| Show THE C E IN SALT LAKE the following la is from a letter written toy by mrs E C baldry who has been staying for some time in salt lake to the houston texas post the christian havercome have come and gone the crowd was much larger than anticipated salt lake was filled with them for more than a week As I 1 had never attended a convention my expectations ran high of cour course cournea neI 1 I expected them to act here as they did in other cities to see rousing enthusiastic meetings to go through the streets singing christian endeavor songs etc to me the rally was a disappointment all round there seemed to be an utter lack of enthusiasm trains were delayed from eight to twenty four hours the traffic was so Ith immense mense it was a hardship on the railroads they had to press every engine into service and delay all freights the denver and rio grande and rio orande grande western alone hauled seventy nine extra trains from afif ten to eighteen coaches each to say nothing of the regular trains the oregon short line and union pacific had a very heavy travel and the Son southern thern pacific worked like a trojan to get the massetto mas masses sesto to california in time every thing that was planned for saturday had to be given up on account of delayed trains large crowds went out to saltair that evening to hear the address of governor heber M wells welcoming the to this city for hours they waited for mr dark clark the founder of the christian endeavor mot movement ement and they waited in vain the bathed and they danced to their hearts content in the big pavilion and they amused themselves as best they could it was very chilly that day teeth were chattering lips were blue and noses red as in midwinter it was really disagreeable and I 1 guess all who had been suffering from the suns hot rays in the east found the weather in the west somewhat different from what they expected those who passed through leadville had the pleasure of shoeing and snow enow two feet deep they snowballed each other as long as time would permit sunday morning was an ideal day sunrise prayer meeting was given up for some reason or other at the usual hour all churches were filled each one having some prominent minister from abroad to fill its pulpit the churches were filled but mostly by our local people the Endeavor ere seemed bent on sightseeing sight seeing as their stay was but short I 1 was quite amused on Satur saturday daj while out at salt sar hearing them tell each other they had not come to salt lake to attend religious services but to see the lake the city and all the curios that they expected to give their time to worship when in san francisco when I 1 attended the big rally at the tabernacle and noticed the lack of enthusiasm that fervent spirit we expected from I 1 thought to myself the whole crowd of Endeavor era was im aued with the spirit expressed by those at Sal saltair tair the tabernacle was well filled but not as fun full as I 1 expected to see it the meeting lasted from to at the mormon church gave a full service george Q cannon and elder penrose spoke it was a regular mormon service such as you hear any sunday after benediction the choir rendered some of its best numbers and the organist joseph J Dayne splayed a few choice selections the tabernacle was not only filled to suffocation but the people stood all around it in the temple grounds to hear the choir the full choir was not present as some of the best singers had gone on a vacation the endeavor pleasure of this concert the ers have to thank me sol elyIn the beginning this concert was held out as the chief attraction after visiting salt air it was so advertised through the associated press dispatches in all the papers in the united states and canada and in all the religious periodicals the mormon church was asked for the use of Tabernacle the president woodruff not only told them they could have it for one day but as long as they wished to use it he gave the choir he had the tabernacle decorated with bunting flags pot plants and flowers to save them expense he had his men mormons cormons Mor mons do the work and gave strict instructions to let the committee of 1897 have all they wanted saltair company a mormon institution agreed to give the 26 25 per cent of all receipts to help them defray expenses all these courtesies were accepted by the committee of 1897 and when the mormons cormons in turn asked the privilege of giving the visiting a welcome or greeting service prior to the big rally they were flatly refused the mormon people felt kindly kendly toward the gentiles and were anxious to have their young people meet ou our r young people and to extend courtesies our local were not to blama for this they were powerless the gentlemen composing the executive committee were mormon haters baters and they opposed the others from beginning to end dissension characterized every meeting and reporters and outsiders were barred so the world should not know of their squabbles over this mormon question when I 1 heard the concert was countermanded term I 1 made up my mind I 1 would have it if I 1 had to move heaven and earth to do it I 1 had told the people of texas they were to hear this choir and then to have them come this great distance to be disappointed simply to gratify five narrow minded people was more than I 1 could stand the spirit these men displayed was anything but christia our savior taught love and forbearance he did not think himself too good to sit with the publicans public ans and sinners no matter what the mormons cormons have done in the past let that be forgotten chemor the mor mons of today are no worse than the gentiles Gentil eB if we want to hunt up shortcomings we can find lots among christians of all sects let us look to the good that is in every one and leave the bad alone when I 1 went to the presidency of the mormon church to ask them to give this concert they refused saying they could not after having been treated so brusquely by the I 1 went to see everybody I 1 thought could help me finally elder B H roberts kindly promised to intercede for me he had several meetings with the presidency of the church and pleaded hard with them finally two days before the arrival of the he brought me the good news that the choir would not only sing for the but they should hear bear a mormon service on saturday afternoon when the big rally was being held at the taberna cle the committee of 1897 was re ra quested three different times to att aa bounce while other felt indicant indi gant at the way the aa were being made that a concert be given by the choir that evening the and each time tm the chairman refused A minister frow froan canada who made the most eloquent talk that afternoon told mr thona if he had only asked him he would have made the announcement H were treated by the committee cheto I 1 told the music and entertain entertainments entertainment met committee of my success I 1 was congratulated all around for my couraw courage of going it lone handed when thaw went out on the different roads to meat the they told them wi wlter glad hearts they were to hear the chelf As a texan I 1 am proud of my country counter and love its people and it was for abo texas people first and then tor for ti Endeavor ersin in general I 1 |
