This being the closing day of the Conference, and as we are
administering the sacrament, we naturally call our minds up in a way
of discipline for ourselves, on various subjects which pertain to our
everyday life. The Apostle James tells us that "faith without works
is dead, being alone," and good works are certainly the best
illustrations of that faith which prompts us.
As our brethren will soon scatter through the different wards and
settlements of the Territory, and to other parts of the world, we wish
them to carry forth just and wise impressions in relation to the
simple principles of faith and practice which pertain to the holy
Gospel, and to disseminate the instructions they have received, that
all may be benefited thereby. When we come here and take bread and
drink of the cup in memory of the death and sufferings of our Savior,
we witness unto him that we remember him, that we love his law, that
we are determined to abide by his Gos pel and that we will do
all in our power to walk in the principles of faith and patience,
forbearance and long-suffering, and of truth and righteousness in which
we are engaged. As a short illustration, and to draw the minds of the
congregation directly to the points of instruction, I am disposed to
read a portion of the rules of the United Order.
Rule one says, "We will not take the name of the Deity in vain, nor
speak lightly of his character or of sacred things." I am sorry to say
that many professed Latter-day Saints are careless in the observance
of this rule, which every Latter-day Saint, and every person who has
respect for his own character must certainly consider most wholesome
and wise, and absolutely obligatory. Let us be very careful, and never
indulge in profane language or use the name of the Deity except in
such a manner as becomes his high and holy position and our dependence
upon him for every breath we draw; and let us also inculcate in our
children a respect for that chaste, discreet, upright and pure
language which is becoming Saints of the Most High.
Rule two reads—"We will pray in our families morning and evening, and
also attend to secret prayer." Now brethren and sisters, remember
this. Those of you, if any, who have been careless and negligent on
this subject, remember how often God has heard our prayers and how
dependent we are upon him for every blessing we possess and enjoy, and
for the protection which has been extended unto us. While almost all
the world has been ready to destroy the Latter-day Saints from off the
earth, the Lord has answered our prayers and has protected us, as it
were, in the hollow of his hand. Let us not forget to call upon him
morning and evening, that our families may learn, from their
childhood, to observe this great and important duty. And before we
lie down to rest or rise in the morning let us lift up our hearts in
secret prayer to the Most High, asking his protection and blessing in
all things, that by united faith we may be able to perform the great
and arduous duties which are placed upon us. And in our prayers let us
remember our Bishops and Teachers and those in authority—the
President of the Church, his counselors and all those who act in the
holy Priesthood that the Spirit of the Almighty may rest upon them as
well as upon us, that with one heart and one mind we may have a
knowledge of the things of God; and that by observing these duties of
prayer and preserving ourselves in purity before the Lord, when
teaching, instruction, or counsel is sent forth among the Saints, or
revelation is proclaimed unto us, we may have enough of the Holy Ghost
in our hearts to know, each for himself or herself, whether these
things are true or not; and that when false spirits go forth and lead
men astray into darkness, error and folly, we may know the true from
the false, detect those who are liars, and expose them as may be
necessary.
The third rule is—"We will observe or keep the word of wisdom,
according to the spirit and meaning thereof." Remember this, brethren
and sisters. I hear occasionally of brethren indulging in intoxicating
drinks, and I see many of them yet, even young men, who indulge in the
use of tobacco, a habit which is very pernicious and injurious to
health, and a violation of the word of wisdom. There are also other
violations of this rule among us which should cease, for we are told in the word of wisdom that if we will observe it with all our
hearts, keeping the commandments of God, we shall have faith, health
and strength, marrow in our bones, and have wisdom and great treasures
of knowledge, and the destroyer will pass by us and not slay us.
Brethren, how general it is with us when persons are sick and
afflicted, or when our children are sick, to say to the
Elders—"Brethren, come and lay your hands upon them," and in thousands
of instances they are healed. Perhaps we are losing some of our faith.
We read in the Scriptures that King Asa, whom God had healed and
blessed, when he was diseased he trusted not to the Lord, but sought
physicians, and King Asa died. While we recommend and approve of using
every reasonable means within our power to preserve our lives and
those of our children, we do depend, first of all, upon faith in the
holy Gospel, the administration of its ordinances and the fulfillment
of the promises of God; and inasmuch as we observe the word of wisdom
and keep the commandments of God we have faith, and we have the
promises of God, upon which we can rely, and by which thousands and
thousands are delivered from the afflictions which prey upon them.
"We will treat our families with kindness and affection; and set
before them an example worthy of imitation. In our families and in our
intercourse with all persons we will refrain from being contentious
and quarrelsome. We will cease to speak evil one of another, and
cultivate a spirit of charity towards all. We consider it our first
duty to keep from acting selfishly or from covetous motives, and we
will seek the interests of each other and the salvation of all
mankind." This is rule four, and in calling your atten tion to it I
wish it to be remembered that it enters into our business transactions
and everyday life. I have noticed in the course of many years that I
have traveled and preached, being in hundreds of families—that some
men were pleasant and agreeable, while others were crabbed, cross,
ill-natured and surly in their disposition; the very tone of their
voice would show it. This is all wrong. We should cultivate kindness,
forbearance and patience in our families, and a spirit that will
incline them unto us, and in all things set such an example before our
children that we may be as shining lights unto them, that as they grow
up imitating our examples they may become pillars of society, plants
of renown and ornaments in the kingdom of God, and not be led by
covetousness, dishonesty, idolatry or any corrupt motive whatever.
Consider all these things, and remember this as one of the rules of
the United Order which it is of special importance that we should
observe.
Rule five teaches—"We will observe personal cleanliness, preserve
ourselves in all chastity, refrain from adultery, whoredom and lust,
and discountenance and refrain from all vulgar and obscene language
and conduct." In regard to this rule, I am sorry to say that the
influx of so-called civilization and Christianity in our midst has
shown its effects upon some portions of our community, and that strict
and firm adherence to the principles of chastity, for which the
Latter-day Saints have been remarkable ever since the organization of
the Church and the gathering of the people, seems, in some instances,
to be wanting. We call upon all such persons to repent and humble
themselves before the Lord; and we exhort all Lat ter-day Saints to maintain such a high position before God that every act of
their lives may be approved of him. Never let us be guilty of any word
or deed that we will be ashamed of before our father, mother, brother,
or sister, or before our heavenly Father. This is a principle that we
should cultivate, maintain and abide by in all things; and wherever
any have been foolish enough to fall or go astray, through the toils
or snares that have been set for them, let them repent and humble
themselves before the Lord, and let a spirit of unity, harmony, peace,
stern integrity, purity and chastity abide in every heart, for if we
ever inherit blessings and glory, if we ever are made partakers of the
thrones, dominions, principalities, powers and endless lives which
pertain to the exaltation of the kingdom of God, we shall do so by
maintaining a purity like that of Joseph who was sold into Egypt.
The sixth rule is—"We will observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy."
I regret to say that I have noticed a great many instances of laxity
in the observance of this rule, and I wish the Elders and teachers in
all the Branches and settlements to preach and practice the observance
of the Sabbath. Brethren, work six days, and on the seventh rest and
observe the Sabbath according to the revelation; and impress this
principle upon the Saints everywhere by practice. I remember once I
was in a hurry to come to Salt Lake City. Fillmore was then the only
settlement between my place in Parowan, Iron County, and the
settlements in Utah County. The Sunday was very fine; we had attended
meeting and, having been a long time away from the brethren in Salt
Lake City, we wanted to hurry on. I certainly thought we could travel
twenty miles on Sunday evening, as well as not, so we started. I was a
little conscience-stricken; I said to myself—"This is not exactly
right, and I am afraid we shall not get along as well as we would to
have stayed until Monday morning." We drove about twenty or twenty-two
miles that evening. I told the brethren to tie up the horses, but some
of them got loose and went clear back, and in the morning the brethren
had to go the whole distance after them. That is what we gained at the
start by breaking the Sabbath; but it did not end there. The next day
we broke a wagon, and then we got into a storm, and we were six days
in reaching Fillmore, and it took us some twelve days to reach this
city. Now, I do not believe that, as a general thing, anything is
gained in property or in time by working on the Sabbath; and I advise
and exhort all men professing to belong to the United Order, or to be
Latter-day Saints, to observe the Sabbath; keep it holy, devote it to
worship, to the study of good books, to rest, to imparting
instruction, to attending meeting, and do not, under any
circumstances, lapse into a habit of thinking that you can do as you
please on the Sabbath, and that so doing is clear gain. We have,
someday, to meet our Father in heaven, and that day is not very far off
with many of us. I meet here at this Conference quite a number with
whom, forty years ago this summer, or last spring, I marched on the
Zion's Camp journey—a thousand miles. That does not seem long, but we
are marching steadily to our last account, and we should not let our
love for self, our desire for gain, or our anxiety for pleasure so mar
our path that when we come into the presence of our Father in
heaven we shall be smitten with the reflection that, instead of
observing the Sabbath, according to the command, we went off spreeing,
or hunting, or we went looking after cattle, or getting wood, or
dashing around and breaking the Sabbath time and again, for if our
conscience reprove us, God is greater than our consciences, and he
surely will condemn us.
Rule seven—"That which is not committed to our care we will not
appropriate to our own use." That is a very modest way of agreeing or
promising that we will not steal or take that which does not belong to
us. One of the ten commandments teaches—"Thou shalt not steal;" and in
the Book of Doctrine and Covenants we are informed that he that steals
shall be cast out and delivered to the law of the land. These things
should never be forgotten by those professing to be Latter-day Saints.
I have noticed, in the course of my life, a great many men professing
a great deal of piety, who have been very dishonest. In the
neighborhood where I was raised there were men who would charge a good
round price for a bushel of wheat, and then use a false measure. In
that way they reared children to be dishonest. If there are fathers or
teachers in Israel who indulge in this covetous practice, or who take
that which does not belong to them, they set examples before their
children which cause them to grow up a generation of thieves. I was
once conversant with an incident illustrative of this principle. A
young man was cut off from the Church for stealing. When he came home
his mother upbraided him for it, "but," said he, "mother, you have
yourself to thank for it. My father always told me not to steal; he
commanded me not to touch a thing that did not belong to me, but you
used to send me to the neighbors to steal eggs; you taught me to
steal, and you are measurably responsible for my disgrace." This was
rather a bitter pill for the mother, but it contains an important
lesson, if we will consider it.
"That which we borrow we will return according to promise, and that
which we find we will not appropriate to our own use, but will seek to
return it to the proper owner." There is too much of a want of
confidence in the midst of the Saints. When some promise they too
often fail to keep their word; and those who are in business do not
feel as free to trust their brethren as outsiders do. I have had
brethren come to me and say—"They are not as accommodating to me as
outsiders are," and I sometimes answer them by saying—"Perhaps you are
not as punctual to pay your brethren as you would be to pay an
outsider." Many of our brethren are not, and this is all wrong.
Confidence should be established in each other by fulfilling what we
undertake. What we borrow we should return; what we agree to do we
should fulfill. We should be careful to make our agreements so that we
can fulfill them, and then do so, and if through some unforeseen
circumstances we are unable to do so, we should immediately make known
the facts of the case, and be honest. I hope these cases are by no
means common, but I am satisfied they are more numerous than they
ought to be.
The ninth rule requires us, as soon as possible, to cancel all
indebtedness, and thereafter to avoid getting into debt. For the last
few years, owing to the opening of mines, the construction of
railroads, and the good crops that have been raised, the
prosperity of the people has been very great, and as a wise and
prudent community we should have taken a course to have had the
benefits of all this means without being involved in debt, for,
notwithstanding we have been put to vast expense in consequence of
persecution and oppression from our enemies, we have been in a
condition to have saved a great deal. But many of our brethren are in
debt notwithstanding all this prosperity. Now this rule requires that
we take measures to pay, or cancel, our debts as soon as possible, and
then avoid getting into debt by living within our means. Ambition to
push forward and make wealth should not induce us to involve ourselves
in debt, but we should, with economy and prudence, live within our
means.
The residue of these rules I will not read, but commend them to the
consideration of all the brethren, as being of the utmost importance.
There is one, however, to which I will just call your attention. It
refers to our manner of dress and living, and requires us to use
proper economy and prudence in the management of all things entrusted
to our care. I exceedingly regret to see the disposition to
extravagance which exits among us, as also a disposition to purchase
from abroad a variety of articles that are not of the first necessity.
I do think that it is right and proper that we should take the utmost
pains in our power, as a United Order and a united people, to provide
everything that we can produce within ourselves, and not be sending
away all the money we can get to buy things that we can make
ourselves. Our brooms, for instance, and a great deal of our clothing,
and most of our shoes can be made here. With all the ridicule that has
been expended in relation to wooden-soled boots and shoes, I sincerely
advise every man who is afflicted with a cough, or who is subject to
colds or rheumatism, asthma, or any ailment of that kind, to put
wooden soles under his feet this Fall. They will preserve health a
great deal better than rubber; and if they happen to be paid for it
will be much better than to owe a trader for them, or to wear leather
that is like a sponge, through which the damp will penetrate, striking
directly to and promoting cough or rheumatism. I am of the belief that
wooden-soled shoes worn in winter will cure nine cases out of ten of
rheumatism and will save the lives of many of our children, by keeping
their feet dry and warm. I feel like preaching up wooden shoes as a
medical prescription, if you please, as well as on the score of
economy.
I wish you brethren when you return to the settlements to look after
the schools, see that they are established in all the settlements for
the winter, that no child be left without a chance to acquire a
knowledge of the common branches of education. See that all the poor
are provided with the means of sending their children to school, that
no child be deprived of the privilege of attending school through the
poverty of its parents. Make your schoolhouses comfortable and
pleasant. Make the seats of the proper height and comfortable, so that
the children may not become humpbacked or round shouldered, nor
contract spinal complaints, or anything of that kind through their
seats being awkwardly constructed. There is plenty of lumber in the
mountains, and plenty of workmen; let them make good comfortable seats
for the children. See that your schoolrooms are pro perly warmed, and be careful as to the characters of the men you employ for
school teachers. Do not hire a scoundrel, a seducer, or blackleg for
the position, for if you employ as teachers of your schools those who
are foul, wicked, and corrupt in their habits, you assume a terrible
responsibility, for the impressions made upon and the lessons taught
to the children while attending school have a great influence for good
or for evil, upon their future lives and welfare. I believe I have
preached upon this subject almost every Conference since I can
remember, or since I began to speak at Conferences, and I shall
continue to do so. Let parents be stirred up in regard to the
education of their children, and provide for their welfare. In the
early days of the Territory the first house built in every settlement,
as a general rule, was a schoolhouse. Let this rule still be
followed, and let our children receive their education directly within
ourselves; and if we want them to study the advanced branches, fill up
our home universities, instead of sending them abroad to be educated
in foreign schools, uphold your own university and sustain your own
schools.
After the close of this Conference, meetings in this building will be
discontinued during the winter and will be held, under the direction
of the Bishops, in the ward assembly rooms every Sunday afternoon and
evening. The forenoons will be devoted to Sunday Schools, and I exhort
the brethren and sisters to have their children ready, so that they
can be at school in time. And I invite the young men, and especially
the young sisters, to attend Sunday schools; I want to stir up the
young men to go there and form Bible classes. And I exhort the Elders
to be present as teachers, that there may be no lack of teachers. I
want to express my admiration of brother Goddard and a number of other
school superintendents and teachers, with whom I am acquainted,
because of their efforts to spread among the young throughout the
Territory a knowledge of the principles of the Gospel, as taught in
the Bible, Book of Mormon, Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and in the
standard works of the Church. And I say to the young men, that if they
will attend the Bible classes and study the catechism in use in our
schools, and make themselves familiar with it, they will become so
thoroughly informed in the principles of the Gospel and the evidences
of it, that when called upon to go abroad to defend the doctrines of
Zion they will be well prepared to do so. I invite the Elders to see
that these classes are formed in all the settlements.
I will again repeat the idea that has already been presented, to
sustain our own literary institutions and publications—the Juvenile
Instructor, the Woman's Exponent, the Deseret News, which
contains
discourses by the First Presidency and Twelve, and also the
publications in the several counties. They are conducted by men who
take pains to disseminate the truth, as well as the general news of
the world, and they ought to be sustained, that their influence may be
extended and increased. Do not spend your money in buying lies, nor
your time in reading yellow-covered literature, or in studying such
things as are calculated in their nature to degenerate the human mind
and degrade the soul. One of the best books you can read on the earth
is the Bible. It is the finest history ever published in Great
Britain. Study its history and its precepts. It is the
foundation of the sciences of the world, and the basis of the laws of
all the Christian nations; and although men in every direction have
departed from it, we can read and understand it for ourselves. See
that it is on every table, in every household, in every pulpit, and
that it is the school book of every family throughout the Territory.
I want to say, with regard to the Temple at St. George, that the walls
are between twenty-five and thirty feet high. Some of the brethren
remained at work upon it all summer, some of them without shoes and
poorly supplied with clothing. About 309 persons have reported, I
believe, as going there this winter to aid in pushing forward the work
on this Temple, as volunteers from the different settlements of the
Territory. We hope, by means of this help and the contributions that
may be sent there, to have the roof on early next spring, and very
soon a baptismal font in the basement, in which we can begin the
administration of the principle of baptism for the dead and the
ordinances of the Gospel in connection with our fathers. The climate
in St. George is well suited to those in feeble health, and such of
that class of persons as desire to do so can, after the Temple is
completed, go there and spend the winter, and attend to the ordinances
for their dead.
I have invited the brethren, during the Conference, to go and look at
the Temple foundation in this city. It is a very beautiful foundation,
and the design of the building is grand. The labor of taking the
granite from the mountains, bringing it on to this ground and cutting
it and putting it in position is immense. You saw a great many prepared
stones that are not laid: I will explain how that has happened. We had
a good many beginners who could shape a rough stone, but not so many
stonecutters who could do a finished job, and all the stones for the
outside had to be done by skillful workman. A great number of those
that you see lying round, numbered up as high as thirteen or fourteen
courses, were cut by men who were not skilled workmen. That is the
reason why so many are not yet laid in the building. We found it
necessary during the harvest to dismiss fifty workmen of this kind
from the block, that they might go and aid in gathering in the
harvest, because we could not supply them with work so far in advance
of the laying. Brother Truman O. Angell has been exceedingly zealous
in attending to this work: he has been so fearful lest a stone should
be laid wrong that he has been on the walls early and late to see that
every stone has been set in its proper place, to a hair's breadth. His
zeal has been such that I have almost feared that, in spite of the
faith of the Saints and the energy of the man's soul, he would work
himself into the ground. I want the brethren to pray for him that he
may be sustained in his arduous labors.
One great difficulty in getting along on this Temple, has been the
want of money to supply the workmen with actual necessaries. We have
been accustomed, during the prosperous times of the past year or two,
to pay them one-fourth in cash or merchandise; this season we were
unable to do that, hence an invitation was given by the First
Presidency and the Bishops, to all the Saints, far and near, to make a
donation of fifty cents a month to aid in the prosecution of the work
on the Temple. The names of all who respond are to be entered in the
"Book of the Law of the Lord." Quite a number have responded,
and some means has come in from this source. I now invite the
brethren, sisters, strangers, and all who feel an interest in the
Temple, and wish to have their names enrolled in the "Book of the Law
of the Lord," to make this monthly contribution, that the hearts of
the workmen may be gladdened and that the hands of those who are
called to conduct this business may not be tied. We have been
compelled to borrow money and to pay interest to carry on this work;
the resources that have come in have been insufficient, and the kind
that has come in has not been such that we could make it available in
carrying on the work as vigorously as we desired to do on this Temple
and upon that at St. George. I appeal to the brethren also to remember
the Temple in their prayers. Let us pray that God will give us power
to erect and dedicate it, and that he will preserve the life of our
President to organize the Priesthood in all its beauty and order in
that Temple, and fulfill to the uttermost the duties of those keys,
which were delivered to him by Joseph Smith, pertaining to the twelve
and to the church, and to the bearing off of this work in the last
days. Let us lift our hearts to God that he will preserve his servants
for the accomplishment of this work. And while we raise our hearts in
prayer for this object, let our souls be filled with benevolence and
liberality to pay our tithes and offerings. I fully believe that, if
one-half of the brethren had honestly paid tithing as we understand
it, our hands would not have been tied. Think of these things and act
upon them.
Most of the emigration the present season has been through their own
means and the aid of relatives and friends, and a goodly number have
thus been gathered. We now again invite all those who owe the
Perpetual Emigration Fund, or whose relatives or friends are indebted
to it, to remember their obligations, that those in the old countries
who desire may be gathered here as fast as possible. We also invite
the brethren to send for their friends from abroad; but before
expending your money for that purpose, find out whether those whom you
wish to gather still remain Saints, or whether they have corrupted
their ways before the Lord. It would be a very good idea to learn this
before expending money to help them, though it is an act of charity to
bring anybody from the old world and place them on the broad plains of
America, where they may be enabled to obtain homes of their own.
I want to say, in relation to the missionary labors of President
Brigham Young in going to Europe and founding and starting the system
of emigration, and gathering thousands upon thousands of people from
the old world and placing them in positions to get homes of their own,
that he is the most distinguished and extensive benefactor of his race
of any living man within my knowledge. We regret that he has been
unable to speak to us during this Conference. We feel confident,
however, that had the gospel which he has preached for the last
forty-three years to the inhabitants of the world, been received as
honestly by those who heard it as it has been declared by him and his
brethren, all the human family would have had a knowledge of the
gospel today, and the Millennium would have been brought it. This, however
has not been the case; but the formal preaching of President Young, and
the acts of his life in teaching and being a father to the people will be had in everlasting remembrance; and we will exercise our
faith that God will restore his health, that his voice may again be
heard amongst us, though that is not possible at this time. We are
gratified to know that he is able to be in our midst, to hear our
testimonies, see our countenances, and know that within us there is a
portion of that Holy Spirit which God has revealed for our salvation.
- George A. Smith