Page:The House of the Lord.djvu/205

Rh massive, yet simple, holding opaline globes. Two sets of conical shades enclosing incandescent bulbs occupy circular recesses in the ceiling, and torch-shaped brackets supporting additional lamps are affixed to the wall pilasters. A few framed canvases hang from the walls, the largest of which is the original painting by Girard—Joseph interpreting the dreams of the butler and baker. Other pictures are delineations of incidents in the life of Christ and scenes in Bible lands.

An upholstered altar stands near the east end of the room, with copies of sacred writ in place. In this room, lectures are given pertaining to the endowments and emphasizing the practical duties of a religious life. It is therefore commonly known as the upper lecture room, but in view of its relation to the room that follows, we may for convenience designate it the Terrestrial Room. At the east end is a raised floor reached by three steps, across which springs an arch of thirty feet span. The arch is supported by five columns between which hangs a silken portiere in four sections. This is the Veil of the Temple.

The Celestial Room: From the room last described to the one now under consideration the passage leads through the Veil. This is a large and lofty apartment about sixty by forty-five feet in area and thirty-four feet in height, occupying the northeast section of the building on this floor. In finish and furnishings it is the grandest of all the large rooms within the walls. If the last room described could be considered typical of the terrestrial state, this is suggestive of conditions yet more exalted: and it may appropriately be called the Celestial Room. The west end is occupied wholly by the Veil.