Below you will find Prince’s research excerpts titled, “Temples, 1915.” You can view other years here.
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TEMPLES, 1915.
1915: 12 Feb.: Temples not to be used for health.
“F. M. Lyman spoke in the Temple meeting. He insisted that those attending the temple should be physically perfect and also spiritually so. They should not seek the Temple for health. I explained to him afterwards that on Tuesdays we attend to ordinance work for health. He knew this but his talk was more in regard to endowments.” (Anthon H. Lund diary, 12 Feb., 1915)
Mar.: 1st Pres. on Work for the Dead.
“Arrangements are now being made to assist the Saints residing in the various missions of the Church, and in other places remote from the Temples, who are thereby unable, personally, to perform Temple ordinances in behalf of their dead kindred, or friends to obtain the needed services of proxies. It is our desire that faithful members of the Church, in the condition stated, shall be helped, to the fulles tpossible extent, to accomplish this sacred duty that all Latter-day Saints are required, by Divine injunction, to fulfil.
The information needed to properly identify the dead, for whom Temple ordinances are to be performed, includes the following: Names in full (maiden names of women). Date of birth. Place of birth (Town, County and State or Country). Date of death. Name of heir, or friend, at whose instance the work is to be done, and his, or her, relationship to each one named. When this information cannot be given as complete as desired, that which is lacking may be approximately formulated, by following instructions that will be published in periodicals issued in various missions of the Church.
Members of the Church in missions, and localities a great distance from the Temples, who desire to comply with the gospel requirements for salvation of the dead, should confer with the President of the mission, or district, in which they reside, stating what ordinances they wish to have performed, and they will then be provided with the blanks, and instructions needed.
The proper method of compiling records of names of the dead, for whom Temple work is desired, is provided for in a blank book specially prepared for that purpose, which can be procured, at a moderate price, by application to the mission presidents.
Donations are thankfully received at the Temples, to assist in meeting the heavy expense of their maintenance, but the poor, who can give nothing, are cheerfully accorded all the privileges that the most liberal donors receive.
There is no charge made by the Temple authorities for performance of the ordinances, but, when proxies have to be obtained to act in endowments for the dead, which occupies the time of an entire session in Temple work, it is customary to pay such proxies a small sum, to partly remunerate them for personal expenses; usually a man receives 75 cents, and a woman 50 cents, for such services.
Arrangements are already made whereby faithful members of the Church who have died in various missions or who may die therein hereafter, without having received Temple ordinances in life, will have those ordinances attended to in their behalf. The names and genealogies of all such worthy individuals are now being sent ot the St. George Temple, by the mission Presidents.
The editors of our Church publications, in various missions, are requested to insert a copy of the foregoing in their respective periodicals, to be followed, when convenient, with instructions concerning Temple work, copies of which can be furnished them by the mission Presidents.
Joseph F. Smith,
Anthon H. Lund,
Charles W. Penrose,
The First Presidency.”
(IE 18(5):451-452, Mar., 1915; also in UGHM 6:53-54, Apr., 1915)
19 Jul.: 2nd Anointing room in Logan Temple.
“[Logan Temple] They thought of changing the Annointing room for higher blessings to an inner room like in our temple. I told them I wished we had as nice a room as theirs in Salt Lake Temple, and they better keep the room for this purpose that they are now using.” (Anthon H. Lund diary, 19 Jul., 1915)
30 Sep.: Waiver of heirship rule for J. W. Taylor.
“This morning I went to Temple and then to the Office. Mrs. J. W. Taylor came and asked President Smith in whose name she should have the work done for her son who was killed by a drunken sheriff. The rule is that when anything is done at the instance of any one, such a person must be a member of the Church. President Smith said it was too hard a rule and allowed Sister Taylor to let the work be done at the instance of J. W. Taylor.” (Anthon H. Lund diary, 30 Sep., 1915)
5 Oct.: Stillborn children.
“This morning I went to the Temple and attended meeting. I also attended meeting in the Assembly Hall of the Leading authorities of the Church. The question of Still-born children was presented by Pres. Penrose, who said that it is a comfort to the mothers of such that their willingness to obey the command to multiply and replenish the earth will not be unrewarded and that God who is just will comfort them but we must leave them in the hand of the Lord. Pres. Lyman thought that the Spirit had entered the body and that made a living soul even if they did not live in the world, and that the mothers will still have the privilege of raising them in the resurrection. Prest. Smith said that unless they breathe the breath of life there is nothing revealed about their status, and hence we leave it in the hands of the Lord who will bless those who obey him, and is just in all things.” (Anthon H. Lund diary, 5 Oct., 1915)
Nov.: Geo. F. Richards ordained elder and endowed at 15.
“When I was fifteen years of age I was permitted to receive the ordination of an elder and my endowments in the Endowment House, in Salt Lake City.” (George F. Richards, “The Lesson Taught by a Healing,” IE 19(1):61, Nov., 1915)
“Temple Ordinances,” from Rational Theology.
“The doctrines of the origin, present condition and destiny of man should always be well in the mind of all, for without this knowledge, it is difficult to comply fully and intelligently with the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. It has been provided, therefore, that the story of man, from the beginning, at the present, and to the last great day, shall be given, in an organized and correct form, so that it may not depart from among men and women. That is, the temples are conservators of the great truths of the Gospel. To the temples, man goes to be refreshed in his memory as to the doctrines relative to man and his place in nature. The endowments given to members of the Church in the temples are, essentially, courses of instruction relative to man’s existence before he came on this earth, the history of the creation of the earth, the story of our first earthly parents, the history of the various dispensations of the Gospel, the meaning of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the story of the restoration of the Gospel, and the means and methods whereby joy on this earth and exaltation in heaven may be obtained. To make this large story clear and impressive to all who partake of it, every educational device, so far known to man, is employed; and it is possible that nowhere, outside of the temple, is a more correct pedagogy employed. Every sense of man is appealed to, in order to make the meaning of the Gospel clear, from beginning to end.
Naturally, the very essence of these fundamental truths is not known to man, nor indeed can be. We know things only so far as our senses permit. Whatever is known, is known through symbols. The letters on the written page are but symbols of mighty thoughts that are easily transferred from mind to mind by these symbols. Man lives under a great system of symbolism. Clearly, the mighty, eternal truths encompassing all that man is or may be, cannot be expressed literally, nor is there in the temple any attempt to do this. On the contrary, the great and wonderful temple service is one of mighty symbolism. By the use of symbols of speech, of action, of color, of form, the great truths connected with the story of man are made evident to the mind.
The temple service also gives those who take their endowments, special information relative to their conduct upon earth. For instance, men and women are taught to keep themselves free from sin. They must be chaste, virtuous, truthful, unselfish, and so on. Moreover, they are taught that they must devote themselves and all that they have or may have to the great cause of truth, to teaching the everlasting Gospel to their fellowmen, so that the Great Plan may be worked out according to the mind and will of God. In return for this, those who take their endowments make covenants with each other and their God, that they will observe the instructions given, and will carry them out in their daily lives. Thus the work becomes active and vital. It is also explained that the failure to carry out these promises, when once knowledge has been given, will be punished. This is in accordance with the law that provides a penalty for disobedience, as already explained. Only by the use of knowledge will more knowledge be obtained. The whole system of temple worship is very logical.
In the course of instruction in the temple, it is emphasized that blessings will follow those who accept the truth, practice it and live God-like lives. The essence of the endowment service is a blesing. Punishment is not made so prominent, as is the possibility of inviting great blessings by proper obedience to the truths that may be obtained from time to time.
Perhaps the most glorious ordinances of the temple are those that seal husband and wife and children to each other for time and all eternity. According to the Gospel, the marriage relation does not necessarily cease with death. On the contrary, since sex is eternal, the sex relation may continue to the end of time. Such a union or sealing may be performed only by special authority, which is possessed only by the President of the Church.” (John A. Widtsoe, A Rational Theology, pp. 119-122, 1915 edition. Compare with 1937 edition.)