\" The record gives names of those who had consecrated their\ntime, effort and means to the work.[13] Long before the Temple was\ncompleted, parts of the structure were used for council meetings and\nother gatherings of the Priesthood. In January, 1836, a code of rules\nwas adopted \"to be observed in the House of the Lord in Kirtland.\"[14]\nOn the 21st of the month last named a gathering of the Priesthood\nwas held in the unfinished Temple, on which occasion the Presiding\nPatriarch and the three High Priests who composed the First Presidency\nof the Church, assembled in a room by themselves and engaged in solemn\nprayer. The Patriarch, Father Joseph Smith, was anointed and blessed by\nthe members of the First Presidency in turn, after which he, by virtue\nof his office, anointed and blessed them. Of the glorious manifestation\nthat followed, the prophet thus writes:\n\n    \"The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial\n    kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out\n    I cannot tell. I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate through\n    which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto\n    circling flames of fire; also the blazing throne of God, whereon\n    was seated the Father and the Son. I saw the beautiful streets of\n    that kingdom, which {118} had the appearance of being paved with\n    gold. * * * I saw the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb, who are now upon\n    the earth, who hold the keys of this last ministry, in foreign\n    lands, standing together in a circle, much fatigued, with their\n    clothes tattered and feet swollen, with their eyes cast downward,\n    and Jesus standing in their midst, and they did not behold Him. The\n    Savior looked upon them and wept.\n\n    * * * * * * *\n\n    \"Many of my brethren who received the ordinance with me saw\n    glorious visions also. Angels ministered unto them as well as to\n    myself, and the power of the Highest rested upon us; the house was\n    filled with the glory of God, and we shouted 'Hosanna to God and\n    the Lamb.' My scribe also received his anointing with us, and saw,\n    in a vision, the armies of heaven protecting the Saints in their\n    return to Zion, and many things which I saw.\n\n    \"The Bishop of Kirtland with his counselors, and the Bishop of\n    Zion with his counselors, were present with us, and received their\n    anointings under the hands of Father Smith, and this was confirmed\n    by the Presidency, and the glories of heaven were unfolded to them\n    also.\n\n    \"We then invited the High Councilors of Kirtland and Zion into our\n    room. * * *\n\n    \"The visions of heaven were opened to them also. Some of them\n    saw the face of the Savior, and others were ministered unto by\n    holy angels, and the spirit of prophecy and revelation was poured\n    out in mighty power; and loud hosannas, and glory to God in the\n    highest, saluted the heavens, for we all communed with the heavenly\n    host.\"[15]\n\nThe dedication of the Kirtland Temple occurred on Sunday, March 27,\n1836. The early hour of 8 a.m. had been set as the time for opening the\ndoors; but so intense was the interest and so eager the expectation,\nthat long before the time hundreds had gathered about the doors. {119}\nBetween nine hundred and a thousand people attended the services. The\ncongregation was seated in solemn assembly, each of the organized\nbodies of Priesthood with its presiding officers being in its appointed\nplace. Singing, scripture reading, and supplication for Divine grace,\nwere followed by brief addresses; after which the authorities of the\nChurch as then constituted were presented to the people for acceptance\nor rejection, and a rising vote pledged unanimous support in every\ninstance. The authorities of the Priesthood so sustained comprised all\npresiding officers from the First Presidency down to the presidency of\nthe deacons. The dedicatory prayer was then offered by Joseph Smith,\nwho affirms that the prayer was given to him by revelation.[16]\n\nThe question as to whether the House of the Lord was accepted as duly\ndedicated was put to the quorums of the Priesthood separately and to\nthe congregation as a whole; the vote in the affirmative was unanimous.\nThe Lord's Supper was then administered, and many of the elders bore\nsolemn testimony to the divinity of the Gospel as restored. The\nprophet's journal continues:\n\n    \"President Frederick G. Williams arose and testified that while\n    President Rigdon was making his first prayer, an angel entered the\n    window and took his seat between Father Smith and himself, and\n    remained there during the prayer. President David Whitmer also saw\n    angels in the house. President Hyrum Smith made some appropriate\n    remarks congratulating those who had endured so many toils and\n    privations to build the house. President Rigdon then made a few\n    appropriate closing remarks, and a short prayer, at the close\n    of which we sealed the proceedings of {120} the day by shouting\n    'Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna to God and the Lamb,' three times,\n    sealing it each time with 'Amen, Amen, and Amen.'\"[17]\n\nIn the evening of the day of dedication another meeting was held; this,\nhowever, was attended by officers of the Church only. The record as\nwritten by the prophet reads:\n\n    \"I met the quorums in the evening and instructed them respecting\n    the ordinance of washing of feet, which they were to attend to on\n    Wednesday following; and gave them instructions in relation to the\n    spirit of prophecy. * * *\n\n    \"Brother George A. Smith arose and began to prophesy, when a noise\n    was heard like the sound of a rushing, mighty wind, which filled\n    the Temple, and all the congregation simultaneously arose, being\n    moved upon by an invisible power; many began to speak in tongues\n    and prophesy; others saw glorious visions; and I beheld the Temple\n    was filled with angels, which fact I declared to the congregation.\n    The people of the neighborhood came running together (hearing an\n    unusual sound within, and seeing a bright light like a pillar\n    of fire resting upon the Temple), and were astonished at what\n    was taking place. This continued until the meeting closed at 11\n    p.m.\"[18]\n\nOn the Thursday following that eventful Sabbath, another solemn\nassembly convened in the Temple, including as before the general\nauthorities of the Church, and in addition such members as had not been\nable to secure admission on the earlier day. The services were in a\nmeasure a repetition of the proceedings on the first occasion; {121}\nthe dedicatory prayer was read, appropriate music was rendered and\naddresses were delivered.\n\nThat the building was in truth a Temple, a holy structure accepted by\nHim to whose name it had been reared, that it was veritably a House\nof the Lord, had been attested by the visitation of heavenly beings,\nand by Divine manifestations surpassing all expectation, as witnessed\non the evening of the dedication day. On the next Sabbath, April\n3, 1836, visitations and manifestations of yet greater import were\nreceived. At the afternoon service the Lord's Supper was administered,\nafter which, the prophet and his counselor, Oliver Cowdery, retired\nto the stand reserved for the presiding officers of the Melchisedek\nPriesthood,--which was enclosed by the curtains or veils lowered for\nthe occasion. They solemnly testify that then and there did the Lord\nJesus Christ reveal Himself. Afterward, other heavenly personages\nministered unto them, each delivering or bestowing the particular\nauthority with which he was specially invested. The testimony of Joseph\nSmith and Oliver Cowdery is as follows:\n\n    \"The veil was taken from our minds, and the eyes of our\n    understanding were opened.\n\n    \"We saw the Lord standing upon the breast-work of the pulpit,\n    before us, and under his feet was a paved work of pure gold in\n    color like amber.\n\n    \"His eyes were as a flame of fire, the hair of his head was white\n    like the pure snow, his countenance shone above the brightness of\n    the sun, and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great\n    waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying--\n\n    \"I am the first and the last, I am he who liveth, I am he who was\n    slain, I am your advocate with the Father.\n\n    {122} \"Behold, your sins are forgiven you, you are clean before me,\n    therefore lift up your heads and rejoice,\n\n    \"Let the hearts of your brethren rejoice, and let the hearts of all\n    my people rejoice, who have, with their might, built this house to\n    my name,\n\n    \"For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here,\n    and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house,\n\n    \"Yea, I will appear unto my servants, and speak unto them with\n    mine own voice, if my people will keep my commandments, and do not\n    pollute this holy house.\n\n    \"Yea, the hearts of thousands and tens of thousands shall greatly\n    rejoice in consequence of the blessings which shall be poured out,\n    and the endowment with which my servants have been endowed in this\n    house;\n\n    \"And the fame of this house shall spread to foreign lands, and this\n    is the beginning of the blessing which shall be poured out upon the\n    heads of my people. Even so. Amen.\n\n    \"After this vision closed, the heavens were again opened unto us,\n    and Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of\n    the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the\n    leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north.\n\n    \"After this, Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of\n    the gospel of Abraham, saying, that in us, and our seed, all\n    generations after us should be blessed.\n\n    \"After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision\n    burst upon us, for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven\n    without tasting death, stood before us, and said--\n\n    \"Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth\n    of Malachi, testifying that he (Elijah) should be sent before the\n    great and dreadful day of the Lord come,\n\n    \"To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the\n    children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a\n    curse.\n\n    \"Therefore the keys of this dispensation are committed {123} into\n    your hands, and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day\n    of the Lord is near, even at the doors.\"[19]\n\nThe erection of the Temple at Kirtland seemed to increase the\nhostile opposition to which the Church had been subjected since its\norganization; and persecution soon became so violent that all of the\nSaints who could dispose of their property and leave did so and joined\ntheir fellow religionists in Missouri. Within two years following the\ndedication, a general exodus of the Saints had taken place, and the\nTemple soon fell into the hands of the persecutors. The building is yet\nstanding, and serves the purposes of an ordinary meeting-house for an\nobscure sect that manifests no visible activity in temple building, nor\napparent belief in the sacred ordinances for which temples are erected.\nThe people whose sacrifice and suffering reared the structure no longer\nassert claims of ownership. What was once the Temple of God, in which\nthe Lord Jesus appeared in person, has become but a house,--a building\nwhose sole claim to distinction among the innumerable structures built\nby man, lies in its wondrous past.\n\nTEMPLE SITE AT FAR WEST, MISSOURI\n\nFrom Ohio the Church migrated westward, and gathering-centers were\nestablished in Missouri, principally in Jackson, Clay, and Caldwell\ncounties. No time was lost in useless grieving over the enforced\nabandonment of the Temple at Kirtland. Even at that early day, but\nseven years after the organization of the Church, the people {124} had\ncome to regard persecution as an inevitable incident of their religion,\nand spoliation as their heritage. Resolutely they went to work in\npreparation for another temple, and a site was chosen at Far West,\nCaldwell County, Missouri. On the 5th of August, 1837, \"the Presidency,\nHigh Council, and all the authorities of the Church in Missouri,\nassembled in council at Far West, and unanimously resolved to go on\nmoderately and build a house unto the name of the Lord in Far West,\nas they had means.\"[20] On the 26th of April, 1838, a revelation was\nreceived directing the time and manner of beginning the work:\n\n    \"Let the city, Far West, be a holy and consecrated land unto me,\n    and it shall be called most holy, for the ground upon which thou\n    standest is holy; therefore I command you to build an house unto\n    me, for the gathering together of my Saints, that they may worship\n    me; and let there be a beginning of this work, and a foundation,\n    and a preparatory work, this following summer; and let the\n    beginning be made on the fourth day of July next, and from that\n    time forth let my people labor diligently to build an house unto my\n    name, and in one year from this day let them re-commence laying the\n    foundation of my house.\"[21]\n\nOn the fourth day of July, 1838, the corner stones were laid to the\naccompaniment of military parade and solemn procession.[22] It is plain\nfrom the revelation of April 26, 1838, that even the laying of the\nfoundation of this proposed temple would not proceed uninterruptedly.\n{125} The corner stones were placed on July 4th as had been commanded,\nand on the 8th another mention of the site is made with a specific\nrequirement respecting the future work of the apostles. \"Let them\ntake leave of my Saints in the city of Far West, on the 26th day of\nApril next, on the building spot of my house, saith the Lord.\"[23]\nThe months following were marked by persecution and violence; hostile\nopponents declared that the commission should never be fulfilled.\nHistory attests, however, that on the 26th day of April, 1839, the\napostles, several other officers of the Church, and a number of the\nmembers, assembled in the early hours of the morning, sang their\nhymns, delivered their exhortations, and began the work of laying the\nfoundation stones. On the occasion two vacancies in the Council of the\nTwelve were filled by the ordination of Wilford Woodruff and George A.\nSmith, whose nominations had previously been voted upon. The apostles\nthen took leave of the others present and proceeded on their missions.\nAlmost immediately after the events last recorded, the Saints were\nforced to abandon their homes in Missouri.\n\nThe Latter-day Saints regard the long delay in the erection of temples\non the dedicated sites in Missouri as largely the result of their\nown defection, neglect, and disobedience to the word of the Lord, in\nconsequence of which their enemies were permitted to prevail. When,\nin 1834, the Saints in Missouri were subject to cruel persecution,\ntheir fellow religionists in the eastern branches of the Church were\ndirected to go to their aid, and to send men with money to purchase the\nlands adjacent to the chosen sites, and moreover to consecrate their\npossessions {126} to the redemption of Zion. To these requirements\nthere was unsatisfactory response; and even in Zion's Camp, as the body\nof between one hundred and fifty and two hundred men who set out from\nOhio for Missouri as directed, was called, there was much disaffection,\nmurmuring, and lack of faith. On June 22, 1834, the Lord said through\nJoseph, the prophet:\n\n    \"Behold, I say unto you, were it not for the transgressions of my\n    people, speaking concerning the Church and not individuals, they\n    might have been redeemed even now.\"[24]\n\nThus, through their own transgressions the Saints were hindered in the\nwork required at their hands, and the harvest of blessings predicated\nupon this specific labor, has not yet ripened.\n\nTHE NAUVOO TEMPLE\n\nAfter their expulsion from Missouri, the \"Mormon\" refugees turned\ntheir faces toward the east, crossed the Mississippi and established\nthemselves in and about the obscure village of Commerce, Hancock\nCounty, Illinois. The people demonstrated again their marvelous\nrecuperative power, and without delay or hesitation set about\nestablishing new homes and a temple. By the early part of June, 1839,\ndwellings were in course of construction, and soon the hamlet was\ntransformed into a city. To this new abiding place the Saints gave the\nname Nauvoo,--which to them meant all that the name City Beautiful\ncould convey. It was situated but a few miles from {127} Quincy, in\na bend of the majestic river, giving the town three water fronts. It\nseemed to nestle there as if the Father of Waters was encircling it\nwith his mighty arm.[25]\n\nThe best and most suitable site within the limits of the city as\nplanned was selected, purchased, and duly set apart as the temple\nground. The corner stones were laid April 6, 1841--the day on which the\nChurch entered upon the twelfth year of its troubled yet progressive\ncareer. In the ceremonial of the day the Nauvoo Legion--a body of\nmilitia organized under the laws of Illinois,--took a conspicuous part,\nand two volunteer companies from Iowa Territory participated.[26] The\nsouth-east corner-stone was placed in position under the immediate\ndirection of the First Presidency, and over it the President pronounced\nthe following benediction:\n\n    \"This principal corner-stone in representation of the First\n    Presidency, is now duly laid in honor of the Great God; and may\n    it there remain until the whole fabric is completed; and may the\n    same be accomplished speedily; that the Saints may have a place to\n    worship God, and the Son of Man have where to lay His head.\"\n\nSidney Rigdon of the First Presidency then pronounced the following:\n\n    \"May the persons employed in the erection of this house be\n    preserved from all harm while engaged in its construction, till the\n    whole is completed, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and\n    of the Holy Ghost. Even so. Amen.\"[27]\n\n{128} After a recess of one hour, the congregation re-assembled and\nthe remaining corner stones were laid in the order indicated. The\nsouth-west corner-stone was laid under the direction of the High\nPriests' organization, and the president pronounced the following:\n\n    \"The second corner-stone of the temple now building by The Church\n    of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in honor of the Great God,\n    is duly laid, and may the same unanimity that has been manifested\n    on this occasion continue till the whole is completed; that peace\n    may rest upon it to the laying of the top-stone thereof, and the\n    turning of the key thereof; that the Saints may participate in the\n    blessings of Israel's God, within its walls, and the glory of God\n    rest upon the same. Amen.\"\n\nThe north-west corner-stone was then lowered to its place under the\nsuperintendency of the High Council, with a benediction by Elias\nHigbee, as follows:\n\n    \"The third corner-stone is now duly laid; may this stone be a firm\n    support to the building that the whole may be completed as before\n    proposed.\"\n\nThe stone at the north-east corner was laid by the Bishops, and Bishop\nWhitney pronounced the following:\n\n    \"The fourth and last corner-stone, expressive of the Lesser\n    Priesthood, is now duly laid, and may the blessings before\n    pronounced, with all others desirable, rest upon the same forever.\n    Amen.\"[28]\n\nRegarding the proper order of procedure in temple building, the prophet\nJoseph Smith wrote as follows in connection with the laying of the\ncorner-stones at Nauvoo:\n\n    {129} \"If the strict order of the Priesthood were carried out in\n    the building of temples, the first stone would be laid at the\n    south-east corner, by the First Presidency of the Church. The\n    south-west corner should be laid next; the third, or north-west\n    corner next; and the fourth, or north-east corner last. The First\n    Presidency should lay the south-east corner stone and dictate who\n    are the proper persons to lay the other corner stones.\n\n    \"If a temple is built at a distance, and the First Presidency\n    are not present, then the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are the\n    persons to dictate the order for that temple; and in the absence\n    of the Twelve Apostles, then the Presidency of the Stake will lay\n    the south-east corner stone; the Melchisedek Priesthood laying\n    the corner stones on the east side of the temple, and the Lesser\n    Priesthood those on the west side.\"[29]\n\nThe Nauvoo Temple was erected by the people, who contributed liberally\nboth through tithes and freewill offerings of money and labor. Most of\nthe work was done by men who tithed themselves as to time, and devoted\ntheir energies in the proportion of at least one day in ten to labor on\nthe Temple.[30]\n\nThe work progressed slowly but without marked interruption; and\nthis fact becomes surprising when the many unfavorable conditions\nare considered. The Saints had found but temporary respite from\npersecution; and as the Temple rose opposition increased.[31]\n\n{130} Interest had been aroused and energy stimulated in temple\nmatters, through a revelation by which the Lord made known His will\nand the provisions of heavenly law concerning the sacred ordinance\nof baptism for the dead. It will be remembered that no provision for\nthis rite had been made in the Kirtland Temple, for at the time of the\nerection of that structure nothing thereto pertaining had been revealed\nin modern times. On January 19, 1841, the Lord had spoken through\nthe prophet, explaining the need of a holy house with its baptistry,\nlargely and specifically for the benefit of the dead.[32] So eager\nwere the Saints to render vicarious service in behalf of their dead,\nthat before the temple walls were much above the basement level, the\nconstruction of a font was in progress. On November 8, 1841, the font\nwas ready for dedication, and the ceremony was performed by the prophet\nhimself. Thus, long before the Temple was finished, ordinance work was\nin progress within its precincts, the font being enclosed by temporary\nwalls. A description written by Joseph Smith follows:\n\n    \"The baptismal font is situated in the center of the basement\n    room, under the main hall of the Temple; it is constructed of\n    pine timber, and put together of staves tongued and grooved, oval\n    shaped, sixteen feet long east and west, and twelve feet wide,\n    seven feet high from the foundation, the basin four feet deep; the\n    moulding of the cap and base are formed of beautiful carved work\n    in antique style. The sides are finished with panel work. A flight\n    of stairs in the north and south sides lead up and down into the\n    basin, guarded by side railing.\n\n    \"The font stands upon twelve oxen, four on each side, {131} and\n    two at each end, their heads, shoulders, and fore-legs projecting\n    out from under the font; they are carved out of pine plank, glued\n    together, and copied after the most beautiful five-year-old steer\n    that could be found in the country, and they are an excellent\n    striking likeness of the original; the horns were formed after the\n    most perfect horn that could be procured.\n\n    \"The oxen and ornamental mouldings of the font were carved by\n    Elder Elijah Fordham, from the city of New York, which occupied\n    eight months of time. The font was enclosed by a temporary frame\n    building sided up with split oak clapboards, with a roof of the\n    same material, and was so low that the timbers of the first story\n    [of the Temple] were laid above it. The water was supplied from a\n    well thirty feet deep in the east end of the basement.\"[33]\n\nBeside the baptistry, other parts of the Temple were prepared for\ntemporary occupancy while yet work on the walls was in progress, and\non Sunday, October 30, 1842, a general assembly was convened therein.\nThis is recorded as the first meeting held in the Temple.[34] At later\ndates other meetings were held within the unfinished structure; and\nnotwithstanding the violent opposition of foes without, and yet more\neffective hindrances caused by the apostate spirit manifested by a few\nwithin the Church, the work was vigorously prosecuted.\n\nIt was not permitted that Joseph Smith the prophet, nor Hyrum Smith,\none-time counselor in the First Presidency and later Patriarch of the\nChurch, should live to see the completion of the building. On the\n27th of June, 1844, these men of God fell victims of the bullets of\n{132} assassins, at Carthage, Illinois.[35] Though heavy the blow and\ncruel the affliction suffered by the Saints in the martyrdom of their\nleaders, the work of the Church showed scarcely perceptible hindrance.\nWithin two weeks after the dread event, construction on the Temple\nwas resumed, and from that time till the completion the work was\nprosecuted with increased vigor and determination. A few months prior\nto his martyrdom, Patriarch Hyrum Smith, acting as one of the Temple\nCommittee, had made a call on the women of the Church, asking from\nthem a weekly subscription of one cent apiece, the money to be used in\npurchasing material, particularly glass and nails, for the Temple. It\nis recorded that \"there was soon a great anxiety manifest among the\nsisters to pay their portion, and nearly all paid a year's subscription\nin advance.\"[36]\n\nThe Church archives for 1844 and 1845 contain numerous references\nto the progress of the work. On the 24th of May, 1845, the capstone\nwas laid, with impressive ceremony, under the direction of President\nBrigham Young and other members of the Council of the Twelve Apostles,\nbeside whom there were in attendance many general and local authorities\nof the Church. After the top-stone had been duly laid, the President\nsaid:\n\n    \"The last stone is laid upon the Temple, and I pray the Almighty in\n    the name of Jesus to defend us in this place, and sustain us until\n    the Temple is finished and we have all got our endowments.\"[37]\n\n{133} Then followed the solemn and sacred shout: \"Hosanna! Hosanna!\nHosanna! To God and the Lamb! Amen! Amen! and Amen!\" This was repeated\na second and a third time; and in conclusion the President said: \"So\nlet it be, thou Lord Almighty.\"[38]\n\nThe somber clouds of persecution were gathering and thickening about\nthe devoted people. Under counsel from their leaders the people\nprepared once again to leave their homes; and this time they resolved\nto go beyond the boundaries of civilization. A general exodus was\nimminent; and as early as February, 1846, this had begun. Most of\nthe Saints, however, remained for a short time; and with these the\ncompletion of the Temple was the main purpose and object of life.\nThough they knew the sacred edifice would soon be abandoned, they\nlabored diligently to complete it, even to the smallest detail.\n\nBy October, 1845, the building was so well advanced that large\nassemblies therein were possible. The general autumnal conference\nof the Church for that year was held within the walls; and the\ncongregation present on October 5th numbered fully five thousand souls.\nDuring December, 1845, and the early months of 1846, many of the Saints\nreceived their blessings and endowments in the Temple, for which\npurpose parts of the structure had been duly consecrated; but not until\nthe end of April was the building as a whole ready for dedication.\n\nThe Nauvoo Temple was constructed for the most part of a close-grained,\nlight-gray limestone, a material at once hard and durable, yet easily\ntooled, and therefore readily adapted to ornamental finish. The entire\nbuilding was one hundred and twenty-eight feet by eighty-eight {134}\nfeet, and sixty-five feet high in the clear. The top of the spire was\none hundred and sixty-five feet above the ground and bore the figure\nof a flying herald sounding a trumpet. The plan of construction was\nthat of a solid and stable four-walled building, two and a half stories\nhigh, with a hexagonal tower at the front rising in four terraces and a\ndome. Over the front center door, and immediately beneath the base of\nthe tower, appeared an inscription:\n\n  THE HOUSE OF THE LORD\n\n  Built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints\n\n  Holiness to the Lord\n\nOn the outside were thirty pilasters, nine on each side and six at each\nend. At its base each pilaster presented in hewn relief the crescent\nmoon, and ended above in a capital of cut stone depicting the face of\nthe sun allegorically featured, with a pair of hands holding horns.\nAbove the capitals was a frieze or cornice in which appeared thirty\nstar-stones. In the late hours of April 30, 1846, the Temple was\nprivately, yet officially, dedicated, in the presence of such general\nauthorities of the Church as could be convened. President Joseph Young\nof the First Council of Seventy offered the dedicatory prayer. The\nsemi-private character of the dedication was due to the thought that\npossibly there would be interference in a public ceremony, so active\nwas the spirit of intolerance and persecution. On the day following,\nthat is to say May 1, 1846, services of a general and public nature\nwere held in the Temple, under the direction of Elders Orson {135} Hyde\nand Wilford Woodruff of the Council of the Twelve Apostles.\n\nThe Saints had met the requirement made of them by the Lord in the\nbuilding of another House to His name. Ordinance work continued a few\nmonths more, even though the exodus of the people was in progress. In\nSeptember, 1846, the Nauvoo Temple was in possession of the mob; and\nthe people whose energy and substance, whose sweat and blood had been\nspent in its rearing, were driven into the wilderness or slain. For\ntwo years the once hallowed structure stood as an abandoned building;\nthen on November 19, 1848, it fell a prey to the wanton act of an\nincendiary. After the conflagration, only blackened walls remained\nwhere once had stood so stately a sanctuary. Strange to say, an attempt\nwas made by the Icarians, a local organization, to rebuild on the\nruins, the professed intent being to provide for a school; but while\nthe work was in its early stages a tornado demolished the greater part\nof the walls. This occurred on May 27, 1850. What remained of the\nTemple has been taken away as souvenirs or used as building material\nfor other structures. Stones of the Temple have been carried into most\nof the states of the Union and beyond the seas, but upon the site where\nonce stood the House of the Lord not one stone is left upon another.\nBefore the demolition of the Nauvoo Temple was complete, the Latter-day\nSaints had established themselves in the vales of Utah, and were\nalready preparing to build another and a greater sanctuary to the name\nand service of their God.\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n1. Doctrine and Covenants 36:8; compare Malachi 3:1.\n\n2. Doctrine and Covenants 42:36.\n\n3. See Doctrine and Covenants sec. 52; see also sec. 54.\n\n4. History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Vol. I,\np. 189.\n\n5. See Doctrine and Covenants 57:1-4.\n\n6. See \"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\"\nVol. I, p. 199; also the \"Life of Joseph Smith\" by George Q. Cannon, p.\n119; see also \"History of Utah\" by Orson F. Whitney, Vol. I, p. 91.\n\n7. Doctrine and Covenants sec. 88:119, 120.\n\n8. See Doctrine and Covenants sec. 95.\n\n9. See \"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\"\nVol. I, pp. 349, 350.\n\n10. Doctrine and Covenants 97:10-17.\n\n11. See \"Life of Joseph, the Prophet\" by Edward W. Tullidge, pp.\n187-189.\n\n12. See \"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\"\nVol. I, page 400.\n\n13. See \"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\nVol. II, pp. 205, 206.\n\n14. \"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\" Vol.\nII, pp. 368, 369.\n\n15. \"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\" Vol.\nII, pp. 380-382.\n\n16. See Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 109, where the prayer appears in\nfull.\n\n17. \"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\" Vol.\nII, pp. 427, 428.\n\n18. \"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\" Vol.\nII, p. 428.\n\n19. Doctrine and Covenants sec. 110. See also \"History of the Church of\nJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Vol. II, pp. 434-436.\n\n20. \"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\" Vol.\nII, p. 505.\n\n21. Doctrine and Covenants sec. 115:7-11.\n\n22. See \"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\"\nVol. III, pp. 41, 42.\n\n23. Doctrine and Covenants 118:5.\n\n24. Doctrine and Covenants 105:2; see also 103:23, and compare 105:8,\n9; the two sections should be read in full.\n\n25. See \"The Story of Mormonism\" by the author, p. 35.\n\n26. See Joseph Smith's Journal, April 6, 1841; see \"History of the\nChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\" Vol. IV, pp. 327-329.\n\n27. \"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\" Vol.\nIV, p. 329.\n\n28. See \"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\"\nVol. IV, p. 330.\n\n29. \"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\" Vol.\nIV, p. 331.\n\n30. See \"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\"\nVol. IV, p. 517.\n\n31. In the \"Times and Seasons\" of May 2, 1842, appeared an editorial\ndealing with the progress of work on the Temple, and this writing has\nbeen incorporated in the prophet's journal. See \"History of the Church\nof Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.\" Vol. V, pp. 608-610.\n\n32. See Doctrine and Covenants 124:28-31. For an extended extract see\npages 73-74 of this book.\n\n33. \"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\" Vol.\nIV, pp. 446, 447.\n\n34. \"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\" Vol.\nV, p. 182.\n\n35. See \"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,\"\nVol. VI, pp. 612-631; also Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 135.\n\n36. \"Historical Record,\" Salt Lake City, June, 1889, Vol. VIII, pp.\n865, 866.\n\n37. See \"Historical Record,\" Salt Lake City, June, 1889, Vol. VII, p.\n870.\n\n38. \"Historical Record,\" Vol. VII, p. 870.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI\n\nTHE GREAT TEMPLE AT SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH--HISTORICAL\n\n{136} Where in 1847 nought but a wilderness of sagebrush and sunflowers\nstretched from the Wasatch barrier westward toward the shores of the\ngreat salt sea, now appears a stately city, even as was then foreseen\nin prophetic vision. On the site selected but four days after the\nadvent of the pioneer band of \"Mormon\" colonizers, stands a massive\nstructure, dedicated to the name of the Most High. It is at once an\nobject of wonder and admiration to the visitor, and a subject of\nsanctifying joy and righteous pride to the people whose sacrifice and\neffort have given it being.\n\nOn the east center tower appears an inscription, the letters deep-cut\nin stone and lined with gold:\n\n  Holiness to the Lord\n  THE HOUSE OF THE LORD\n  Built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints\n  Commenced April 6, 1853\n  Completed April 6, 1893\n\nIn one of the upper rooms a splendid art window presents an excellent\nview of the completed building, with side inscriptions as follows:\n\n  {137} Corner stone laid April 6, 1853, by\n  President Brigham Young\n  Assisted by his Counselors\n  Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards\n\n  Dedicated April 6, 1893, by\n  President Wilford Woodruff\n  Assisted by his Counselors\n  George Q. Cannon, Joseph F. Smith\n\nThese memorial tablets in stone and jeweled glass give the essentials\nas to dates in the history of the great Temple; some further data,\nhowever, may be of interest to the reader.\n\nThe Temple Block, a square of ten acres, was laid off in 1847, and\nis today one of the choicest sites within the city. At the General\nConference of the Church held in April, 1851, an official vote was\ntaken whereby the erection of the Temple was authorized. Be it\nremembered that this action was that of a people despoiled and in\npoverty, struggling with the unsubdued desert, the while menaced by\nhostile savages; and that at the time the entire population of Utah\ndid not exceed thirty thousand souls, of whom fewer than five thousand\nwere living within the area of the prospective city. A general epistle\nissued by the First Presidency of the Church, April 7, 1851, is\ninstructive in this connection:\n\n    \"A railroad has been chartered to extend from the Temple Block in\n    this city to the stone quarry and mountain on the east, for the\n    conveyance of building materials; the construction to commence\n    immediately. * * * We contemplate laying a wall around the Temple\n    Block this season, preparatory to laying the foundation of a Temple\n    {138} the year following; and this we will be sure to do, if all\n    the Saints shall prove themselves as ready to pay their tithing,\n    and sacrifice and consecrate of their substance, as freely as we\n    will; and if the Saints do not pay their tithing, we can neither\n    build nor prepare for building; and if there shall be no Temple\n    built, the Saints can have no endowments, and if they do not\n    receive their endowments, they can never attain unto that salvation\n    they are anxiously looking for.\"[1]\n\nIt had been decided to surround the entire block by a substantial\nwall. The beginning of work on this enclosure was deferred through\nlack of material and men until August 3, 1852; but from that date\nit progressed with fair rapidity, and on May 23, 1857, the wall\nwas finished, practically as it now stands. It extends a full city\nblock,--one eighth of a mile in each of its four directions; and, it is\ninteresting to note, these dimensions are practically the same as those\nwhich, according to Josephus, enclosed the grounds on which stood the\nTemple of Herod.[2] The wall has a base of cut stone,--a red sandstone\nfrom the mountains on the east; the base is four feet in height, and\nsupports courses of adobes which extend ten feet higher; then follows a\ncoping of red sandstone one foot in thickness, giving the wall a total\nheight of fifteen feet. The adobes are hidden by a durable dressing of\ncement. Passage to and from the square is provided for by large gates\nin the center of each of the four sides. When this wall was built,\nCity Creek ran through Temple Block; the stream is now confined to a\nstraight channel north of the block; and the arches under which the\nstream once passed may be seen in the base of the wall both on the east\nand west sides.\n\n{139} The construction of the wall, in itself a great and costly\nundertaking for people situated as were its builders, was but an\nincident to the greater labor of erecting the Temple. Interest in the\nwork was never allowed to flag; it was the theme of both poet and\npreacher, and the ever-pressing duty was kept in public view. The\npeople were given to understand that the commission to build the Lord's\nHouse was theirs, and not that of their leaders alone.\n\nThe site was dedicated and ground first broken for the foundation\nFebruary 14, 1853. The occasion was a notable one, and was observed\nby the Saints as a day of general rejoicing. Between the date of\nbreaking ground and the time of the next succeeding conference of the\nChurch, preparations for the laying of the corner-stones were carried\non with determination and vigor. The glad event occurred on the 6th\nof April, 1853--the twenty-third anniversary of the organization of\nthe Church,--and was celebrated by the people with such evidences of\nthanksgiving and genuine joy as assured their devotion to the work so\nauspiciously begun. Civic and military bodies took part; there were\nprocessions with bands of music, and solemn services with prayer.\nThe mayor of the city was marshal of the day; the city police served\nas a guard of honor, and the territorial militia marched with the\ncongregation of the Saints. The placing of the corner-stones was\ncelebrated as an accomplished triumph, though but a beginning.\n\nLet it not be imagined that the work was carried through without\nhindrance or set-back. The foundation was commenced at the south-east\ncorner June 16, 1853, and was completed July 23, 1855. A course of\nrubble {140} was laid on the actual foundation and this was succeeded\nby courses of flagstone. The work had gone forward but slowly, when, in\n1857, a serious interruption occurred. At that time the people prepared\nto abandon their homes, temporarily at least, and seek an abiding place\nelsewhere in the desert. The cause of the portending exodus was the\napproach of an armed force sent by the United States government to\nsubdue an alleged rebellion in Utah. This military movement had been\nordered through an utter misunderstanding of facts, based on vicious\nmisrepresentation. The coming of the soldiery had been heralded with\ndire threats of violence; and while the people knew themselves innocent\nof any act of disloyalty toward the government or its officers, they\nhad not forgotten the harrowing scenes of organized persecution in\nMissouri and Illinois, due to misapprehension, and they preferred the\nuncertainties of the desert to the dread alternative of a possible\nrepetition of the past. In the saddening preparations for departure,\nthe people carefully covered the foundation work on the site of the\nTemple; excavations were re-filled, and every vestige of masonry was\nobscured. At that time no part of the foundation had been carried above\nground-level. When the covering-up process was complete, the site\nshowed nothing more attractive than a remote resemblance to the barren\nstretch of a roughly plowed field.\n\nIt is pleasing to note that a peaceable adjustment between the army\nand the people was effected. The Saints returned to their homes; and\nthe soldiers established a camp,--afterward to become a post,--at a\ndistance of forty miles from the city.[3]\n\n{141} The interruption in building operations thus occasioned was\nfollowed by a short period of comparative inactivity, after the\nreturn of the people. The foundations were uncovered; but, before the\nresumption of stone-laying, it was found that the rubble overlying the\nfoundation proper and immediately under the flagstone layers seemed to\nhave less stability than was required; and straightway both flagging\nand rubble were removed. Stone of best quality was substituted, and\nthe work of actual construction was continued with renewed energy. The\nreconstruction was a work of years.\n\nThe temple enclosure was for a brief period the communal center of\nmechanical industry,--the one great work-shop of the intermountain\ncommonwealth. The Church had established there its public works,\ncomprising a power plant in which the energy of City Creek was\nharnessed to the wheel, air-blast equipment, iron foundry, and machine\nshops for the working of both wood and metal.[4] Much of the work here\ndone had no connection with the extensive building operations on Temple\nBlock.\n\nBeside the interruptions and delays already noted, other hindrances\nwere inevitable, and, under the best of conditions progress could be\nbut slow. Not until years after the \"move\" incident to the entrance\nof the federal soldiery, had the material of the main structure\nbeen decided upon. As far back as the October conference of 1852\nthe question of material had been considered. Oolite {142} from the\nquarries in Sanpete County, red sandstone from the hills near-by,\nadobes with intermixed pebbles,--each had been suggested; and the\nmatter was brought to vote, though it must be admitted, the question\npresented was somewhat indefinite in form. At the forenoon session\nof the conference on October 9, 1852, President Heber C. Kimball\nsubmitted the question: \"Shall we have the Temple built of stone from\nRed Butte, adobes, rock, or the best stone the mountains afford?\" In\nreply a resolution was adopted by unanimous vote to the effect \"that\nwe build a Temple of the best materials that can be obtained in the\nmountains of North America, and that the Presidency dictate where the\nstone and other materials shall be obtained.\" The action is significant\nas showing the faith, reliance, and determination of the people. The\nTemple they were about to rear should be in every particular the best\nthe people could produce. This modern House of the Lord was to be no\ntemporary structure, nor of small proportions, nor of poor material,\nnor of mean or inadequate design. It was known at the outset that the\nbuilding could not be finished for many a long year, for decades,\nperhaps, and by that time this colony would have become a commonwealth,\nthe few would have grown to a multitude of souls. The Temple was to be\nworthy of the great future. Sandstone, oolite, adobe blocks, each and\nall were considered, and in turn rejected. The decision was to this\neffect,--the walls should be of solid granite. An enormous deposit\nof this durable stone had been discovered in the Cottonwood canyons,\ntwenty miles to the south-east, and to those faith-impelled people it\nwas enough to know that suitable material was available. At whatever\ncost of toil {143} and sacrifice, at whatever toll of self-denial and\nsuffering, it should be procured.\n\nThe so-called \"temple granite\" is in reality a syenite, and occurs\nas an immense laccolith in the Cottonwood section of the Wasatch.\nThe erosion of long ages had cut deep canyons through the eruptive\nmass; and glaciers, descending with irresistible force, had dislodged\nand transported countless boulders, many of them of colossal size.\nThese isolated blocks, known as erratics, furnished the supply of\nbuilding stone; it was not found necessary to quarry into the granite\nmountain-mass in place. In the canyon the boulders were divided mostly\nby the use of hand-drills and wedges, though low power explosives were\nused to a small extent. The rough blocks were conveyed at first by\nox-teams; four yoke were required for each block, and every trip was a\nlabored journey of three or four days. A canal for the conveyance of\nthe rock by water was projected, and, indeed, work thereon was begun,\nbut the plan was abandoned as the prospect of railroad transportation\nbecame more certain.\n\nThe plan of the building was given by Brigham Young, President of the\nChurch, and the structural details were worked out under his direction\nby the Church architect--Truman O. Angell. A description by the latter\nwas published as early as 1854, both in Utah[5] and abroad.[6] {144}\nFor convenience of comparison with the details of actual construction\nas now appear, this early announcement of what was then to be is here\nreproduced:\n\n    \"The Temple Block is forty rods square, the lines running north and\n    south, east and west, and contains ten acres. The center of the\n    Temple is one hundred and fifty-six feet six inches due west from\n    the center of the east line of the block. The length of said House,\n    east and west, is one hundred and eighty-six and a half feet,\n    including towers, and the width ninety-nine feet. On the east end\n    there are three towers, as also on the west. Draw a line north and\n    south one hundred and eighteen and a half feet through the center\n    of the towers, and you have the north and south extent of ground\n    plan, including pedestal.\n\n    \"We depress into the earth, at the east end, to the depth of\n    sixteen feet, and enlarge all around beyond the lines of wall three\n    feet for a footing.\n\n    \"The north and south walls are eight feet thick, clear of pedestal;\n    they stand upon a footing of sixteen feet wall, on its bearing,\n    which slopes three feet on each side to the height of seven and a\n    half feet. The footing of the towers rises to the same height as\n    the side, and is one solid piece of masonry of rough ashlars, laid\n    in good lime mortar.\n\n    \"The basement of the main building is divided into many rooms by\n    walls, all having footings. The line of the basement floor is six\n    inches above the top of the footing. From the tower on the east to\n    the tower on the west, the face of the earth slopes six feet; four\n    inches above the earth on the east line, begins a promenade walk,\n    from eleven to twenty-two feet wide, around the entire building,\n    and approached by stone steps on all sides.\n\n    \"There are four towers on the four corners of the building, each\n    starting from their footing, of twenty-six feet square; these\n    continue sixteen and a half feet and come to the line of the base\n    string course, which is eight feet above the promenade walk. At\n    this point the towers are reduced to twenty-five feet square; they\n    then continue to the height of thirty-eight feet, or the height\n    of the second string course. At this point they are reduced to\n    twenty-three feet square; they then continue thirty-eight feet\n    high, to the third string course. The string courses continue all\n    around the building, except when separated by buttresses. These\n    string courses are massive mouldings from solid blocks of stone.\n\n    \"The two east towers then rise twenty-five feet to a string course,\n    or cornice. The two west towers rise nineteen feet and come to\n    their string course or cornice. The four towers then {145} rise\n    nine feet to the top of battlements. These towers are cylindrical,\n    having seventeen feet diameter inside, within which stairs ascend\n    around a solid column four feet in diameter, allowing landings at\n    the various sections of the building. These towers have each five\n    ornamental windows on two sides, above the basement. The two center\n    towers occupy the center of the east and west ends of the building,\n    starting from their footings thirty-one feet square, and break off\n    in sections in line with the corner towers to the height of the\n    third string course. The east center tower then rises forty feet\n    to the top of battlements; the west center tower rises thirty-four\n    feet to the top of battlements. All the towers have spires, the\n    details of which are not decided on.\n\n    \"All these towers, at their corners, have octagon turrets,\n    terminated by octagon pinnacles five feet diameter at base, four\n    feet at first story, and three feet from there up. There are also\n    on each side of these towers two buttresses, except when they come\n    in contact with the body of the main building. The top of these\n    buttresses show forty-eight in number, and stand upon pedestals.\n    The space between the buttresses and turrets is two feet at first\n    story. On the front of two center towers are two large windows,\n    each thirty-two feet high, one above the other, neatly prepared for\n    that place.\n\n    \"On the two west corner towers, and on the west end, a few feet\n    below the top of battlements, may be seen in bold or alto relievo,\n    the great dipper, or Ursa Major, with the pointers ranging nearly\n    towards the North Star. (Moral, the lost may find themselves by the\n    Priesthood.)\n\n    \"I will now glance at the main body of the House. I have before\n    stated that the basement was divided into many rooms. The center\n    one is arranged for a baptismal font, and is fifty-seven feet long\n    by thirty-five feet wide, separated from the main wall by four\n    rooms, two on each side, nineteen feet long by twelve wide. On the\n    east and west sides of these rooms are four passages twelve feet\n    wide; these lead to and from by outside doors, two on the north\n    and two on the south. Further east and west from these passages\n    are four more rooms, two at each end, twenty-eight feet wide by\n    thirty-eight and one-half long. These and their walls occupy the\n    basement. All the walls start off their footings, and rise sixteen\n    and one-half feet, and there stop with ground ceiling.\n\n    \"We are now up to the line of the base string course, eight\n    feet above the promenade, or steps rising to the Temple, which\n    terminates the cope of pedestal, and to the first floor of said\n    House. This room is joined to the outer courts, these courts being\n    the width between towers, sixteen feet by nine in the clear. We\n    ascend to the floors of these courts (they being on a line with\n    first floor of main house) by four flights of stone steps nine and\n    one-half feet wide, arranged in the basement work; the first {146}\n    step ranging to the outer line of towers. From these courts doors\n    admit to any part of the building.\n\n    \"The size of the first large room is one hundred and twenty\n    feet long by eighty feet wide; the height reaches nearly to the\n    second string course. The room is arched over in the center\n    with an elliptical arch which drops at its flank ten feet, and\n    has thirty-eight feet span. The side ceilings have one-fourth\n    elliptical arches which start from the side walls of the main\n    building, sixteen feet high, and terminate at the capitals of the\n    columns or foot of center arch, at the height of twenty-four feet.\n    The columns obtain their bearings direct from the footings of said\n    house; these columns extend up to support the floor above.\n\n    \"The outside walls of this story are seven feet thick. The space\n    from the termination of the foot of the center arch to the outer\n    wall, is divided into sixteen compartments, eight on each side,\n    making rooms fourteen feet by fourteen, clear of partitions, and\n    ten feet high, leaving a passage six feet wide next to each flank\n    of center arch, which is approached from the ends, These rooms are\n    each lighted by an elliptical or oval window, whose major axis is\n    vertical.\n\n    \"The second large room is one foot wider than the room below; this\n    is in consequence of the wall being but six feet thick, falling\n    off six inches on the inner, and six on the outer side. The second\n    string course provides for this on the outside. The rooms of\n    this story are similar to those below. The side walls have nine\n    buttresses on a side, and have eight tiers of windows, five on each\n    tier.\n\n    \"The foot of the basement windows are eight inches above the\n    promenade, rise three feet perpendicular, and terminate with a\n    semi-circular head. The first story windows have twelve feet length\n    of sash, to top of semi-circular head. The oval windows have\n    six and one-half feet length of sash. The windows of the second\n    story are the same as those below. All these frames have four and\n    one-half feet width of sash.\n\n    \"The pedestals under all the buttresses project at their base two\n    feet; above their base, which is fifteen inches by four and a half\n    feet wide, on each front, is a figure of a globe three feet eleven\n    inches across, whose axis corresponds with the axis of the earth.\n\n    \"The base string course forms a cope for those pedestals. Above\n    this cope the buttresses are three and a half feet, and continue to\n    the height of one hundred feet. Above the promenade, close under\n    the second string course, on each of the buttresses, is the moon,\n    represented in its different phases. Close under the third string\n    course, or cornice, is the face of the sun. Immediately above is\n    Saturn with her rings. The buttresses terminate with a projected\n    cope.\n\n    {147} \"The only difference between the tower buttresses, and the\n    one just described is, instead of Saturn being on them, we have\n    clouds and rays of light descending downwards.\n\n    \"All of these symbols are to be chiseled in bas-relief on solid\n    stone. The side walls continue above the string course, or cornice,\n    eight and a half feet, making the walls ninety-six feet high, and\n    are formed in battlements, interspersed with stars.\n\n    \"The roof is quite flat, rising only eight feet, and is to be\n    covered with galvanized iron, or some other metal. The building is\n    to be otherwise ornamented in many places. The whole structure is\n    designed to symbolize some of the great architectural work above.\n\n    \"The basement windows recede in, from the face of outer wall to\n    sash frame, eighteen inches, and are relieved by a large caveto.\n    Those windows above the base recede from face of wall to sash\n    frame, three feet, and are surrounded by stone jambs formed in\n    mouldings, and surmounted by labels over each, which terminate at\n    their horizon, excepting the oval windows, whose labels terminate\n    on columns which extend from an enriched string course, at the foot\n    of each window, to the center of major axis.\n\n    \"My chief object in the last paragraph is to show to the judgment\n    of any who may be baffled, how those windows can be come at, etc.\n    All the windows in the towers are moulded, and have stone jambs;\n    each being crowned with label mouldings.\n\n    \"For further particulars, wait till the House is done, then come\n    and see it.\n\n    \"The whole House covers an area of twenty-one thousand eight\n    hundred and fifty feet.\"\n\nThe entrance of the Union Pacific Railway into Utah, in 1868, served\ntemporarily to retard work on the Temple, as the call for laborers on\nthe great trans-continental line was deemed imperative. Eventually,\nhowever, the activity in railroad construction operated as a great\nassistance in the undertaking; for, to the main line, branches\nsucceeded; and, by 1873, a side line had reached the granite quarries.\nFrom the city station a track was constructed up South Temple Street,\nand into Temple Block.\n\nThe work of construction proceeded so slowly as to {148} arouse a\nfeeling akin to impatience in the hearts of over-anxious Saints,\nand mild restraint was called for. At other times gentle urging was\nnecessary. The work was apportioned to the people of the Territory,\nwhich, for convenience, was divided into temple districts. Stakes and\nwards and quorums of the Priesthood were assigned their parts, and an\neffective system of divided labor and responsibility was developed.[7]\n\nPresident Brigham Young died in 1877, at which time the granite walls\nof the Temple had reached a height of about twenty feet above ground.\nDuring the administration of his successor, President John Taylor, the\nwork was continued without important interruption for another decade,\nand thereafter was urged with even greater vigor under the direction of\nWilford Woodruff, the next President of the Church. As the concluding\nlaps of a race are generally marked by increased energy incident to\nthe final spurt--the supreme effort to reach, the end in glory and\ntriumph, as in a powerful drama, interest becomes more intense, and\naction more concentrated with the approach of the finale, so, in this\ngreat undertaking, the fact that the end was looming above the horizon\nof sight called forth redoubled energies on the part of the people.\nWhen the granite had risen to the square, and when the spires began\nto appear in place, a feeling of almost feverish anxiety was manifest\nthroughout the Church.\n\nLAYING OF THE CAPSTONE\n\n{149} The sixth day of April, 1892, was determined upon as the date for\nplacing in position the capstone of the Temple, and the announcement\nwas hailed with joy in every ward and branch of the Church, and in\nevery household of the Saints.\n\nThe day marked the close of the annual Conference, and was hallowed\nby all the observances of solemn assembly. As a preliminary to the\nprincipal ceremony, a vast congregation had assembled in the Tabernacle\nat an early hour, and in this the several organizations of the\nPriesthood occupied distinctive places on the main floor while the\ngalleries were reserved for the accommodation of the general public.\nAt the close of an impressive service, the multitude proceeded in\nformal procession to the open space on the south side of the Temple,\nwhere a temporary platform had been erected with the flag of the nation\nwaving above. An adjoining stand accommodated the choir, which numbered\nover two hundred singers. There was band music of the highest order,\nand every essential element of fervent worship combined with joyous\ncelebration had been provided.\n\nOver forty thousand people were gathered within the confines of Temple\nBlock; and other thousands, unable to find a place in the great square,\nstood in the streets or looked down from roofs and windows of adjoining\nbuildings. It is of record unchallenged that this assembly was the\nlargest ever known in Utah. At high noon the special service was begun.\nThe music of both band and choir, the marches, and anthems, and hymns,\nhad been specially composed for the joyous occasion. The prayer was\n{150} offered by President Joseph F. Smith, of the First Presidency,\nand the great \"Amen\" was echoed by two score thousand throats. A hymn\nfollowed; and then the venerable President of the Church, Wilford\nWoodruff, stepped to the front and announced that the auspicious\nmoment, so long awaited, had arrived. These were his ringing words:\n\n    \"Attention all ye house of Israel, and all ye nations of the\n    earth! We will now lay the top-stone of the Temple of our God, the\n    foundation of which was laid and dedicated by the Prophet, Seer,\n    and Revelator, Brigham Young.\"\n\nAt this juncture the president closed an electric circuit on the stand,\nand the granite hemisphere, forming the highest block of the great\nTemple, slowly descended into position. Then followed a scene the\nlike of which is never enacted by this people except on occasions of\nextraordinary solemnity, namely, the rendering of the sacred Hosanna\nshout. Led by Lorenzo Snow, President of the Council of the Twelve\nApostles, the forty thousand Saints shouted as with the voice of one:\n\n    \"Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna! to God and the Lamb! Amen! Amen! Amen!\"\n\nThis was repeated thrice, each shout accompanied by the waving of white\nkerchiefs.\n\nFrom the roof of the building came the voice of the\narchitect-in-charge, J. Don Carlos Young, declaring that the capstone\nwas duly laid, and choir and congregation broke forth in triumphant\nsong:\n\n  {151} \"The Spirit of God like a fire is burning!\n        The latter-day glory begins to come forth;\n  The visions and blessings of old are returning,\n        And angels are coming to visit the earth.\n  We'll sing and we'll shout with the armies of heaven,\n        Hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb!\n  Let glory to them in the highest be given,\n        Henceforth and forever; Amen and Amen!\"\n\nElder Francis M. Lyman of the Council of the Twelve then proposed the\nadoption of the resolution presented below:\n\n    \"Believing that the instruction of President Woodruff, respecting\n    the early completion of the Salt Lake Temple, is the word of the\n    Lord unto us, I propose that this assemblage pledge themselves,\n    collectively and individually, to furnish, as fast as it may be\n    needed, all the money that may be required to complete the Temple\n    at the earliest time possible, so that the dedication may take\n    place on April 6th, 1893.\"\n\nThe adoption was manifested by a deafening shout from the assembled\nmultitude, accompanied by the raising of hands. The final anthem was\nthe glorious \"Song of the Redeemed\"--particularly appropriate to the\nhour; and the benediction was pronounced by President George Q. Cannon.\n\nThe topstone and the granite block upon which it immediately rests\nform a sphere. Within the lower half a cavity had been prepared; and\nin this were placed certain books and other articles, so that, as\nthe capstone was laid, it formed a secure and massive lid to this\nstone receptacle. The stone contains a copy of the Holy Bible, Book\nof Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Voice of Warning, {152} Spencer's\nLetters, Key to Theology, Hymn Book, Compendium, Pearl of Great Price,\nand some other books; also photographs of Joseph and Hyrum Smith,\nBrigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, George Q. Cannon, and\nJoseph F. Smith, a photograph of the Temple as it appeared at the\ntime; and, in addition, an engraved tablet of copper setting forth the\nprincipal dates in the history of the building and bearing the names of\nthe general authorities of the Church as they stood April 6, 1853, and\nas constituted at the time of the capstone ceremony, April 6, 1892.\n\nLater in the day, the top-stone was surmounted by the great statue--a\nfigure intended to represent Moroni, the heavenly messenger who\nministered to the youthful prophet, Joseph Smith, in 1823. The figure,\nover twelve feet in height, is of copper heavily gilded. It is in the\nform of a herald with a trumpet at his lips.[8]\n\nCOMPLETION OF THE BUILDING AND ITS DEDICATION\n\nThe adoption of a plan or the formal passing of a resolution by vote is\nan easy matter, compared with which the working out of that plan, the\nachieving of what was provided for by the vote, may be a gigantic task.\nSuch was the contrast between the action of the assembled multitude\non the 6th of April, 1892, and the work accomplished in the year that\nfollowed.\n\nWhen the capstone of the Temple was laid, the scene inside the walls\nwas that of chaos and confusion. To finish the interior within a year\nappeared a practical impossibility. The task the people had taken upon\nthemselves {153} was almost superhuman. Nevertheless, they considered\nthe instruction to complete the building within the specified time\nto be verily the word of the Lord unto them, and they remembered\nthe utterance of the ancient prophet, \"I know that the Lord giveth\nno commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a\nway for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth\nthem.\"[9] The Saints regarded their act of voting to be equivalent to\nthe affixing of their individual signatures to a note of promise. As\nto how well they met their obligation and kept their promise, let the\nachievement of the year speak.\n\nThe people had pledged themselves \"collectively and individually\nto furnish as fast as it may be needed, all the money that may be\nrequired to complete the Temple at as early a time as possible, so\nthat the dedication may take place on April 6, 1893.\" The pledge\nwas met in full. Under date of April 21, 1892, the First Presidency\nissued a general epistle addressed to the Latter-day Saints in Zion\nand throughout the world, directing that the people gather in their\nplaces of worship on Sunday, the first day of May, and devote the\nday to solemn fasting and prayer. To this call the people responded\nfaithfully. Mingled with their thanksgiving for the manifold blessings\nof the past, were fervent supplications for success in the work of\ncompleting the Lord's House within the time prescribed.[10]\n\nIn the work of finishing the Temple, it was all-important that there be\na competent, responsible man in charge, {154} who should be invested\nwith executive authority in every department of the labor. While the\nFirst Presidency and the Council of the Twelve retained in their hands\nthe directing power, they needed an agent who could be trusted to\nact with promptness, decision, and authority on every question that\nshould arise. The choice of the presiding authorities for a man to fill\nthis responsible position fell upon John R. Winder, who was at that\ntime Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, and who afterward\nbecame First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church. At\nthe time of his appointment to the responsible position of General\nSuperintendent of Temple Work, April 16, 1892, President Winder was in\nhis seventy-second year, yet he possessed the energy and activity of\nyouth, combined with the wisdom and discretion that age alone can give.\nUnder his efficient supervision, work on the interior of the Temple\nprogressed at a rate that surprised even the workers. Laborers of all\nclasses, mechanics, masons, plasterers, carpenters, glaziers, plumbers,\npainters, decorators, artisans and artificers of every kind, were put\nto work. The people verily believed that a power above that of man was\noperating to assist them in their great undertaking. Material, much of\nwhich was of special manufacture, came in from the east and the west,\nwith few of the usual delays of transit.\n\nHeating and lighting systems were installed; and this installation\nnecessitated the erection of a boiler house, with all accessories of\nequipment. Moreover, the Annex had to be built. At this point it may\nbe well to explain that each of the Temples in Utah is connected with\na separate structure, known as the Annex,--in the nature of {155} an\nante-building,--in which preliminary services are held, and wherein\nrecord is made of the ordinance work to be done by the parties present,\nbefore they are permitted to enter the Temple on the day of service.\nThe Annex to the Temple in Salt Lake City stands about one hundred feet\nnorth from the main structure.\n\nEven as late as one month prior to the date set for the dedication,\nthere was so much yet to be done, as to make many feel that for once\nat least, the people had been mistaken in their belief that the Lord\nhad spoken, and that the completion of the work by the time set,\nwas a physical impossibility. On the 18th of March, 1893, the First\nPresidency issued the following epistle:\n\n    \"_To the Officers and Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of\n    Latter-day Saints_:\n\n    \"The near approach of the date for the dedication of the Temple\n    of our God moves us to express with some degree of fulness our\n    feelings to our brethren, the officers of the Church, who with us\n    bear the Priesthood of the Son of God, and to the Latter-day Saints\n    generally; to the end that in entering that holy building we may\n    all be found acceptable ourselves, with our households, and that\n    the building which we shall dedicate may also be acceptable unto\n    the Lord.\n\n    \"The Latter-day Saints have used their means freely to erect other\n    Temples in these valleys, and our Father has blessed us in our\n    efforts. Today we enjoy the great happiness of having three of\n    these sacred structures completed, dedicated to and accepted of the\n    Lord, wherein the Saints can enter and attend to those ordinances\n    which He, in His infinite goodness and kindness, has revealed.\n    But for forty years the hopes, desires, and anticipations of the\n    entire Church have been centered upon the completion of this\n    edifice in the principal city of Zion. Its foundation was laid in\n    the early days of our settlement in these mountains; and from that\n    day until the present, the eyes of the members of the Church in\n    every land have been lovingly directed toward it. Looking upon it\n    as the Temple of temples, the people during all these years have\n    labored with unceasing toil, undiminished patience, and ungrudging\n    expenditure of means to bring it to its present condition of\n    completion; and now that the toils and the sacrifices of forty\n    years are crowned so successfully and happily, {156} now that the\n    great building is at last finished and ready to be used for divine\n    purposes, need we say that we draw near an event whose consummation\n    is to us as a people momentous in the highest degree? Far-reaching\n    in its consequence, as that occasion is certain to be, what remains\n    for us to say in order to impress the entire Church with a sense of\n    its tremendous importance?\n\n    \"On this point, surely nothing; yet may we offer a few words upon a\n    phase that directly touches it. No member of the Church who would\n    be deemed worthy to enter that sacred house can be considered\n    ignorant of the principles of the Gospel. It is not too much to\n    presume that every one knows what his duty is to God and to his\n    fellowman. None is so forgetful as to have lost sight of the\n    admonition that we must be filled with love for and charity toward\n    our brethren. And hence none can for a moment doubt the supreme\n    importance of every member of the congregation being at peace with\n    all his or her brethren and sisters, and at peace with God. How\n    else can we hope to gain the blessings He has promised save by\n    complying with the requirements for which those blessings are the\n    reward?\n\n    \"Can men and women who are violating a law of God, or those who are\n    derelict in yielding obedience to His commands, expect that the\n    mere going into His holy house and taking part in its dedication\n    will render them worthy to receive, and cause them to receive, His\n    blessing?\n\n    \"Do they think that repentance and turning away from sin may be so\n    lightly dispensed with?\n\n    \"Do they dare, even in thought, thus to accuse our Father of\n    injustice and partiality, and attribute to Him carelessness in the\n    fulfilment of His own words?\n\n    \"Assuredly no one claiming to belong to His people would be guilty\n    of such a thing.\n\n    \"Then must those who are unworthy cease to expect a blessing from\n    their attendance at the Temple while sin unrepented of still casts\n    its odor about them, and while bitterness or even an unforgiving\n    coolness exists in their hearts against their brethren and sisters.\n\n    \"On this latter subject we feel that much might be said. In the\n    striving after compliance with the apparently weightier matters\n    of the law, there is a possibility that the importance of this\n    spirit of love and kindness and charity may be underestimated. For\n    ourselves, we cannot think of any precept that at present requires\n    more earnest inculcation.\n\n    \"During the past eighteen months there has been a division of the\n    Latter-day Saints upon national party lines. Political campaigns\n    have been conducted, elections have been held, and feelings, more\n    or less intense, have been engendered in the minds of brethren and\n    sisters upon one side and the other.\n\n    {157} \"We have been cognizant of conduct and have heard of many\n    expressions that have been very painful to us and have grieved our\n    spirits.\n\n    \"We know they have been an offense unto the God of peace and love,\n    and a stumbling block unto many of the Saints.\n\n    \"We feel now that a time for reconciliation has come; that before\n    entering into the Temple to present ourselves before the Lord in\n    solemn assembly, we shall divest ourselves of every harsh and\n    unkind feeling against each other; that not only our bickerings\n    shall cease, but that the cause of them shall be removed, and every\n    sentiment that prompted and has maintained them shall be dispelled;\n    that we shall confess our sins one to another, and ask forgiveness\n    one of another; that we shall plead with the Lord for the spirit\n    of repentance, and, having obtained it, follow its promptings; so\n    that in humbling ourselves before Him and seeking forgiveness from\n    each other, we shall yield that charity and generosity to those who\n    crave our forgiveness that we ask for and expect from heaven.\n\n    \"Thus may we come up into the holy place with our hearts free from\n    guile and our souls prepared for the edification that is promised!\n    Thus shall our supplications, undisturbed by a thought of discord,\n    unitedly mount into the ears of Jehovah and draw down the choice\n    blessings of the God of Heaven!\n\n    \"As your brethren, sustained by your vote and in your faith as\n    the First Presidency of the Church, we have this to say to the\n    Latter-day Saints, in our individual as well as our official\n    capacity: If there is a single member of the Church who has\n    feelings against us, we do not wish to cross the threshold of the\n    Temple until we have satisfied him and have removed from him all\n    cause of feeling, either by explanation or by making proper amends\n    and atonement; neither would we wish to enter the sacred portals\n    of that edifice until we have sought an explanation, or amends,\n    or atonement, from any against whom we may have either a real or\n    fancied grievance.\n\n    \"In now announcing this course for ourselves, we say to all the\n    other officers of the Church that we desire them to follow our\n    example. We wish them from the highest to the lowest and throughout\n    all the stakes and wards of Zion to take heed of this counsel.\n    Let them invite all who may have feelings against them to come\n    forward and make them known; let them then endeavor to correct any\n    misapprehensions or misunderstandings which may exist, or give\n    redress for any wrong or injury that may have been done.\n\n    \"We say the same--and when the officers have taken the course\n    indicated we wish them to say the same--to the individual members\n    of the Church. We call upon them to seek to have the fellowship\n    of their brethren and their sisters, and their entire confidence\n    and love; above all to seek to have the fellowship and {158}\n    union of the Holy Ghost. Let this spirit be sought and cherished\n    as diligently within the smallest and humblest family circle, as\n    within the membership of the highest organization and quorum. Let\n    it permeate the hearts of the brothers and sisters, the parents\n    and children of the household, as well as the hearts of the First\n    Presidency and Twelve. Let it mellow and soften all differences\n    between members of the Stake Presidencies and the High Councils,\n    as well as between neighbors living in the same ward. Let it unite\n    young and old, male and female, flock and shepherd, people and\n    Priesthood, in the bounds of gratitude and forgiveness and love, so\n    that Israel may feel approved of the Lord, and that we may all come\n    before Him with a conscience void of offense before all men. Then\n    there will be no disappointment as to the blessings promised those\n    who sincerely worship Him. The sweet whisperings of the Holy Spirit\n    will be given to them and the treasures of heaven, the communion of\n    angels, will be added from time to time, for His promise has gone\n    forth and it cannot fail!\n\n    \"Asking God's blessing upon you all in your endeavor to carry out\n    this counsel, and desirous of seeing it take the form of a united\n    effort on the part of the whole people, we suggest that Saturday,\n    March 25, 1893, be set apart as a day of fasting and prayer. On\n    that occasion we advise that the Presidencies of Stakes, the High\n    Councils, the Bishops and their Counselors, meet together with the\n    Saints in their several meeting houses, confess their sins one to\n    another, and draw out from the people all feelings of anger, of\n    distrust, or of unfriendliness that may have found a lodgment; so\n    that entire confidence may then and there be restored and love from\n    this time prevail through all the congregations of the Saints.\"\n\nIt was evident that the authorities of the Church realized the\nimportance of preparing for the great event of the dedication in other\nways than by material construction and costly furnishings. The hearts\nof the people had to be made ready; it was necessary that Israel\nbe sanctified. Throughout the length and breadth of Zion there was\na general cleansing of mind and soul; enmity was buried; bickering\nceased; differences between brethren were adjusted; offenses were\natoned and forgiven; a veritable jubilee was celebrated.\n\nThe finishing touches to the interior of the building {159} were made\nlate in the afternoon of April 5th, and in the evening of that day, the\nTemple was thrown open to general inspection. Not only were members\nof the Church admitted; many honorable men and women who had never\naffiliated with the Church were invited to the number of over one\nthousand, and they passed through the Temple from basement to top. In\nview of the current belief that the Temples of the Latter-day Saints\nare never open to the gaze of non-members, this fact is of significant\nimportance.\n\nOn the morning of the 6th of April, 1893, Wilford Woodruff, President\nof the Church, led the way through the south-west door into the sacred\nprecincts. The event has been not inaptly likened to that of Joshua\nleading Israel into the promised land. The venerable President was\nfollowed by the rest of the general authorities of the Church, and\nthese in turn by other Church officials and such members as had been\nspecially designated to take part in the first dedication service.\nOf the tens of thousands of Saints who desired to be present, whose\nrightful privilege it was to attend, and who had contributed of their\nsubstance to the building of the greatest Temple of modern times, but\nfew could be accommodated on the day of dedication. The assembly room,\nwhich with its vestries occupies the entire upper floor, had been\nfurnished with seating accommodations for two thousand two hundred\nand fifty-two persons. It was arranged, therefore, that services be\nrepeated twice daily, to continue from April 6th until all who were\nentitled to admission had had opportunity to be present.\n\nOn the first day, the following were admitted to take part in what will\nalways be remembered as the official {160} dedicatory session: The\nFirst Presidency, the Council of the Twelve Apostles, the Presiding\nPatriarch, the First Council of the Seventy, the Presiding Bishopric,\nand all other general authorities of the Church, and in addition,\nPresidents of Stakes and their Counselors, members of Stake High\nCouncils, Patriarchs, Presidents of High Priests' Quorums and their\nCounselors, Presidents of Quorums of Seventies, Bishops of Wards and\ntheir Counselors. Admission was extended to the wives and immediate\nfamilies of all the Church officials named. To the later sessions,\nadmission was regulated so that particular wards and stakes had each a\nspecial assignment as to time.\n\nNo one was admitted without a formal certificate, conventionally known\nas a \"recommend,\" signed by the Bishop of his ward and the President of\nhis stake. In a circular of instruction relating to the dedication the\nfollowing appears: \"It will be necessary for each applicant to show his\nor her recommend to the gate-keeper, in order to pass. The recommend\nwill then be taken up by a ticket-man inside the gate. No person will\nbe admitted without a recommend, on any occasion.\" Services were held\ndaily from April 6th, to April 18th, inclusive, and again on the 23rd\nand 24th. Usually two sessions were held each day, but on the 7th of\nApril, an evening session was added. While children under eight years\nof age, and therefore unbaptized, were not admitted to the general\nsessions, special days were set apart for their accommodation; thus\nApril 21st and 22nd,--Friday and Saturday,--were reserved for Sunday\nSchool children, under the prescribed age for baptism.\n\nAt the first service,--the official dedication,--the {161} prayer was\noffered by President Wilford Woodruff, and at each succeeding session\nthe prayer was read. The prayer itself is at once a sermon and a\nsupplication; it is expressive of the inmost thoughts of the people;\nit is an epitome of the history of the Saints and the condition of the\nChurch at that time.\n\nThe prayer follows in full:\n\n    \"Our Father in heaven, thou who hast created the heavens and the\n    earth, and all things that are therein; thou most glorious One,\n    perfect in mercy, love, and truth, we, thy children, come this day\n    before thee, and in this house which we have built to thy most holy\n    name, humbly plead the atoning blood of thine Only Begotten Son,\n    that our sins may be remembered no more against us forever, but\n    that our prayers may ascend unto thee and have free access to thy\n    throne, that we may be heard in thy holy habitation. And may it\n    graciously please thee to hearken unto our petitions, answer them\n    according to thine infinite wisdom and love, and grant that the\n    blessings which we seek may be bestowed upon us, even a hundred\n    fold, inasmuch as we seek with purity of heart and fulness of\n    purpose to do thy will and glorify thy name.\n\n    \"We thank thee, O thou Great Elohim, that thou didst raise up thy\n    servant, Joseph Smith, through the loins of Abraham, Isaac, and\n    Jacob, and made him a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and through the\n    assistance and administrations of angels from heaven, thou didst\n    enable him to bring forth the Book of Mormon,--the stick of Joseph,\n    in the hand of Ephraim,--in fulfilment of the prophecies of Isaiah\n    and other prophets, which record has been translated and published\n    in many languages. We also thank thee, our Father in heaven, that\n    thou didst inspire thy servant and give him power on the earth to\n    organize thy Church in this goodly land, in all its fulness, power\n    and glory, with Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, and Teachers, with\n    all the gifts and graces belonging thereto, and all this by the\n    power of the Aaronic and Melchisedek Priesthood, which thou didst\n    bestow upon him by the administration of holy angels, who held\n    that Priesthood in the days of the Savior. We thank thee, our God,\n    that thou didst enable thy servant Joseph to build two temples, in\n    which ordinances were administered for the living and the dead;\n    that he also lived to send the Gospel to the nations of the earth\n    and to the islands of the sea, and labored exceedingly until he was\n    martyred for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.\n\n    \"We also thank thee, O our Father in heaven, that thou didst {162}\n    raise up thy servant Brigham Young, who held the keys of thy\n    Priesthood on the earth for many years, and who led thy people to\n    these valleys of the mountains, and laid the corner-stone of this\n    great Temple and dedicated it unto thee, and who did direct the\n    building of three other temples in these Rocky Mountains which have\n    been dedicated unto thy holy name, in which temples many thousands\n    of the living have been blessed and the dead redeemed.\n\n    \"Our Father in heaven, we are also thankful to thee for thy servant\n    John Taylor, who followed in the footsteps of thy servant Brigham,\n    until he laid down his life in exile.\n\n    \"Thou hast called thy servants Wilford Woodruff, George Q. Cannon,\n    and Joseph F. Smith, to hold the keys of the Presidency and\n    Priesthood this day, and for these shepherds of thy flock we feel\n    to give thee thanksgiving and praise. Thy servant Wilford is bound\n    to acknowledge thy hand, O Father, in the preservation of his life\n    from the hour of his birth to the present day. Nothing but thy\n    power could have preserved him through that which he has passed\n    during the eighty-six years that thou hast granted him life on the\n    earth.\n\n    \"For the raising up of the Twelve Apostles, we also thank thee, our\n    God, and for the perfect union which exists among us.\n\n    \"We thank thee, O Lord, for the perfect organizations of thy Church\n    as they exist at the present time.\n\n    \"O Lord, we regard with intense and indescribable feelings the\n    completion of this sacred house. Deign to accept this the fourth\n    temple which thy covenant children have been assisted by thee in\n    erecting in these mountains. In past ages thou didst inspire with\n    thy Holy Spirit thy servants, the prophets, to speak of a time in\n    the latter days when the mountain of the Lord's house should be\n    established in the top of the mountains, and should be exalted\n    above the hills. We thank thee that we have had the glorious\n    opportunity of contributing to the fulfilment of these visions of\n    thine ancient seers, and that thou hast condescended to permit\n    us to take part in the great work. And as this portion of thy\n    servants' words has thus so marvelously been brought to pass, we\n    pray thee, with increased faith and renewed hope, that all their\n    words with regard to thy great work in gathering thine Israel and\n    building up thy kingdom on earth in the last days may be as amply\n    fulfilled, and that, O Lord, speedily.\n\n    \"We come before thee with joy and thanksgiving, with spirits\n    jubilant and hearts filled with praise, that thou hast permitted\n    us to see this day for which, during these forty years, we have\n    hoped, and toiled, and prayed, when we can dedicate unto thee this\n    house which we have built to thy most glorious name. One year ago\n    we set the capstone with shouts of Hosanna to God and the Lamb. And\n    today we dedicate the whole unto thee, with {163} all that pertains\n    unto it, that it may be holy in thy sight; that it may be a house\n    of prayer, a house of praise and of worship; that thy glory may\n    rest upon it; that thy holy presence may be continually in it; that\n    it may be the abode of thy Well-Beloved Son, our Savior; that the\n    angels who stand before thy face may be the hallowed messengers who\n    shall visit it, bearing to us thy wishes and thy will, that it may\n    be sanctified and consecrated in all its parts holy unto thee, the\n    God of Israel, the Almighty Ruler of mankind. And we pray thee that\n    all people who may enter upon the threshold of this, thine house,\n    may feel thy power and be constrained to acknowledge that thou hast\n    sanctified it, that it is thy house, a place of thy holiness.\n\n    \"We pray thee, Heavenly Father, to accept this building in all\n    its parts from foundation to capstone, with the statue that is\n    on the latter placed, and all the finials and other ornaments\n    that adorn its exterior. We pray thee to bless, that they decay\n    not, all the walls, partitions, floors, ceilings, roofs, and\n    bridging, the elevators, stairways, railings and steps, the\n    frames, doors, windows, and other openings, all things connected\n    with the lighting, heating, and sanitary apparatus, the boilers,\n    engines, and dynamos, the connecting pipes and wires, the lamps\n    and burners, and all utensils, furniture and articles used in or\n    connected with the holy ordinances administered in this house, the\n    veils and the altars, the baptismal font and the oxen on which\n    it rests, and all that pertains thereto, the baths, washstands\n    and basins. Also the safes and vaults in which the records are\n    preserved, with the records themselves, and all books, documents,\n    and papers appertaining to the office of the recorder, likewise\n    the library with all the books, maps, instruments, etc., that may\n    belong thereto. We also present before thee, for thine acceptance,\n    all the additions and buildings not forming a part of the main\n    edifice but being appendages thereto; and we pray thee to bless\n    all the furniture, seats, cushions, curtains, hangings, locks and\n    fastenings, and multitudinous other appliances and appurtenances\n    found in and belonging to this Temple and its annexes, with all\n    the work of ornamentation thereon, the painting and plastering,\n    the gilding and bronzing, the fine work in wood and metal of every\n    kind, the embroidery and needlework, the pictures and statuary, the\n    carved work and canopies. Also the materials of which the buildings\n    and their contents are made or composed--the rock, lime, mortar\n    and plaster, the timbers and lath, the wood of various trees, the\n    gold and silver, the brass and iron, and all other metals, the\n    silk, wool, and cotton, the skins and furs, the glass, china, and\n    precious stones, all these and all else herein we humbly present\n    for thine acceptance and sanctifying blessing.\n\n    \"Our Father in heaven, we present before thee the altars which we\n    have prepared for thy servants and handmaidens to {164} receive\n    their sealing blessings. We dedicate them in the name of the Lord\n    Jesus Christ, unto thy most holy name, and we ask thee to sanctify\n    these altars, that those who come unto them may feel the power\n    of the Holy Ghost resting upon them, and realize the sacredness\n    of the covenants they enter into. And we pray that our covenants\n    and contracts which we make with thee and with each other may be\n    directed by thy Holy Spirit, be sacredly kept by us, and accepted\n    by thee, and that all the blessings pronounced may be realized by\n    all thy Saints who come to these altars, in the morning of the\n    resurrection of the just.\n\n    \"O Lord, we pray thee to bless and sanctify the whole of this\n    block or piece of ground on which these buildings stand, with the\n    surrounding walls and fences, the walks, paths, and ornamental\n    beds, also the trees, plants, flowers and shrubbery that grow\n    in its soil; may they bloom and blossom and become exceedingly\n    beautiful and fragrant; and may thy Spirit dwell in the midst\n    thereof, that this plot of ground may be a place of rest and peace,\n    for holy meditation and inspired thought.\n\n    \"Preserve these buildings, we beseech thee, from injury or\n    destruction by flood or fire; from the rage of the elements, the\n    shafts of the vivid lightning, the overwhelming blasts of the\n    hurricane, the flames of consuming fire, and the upheavals of the\n    earthquake, O Lord, protect them.\n\n    \"Bless, we pray thee, heavenly Father, all who may be workers in\n    this house. Remember continually thy servant who shall be appointed\n    to preside within its walls; endow him richly with the wisdom of\n    the Holy One, with the spirit of his calling, with the power of his\n    Priesthood, and with the gift of discernment. Bless, according to\n    their calling, his assistants and all who are associated with him\n    in the performance of the ordinances,--baptisms, confirmations,\n    washings, anointings, sealings, endowments, and ordinations\n    which are performed herein, that all that is done may be holy\n    and acceptable unto thee, thou God of our salvation. Bless the\n    recorders and copyists, that the records of the Temple may be\n    kept perfect, and without omissions and errors, and that they may\n    also be accepted of thee. Bless, in their several positions, the\n    engineers, watchmen, guards, and all others who have duties to\n    perform in connection with the house, that they may perform them\n    unto thee with an eye single to thy glory.\n\n    \"Remember also in thy mercy all those who have labored in the\n    erection of this house, or who have, in any way, by their means or\n    influence aided in its completion; may they in no wise lose their\n    reward.\n\n    \"O thou God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whose God\n    thou delightest to be called, we thank thee with all the fervor of\n    overflowing gratitude that thou hast revealed the powers by which\n    the hearts of the children are being turned to {165} their fathers\n    and the hearts of the fathers to the children, that the sons of\n    men, in all their generations can be made partakers of the glories\n    and joys of the kingdom of heaven. Confirm upon us the spirit of\n    Elijah, we pray thee, that we may thus redeem our dead and also\n    connect ourselves with our fathers who have passed behind the\n    veil, and furthermore seal up our dead to come forth in the first\n    resurrection, that we who dwell on earth may be bound to those who\n    dwell in heaven. We thank thee for their sake who have finished\n    their work in mortality, as well as for our own, that the prison\n    doors have been opened that deliverance has been proclaimed to\n    the captive, and the bonds have been loosened from those who were\n    bound. We praise thee that our fathers, from last to first, from\n    now, back to the beginning, can be united with us in indissoluble\n    links, welded by the holy Priesthood, and that as one great family\n    united in thee and cemented by thy power we shall together stand\n    before thee, and by the power of the atoning blood of thy Son be\n    delivered from all evil, be saved and sanctified, exalted and\n    glorified. Wilt thou also permit holy messengers to visit us within\n    these sacred walls and make known unto us with regard to the work\n    we should perform in behalf of our dead. And, as thou hast inclined\n    the hearts of many who have not yet entered into covenant with thee\n    to search out their progenitors, and in so doing they have traced\n    the ancestry of many of thy Saints, we pray thee that thou wilt\n    increase this desire in their bosoms, that they may in this way aid\n    in the accomplishment of their work. Bless them, we pray thee, in\n    their labors that they may not fall into errors in preparing their\n    genealogies; and furthermore, we ask thee to open before them new\n    avenues of information, and place in their hands the records of the\n    past that their work may not only be correct but complete also.\n\n    \"O thou Great Father of the spirits of all flesh, graciously bless\n    and fully qualify those upon whom thou hast placed a portion of\n    thine authority, and who bear the responsibilities and powers of\n    the Priesthood which is after the order of thy Son. Bless them all\n    from first to last, from thy servant who represents thee in all the\n    world to the latest who has been ordained to the Deacon's office.\n    Upon each and all confer the spirit of their calling, with a\n    comprehension of its duties and a loving zeal to fulfil them. Endow\n    them with faith, patience and understanding. May their lives be\n    strong in virtue and adorned with humility; may their ministrations\n    be effectual, their prayers be availing, and their teachings the\n    path of salvation. May they be united by the Spirit and power of\n    God in all their labors, and in every thought, word and act may\n    they glorify thy name and vindicate the wisdom that has made them\n    kings and priests unto thee.\n\n    \"For thy servants of the First Presidency of the Church we {166}\n    first of all pray. Reveal, in great clearness, thy mind and will\n    unto them in all things essential for the welfare of thy people;\n    give them heavenly wisdom, abounding faith, and the power and gifts\n    necessary to enable them to preside acceptably unto thee over the\n    officers and members of thy Church. Remember in love thy servant\n    whom thou hast called to be a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator to all\n    mankind, whose days have been many upon the earth; yet lengthen out\n    his span of mortal life, we pray thee, and grant unto him all the\n    powers and gifts, in their completeness, of the office thou hast\n    conferred upon him; and in like manner bless his associates in the\n    Presidency of thy Church.\n\n    \"Confer upon thy servants, the Twelve Apostles, a rich endowment of\n    thy Spirit. Under their guidance may the Gospel of the kingdom go\n    forth into all the world, to be preached to all nations, kindreds,\n    tongues, and people, that the honest in heart in every land may\n    hear the glad tidings of joy and salvation. Overrule, we pray thee,\n    in the midst of the governments of the earth, that the barriers\n    that now stand in the way of the spread of thy truths may be\n    removed, and liberty of conscience be accorded to all peoples.\n\n    \"Remember in loving kindness thy servants, the Patriarchs. May\n    they be full of blessings for thy people Israel. May they bear\n    with them the seeds of comfort and consolation, of encouragement\n    and blessing. Fill them with the Holy Spirit of promise, and be\n    graciously pleased to fulfil their words of prophecy, that thy name\n    may be extolled in the people of thy Church and their faith in thee\n    and in the promises of thy ministering servants be increasingly\n    strengthened.\n\n    \"With thy servants of the Twelve bless their associates, the\n    Seventies; may they be powerful in the preaching of thy word and in\n    bearing it to the four quarters of the earth. May an ever-widening\n    way be opened before them until they shall have raised the Gospel\n    standard in every land and proclaimed its saving truths in every\n    tongue, that all the islands and the continents may rejoice in\n    the testimony of the great work thou art in these latter days\n    performing on the earth.\n\n    \"Bless abundantly, O Lord, the High Priests in all the varied\n    duties and positions to which thou hast called them. As standing\n    ministers of thy word in the multiplying Stakes of Zion wilt thou\n    endow them richly with the spirit of their exalted callings. As\n    Presidents, Counselors, Bishops, members of High Councils, and in\n    every other office which their Priesthood gives them the right\n    to fill, may they be righteous ministers of thy holy law, loving\n    fathers of the people, and as judges in the midst of the Saints may\n    they deal out just and impartial judgment tempered with mercy and\n    love.\n\n    \"So also, in their various callings, confer precious gifts of\n    wisdom, faith and knowledge upon thy servants, the Elders, {167}\n    Priests, Teachers, and Deacons, that all may diligently perform\n    their part in the glorious labors thou hast called thy Priesthood\n    to bear.\n\n    \"Forget not, we beseech thee, thy servants the missionaries, who\n    are proclaiming the saving truths that thou hast revealed for\n    man's redemption to the millions who are now overshadowed by deep\n    spiritual darkness. Preserve them from all evil, deliver them from\n    mob violence, may they want no good thing, but be greatly blessed\n    with the gifts and powers of their ministry. Remember also their\n    families, that they may be sustained and comforted by thee and be\n    cherished and cared for by thy Saints.\n\n    \"We pray thee for the members of thy Holy Church throughout all the\n    world, that thy people may be so guided and governed of thee, that\n    all who profess to be and call themselves Saints may be preserved\n    in the unity of the faith, in the way of truth, in the bonds of\n    peace, and in holiness of life. Strengthen the weak, we pray thee,\n    and impart thy Spirit unto all.\n\n    \"Our Father, may peace abide in all the homes of thy Saints; may\n    holy angels guard them; may they be encompassed by thine arms of\n    love; may prosperity shine upon them, and may the tempter and the\n    destroyer be removed far from them. May the days of thy covenant\n    people be lengthened out in righteousness, and sickness and disease\n    be rebuked from their midst. May the land they inhabit be made\n    fruitful by thy grace, may its waters be increased and the climate\n    be tempered to the comfort and need of thy people; may drought,\n    devastating storms, cyclones, and hurricanes be kept afar off, and\n    earthquakes never disturb the land which thou hast given us. May\n    locusts, caterpillars and other insects not destroy our gardens and\n    desolate our fields; but may we be a people blessed of thee in our\n    bodies and spirits, in our homes and habitations, in our flocks and\n    herds, in ourselves and our posterity, and in all that thou hast\n    made us stewards over.\n\n    \"Now pray we for the youth of Zion--the children of thy people;\n    endow them richly with the spirit of faith and righteousness and\n    with increasing love for thee and for thy law. Prosper all the\n    institutions that thou hast established in our midst for their\n    well-being. Give to our Church Schools an ever-increasing power for\n    good. May thy Holy Spirit dominate the teachings given therein and\n    also control the hearts and illumine the minds of the students.\n    Bless marvelously thy servants, the General Superintendent, and\n    all the principals, teachers and other officers, and also those\n    who form the General Board of Education of thy Church. Remember\n    likewise in thy loving kindness the Sunday Schools, with all who,\n    either as teachers or scholars, belong thereto; may the influence\n    of the instruction given therein broaden and deepen, to thy glory\n    and the salvation of thy children, until the perfect day. Bless the\n    members of the General {168} Board of the Deseret Sunday School\n    Union with the wisdom necessary for the proper fulfilment of their\n    duties, and for the accomplishment of the purposes for which this\n    Board was created.\n\n    \"We also uphold before thee the Young Men's and Young Ladies'\n    Mutual Improvement Associations, with all their officers, general\n    and local, and the members. May they be prospered of thee, their\n    membership be enlarged, and the good that they accomplish increase\n    with every succeeding year. For the Primaries and Religion Classes\n    we also seek thy constant blessing and guiding care; may the spirit\n    of instruction be poured out upon the presidents and associate\n    officers and teachers. May they keep pace with the rest of the\n    educational establishments in thy Church; so that from their\n    earliest years our children may be diligently brought up in the\n    ways of the Lord, and thy name be magnified in their growth in\n    virtue and intelligence.\n\n    \"Nor would we forget, O Lord, the normal training classes among\n    the people, whether these classes be connected with the Church\n    Schools, the Improvement Associations, or the Sunday Schools. Grant\n    that these classes may be the means of spreading true education\n    throughout all the borders of the Saints by the creation of a body\n    of teachers who will not only be possessed of rare intelligence but\n    be filled also with the spirit of the Gospel, and be powerful in\n    the testimony of thy truth and in implanting a love for thee and\n    for thy works in the hearts of all whom they instruct.\n\n    \"We would hold up before thee, O Lord, the Relief Societies,\n    with all their members; and all those who preside in their midst\n    according to their callings and appointments, general or local.\n    Bless the Teachers in their labors of mercy and charity, who, as\n    ministering angels, visit the homes of the sick and the needy,\n    bearing succor, consolation and comfort to the unfortunate and\n    sorrowful. And bless, we beseech thee, most merciful Father, the\n    poor of thy people, that the cry of want and suffering may not\n    ascend unto thee from the midst of thy Saints whom thou hast\n    blessed so abundantly with the comforts of this world. Open up\n    new avenues by which the needy can obtain a livelihood by honest\n    industry, and also incline the hearts of those blessed more\n    abundantly, to give generously of their substance to their, in this\n    respect, less favored brethren and sisters, that thou mayest not\n    have reason to chide us for the neglect of even the least among thy\n    covenant children.\n\n    \"O God of Israel, turn thy face, we pray thee, in loving kindness\n    toward thy stricken people of the house of Judah. Oh, deliver them\n    from those that oppress them. Heal up their wounds, comfort their\n    hearts, strengthen their feet, and give them ministers after thine\n    own heart who shall lead them as of old, in thy way. May the days\n    of their tribulation soon cease, and they be planted by thee in the\n    valleys and plains of their {169} ancient home; and may Jerusalem\n    rejoice and Judea be glad for the multitude of her sons and\n    daughters, for the sweet voices of children in her streets, and the\n    rich outpouring of thy saving mercies upon them. May Israel no more\n    bow the head, nor bend the neck to the oppressor, but may his feet\n    be made strong on the everlasting hills, never more, by violence,\n    to be banished therefrom, and the praise and the glory shall be\n    thine.\n\n    \"Remember in like pity the dwindling remnants of the house of\n    Israel, descendants of thy servant Lehi. Restore them, we pray\n    thee, to thine ancient favor, fulfil in their completeness the\n    promises given to their fathers, and make of them a white and\n    delightsome race, a loved and holy people as in former days. May\n    the time also be nigh at hand when thou wilt gather the dispersed\n    of Israel from the islands of the sea and from every land in which\n    thou hast scattered them, and the ten tribes of Jacob from their\n    hiding place in the north, and restore them to communion and\n    fellowship with their kinsmen of the seed of Abraham.\n\n    \"We thank thee, O God of Israel, that thou didst raise up patriotic\n    men to lay the foundation of this great American government. Thou\n    didst inspire them to frame a good Constitution and laws which\n    guarantee to all of the inhabitants of the land equal rights and\n    privileges to worship thee according to the dictates of their own\n    consciences. Bless the officers, both judicial and executive.\n    Confer abundant favors upon the President, his Cabinet, and\n    Congress. Enlightened and guided by thy Spirit may they maintain\n    and uphold the glorious principles of human liberty. Our hearts\n    are filled with gratitude to thee, our Father in heaven, for thy\n    kindness unto us in softening the hearts of our fellow citizens,\n    the people of this nation, towards us. That which thou hast done\n    has been marvelous in our eyes. We thank thee that thou didst move\n    upon the heart of the President of our nation to issue a general\n    amnesty; that thou hast removed prejudice and misunderstanding from\n    the minds of many of the people concerning us and our purposes,\n    and they are disposed to treat us as fellow citizens, and not as\n    enemies. In this holy house we feel to give thee glory therefor,\n    and we humbly ask thee to increase this feeling in their hearts.\n    Enable them to see us in our true light. Show unto them that we\n    are their friends, that we love liberty, that we will join with\n    them in upholding the rights of the people, the Constitution and\n    laws of our country; and give unto us and our children an increased\n    disposition to always be loyal, and to do everything in our power\n    to maintain constitutional rights and the freedom of all within the\n    confines of this great Republic.\n\n    \"Remember in mercy, O Lord, the kings, and princes, the nobles, the\n    rulers and governors, and the great ones of the earth, and likewise\n    all the poor, the afflicted and the oppressed, and indeed, all\n    people, that their hearts may be softened when thy {170} servants\n    go forth to bear testimony of thy name, that their prejudices may\n    give way before the truth, and thy people find favor in their eyes.\n    So control the affairs of the nations of the earth, that the way\n    may be prepared for the ushering in of a reign of righteousness\n    and truth. We desire to see liberty spread throughout the earth,\n    to see oppression cease, the yoke of the tyrant broken, and every\n    despotic form of government overthrown by which thy children are\n    degraded and crushed, and prevented from enjoying their share of\n    the blessings of the earth, which thou hast created for their\n    habitation.\n\n    \"O God, the Eternal Father, thou knowest all things. Thou seest the\n    course thy people have been led to take in political matters. They\n    have, in many instances, joined the two great national parties.\n    Campaigns have been entered upon, elections have been held, and\n    much party feeling has been engendered. Many things have been said\n    and done which have wounded the feelings of the humble and the\n    meek, and which have been a cause of offense. We beseech thee, in\n    thine infinite mercy and goodness, to forgive thy people wherein\n    they have sinned in this direction. Show them, O Father, their\n    faults and their errors, that they may see the same in the light\n    of the Holy Spirit, and repent truly and sincerely, and cultivate\n    that spirit of affection and love which thou art desirous that all\n    the children of men should entertain one for another, and which\n    thy Saints, above all others, should cherish. Enable thy people\n    hereafter to avoid bitterness and strife, and to refrain from words\n    and acts in political discussions that shall create feeling and\n    grieve thy Holy Spirit.\n\n    \"Heavenly Father, when thy people shall not have the opportunity of\n    entering this holy house to offer their supplications unto thee,\n    and they are oppressed and in trouble, surrounded by difficulties\n    or assailed by temptation, and shall turn their faces towards this\n    thy holy house and ask thee for deliverance, for help, for thy\n    power to be extended in their behalf, we beseech thee to look down\n    from thy holy habitation in mercy and tender compassion upon them,\n    and listen to their cries. Or when the children of thy people, in\n    years to come, shall be separated, through any cause, from this\n    place, and their hearts shall turn in remembrance of thy promises\n    to this holy Temple, and they shall cry unto thee from the depths\n    of their affliction and sorrow to extend relief and deliverance to\n    them, we humbly entreat thee to turn thine ear in mercy to them;\n    hearken to their cries, and grant unto them the blessings for which\n    they ask.\n\n    \"Almighty Father, increase within us the powers of that faith\n    delivered to and possessed by thy Saints. Strengthen us by\n    the memories of the glorious deliverances of the past, by the\n    remembrance of the sacred covenants that thou hast made with us, so\n    that, when evil overshadows us, when trouble encompasses us, when\n    we pass through the valley of humiliation, we may not {171} falter,\n    may not doubt, but in the strength of thy holy name may accomplish\n    all thy righteous purposes with regard to us, fill the measure of\n    our creation, and triumph gloriously, by thy grace, over every\n    besetting sin, be redeemed from every evil, and be numbered in the\n    kingdom of heaven amongst those who shall dwell in thy presence\n    forever.\n\n    \"And now, our Father, we bless thee, we praise thee, we glorify\n    thee, we worship thee, day by day we magnify thee, and give thee\n    thanks for thy great goodness towards us, thy children, and we\n    pray thee, in the name of thy Son Jesus Christ, our Savior, to\n    hear these our humble petitions, and answer us from heaven, thy\n    holy dwelling place, where thou sittest enthroned in glory, might,\n    majesty, and dominion, and with an infinitude of power which we,\n    thy mortal creatures, cannot imagine, much less comprehend. Amen\n    and Amen.\"\n\nAll who attended the dedicatory services on the morning of the 6th\nof April, 1893, remember the impressiveness of the day. The sky was\novercast and lowering, and shortly before the hour of beginning, a\nstrong wind set in from the north-west. This wind increased to a\nveritable hurricane and throughout the morning session it seemed\nindeed, that the prince of the air was in full control; but the peace\nand serenity of the assembly was rendered the more impressive by\ncontrast with the turmoil and storm without.\n\nA large pipe-organ had been set up in the assembly room, and served as\nan accompaniment to the choir of selected voices, by whom the anthems\nand hymns, specially composed for the occasion, were rendered. The\nessential and characteristic feature of the service was, of course,\nthe offering of the dedicatory prayer; and to this were added brief\naddresses by officials of the Church. At the first session, each of\nthe First Presidency delivered an address, replete with promise and\nprophecy. Throughout the service, ran the solemn refrain, which was\nvoiced in anthem, sermon, and prayer:\n\n\"_The House of the Lord is completed_.\"\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n1. See Contributor, Vol. XIV: No. 6; April, 1893; p. 248.\n\n2. See Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book XV, 11:3.\n\n3. See the author's \"The Story of Mormonism,\" pp. 63-81.\n\n4. For description of this feature of early enterprise, see an\nadmirable article, \"The Salt Lake Temple,\" by James H. Anderson, in\n\"The Contributor,\" Vol. XIV, No. 6, April, 1893. The article gives much\ndetailed information concerning the work of erecting the Great Temple.\n\n5. See \"Deseret News,\" Salt Lake City, August 17, 1854.\n\n6. See \"Millennial Star,\" Liverpool, Vol. 16, p. 753. \"The Illustrated\nLondon News\" of June 13, 1857, contains an article, \"Mormon Temple\nin Salt Lake City,\" in which are given many specifications of\nconstruction. In connection with the text appears a large woodcut\nof the great building in perspective; and this picture is a true\nrepresentation of the finished structure except as to details of spires\nand finials.\n\n7. As an instance of these separate assignments, and as an example\nof direct appeal to the various organizations within the Church, see\nthe circular letter, issued in 1876 by the authority of the First\nPresidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles, addressed to Elders,\nSeventies, and High Priests; this appears in \"Contributor,\" Vol. XIV,\npp. 267-8.\n\n8. See Revelation 14:6, 7; also Pearl of Great Price, Writings of\nJoseph Smith II, 30-48.\n\n9. See Book of Mormon, I Nephi 3:7.\n\n10. For the epistle in full, see \"Contributor,\" Vol. XIV, pp. 280-281.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII\n\nTHE GREAT TEMPLE AT SALT LAKE CITY--EXTERIOR\n\n{172} Before us stands the completed structure, the visible result\nof four decades of devoted toil,--a period marked in the beginning\nby poverty and penury followed by relative prosperity and plenty.\nThe impression produced by a first view of the exterior is that\nof massiveness coupled with a sense of assured stability. Closer\nexamination and more intimate acquaintance serve to intensify this\nearly impression, while revealing numerous details of uniqueness in\nplan and of excellence in construction. As to architectural design\nthe Temple belongs to a class of its own. Originality rather than\nnovelty characterizes every prominent feature. And yet there is nothing\napparent that speaks of strained effect nor of conscious effort for\ndeparture from more conventional lines. The Temple is no oddity in\narchitecture; on the contrary it is strictly in place both as to\nmaterial environment and spiritual atmosphere.\n\nThe building is of composite style, presenting features of both the\nGothic and the Roman. By architects of experience it has been described\nas a modification of the Round Gothic, while others have called it\nRomanesque, in that it follows in part the castellated style so highly\ndeveloped in England. But, even if this description be true as to the\nexterior, it is wholly inapplicable within. There are no high-vaulted\nGothic ceilings, nor massive beams after the style Romanesque; on\nthe contrary {173} the interior partakes rather of the nature of\nRenaissance design.[1]\n\nThe Temple was constructed for specific use; it was intended for\nservice widely different from that of cathedral, tabernacle, mosque,\nor synagogue; and the building was planned and patterned to suit its\ndistinctive purpose. Such was and is the reason for its being, the\nexplanation of its design, both vindication and justification of its\nplan.\n\nAs has been shown, the plans of the building were made known, and\na fairly detailed description thereof was published in 1854.[2] A\ncareful examination of the structure as it now appears shows that in\nevery essential particular the original plan of the exterior has been\nfollowed almost to exactness. Details of spires, turrets, and finials,\nhad not been determined when the design was first announced; and in\nthese as in certain other particulars the original plan has been added\nto; but no essential alteration has been introduced.\n\nAs it stands, the building is one hundred eighty-six feet six inches\nlong, and one hundred eighteen feet six inches wide including\nground-level extensions of the corner towers, or ninety-nine feet wide\nin the main body. The side walls are one hundred sixty-seven feet six\ninches high; the west center tower has a height of two hundred {174}\nand four feet, and the corresponding tower at the east rises six feet\nhigher. The entire area covered by the building is twenty-one thousand\neight hundred and fifty square feet.\n\nThe walls are set upon a massive footing, which extends sixteen feet\nbelow ground, is sixteen feet wide at the base, and narrows to nine\nfeet at the top. From the ground-level to the globes surmounting the\nspires the walls are of granite, every block accurately cut as to\ndimension and pattern, and fitted with equal nicety outside and inside.\nThe windows, both arched and oval, all deeply set in their granite\nrecesses, are framed with oolite. Throughout the first story the walls\nare eight feet thick; in the upper structure the thickness is reduced\nby stages to a minimum of six feet. The buttresses are uniformly one\nfoot thicker than the walls proper.\n\nThe building consists of three towers at each end--east and west,\nand between these extends the main body, suggesting, to the observer\nat a distance, a vast intermediate nave. In ground-plan the Temple\nis strikingly symmetrical, each of the central axes being an axis of\nsymmetry. The westerly half is a repetition of the easterly, and the\nsoutherly half duplicates the northerly. Lines running north and south\nthrough the centre of the three towers at either end are also lines of\nsymmetry, dividing the towers into corresponding parts.\n\nRepetition of parts appears also in vertical section. Thus, above the\nfirst belt or string course, that is to say, immediately above the\nbasement or first floor, is the second story, indicated without by a\nseries of high arched windows between the buttresses; above these is a\nseries of elliptical or oval windows. The belt course immediately {175}\nabove these oval openings marks the centre of construction as seen\nin the vertical section of the main body. The upper half, up to the\nlevel of the top belt-course, is in general a repetition of the lower.\nThe roof has so little pitch as to be practically flat, there being a\nrise of but eight feet from edge to centre. Between the end towers,\nthat is to say in the main body of the building, the walls carry nine\nbuttresses or pilasters on both north and south sides. Each of these\npilasters rises above the parapets and battlement walls, and is capped\nby a granite block three and a half feet square at its base and two\nand a half feet high. Of these pilaster caps, four on either wall are\nopen and constitute the tops of ventilator shafts which extend to the\nbasement.\n\nAbove the roof level rise the upper sections of the towers with their\nspires and finials. Octagonal turrets occupy the corners of the towers,\nand each turret is surmounted by a pyramidal monolith, six feet high\nand three feet in diameter at the base; the apex of this pyramid is cut\nto represent an acanthus cluster. Each of the six towers is surmounted\nby a pyramidal spire, which terminates in a spherical capstone. The cut\nblocks forming the spires are two feet in thickness; the capstones of\nthe four corner towers are three feet in diameter, while those of the\ntwo center towers measure eight inches more.\n\nThe spherical termination of the east center tower, which is the\nhighest stone in the building, and therefore the capstone proper,\nsupports a statue, the crown of which marks the point of greatest\naltitude in the entire structure. The figure, which stands twelve and\na half feet high, is that of a man in the character of a herald or\nmessenger, blowing a trumpet. In pose and proportion the figure is\n{176} graceful and gentle, yet virile and strong; the drapings are\nsimple, and leave only feet, arms, neck, and head bare. Around the head\nis a slender circlet supporting high-power incandescent lamps. The\nstatue is of hammered copper thickly overlaid with gold-leaf. It is the\nwork of C. E. Dallin, Utah-born, and now of more than national fame as\na sculptor. The figure is intended to represent Moroni, the Nephite\nprophet, who died about 421 A.D., and who, as a resurrected being,\ncame in 1823 to the boy-prophet Joseph Smith, and delivered to him the\nmessage of the restored Gospel, in accordance with the prediction of\nthe ancient Seer:\n\n    \"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the\n    everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and\n    to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with\n    a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his\n    judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and\n    the sea, and the fountains of water.\"[3]\n\nAs has been described in connection with the ceremonies of the\ncapstone-laying, April 6, 1892, the stone upon which rests the statue\nis one of the record stones of the Temple.[4] Another record stone\nis to be noted. This lies at the south-east corner of the building\nimmediately beneath the first layer of granite. It is a quartzite\nblock three feet in length and twenty inches in both width and depth.\nA cavity one square foot in cross-section holds printed books,\nperiodicals, and manuscript records, which were placed therein at the\ntime of laying the first granite course. A slab of quartzite closes the\ncavity and {177} is cemented in place with due provision against the\nentrance of moisture.\n\nThere are in the walls several series of stones of emblematical\ndesign and significance, such as those representing the earth, moon,\nsun, and stars, and in addition are cloud stones, and stones bearing\ninscriptions.\n\nThe earth-stones are thirty-four in number, eleven on each side and six\non each end of the building. They are set on the pedestal course, or\nfirst granite course, extending twenty-eight inches above ground. There\nis one of these stones in each buttress, excepting only the buttresses\nat the junction of the towers with the main body. These earth-stones\nconstitute the largest cuboidal blocks in the building; each of them\nmeasures five feet six inches in height, four feet six inches in width,\nand one foot eight inches in thickness, and weighs little less than\nthree and one-half tons. Each of these massive blocks is cut to show\npart of the surface of a sphere, the segment having a diameter of over\nthree feet.\n\nBlocks cut to represent the moon in its several phases, and known as\nmoon-stones, occupy conspicuous places in the buttresses immediately\nbelow the second string-course or water-table; they are therefore\non a level with the top of the first or lower line of oval windows\ncorresponding to the ceiling of the Mezzanine story. There are fifty\nsuch moon-stones; each four feet seven inches high, three feet six\ninches wide, and one foot thick.\n\nSun-stones are set in the buttresses directly under the third\nbelt-course or water-table, which is practically the level of the roof.\nThere are fifty of these, each cut to represent the body of the sun,\nwith a serrated edge of fifty-two points illustrative of the sun's\nrays. These {178} stones are each four feet seven inches high, three\nfeet six inches wide, and ten inches thick.\n\nStar-stones are numerous; each bears in relief the figure of a\nfive-pointed star. On the east center-tower immediately below the\nbattlements are sixteen of these, four of each face; and on each of the\neast corner-towers are twelve such stones, making forty on these towers\nalone. The keystones of the doorways and those of the window arches\nbelong to this class, each bearing a single star.\n\nStar-stones of another kind appear on the face of the center tower at\nthe west. Here, above the highest window and extending to the base\nof the battlement course, are seen the seven stars of the northern\nconstellation Ursa Major or Great Bear, otherwise known as the\nDipper. The group is so placed that the two stars called pointers are\npractically in line with the North Star itself.\n\nCloud-stones, two in number, are seen on the upper face of the east\ncenter tower, immediately under the cap-pings of the main buttresses.\nThese show a cluster of cumulus clouds through which the sun's rays are\nbreaking. The face so carved is five feet by three and a half feet in\narea.\n\nReference has been made to inscription-stones which form part of the\nexterior walls. The principal stone of this class is seen on the\neast centre tower, above the windows, corresponding in position to\nthe starry constellation on the center tower at the west. The main\ninscription, which occupies a surface a little over twenty by six feet,\nconsists of letters deeply cut and heavily gilded.[5] In the arches\nover the great windows of the central towers {179} appear inscriptions\nwhich are alike at both ends of the building. The keystone of the\nlower window bears on a carven scroll \"_I am Alpha and Omega_.\"[6]\nThis inscription, a figurative epitome of both time and eternity, and\na proclamation of Him who is without beginning and without end, has a\npeculiar appropriateness over the central casements of this, the House\nof the Lord; and he who pauses to read may well consider the text and\nits context in full: \"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the\nending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come,\nthe Almighty.\"[7]\n\nImmediately beneath this inscription in the lower window arch of\nthe centre tower appears in relief the emblem of the clasped hands,\nbetokening the bond of brotherhood and the free offering of the right\nhand of fellowship. On the corresponding stones above the upper windows\nin each of the center towers is a carven emblem of the All-seeing Eye.\n\nEntrance to the Temple directly from without is afforded by four great\ndoorways, two at either end; each of these portals occupies a court\nbetween the center tower and the adjoining corner tower. The four\ndoor-ways are of like construction. A flight of sixteen granite steps\nleads up the court; the lowest of these steps is approximately sixteen\nfeet in length, the top step about nine feet, and each of the steps\nbetween about ten feet long. On the uppermost granite slab rests the\nthreshold or door-step proper, which is of cast bronze. The door-way\nis eight feet wide, and sixteen feet six inches in extreme height.\nThis is closed by double doors with {180} arched transom. The doors\nproper are twelve feet high, and each single door is four feet wide.\nIn each door the bottom panel is of oak, while the middle and upper\npanels are occupied by beveled plate glass protected by bronze grills\nof intricate pattern carrying a bee-hive medallion in the center. The\nhardware attachments are all of cast bronze, and are of special design.\nThe door-knob bears in relief the bee-hive, above which, in a curved\nline, appear the words, \"Holiness to the Lord.\" The escutcheon presents\nin relief the clasped hands within a wreath of olive twigs, an arch\nwith keystone, and the dates \"1853-1893\"--the years in which the great\nbuilding was commenced and completed.\n\nOn the side of each of the doorways flanking the center tower is a\ncanopied niche in the granite, large enough to receive a statue of\nheroic proportions.[8]\n\nSuch is the great Temple as seen from without. The massive pile\nimpresses even the casual observer as a type of permanency, and the\nembodiment of the stable and the durable. It stands as an isolated mass\nof the everlasting hills. As nearly as any work of man may so do, it\nsuggests duration.\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n1. Joseph D. C. Young, the architect-in-charge during the later period\nof construction, wrote as follows in answer to an inquiry of the author\nin January, 1912; \"Questions as to the style of architecture embodied\nin the great Temple have been asked time and time again. Some prominent\narchitects have classed it as Round Gothic; others have said that it\nis practically unclassifiable, it being 'all material and not at all\ndesign.' In my judgment it might be called the Romanesque modified by\nthe Castellated style.\"\n\n2. See pages 144-147.\n\n3. Rev. 14:6, 7.\n\n4. See pages 151-152.\n\n5. See page 136.\n\n6. See Rev. 1:8, 11; 21:6; 22:13\n\n7. Rev. 1:8.\n\n8. For a number of years the niches at the east end of the Temple\nwere occupied by bronze figures of Joseph Smith the prophet and Hyrum\nSmith the patriarch. These figures have since been removed to the open\ngrounds within the Temple Block enclosure.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII\n\nTHE GREAT TEMPLE AT SALT LAKE CITY--INTERIOR\n\n{181} _The Temple Annex_: While there are four doorways leading into\nthe Temple directly from the outside, the usual entrance is through the\ndetached building known as the Annex. Under ordinary conditions only\nChurch authorities who assemble in council meetings enter by the outer\ndoors, though on the rare occasions of special convocations of the\nPriesthood many pass those portals.\n\nThe Annex is entered on the ground-level through a spacious vestibule,\neighteen by twenty-one feet, with wave-glass on three of its sides. The\nfloor is of mosaic tiling, bordered with marble blocks. This ante-room\nis supplied with steam heat and serves the incidental purposes of a\ncloak room. At the Annex door stand two large columns of marble mosaic,\nand in contact with the adjoining walls are two other columns, of the\nsame material and of corresponding design. Within the Annex on this\nfloor there are well-equipped office rooms, with desk facilities for\nthe extensive routine work of registration and record.\n\nThe main apartment, however, is the Annex Assembly Room. This occupies\nthe central part of the building, and has seating capacity for three\nhundred persons. The room consists of a central area thirty-six feet\nsquare, with a semi-circular alcove of nine feet radius at both north\nand south sides. The north alcove is occupied by a platform or stand,\nraised ten inches above the floor, and {182} is furnished with a\nsmall lectern. The central body of the room has an imposing column\nof Corinthian design in each of its four corners; these columns rest\nupon massive pedestals and extend to the ceiling. Small columns of\nsimilar design support the arches which divide the alcoves from the\nmain auditorium. Over the arches at the north end appear portraits of\nthe living First Presidency; and around the walls are portraits of\nthe present Council of the Twelve Apostles, arranged in the order of\nseniority of ordination. Within the alcoves hang the portraits of the\ndead,--at the north those of past members of the First Presidency, and\nin the south recess, those of Apostles now deceased. On the west wall\nis a full-size reproduction of Munkacsy's famous canvas, \"Christ before\nPilate\"; this copy is the work of Dan Weggeland, one of Utah's veteran\nartists. The ceiling is formed by the intersection of four arches,\nproducing a quadruple groin structure. Each of the four lunettes is\noccupied by triple series of arched windows consisting of colored glass\nin simple design.\n\nOn the west side of the building is a small refectory where a noon-day\nlunch is served to recorders and other officials on duty for the day. A\nstairway leads to the basement, which is occupied by storage rooms and\nlavatories.\n\n_The Annex Passage_: The foot of the stairway marks the beginning\nof a semi-subterranean passage, which runs south ninety feet to the\nTemple wall. This passage receives air and natural light through side\nwindows in three large ventilator cupolas which rise six feet above\nthe ground. Artificial illumination is supplied by three electroliers,\neach holding twelve globes. Near the south {183} end is the entrance to\na side corridor leading to machine rooms in which is installed a very\nefficient apparatus for vacuum cleaning; this is connected with every\nroom in the Temple.[1] The passage terminates at the foot of a short\nflight of granite steps--at the centre of the north wall of the main\nstructure. The top of these steps marks the threshold of the Temple.\nHeavy doors divide the Annex from the Temple.\n\n_The Lower Corridor_: The doorway from the annex passage opens directly\ninto the lower corridor of the Temple. This extends entirely across\nthe building, from north to south, and is a little over twelve feet in\nwidth. The floor is richly carpeted, the walls are finely finished,\nand the corridor as a whole presents an imposing contrast with the\nexceedingly plain passage without. The walls are embellished with large\npaintings, the chief of which is a canvas fifteen by thirteen feet,\nshowing Joseph Smith preaching to the Indian tribes of the east. At\nthe north end is a drinking fountain of Utah onyx--one of many of this\nunique design distributed throughout the building.\n\n_The Baptistry_: West from the lower corridor, and occupying the\ncentral third of the entire floor on that side, is the baptismal\nroom, in which stands the great font. This apartment is thirty-two by\nforty-five feet, and is floored with white marble. A ten-inch wainscot\nof the same material extends along each wall, with grained wood-work\nabove. The walls are virtually a succession {184} of double doors,\nof which the lower half is of paneled wood, and the upper of pebbled\nglass. Each doorway is arched, and carries a large semi-circular\ntransom with a central aperture occupied by an open grill of metal.\nOf these doors there are six pairs on both north and south sides, and\ntwo pairs on both east and west. There are twenty-six fluted pilasters\naround the walls, each extending from floor to ceiling. The only\nnatural light the room receives is borrowed from windows without; but\nabundant artificial light is supplied by a large central electrolier\nand numerous side lamps.\n\nThe baptismal font is, of course, the most prominent feature of the\nroom. To provide for the font, a depression or well has been excavated\nto a depth of three feet below the floor level. This well, tiled with\nmarble, is circular, twenty-one feet in diameter, and is surrounded\nby an ornamental iron railing two feet high. In this depression stand\ntwelve, life-sized oxen, of cast iron, with bronzed bodies and silvered\nhorns. The oxen face outward in groups of three and support the massive\nfont.[2] The font is of cast iron enameled in white, elliptical in\nform, of ten and six feet in its longer and shorter axes respectively,\nand four feet deep; its capacity is over four hundred gallons. The rim\nis reached by a flight of seven steps at either end, with balustrade\nand top-rail of iron; five inside steps at either end provide for\ndescent into the font. Facilities for quickly replenishing and renewing\nhot and cold water in the font are adequate and efficient, and due\nattention has been given to ventilation and sanitary requirements\nthroughout.\n\n{185} The landing at the top of the steps on the west end of the\nfont expands into two small platforms, one at either side; these are\nenclosed by extensions of the balustrades. On the south side is a small\ntable for the use of the recorder, and on the north are seats for the\nwitnesses whose presence is essential at every baptism performed in\nbehalf of the dead[3]\n\nThe placing of the baptistry on the lower or basement floor was not\na matter of mere convenience. Most of the baptisms performed within\nthe Temple are in behalf of the dead, and the symbolism of the font\nlocation is set forth by authority:\n\n    \"The baptismal font was instituted as a simile of the grave, and\n    was commanded to be in a place underneath where the living are wont\n    to assemble, to show forth the living and the dead.\"[4]\n\nOn the north side of the baptistry is a large room divided into a\nnumber of apartments used as dressing rooms and in which are performed\ncertain ordinances of anointing, for men. A similar arrangement\nfor women exists on the south side. In these ceremonies only women\nadminister to women, and men to men.\n\n_The Lower Lecture Room:_ On the east of the lower corridor are two\nassembly rooms. The first of these is about forty by forty-five feet,\nand is finished and furnished in great plainness. Its walls are without\nornament; and, except for the six electroliers, the only approach to\ndecorative embellishment is a drinking fountain of variegated marble\nand onyx on the south side. The {186} room is comfortably carpeted but\nin marked simplicity,--without a suggestion of bright color. The seats\nare folding lecture chairs, of plain design, and provision is made\nfor two hundred and fifty persons. This room is used for preliminary\ninstruction purposes, and may be called for convenience the Lower\nLecture Room.\n\n_The Garden Room:_ In striking contrast with the room last described is\nthe apartment on the south, entered from the lecture room by an arched\ndoorway hung with portieres. While of about the same size as the room\ndescribed, and seated to accommodate the same number of persons, in\nall its appointments it is of more elaborate design. Ceiling and walls\nare embellished with oil paintings--the former to represent clouds and\nsky, with sun and moon and stars; the latter showing landscape scenes\nof rare beauty. There are sylvan grottoes and mossy dells, lakelets and\nbrooks, waterfalls and rivulets, trees, vines and flowers, insects,\nbirds and beasts, in short, the earth beautiful,--as it was before the\nFall. It may be called the Garden of Eden Room, for in every part and\nappurtenance it speaks of sweet content and blessed repose. There is\nno suggestion of disturbance, enmity or hostility; the beasts are at\npeace and the birds live in amity. In the centre of the south wall, is\na platform and an altar of prayer, reached by three steps. The altar is\nupholstered in velvet, and on it rests the Holy Bible. On the sides of\nthe altar are large doorways opening directly into a conservatory of\nliving plants.\n\n_The Grand Stairway_ starts near the south end of the lower corridor\nalready described. It is provided with a stately newel post and a\nmassive balustrade, both of solid cherry. This stairway comprises\nthirty-five steps with {187} three landings, and at its top is the\nupper corridor, running forty feet north and south. A large canvas\ndepicting the resurrected Christ instructing the Nephites on the\nwestern continent occupies twenty feet of wall space on the east of\nthis corridor; and smaller paintings adorn the other walls.\n\n_The World Room:_ Leading off to the west from the first landing\nbelow the top of the grand stairway is a side corridor nine feet wide\nand fifteen feet long. This contains an art window in rich colors,\nelliptical in form, about ten feet in height, depicting the expulsion\nfrom Eden. It is of special significance in the journey from the Garden\nRoom below to the symbolical apartment into which this side passage\nleads. At either end the corridor terminates in an arch way; between\nthese the ceiling is of fine panel work. The room is of equal size with\nthose below, forty-five by forty feet. It is carpeted in rich brown,\nand is seated in the usual way. At the west end is an upholstered\nprayer altar, on which are placed in readiness for use the Holy\nScriptures. Near the altar is a stairway leading to a small waiting\nroom adjoining the elevator landing.\n\nThe walls are entirely covered with scenic paintings and the ceiling\nis pictured to represent sky and cloud. The earth scenes are in\nstrong contrast with those in the Garden Room below. Here the rocks\nare rent and riven; the earth-story is that of mountain uplift and\nseismic disruption. Beasts are contending in deadly strife, or\nengaged in murderous attack, or already rending their prey. The more\ntimorous creatures are fleeing from their ravenous foes or cowering in\nhalf-concealed retreats. There are lions in combat, a tiger gloating\nover a fallen {188} deer, wolves and foxes in hungry search. Birds of\nprey are slaying or being slain. On the summit of a rugged cliff is an\neagle's eyrie, the mother and her brood watching the approach of the\nmale bird holding a lambkin in his claws. All the forest folk and the\nwild things of the mountain are living under the ever-present menace of\ndeath, and it is by death they live. The trees are gnarled, misshapen,\nand blasted; shrubs maintain a precarious root-hold in rocky clefts;\nthorns, thistles, cacti, and noxious weeds abound; and in one quarter a\ndestructive storm is raging.\n\nThe scenes are typical of the world's condition under the curse of God.\nNevertheless there is a certain weird attractiveness in the scenes and\nin their suggestiveness. The story is that of struggle and strife; of\nvictory and triumph or of defeat and death. From Eden man has been\ndriven out to meet contention, to struggle with difficulties, to live\nby strife and sweat. This chamber may well be known as the room of the\nfallen world, or more briefly, the World Room.\n\n_The Terrestrial Room:_ From the north-west corner of the room last\ndescribed is a large door-way leading into another apartment, lofty,\nspacious, and beautiful. Its general effect is that of combined\nrichness and simplicity. Following the elaborate decoration of the\nWorld Room, this is restful in its soft coloring and air of comfort.\nThe carpet is of lavender velvet woven with simple figures. The walls\nare of pale blue, the ceiling and woodwork of white with trimmings\nin gold. At the west end is a large mirror framed in white and gold.\nThe chairs are upholstered to harmonize with the floor-covering.\nFrom the paneled ceiling hang three electroliers, {189} massive, yet\nsimple, holding opaline globes. Two sets of conical shades enclosing\nincandescent bulbs occupy circular recesses in the ceiling, and\ntorch-shaped brackets supporting additional lamps are affixed to the\nwall pilasters. A few framed canvases hang from the walls, the largest\nof which is the original painting by Girard--Joseph interpreting the\ndreams of the butler and baker. Other pictures are delineations of\nincidents in the life of Christ and scenes in Bible lands.\n\nAn upholstered altar stands near the east end of the room, with copies\nof sacred writ in place. In this room, lectures are given pertaining\nto the endowments and emphasizing the practical duties of a religious\nlife. It is therefore commonly known as the upper lecture room, but in\nview of its relation to the room that follows, we may for convenience\ndesignate it the Terrestrial Room. At the east end is a raised floor\nreached by three steps, across which springs an arch of thirty feet\nspan. The arch is supported by five columns between which hangs a\nsilken portiere in four sections. This is the Veil of the Temple.\n\n_The Celestial Room:_ From the room last described to the one now under\nconsideration the passage leads through the Veil. This is a large and\nlofty apartment about sixty by forty-five feet in area and thirty-four\nfeet in height, occupying the northeast section of the building on this\nfloor. In finish and furnishings it is the grandest of all the large\nrooms within the walls. If the last room described could be considered\ntypical of the terrestrial state, this is suggestive of conditions yet\nmore exalted; and it may appropriately be called the Celestial Room.\nThe west end is occupied wholly by the Veil. {190} The east wall is in\npart taken up by two triple mirrors, thirteen feet high; the central\nsection of each is three feet eight inches wide, and the side sections\neach three feet in width. Along the walls are twenty-two columns in\npairs, with Corinthian caps; these support entablatures from which\nspring ten arches, four on either side and one at each end. Within the\nrecesses formed by these arches and suspended from the wall-columns,\nare paintings and busts of past and living leaders of the Church, and\ncanvases depicting scenes in Bible lands and incidents of interest\nin Church history. Prominent among these are paintings by Lambourne,\nshowing the Hill Cumorah[5] and Adam-ondi-Ahman.[6] Choice canvases\nillustrative of scenes in the life of Christ and small statuary are\ndisposed with excellent effect about the room. The ceiling is a\ncombination of vault and panel construction elaborately finished.\nMassive cornices and beams separating the ceiling panels are richly\nembellished with clusters of fruit and flowers. The color scheme of the\nwalls is soft brown relieved by the light blue of the fluted columns\nand by abundant trimmings in gold. Eight electroliers with shades\nof richly finished glass depend from the ceiling, and each of the\ntwenty-two columns holds a bracket of lights in corresponding design.\nA newel-post at the east bears a flower-cluster of colored globes with\nan artistic support in bronze. The floor is covered by a heavy carpet\nand the movable furniture is all of rich yet appropriate design. Palms\nand other living plants are held in shapely jardinieres of finest ware.\nAt the east is a short flight of {191} stairs leading into an office\nreserved for the president of the Temple.\n\nEach of the four arched-window recesses in the north is framed by\ndraped curtains of silk, which in material and design match the Veil.\nOn the south side are four pairs of double doors in position and size\nsymmetrically corresponding with the windows on the north. The portal\nat the south-west, which is fitted with swinging doors, opens directly\ninto the upper corridor at the head of the grand stairway already\ndescribed; each of the three other portals is fitted with sliding\ndoors, and opens into a separate apartment slightly raised above the\nfloor of the large room, and reserved for special ceremonial work, more\nspecifically described beyond.\n\n_Sealing Room for the Dead:_ The first of these three small rooms is\nabout ten by thirteen feet in the square with a semi-circular recess\nfive feet deep on the south side. This room is raised two steps above\nthe main floor. In the wall of this recess is a bay art window of\nstained glass, representing with effective and impressing detail the\nresurrected prophet Moroni delivering the plates of the Book of Mormon\nto the youthful seer, Joseph Smith. It is a fitting symbol of the\nactuality of communication between the dead and the living; and it is\nto ordinances pertaining to this relationship the room is devoted;\nthis is the Sealing Room for the Dead. The west wall is occupied by a\nlarge mirror. In the center stands a richly upholstered altar finished\nin old-rose velvet and gold. The altar is six by three feet six inches\nat its base and two feet six inches in height. Here kneel in humble\nservice the living proxies representing deceased husbands and wives,\nparents and children. The only other furniture {192} consists of chairs\nfor the officiating elder, the witnesses, and persons awaiting the\nordinances at the altar.\n\n_Sealing Room for the Living:_ The easterly room of the three is in\nsize and shape a counterpart of the last described. Its finishing,\nhowever, is in brighter tone; the altar and chairs are upholstered in\ncrimson velvet, and the walls are of light tint. A mirror extends from\nfloor to ceiling on the east wall. This is the Sealing Room for the\nLiving. Here is solemnized the sacred ordinance of marriage between\nparties who come to plight their vows of marital fidelity for time and\neternity, and to receive the seal of the eternal Priesthood upon their\nunion. Here also are performed the ordinances of sealing or adoption\nof living children by their parents who were not at first united in\nthe order of celestial marriage.[7] On the south side of this room is\na door with transom and side panels of jeweled glass in floral design,\nleading into a reception room which is provided for the accommodation\nof parties awaiting the sealing ordinance. This room connects on the\nwest by a short passage with a smaller apartment,--another waiting\nroom, and this in turn opens upon the upper corridor at the head of the\ngrand stairway.\n\n_The Holy of Holies:_ The central of the three small apartments\nconnected with the Celestial Room,--situated therefore between the\nSealing Room for the Living and Sealing Room for the Dead,--is of\nall the smaller apartments within the Temple walls by far the most\nbeautiful. Yet its excellence is that of splendid simplicity rather\nthan of sumptuous splendor. It is raised above the other two rooms\nand is reached by an additional flight of six steps inside the\nsliding doors. The short staircase is bordered {193} by hand-carved\nbalustrades, which terminate in a pair of newel-posts bearing bronze\nfigures symbolical of innocent childhood; these support flower\nclusters, each jeweled blossom enclosing an electric bulb. On the\nlanding at the head of the steps is another archway, beneath which are\nsliding doors; these doors mark the threshold of the inner room or Holy\nof Holies of the Temple, and correspond to the inner curtain or veil\nthat shielded from public view the most sacred precincts of Tabernacle\nand Temple in the earlier dispensations.\n\nThe floor is of native hard-wood blocks, each an inch in cross-section.\nThe room is of circular outline, eighteen feet in diameter, with\npaneled walls, the panels separated by carved pillars supporting\narches; it is decorated in blue and gold. The entrance doorway and\nthe panels are framed in red velvet with an outer border finished in\ngold. Four wall niches, bordered in crimson and gold, have a deep blue\nbackground, and within these are tall vases holding flowers. The room\nis practically without natural light, but it is brilliantly illumined\nby a large electrolier and eight side clusters of lamps. The ceiling is\na dome in which are set circular and semicircular windows of jeweled\nglass, and on the outer side of these, therefore above the ceiling, are\nelectric globes whose light penetrates into the room in countless hues\nof subdued intensity.\n\nOn the south side of this room, opposite the entrance doorway, and\ncorresponding in size therewith, is a window of colored glass depicting\nthe appearance of the Eternal Father and His Son Jesus Christ to the\nboy Joseph Smith. The event here delineated marked the ushering-in of\nthe dispensation of the fulness of times. {194} The scene is laid in\na grove; the celestial Personages are clothed in white, and appear in\nthe attitude of instructing the boy prophet, who kneels with uplifted\nface and outstretched arms. Beneath is inscribed the scriptures through\nwhich Joseph was led to seek Divine instruction:\n\n    \"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all\n    men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.\"\n\nAnd Below:\n\n    \"This is my beloved Son, hear Him.\"\n\nThis room is reserved for the higher ordinances in the Priesthood\nrelating to the exaltation of both living and dead.\n\n_Dome Room:_ Near the landing of the granite stairway in the\nsoutheast tower on the third floor, is the entrance to the large\nDome Room, thirty-nine by forty-four feet. On the south side are\nthree oval windows, and opposite these on the north are semi-discs\nof pebbled glass looking down into the Celestial Room and set in the\narches thereof. In the center appears a large dome, fifty-one feet\nin circumference at its base and seven feet high. This is set with\nseventeen jeweled windows and may be readily recognized as the ceiling\nof the Holy of Holies already described as a prominent feature of the\nsecond floor. In each of these windows electric bulbs are placed,\nand it is from these the room below derives its beauty of ceiling\nillumination and coloring. The walls are hung with portraits of Church\nauthorities. No specific ordinance work belongs to this apartment. At\nthe northwest corner this room opens into a hall or corridor {195}\nseventy-five feet long, eight feet wide throughout the first fifteen\nfeet of its extent, and ten feet wide for the rest of its course. From\nthe corridor rooms open on either side.\n\n_The Elders' Room_ is the first apartment on the south side of the\ncorridor, west from the Dome Room. It is thirty-one by thirteen feet\nand is lighted by one oval window. The furniture consists of an altar\nfor prayer, chairs and a table. The room is reserved for council and\nprayer by the several quorums of elders within the Salt Lake City\nstakes, each body having the right of occupancy within specified times.\n\n_The Council Room of the Twelve Apostles_ lies to the west from\nthe last, on the south side of the corridor. This is twenty-eight\nby twenty-nine feet, and has two oval windows on the south. It is\nfurnished with twelve chairs of oak upholstered in leather, other\nchairs for recorders or clerks, desks, table, and altar. On the walls\nare seen portraits of latter-day Apostles now living. Adjoining this\nchamber is an ante-room fourteen by twenty-one feet.\n\n_The Council Room of the Seventy_ is entered from the corridor near its\nwesterly termination. The room is twenty-eight by fourteen feet, and\nhas one oval window on the south side. This chamber is reserved for the\nuse of the First Seven Presidents of the Seventies, or more accurately\nstated, the First Council of the Seventy. It is furnished for its\npurpose with seven chairs of a kind, an extra chair for the recorder or\nclerk, a table and a prayer altar.\n\n_The Council Room of the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles_ is\nsituated on the north side of the corridor, and with its ante-room\noccupies the greater part {196} of that side. The main apartment is\nforty by twenty-eight feet. In the center is a prayer altar of white\nwood upholstered in crimson velvet. Twelve large upholstered chairs of\noak are arranged in three quadrants of a circle around the altar. The\nother quadrant is occupied by a table, behind which are three chairs\nof a kind for the three presiding high priests who constitute the\nFirst Presidency of the Church, and another chair for the Presiding\nPatriarch. These pieces, with desk, table, and chair for the use of\nthe recorder, constitute the essential furniture of the room; all\nadditional pieces are decorative. The walls support several fine\npaintings, among which are two canvases depicting the descent from the\ncross, one of the burial of the crucified Christ, and others of scenes\nin the life of the Savior. Beside these there are original canvases\nshowing landscape scenes of interest in the history of the restored\nChurch.\n\nThe ante-room to this chamber is sixteen by fourteen feet. On the north\nside is seen a commemorative window of colored glass, presenting in the\ncentral panel a splendid picture of the finished Temple, above which\nappears the sacred inscription, \"Holiness to the Lord.\" Each of the\nside panels presents an escutcheon with scroll and inscriptions.[8]\n\n_The High Council Room:_ Immediately north from the ante-room to the\nchamber reserved for the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles, is a\nroom twenty-five by sixteen feet, allotted to the use of the Presidency\nand High Council of each of {197} the stakes of Zion included within\nthis district. The occupancy of this room is regulated by rule, and the\npresiding bodies of each of the stakes concerned have access thereto\nat appointed times, specifically for devotional service. In business\nsession these organizations meet elsewhere, not in the Temple. The room\nis furnished with the requisite number of chairs, a table, a desk, and\nan altar.\n\n_The Main Assembly Room_, which with its vestries and the end corridors\noccupies the whole of the fourth floor, is one hundred and twenty\nby eighty feet in area, and thirty-six feet in height. A commodious\ngallery extends along both sides, and but for the space occupied by the\nstands, includes the ends. At either end of this great auditorium is a\nspacious stand,--a terraced platform,--a multiple series of pulpits.\nThe two are alike as to finish and furniture; a description of one will\nserve for both.\n\nThe stand comprises four terraces, the lowest of which is one foot\nabove the floor, while each of the other three has a rise of two feet.\nOn each of the lower three terraces is a settee or dais eighteen feet\nlong; the upper terrace is furnished with a settee eight feet long for\nthe seating of the president and his two counselors. On each terrace\nis a central lectern, with a smaller desk of corresponding design on\neither side. All the woodwork on these terraced platforms is hand\ncarved, and is finished in white and gold.\n\nThe upper stand at either end of the room is covered by a canopy,\nsupported by columns, and bearing on its front the designation of the\norder of Priesthood to which the end is devoted. The stand at the\nwest end is inscribed \"Aaronic Priesthood,\" and the one at the east,\n\"Melchisedek Priesthood.\" It will be remembered in connection with the\ndescription of the Temple exterior that the {198} towers at the east\nrise to a greater height than do those at the west. It is now seen that\nthis difference is in accordance with the graded orders of Priesthood,\nstationed within, the Higher at the east and the Lesser at the west.\n\nFlanking the official stands at either end of this auditorium are seats\nfor officials in the Priesthood not directly called to officiate in\nthe services of the day. The gallery and the wings of the stands are\nfurnished with folding chairs; the seats belonging to the body of the\nauditorium are of reversible construction, so that the auditors may\nface the stand in which the Priesthood officiating on the occasion\nbelongs.\n\nThis great room is finished in white and gold. From the paneled ceiling\nlarge electroliers depend, and these with the cornice lights present\na total of three hundred and four electric globes. In the rear of\neach stand are commodious vestries with entrances on either side. In\neach corner of this imposing auditorium, is a spiral stairway leading\nto the gallery; the stairway is of graceful design with hand-carved\nembellishments.\n\n_The Upper floors_: Above the level of the main assembly room with its\naccessories, there are no rooms. The next floor has an elevator landing\nat the west and a cross-corridor connecting the two corner towers at\nboth the east and west ends of the Temple, but these are all. The next\nlanding is on a level with the roof of the Temple, above which are only\nspires and finials.\n\n_The Four Granite Stairways_: In each of the four corner towers is a\nstairway leading from basement to roof, each and every step of solid\ngranite. The stairs are attached to a central column of granite four\nfeet in diameter, and every step is set and anchored to withstand for\n{199} ages any and all ordinary loosening by time. In each of these\nfour corner stairways there are one hundred and seventy-seven steps,\na total of seven hundred and eight in all. Each step is six feet long\nwith an insert of three inches at either end; at the narrow end each\nstep is five inches wide, and at the other end twenty inches; the steps\npresent a projecting tread of one inch and a half. There are broad\nlandings at convenient intervals in the long spiral. Each complete step\nweighs over seventeen hundred pounds, and the aggregate weight of the\ngranite in the four stairways is over one and a quarter million pounds.\nOn each floor is a cross corridor ten feet in width, running north and\nsouth, connecting the tower stairways. At the west end of the structure\nare two commodious elevators running in separate shafts of granite from\nbasement to roof. At first hydraulic elevators were installed, but\nthese have been replaced by automatic electric lifts.\n\nBe it remembered that the Temple has been built not for the present\nalone. In structure it is stable and of the best construction skill\nand devotion could achieve. In the interior its appearance is strictly\nin keeping with the stability of the walls and in harmony with the\nimpressive and imposing appearance presented without. In no part is\nthere evidence of hurried plan or careless execution. Even the attic\nrooms and muniments--but seldom used--are well and fully furnished.\n\nHowever, the Temple is not beautified throughout with equal\nelaboration. There has been no lavish nor unnecessary expenditure\nin embellishment. The predominating intent has been that of\nappropriateness. There are many rooms of plain design, furnished in but\nsimple style; {200} there are others in which no effort has been spared\nnor cost considered to secure the essentials of grandeur and sublimity.\nIn no part is there a hint of incompleteness; nowhere is there a\nsuggestion of the excessively ornate. Every room has been planned and\nconstructed for a definite purpose, and both finished and furnished in\nstrict accordance therewith. Within this, the greatest Temple of the\npresent dispensation, there is no mere display, no wasting of material,\nno over-ornamentation. The Temple has been planned and built as was\nbelieved to be most appropriate to\n\n_The House of the Lord_.\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n1. Prior to 1911 the Temple was supplied with heat and light from its\nown boilers and dynamos; and during that period electric generators\nwere operated in these rooms. Steam and electricity are now furnished\nfrom a central plant situated immediately west of the Temple Block. See\nchapter IX.\n\n2. Compare with the \"molten sea\" in the Temple of Solomon, I Kings\n7:23-26; II Chron. 4:3-5.\n\n3. See Doctrine and Covenants, section 128.\n\n4. Doctrine and Covenants. 128:13.\n\n5. See \"The Articles of Faith,\" XIV:1-3.\n\n6. See Doctrine and Covenants, section 116.\n\n7. See page 105.\n\n8. See page 137.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX\n\nTEMPLE BLOCK\n\n{201} Marvelous as was the achievement of the people in rearing the\ngreat Temple, and particularly so in the commencement of the work under\nconditions that appeared so generally unfavorable, the undertaking\nbecomes even more remarkable when we take into consideration other\nbuilding-work carried on while the Temple was in course of erection.\nNot only were three other Temples begun and completed during this\nperiod, but meeting-houses were reared all in the various wards and\nstakes, and other structures of yet greater capacity were erected for\nassemblies of the Church in general. The buildings constructed on\nTemple Block in Salt Lake City represent in and of themselves great\nundertakings when considered in the light of circumstances prevailing\nat the time. Among such buildings are the existing Tabernacle; the\nstructure long since removed and now referred to as the Old Tabernacle,\nand the Assembly Hall.\n\nIt is interesting to know that the first shelters erected for public\ngatherings within what is now Salt Lake City were boweries; among these\nthe Old Bowery is distinctively named and known. On the 31st of July,\n1847--but one week after the arrival of the pioneers in the valley of\nthe Great Salt Lake, a detachment of the Mormon {202} Battalion,[1]\nwhich had just reached the settlement, or as it was even then called,\nthe city, built for the accommodation of worshipping assemblies a\nbowery of poles and brush. This in time was superseded by a yet larger\nstructure of the kind, one hundred feet by sixty feet, which came to be\nknown in local history as the Old Bowery. It consisted of posts set up\nat convenient intervals around the sides of a quadrangle, the tops of\nthe posts being joined by poles held in place by wooden pegs or lashed\nin position by rawhide thongs, and upon this skeleton-roof, willows,\nevergreens, sagebrush, and other shrubs were piled, resulting in a\ncovering which was a partial protection from the sun, though but a poor\nbarrier against wind and rain.\n\n_The old Tabernacle_: At first this building was known as the\nTabernacle; since the erection of the present building bearing that\nname, the earlier structure has come to be known as the Old Tabernacle.\nIt was one hundred and twenty-six feet in length by sixty-four feet\nin width, and occupied the site of the present Assembly Hall in the\nsouth-west corner of Temple Block. For its day and time it was a large\nand pretentious building. As to its seating capacity, we read that at\nthe time of its dedication during the April conference of 1852, there\nwere twenty-five hundred persons present at one session. Its ceiling\nwas {203} arched and was supported without pillars. Many of the posts\nand poles of the Old Bowery entered into the construction of the Old\nTabernacle.[2]\n\n_The Tabernacle_: The building now so known was distinctively\ndesignated the New Tabernacle at the time of its construction. It\nwas begun in July, 1864, and was so far advanced as to permit the\nholding of the general conference beneath its roof in October, 1867.\nThis remarkable structure was planned and erected under the direction\nof President Brigham Young. For it no claim of architectural beauty\nis asserted; the general appearance is that of a huge inverted bowl\nresting on pillars. It is in truth a vast elliptical dome supported\nat the edge by massive sandstone walls and buttresses. The buttresses\nmeasure nine feet in width or depth and three feet in thickness.\nThe space between the buttresses is occupied by doors, windows, and\nwalls; the doors open outward, thus affording ready means of exit. The\nbuilding measures two hundred and fifty feet in length and one hundred\nand fifty feet in width at the center. The ceiling is seventy feet from\nthe floor in the middle; and from the ceiling to roof the distance is\nten feet. A capacious gallery, thirty feet wide, extends along the\ninner walls and is broken at the west end only, where it gives place to\nthe grand organ and the seats reserved for the great choir. In contrast\nwith the usual methods of construction this enormous {204} gallery is\nnot continuous with the walls. At intervals of twelve to fifteen feet\ngreat beams connect the gallery with the wall buttresses, but between\nthese beams the gallery is set forward two and one-half feet from the\ninside of the walls and the open spaces are guarded by a high railing.\nIt is believed that the surprising acoustic properties of the building\nare due in part to this feature of construction; the great dome is,\nin fact, a colossal whispering gallery, as the hundreds of thousands\nof visitors who have inspected the building know. When it is emptied\nsave for the few, the fall of a pin dropped at the focal point of the\nellipse near one end of the building may be heard at the corresponding\npoint near the other end. The convenient seating capacity of the\nbuilding, including that of the gallery, is nearly nine thousand,\nthough under conditions of crowding, congregations much larger than\nthis have assembled.\n\nAt the west end are the stands including the pulpits. There are really\nthree pulpits rising in tiers or terraces; these afford accommodations\nfor the Church officers of different grades in authority. On either\nside of the pulpit-terraces are extended platforms for other bodies of\nPriesthood. Behind the stands and pulpits, rising on either side to\nthe level of the gallery and occupying the space in front of the great\norgan, is the choir space, seated to accommodate approximately three\nhundred singers, with extra provision in the gallery for nearly as many\nmore.\n\nAt the west end of the building is the great organ, generally admitted\nto be one of the best instruments of its class ever built. At the time\nof its construction it was the largest organ in this country and the\nsecond or third {205} largest in the world. One of the many surprising\nfeatures connected with the instrument lies in the fact of its having\nbeen constructed by local artisans; the woodwork, including pipe and\nmechanical equipment, is wholly of native material. The organ occupies\na floor-space of thirty-three by thirty feet, and rises to a height\nof forty feet for the body of the organ itself, while the towers in\nfront reach a height of forty-eight feet. Its stops and regulators\nnumber one hundred and ten; it contains over three thousand six hundred\npipes, which range from half an inch to thirty-two feet in speaking\nlength. There are four complete finger key-boards and one pedal system,\nmaking in all five individual organs. In size and proportions the organ\ncomports with the great building in which it is installed; while in\ntonal quality and mechanical equipment it is of an order of excellence\ncorresponding to the other appointments of this splendid auditorium.\n\nThe domed roof is constructed on the principle of lattice-work support,\nand is self-sustaining throughout its entire extent, there being no\npillars between ceiling and floor. The roof-work is of wood, and at\nthe time of its construction the beams and trusses were held together\nby wooden pegs and rewhide thongs. These materials were used instead\nof nails from necessity rather than from choice; nails were obtainable\nonly as new supplies were brought in by prairie wagons, and the cost\nof the long haul precluded their use. While at present there are many\nlarger roof-spans in the great buildings of the country, most of the\nmore recent structures are of steel; and it is doubtful if ever there\nhas been made a more stable structure of its kind consisting wholly of\nwood.\n\n_The Assembly Hall_: In the south-west corner of {206} Temple Block\nstands the Assembly Hall, a substantial structure designed for\ncongregations of smaller size than those requiring the great Tabernacle\nauditorium. During the summer of 1877 the Old Tabernacle, about which\nso many pleasant memories had clustered, was removed to make room for\nthe new building. The Assembly Hall was begun in the year named, and,\nthough meetings were held in the unfinished structure, it was not until\n1882 that the building was ready for dedication. The edifice is one\nhundred and twenty by sixty-eight feet, including the extreme recesses.\nThe walls are of granite from the quarries in Cottonwood canyon.\n\n_General Service Plant_: All the buildings at present occupying Temple\nBlock, together with many others on adjoining squares, are supplied\nwith steam, hot-water, and electric current for light, heat, and power,\nfrom an independent plant situated near the middle of the city square\nimmediately west from Temple Block. From this plant great subterranean\ntunnels lead to the several buildings connected therewith. The main\ntunnel is six feet six inches in height, by five feet six inches in\nwidth; through this run all pipes for steam and water, ammonia pipes\nfor cooling purposes, and, in addition, a full equipment of electric\nconductors. The diverging branch-tunnels are each six feet six inches\nby four feet. The buildings supplied from this plant with electric\nlight, heat, and power, and with steam and hot water, are the following:\n\n1. All the buildings on Temple Block, comprising the great Temple and\nits accessories, viz., the Annex, the conservatory, the gate house or\nporter's cottage, the Tabernacle, the Assembly Hall, and the Bureau of\nInformation.\n\n{207} 2. All the buildings belonging to the Latter-day Saints'\nUniversity, comprising the Business College, Barratt Hall, the Brigham\nYoung Memorial Building, and the Lion House.\n\n3. The Bishop's Building, and the old Tithing Office or Bishop's Store\nHouse, now used for work in connection with the Latter-day Saints'\nUniversity.\n\n4. The Deseret Gymnasium.\n\n5. The offices of the First Presidency of the Church, together with the\nofficial residence of the President, known as the Bee Hive House. These\nbuildings are situated at a distance of two and one-half city squares\nfrom the main plant.\n\n6. The large and famous hostelry, the Hotel Utah.\n\n7. The Deseret News Building and the Deseret News Annex.\n\n8. The Vermont Building.\n\n9. The Sharon Building, and several other smaller structures.\n\nThe entire length of the tunnel system is over fourteen hundred feet,\nand the tunnels are constructed of reinforced concrete with walls six\ninches thick. From this brief and partial description, it will be seen\nthat the equipment of buildings occupying or adjoining Temple Block, is\ncommensurate and adequate.\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n1. The Mormon Battalion was a body of five hundred men furnished by the\nmigrating people on demand of the general government to assist in the\nwar between the United States and Mexico. The Battalion was mustered\ninto service in July, 1846, and formed part of the forces commanded\nby General Stephen F. Kearney. The main part of the Battalion marched\nfrom Fort Leavenworth to Santa Fe, and arrived in southern California\nduring January, 1847. A detachment from this band, comprising those who\nhad become disabled while on the march, had wintered at Pueblo; this\nbody reached Salt Lake Valley in July, 1847, but a few days after the\nentrance of the Pioneers.\n\n2. Descriptions of the Old Tabernacle and accounts of the proceedings\nincident to its dedication and opening for public use appear in the\n\"Deseret News\" of that time, April, 1852. Reprints in part appear in\nthe \"Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star,\" Vol. XIV, Nos. 22 and 23,\nJuly 24th and 31st, 1852. These accounts comprise also synopses of\nthe minutes of the general conference of the Church for that year and\ninclude the dedicatory prayer.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X\n\nOTHER UTAH TEMPLES\n\n{208} Of the sanctuaries reared by the Latter-day Saints, the\ngreat Temple at Salt Lake City has been the first to be considered\nspecifically and in detail in these pages. This course has been\nfollowed because of the fact that among modern Temples the one at Salt\nLake City is the largest, the costliest, and by far the most generally\nknown; and moreover, as already stated, of the four Temples thus far\nerected in Utah this was the first begun and the last finished. While\nit was in course of construction three other Temples were proposed,\nplanned, built, dedicated, and opened to sacred ordinance service.\nThese are known from their locations as the St. George Temple, the\nLogan Temple, and the Manti Temple. The sequence in which they are\nnamed is the order in which they were completed and opened; it will be\nconvenient to follow this order in further considering them.\n\nEach of the three is constructed on the same general plan, and for\nsimilar specific purposes. While they are of varying richness, and each\nis smaller and less elaborate than the great Temple at Salt Lake City,\ntheir appointments and equipment are essentially the same. No detailed\ndescription of internal arrangements or furnishings will be attempted,\nas such would be little more than a reiteration in part of what has\nbeen said.\n\nTHE ST. GEORGE TEMPLE\n\n{209} The city of St. George, the county seat of Washington county,\nUtah, is situated near the southwesterly corner of the State, about\ntwo hundred and seventy miles from Salt Lake City in a direct line,\nand three hundred and thirty as the road runs. Before the walls of the\nTemple at Salt Lake City had been carried above the basement story, the\nerection of a Temple in the southern part of the Territory of Utah had\nbeen fully determined. The site for the St. George Temple when selected\nby President Brigham Young lay in the suburbs of the city. The grounds\ncomprise an entire city block of six acres.\n\nOn Thursday, November 9th, 1871, President Brigham Young and his\nFirst Counselor, George A. Smith, together with Erastus Snow, then\nPresident of the Southern Mission, Joseph W. Young, then President of\nthe St. George Stake of Zion, a goodly number of other bearers of the\nPriesthood, and the general public, dedicated the site and broke ground\npreparatory to laying the foundation of the building. After the prayer,\nwhich was offered by Elder George A. Smith, President Brigham Young\naddressed the people. From the report of his remarks the following\nexcerpts are taken, as they furnish an illustration of the earnestness\nwith which the commission to build Temples was regarded, and of the\npractical nature of what the people considered to be their duties as\nmembers of the Church. The President urged a concentration of effort on\nthe part of the people in the work, and continued:\n\n    \"The idea may arise that this is a hard land in which to get a\n    living. Now I am very thankful for the land just as it {210} is.\n    I am glad that it is just as it is. It is a splendid country to\n    rear Saints in. Among our other duties we have to build a temple\n    here. I advise that the Bishop of this city, the Bishop of Santa\n    Clara, and the Bishop of Washington, apportion labor among the\n    members of their respective wards to excavate the ground for the\n    foundation of the temple, and to haul rock, sand, clay and other\n    material. If the brethren undertake to do this work with one heart\n    and mind, we shall be blessed exceedingly, and prospered of the\n    Lord in our earthly substance. Now, if the people present are one\n    with the First Presidency in this work, and will unite with them\n    to prosecute the labor of building this temple, by faith, prayers\n    and good works, let all, brethren and sisters, manifest it by the\n    uplifted hand.\"\n\nThe people with one accord raised their hands. The official record\ncontinues as follows:\n\n    \"President Young took a shovel in his hand and said, pointing to\n    the stake which had previously been driven in the south-east corner\n    of the building site: 'Immediately under this stake and in the\n    foundation will be placed a stone containing sacred records, and\n    immediately over this stake, when the building is completed, will\n    be placed another stone containing records of the temple' He then\n    said, suiting the action to the word: 'I now commence by moving\n    this dirt in the name of Israel's God.' All the people said 'Amen.'\"\n\nAn address was delivered by Elder Erastus Snow in which he called to\nmind the promises and prophecies made ten years before, relative to the\nprosperity that would attend the people in the southern region, and\nfurthermore he pointed out the fulfilment of many of the predictions.\nThen followed the solemn Hosanna shout.\n\nWork on the excavation began immediately; on the afternoon of the\nvery day of dedication, plows and scrapers {211} were put in action.\nAs announced at the time of the dedication of the site, the following\nspecifications as to dimensions and construction had been decided upon:\n\n    \"Outside measurement, 142 feet long by 96 feet wide, including the\n    buttresses, and 80 feet high to the top of the parapet. It will be\n    built of stone, plastered outside and inside. There will be a tower\n    in the center of the east end, and on the extreme corners of the\n    same end, right and left of the tower, are cylindrical staircases;\n    one side of the stairs rests in the cylinder, the other side in a\n    newel in the center of the cylinder. The roof will be flat, and\n    covered with roofing similar to that on the New Tabernacle in Salt\n    Lake City. The building will consist of two stories and a basement.\n    The two main rooms or halls, one over the other, will each be 100\n    feet by 80 feet. The ceiling of these will be arched, resting\n    upon columns, and so constructed as to admit of sixteen rooms for\n    council and other purposes in each of those two main stories. The\n    height of the main ceiling in the centre is 27 feet; the height\n    of the other ceilings about 9 feet. The basement will contain the\n    font, and will be used for ceremonial purposes.\"[1]\n\nA record-stone was placed at the south-east corner of the building, and\ntherein were deposited, on March 31, 1873, a metallic box containing\ncopies of the scriptures and other publications of the Church, together\nwith a silver plate bearing the following inscription:\n\n    \"Holiness to the Lord.\n\n    \"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized and\n    established agreeable to the laws of our country, {212} by the\n    will and commandments of God, on the sixth of April, 1830. Which\n    commandments were given to Joseph Smith, Jr., who was called of\n    God, and ordained an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to be the first Elder\n    in the Church.\n\n    \"Joseph Smith, Jr., President, with his brother Hyrum, Patriarch of\n    the whole Church, suffered martyrdom in Carthage, Illinois, June\n    27th, 1844, and the Church was driven into the wilderness in 1846.\"\n\nThen followed the names of all the general authorities of the Church as\nat that time constituted.[2]\n\nTo the specifications given in the foregoing it is necessary to add\nonly the following to make the description fairly complete. The tower\nis thirty-one feet square; the vane on the tower is one hundred and\nseventy-five feet from the ground. The foundation of the entire\nbasement story consists of a black basaltic lava, a rock occurring\nabundantly in the region and well adapted to the purpose. The soil\nof the place is sandy and heavily impregnated with alkaline mineral\nsalts; and no rock that readily undergoes disintegration, either\nthrough abrasion or as the result of a solution of cementing material,\nis suitable for foundation work in this soil. The foundation of the\nbuilding extends below the ground-level ten feet. About two-thirds of\nthe east end and a portion of the northerly side rest on bed-rock in\nplace; throughout the rest of its extent the foundation is laid on a\nthick layer of broken volcanic rock firmly compacted under the blows\nof a nine-hundred-pound pile driver. A capacious drain encircles the\nbuilding and connects with a yet larger drain fifty feet easterly from\nthe square tower. The foundation is twelve {213} feet wide at the\nbottom, and the walls are gradually diminished in width so that at the\nlevel of the basement window sills they have a thickness of three feet\neight inches. Above the basement story the building is constructed\nof the fine red sandstone of the region, from quarries specifically\nlocated and opened for this work. Timber and lumber had to be hauled by\nteam from distances of from seventy to ninety miles.\n\nThe Temple stands in the open plain on but a slight elevation,\npractically devoid of all the prominence that belongs to a commanding\nposition of altitude. The ground on which the building rests, as well\nas the region for miles round about, is of a prevailing dark-red color;\nand this, too, is the color of the sandstone of which the Temple\nis built. Naturally, the building as a whole would blend with its\nsurroundings, so as to be practically invisible from even a moderate\ndistance. A contrast has been afforded by whitening the walls; and as a\nresult the structure has become a striking feature of the landscape.\n\nAs to the interior it may be sufficient to say that all the ordinance\nwork connected with baptism, ordination, endowment, and sealing,\nas performed in the Temple at Salt Lake City, is administered in a\nsimilar manner in this Temple, and provision therefor is made. For\nall the sacred ordinances there is ample equipment of rooms and\nfurnishings. The basement floor is divided into fourteen rooms of which\nthe baptistry or font-room, thirty-five by forty feet, is one of the\nlargest and most important. As is usual, the baptistry is situated\nbelow the general level of the assembly rooms. Also as in the other\ntemples, the baptismal font rests upon twelve oxen of cast iron,\nwhich occupy a depression slightly below the floor. The font, {214}\noxen, iron stairs, and all accessories, weighing in all over eighteen\nthousand pounds, were cast in Salt Lake City and were hauled by team\nthence to St. George. The entire baptistry equipment was the personal\ngift of President Brigham Young.\n\nAbove the basement there are two stories. In each of these there is\none main room ninety-nine by seventy-eight feet inside measurement,\nwith an arched or elliptical ceiling twenty-seven feet from the floor\nin the center. Flanking this main apartment on either side are a\nnumber of smaller rooms used for ordinance work and as assembly rooms\nfor councils of the Priesthood. The large room on the middle floor\ncorresponds in use to the splendid Celestial Room already described\nas a prominent feature of the Temple at Salt Lake City. In the same\nway the large room on the upper floor corresponds to the main assembly\nroom on the fourth floor of the Salt Lake City Temple, and is provided\nwith pulpits at both east and west ends, the former devoted to the use\nof the Higher or Melchisedek Priesthood, the latter reserved for the\nofficials of the Lesser or Aaronic order of Priesthood.\n\nAdjoining the main building is an accessory structure known as the\nAnnex; this is seventy-four feet long by twenty-four feet wide,\nexclusive of a \"lean-to\" on the east side, which is forty-three feet by\nnine feet. The Annex was built in 1882. It contains boiler and engine\nrooms, apartments for the guard, a refectory for the accommodation of\nworkers, recorder's offices, etc.\n\nThe St. George Temple was built by free-will offerings and by\nappropriations from the tithings of the people. In one year,\nspecifically the year 1875, over one hundred and twenty-three thousand\ndollars were expended {215} in the work, and the total cost of the\ncompleted building was considerably more than five hundred thousand\ndollars. The structure was practically finished by the close of 1876.\nSome parts were dedicated on January 1, 1877, so as to permit of\ncertain ordinance work to be done before the dedication of the building\nas a whole, which event occurred on the sixth of April following. At\nthe preliminary dedicatory service, January 1, 1877, twelve hundred\nand thirty persons were in attendance. Music, some of which had been\nspecially composed for the occasion, was rendered by the choir, and\ndedicatory prayers were offered by members of the Council of the Twelve\nas follows: by Elder Wilford Woodruff in the basement story; by Elder\nErastus Snow in the main room of the story next above the basement; by\nElder Brigham Young, Jr., in the room designated as the sealing room.\nAddresses were delivered by Elders Erastus Snow, Wilford Woodruff, and\nby President Brigham Young.\n\nBaptisms for the dead were first administered in the St. George Temple\non January 9, 1877; and endowments for the dead were begun two days\nlater.\n\nProceedings incident to the dedication of the Temple as a whole began\non the 4th of April, 1877, and terminated on the sixth, the last day's\nassembly being held in connection with the annual conference of the\nChurch, which conference had been appointed to be held at St. George,\nin view of the dedication. On the fourth and fifth of the month general\nassemblies were held in the Temple during both forenoon and afternoon,\neach session {216} marked by the rendition of special music and by\ninspired addresses from the Church leaders. At ten in the morning on\nFriday, April 6th, the general conference was opened in the Temple.\nThe presiding officers of the several quorums occupied the stands\nexclusively allotted. There was but little in the way of special\naddresses, two days having been devoted to the work of instruction and\npreliminary preparation. The dedicatory prayer was offered by Daniel H.\nWells, Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church.[3]\n\nTHE LOGAN TEMPLE\n\nScarcely had the St. George Temple been finished and opened to the\nsacred ordinances for which it had been built, when another House of\nthe Lord was begun by the Latter-day Saints, this at Logan in the\nnorthern section of the long-time Territory and present State of Utah.\nThe St. George Temple was dedicated on the 6th of April, 1877; the\nLogan Temple was begun on the 19th of September in the same year.\n\nThe city of Logan is the county seat of Cache county and the\ndistributing center for the rich and beautiful Cache valley, a valley\nthat has won for itself the distinguishing name of the Granary of\nUtah. Logan is sixty-six miles on a straight line from Salt Lake City,\nand one hundred and two miles as the railway runs. The Temples of St.\nGeorge and Logan are therefore three hundred and thirty-six miles apart\nin a direct line. Logan is prominent in the valley by virtue of its\ncommanding situation; {217} it occupies the delta and adjoining terrace\nbuilt by the mountain stream that flowed from the canyon into old Lake\nBonneville, and commands a view of the entire valley with the majestic\nmountain-wall in the background. The Temple occupies a position of\nprominence in the city, situated as it is upon one of the higher\nterraces locally known as the Bench, and visible from practically all\npoints in the great valley. The grounds comprise an entire city block\nof eight acres; and the Temple stands in the north-east quarter of this\nblock.\n\nThe site of the Logan Temple was dedicated on May 17, 1877, under\nthe direction of the Presidency of the Church and the Council of the\nTwelve Apostles. There were in attendance the full First Presidency,\ncomposed of President Brigham Young and his counselors, John W. Young\nand Daniel H. Wells; also John Taylor, president of the Council of the\nTwelve; Orson Pratt and other members of that Council, together with a\nlarge concourse of people. The dedicatory prayer was offered by Elder\nOrson Pratt, after which Counselor John W. Young broke the ground and\nthrew out the first spade-full of earth; in this ceremonial moving of\nthe soil he was followed by Counselor Daniel H. Wells and President\nJohn Taylor. Brief addresses were delivered by President Brigham Young\nand by Elders Daniel H. Wells and John Taylor. The remarks of Brigham\nYoung, expressive of the purpose for which temples are built and of\nthe unselfish spirit in which the work was to be prosecuted, were as\nfollows:\n\n    \"We have dedicated this spot of ground upon which we expect to\n    erect a temple in which to administer the ordinances of the House\n    of God. Into this house, when it is {218} completed, we expect to\n    enter to enjoy the blessings of the Priesthood and receive our\n    anointings, our endowments and our sealings; and the brethren will\n    be sealed to brethren to continue the links and make perfect the\n    chain from ourselves to Father Adam. This is the object of the\n    temple which we are about to commence building at this place. We\n    require the brethren and the sisters to go to with their might and\n    erect this temple; and from the architect to the boy who carries\n    the drinking water to the men that work on the building, we wish\n    them to understand that wages are entirely out of the question. We\n    are going to build a House for ourselves and we shall expect the\n    brethren and sisters, neighborhood after neighborhood, ward after\n    ward, to turn out their proportion of men to come here and labor as\n    they shall be notified by the proper authorities.\n\n    \"This may be called a temporal work, but it pertains to the\n    salvation of ourselves as well as our friends who have passed\n    behind the veil, and also the generations who are to come after us.\n    We can carry this temple forward with our labor without any burden\n    to ourselves if our hearts are in the work and we will be blessed\n    abundantly in doing so. We will be better off in our temporal\n    affairs when it is completed than when we commenced, and than we\n    would be if we did not build it. The time we enjoy is the Lord's,\n    but we have permission to direct its use according to our good\n    pleasure. When the brethren come to work on this temple they may\n    expect to be blessed of the Lord according to their faith.\n\n    * * * * * * *\n\n    \"We pray for you continually that you may be blessed. I feel to\n    bless you according to the power and keys of the Holy Priesthood\n    bestowed upon me and my brethren with me, heart and hand, and all\n    the Saints feel to say 'Amen.' Feel to bless each other, feel to do\n    the work of the Lord and dismiss the narrow, contracted, covetous\n    feelings that are so interwoven with the feelings of our natures.\n    It seems hard to get rid of them but we must overcome them and\n    unite ourselves together in the holy order of God that {219} we\n    may be Saints of the Most High, that our interests, our faith and\n    labors may be concentrated in the salvation of the human family.\n\n    \"Brethren and sisters, try to realize these things. Awake and lay\n    these things to heart. Seek the Lord to know His mind and will and\n    when you ascertain it also to have the will to do it. God bless\n    you. Amen.\"\n\nOn Monday, May 28, 1877, the work of excavation was begun. Workmen were\nsupplied by wards of the Logan Temple District, which at that time\ncomprised the Cache, Box Elder, and Bear Lake Stakes of Zion. Besides\ngiving of their time and energy,--gifts known as labor donations,--the\npeople contributed freely of cash, livestock, merchandise, and\nfarm produce, and their contributions were supplemented by liberal\nappropriations from the general Church funds. Truman O. Angell, Jr.,\nwas the architect. Rock-laying began on July 20, 1877, on what was\nknown as the extension--a building eighty feet by thirty-six feet in\narea and twenty-three feet high, lying immediately north of the Temple\nproper and connected therewith; this has been used since the completion\nof the Temple for engine room, office, reception, and assembly rooms,\nthus corresponding to the Annex of the Temple in Salt Lake City.\n\nOn September 19, 1877, the corner stones were laid under the immediate\ndirection of John Taylor, president of the Council of the Twelve.\nPresident Taylor laid the south-east corner stone and Franklin D.\nRichards offered the dedicatory prayer thereon. The south-west corner\nstone was laid by Edward Hunter, Presiding bishop of the Church, and\nthe dedicatory prayer thereon was offered by his counselor, Leonard\nW. Hardy. The north-west corner stone was laid by George L. Farrell,\npresident of {220} the High Priests' quorum of the Cache Stake of\nZion, and the accompanying prayer was offered by Moses Thatcher, of\nthe Council of the Twelve. The north-east corner stone was laid by\nAlbert P. Rockwood, one of the First Council of the Seventy, and the\naccompanying prayer was offered by Horace S. Eldredge, another member\nof the First Council of the Seventy.\n\nThe Temple as it stands is one hundred and seventy-one feet long,\nninety-five feet wide, and eighty-six feet high at the square, with\nan octagonal tower at each corner one hundred feet high, and a large\nsquare tower at each end. The tower at the west end is one hundred and\nsixty-five feet, and that at the east one hundred and seventy feet\nhigh. In this feature of the east tower being higher than that at the\nwest the Logan Temple resembles the greater structure at Salt Lake\nCity. Massive buttresses strengthen the walls, and the masonry is of\nthe best. As to architecture, the Temple may be described as belonging\nto the castellated style.\n\nThe rock used in the building was brought from the mountain quarries\nnear by, and is a very hard, compact, dark-colored silicious limestone,\nlocally called fucoid rock from its content of fossilized marine plants\nknown as fucoids. A more typical limestone was used for the arches\nand for the uprights and lintels of doors and windows, this material\nbeing susceptible of a better dressed surface than was possible with\nthe silicious rock. Watertables, string-courses, and the caps of\nbattlements and towers, consist of a light buff sandstone, brought from\nquarries near Franklin, Idaho. As the rock used in the walls is of\ndiversified color the entire exterior has been painted in buff.\n\n{221} The lumber used in the building was obtained from Logan canyon\nand was prepared at the Temple saw-mill, which had been specially\ninstalled for the purpose. An interesting sidelight is thrown on the\nspirit of earnestness with which the people went about this work of\ntemple building, by the fact that even the saw-mill was ceremonially\ndedicated when first put in commission. All the lumber used was\nselected, and, as nearly as possible, was chosen so as to be free\nfrom defect. The principal varieties are red pine for the heavier\nwork and white pine for such interior construction as stands and\naltars. The framework of the roof is of the best red pine, and is of\ningenious construction, spanning a distance of ninety-five feet without\nunder-pinning. At first the roof was covered with sheet-metal, but this\nproved unsatisfactory because of leakage due to fractures resulting\nfrom variations in temperature; and the old but efficient style of\nshingle roof was finally substituted. The workmanship throughout is\nhigh class; indeed it is said that after nearly thirty years not a door\nhas been known to sag or a wall to crack. The total cost of the Temple\nwhen completed was approximately seven hundred thousand dollars.\n\nThe building has five full stories. The basement story is occupied by\nthe font room and adjoining dressing rooms. In common with the practise\nfollowed in Latter-day Saint Temples generally, the font is supported\non twelve oxen of cast-iron which stand in a well beneath the general\nlevel of the floor. From the basement level rise at intervals of a few\nfeet a number of rooms used in ceremonial work. Thus, about eight feet\nabove the basement floor is the room corresponding to the Lower Lecture\nRoom, four feet higher one corresponding to the Garden {222} Room, and\nfive feet higher one corresponding to the World Room, and yet ten feet\nhigher a room corresponding to the Upper Lecture Room or Terrestrial\nRoom, as already described in connection with the Temple at Salt Lake\nCity. The rest of the space in the first and second stories is occupied\nby offices for the president of the Temple, the recorders and other\nofficials, library room, etc. The third story is occupied by what is\nknown as the C Room, which corresponds to the Celestial Room elsewhere\ndescribed. As in other Temples this is the most splendidly finished of\nall the large rooms. Connecting with this room on the east side are\nthree small apartments used in the sealing ordinances.\n\nThe fourth floor is wholly occupied by the main assembly room with its\nvestries and ante-chambers. The assembly room itself is one hundred and\nfour feet long by ninety-five feet wide, and the ceiling is thirty feet\nhigh. At the east is a large elevated platform with stands or pulpits\nreserved for the officers of the Melchisedek Priesthood, and at the\nwest is a corresponding platform with stands devoted to the officers of\nthe Aaronic Priesthood. The auditorium is occupied by reversible seats,\nallowing the audience to face either way according to the nature of\nthe services at any time,--whether conducted by the Higher or Lesser\nPriesthood. This room provides for the comfortable seating of fifteen\nhundred people. The fifth floor comprises detached rooms in the east\nand west towers. There are no rooms in the main body above the assembly\nroom on the fourth floor already described.\n\nThe Logan Temple was seven years in building. On May 17, 1884, the\nstructure was dedicated to the service of the Lord and immediately\nthereafter was opened for {223} sacred ordinances. The dedicatory\nservices lasted three days, that is to say, services were held on each\nof two days following the official dedication, and on these later days\nthe dedicatory prayer was read to the assembly. The ceremonies and\nservices attending the dedication were held in the large assembly room\non the fourth floor, and the seating capacity of the great auditorium\nwas taxed to the utmost at every meeting. President Brigham Young\nhad died before the laying of the corner-stone, and the building of\nthe Temple had been prosecuted at first under the administration of\nthe Council of the Twelve, which, on the dissolution of the First\nPresidency becomes the presiding council of the Church, and later\nunder the direction of the new First Presidency. On the day of the\ndedication the prayer was offered by President John Taylor, after\nwhich his Counselors, Elders George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith,\nmade addresses, and they were followed by Elders Wilford Woodruff and\nLorenzo Snow of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. A brief address\nwas then delivered by President John Taylor, after which the stirring\nHosanna shout was rendered. Benediction was pronounced by John Smith,\nthe Presiding Patriarch.[4]\n\nTHE MANTI TEMPLE\n\nBefore construction work had been begun on the Logan Temple,\npreparations were in progress for the erection of another House of\nthe Lord. Manti, the chief city of Sanpete County, situated about\none hundred and four miles southerly from Salt Lake City in a direct\nline, {224} and one hundred and thirty miles by rail, was selected\nas the place of this new sanctuary. In a circular issued by the\nFirst Presidency and the Council of the Twelve, October 25, 1876,\nthe boundaries of the Manti Temple district were specified, as the\nfollowing shows:\n\n    \"We feel led to say to the Latter-day Saints throughout these\n    mountains, let us arise and build temples unto our God at such\n    places as He shall designate, into which we and our children can\n    enter and receive those blessings that He has in store for us. Let\n    the Bishops of the settlements in Washington, Kane, Iron, Piute,\n    Beaver, Millard, Sevier, Sanpete and Juab counties call the people\n    of their wards together and ascertain from them how much each\n    one is willing to do in labor and means, monthly, quarterly, and\n    annually, toward the erection of a Temple at Manti, Sanpete County.\"\n\nLet it not be forgotten that at this time the people were putting forth\nstrong efforts to complete the temple at St. George, and were taking\npreliminary steps toward the erection of that at Logan; and throughout\nthis period the greatest temple of all was in course of construction at\nSalt Lake City. Yet, notwithstanding the weight of these duties, which\nmany would call tasks if not burdens, the call of authority was heard\ndirecting another great undertaking of the kind.\n\nAs to the location of the precise site on which the Manti Temple should\nstand, a decision had been reached in a council of the authorities\nheld at Ephraim, June 25, 1875, and the spot known as the Manti Stone\nQuarry had been reserved for the purpose. The spot so designated is the\ntermination or point of a hill, which in turn appears as the spur of\na low range of hills, marked by the outcrop of a well stratified and\nevenly bedded deposit of oolite. This is a granular rock, the separate\nparticles of which are {225} minute spheroids consisting of concentric\nlayers of calcium carbonate; the stone appears under a lens not unlike\nfish-roe, hence the name oolite, literally meaning egg-stone. The\nselection of this spot on which to found the temple meant that the\nstructure would literally be built upon the rock,--upon rock in place,\nupon an unbroken and undisturbed terrane. The temple was to consist of\nstone found at the spot, cut and shaped for beauty and service. The\nmaterial is admirably adapted for the purpose; readily quarried, easily\ntooled, and withal attractive both in texture and color. The Manti\noolite is of uniform grain and of a fine cream color. It has been used\nextensively for the erection of some of the more pretentious residences\nin Salt Lake City and, moreover, is the material of the Annex to the\nSalt Lake Temple, and of the window-facings and other trimmings of the\ngreat granite structure.\n\nThe site at Manti was dedicated April 25, 1877. In the presence of\nmany of the general authorities of the Church and hundreds of other\npeople, President Young, standing at the south-east corner of the\ntemple lot, broke ground and dedicated the site by solemn service, he\nhimself offering the prayer.[5] He then gave brief instructions as to\nfurther procedure, emphasizing the fact that the temple was to be built\nby the labor of the people and as a free-will offering, and that work\nthereon was not to be made a means of profit. His address, so clearly\nillustrative of the peculiar regard with which the Latter-day Saints\ninvest the great commission they hold to build temples unto the Lord,\nfollows:\n\n    {226} \"We now call upon the people, through the several bishops\n    who preside in this and the neighboring settlements, for men to\n    come here with teams and wagons, plows and scrapers, picks and\n    shovels, to prepare this ground for the mason work. Let this work\n    be commenced forthwith; and as soon as possible we shall expect\n    from 50 to 100 men every working day throughout the season to labor\n    here.\n\n    \"We intend building this temple for ourselves, and we are\n    abundantly able to do it; therefore no man need come here to work\n    expecting wages for his services. The neighboring settlements will\n    send their men, and they can be changed whenever, and as often as,\n    desirable; and they can get credit on labor tithing or on donation\n    account for their services, and we expect them to work until this\n    temple is completed without asking for wages. It is not in keeping\n    with the character of Saints to make the building of temples a\n    matter of merchandise.\n\n    \"We want to rear this temple with clean hands and pure hearts, that\n    we, with our children, may enter into it to receive our washings\n    and anointings, the keys and ordinances of the holy Priesthood, and\n    also to officiate in the same for our fathers and mothers and our\n    forefathers who lived and died without the gospel, that they with\n    us may be made partakers of the fruits of the tree of life, and\n    live and rejoice in our Father's kingdom. The gospel is free, its\n    ordinances are free, and we are at liberty to rear this temple to\n    the name of the Lord without charging anybody for our services.\n\n    \"We call upon the sisters also to render what assistance they can\n    in this matter. They can do a great deal by way of encouraging\n    their husbands and sons, and also by making clothing of various\n    kinds for them, and in otherwise providing for them while they are\n    working here.\n\n    \"Now, Bishops, if any person should inquire what wages is to be\n    paid for work done on this temple, let the answer be, 'Not one\n    dime.' And when the temple is completed, we will work in God's holy\n    house without inquiring what we are going to get, or who is going\n    to pay us, but we will trust {227} in the Lord for our reward,\n    and he will not forget us. 'Behold the fowls of the air (says the\n    Savior) for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into\n    barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much\n    better than they?'\n\n    \"Let this work be commenced without delay. Building cannot be\n    performed here in the winter, as in St. George. The rearing of this\n    temple will have to be done in the milder portions of the season,\n    when the air is free from frost.\n\n    \"God bless you, brethren and sisters; we hope and pray that you\n    will be inspired to perform this work with honor to yourselves\n    and glory to God. This is the work of the latter days that we are\n    engaged in, and this is the way that Zion is to be built up. We\n    will continue our labors at home, and we will carry the gospel to\n    all the nations of the earth, to the whole house of Israel, and the\n    good work of redemption and salvation will continue until all is\n    completed, and Jesus presents the kingdom to the Father. Amen.\"[6]\n\nThe beginning of excavation was marked by a further ceremony of\nprayer. We read that at 8 a.m., April 30, 1877, about one hundred\npeople assembled upon the temple site where all kenlt while prayer\nwas offered, after which the men and horses entered upon the work of\npreparing for the foundation of the great structure. The peculiar\nlocation required the construction of terraces or other form of graded\nascent leading from the level of the valley to the temple hill. By\nDecember, 1878, four terrace walls were completed in the rough, and\nby April following the excavation for the foundation was ready. The\nterrace structure has been substituted by a uniform slope with a\nretaining wall below.\n\nOn April 14, 1879, the corner-stones were laid. President {228}\nYoung, under whose direction each of the temple sites in Utah had\nbeen selected and work thereon begun, had passed from earth; and\na new First Presidency had not been inaugurated at this time. The\npresiding authority in the Church was the Council of the Twelve\nApostles, of which Council John Taylor was president. On the day named\na large body of people assembled near the temple site and, forming\nin procession, moved to the south-east corner of the grounds. There,\nafter appropriate preliminaries of singing and prayer, an address was\ndelivered by Elder Erastus Snow, one of the Twelve, Wm. H. Folsom,\nthe architect-in-charge, laid the south-east corner-stone, and Elder\nLorenzo Snow of the Council of the Twelve offered the prayer thereon.\nThis being regarded as the chief corner-stone, it was designated as\nthe record stone. In a cavity previously prepared, Church publications\nand other literature were deposited and sealed up before the stone\nwas officially laid. Bishop Edward Hunter, the Presiding Bishop of\nthe Church, laid the south-west stone, and his counselor, Leonard W.\nHardy, pronounced the prayer. Elder F. W. Cox, president of the High\nPriests' quorum of the Sanpete Stake, then laid the north-west stone,\nand Elder Canute Peterson, president of the stake, offered the prayer.\nElder Horace S. Eldredge of the First Council of the Seventy, laid the\nnorth-east stone, and his associate in that Council, Elder John Van\nCott, pronounced the dedicatory prayer. The services were witnessed by\napproximately four thousand people.\n\nFrom the laying of the foundation stones to the completion of the\nbuilding, the work progressed without serious hindrance. As it stands,\nthe structure is one hundred and seventy-one feet in length, and\nninety-five feet in {229} extreme width. From the top of the first\nwater-table to the square the height of the building is seventy-nine\nfeet; the water-table is three feet above the ground. The walls are\nthree and a half feet thick at the base with buttresses four feet in\nthickness, and both walls and buttresses narrow as they rise. At the\nsquare the walls are three feet and the buttresses two feet six inches.\nThe main front of the building is toward the east, as is the case with\nall existing temples; nevertheless, the doorways most commonly used\nand the entrance from the Annex are at the west. The foundation on the\neast end abuts against the hill; and this end of the structure is seen\nin its entirety by those only who climb the hillside to a commanding\nposition. A tower at the east rises to the height of one hundred\nand seventy-nine feet; the tower at the west end is ten feet lower.\nEach of these towers is thirty feet square at the base. The grade or\nground-level surrounding the Temple is a little over sixty feet higher\nthan that of the street at the foot of the hill on which the building\nstands. The drive-way at the east end is at the elevation of the short\nflights of steps which rise to the doorways on the level of the main\nassembly room on the top floor.\n\nAdjacent to the main structure and connecting therewith is the Annex\nbuilding, one hundred feet in length, forty feet in width, and of but\none story. In this building is installed the apparatus for heating, and\nherein also are provided reception rooms, offices, and an assembly room\nfor preliminary services. The Temple is furnished with its own water\nsupply from perennial springs situated in the hills at a distance of a\nlittle over a mile.\n\nIn the interior the rooms are practically counterparts of those already\ndescribed in connection with other Temples. {230} The main assembly\nroom on the upper floor has a seating capacity for over fifteen hundred\npersons. The estimated cost of the building as it stood ready for\ndedication was one million dollars.\n\nDedicatory services were set for May 21, 1888. From accounts published\nat the time it is plain that the interest in the great event was\nintense. Thus we read:\n\n    \"From an early hour on the 21st of May people began to assemble on\n    the hill east of the Temple, at which admission was to be gained,\n    and by 9:30 the grounds were black with people. The day was lovely,\n    the threatened rain of the night preceding having passed away. As\n    for two days before, all the roads leading to Manti were clouded\n    with incoming teams, each loaded with living freight bound for the\n    dedication.\"[7]\n\nPresident John Taylor who, as the presiding officer of the Council\nof the Twelve Apostles had directed the laying of the corner-stones,\nand who afterward became the President of the Church, had died in\nJuly, 1887. Again The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was\nwithout an organized First Presidency of three, and at the time of\nthe dedication of the Manti Temple, the Council of the Twelve was the\npresiding quorum[8] of the Church. Wilford Woodruff was at this time\nthe president of the Council of the Twelve.\n\nThe services began at 11 a. m., by which time the {231} great room\nwas filled to its utmost capacity. The principal feature, of course,\nwas the dedicatory prayer, which was offered by Elder Lorenzo Snow of\nthe Council of the Twelve. Addresses were delivered by the Presiding\nPatriarch of the Church, by several of the Council of the Twelve\nApostles, and by other prominent brethren in the Priesthood. On account\nof the large numbers desiring to attend, services were repeated on\nthe two days following, May 22 and 23. On each of these occasions\nthe dedicatory prayer was read, hymns and anthems were rendered and\naddresses given by speakers chosen by the presiding authorities. On the\nfirst day the actual services occupied five hours, and over seventeen\nhundred people attended. Many of the Saints testified to remarkable\nmanifestations of Divine power which they witnessed on this grand and\nsolemn occasion.\n\n    \"On the first day, just as Professor Smyth was concluding the\n    voluntary--a selection from Mendelssohn--a number of the Saints in\n    the body of the hall and some of the brethren in the west stand\n    heard most heavenly voices singing. It sounded to them as angelic,\n    and appeared to be behind and above them, and many turned their\n    heads in that direction wondering if there was not another choir in\n    some other part of the building. There was no other choir, however.\n    * * *\n\n    \"Some of the Saints saw the spirit of Presidents Young and Taylor,\n    J. M. Grant, and others in the Temple, and the heads of some of the\n    speakers were surrounded by a halo of heavenly light during the\n    services. The saints enjoyed a spiritual feast extending through\n    the three days, and many shed tears of joy while listening to the\n    testimonies and admonitions of the servants of God. There can be no\n    question but that God has accepted the Manti Temple at the hands of\n    His Saints and will bless all who have in any {232} degree assisted\n    to build it, or who, not having the means to assist, have said in\n    their hearts, 'I would have helped if I could.'\"[9]\n\nWork on the grounds has been carried on of late years, to the greater\nbeautification of the site. A magnificent stairway has been constructed\nfrom the grade of the street to the level of the Temple threshold. This\nstairway is twenty feet in width with retaining walls on either side,\nconnecting with large square pillars at each landing. The steps have\na tread of twelve inches and a rise of six, and of these there are\none hundred and twenty-five. There are nine landings between top and\nbottom, each six feet wide. The top of the stairway connects directly\nwith the roadway surrounding the Temple. The stairway, its walls and\npillars, are all constructed of cement; and cement walks encircle the\nbuildings.[10] Scattered over the lawn which occupies the slope on the\nwest are attractive trees and shrubs; each of these is planted in a\nhole excavated for the purpose in the solid rock. The soil for shrubs,\ngrass, and flowers is foreign to the place.\n\nOn May 28, 1888, the Manti Temple was opened for ordinance work and\nfrom that time to the present this work has been in progress without\ninterruption except that incident to the regular recess periods each\nyear.[11]\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n1. See \"Dedication of St. George Temple Site,\" by James G. Bleak,\nHistorian of Southern Mission, published in the \"Latter-day Saints'\nMillennial Star,\" Liverpool, England, Volume XXXVI, No. 16, April 21,\n1874. See also an earlier publication, in the \"Star,\" Volume XXXIII,\nNo. 51, Dec. 19, 1871.\n\n2. See \"Deseret News,\" Vol. XXIII, p. 152. See also an interesting\narticle based on information furnished by George Kirkham, Jr., \"Deseret\nNews,\" Vol. XXV, p. 193.\n\n3. For the compilation of many of the facts herein presented regarding\nthe St. George Temple the writer is indebted to Elder David H. Cannon,\nPresident of the Temple, and his associates.\n\n4. For assistance in compiling data relating to the Logan Temple the\nwriter is indebted to the presiding officer, President William Budge,\nand his associates.\n\n5. For this prayer, see \"Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star,\" Vol.\nXXXIX, No. 24, June 11, 1877.\n\n6. \"Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star,\" Vol. XXXIX, No. 24, June 11,\n1877, p. 373.\n\n7. See \"The Dedication of the Manti Temple,\" \"Latter-day Saints'\nMillennial Star,\" Vol. L, No. 25, June 18, 1888, p. 386.\n\n8. For this peculiar usage of the term quorum, designating a council\nor organized body and not specifically a majority of such body, see\n\"Standard Dictionary\" wherein we read under \"Quorum,\" \"Mormon Ch. A\ncouncil or an organized body of the priesthood; as, an Elders' Quorum;\nthe quorum of the First Presidency.\"\n\n9. \"Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star,\" Vol. L. No. 26, June 25, 1888,\np. 405.\n\n10. See illustrated description of the stairway and other approaches\nto Manti Temple published in the \"Deseret Evening News,\" December\n28, 1907, under the caption, \"Manti Has Biggest Cement Stairway in\nthe Country.\" In a letter to the author, Lewis Anderson, the present\npresident of the Manti Temple, vouches for the correctness of the data\ngiven.\n\n11. For assistance in compiling data regarding the Manti Temple the\nwriter is indebted to the presiding officer of the Temple, President\nLewis Anderson, and his associates.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI\n\nCONCLUSION\n\n{233} As set forth in the preceding pages, The Church of Jesus Christ\nof Latter-day Saints proclaims the need of Temples at the present time,\nreared and dedicated to the service of the Most High; and affirms that\nupon the Church has been placed the commission to build and maintain\nthese sanctuaries, and to administer therein the saving and exalting\nordinances of the Gospel for both living and dead.\n\nThis labor has already attained a magnitude at once impressive and\nsurprising. Ordinances of baptism with accompanying confirmation,\nordination in the Priesthood, and sealing both in the relation of\nhusband and wife and in that of parents and children, as solemnized in\nthe Temples of the current dispensation, already number many millions;\nand the continuation of the work is marked by unabated zeal and\ndevotion.\n\nThe Gospel of Jesus Christ is given for the salvation of human-kind;\nits requirements apply alike to the living whose blessed privilege it\nis to hear its glad tidings while in the flesh, and to the dead who\nmay accept the truth in the spirit world. The genius of the Gospel\nis that of altruism unbounded; its power to save extends beyond the\nportals of death. As the vicarious work for the dead can be done only\nin sanctuaries specially devoted thereto, there will be an ever-present\nneed for Temples so long as there are souls awaiting this ministry.\n\nThe present is the age of greatest import in all history, {234}\nembodying as it does the fruition of the past and the living seed of\nthe yet greater future. The present is the dispensation of fulness, for\nwhich the dispensations of bygone centuries have been but preliminary\nand preparatory. The saving and sanctifying labor incident to modern\nTemples surpasses that of the Temples of earlier times as the light of\nthe full day exceeds the twilight of the dawn.\n\nThe authority of administration in the Temples of Solomon, Zerubbabel,\nand Herod, was that of the Lesser or Aaronic Priesthood; for the Higher\nor Melchisedek Priesthood, otherwise known as the Holy Priesthood\nafter the order of the Son of God, had been taken from Israel with\nMoses. The temples of the present are administered under the greater\nauthority. The importance of the distinction between these two orders\nof Priesthood may warrant a further consideration in this place. That\nthe two are essentially separate and distinct is made plain by Paul in\nhis epistle to the Hebrews:\n\n    \"If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for\n    under it the people received the law,) what further need was there\n    that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedek, and\n    not be called after the order of Aaron?\n\n    \"For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a\n    change also of the law.\"[1]\n\nThe apostle emphasizes the superiority of the Priesthood named after\nMelchisedek by affirming that Jesus Christ was a High Priest of that\nexalted order.[2] This Priesthood was held and exercised by the\npatriarchs in {235} turn from Adam to Moses. Aaron was ordained to\nthe priest's office, as were his sons; but that Moses held superior\nauthority is abundantly shown.[3] After Aaron's death his son Eleazar\nexercised the authority of High Priest of the Lesser Priesthood; and\neven Joshua had to ask of him counsel and instruction.[4]\n\nFrom the ministry of Moses to that of Christ the Lesser Priesthood\nalone was operative upon the earth, excepting only the instances of\nspecially delegated authority of the higher order such as is manifest\nin the ministrations of certain chosen prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah,\nEzekiel and others. It is evident that these prophets, seers, and\nrevelators, were individually and specially commissioned; but it\nappears that they had not the authority to call and ordain successors,\nfor in their time the Higher Priesthood was not existent on earth in an\norganized state with duly officered quorums. Not so with the Aaronic or\nLevitical Priesthood, however, for the courses or quorums of that order\nwere continued until the time of Christ. The last to hold and exercise\nthe authority of the Aaronic Priesthood under the old or Mosaic\ndispensation was John the Baptist, who was specially commissioned. The\nmatter is thus set forth in a modern revelation:\n\n    \"Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the\n    wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they\n    might behold the face of God;\n\n    \"But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence,\n    therefore the Lord in his wrath (for his anger was kindled against\n    them) swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the\n    wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory.\n\n    {236} \"Therefore he took Moses out of their midst, and the Holy\n    Priesthood also;\n\n    \"And the Lesser Priesthood continued, which priesthood holdeth the\n    key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel;\n\n    \"Which gospel is the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the\n    remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, which the\n    Lord in his wrath, caused to continue with the house of Aaron among\n    the children of Israel until John, whom God raised up, being filled\n    with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb;\n\n    \"For he was baptized while he was yet in his childhood, and was\n    ordained by the angel of God at the time he was eight days old\n    unto this power, to overthrow the kingdom of the Jews, and to make\n    straight the way of the Lord before the face of his people, to\n    prepare them for the coming of the Lord, in whose hand is given all\n    power.\"[5]\n\nThe Higher or Melchisedek Priesthood was restored through the personal\nministry of Jesus Christ, and remained with His apostles and in the\nChurch under their administration, but was again lost as the great\napostasy progressed.\n\nThe Holy Priesthood in its fulness has been restored in the present\nage,--not alone the lesser functions of deacon, teacher, and priest,\nwhich constitute the distinctive offices of the Aaronic order including\nthe Levitical, but the higher authority as well--that of the elder, the\nseventy, the patriarch, the apostle, and the high priest.[6]\n\n{237} The Temples of today are maintained and the distinctive\nordinances pertaining thereto are administered under the authority\nof the Higher of Melchisedek Priesthood, the greatest and highest\ncommission ever conferred upon man. The Divine prediction voiced by\nMalachi is in {238} process of rapid fulfilment. Elijah the prophet\nhas been sent to earth and he has committed to the Church that power\nand authority by which the vicarious service in behalf of the dead was\ninaugurated. Through his ministration the hearts of the fathers are\nturning toward the children, and the hearts of the children toward the\nfathers, and this in preparation of the approaching advent of our Lord,\nthe Christ.[7]\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n1. Hebrews 7:11, 12.\n\n2. See Hebrews 5:6, 10; 6:20; compare Psalm 110:4; see also Genesis\n14:19.\n\n3. Consider the Lord's rebuke to Aaron and Miriam, Numbers 12:1-8.\n\n4. See Numbers 27:18-23.\n\n5. Doctrine and Covenants 84:23-28; read the preceding verses 14-22.\n\n6. \"_The Aaronic Priesthood_ is named after Aaron, who was given to\nMoses as his mouthpiece, to act under his direction in the carrying out\nof God's purposes respecting Israel (Exodus 4:14-16). For this reason,\nit is sometimes called the Lesser Priesthood; but though lesser, it\nis neither small nor insignificant. While Israel journeyed in the\nwilderness, Aaron and his sons were called by prophecy and set apart\nfor the duties of the priest's office. (Exodus 28:1.)\n\n\"At a subsequent period of Israel's history, the Lord chose the tribe\nof Levi to assist Aaron in the priestly functions, the special duties\nof the Levites being to keep the instruments and attend to the services\nof the tabernacle. The Levites thus chosen of the Lord were to take\nthe place of the first-born throughout the tribes, whom the Lord had\nclaimed for His service from the time of the last dread plague in\nEgypt, whereby the first-born in every Egyptian house was slain, while\nthe eldest in every Israelitish house was hallowed and spared. (Numbers\n3:12-13, 39, 44-45, 50-51.) The commission thus given to the Levites is\nsometimes called the _Levitical Priesthood_; (Hebrews 7:11.) it is to\nbe regarded as an appendage to the priesthood of aaron, not comprising\nthe highest priestly powers. The Aaronic Priesthood, as restored to the\nearth in this dispensation, comprises the Levitical order. (Doctrine\nand Covenants 107:1.) This priesthood holds the keys of the ministering\nof angels, and the authority to attend to the outward ordinances, the\nletter of the gospel; (Doctrine and Covenants 107:20.) it comprises the\noffices of deacon, teacher, and priest, with the bishopric holding the\nkeys of presidency.\n\n\"The greater or _Melchisedek Priesthood_ is named after the king of\nSalem, a great High Priest of God (Genesis 14:18; Hebrews 7:1-17.)\nbefore his day it was known as 'the Holy Priesthood, after the order\nof the Son of God, but out of respect or reverence to the name of the\nSupreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of His name, they,\nthe Church, in ancient days, called that Priesthood after Melchisedek.'\n(Doctrine and Covenants 107:2-4.) This priesthood holds the right of\npresidency in all the offices of the Church; its special functions lie\nin the administration of spiritual things: comprising as it does the\nkeys of all spiritual blessings of the Church, the right 'to have the\nheavens opened unto them, to commune with the general assembly and\nChurch of the First Born, and to enjoy the communion and presence of\nGod the Father, and Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant.' (Doctrine\nand Covenants 107:8, 18-19.) The special offices of the Melchisedek\nPriesthood are those of apostle, patriarch and evangelist, high priest,\nseventy, and elder.\" The \"Articles of Faith,\" XI: 13-15.\n\n7. See Malachi 4:5, 6; also pages 82-86, and 122, this book.\n\n\n\nPLATES\n\n{239} ILLUSTRATIVE OF MODERN-DAY TEMPLES\n\nLIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS\n\n{240} Note: Among the illustrations following, are several showing\ninterior views of the Temple at Salt Lake City, specifically Plates\n8 to 38 inclusive. Each of these pictures is protected by Photo\nCopyright, and all rights pertaining thereto are expressly reserved.\n\nPlate 1.--The Kirtland Temple\n\nPlate 2.--The Nauvoo Temple\n\nPlate 3.--The Great Temple, Salt Lake City\n\nPlate 4.--The Temple in Winter\n\nPlate 5.--Statue surmounting the Capstone of the Temple\n\nPlate 6.--One of the Doors to the Temple\n\nPlate 7.--The Temple Annex\n\nPlate 8.--Annex Assembly Room\n\nPlate 9.--Passage connecting Annex with Temple\n\nPlate 10.--Lower Corridor in Temple\n\nPlate 11.--The Baptistry\n\nPlate 12.--Lower Lecture Room\n\nPlate 13.--Garden Room\n\nPlate 14.--Upper Corridor\n\nPlate 15.--Side Corridor\n\nPlate 16.--Art Window,--Expulsion from Eden\n\nPlate 17.--World Room, Looking West\n\nPlate 18.--World Room, Looking East\n\nPlate 19.--Terrestrial Room, Looking West\n\nPlate 20.--Terrestrial Room, Looking East toward the Veil\n\nPlate 21.--Celestial Room, Looking East\n\nPlate 22.--Celestial Room, Looking West toward the Veil\n\nPlate 23.--Sealing Room for the Dead\n\nPlate 24.--Sealing Room for the Living\n\nPlate 25.--Reception Room adjoining Sealing Room for the Living\n\n{241} Plate 26.--Outer Ante-Room\n\nPlate 27.--The Holy of Holies\n\nPlate 28.--Hall-way on Third Floor\n\nPlate 29.--Elders' Room\n\nPlate 30.--Council Room of the Seventy\n\nPlate 31.--High Council Chamber\n\nPlate 32.--Council Room of the Twelve Apostles\n\nPlate 33.--Council Room of the First Presidency of the Church and the\nTwelve Apostles\n\nPlate 34.--The Memorial Window\n\nPlate 35.--Main Assembly Room, general view\n\nPlate 36.--Stand and Pulpits for Melchisedek Priesthood in Main\nAssembly Room\n\nPlate 37.--One of the Spiral Stairways in Main Assembly Room\n\nPlate 38.--One of the great Granite Stairways\n\nPlate 39.--Temple Block, Salt Lake City\n\nPlate 40.--The Tabernacle on Temple Block--Exterior\n\nPlate 41.--The Tabernacle--Interior\n\nPlate 42.--Statue of Joseph Smith, the Prophet\n\nPlate 43.--Statue of Hyrum Smith, the Patriarch\n\nPlate 44.--St. George Temple\n\nPlate 45.--Logan Temple\n\nPlate 46.--Manti Temple\n\n{242}\n\nPLATE 1.--THE KIRTLAND TEMPLE\n\n{243} This, the first Temple reared to the name of the Lord in modern\ntimes, was erected at Kirtland, Ohio. The corner stones were laid in\nJuly, 1833, and the building was finished and dedicated in March, 1836.\nThe structure is still existent though no longer owned by the people\nwho reared it, nor used for the distinctive purposes characteristic of\nTemples.\n\nThe Kirtland Temple was built by the Latter-day Saints in the\nperiod of their early history as a Church--in the days of poverty\nand persecution. In less than two years after the completion of\nthe building, the people were forced to leave, and the Temple soon\nthereafter passed from their custody.\n\nIn this Temple many heavenly manifestations were witnessed; and therein\nthe Lord Jesus appeared in Person, and instructed His chosen servants.\n\nSee pages 114-123.\n\n{244}\n\nPLATE 2.--THE NAUVOO TEMPLE\n\n{245} This structure, built by the Latter-day Saints at Nauvoo,\nIllinois, was the second Temple of the present dispensation. It was\nbegun in 1841, and completed in 1846. In it was constructed the first\nBaptismal Font of modern times for the sacred ordinance of Baptism for\nthe Dead.\n\nOwing to religious intolerance and violent persecution, a general\nexodus of the people had begun before the building was finished, though\nnot before many had received their blessings and endowments therein.\nCertain parts of the Temple were dedicated for ordinance work long\nbefore the dedication of the building as a whole.\n\nIn 1848 the Temple was partly destroyed by fire; and in 1850 the ruined\nwalls were leveled by a tornado.\n\nSee pages 126-136.\n\n{246}\n\nPLATE 3.--THE GREAT TEMPLE AT SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH\n\n{247} This splendid structure was forty years in building. The corner\nstones were laid April 6, 1853; the capstone was placed in position\nApril 6, 1892, and the completed Temple was dedicated April 6, 1893;\neach of these events was marked by impressive ceremony. The walls are\nof solid granite eight feet thick in the first story and six feet\nin the upper parts. Many stones of emblematical significance appear\nrepresenting sun, moon, stars, the earth, and the clouds.\n\nOn the main inscription stone at the east we read: \"_Holiness to the\nLord_\" and on the keystones of the arched windows at both east and west\nends, \"_I am Alpha and Omega_,\" and above these is the awe-inspiring\nemblem of the All-seeing Eye.\n\nSee pages 136-180.\n\n{248}\n\nPLATE 4.--THE GREAT TEMPLE IN WINTER\n\n{249} The Temple is centrally located in the easterly half of Temple\nBlock. The grounds are beautified by a profusion of shrubs, trees, and\nflowers. Many observers have voiced their uncertainty as to whether the\nTemple appears more beautiful when environed by the greenery of summer\nor by the white foliage of hoar-frost or snow. The scene herewith\npresented was caught by the camera in the spring of 1912.\n\n{250}\n\nPLATE 5.--STATUE SURMOUNTING THE CAPSTONE OF THE GREAT TEMPLE\n\n{251} The stonework of each of the six towers ends in a sphere of\ngranite. The termination of the east center tower is the highest stone\nin the building and constitutes the capstone. Anchored to this granite\nglobe is a figure wrought in copper over-laid with gold; it stands over\ntwelve feet high, and represents Moroni, an ancient Nephite prophet,\nwho as a resurrected being visited the boy-prophet, Joseph Smith, in\n1823, and afterward delivered to him the ancient record since published\nto the world as the Book of Mormon. The design is that of a herald with\na trumpet at his lips. The statue is the work of C. E. Dallin.\n\nThe capstone on which the statue stands is one of the record-stones of\nthe Temple. In a receptacle within the granite mass are a number of\nbooks and other records.\n\nSee pages 175, 176; also 151, 152.\n\n{252}\n\nPLATE 6.--ONE OF THE OUTER DOORS OF THE TEMPLE\n\n{253} There are four outer portals leading into the Temple beside the\nentrance from the Annex. Each of these four doorways occupies a court\nbetween the towers. The doors are hung in pairs, each door twelve feet\nhigh and four feet wide. The woodwork is of oak, hand-carved. The\nmiddle and upper panels hold heavy plate glass in front of which are\ngrills of bronze. Even the door-knobs and escutcheons are of special\ndesign, in which appear the bee-hive and the inscription \"_Holiness\nto the Lord_.\" On the central side of each of the doorways is a niche\nroofed by a canopy of granite, to accommodate a statue.\n\nSee pages 179, 180.\n\n{254}\n\nPLATE 7.--ANNEX TO THE GREAT TEMPLE\n\n{255} Each of the four Temples in Utah is provided with a small\ndetached building known as the Annex. This is used for office purposes\nand other incidental service, and contains an assembly room in which\nare held devotional exercises preliminary to those of the Temple proper.\n\nThe Annex of the Salt Lake City Temple is an attractive building of\ncream-colored oolite, standing about one hundred feet north from the\nmain structure. The Annex is connected with the Temple by a passage,\npartly below ground-level.\n\nSee pages 154, 155, and 181.\n\n{256}\n\nPLATE 8.--ASSEMBLY ROOM IN THE TEMPLE ANNEX\n\n{257} This room, thirty-six feet square and provided with spacious\nalcoves on two opposite sides is used for purposes of general assembly\npreparatory to the ordinances of the Temple. Here congregate on the\nmorning of each day of service all who are to take part, either in\nadministering or receiving ordinances. The large painting, which\nappears at the center of the accompanying illustration, is Weggeland's\nfull-sized copy of Munkacsy's \"Christ Before Pilate.\" Portraits of\nliving authorities of the Church adorn the walls of the main section,\nand portraits of deceased Presidents and Apostles are hung in the\nalcoves.\n\nJust inside the vestibule of the Annex is the office of the Temple\nDoor-keeper, to whom must be presented, by every person applying for\nadmission to the Temple, a certificate or \"recommend\" signed by the\nBishop of his Ward, and the President of his Stake, attesting the\nworthiness of the bearer to enter the House of the Lord.\n\nSee pages 181 and 182; also page 160.\n\n{258}\n\nPLATE 9.--PASSAGE CONNECTING ANNEX WITH TEMPLE\n\n{259} A flight of stairs leads downward from the main floor of the\nAnnex to this semi-subterranean passage, which runs southerly about\nninety feet and terminates at the threshold of the Temple. The door\nopening directly into the lower corridor of the Temple appears in the\nbackground.\n\nThis is the usual avenue of entrance to the Temple. Only those who\nassemble for the council meetings of the Priesthood pass the outer\nportals into the Temple direct.\n\nThe passage is well lighted and ventilated, and in cold weather\ncomfortably warmed. A strip of the old-style rag carpet covers part of\nthe floor.\n\nSee pages 182, 183.\n\n{260}\n\nPLATE 10.--LOWER CORRIDOR OF THE TEMPLE\n\n{261} The Lower Corridor is entered from the Annex Passage through the\nnorth wall of the Temple, and extends thence southerly to the opposite\nside. The corridor is twelve feet wide, and is richly finished and\nfurnished.\n\nOn the east wall is a large painting by William Armitage, showing the\nProphet Joseph Smith preaching to the Indians. Smaller paintings are\nhung on either side. Doorways leading from this corridor admit to\nthe Lower Lecture Room and the Garden Room on the east, and to the\nBaptistry and its dressing rooms on the west. At the south end is seen\nthe lower section of the Grand Stairway.\n\nSee pages 183 and 186.\n\n{262}\n\nPLATE 11.--THE BAPTISTRY\n\n{263} The Baptistry or Baptismal Room is thirty-two by forty-five feet\nand is situated on the west of the Lower Corridor. The great Baptismal\nFont occupies the center of the room, and is supported by twelve\nlife-sized oxen of cast-iron, which stand in a depression three feet\nbelow the floor level. The oxen are grouped, three facing toward each\nof the cardinal points of the compass.\n\nIn this font, which has a capacity of over four hundred gallons, is\nadministered the ordinance of baptism by immersion. By far the greater\nnumber of baptisms here solemnized are in behalf of the dead, in which\nordinance the deceased person is represented by a living proxy.\n\nSteps are provided for convenience in entering and leaving the\nfont. Platforms guarded by a railing are furnished with seats for\nthe accommodation of recorders and witnesses whose presence at each\nceremony is requisite.\n\nSee pages 183-185: also 77 and 89-93.\n\n{264}\n\nPLATE 12.--THE LOWER LECTURE ROOM\n\n{265} The room so designated is entered from the Lower Corridor near\nthe north end. It is forty by forty-five feet in area, and is seated\nto accommodate two hundred and fifty persons. This room is used in\nthe first course of instruction incident to the Endowment. As seen\nin the accompanying illustration it is plainly furnished, without\nwall-ornament or other embellishment. The portal hung with curtains,\nwhich appears in the back-ground of the picture, leads into the Garden\nRoom.\n\nSee pages 185, 186: also 99-101.\n\n{266}\n\nPLATE 13.--THE GARDEN ROOM\n\n{267} As already seen, the Lower Lecture Room is marked by simplicity\nand plainness; the Garden Room is characterized by richness and beauty.\nHere ceiling and walls have been painted by master artists, who have\ndepicted with effective skill the distant glory of sky and cloud, and\nthe nearer beauties of earthly life. Landscape scenes cover the walls\nfrom floor to ceiling: there are gardens and glens, hills, valleys,\nand brooks, fruits and flowers, birds and other living things, all\nappearing amidst a setting of beauty, plenty, and peace. Lions and\nlambs are reposing in companionship, while insect and bird fly together.\n\nThe room represents the earth as it was before sin entered and brought\nwith it the curse; it is the Garden of Eden depicted in miniature. On\none side is a richly-upholstered altar, upon which rests the Holy Bible.\n\nSee page 186.\n\n{268}\n\nPLATE 14.--THE UPPER CORRIDOR\n\n{269} The illustration presented herewith shows the Upper Corridor\nat the head of the Grand Stairway. The walls are hung with portraits\nand paintings of scriptural scenes. In the back-ground, at the north\nend of this corridor, is the doorway leading into the Celestial Room,\nshown in Plates 21 and 22. A portal on the right leads into one of the\nante-rooms (Plate 26) to the Sealing Room for the Living; that on the\nleft is the entrance to a side passage which in turn leads into the\nWorld Room (Plate 17).\n\n{270}\n\nSee page 186.\n\nPLATE 15.--SIDE CORRIDOR\n\n{271} From a landing near the top of the Grand Stairway a side corridor\nleads to the west and opens into the World Room. The picture here shown\nwas taken from the west end of this corridor, and the observer is\ntherefore looking east into the Upper Corridor already described and\nillustrated. The large wall painting presents a scene from the Book\nof Mormon record--that of the Resurrected Christ ministering to the\nchildren on the occasion of His visit to the Nephites. (Book of Mormon,\nIII Nephi 17:23, 24.) The painting is the work of William Armitage.\n\n{272}\n\nSee page 187.\n\nPLATE 16.--ART WINDOW,--THE EXPULSION FROM EDEN\n\n{273} The passage from the Garden Room below to the World Room on the\nnext floor is by way of the Grand Stairway and the Side Corridor last\ndescribed. On the south side of the passage is a splendid art window of\nelliptical shape depicting the expulsion of the first parents of the\nrace from Eden after the Fall. It is of particular appropriateness in\nthis part of the building, and impresses the beholder as a symbol of\nthe great change brought about by the Fall of Man.\n\nSee page 187.\n\n{274}\n\nPLATE 17.--THE WORLD ROOM, LOOKING WEST\n\n{275} The walls of the World Room are painted with scenes typical of\nthe earth after the Fall. There are hills and crags, trees and flowers,\nbut the whole presentation is that of the fallen state. In place of\ngentle slope and mossy dell, there are precipitous hills and broken\nrocks. The trees are gnarled and misshapen. In the accompanying picture\ntwo lions are seen in deadly combat, while the lioness stands nearby\nawaiting the outcome of the struggle. Two bears are feasting on the\ncarcase of an animal killed by a lynx which, driven from its prey, has\ntaken refuge in a tree. Compared with the blessed peace of Eden these\nscenes are strikingly impressive by their contrast.\n\nSee pages 187, 188.\n\n{276}\n\nPLATE 18.--THE WORLD ROOM, LOOKING EAST\n\n{277} On the rear walls of the World Room are depicted further scenes\nof disturbance, disruption, and violence. Rocky crags, blasted shrubs,\nand deformed trees are shown in impressive detail; and in the distance\na storm scene is pictured. Deer appear in life and death struggle;\nbirds of prey are slaying their weaker kindred. On the summit of the\ncliffs is an eagle's nest, holding the eaglet brood; and alongside\nstands the mother bird awaiting the arrival of her mate, who is\napproaching in rapid flight with a lamb in his talons.\n\nThis room is devoted to instruction concerning the effect of the Fall,\nand the state of the earth under the curse of God.\n\nSee pages 187, 188.\n\n{278}\n\nPLATE 19.--THE TERRESTRIAL ROOM, LOOKING WEST\n\n{279} This spacious chamber, which is entered from the World Room last\ndescribed, presents the appearance of combined richness and simplicity.\nThe walls are hung with framed canvases, some of which are rare\noriginals, others excellent copies, depicting incidents in the life of\nChrist, and scenes in Palestine. Near the east end of the room is a\nprayer-altar, on which are placed copies of the Holy Scriptures.\n\nThe room is all the more restful in its general effect by contrast with\nthe scenes of turmoil and conflict which the World Room so strongly\nportrays. In this room instruction is given and lectures are delivered\nrelating to the significance of the endowments, and the practical\nduties of life. It is sometimes designated as the Upper Lecture Room,\nbut is also known as the Terrestrial Room.\n\nSee pages 188, 189.\n\n{280}\n\nPLATE 20.--TERRESTRIAL ROOM, LOOKING EAST TOWARD THE VEIL\n\n{281} This is the room shown in Plate 19, but here it is pictured\nfrom a point at the west end. The framed canvas on the right is the\noriginal painting by Girard depicting the scene of Joseph in prison,\ninterpreting the portentous dreams of Pharaoh's butler and baker. A\npicture of the Holy Family occupies a prominent position at the east\nend, immediately above the Veil.\n\nThe Veil, which separates the Terrestrial Room from the room that\ntypifies the Celestial state, is a portiere hung in four sections. The\nVeil is approached by a short flight of steps from the floor of the\nroom.\n\nSee pages 188, 189.\n\n{282}\n\nPLATE 21.--THE CELESTIAL ROOM, LOOKING EAST\n\n{283} The Veil of the Temple hangs between the Terrestrial Room last\ndescribed and the Celestial Room shown in the accompanying picture.\nThis is the largest of the ceremonial rooms, and of all it is the most\nsplendidly finished. In area it is sixty by forty-five feet, and its\nheight is thirty-four feet. Wall columns support entablatures from\nwhich spring ten arches immediately beneath the cornice. The ceiling\nis vaulted and paneled; beams and cornices are carved to represent\nclusters of fruit and flowers. At the east end are large mirrors, and\naround the room, in the wall niches and recesses, are paintings and\nstatuary. Three large portals on the south, each closed by a pair of\nsliding doors, open into the two sealing rooms and the Holy of Holies\n(See Plates 23, 24, and 27.) On the north side, not shown in the\npicture, are large casements, corresponding in position to the opposite\nportals; these are hung with portieres, which in material and color\nmatch the silken Veil.\n\nSee pages 189-191.\n\n{284}\n\nPLATE 22.--THE CELESTIAL ROOM, LOOKING WEST TOWARD THE VEIL\n\n{285} This will be readily recognized as the Celestial Room illustrated\nby the last picture, Plate 21. The View here shown, however, is that\nobtained from the east end, as the observer looks toward the Veil\nof the Temple. The corner door-way on the left opens into the Upper\nCorridor at the top of the Grand Stairway, as is seen in Plate 14.\n\nThe Celestial Room is richly carpeted, and the movable furniture is\nall excellent in kind; the furnishings throughout harmonize with the\nsplendid finish of ceiling and walls. Living plants are distributed\nabout the room and the effect is that of beauty and completeness. The\nwalls are of soft-brown color, while the columns are embellished in\nlight-blue and gold.\n\nSee pages 189-191.\n\n{286}\n\nPLATE 23.--THE SEALING ROOM FOR THE DEAD\n\n{287} Of the three small ceremonial rooms entered from the Celestial\nRoom, this, the Sealing Room for the Dead, is reached first as one\nproceeds easterly from the Veil. This apartment is slightly raised\nabove the floor of the large room, and is furnished in subdued color.\nAt the altar in the fore-ground kneel the parties who appear as proxies\nfor the dead. The art-window at the rear of the alcove represents the\nresurrected prophet, Moroni, in the act of delivering to the boy,\nJoseph Smith, the ancient record since translated by the power of God\nand published as the Book of Mormon. The event here depicted occurred\non the 22d of September, 1827.\n\nThis room is reserved for the sacred ordinances of sealing in behalf of\nthe dead, which ordinances comprise the sealing of husbands and wives\nand of parents and children.\n\nSee pages 191, 192.\n\n{288}\n\nPLATE 24.--THE SEALING ROOM FOR THE LIVING\n\n{289} The most easterly of the three small rooms adjoining the\nCelestial Room is here shown. This is the Sealing Room for the Living,\nwherein is solemnized the holy rite of Celestial Marriage. Marriage\nceremonies for the period of mortal life alone are not performed within\nthe Temple. The parties who come to the House of the Lord to be wedded\nby the authority of the Holy Priesthood for time and eternity kneel at\nthe altar shown in this picture and there enter into eternal covenant\nwith each other. Here, also, living children who have been born outside\nthe pale of Celestial wedlock, though within the legally constituted\nstate of matrimony, may be sealed to their parents provided those\nparents have been first sealed to each other.\n\nThe room is finished in light tints and bright tone. The door in the\nrecess affords admittance from an anteroom.\n\nSee page 192.\n\n{290}\n\nPLATE 25.--RECEPTION ROOM ADJOINING SEALING ROOM FOR THE LIVING\n\n{291} From the Upper Corridor, entrance to the Sealing Room for the\nLiving is afforded through two small apartments, known as reception\nhalls, waiting-rooms, or ante-rooms. It is possible, therefore, to\nreach the Sealing Room without entering the Celestial Room. This plate\nshows the inner of the two, with the door of the Sealing Room open;\nthrough this portal the altar is revealed, as well as a glimpse of the\nCelestial Room beyond.\n\nSee page 192.\n\n{292}\n\nPLATE 26.--OUTER ANTE-ROOM\n\n{293} This cozy apartment is entered from the Upper Corridor and\ncommunicates by an inner door with the Reception Room shown in Plate\n25. Like the preceding, this room is used for no ceremonial rites, and\nis utilized solely as an ante-chamber for those who await admittance to\nthe Sealing Room within. Through the outer door, which stands open in\nthe picture, appears part of the balustrade of the Grand Stairway.\n\nSee page 192.\n\n{294}\n\nPLATE 27.--THE HOLY OF HOLIES\n\n{295} This, the Holy of Holies of the Temple, is situated between\nthe two sealing rooms already described; it is therefore the central\nof the three small rooms referred to as opening directly into the\nCelestial Room. It is the most elaborately finished of all the smaller\napartments. A flight of six steps leads to the elevated floor of this\nroom, and the portal is guarded by a pair of sliding doors, which in a\nmeasure correspond to the inner veil of the ancient sanctuaries.\n\nThe room is circular in form; and on the side opposite from the portal\nis a splendid art-window, picturing the visitation of the Eternal\nFather and His Son the Christ to the boy-prophet Joseph Smith. The\nevent here delineated occurred in the early spring of 1820. (See \"The\nArticles of Faith,\" 1:12-14.)\n\nBeneath the pictured scene is inscribed the forceful admonition of\nJames, through the study of which the boy, Joseph Smith, was led to\nseek Divine aid:\n\n    \"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all\n    men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.\"\n    (James 1:5.)\n\nAnd below appears the utterance of one of the Celestial Personages:\n\n    \"This is my Beloved Son; hear Him.\"\n\nSee pages 192-194.\n\n{296}\n\nPLATE 28.--THE HALL-WAY ON THIRD FLOOR\n\n{297} By way of this corridor, the several council rooms on the third\nfloor of the Temple are reached. The picture is taken looking east\nalong the corridor into the Dome Room, which is so named from its\nmost prominent feature--that of a large central dome, which forms the\nceiling of the Holy of Holies.\n\nOn the north of this hall-way, or on the left as the observer stands.\nare two doorways opening into the Council Room of the First Presidency\nand Twelve Apostles; on the opposite side are the entrances to the\nCouncil Room of the Twelve, the Council Room of the Seventy, and the\nElders' Room.\n\nSee pages 194, 195.\n\n{298}\n\nPLATE 29.--THE ELDERS' ROOM\n\n{299} This apartment, furnished with chairs, table, and an altar for\nprayer, is provided for the use of the presiding Councils of the\nquorums of Elders belonging to the near-by stakes. The room is reserved\nfor devotional service only.\n\nSee page 195.\n\n{300}\n\nPLATE 30.--COUNCIL ROOM OF THE SEVENTY\n\n{301} The seven presidents of the first quorum of the Seventies\nconstitute a presiding council, having jurisdiction over all other\nquorums of Seventies in the Church. The room shown herewith is devoted\nto the use of this presiding body, which is known as the First Council\nof the Seventy. The room is furnished to accommodate the seven\npresidents and a clerk or recorder. At stated intervals the Council\nmeets here for devotional service, and to consider matters pertaining\nto the spiritual upbuilding of the quorums in their charge. Business\nsessions are held at the offices of the Council in another building.\n\nSee page 195.\n\n{302}\n\nPLATE 31.--HIGH COUNCIL CHAMBER\n\n{303} The presidency of each Stake of Zion comprises three high\npriests,--a president and two counselors. To assist the presidency\nin conducting the affairs of the stake, and having specific duties\nas a judicial body, are twelve other high priests, duly chosen and\nset apart, who constitute the High Council of the stake. The Stake\nPresidency and the High Council meet as one body to consider matters\npertaining to the welfare of the stake, or as a court to hear appeals\nfrom the Bishop's court of any ward within the stake, or to exercise\noriginal and initiative jurisdiction.\n\nThe room provided in the Temple for the use of Stake Presidencies\nand High Councils is shown in the accompanying plate. The presiding\nbodies of several stakes have the use of this chamber, the time of\noccupancy being regulated by rule. No Church trials are held, nor is\nother procedure of a secular or temporal nature here conducted. This is\nstrictly a room for devotion and spiritual instruction. A rear view of\nthe Memorial Window (Plate 34) is presented in this room.\n\nSee page 196.\n\n{304}\n\nPLATE 32.--COUNCIL ROOM OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES\n\n{305} The spacious chamber here pictured is exclusively devoted to\nthe use of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. The Council assembles\nat stated intervals in regular session, and whenever summoned by the\nPresident of the Twelve for special sittings.\n\nThe room is supplied with twelve chairs of a kind, beside which there\nare other chairs for recorders, also a table, a desk, and an altar used\nin prayer. On the walls are hung oil portraits of the First Presidency,\nthe Twelve Apostles, and the Presiding Patriarch.\n\nOn the north side are two doorways opening upon the hallway or corridor\nshown in Plate 28; on the west is a doorway communicating with the\nCouncil Room of the Seventy (Plate 30). A large circular mirror adorns\nthe north wall.\n\nSee page 195.\n\n{306}\n\nPLATE 33.--COUNCIL ROOM OR THE FIRST PRESIDENCY AND THE TWELVE\nAPOSTLES\n\n{307} This room is forty by twenty-eight feet and is furnished with\nseats for the First Presidency of the Church, the Twelve Apostles, the\nPresiding Patriarch and a recorder, seventeen in all. As the picture\nshows, the chairs of the Apostles are arranged in order around the\naltar; the seats of the First Presidency and the Patriarch form a line\nalongside the wall.\n\nThe walls support several paintings by Alfred Lambourne, among which\nare his Hill Cumorah, and Adam-ondi-Ahman--replicas of canvases hung in\nthe Celestial Room; and beside these are several scenes illustrative\nof the life and the atoning death of Christ. A few portraits of\nChurch leaders now deceased also appear; prominent among these are\npaintings of Joseph and Hyrum Smith and Brigham Young. In this chamber\nthe presiding councils of the Church meet as appointed. The chamber\nconnects with an ante-room in which is set the art window shown in\nPlate 34.\n\nSee pages 195, 196.\n\n{308}\n\nPLATE 34.--THE MEMORIAL WINDOW\n\n{309} In a small apartment adjoining the Council Room of the First\nPresidency and the Twelve, there is the large memorial window pictured\nherewith. The Temple is shown as it stands with the inscription\n\"Holiness to the Lord,\" appearing as in the clouds above the great\nbuilding. On the left-hand panel, beneath the bordered escutcheon, we\nread:\n\n  Corner stone laid April 6, 1853, by\n  President Brigham Young,\n  Assisted by his Counsellors,\n  Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards.\n\nAnd on the right-hand panel, similarly placed, is the inscription:\n\n  Dedicated April 6, 1893, by\n  President Wilford Woodruff,\n  Assisted by his Counsellors,\n  George Cannon, Joseph F. Smith.\n\nSee pages 136, 137, and 196.\n\n{310}\n\nPLATE 35.--GENERAL VIEW OF MAIN ASSEMBLY ROOM\n\n{311} The fourth floor of the Temple is occupied entirely by the Main\nAssembly Room and its vestries. The room pictured in the accompanying\nplate is one hundred and twenty feet long, eighty feet wide, and\nthirty-six feet high. At either end is a series of pulpits with\nterraced platforms.\n\nThe body of the room is furnished with reversible seats by means of\nwhich the audience may conveniently face either stand as occasion\nrequires. At the time this picture was taken, these seats had been\nremoved, and only the fixed lecture chairs on the end platforms and\nin the gallery remained. The view here shown is that of an observer\nlooking toward the west, at which end is situated the stand devoted to\nofficers of the Aaronic Priesthood.\n\nSee pages 197, 198.\n\n{312}\n\nPLATE 36.--STAND AND PULPITS FOR MELCHISEDEK PRIESTHOOD IN MAIN\nASSEMBLY ROOM\n\n{313} The view presented herewith shows with some detail, one of the\nend stands in the Main Assembly Room already described. The stand is\nreally a series of four terraces, on each of which is a central lectern\nwith a smaller table on either side. The highest terrace is under a\ncanopy, on the front of which is inscribed the particular order of\nPriesthood to which the stand belongs. The accompanying picture shows\nthe stand at the east end of the great room, which is reserved for the\nofficers of the Higher or Melchisedek Priesthood.\n\nThe lecterns with the smaller book-tables and all allied wood-work of\nthe stand are hand carved. The room is finished in white and gold.\n\nSee pages 197, 198.\n\n{314}\n\nPLATE 37.--SPIRAL STAIRWAY IN MAIN ASSEMBLY ROOM\n\n{315} Access to the gallery of the Main Assembly Room is afforded\nby four stairways, one in each corner of the great hall. These four\nstairways are of similar design. Each is a graceful spiral, winding\nabout a central post. This picture shows the stairway in the southwest\ncorner of the Main Assembly Room.\n\nThe picture is of interest in illustrating the fact that all parts of\nthe great Temple are finished with thoroughness and care. There is no\nneglected corner. It would seem, indeed, that the builders had well\nlearned the poet's lesson:\n\n  \"In the elder days of art\n        Builders wrought with greatest care\n  Each minute and unseen part;\n        For the gods see everywhere.\"\n\nSee page 198.\n\n{316}\n\nPLATE 38.--ONE OF THE GREAT GRANITE STAIRWAYS\n\n{317} Each corner of the great Temple is marked by a large tower;\nand in each of these four corner towers is a stairway reaching from\nbasement to roof, and every step is of solid granite. A central column\nof granite four feet in diameter supports, at the inner end, the one\nhundred and seventy-seven granite steps. Each step is six feet six\ninches long and weighs over seventeen hundred pounds; this amounts\nto over one and a quarter million pounds as the weight of the seven\nhundred and eight steps in the four tower stairways.\n\nSee pages 198, 199.\n\n{318}\n\nPLATE 39.--TEMPLE BLOCK, SALT LAKE CITY\n\n{319} The city square or block upon which stands the great Temple is\noccupied in part by other buildings devoted to Church purposes; among\nthese are the Assembly Hall, the Tabernacle, the Bureau of Information,\nand, on the north half, therefore not shown in the picture, the Temple\nAnnex, the Conservatory, and other minor buildings.\n\nTemple Block is a square of ten acres; it was laid off in 1847, and\nreserved for the uses to which it has since been put; this was but a\nfew days after the arrival of the \"Mormon\" Pioneers in the valley of\nthe Great Salt Lake. The entire block is surrounded by a wall fifteen\nfeet high, consisting of a base of cut sandstone, courses of adobes or\nsun-dried brick, capped by a sandstone coping; the adobes are plastered\non both sides. The block has been beautified by the best art of the\nlandscape gardner, and with its wealth of trees, shrubs and flowers,\npresents a scene of attractive beauty.\n\nSee pages 137, 138, and 201-207.\n\n{320}\n\nPLATE 40.--THE TABERNACLE--EXTERIOR\n\n{321} By architects and others this building has been pronounced one of\nthe most remarkable auditoriums ever erected. As the picture shows, it\nis simply a great dome supported by buttressed walls. It was in course\nof erection from July 1864 to October 1867.\n\nThe immense dome-roof is a lattice-work construction and is\nself-sustaining. The roof span is without a single pillar. More\nremarkable still, the roof is built entirely of wood and was\nconstructed without nails or metal spikes. The enormous beams and\ntrusses were held together by wooden pegs and rawhide thongs. While the\nTabernacle was in course of construction, iron nails and spikes were\nobtainable only as they were brought across the plains by wagon and\nteam, and the high cost prevented their use.\n\nMany modern buildings present larger roof spans, but such are generally\nconstructed of metal. The roof covering of the Tabernacle consisted\noriginally of wooden shingles: these have been replaced, however, by\nsheet metal. The building is two hundred and fifty feet long and one\nhundred and fifty feet in greatest width; from floor to ceiling at the\nmiddle the distance is seventy feet; and the net work of beams and\ntrusses between ceiling and roof is ten feet high.\n\nSee pages 203-205.\n\n{322}\n\nPLATE 41.--THE TABERNACLE--INTERIOR\n\n{323} A gallery thirty-six feet wide extends around the interior of the\nTabernacle except at the west end, where the gallery gives place to the\ngreat organ and a terraced platform providing accommodations for Church\nofficials and the choir. In the choir space, seats are provided for\nthree hundred singers, with other seats for nearly as many more in the\nadjacent sections of the spacious gallery. The building, as a whole,\naffords seating room for nearly nine thousand persons, but audiences\nmuch larger than this have assembled on many occasions. The acoustic\nproperties of the building are surprisingly good.\n\nThe great organ occupies nearly a thousand square feet of floor space,\nand towers to a height of forty--eight feet. The instrument is, in\nreality, a combination of five individual organs,--Solo, Swell, Great,\nChoir, and Pedal organs. To operate the bellows an electric motor\nof ten horse-power is employed and the air capacity is about five\nthousand cubic feet per minute. The instrument comprises one hundred\nand ten stops, and over thirty-six hundred pipes. The pipes range\nfrom a fraction of an inch to thirty-two feet in speaking length.\nThis splendid instrument, which at the time of its construction was\nthe largest organ in the country, is the product of local talent and\nall its wood-parts are of native material. The organ as it stands\nrepresents a cost of over one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars.\n\nSee pages 204, 205.\n\n{324}\n\nPLATE 42.--STATUE OF JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET\n\n{325} Life-size statues of Joseph and Hyrum Smith are seen on Temple\nBlock. On the front tablet of the pedestal supporting the bronze figure\nof Joseph, we read:\n\n    JOSEPH SMITH\n\n    THE PROPHET OF THE NEW DISPENSATION OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST\n    OUR LORD. HE WAS BORN AT SHARON, VERMONT, ON THE 23RD OF DECEMBER,\n    1805; AND SUFFERED MARTYRDOM FOR THE WORD OF GOD AND THE TESTIMONY\n    OF JESUS AT CARTHAGE, ILLINOIS, ON THE 27TH OF JUNE, 1844.\n\n    HIS VISION OF GOD\n\n    I SAW TWO PERSONAGES WHOSE GLORY AND BRIGHTNESS DEFY ALL\n    DESCRIPTION. ONE OF THEM SPAKE UNTO ME AND SAID:\n\n    THIS IS MY BELOVED SON: HEAR HIM.\n\n    I ASKED WHICH OF ALL THE SECTS WAS RIGHT AND WHICH I SHOULD JOIN.\n    I WAS ANSWERED I MUST JOIN NONE OF THEM; THEY WERE ALL WRONG; THEY\n    TEACH FOR DOCTRINE THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN; I RECEIVED A PROMISE\n    THAT THE FULNESS OF THE GOSPEL WOULD AT SOME FUTURE TIME BE MADE\n    KNOWN TO ME.\n\n    THE BOOK OF MORMON\n\n    THIS BOOK WAS REVEALED TO HIM, AND HE TRANSLATED IT BY THE GIFT AND\n    POWER OF GOD. IT IS AN INSPIRED HISTORY OF ANCIENT AMERICA, AND\n    CONTAINS THE FULNESS OF THE GOSPEL. IT IS THE AMERICAN TESTAMENT OF\n    OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.\n\n    THE ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH\n\n    JOSEPH SMITH RECEIVED DIVINE AUTHORITY THROUGH THE MINISTRATION OF\n    ANGELS TO TEACH THE GOSPEL AND ADMINISTER THE ORDINANCES THEREOF.\n    HE ESTABLISHED AGAIN IN THE EARTH THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST,\n    ORGANIZING IT BY THE WILL AND COMMANDMENT OF GOD ON THE 6TH DAY OF\n    APRIL, 1830.\n\n    HE ALSO RECEIVED COMMISSION TO GATHER ISRAEL AND ESTABLISH ZION\n    ON THIS LAND OF AMERICA; TO ERECT TEMPLES AND PERFORM ORDINANCES\n    THEREIN BOTH FOR THE LIVING AND THE DEAD; AND PREPARE THE WAY FOR\n    THE GLORIOUS COMING OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST TO REIGN ON EARTH.\n\nThe tablet on the back of the pedestal bears the following inscription:\n\n    TRUTH-GEMS\n\n    FROM THE TEACHINGS OF JOSEPH SMITH\n\n    THE GLORY OF GOD IS INTELLIGENCE.\n\n    IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR A MAN TO BE SAVED IN IGNORANCE.\n\n    WHATEVER PRINCIPLE OF INTELLIGENCE WE ATTAIN UNTO IN THIS LIFE WILL\n    RISE WITH US IN THE RESURRECTION.\n\n    THERE IS A LAW IRREVOCABLY DECREED IN HEAVEN BEFORE THE FOUNDATIONS\n    OF THIS WORLD, UPON WHICH ALL BLESSINGS ARE PREDICATED; AND WHEN\n    WE OBTAIN ANY BLESSING FROM GOD IT IS BY OBEDIENCE TO THAT LAW ON\n    WHICH IT IS PREDICATED.\n\n    THIS IS THE WORK AND GLORY OF GOD: TO BRING TO PASS THE IMMORTALITY\n    AND ETERNAL LIFE OF MAN.\n\n    ADAM FELL THAT MAN MIGHT BE: AND MEN ARE THAT THE MIGHT HAVE JOY.\n\n    THE INTELLIGENCE OF SPIRITS HAD NO BEGINNING, NEITHER WILL IT HAVE\n    AN END. JESUS WAS IN THE BEGINNING WITH THE FATHER: MAN WAS ALSO IN\n    THE BEGINNING WITH GOD. INTELLIGENCE, OR THE LIGHT OF TRUTH, WAS\n    NOT CREATED OR MADE, NEITHER INDEED CAN BE.\n\n    THE SPIRIT AND BODY IS THE SOUL OF MAN; AND THE RESURRECTION FROM\n    THE DEAD IS THE REDEMPTION OF THE SOUL.\n\n    \"IT IS THE FIRST PRINCIPLE OF THE GOSPEL TO KNOW FOR A CERTAINTY\n    THE CHARACTER OF GOD; AND TO KNOW THAT MAN, [AS MOSES], MAY\n    CONVERSE WITH HIM AS ONE MAN CONVERSES WITH ANOTHER.\"\n\n{326}\n\nPLATE 43.--STATUE OF HYRUM SMITH, THE PATRIARCH\n\n{327} The statue of Patriarch Hyrum Smith, like that of his brother\nJoseph, the Prophet, has been moved from its first place of\ninstallation in the granite niche at the east Temple entrance and is\nnow upon the open grounds. Both statues are set on pedestals of Utah\ngranite, which pedestals with their bases have a total height of four\nfeet four inches. The figures were modeled by Mahonri M. Young, a\nsculptor of Utah nativity. On the front face of the pedestal supporting\nthe statue of the Patriarch is a bronze plate on which appears the\nfollowing:\n\n    HYRUM SMITH\n\n    THE PATRIARCH AND A WITNESS OF THE BOOK OF MORMON\n\n    AN ELDER BROTHER AND THE STEADFAST FRIEND AND COUNSELOR OF JOSEPH\n    SMITH, THE PROPHET.\n\n    BORN AT TUNDRIDGE, VERMONT, FEBRUARY 9TH, 1800; SUFFERED MARTYRDOM\n    WITH THE PROPHET AT CARTHAGE, ILLINOIS, ON THE 27TH OF JUNE, 1844.\n\n    THE FRIENDSHIP OF THE BROTHERS HYRUM AND JOSEPH SMITH IS FOREMOST\n    AMONG THE FEW GREAT FRIENDSHIPS OF THE WORLD'S HISTORY. THEIR NAMES\n    WILL BE CLASSED AMONG THE MARTYRS FOR RELIGION.\n\n    THE BOOK OF MORMON--THE PLATES OF WHICH HYRUM SMITH BOTH SAW AND\n    HANDLED; THE REVELATIONS IN THE BOOK OF DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS; THE\n    CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS--THESE, TO BRING THEM\n    FORTH FOR THE SALVATION OF THE WORLD, COST THE BEST BLOOD OF THE\n    19TH CENTURY.\n\n    \"I COULD PRAY IN MY HEART THAT ALL MEN WERE LIKE MY BROTHER HYRUM,\n    WHO POSSESSES THE MILDNESS OF A LAMB AND THE INTEGRITY OF JOB; AND,\n    IN SHORT, THE MEEKNESS AND HUMILITY OF CHRIST. I LOVE HIM WITH THAT\n    LOVE THAT IS STRONGER THAN DEATH.\"--JOSEPH SMITH.\n\n    \"IF EVER THERE WAS AN EXEMPLARY, HONEST AND VIRTUOUS MAN, AN\n    EMBODIMENT OF ALL THAT IS NOBLE IN THE HUMAN FORM, HYRUM SMITH WAS\n    THE REPRESENTATIVE.\"--PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR.\n\n    AS HE SHARED IN THE LABORS, SO DOES HE SHARE IN THE HONOR AND GLORY\n    OF THE NEW DISPENSATION WITH HIS PROPHET BROTHER.\n\n    IN LIFE THEY WERE NOT DIVIDED; IN DEATH THEY WERE NOT SEPARATED; IN\n    GLORY THEY ARE ONE\n\n{328}\n\nPLATE 44.--THE ST. GEORGE TEMPLE\n\n{329} The Temple at St. George, Washington county, Utah, was the first\nTemple built and opened to sacred service in what is now the State of\nUtah. The building is one hundred and forty-two feet long, ninety-six\nfeet wide, and eighty feet high. The tower vane is one hundred and\nseventy-five feet from the ground. It is built of red sandstone with a\nfoundation of black volcanic rock. The building has been plastered and\nwhitened on the outside and stands in striking contrast to the red rock\nand soil of the vicinity. The cost of the building was considerably\nover half a million dollars. It was built through free-will offerings\nof the people and by voluntary labor. The ground was broken for the\nfoundation in November, 1871, and the Temple was dedicated in April,\n1877. In common with other Utah Temples this is supplemented by an\nante-building known as the Annex, which was built in 1882. The Annex\ncomprises boiler and machinery rooms, recorder's offices and other\nminor apartments. The Temple provides rooms and equipment for all\nclasses of ordinance work provided for in the greater structure in Salt\nLake City.\n\nSee pages 209-216.\n\n{330}\n\nPLATE 45.--THE LOGAN TEMPLE\n\n{331} This, the most northerly of the Houses of the Lord in Utah, is\nsituated at Logan, Cache county. Excavation work preparatory to laying\nthe foundation was begun in 1877: corner stones were laid in September\nof the same year; and the Temple was dedicated to sacred service in\nMay, 1884.\n\nThe building is one hundred and seventy-one feet long, ninety-five feet\nwide, and eighty-six feet high to the square; the east tower is one\nhundred and seventy feet high. The walls are of dark colored silicious\nlimestone, with trimmings of lighter tint. There are five full stories\nwithin which are found rooms corresponding to all the essential\napartments, both for general and ceremonial purposes, as described in\ndetail in connection with the Temple in Salt Lake City.\n\nThe secondary building, corresponding to the Annex, at first known as\nthe Extension, was built before the main structure: it is eighty feet\nby thirty-six and lies north of the Temple.\n\nSee pages 216-223.\n\n{332}\n\nPLATE 46.--THE MANTI TEMPLE\n\n{333} The site for the Manti Temple was selected in June, 1875;\nexcavation work was begun in April, 1877; the corner stones were laid\ntwo years later; and the building was dedicated May 21, 1888.\n\nThe Temple is built on rock in place and consists of material taken\nfrom the Very deposit on which it is founded. This is an excellent\nvariety of oolite of light cream color. The building is one hundred and\nseventy-one feet long, ninety-five feet wide, and eighty-two feet from\nthe ground to the square. The tower at the east has a height of one\nhundred and seventy-nine feet, that at the west is ten feet lower; and\neach of these towers is thirty feet square at the base.\n\nThe Temple occupies a position of eminence and is approached by a\nstairway twenty feet wide, comprising one hundred and twenty-five\nsteps. The hill slope by which the Temple is approached is carpeted by\na luxuriant lawn beautified with trees and flowers; each tree is set\nin a great flower-pot hollowed out for its accommodation in the solid\nrock. The soil for trees, grass and flowers had to be brought from a\ndistance, as the rocky hill-slope was absolutely bare.\n\nSee pages 223-232.\n\n\n\nINDEX.\n\n  Aaronic Priesthood. 234, 236.\n\n  Annex, Logan Temple, 219; Manti Temple, 229; St. George Temple, 214;\n    Salt Lake Temple, 154, 181, 255-259.\n\n  Ark of the Covenant, 4, 29, 40.\n\n  Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City, 205.\n\n  Authority to labor for the dead, 82.\n\n  Baptism, a Gospel requirement, 71; for the dead, 89; of the Spirit, 74.\n\n  Baptistry, Logan Temple, 221; Nauvoo Temple, 130; St. George Temple,\n    213; Salt Lake Temple, 183, 263.\n\n  Bethel, meaning of, 1.\n\n  Boaz, the pillar in Solomon's Temple, 37.\n\n  Bowery, the Old, Salt Lake City, 202.\n\n  Celestial glory, 96.\n\n  Celestial Room, 189, 283, 285.\n\n  Courts of Temple of Herod, 57.\n\n  Council rooms, Salt Lake Temple, 195, 301-307.\n\n  Cubit, 23.\n\n  Dead, baptism for, 89; Gospel preached to, 91; vicarious service for, 77, 82.\n\n  Dedicatory Prayer, Salt Lake Temple, 161.\n\n  Degrees of glory, 95.\n\n  Doors, outer. Salt Lake Temple, 179, 253.\n\n  Earth-stones, Salt Lake Temple, 177.\n\n  Elders' Room, 195, 299.\n\n  Elijah, ministry of, 82, 122.\n\n  Endowment in modern temples, 99.\n\n  Exaltation and salvation, 95.\n\n  Expulsion from Eden, art window, 187, 273.\n\n  Ezekiel's vision of temple, 43.\n\n  Faith, a Gospel requirement, 66.\n\n  Far West, temple site at, 123.\n\n  Font, baptismal, see Baptistry.\n\n  Garden Room, 186, 267.\n\n  General Service Plant, Salt Lake City, 206.\n\n  Glory, degrees of, 95; celestial, 96; terrestrial, 97; telestial, 98.\n\n  Herod, Temple of, 11, 53.\n\n  \"Holiness to the Lord,\" inscription, 134, 136, 180.\n\n  Holy Ghost, the gift of, 74, 93.\n\n  Holy of Holies, in Tabernacle of the Congregation, 24; in Solomon's\n    Temple, 36; in Temple of Ezekiel's vision, 44; in Temple of Zerubbabel,\n    50; in Temple at Salt Lake City, 192, 295.\n\n  Holy Place, in Tabernacle of the Congregation, 24; in Solomon's Temple,\n    36; in Temple of Ezekiel's vision, 44; in Temple of Zerubbabel, 50.\n\n  Hosanna Shout, 120, 150, 210.\n\n  Hyrum Smith, statue of, 180, 327.\n\n  Independence, temple site at, 112.\n\n  Inscription stones, Salt Lake Temple, 178.\n\n  Jachin, the pillar in Solomon's Temple, 37.\n\n  Joseph Smith, statue of, 180, 325.\n\n  Kirtland Temple, 14, 114, 243.\n\n  Lecture rooms. Salt Lake Temple, 185. 189, 265, 279, 281.\n\n  Levitical Priesthood, 234, 236.\n\n  Logan Temple, 216, 331.\n\n  Manti Temple. 223, 333.\n\n  Marriage, ordained of God, 102; celestial, 101, 105; in the\n  resurrection, 107.\n\n  Melchisedek Priesthood, 234, 237.\n\n  Modern temple ordinances, 89.\n\n  Modern temples, 110.\n\n  Moon-stones, Salt Lake Temple, 177.\n\n  Mormon Battalion, 202.\n\n  Moroni, statue of on Salt Lake Temple, 176, 251.\n\n  Most Holy Place, see Holy of Holies.\n\n  Nauvoo Temple, 14, 126, 245.\n\n  Necessity of obedience to laws and ordinances of the Gospel, 64.\n\n  Need of temples, 63.\n\n  Nephite temples, 11.\n\n  Oracle, see Holy of Holies.\n\n  Ordinances in modern temples, 89.\n\n  Ordination and endowment, 93.\n\n  Organ, in Salt Lake Tabernacle, 204, 323.\n\n  Prayer, at dedication of Salt Lake Temple, 161.\n\n  Priesthood, ordination to, 93; authority of necessary in temple\n    ministrations, 27, 103; Aaronic order, 236; Levitical,\n    236; Melchisedek, 237.\n\n  Quorum, distinctive use of term, 230.\n\n  Record stones, Salt Lake Temple, 151, 176.\n\n  Repentance, a Gospel requirement, 66.\n\n  Royal Porch in Temple of Herod, 56.\n\n  St. George Temple, 209, 329.\n\n  Salt Lake Temple, 15; historical account of, 136; early description\n    of, 144; laying of capstone, 149; dedication, 152; exterior, 172, 247,\n    249; interior, 181, 261-315.\n\n  Salvation and exaltation, 95.\n\n  Sanctuaries in earlier dispensations, 17.\n\n  Sealing in marriage, 101, 106; of parents and children, 108.\n\n  Sealing rooms, 191, 287-293.\n\n  Smith, Hyrum; see Hyrum Smith.\n\n  Smith, Joseph; see Joseph Smith.\n\n  Solomon's Porch in Temple of Herod, 56.\n\n  Solomon's Temple, 6, 30.\n\n  Star-stones, Salt Lake Temple, 178.\n\n  Sun-stones, Salt Lake Temple, 177.\n\n  Tabernacles, ancient; the Provisional, 19; of the Congregation,\n    3, 20; the Third, 29.\n\n  Tabernacles, modern; the Old, Salt Lake City, 202. At Salt\n  Lake City, 203; exterior, 321; interior, 323; organ, 204.\n\n  Telestial glory, 98.\n\n  Temple Block, Salt Lake City, 201, 319.\n\n  Temple site at Far West, 123; at Independence, Mo., 112.\n\n  Temples, ancient: of Solomon; 6, 30; of Zerubbabel, 9, 45; of\n  Herod, 11, 53; of Ezekiel's vision, 43; of the Nephites, 11.\n\n  Temples of the present, 110; at Kirtland, Ohio, 14, 114, 243; at\n    Nauvoo, 111., 14, 126, 245; at St. George, 209, 329; at Logan, 216,\n    331; at Manti, 223, 333; at Salt Lake City, see Salt Lake Temple.\n\n  Terrestrial glory, 97.\n\n  Terrestrial room, 188, 279, 281.\n\n  Testimony, The, 18.\n\n  Veil, in Tabernacle, 24; in Solomon's Temple, 37; in Temple of Herod,\n  59; in Salt Lake Temple, 189.\n\n  Vicarious service for the dead, 11; temples required for same, 86.\n\n  World room, 187, 275, 277.\n\n  Women, equality of, 94.\n\n  Zerubbabel, Temple of, 9, 45.\n\n\nTRANSCRIBER'S NOTE\n\nThis edition is meant to reproduce the original 1912 edition. It moves\nwhat were originally footnotes to the end of each chapter. Though some\nof the plates contain copyright symbols and are noted as copyrighted,\nthis copyright protection has expired in the United States.","title":"The House of the Lord: A Study of Holy Sanctuaries Ancient and Modern","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":80984}