Owing to a spirit of persecution and religious bigotry, alike
disgraceful to the age, the enlightenment of the present generation
and the nation in which we live, our First President is not permitted
to be with us. While we regret such a state of affairs, we rejoice in
the many liberties, privileges, blessings and powers which are
extended unto us. It is not by any means strange that, while the world
has been plunged in ignorance upon matters of religion and morality,
and broken up into factions, on the appearance in the midst of the
whole, of a small body of men, illiterate in their character,
proclaiming to the world that they are inspired of the Lord, and
undertake to introduce system and principles calculated to elevate
mankind from degradation and destruction, and exalt them to eternal
glory and endless increase, they should be misunderstood; it has been
so in all ages of the world. When our Savior visited the earth
bringing the simple principles of salvation, he was misunderstood,
misapprehended, persecuted, imprisoned, crowned with thorns,
tortured, as a man who was opposed to the religion of the age, and
dangerous to the State. He was accused of a great variety of crimes,
of being a pestilent fellow, and was finally put to death by a class
of men a great number of whom were zealous professors of
religion—elders, high priests, rabbis, doctors of the law and others
claiming to be exceedingly holy. Jesus, in referring to the history of
the past, said that the fathers of those who persecuted him had slain
the prophets, and such was the case; and we find that, in every age,
when God inspired a man to proclaim the Gospel of salvation, all, or a
large portion of mankind, were ready to denounce him and put him to
death, to whip, imprison, annoy, lie about him, proclaim all manner of
evil against him, and so on, until his influence should be annihilated
from the earth. The same principle still exists, and the Latter-day
Saints have had to contend with it. When Joseph Smith, in 1830,
organized the Church with six members, the war as it were commenced; a
few hours only had passed away when he was arrested, taken before a
magistrate and accused of prophesying. He was discharged, arrested
again, taken before another magistrate, and finally a declaration was
made that if the law could not reach him, tar and feathers and mob
power should. This is a very poor argument and shows the weakness of
those who have recourse to it.
We live in an age of science, in an age when intelligence is
being developed in a great many directions, and when the learning of
man is vastly extended. The Apostle Paul cautioned the Saints in his
day to beware lest any spoil them through philosophy and vain deceit;
yet the religion of Jesus Christ embraces every true and perfect
principle, every correct science, every principle of philosophy—that
is every true principle, and is calculated to benefit mankind in every
way; and yet the laws of life as revealed, explained and developed in
the organization of the human family are trampled under foot and very
little understood. God has commenced a work in these last days to
elevate mankind, to save them, to increase them, to place them on a
footing of independence; to cause them to love one another and to lay
a foundation for peace and harmony, that bloodshed and war, contention
and devastation shall cease; that the power of the oppressor shall be
broken and that the honest in heart may have the privilege of dwelling
together and building up Zion in all the earth, and of continuing the
blessings and ordinances of exaltation for time and throughout all
eternity.
There is no doubt but Satan stirs up the hearts of the children of man
to disobedience and to war against the principles of righteousness;
but they are true. Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, he was a
minister of the Most High; he brought forth pure and holy principles,
principles which are calculated to save and exalt mankind. He was
slain, and those who received his testimony were robbed of all they
possessed and driven into the wilderness under the influence of
religious fanaticism and bigotry, which apprehended nothing but their
utter destruction. God preserved them, blessed them, and they spread
abroad in the midst of these valleys; they converted the desert into
fruitful fields, and laid a foundation for the redemption of the human
race, and thank God for these privileges.
We want while we are here at Conference, to have our brethren collect
in their minds—that is, leave their business out of doors. It is a
good time to come to Conference, a splendid time to do business and
all that; but while the hours of Conference are on, let us come to
meeting, give strict attention to what is said and done, and call upon
God in mighty prayer, that he will deliver Zion from her oppressors;
that he will bless the efforts of his servants for the advancement of
his work; that he will bless the Missionaries that are sent abroad,
and those who are abroad among the nations, and the missions of the
native elders in the various counties; that he will open the way that
the poor may be gathered. And, by the way, while we are doing this,
let us reflect how much we can do to aid the Perpetual Emigration
Fund, in bringing home the Poor. Many of them have been scattered
among the nations half a generation and more, and they are unable to
gather home. Think of these things. Pray the Lord to give his servants
wisdom; pray the Lord to strengthen the President of the
Church—Brigham Young, heal his body, make him strong, sound and
healthy, deliver him from the power of the oppressor and those who
seek to destroy him, that he may have wisdom, intelligence and power
to preach to and teach the Saints, and to counsel and guide the
affairs of the great work which God has entrusted to him. Let us
devote a few days, as the case may be, to counsel, to instruction, to
bearing testimony, to acquiring a knowledge of the things of God,
speaking of those things that are for the welfare of Zion; taking
counsel together as to the best course to pursue on the
various subjects that are before us—forwarding the building of
Temples, &c.
After last Conference President Young and myself made a journey to St.
George. His health was very poor and he was quite feeble when he left
here. When he reached that mild climate, or rather, that even, dry
climate, he seemed immediately to commence to recruit, and while we
remained there—we were absent about ten weeks—he improved very much;
but in consequence of the persecution which was inaugurated against
the Latter-day Saints, aiming at him directly, it became necessary for
him to return in the midst of a very cold and stormy season, and very
muddy roads. While at St. George he selected a spot, laid out the
foundation and dedicated the ground and made a commencement, to build
a temple, which is being continued under the direction of President
Erastus Snow, that the ordinances of the holy priesthood, which should
be administered only in a Temple, may be attended to in that part of
the Territory, in the neighborhood and vicinity of those settlements.
Our brethren can observe that a very handsome addition has been made
to the foundation of the Temple here since the last Annual Conference,
and they can now begin to form some idea of how the work is going to
look. When you realize that all the granite that is in that immense
foundation has been hauled some seventeen miles with oxen, mules and
horses, you must realize that a very great job has been accomplished.
But at the present time we have a railroad almost into the quarry, and
the result is that the labor has been greatly lessened, and the rock
and the sand and other building material can be brought here at vastly
less expense than formerly, and consequently we will be able to push
the work forward more rapidly. We want the brethren and sisters—all of
them, to feel an interest in the tithes and offerings for the Temple,
and in the labor upon it.
All must be aware that considerable expense and a great deal of time
and disarrangement of business has been caused by the persecutions and
prosecutions of the last year. But we are very glad that Cooperative
Associations for mercantile, manufacturing, agricultural, grazing and
other purposes that have been forming in this City and throughout this
Territory for several years past, have proved in an eminent degree
successful, manifesting what wonderful results can be accomplished by
the Latter-day Saints when united in the exercise of their several
duties and in the performance of their labors. The want of unity and
organization causes the loss of a good deal of time, and hence the
necessity of organization and united efforts.
The ladies relief societies in all the several settlements wherever
they have existed have also been in many respects highly successful,
and great blessings to the community—looking after the poor and
introducing improvements, encouraging and enabling women to take
charge of branches of business that are suited to their strength,
knowledge and condition. It always did seem to me ridiculous to see a
man six feet two and weighing two hundred and twenty measuring tape or
ribbons in a store; and I shall be very thankful when I can see
changes effected to such an extent that nimble fingers, suited to
handle light goods will be permitted to follow that kind of
employment, and so on throughout the whole organization of society.
Let those great big men go and dig the rock, handle the saw log, or do
something that their strength was made for, and not let their
giant power wilt away in the shadow of a store. However these are
things yet to come. It is not my design to offer many remarks, but
merely as an introduction to the conference, to express my faith. I
know that this is the work of God, and that all the efforts of wicked
men to trample it under foot will be vain. I know the Lord has
commenced his great work of the latter days, and that Zion will
triumph. This is my testimony. I am not talking what I guess at, what
I imagine or what I think, but what I verily know—God has revealed it
unto me. Brethren, if you have not this knowledge within yourselves,
seek it of the Lord by obedience to his laws, by observing his
counsel, by walking in his ordinances, by laboring for the upbuilding
of Zion, and you will obtain it, and it will be like a well of water
springing up in your hearts unto everlasting life.
May the blessing of Israel's God be and abide upon you forever and
ever. Amen.
- George A. Smith