degree assisted to build it, or who, not having the means to assist, have said in their hearts, 'I would have helped if I could.'"[1]
Work on the grounds has been carried on of late years, to the greater beautification of the site. A magnificent stairway has been constructed from the grade of the street to the level of the Temple threshold. This stairway is twenty feet in width wdth retaining walls on either side, connecting with large square pillars at each landing. The steps have a tread of twelve inches and a rise of six, and of these there are one hundred and twenty-five. There are nine landings between top and bottom, each six feet wide. The top of the stairway connects directly with the roadway surrounding the Temple. The stairway, its walls and pillars, are all constructed of cement; and cement walks encircle the building.[2] Scattered over the lawn which occupies the slope on the west are attractive trees and shrubs; each of these is planted in a hole excavated for the purpose in the solid rock. The soil for shrubs, grass, and flowers is foreign to the place.
On May 28, 1888, the Manti Temple was opened for ordinance work and from that time to the present this work has been in progress without interruption except that incident to the regular recess periods each year.[3]
- ↑ Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star," Vol. L, No. 26, June 25, 1888, p. 405.
- ↑ See illustrated description of the stairway and other approaches to Manti Temple published in the "Deseret Evening News," December 28, 1907, under the caption, "Manti Has Biggest Cement Stairway in the Country." In a letter to the author, Lewis Anderson, the present president of the Manti Temple, vouches for the correctness of the data given.
- ↑ For assistance in compiling data regarding the Manti Temple the writer is indebted to the presiding officer of the Temple, President Lewis Anderson, and his associates.
