Chapter VI: The Great Temple at Salt Lake City, Utah--Historical (1)

{136} Where in 1847 nought but a wilderness of sagebrush and sunflowers stretched from the Wasatch barrier westward toward the shores of the great salt sea, now appears a stately city, even as was then foreseen in prophetic vision. On the site selected but four days after the advent of the pioneer band of "Mormon" colonizers, stands a massive structure, dedicated to the name of the Most High. It is at once an object of wonder and admiration to the visitor, and a subject of sanctifying joy and righteous pride to the people whose sacrifice and effort have given it being.

On the east center tower appears an inscription, the letters deep-cut in stone and lined with gold:

Holiness to the Lord
THE HOUSE OF THE LORD
Built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Commenced April 6, 1853
Completed April 6, 1893

In one of the upper rooms a splendid art window presents an excellent view of the completed building, with side inscriptions as follows:

{137} Corner stone laid April 6, 1853, by
President Brigham Young
Assisted by his Counselors
Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards

Dedicated April 6, 1893, by
President Wilford Woodruff
Assisted by his Counselors
George Q. Cannon, Joseph F. Smith

These memorial tablets in stone and jeweled glass give the essentials as to dates in the history of the great Temple; some further data, however, may be of interest to the reader.

The Temple Block, a square of ten acres, was laid off in 1847, and is today one of the choicest sites within the city. At the General Conference of the Church held in April, 1851, an official vote was taken whereby the erection of the Temple was authorized. Be it remembered that this action was that of a people despoiled and in poverty, struggling with the unsubdued desert, the while menaced by hostile savages; and that at the time the entire population of Utah did not exceed thirty thousand souls, of whom fewer than five thousand were living within the area of the prospective city. A general epistle issued by the First Presidency of the Church, April 7, 1851, is instructive in this connection:

"A railroad has been chartered to extend from the Temple Block in
this city to the stone quarry and mountain on the east, for the
conveyance of building materials; the construction to commence
immediately. * * * We contemplate laying a wall around the Temple
Block this season, preparatory to laying the foundation of a Temple
{138} the year following; and this we will be sure to do, if all
the Saints shall prove themselves as ready to pay their tithing,
and sacrifice and consecrate of their substance, as freely as we
will; and if the Saints do not pay their tithing, we can neither
build nor prepare for building; and if there shall be no Temple
built, the Saints can have no endowments, and if they do not
receive their endowments, they can never attain unto that salvation
they are anxiously looking for."[1]

It had been decided to surround the entire block by a substantial wall. The beginning of work on this enclosure was deferred through lack of material and men until August 3, 1852; but from that date it progressed with fair rapidity, and on May 23, 1857, the wall was finished, practically as it now stands. It extends a full city block,--one eighth of a mile in each of its four directions; and, it is interesting to note, these dimensions are practically the same as those which, according to Josephus, enclosed the grounds on which stood the Temple of Herod.[2] The wall has a base of cut stone,--a red sandstone from the mountains on the east; the base is four feet in height, and supports courses of adobes which extend ten feet higher; then follows a coping of red sandstone one foot in thickness, giving the wall a total height of fifteen feet. The adobes are hidden by a durable dressing of cement. Passage to and from the square is provided for by large gates in the center of each of the four sides. When this wall was built, City Creek ran through Temple Block; the stream is now confined to a straight channel north of the block; and the arches under which the stream once passed may be seen in the base of the wall both on the east and west sides.

{139} The construction of the wall, in itself a great and costly undertaking for people situated as were its builders, was but an incident to the greater labor of erecting the Temple. Interest in the work was never allowed to flag; it was the theme of both poet and preacher, and the ever-pressing duty was kept in public view. The people were given to understand that the commission to build the Lord's House was theirs, and not that of their leaders alone.

The site was dedicated and ground first broken for the foundation February 14, 1853. The occasion was a notable one, and was observed by the Saints as a day of general rejoicing. Between the date of breaking ground and the time of the next succeeding conference of the Church, preparations for the laying of the corner-stones were carried on with determination and vigor. The glad event occurred on the 6th of April, 1853--the twenty-third anniversary of the organization of the Church,--and was celebrated by the people with such evidences of thanksgiving and genuine joy as assured their devotion to the work so auspiciously begun. Civic and military bodies took part; there were processions with bands of music, and solemn services with prayer. The mayor of the city was marshal of the day; the city police served as a guard of honor, and the territorial militia marched with the congregation of the Saints. The placing of the corner-stones was celebrated as an accomplished triumph, though but a beginning.

Let it not be imagined that the work was carried through without hindrance or set-back. The foundation was commenced at the south-east corner June 16, 1853, and was completed July 23, 1855. A course of rubble {140} was laid on the actual foundation and this was succeeded by courses of flagstone. The work had gone forward but slowly, when, in 1857, a serious interruption occurred. At that time the people prepared to abandon their homes, temporarily at least, and seek an abiding place elsewhere in the desert. The cause of the portending exodus was the approach of an armed force sent by the United States government to subdue an alleged rebellion in Utah. This military movement had been ordered through an utter misunderstanding of facts, based on vicious misrepresentation. The coming of the soldiery had been heralded with dire threats of violence; and while the people knew themselves innocent of any act of disloyalty toward the government or its officers, they had not forgotten the harrowing scenes of organized persecution in Missouri and Illinois, due to misapprehension, and they preferred the uncertainties of the desert to the dread alternative of a possible repetition of the past. In the saddening preparations for departure, the people carefully covered the foundation work on the site of the Temple; excavations were re-filled, and every vestige of masonry was obscured. At that time no part of the foundation had been carried above ground-level. When the covering-up process was complete, the site showed nothing more attractive than a remote resemblance to the barren stretch of a roughly plowed field.

It is pleasing to note that a peaceable adjustment between the army and the people was effected. The Saints returned to their homes; and the soldiers established a camp,--afterward to become a post,--at a distance of forty miles from the city.[3]

{141} The interruption in building operations thus occasioned was followed by a short period of comparative inactivity, after the return of the people. The foundations were uncovered; but, before the resumption of stone-laying, it was found that the rubble overlying the foundation proper and immediately under the flagstone layers seemed to have less stability than was required; and straightway both flagging and rubble were removed. Stone of best quality was substituted, and the work of actual construction was continued with renewed energy. The reconstruction was a work of years.

The temple enclosure was for a brief period the communal center of mechanical industry,--the one great work-shop of the intermountain commonwealth. The Church had established there its public works, comprising a power plant in which the energy of City Creek was harnessed to the wheel, air-blast equipment, iron foundry, and machine shops for the working of both wood and metal.[4] Much of the work here done had no connection with the extensive building operations on Temple Block.

Beside the interruptions and delays already noted, other hindrances were inevitable, and, under the best of conditions progress could be but slow. Not until years after the "move" incident to the entrance of the federal soldiery, had the material of the main structure been decided upon. As far back as the October conference of 1852 the question of material had been considered. Oolite {142} from the quarries in Sanpete County, red sandstone from the hills near-by, adobes with intermixed pebbles,--each had been suggested; and the matter was brought to vote, though it must be admitted, the question presented was somewhat indefinite in form. At the forenoon session of the conference on October 9, 1852, President Heber C. Kimball submitted the question: "Shall we have the Temple built of stone from Red Butte, adobes, rock, or the best stone the mountains afford?" In reply a resolution was adopted by unanimous vote to the effect "that we build a Temple of the best materials that can be obtained in the mountains of North America, and that the Presidency dictate where the stone and other materials shall be obtained." The action is significant as showing the faith, reliance, and determination of the people. The Temple they were about to rear should be in every particular the best the people could produce. This modern House of the Lord was to be no temporary structure, nor of small proportions, nor of poor material, nor of mean or inadequate design. It was known at the outset that the building could not be finished for many a long year, for decades, perhaps, and by that time this colony would have become a commonwealth, the few would have grown to a multitude of souls. The Temple was to be worthy of the great future. Sandstone, oolite, adobe blocks, each and all were considered, and in turn rejected. The decision was to this effect,--the walls should be of solid granite. An enormous deposit of this durable stone had been discovered in the Cottonwood canyons, twenty miles to the south-east, and to those faith-impelled people it was enough to know that suitable material was available. At whatever cost of toil {143} and sacrifice, at whatever toll of self-denial and suffering, it should be procured.

The so-called "temple granite" is in reality a syenite, and occurs as an immense laccolith in the Cottonwood section of the Wasatch. The erosion of long ages had cut deep canyons through the eruptive mass; and glaciers, descending with irresistible force, had dislodged and transported countless boulders, many of them of colossal size. These isolated blocks, known as erratics, furnished the supply of building stone; it was not found necessary to quarry into the granite mountain-mass in place. In the canyon the boulders were divided mostly by the use of hand-drills and wedges, though low power explosives were used to a small extent. The rough blocks were conveyed at first by ox-teams; four yoke were required for each block, and every trip was a labored journey of three or four days. A canal for the conveyance of the rock by water was projected, and, indeed, work thereon was begun, but the plan was abandoned as the prospect of railroad transportation became more certain.

The plan of the building was given by Brigham Young, President of the Church, and the structural details were worked out under his direction by the Church architect--Truman O. Angell. A description by the latter was published as early as 1854, both in Utah[5] and abroad.[6] {144} For convenience of comparison with the details of actual construction as now appear, this early announcement of what was then to be is here reproduced:

"The Temple Block is forty rods square, the lines running north and
south, east and west, and contains ten acres. The center of the
Temple is one hundred and fifty-six feet six inches due west from
the center of the east line of the block. The length of said House,
east and west, is one hundred and eighty-six and a half feet,
including towers, and the width ninety-nine feet. On the east end
there are three towers, as also on the west. Draw a line north and
south one hundred and eighteen and a half feet through the center
of the towers, and you have the north and south extent of ground
plan, including pedestal.

"We depress into the earth, at the east end, to the depth of
sixteen feet, and enlarge all around beyond the lines of wall three
feet for a footing.

"The north and south walls are eight feet thick, clear of pedestal;
they stand upon a footing of sixteen feet wall, on its bearing,
which slopes three feet on each side to the height of seven and a
half feet. The footing of the towers rises to the same height as
the side, and is one solid piece of masonry of rough ashlars, laid
in good lime mortar.

"The basement of the main building is divided into many rooms by
walls, all having footings. The line of the basement floor is six
inches above the top of the footing. From the tower on the east to
the tower on the west, the face of the earth slopes six feet; four
inches above the earth on the east line, begins a promenade walk,
from eleven to twenty-two feet wide, around the entire building,
and approached by stone steps on all sides.

"There are four towers on the four corners of the building, each
starting from their footing, of twenty-six feet square; these
continue sixteen and a half feet and come to the line of the base
string course, which is eight feet above the promenade walk. At
this point the towers are reduced to twenty-five feet square; they
then continue to the height of thirty-eight feet, or the height
of the second string course. At this point they are reduced to
twenty-three feet square; they then continue thirty-eight feet
high, to the third string course. The string courses continue all
around the building, except when separated by buttresses. These
string courses are massive mouldings from solid blocks of stone.

"The two east towers then rise twenty-five feet to a string course,
or cornice. The two west towers rise nineteen feet and come to
their string course or cornice. The four towers then {145} rise
nine feet to the top of battlements. These towers are cylindrical,
having seventeen feet diameter inside, within which stairs ascend
around a solid column four feet in diameter, allowing landings at
the various sections of the building. These towers have each five
ornamental windows on two sides, above the basement. The two center
towers occupy the center of the east and west ends of the building,
starting from their footings thirty-one feet square, and break off
in sections in line with the corner towers to the height of the
third string course. The east center tower then rises forty feet
to the top of battlements; the west center tower rises thirty-four
feet to the top of battlements. All the towers have spires, the
details of which are not decided on.

"All these towers, at their corners, have octagon turrets,
terminated by octagon pinnacles five feet diameter at base, four
feet at first story, and three feet from there up. There are also
on each side of these towers two buttresses, except when they come
in contact with the body of the main building. The top of these
buttresses show forty-eight in number, and stand upon pedestals.
The space between the buttresses and turrets is two feet at first
story. On the front of two center towers are two large windows,
each thirty-two feet high, one above the other, neatly prepared for
that place.

"On the two west corner towers, and on the west end, a few feet
below the top of battlements, may be seen in bold or alto relievo,
the great dipper, or Ursa Major, with the pointers ranging nearly
towards the North Star. (Moral, the lost may find themselves by the
Priesthood.)

"I will now glance at the main body of the House. I have before
stated that the basement was divided into many rooms. The center
one is arranged for a baptismal font, and is fifty-seven feet long
by thirty-five feet wide, separated from the main wall by four
rooms, two on each side, nineteen feet long by twelve wide. On the
east and west sides of these rooms are four passages twelve feet
wide; these lead to and from by outside doors, two on the north
and two on the south. Further east and west from these passages
are four more rooms, two at each end, twenty-eight feet wide by
thirty-eight and one-half long. These and their walls occupy the
basement. All the walls start off their footings, and rise sixteen
and one-half feet, and there stop with ground ceiling.

"We are now up to the line of the base string course, eight
feet above the promenade, or steps rising to the Temple, which
terminates the cope of pedestal, and to the first floor of said
House. This room is joined to the outer courts, these courts being
the width between towers, sixteen feet by nine in the clear. We
ascend to the floors of these courts (they being on a line with
first floor of main house) by four flights of stone steps nine and
one-half feet wide, arranged in the basement work; the first {146}
step ranging to the outer line of towers. From these courts doors
admit to any part of the building.

"The size of the first large room is one hundred and twenty
feet long by eighty feet wide; the height reaches nearly to the
second string course. The room is arched over in the center
with an elliptical arch which drops at its flank ten feet, and
has thirty-eight feet span. The side ceilings have one-fourth
elliptical arches which start from the side walls of the main
building, sixteen feet high, and terminate at the capitals of the
columns or foot of center arch, at the height of twenty-four feet.
The columns obtain their bearings direct from the footings of said
house; these columns extend up to support the floor above.

"The outside walls of this story are seven feet thick. The space
from the termination of the foot of the center arch to the outer
wall, is divided into sixteen compartments, eight on each side,
making rooms fourteen feet by fourteen, clear of partitions, and
ten feet high, leaving a passage six feet wide next to each flank
of center arch, which is approached from the ends, These rooms are
each lighted by an elliptical or oval window, whose major axis is
vertical.

"The second large room is one foot wider than the room below; this
is in consequence of the wall being but six feet thick, falling
off six inches on the inner, and six on the outer side. The second
string course provides for this on the outside. The rooms of
this story are similar to those below. The side walls have nine
buttresses on a side, and have eight tiers of windows, five on each
tier.

"The foot of the basement windows are eight inches above the
promenade, rise three feet perpendicular, and terminate with a
semi-circular head. The first story windows have twelve feet length
of sash, to top of semi-circular head. The oval windows have
six and one-half feet length of sash. The windows of the second
story are the same as those below. All these frames have four and
one-half feet width of sash.

"The pedestals under all the buttresses project at their base two
feet; above their base, which is fifteen inches by four and a half
feet wide, on each front, is a figure of a globe three feet eleven
inches across, whose axis corresponds with the axis of the earth.

"The base string course forms a cope for those pedestals. Above
this cope the buttresses are three and a half feet, and continue to
the height of one hundred feet. Above the promenade, close under
the second string course, on each of the buttresses, is the moon,
represented in its different phases. Close under the third string
course, or cornice, is the face of the sun. Immediately above is
Saturn with her rings. The buttresses terminate with a projected
cope.

{147} "The only difference between the tower buttresses, and the
one just described is, instead of Saturn being on them, we have
clouds and rays of light descending downwards.

"All of these symbols are to be chiseled in bas-relief on solid
stone. The side walls continue above the string course, or cornice,
eight and a half feet, making the walls ninety-six feet high, and
are formed in battlements, interspersed with stars.

"The roof is quite flat, rising only eight feet, and is to be
covered with galvanized iron, or some other metal. The building is
to be otherwise ornamented in many places. The whole structure is
designed to symbolize some of the great architectural work above.

"The basement windows recede in, from the face of outer wall to
sash frame, eighteen inches, and are relieved by a large caveto.
Those windows above the base recede from face of wall to sash
frame, three feet, and are surrounded by stone jambs formed in
mouldings, and surmounted by labels over each, which terminate at
their horizon, excepting the oval windows, whose labels terminate
on columns which extend from an enriched string course, at the foot
of each window, to the center of major axis.

"My chief object in the last paragraph is to show to the judgment
of any who may be baffled, how those windows can be come at, etc.
All the windows in the towers are moulded, and have stone jambs;
each being crowned with label mouldings.

"For further particulars, wait till the House is done, then come
and see it.

"The whole House covers an area of twenty-one thousand eight
hundred and fifty feet."

The entrance of the Union Pacific Railway into Utah, in 1868, served temporarily to retard work on the Temple, as the call for laborers on the great trans-continental line was deemed imperative. Eventually, however, the activity in railroad construction operated as a great assistance in the undertaking; for, to the main line, branches succeeded; and, by 1873, a side line had reached the granite quarries. From the city station a track was constructed up South Temple Street, and into Temple Block.

The work of construction proceeded so slowly as to {148} arouse a feeling akin to impatience in the hearts of over-anxious Saints, and mild restraint was called for. At other times gentle urging was necessary. The work was apportioned to the people of the Territory, which, for convenience, was divided into temple districts. Stakes and wards and quorums of the Priesthood were assigned their parts, and an effective system of divided labor and responsibility was developed.[7]

President Brigham Young died in 1877, at which time the granite walls of the Temple had reached a height of about twenty feet above ground. During the administration of his successor, President John Taylor, the work was continued without important interruption for another decade, and thereafter was urged with even greater vigor under the direction of Wilford Woodruff, the next President of the Church. As the concluding laps of a race are generally marked by increased energy incident to the final spurt--the supreme effort to reach, the end in glory and triumph, as in a powerful drama, interest becomes more intense, and action more concentrated with the approach of the finale, so, in this great undertaking, the fact that the end was looming above the horizon of sight called forth redoubled energies on the part of the people. When the granite had risen to the square, and when the spires began to appear in place, a feeling of almost feverish anxiety was manifest throughout the Church.

LAYING OF THE CAPSTONE

{149} The sixth day of April, 1892, was determined upon as the date for placing in position the capstone of the Temple, and the announcement was hailed with joy in every ward and branch of the Church, and in every household of the Saints.

The day marked the close of the annual Conference, and was hallowed by all the observances of solemn assembly. As a preliminary to the principal ceremony, a vast congregation had assembled in the Tabernacle at an early hour, and in this the several organizations of the Priesthood occupied distinctive places on the main floor while the galleries were reserved for the accommodation of the general public. At the close of an impressive service, the multitude proceeded in formal procession to the open space on the south side of the Temple, where a temporary platform had been erected with the flag of the nation waving above. An adjoining stand accommodated the choir, which numbered over two hundred singers. There was band music of the highest order, and every essential element of fervent worship combined with joyous celebration had been provided.

Over forty thousand people were gathered within the confines of Temple Block; and other thousands, unable to find a place in the great square, stood in the streets or looked down from roofs and windows of adjoining buildings. It is of record unchallenged that this assembly was the largest ever known in Utah. At high noon the special service was begun. The music of both band and choir, the marches, and anthems, and hymns, had been specially composed for the joyous occasion. The prayer was {150} offered by President Joseph F. Smith, of the First Presidency, and the great "Amen" was echoed by two score thousand throats. A hymn followed; and then the venerable President of the Church, Wilford Woodruff, stepped to the front and announced that the auspicious moment, so long awaited, had arrived. These were his ringing words:

"Attention all ye house of Israel, and all ye nations of the
earth! We will now lay the top-stone of the Temple of our God, the
foundation of which was laid and dedicated by the Prophet, Seer,
and Revelator, Brigham Young."

At this juncture the president closed an electric circuit on the stand, and the granite hemisphere, forming the highest block of the great Temple, slowly descended into position. Then followed a scene the like of which is never enacted by this people except on occasions of extraordinary solemnity, namely, the rendering of the sacred Hosanna shout. Led by Lorenzo Snow, President of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, the forty thousand Saints shouted as with the voice of one:

"Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna! to God and the Lamb! Amen! Amen! Amen!"

This was repeated thrice, each shout accompanied by the waving of white kerchiefs.

From the roof of the building came the voice of the architect-in-charge, J. Don Carlos Young, declaring that the capstone was duly laid, and choir and congregation broke forth in triumphant song:

{151} "The Spirit of God like a fire is burning!
The latter-day glory begins to come forth;
The visions and blessings of old are returning,
And angels are coming to visit the earth.
We'll sing and we'll shout with the armies of heaven,
Hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb!
Let glory to them in the highest be given,
Henceforth and forever; Amen and Amen!"

Elder Francis M. Lyman of the Council of the Twelve then proposed the adoption of the resolution presented below:

"Believing that the instruction of President Woodruff, respecting
the early completion of the Salt Lake Temple, is the word of the
Lord unto us, I propose that this assemblage pledge themselves,
collectively and individually, to furnish, as fast as it may be
needed, all the money that may be required to complete the Temple
at the earliest time possible, so that the dedication may take
place on April 6th, 1893."

The adoption was manifested by a deafening shout from the assembled multitude, accompanied by the raising of hands. The final anthem was the glorious "Song of the Redeemed"--particularly appropriate to the hour; and the benediction was pronounced by President George Q. Cannon.

The topstone and the granite block upon which it immediately rests form a sphere. Within the lower half a cavity had been prepared; and in this were placed certain books and other articles, so that, as the capstone was laid, it formed a secure and massive lid to this stone receptacle. The stone contains a copy of the Holy Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Voice of Warning, {152} Spencer's Letters, Key to Theology, Hymn Book, Compendium, Pearl of Great Price, and some other books; also photographs of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, George Q. Cannon, and Joseph F. Smith, a photograph of the Temple as it appeared at the time; and, in addition, an engraved tablet of copper setting forth the principal dates in the history of the building and bearing the names of the general authorities of the Church as they stood April 6, 1853, and as constituted at the time of the capstone ceremony, April 6, 1892.

Later in the day, the top-stone was surmounted by the great statue--a figure intended to represent Moroni, the heavenly messenger who ministered to the youthful prophet, Joseph Smith, in 1823. The figure, over twelve feet in height, is of copper heavily gilded. It is in the form of a herald with a trumpet at his lips.[8]

COMPLETION OF THE BUILDING AND ITS DEDICATION

The adoption of a plan or the formal passing of a resolution by vote is an easy matter, compared with which the working out of that plan, the achieving of what was provided for by the vote, may be a gigantic task. Such was the contrast between the action of the assembled multitude on the 6th of April, 1892, and the work accomplished in the year that followed.

When the capstone of the Temple was laid, the scene inside the walls was that of chaos and confusion. To finish the interior within a year appeared a practical impossibility. The task the people had taken upon themselves {153} was almost superhuman. Nevertheless, they considered the instruction to complete the building within the specified time to be verily the word of the Lord unto them, and they remembered the utterance of the ancient prophet, "I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."[9] The Saints regarded their act of voting to be equivalent to the affixing of their individual signatures to a note of promise. As to how well they met their obligation and kept their promise, let the achievement of the year speak.

The people had pledged themselves "collectively and individually to furnish as fast as it may be needed, all the money that may be required to complete the Temple at as early a time as possible, so that the dedication may take place on April 6, 1893." The pledge was met in full. Under date of April 21, 1892, the First Presidency issued a general epistle addressed to the Latter-day Saints in Zion and throughout the world, directing that the people gather in their places of worship on Sunday, the first day of May, and devote the day to solemn fasting and prayer. To this call the people responded faithfully. Mingled with their thanksgiving for the manifold blessings of the past, were fervent supplications for success in the work of completing the Lord's House within the time prescribed.[10]

In the work of finishing the Temple, it was all-important that there be a competent, responsible man in charge, {154} who should be invested with executive authority in every department of the labor. While the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve retained in their hands the directing power, they needed an agent who could be trusted to act with promptness, decision, and authority on every question that should arise. The choice of the presiding authorities for a man to fill this responsible position fell upon John R. Winder, who was at that time Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, and who afterward became First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church. At the time of his appointment to the responsible position of General Superintendent of Temple Work, April 16, 1892, President Winder was in his seventy-second year, yet he possessed the energy and activity of youth, combined with the wisdom and discretion that age alone can give. Under his efficient supervision, work on the interior of the Temple progressed at a rate that surprised even the workers. Laborers of all classes, mechanics, masons, plasterers, carpenters, glaziers, plumbers, painters, decorators, artisans and artificers of every kind, were put to work. The people verily believed that a power above that of man was operating to assist them in their great undertaking. Material, much of which was of special manufacture, came in from the east and the west, with few of the usual delays of transit.

Heating and lighting systems were installed; and this installation necessitated the erection of a boiler house, with all accessories of equipment. Moreover, the Annex had to be built. At this point it may be well to explain that each of the Temples in Utah is connected with a separate structure, known as the Annex,--in the nature of {155} an ante-building,--in which preliminary services are held, and wherein record is made of the ordinance work to be done by the parties present, before they are permitted to enter the Temple on the day of service. The Annex to the Temple in Salt Lake City stands about one hundred feet north from the main structure.

Even as late as one month prior to the date set for the dedication, there was so much yet to be done, as to make many feel that for once at least, the people had been mistaken in their belief that the Lord had spoken, and that the completion of the work by the time set, was a physical impossibility. On the 18th of March, 1893, the First Presidency issued the following epistle:

"_To the Officers and Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints_:

"The near approach of the date for the dedication of the Temple
of our God moves us to express with some degree of fulness our
feelings to our brethren, the officers of the Church, who with us
bear the Priesthood of the Son of God, and to the Latter-day Saints
generally; to the end that in entering that holy building we may
all be found acceptable ourselves, with our households, and that
the building which we shall dedicate may also be acceptable unto
the Lord.

"The Latter-day Saints have used their means freely to erect other
Temples in these valleys, and our Father has blessed us in our
efforts. Today we enjoy the great happiness of having three of
these sacred structures completed, dedicated to and accepted of the
Lord, wherein the Saints can enter and attend to those ordinances
which He, in His infinite goodness and kindness, has revealed.
But for forty years the hopes, desires, and anticipations of the
entire Church have been centered upon the completion of this
edifice in the principal city of Zion. Its foundation was laid in
the early days of our settlement in these mountains; and from that
day until the present, the eyes of the members of the Church in
every land have been lovingly directed toward it. Looking upon it
as the Temple of temples, the people during all these years have
labored with unceasing toil, undiminished patience, and ungrudging
expenditure of means to bring it to its present condition of
completion; and now that the toils and the sacrifices of forty
years are crowned so successfully and happily, {156} now that the
great building is at last finished and ready to be used for divine
purposes, need we say that we draw near an event whose consummation
is to us as a people momentous in the highest degree? Far-reaching
in its consequence, as that occasion is certain to be, what remains
for us to say in order to impress the entire Church with a sense of
its tremendous importance?

"On this point, surely nothing; yet may we offer a few words upon a
phase that directly touches it. No member of the Church who would
be deemed worthy to enter that sacred house can be considered
ignorant of the principles of the Gospel. It is not too much to
presume that every one knows what his duty is to God and to his
fellowman. None is so forgetful as to have lost sight of the
admonition that we must be filled with love for and charity toward
our brethren. And hence none can for a moment doubt the supreme
importance of every member of the congregation being at peace with
all his or her brethren and sisters, and at peace with God. How
else can we hope to gain the blessings He has promised save by
complying with the requirements for which those blessings are the
reward?

"Can men and women who are violating a law of God, or those who are
derelict in yielding obedience to His commands, expect that the
mere going into His holy house and taking part in its dedication
will render them worthy to receive, and cause them to receive, His
blessing?

"Do they think that repentance and turning away from sin may be so
lightly dispensed with?

"Do they dare, even in thought, thus to accuse our Father of
injustice and partiality, and attribute to Him carelessness in the
fulfilment of His own words?

"Assuredly no one claiming to belong to His people would be guilty
of such a thing.

"Then must those who are unworthy cease to expect a blessing from
their attendance at the Temple while sin unrepented of still casts
its odor about them, and while bitterness or even an unforgiving
coolness exists in their hearts against their brethren and sisters.

"On this latter subject we feel that much might be said. In the
striving after compliance with the apparently weightier matters
of the law, there is a possibility that the importance of this
spirit of love and kindness and charity may be underestimated. For
ourselves, we cannot think of any precept that at present requires
more earnest inculcation.

"During the past eighteen months there has been a division of the
Latter-day Saints upon national party lines. Political campaigns
have been conducted, elections have been held, and feelings, more
or less intense, have been engendered in the minds of brethren and
sisters upon one side and the other.

{157} "We have been cognizant of conduct and have heard of many
expressions that have been very painful to us and have grieved our
spirits.

"We know they have been an offense unto the God of peace and love,
and a stumbling block unto many of the Saints.

"We feel now that a time for reconciliation has come; that before
entering into the Temple to present ourselves before the Lord in
solemn assembly, we shall divest ourselves of every harsh and
unkind feeling against each other; that not only our bickerings
shall cease, but that the cause of them shall be removed, and every
sentiment that prompted and has maintained them shall be dispelled;
that we shall confess our sins one to another, and ask forgiveness
one of another; that we shall plead with the Lord for the spirit
of repentance, and, having obtained it, follow its promptings; so
that in humbling ourselves before Him and seeking forgiveness from
each other, we shall yield that charity and generosity to those who
crave our forgiveness that we ask for and expect from heaven.

"Thus may we come up into the holy place with our hearts free from
guile and our souls prepared for the edification that is promised!
Thus shall our supplications, undisturbed by a thought of discord,
unitedly mount into the ears of Jehovah and draw down the choice
blessings of the God of Heaven!

"As your brethren, sustained by your vote and in your faith as
the First Presidency of the Church, we have this to say to the
Latter-day Saints, in our individual as well as our official
capacity: If there is a single member of the Church who has
feelings against us, we do not wish to cross the threshold of the
Temple until we have satisfied him and have removed from him all
cause of feeling, either by explanation or by making proper amends
and atonement; neither would we wish to enter the sacred portals
of that edifice until we have sought an explanation, or amends,
or atonement, from any against whom we may have either a real or
fancied grievance.

"In now announcing this course for ourselves, we say to all the
other officers of the Church that we desire them to follow our
example. We wish them from the highest to the lowest and throughout
all the stakes and wards of Zion to take heed of this counsel.
Let them invite all who may have feelings against them to come
forward and make them known; let them then endeavor to correct any
misapprehensions or misunderstandings which may exist, or give
redress for any wrong or injury that may have been done.

"We say the same--and when the officers have taken the course
indicated we wish them to say the same--to the individual members
of the Church. We call upon them to seek to have the fellowship
of their brethren and their sisters, and their entire confidence
and love; above all to seek to have the fellowship and {158}
union of the Holy Ghost. Let this spirit be sought and cherished
as diligently within the smallest and humblest family circle, as
within the membership of the highest organization and quorum. Let
it permeate the hearts of the brothers and sisters, the parents
and children of the household, as well as the hearts of the First
Presidency and Twelve. Let it mellow and soften all differences
between members of the Stake Presidencies and the High Councils,
as well as between neighbors living in the same ward. Let it unite
young and old, male and female, flock and shepherd, people and
Priesthood, in the bounds of gratitude and forgiveness and love, so
that Israel may feel approved of the Lord, and that we may all come
before Him with a conscience void of offense before all men. Then
there will be no disappointment as to the blessings promised those
who sincerely worship Him. The sweet whisperings of the Holy Spirit
will be given to them and the treasures of heaven, the communion of
angels, will be added from time to time, for His promise has gone
forth and it cannot fail!

"Asking God's blessing upon you all in your endeavor to carry out
this counsel, and desirous of seeing it take the form of a united
effort on the part of the whole people, we suggest that Saturday,
March 25, 1893, be set apart as a day of fasting and prayer. On
that occasion we advise that the Presidencies of Stakes, the High
Councils, the Bishops and their Counselors, meet together with the
Saints in their several meeting houses, confess their sins one to
another, and draw out from the people all feelings of anger, of
distrust, or of unfriendliness that may have found a lodgment; so
that entire confidence may then and there be restored and love from
this time prevail through all the congregations of the Saints."

It was evident that the authorities of the Church realized the importance of preparing for the great event of the dedication in other ways than by material construction and costly furnishings. The hearts of the people had to be made ready; it was necessary that Israel be sanctified. Throughout the length and breadth of Zion there was a general cleansing of mind and soul; enmity was buried; bickering ceased; differences between brethren were adjusted; offenses were atoned and forgiven; a veritable jubilee was celebrated.

The finishing touches to the interior of the building {159} were made late in the afternoon of April 5th, and in the evening of that day, the Temple was thrown open to general inspection. Not only were members of the Church admitted; many honorable men and women who had never affiliated with the Church were invited to the number of over one thousand, and they passed through the Temple from basement to top. In view of the current belief that the Temples of the Latter-day Saints are never open to the gaze of non-members, this fact is of significant importance.

On the morning of the 6th of April, 1893, Wilford Woodruff, President of the Church, led the way through the south-west door into the sacred precincts. The event has been not inaptly likened to that of Joshua leading Israel into the promised land. The venerable President was followed by the rest of the general authorities of the Church, and these in turn by other Church officials and such members as had been specially designated to take part in the first dedication service. Of the tens of thousands of Saints who desired to be present, whose rightful privilege it was to attend, and who had contributed of their substance to the building of the greatest Temple of modern times, but few could be accommodated on the day of dedication. The assembly room, which with its vestries occupies the entire upper floor, had been furnished with seating accommodations for two thousand two hundred and fifty-two persons. It was arranged, therefore, that services be repeated twice daily, to continue from April 6th until all who were entitled to admission had had opportunity to be present.

On the first day, the following were admitted to take part in what will always be remembered as the official {160} dedicatory session: The First Presidency, the Council of the Twelve Apostles, the Presiding Patriarch, the First Council of the Seventy, the Presiding Bishopric, and all other general authorities of the Church, and in addition, Presidents of Stakes and their Counselors, members of Stake High Councils, Patriarchs, Presidents of High Priests' Quorums and their Counselors, Presidents of Quorums of Seventies, Bishops of Wards and their Counselors. Admission was extended to the wives and immediate families of all the Church officials named. To the later sessions, admission was regulated so that particular wards and stakes had each a special assignment as to time.

No one was admitted without a formal certificate, conventionally known as a "recommend," signed by the Bishop of his ward and the President of his stake. In a circular of instruction relating to the dedication the following appears: "It will be necessary for each applicant to show his or her recommend to the gate-keeper, in order to pass. The recommend will then be taken up by a ticket-man inside the gate. No person will be admitted without a recommend, on any occasion." Services were held daily from April 6th, to April 18th, inclusive, and again on the 23rd and 24th. Usually two sessions were held each day, but on the 7th of April, an evening session was added. While children under eight years of age, and therefore unbaptized, were not admitted to the general sessions, special days were set apart for their accommodation; thus April 21st and 22nd,--Friday and Saturday,--were reserved for Sunday School children, under the prescribed age for baptism.

At the first service,--the official dedication,--the {161} prayer was offered by President Wilford Woodruff, and at each succeeding session the prayer was read. The prayer itself is at once a sermon and a supplication; it is expressive of the inmost thoughts of the people; it is an epitome of the history of the Saints and the condition of the Church at that time.

The prayer follows in full:

"Our Father in heaven, thou who hast created the heavens and the
earth, and all things that are therein; thou most glorious One,
perfect in mercy, love, and truth, we, thy children, come this day
before thee, and in this house which we have built to thy most holy
name, humbly plead the atoning blood of thine Only Begotten Son,
that our sins may be remembered no more against us forever, but
that our prayers may ascend unto thee and have free access to thy
throne, that we may be heard in thy holy habitation. And may it
graciously please thee to hearken unto our petitions, answer them
according to thine infinite wisdom and love, and grant that the
blessings which we seek may be bestowed upon us, even a hundred
fold, inasmuch as we seek with purity of heart and fulness of
purpose to do thy will and glorify thy name.

"We thank thee, O thou Great Elohim, that thou didst raise up thy
servant, Joseph Smith, through the loins of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, and made him a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and through the
assistance and administrations of angels from heaven, thou didst
enable him to bring forth the Book of Mormon,--the stick of Joseph,
in the hand of Ephraim,--in fulfilment of the prophecies of Isaiah
and other prophets, which record has been translated and published
in many languages. We also thank thee, our Father in heaven, that
thou didst inspire thy servant and give him power on the earth to
organize thy Church in this goodly land, in all its fulness, power
and glory, with Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, and Teachers, with
all the gifts and graces belonging thereto, and all this by the
power of the Aaronic and Melchisedek Priesthood, which thou didst
bestow upon him by the administration of holy angels, who held
that Priesthood in the days of the Savior. We thank thee, our God,
that thou didst enable thy servant Joseph to build two temples, in
which ordinances were administered for the living and the dead;
that he also lived to send the Gospel to the nations of the earth
and to the islands of the sea, and labored exceedingly until he was
martyred for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

"We also thank thee, O our Father in heaven, that thou didst {162}
raise up thy servant Brigham Young, who held the keys of thy
Priesthood on the earth for many years, and who led thy people to
these valleys of the mountains, and laid the corner-stone of this
great Temple and dedicated it unto thee, and who did direct the
building of three other temples in these Rocky Mountains which have
been dedicated unto thy holy name, in which temples many thousands
of the living have been blessed and the dead redeemed.

"Our Father in heaven, we are also thankful to thee for thy servant
John Taylor, who followed in the footsteps of thy servant Brigham,
until he laid down his life in exile.

"Thou hast called thy servants Wilford Woodruff, George Q. Cannon,
and Joseph F. Smith, to hold the keys of the Presidency and
Priesthood this day, and for these shepherds of thy flock we feel
to give thee thanksgiving and praise. Thy servant Wilford is bound
to acknowledge thy hand, O Father, in the preservation of his life
from the hour of his birth to the present day. Nothing but thy
power could have preserved him through that which he has passed
during the eighty-six years that thou hast granted him life on the
earth.

"For the raising up of the Twelve Apostles, we also thank thee, our
God, and for the perfect union which exists among us.

"We thank thee, O Lord, for the perfect organizations of thy Church
as they exist at the present time.

"O Lord, we regard with intense and indescribable feelings the
completion of this sacred house. Deign to accept this the fourth
temple which thy covenant children have been assisted by thee in
erecting in these mountains. In past ages thou didst inspire with
thy Holy Spirit thy servants, the prophets, to speak of a time in
the latter days when the mountain of the Lord's house should be
established in the top of the mountains, and should be exalted
above the hills. We thank thee that we have had the glorious
opportunity of contributing to the fulfilment of these visions of
thine ancient seers, and that thou hast condescended to permit
us to take part in the great work. And as this portion of thy
servants' words has thus so marvelously been brought to pass, we
pray thee, with increased faith and renewed hope, that all their
words with regard to thy great work in gathering thine Israel and
building up thy kingdom on earth in the last days may be as amply
fulfilled, and that, O Lord, speedily.