Sunday, we went to the Tabernacle to attend their religious service.
Happily, Brigham Young had returned the night before from St. Joseph,
where he had sojourned with the "faithful." The Tabernacle is an
enormous building which, we were told, can hold fourteen thousand
people. It was filled to overflowing. The seating for the members was
arranged in a semicircle of tiers, the minor elders sitting in the
lowest seats. As the tiers mounted there were fewer seats and therefore
fewer elders, and so on, until the highest point was reached, where the
high priest--Brigham Young--sat alone in his glory. On the opposite
side was the magnificent organ built in Boston. When they began
building the Tabernacle, gigantic as they intended it to be, they did
not know that the organ which had been ordered from Boston (probably
wrong measurements had been sent) would be bigger than the Tabernacle.
When it arrived they found that, instead of the organ having been made
for the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle would have to be made for the organ.

To celebrate the Prophet's return they had the communion service.
People all stayed in their pews, and the bread, cut in good healthy
pieces, was handed about in bread-baskets; after which pitchers with
ice-water were passed, and the water was poured in goblets, which were
placed before the people. Brigham Young gave his flock a tremendous
rating with lowering eyebrows and a thunder-cloud in each eye, and the
flock trembled as one man. He said that during his absence they had not
behaved themselves as they ought to have done. They had not only been
found swearing and drunk, but they had mingled breath with the
Gentiles. We feared he referred to Colonel Hooker, whose breath had
mingled--the finger of wrath seemed to point that way. We felt very
sorry for our companion and sat huddled together, a humiliated group of
Gentiles, trembling to meet the glance of the wrathful Prophet.