It affords me great pleasure to travel as we are now doing. It is a
number of years since I had the opportunity of thus traveling in this
county, visiting the people in the various settlements, and witnessing
the changes and improvements which have taken place, which indicate
the growth and development of the people.
It is only a few years ago that our enemies, in speaking of us, said,
that we were a miserable, decrepit, weakly, dying-out people. They
described us as very poor, miserable-looking creatures, all bearing
the impress of our polygamic practices upon our faces; and our
children as being weakly, with poor intellect, etc. And this
description of us went the rounds of the press, and was believed in by
a great many. And some people were so credulous that they supposed
that as soon as they came into a "Mormon" city they could easily tell
the "Mormon" women by the sad, depressed expression of the
countenances which they wore. For a few years this idea prevailed,
having been voiced by the press generally; and lecturers, in speaking
about us, dwelt upon this peculiarity. Of late, however, the tone has
changed, and instead of entertaining the idea that we are about to die
out, the feeling concerning us is one of fear, lest we should spread
out and take possession of the surrounding country.
It has been the case for many years, in fact, from the beginning,
that our Elders have been proclaiming to the world that we are a
growing people, and predicting that God has a great destiny in store
for the Latter-day Saints; that "the kingdom and dominion, and the
greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to
the people of the Saints of the Most High," etc. And this and other
predictions of a like import were testified to by the Elders of this
Church wherever they went; but the people generally, who heard our
brethren preach such doctrine, were reluctant to believe it, and did
not believe it, in fact. Of late, however, there has been a great
change; people who have all the time looked upon the "Mormons" as a
lot of fanatics, whose race could not be otherwise than a short one,
already begin to fear that there is some truth in these predictions.
During this last winter I found myself in a rather peculiar position —a
position I had never occupied before—of being under the necessity
of endeavoring to calm the fears of the public respecting our growth
and increase, they had such ideas about it they were
apprehensive lest we were not only going to possess Utah, but going to
take possession of Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, and cross into Colorado.
And I myself was under the necessity of calming their fears in regard
to the growth of the people, and of saying to them, we were not
increasing so fast as to give cause for any reasonable apprehension.
This shows a change that has taken place in the mind of the public
with regard to the Latter-day Saints. And this morning while sitting
under the cool shade of this bowery looking upon the faces of these
children and young people, I thought that I never saw healthier
children. And every countenance is cheerful; every one bespeaks health
and our young women show that they have been born of healthy parents,
and brought up and trained so as to develop their physical natures; I
am glad to see this; I am thankful that we live in a healthy country,
and that we have the Word of Wisdom given unto us by revelation from
God; and by observing it we are very likely to have an exceedingly
healthy race of people, who will also be long-lived. I think it a
matter of great importance to endeavor to train ourselves and our
children so as to have health, and not only health but long life on
the earth, so that we may accomplish that which God has given unto us
to do. For there is an immense amount of labor to be performed in
connection with this work. With good health we also have plenty. These
fruitful farms; these teeming orchards; with flocks and herds of
cattle, of sheep, of horses, with the dwellings and everything else to
show how comfortably situated the Latter-day Saints are. They have
honey, they have butter and milk, and their bins are overflowing, so
to speak, and in many instances actually so, with wheat the finest
that is grown on the earth. And there is nothing to prevent our
becoming physically perfect. But there are great responsibilities
resting upon the parents among the Latter-day Saints; and not only
upon the parents but upon the leading men in our settlements and
cities and stakes.
There is one thing that you who reside here—and in fact it may be said
about every settlement in these mountains—that you should be
particularly careful about, and that is, the education of your
children. I hope in your general prosperity you will not overlook your
educational interests. It is of the utmost importance to us and to our
children and to the work of God which is entrusted to us, that we
should give our children every advantage of education, including the
training of them in the principles of the Gospel; for it is of the
first importance that all should have laid the foundation in their
hearts of faith in God and confidence in the Holy Priesthood, and in
the ordinances of the house of God. This is of the first importance,
more important than anything else; more important even than teaching
them to read and write. Train them in the faith of God and in the
knowledge of God, so far as it can be imparted to them, until they can
find out God for themselves, seeking him in earnestness in their
closets and private places. And when we have laid this foundation in
their hearts, then impart to them skill in education to read and write
perfectly, so that every boy and girl in our community can read and
write his and her tongue perfectly. Do it so that no one can find
fault with it, that it may be ready for the press, if they should wish
to address a communication to the press, without having to
make a single correction. Our children have the brightest intellects
of any I have ever met. God has given them this blessing; all that
they require to develop themselves is the opportunity, and this they
should have. God has given unto us means. There is no necessity for us
to keep our children out of school, as was the case in early days. I
think it a matter of the greatest importance that parents should
impart to their children these facilities. Place them within their
reach so that the talents of our boys and girls may be developed, for
there is an abundant field for its exercise throughout our land, and
also beyond, and in the countries to which they are being sent. We are
spreading out, and we want men who are cultured; we want women of
culture who can train their children in the spirit of true education,
so that when visitors come to our land, or our children go to other
lands, those who see them will feel there is a superiority about the
Latter-day Saints that they did not look for. Great pains should be
taken in this direction. Parents, school trustees and educators should
exercise themselves in behalf of education; nothing should be left
undone to give every one, no matter how poor, an opportunity to obtain
it. You know the difference between a well cultivated field and one
that is poorly cultivated. You know the difference between carefully
selected and bred cattle, and cattle that are allowed to run at large
on the range without attention. You know the difference between fruits
that are well selected and cared for by the hand of the skillful
gardener, and those that are allowed to grow as they please. The
lesson that may be drawn from these plain practical things is
applicable in the rearing of these little ones. You need not think,
you parents, because you have got through life with little or a meager
education, that your children ought not to expect more than you
possessed in starting life. You do not know anything about the future
that lies before them. The boys and girls of today, if they are
prepared for it, will have opportunities of moving in the higher
circles of society; boys will be required to go among the leading men
of the nations; and how embarrassing it would be for them if they
should not be qualified for it. But they should be. Every day the
prospect is widening, the field is opening up before us, and men of
this kind are needed all the time. We need them for legislators; we
need them for Apostles, Presidents, Bishops and Counselors; we need
them for every department of life. They should be cultivated so that
they will be capable of discharging these duties and filling any
position.
The Lord has bestowed upon us the temporal blessings which we have for
a wise purpose. We should use them aright and not set our hearts upon
these perishable things. We should hold them as the gifts of God,
subject to his counsel. The man who sets his heart upon riches cannot
serve the God of Israel. No man can serve two masters, Jesus said. He
said it 1,800 years ago; it is true today. Whenever you see a man
serving Mammon, you may know he cannot serve God as well. There cannot
be a division in these services; half-hearted service cannot be
acceptable to the Lord. We must serve God with all our hearts, our
love and affections reaching after Him, and the things of this world
must be looked upon by us as secondary considerations. They
are good enough in their place; right enough to be attended to; but
subordinate always to the love of God. That should be the first love,
greater than every other love. A man that loves a wife, a man that
loves a child, a man that loves anything upon the earth more than God,
is not a true Latter-day Saint. He may have a lovely wife, he may have
a lovely child; he may have a rich farm, he may have stock, elegant
residences, horses and carriages, together with an abundance of wealth
to command all the comforts of the earth; but I tell you, as a servant
of God, if he loves these things more than he loves God, he is not a
true Latter-day Saint. He cannot serve God and mammon together. One
love must predominate; it must be superior to every other love, and
that is the love of our Heavenly Father; the keeping of his
commandments and attending to the ordinances of salvation which he has
revealed to us.
While Brother Woodruff was speaking about what President Young had
told him in Winter Quarters, respecting the Prophet Joseph's
teachings, with regard to cultivating the spirit of the Lord, a thing
came to my mind that I was taught in the same way in the beginning of
my labors on my first mission, and the impression it made upon my mind
has been a lasting one; I have never forgotten it; and through taking
that lesson to heart I feel that I have been exceedingly prospered in
my life.
There were ten of us, of whom I was the youngest, wind-bound in the
Bay of San Francisco, and we had been thus delayed for nearly a week
near the Golden Gate in consequence of head winds. I dreamed one night
that this party of brethren were heaving at the windlass, having a
rope attached to it reaching forward to the anchor at the bow of the
vessel. We were working with all our might endeavoring to raise the
anchor, but seemingly we made but little progress. While thus engaged
I thought the Prophet Joseph came from the after part of the vessel
dressed in his temple clothes, and tapping me on the shoulder told me
to go with him. I went, and he climbed on to the forecastle which was
higher than the main deck and on a level with the bulwarks, and there
he knelt down, also telling me to kneel down with him. He prayed
according to the order of prayer which is revealed. After prayer, he
arose upon his feet. "Now," said he, "George, take hold of that
rope" —the rope we had been pulling on with all our might. I took hold
of it, and with the greatest ease and without the least effort, the
anchor was raised. "Now," said he, "let this be a lesson to you;
remember that great things can be accomplished through the power of
prayer and the exercise of faith in the right way."
I would like to impress this, with what Brother Woodruff has told you,
upon the minds of the young, also upon the middle-aged and the aged of
this congregation if they choose to take it; great is the power of
prayer when properly offered to the Lord. Whatever success I have had
upon my missions in battling with the adversaries of this people, in
being able to hold my position, when warred upon—and it seemed that
nothing in the world but the power of God could save me or prevent
legislation adverse to this people—whatever success there may be about
this in the past, throughout my life—and I believe it was the case
with my predecessors—it has been due to faith and prayer. I
have remembered this always; I have endeavored to exercise faith in
God, through prayer, which has been heard by the Almighty. Men have
met in secret in holy places, and have besought God in the appointed
way, according to the holy order revealed, and deliverance has been
wrought out for Zion, when it seemed that everything was dark before
them and without one ray of light. At such times, when everything has
been hedged up, the servants of God have met in secret places and have
plead with God according to the holy order, and the heavens have been
moved, and difficulties have vanished away, and our path has been made
plain before us, and we have escaped the hands of our enemies.
My brethren and sisters, my young brethren and sisters present,
remember this lesson. Cultivate the Spirit of God; keep it with you.
Remember always, there is power in prayer greater than anything man
can do. There is no power in monarchs, there is no power in armies,
there is no power in legislation, nor in anybody nor anything else
upon the earth that equals the power of God in prayer.
That we may always remember it, and keep it constantly in our minds
throughout our lives, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.
- George Q. Cannon