The awakening of the desert . ld on Sabbath afternoons. The present temple andtabernacle had not then been built. We were assigned tofavorable seats near the platform. The bowery was a rudestructure built on posts set into the ground and coveredwith bushes to shade the worshippers from the sun. It wassituated near the old tabernacle and was used during thesummer months. We were informed that it afforded seat-ing capacity for 8000 persons. Having come early to theservices, we waited, and watched the arrival of the wor-shippers until nearly all the seats appeared to be occupied,and we glanced wi
The awakening of the desert . ld on Sabbath afternoons. The present temple andtabernacle had not then been built. We were assigned tofavorable seats near the platform. The bowery was a rudestructure built on posts set into the ground and coveredwith bushes to shade the worshippers from the sun. It wassituated near the old tabernacle and was used during thesummer months. We were informed that it afforded seat-ing capacity for 8000 persons. Having come early to theservices, we waited, and watched the arrival of the wor-shippers until nearly all the seats appeared to be occupied,and we glanced with great interest over the vast assem-blage. I had been a regular attendant upon the morning serv-ices of our little Congregational Church in the East andhad been inspired by the vast audiences convened and theeloquent sermons preached by Henry Ward Beecher in hisgreat tabernacle in Brooklyn, and I knew something ofchurch life and the means often adopted for bringing to-gether audiences for religious worship. What, therefore,. BRIGHAM YOUXG WHY A FAIR CITY AROSE IN A DESERT 317 I asked myself, was the power or influence that had at-tracted this vast gathering of thousands of worshippersto a rude sanctuary in that far-away town in a mountainwilderness? Is this an ordinary Sabbath service? I asked a manwho occupied a seat near by. O yes, this is about an average attendance. It would seem to represent about half the entire popu-lation of the city. Are we not correct in that estimate? Yes, but there are a few people here from outlying dis-tricts, who attend these services. At about that moment a man arose from among the fewwho occupied the platform. He was above the average inheight, with broad shoulders, a deep chest, and a strong,well-knit frame. His movements were indicative of greatphysical strength and vigor. He had cold, grayeyes, thin compressed lips, a firm mouth, and a broad,massive forehead. He was dressed in plain businessclothes, and his bearing indicated that he was ma
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectfrontie, bookyear1912
