Across America; Or, The Great West and the Pacific CoastRusling, James Fowler
History
Across America; Or, The Great West and the Pacific Coast
Rusling, James Fowler
Overland journeys to the Pacific; Pacific States -- Description and travel; West (U.S.) -- Description and travel
We saw Brigham again, a few days afterwards, one night at the
theatre. The Salt Lake Theatre is really a fine building, and very
creditable to the city. Its scenery, and appointments generally,
are unsurpassed in this country, outside of a few of our great cities
East, and but few of our play-houses indeed equal it even there.
Nearly everything about it has been imported from England, at large
expense, and Englishmen in the main manage it now. The play the night
we were there was of the kind yclept Moral Drama, but it was put on
the stage with considerable ability. Two "stars" from San Francisco
took the leading characters; the minor ones were sustained by the
stock-company, most of whom were Mormon residents of Salt Lake.
Among these a sprightly looking girl of seventeen was pointed out
to us, as a daughter of Brigham Young's, though on the bills she
bore a high-sounding theatrical name. What corresponds to the "pit"
in most theatres, is their dress-circle, and this was well-filled
with families--chiefly women and children. The rest of the theatre
was occupied mostly by Gentiles and soldiers. What impressed one
particularly, was the domestic or family character of the whole
thing. Men, women, and children, were all there, down to the last
baby, and young misses came and went at will, quite unattended, as
at church East. Between the acts, paterfamilias and all munched
their apples and nuts, and promenaded about quite _ad libitum_; but
during the performance everything was very decorous. In the very
centre of the house were four long seats, handsomely upholstered,
and "reserved" for Mrs. Brigham Young. There were "sixteen of her,"
as poor Artemus Ward used to say, there that night, all ordinary
looking women, apparently from thirty-five to fifty years of age, and
dressed rather plainly. A fine large rocking-chair, abreast of the
seats, was pointed out to us as Brigham's place when he sits with
them. Ordinarily he occupies a private box, with his favorite wife,
and did so that evening with his dear Amelia. He paid but little
attention to the play, but most of the time was sweeping the audience
with an opera-glass, or conversing with a gentleman by his side. Mrs.
Amelia was well-dressed, but not richly, and was scarcely better
looking than the other sixteen, whom she had displaced in Brigham's
affections. Evidently the Prophet has no taste for female beauty, or
else is indifferent to it. Sometimes, between the acts, he comes down
and chats a little with his domestic flock below, but retires to his
box again when the play resumes. That evening, however, he continued
faithful throughout to Mrs. Amelia.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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