The remarks which have been made by Brother Orson Pratt have no doubt
been listened to with great attention and with a feeling of delight by
those who have heard them. It is indeed a very great pleasure to have
him in our midst once more, and especially to listen to the sound of
his voice—to hear the testimony that he still bears to the work of
God. It is probable that today Brother Orson Pratt is the oldest
living member of the Church, and certainly there is no man in the
Church who has labored longer and more diligently and with a greater
spirit of self-sacrifice in proclaiming its principles, in defending
it, and in advocating the cause of God in the midst of the earth. And
no doubt, as he has said, the fervent prayers of the Latter-day Saints
have been offered up without ceasing throughout all our valleys, and
in all our settlements, and in every dwelling place, unto God the
Eternal Father in his behalf, that his life might be spared, that his
health might be again restored to him, that he might have the
privilege of proclaiming the word of the Lord unto the people. I trust
that these prayers will still be offered up, that faith will be
exercised in his behalf, that the desire of his heart may be granted
unto him; for I know that faith will be exercised in his behalf, that
the desire of his heart may be granted unto him; for I know that there
is no desire so strong in his breast as that which he has
expressed—the desire to proclaim the truth, and to win souls unto
Christ, and to help establish that Zion of which God has laid the
foundation. It is indeed encouraging to listen to the voice of a man
who has had his experience, and to witness the unflinching zeal that
he still possesses for the work of the Lord. I felt as though I did
not want to say one word—if I could have answered my own
feelings—after he had concluded. I would much rather have left his
remarks to be pondered upon by the people, than to have said one word
myself. But as there is time remaining, and we have come together for
the purpose of partaking of the sacrament and worshipping our God, it
is not improper that that time should be occupied.
Brother Pratt has alluded, in brief terms, to the revelations which
God gave unto his servant Joseph Smith, through the Book of Mormon, or
through the plates upon which that record was found. Today there is
probably no greater stumbling block in the way of the people regarding
this latter-day work than this record. Everything has been done that could be done to blind the eyes and darken the understanding
of the children of men concerning the Book of Mormon. Every
conceivable falsehood, almost, has been put into circulation
concerning the origin of that work, and the inhabitants of the earth
have been led to believe that it is one of the greatest impostures
that was ever palmed upon mankind. And the name "Mormon" has been
applied, in consequence of this, in derision to us because of our
belief in that work. I have many times been reminded of the
falsehood that was palmed upon the people by the Pharisees concerning
the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They would not believe that most
momentous event in that generation, though borne testimony to by
living witnesses. They declared that his Apostles, or disciples, had
stolen the body, that he had not been resurrected, and that false
belief became current in that generation and was an accepted theory
concerning the founder of the Christian religion, and the whole world
deemed themselves justified—speaking now in general terms—in rejecting
Jesus as the Messiah, and his disciples as the Apostles of God, and
yet today it is the belief of Christendom. A man who doubts that the
Savior was resurrected the third day from death, is looked upon as
unworthy of that holy name, the name of Christian. So belief change
and misrepresentation and falsehood fade away as time passes on and
truth is received and accepted; and the day will yet come—and it is
not very far distant, when we speak about it in comparison with this
event to which I have alluded—when this Book of Mormon and all
connected with it will be received and accepted, that is, all the
truth, as the truth of the living God, for the reason that it is true,
and that God himself is its author. For that reason, and for that
reason alone, the time will come—and as I have said, it is not far
distant, though it may seem very presumptuous to make such a
statement—when this record will be accepted, as the Bible is now
accepted, as a book of divine origin, and that it has been revealed
through the ministrations and agency of holy angels. We accept the
Bible today without a question—that is, those of us who believe in
Jesus Christ and in God. There is not a living witness to substantiate
its truth. We accept it because our fathers and our mothers and our
teachers from our earliest days have taught us that it is true, that
it is the word of God, and among protestants a belief in its
sacredness, that I am sorry to say is fading away in many circles, was
general. The Bible was accepted after the reformation as infallible;
it took the place of the infallibility of the Pope, and yet, as I have
said, there is not a single living witness whose testimony has come
down to us authenticated respecting its divinity, and in fact it is so
open to attack that there are thousands who deem themselves justified,
because of the insufficiency of the testimony and the conflict between
statements which it contains, in rejecting it as the word of God. But
in the case of the Book of Mormon, three witnesses, in addition to the
man who was chosen of God, to translate it, testify, in the most
solemn manner that an holy angel came and exhibited the plates and
testified to them that it was of God. We have heard those living
witnesses bear testimony to this, and though they became alienated
from Joseph Smith afterwards, though every one of them afterwards left
the Church, because of differences that they had with members
of the Church, and because fellowship was withdrawn from them, in
consequence of acts of rebellion—yet all three men maintained their
testimony unflinchingly—two of them being now dead—when they came
back to the Church as they had done before, and as they did during
their alienation from the Church, that the Book of Mormon was true;
that they had seen an angel, and that that angel had testified to them
that this was the work of God. One of these witnesses is still living,
and though not connected with the Church, he still bears testimony,
and publishes it—we see it frequently in the newspapers—confirming
that which he had written, constantly bearing testimony unto all with
whom he is brought in contact, and who make inquiry of him concerning
this matter. When I was a boy I heard it stated concerning Oliver
Cowdery, that after he left the Church he practiced law, and upon one
occasion, in a court in Ohio, the opposing counsel thought he would
say something that would overwhelm Oliver Cowdery, and in reply to him
in his argument he alluded to him as the man that had testified and
had written that he had beheld an angel of God, and that angel had
shown unto him the plates from which the Book of Mormon was
translated. He supposed, of course, that it would cover him with
confusion, because Oliver Cowdery then made no profession of being a
"Mormon," or a Latter-day Saint; but instead of being affected by it
in this manner, he arose in the court, and in his reply stated that,
whatever his faults and weaknesses might be, the testimony which he
had written, and which he had given to the world, was literally true.
Besides the three witnesses who saw an angel and handled the plates,
there were eight others who testified also in the most solemn manner
that, though not shown the plates by an angel, they were shown the
plates by Joseph Smith; that they hefted the plates, that they handled
them, that they examined them, that they appeared to be of ancient
workmanship, that they saw the characters upon them, which were
curious; and these eight men have testified to this, making in all
twelve witnesses, many of whom we have known. But if this were the
only testimony concerning this work, I myself would have, I might say,
comparatively slight faith in it. It would have weight, of course. The
testimony of men of character, men who testify solemnly to any fact,
always did have weight with me. I suppose such testimony has weight
with all, more or less, according to the credibility of the witnesses.
But there are evidences in this work itself of its divinity. It is the
internal evidence which the Book of Mormon contains that bears
testimony of it. If Joseph Smith's claims as a Prophet of God had no
other foundation than that which this book furnishes, then there is
foundation enough for him to rank as one of the greatest prophets that
has ever lived upon the face of the earth. There were predictions
recorded in this book and published to the world in the winter of 1829
and 1830, which are being fulfilled today, and which have been
fulfilled, or have been in process of fulfillment since the day that
the work was issued from the press. There is scarcely a thing
connected with the movement of the Latter-day Saints that has not been
foreshadowed in the Book of Mormon. The way in which the work should
be received, the manner in which it should be treated—I mean
this organization, this Church, the manner in which the world would
receive it, the manner, also, in which they would receive the
record—that is the book—the expressions which they should use
concerning it, had all been described in the greatest plainness before
the Church itself was organized, even to the gathering of the people
together, to which Brother Pratt has alluded as being so wonderful a
work; and it may be said so phenomenal a work in its character. For
the gathering out of this people called Latter-day Saints from every
nation is a phenomenal work; the bringing them to these mountains;
their organization throughout these valleys; the union, the love and
the peace which prevail among them are all phenomenal in their
character. This Book of Mormon, before there was a Church organized,
before it had an existence, foreshadowed, in great plainness, that a
people would be gathered together from the nations of the earth, and
it has also described to us what their fate would be, how they would
be driven and mobbed, and how they would be compelled to flee into the
wilderness, as we did flee. There is scarcely a thing, as I have said,
connected with this Church, or its history, that has not been alluded
to with greater or less plainness, but especially the rejection of the
Gospel by the nations and the treatment that those who espoused it
would receive. This book was published, too, at a time when it was the
proud boast of every American citizen, that religious liberty was
universal wherever the stars and stripes waved; when such a thing as
religious persecution was unknown; when every man could worship God
without let or hin drance, according to the dictates of his own
conscience; when such a thing as mobocracy, as driving men and women
from their homes, burning their houses, destroying their property, or
anything connected with these scenes, had never been witnessed in the
Republic. Yet God, through this record, revealed in great plainness
that such would be the case when this Church should be organized, and
this was published, as I have said, before the Church had an existence
upon the earth. It also testified what the fate of Joseph Smith should
be. It alluded to the persecution that he should receive. It described
how he should be treated by his enemies; these things were set forth
and can be found within the pages of this book, and also many events
that have not yet transpired. Joseph Smith has made predictions, and
they are embodied in this book. I say he has made them, that is, God
chose him as an instrument to bring these predictions to
light—concerning the remnants that are left in the land—the Indians.
Now, it is the general opinion—and it has been the opinion entertained
for many years—that the Indian tribes would disappear, that they would
be wiped out from the face of the land, that they would disappear as
the buffalo have disappeared, and that it would only take a very short
time until they would be obliterated. If there is any one opinion that
is general in our land among the people in our Republic, this today
is the general opinion concerning the Red Man. Of course there may be
some who entertain a different opinion, but they are so few that they
can scarcely be noticed, certainly they cannot be heard. Even those
who advocate and espouse the cause of the red man, and look upon his
race as ter ribly wronged, see no hope for him in the great
future, but believe that he must disappear before the march of
civilization and the increase of the pale faces. Now, Joseph Smith has
predicted in this Book of Mormon the very opposite of this, and the
world will yet see and know for themselves whether he is a true
Prophet or not concerning this. This Book of Mormon with its promises
is to a very great extent based upon the idea and the view that there
is a future for the red man of this continent, and that they will at
some time become an enlightened people and be redeemed from their
present condition.
Now, if Joseph Smith had chosen to have said something as an impostor
that would have suited the people, he would never have published the
promises which this book contains concerning the red man; he would
never have thought of such a thing, because the whole current of
thought, even as early as the days of his childhood, was in a
different direction. But inspired of God he made these predictions,
and they are left on record like the other predictions to which I have
alluded, and they will be fulfilled just as sure as God has spoken.
And it is in consequence of our entertaining these views that we have
been accused of having undue sympathy with the red man; because we
have believed that they were human beings, that they had souls to be
saved, and have felt to treat them with that kindness which we think
is due to every man that stands in the form of God, whatever his race
or color may be, whether black or red, yellow or white. Because we
have taken this course and entertain these views, we have been accused
thousands of times of having undue sympathy with the Indians, and
sometimes of rendering them aid in their depredations. In our valleys
and throughout our mountains an Indian has been as safe as be would be
in the midst of his tribe. We have fed them, we have clothed them, we
have endeavored to elevate them, we have treated them kindly. We have
thought that a man who would shed the blood of an Indian would receive
as severe condemnation and punishment therefore, as if he were to shed
the blood of a white man. We have also endeavored to teach the people
this idea, and the consequence is that travel where our people may, if
it be known that they are people of Utah, they can travel with a
degree of safety that no one else can, because for these thirty-four
years in these mountains we have pursued this policy—not to aid them
in their attacks upon the whites, but, on the contrary, to persuade
them—and, in fact, we have endeavored by force of arms to prevent them
from doing such things when they have resolved to go upon the warpath.
We have invariably said to them: "You cannot commit a greater crime
than to shed the blood of your fellow men, whether it be of your own
race or any other race." Our influence has been to maintain peace, to
endeavor to reclaim them from their degraded and indigent condition,
and teach them industrious habits and those arts which would elevate
them from their degradation. The Book of Mormon has had that influence
with us, and, as I have said, there are promises connected with it
which will yet be fulfilled, and which will establish, even more than
it is already established the truth of what I have said, that Joseph
was a man inspired of God, and that he spoke by the inspiration of the
Almighty.
I know that it is very fashionable —we have experienced it, we
know about it—to decry everything that is not popular. In every age of
the world, the men who have laid the foundation of reformation, who
have endeavored to stem the public current, and to mark out a path
different from that trodden by the majority of mankind, have had the
most bitter opposition to contend with. They have had everything to
meet, and in many instances have had to lay down their lives in
testimony of the truth of that which they were doing. And we are no
exception to this rule. Our pathway has been marked from the beginning
with sufferings from this cause, and we may expect that it will
continue to be. We need not look for anything else. Our religion is an
unpopular one, and we might possess all the virtues of the angels and
they would be obscured by the misrepresentations and the clouds of
calumny that are raised against us. Our virtues are lost sight of. Our
industry and the good qualities which have made this land so
beautiful; those qualities which have been the means in the hands of
God of reclaiming this land from its desert condition, and peopling
it, and making the valleys resound with the hum of industry, and
creating beautiful homes in it, from north to south, and from east to
west; the practice of temperance and virtue, and the other qualities
which characterize this people, are entirely lost sight of, because in
the opinion of the majority we are heretic. We adhere to a religion
that is, as they believe, or as they assert, an imposture, and because
of this they are ready to do with us as the Jews did with the Savior,
and with those who believe in his divine mission. Nevertheless, this
being the truth, it must prevail. There need not be any doubt in our
minds, I do not believe there is. I do not believe that 150,000 or
200,000 people can be found in any part of the globe who have the
feelings of serenity and calm security, and who have less apprehension
concerning the future than have the Latter-day Saints who dwell
throughout these valleys of the Rocky Mountains. I do not believe
another people can be found who have the feelings I describe. And when
the clouds have been darkest, when everything appeared to foreshadow
the destruction of the people, when it seemed as though all earth was
raised against us, there has never been a time, even during those dark
hours, that there has been any quailing in the hearts or feelings of
the Latter-day Saints concerning the future. They know that God
reigns; that this is his work, that he has laid the foundation of it,
and that he will preserve and make it triumph in the earth; that he
has sustained every man, woman and child belonging to this church from
the beginning. When mobs have descended upon us like an avalanche, and
when all the evils which they have wrought have come upon the people,
even then there has been no flinching, no quivering of the hands, no
shaking of the knees, no quailing of the heart, but calmly reposing
upon the promises of God, the people have been sustained, and have
gone forward rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be numbered
among the Saints of God. This has been the feeling, it is today—and
notwithstanding that threats of the most fearful character have been
fulminated against us from time to time, and the press has come out
with too great unanimity for its credit, suggesting every manner of
scheme to exterminate us—notwithstanding all this the Latter-day
Saints, I believe, of all the people upon the face of the
earth, have had more peace in their hearts, have had more peace in
their habitations, have had more confidence and less apprehension
concerning the future than any other people to be found upon the face
of this wide globe, go where you will to find them. And why is this?
"Oh," says one, "it is your fanaticism; you are an enthusiastic,
fanatical race of people. Your leaders are shrewd men, and the rest of
the people are the dupes of your imposture; you exercise an influence
over them, you blind their minds and they are led by you because you
are shrewder than they." This is the common expression of opinion
respecting us. It shows how ignorant mankind are concerning this work.
There is not a faithful man, there is not a faithful woman, who
crossed the Mississippi River when driven from Illinois, but felt and
knew that it was right for us to go into the wilderness and to carve
out a new home, far away from those people who called themselves
Christians, but who belied their profession—who did not feel this as
much as President Young did, or any of the Twelve Apostles. Even the
children themselves had the spirit of it. The whole people crossed
that river and started out into the then Territory of Iowa, with
entire confidence that God would lead them to a good place; they
started with far more confidence than the children of Israel did under
the leadership of Moses. And from that day to the present the people
have had this spirit. Not a settlement has been formed throughout
these mountain regions without the people themselves who founded it,
being fully imbued with the feeling that they were called of God to
come to this land, and it needed no con straint from President Young
or any other man to influence them to do so. They were ready to act
for themselves.
Every man and woman who enters into this Church has the right to know
whether this doctrine be of God or not. I would not give a fig, if we
numbered millions, if the people did not know for themselves that this
was the work of God. I would rather have the six persons who formed
the nucleus of the Church on the 6th of April, 1830, if those six knew
for themselves that this was the work of God; I would feel we were a
greater strength in the earth than six millions who had not this
knowledge. And so I say concerning this people today throughout these
valleys; if they only know for themselves that this is the work of
God; if they have received this knowledge by the revelations of God
for themselves individually, then they become a power in the earth,
they are a living force. Murder may be resorted to for the purpose of
destroying them, but as long as one remains there is a power through
which God can work and bring to pass that which He has said shall be
accomplished. The killing of Joseph Smith did not destroy this work,
that was tried; it is not the killing of those who were associated
with him that will do it. The past expulsions of the people did not
injure or destroy the work, neither would any such attempts, if
permitted, do so in the future. It is a living entity, and it is
composed of living entities, men and women who know for themselves
that this is the work of God, not depending upon Joseph Smith, not
depending upon Brigham Young, not depending upon John Taylor, not
depending upon Orson Pratt, or any other man tabernacled in the
flesh, for their knowledge concerning this work. You might
kill all these men off, if God would permit you, and still the
knowledge remains until you extirpate the whole people; and in this
respect it differs from every other work known among men. I have said
it was phenomenal. It is phenomenal this people who come from the
nations of the earth—each one comes bearing testimony that he or she
knows it is the work of God. They know that before they leave their
homes, and they come impelled by that living faith, and they hear
testimony to it. Hence it is a power in the earth. It is God's work.
As Brother Orson Pratt has said, God dictated the day of its
organization; God dictated that we should come to these mountains.
There is not a settlement we make without our seeking to know the mind
and will of God concerning it. We do not send a missionary abroad
without asking the mind and will of God upon the subject. His mind and
will is sought for in all things in holy places, and this Church has
been guided from the first day of its organization until today, by
that spirit of divine revelation. Hence the prosperity that has
attended us, and the wonderful results that we witness today.
God has broken the long silence that has reigned for centuries. It is
not to us alone, but He has spoken to the whole world, if they will
open their ears to hear and their hearts to understand. God is working
mightily today among the nations of the earth, and He is bringing to
pass His great purposes, that have been so long deferred. But who
hears His voice? Who seeks to understand it? Very few indeed. Unbelief
is increasing, until even among those who profess to be ministers of
religion you hear the power of God questioned respecting the affairs
of men, and it is a rare thing today to find any man, even a
professor of religion, who believes that God interposes by special
providence in behalf of any of His children upon the earth. It is very
rarely you can find men who have such a belief. They believe that God
allows all things to go on without interference on His part. That,
however, is not the faith of Christ, that is not the teaching of the
Savior, who taught His disciples and all men to go unto the Father,
and ask in His name for that which they needed, and that the very
hairs of their head could not fall to the ground unnoticed. This is
the God the Latter-day Saints believe in and seek after. They know
that He lives. They know by revelation for themselves, and this
constitutes the great difference between this Church and every other
church. We believe in revelation from God today. We believe that He
is the same yesterday, today and forever; that He changes not, and
that if His mind and will were revealed unto the inhabitants of the
earth 1,800 years ago in answer to prayer, in the same manner they can
be obtained today.
I pray God to bless you, to pour out His Holy Spirit upon you, to lead
and guide you into all truth, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
- George Q. Cannon