In the presence of so large an audience as we have here today, every
one ought to sit very still and repress every noise as much as
possible, for the acoustic properties of this tabernacle are of such a
character that the combination of sounds—shuffling of feet, crying of
babies, walking about of children—drown the speaker's voice however
strong it may be. Every person should therefore keep as still as
possible. No human power can make a congregation like this hear,
unless the congregation itself sits quietly, and babies should not be
allowed to disturb those in their immediate neighborhood. It may be
very interesting to the mother; she may think the music of her baby's
voice very sweet; but those who come to hear are not
interested in hearing it.
In coming together as we have done upon this occasion and during this
Conference, we should be so united in our faith that when a speaker
arises the people will draw from him that instruction which they need.
Many of you have come long distances. I see some here upwards of 300
miles from their homes and of course when men take such journeys,
traveling about 700 miles in the round trip to come to Conference,
there should be something imparted to them which will be a profit to
them, that they may feel satisfied when they leave here that the
journey has been well taken. Now, there are topics enough before us,
topics of great, vital importance to us as a people, which we should
consider, and which upon occasions like this are appropriate for our
consideration.
We have been told—indeed it is a constant comment about us—that we are
a peculiar people. We know this ourselves. It is a very remarkable
thing, that this Gospel, which the world calls "Mormonism," has
gathered only here and there one out of the families of the earth, and
as the most of you who are adults well know, you were, as a general
thing, different from the rest of your family in many respects. It
seemed as though you were waiting for something to come along a little
different from anything that you had heard. The systems of religion,
the ideas that were inculcated by your teachers and that you were
taught in your Sunday schools, in your chapels and in your
meetinghouses and churches, did not accord with your views concerning
God and Christ, and the plan of salvation; and yet, had you been asked
what you believed in, where you should go to find that which you did
believe in, or to define your ideas of what you wanted, it would have
been impossible for you to have done so. Yet there was a yearning in
your hearts for something higher, something nobler, something more
Godlike, something after the apostolic plan of salvation. And it is a
remarkable fact that the Elders of this Church, in their travels and
administrations among the people, though they have had great
difficulties to contend with, have had persecutions and all manner of
evil things said about them, have been frequently mobbed and
driven—that notwithstanding they have had these difficulties to
contend with, it has been an easy matter to bring those who are now
Latter-day Saints into this Church. When the Elders found the honest
in heart, when they found men and women who were meek and lowly, who
were prayerful, who believed in the Bible, who were willing to accept
truth however it might come to them, however unpopular its advocate
might be—when they found people of this description, they have never
had any difficulty in gathering them out. The Latter-day Saints
throughout these valleys, from north to south, have been gathered
without much, if any, trouble on the part of the Elders, for the word
of God has come to them in the power and demonstration of the Holy
Ghost, and they have been convinced of the truth very frequently
before they scarcely heard it. This is very remarkable—remarkable how
the hearts of the people have been prepared to receive the Elders, how
their minds have been softened, and how willingly they have received
the truth and borne testimony to it, when they heard it. I
remember well my own mother's experience. I was a little boy sitting
beside her the first time she saw an Elder. She had never heard of
the Latter-day Saints or "Mormons," she did not know that he was one;
she did not even know that he was a professor of religion; but she
had been waiting for something. My father and mother were both
Episcopalians, but they had no faith in the system, it was cold and
inanimate, there was nothing lifelike or godlike about it. When he
left the house she said to me, "George, that is a man of God." She had
a testimony to that effect, although, as I have said, she did not know
he was even a professor of religion. That Elder was President Taylor.
And when he began to talk afterwards regarding the principles of the
Gospel, she was ready to be baptized, for it was that for which she
had been waiting, her heart was prepared for it, and there are
thousands and thousands of such instances among the people called
Latter-day Saints. God prepared their hearts beforehand, and the
Elders found them without much difficulty. It is true they had to
labor and contend with others, but those who were the honest-hearted
sons and daughters of God, who were willing to receive the truth,
received it without much difficulty, as I have said. And it is a
wonderful fact that in accordance with the scriptures God is gathering
together a people to lay the foundation of this great work, concerning
which all the Prophets have spoken. God has predicted through the
mouths of his Holy Prophets—and their words are to be found in the
Bible—that in the last days there should be just such a work as that
which we witness—that is, one of a city and two of a family being
gathered together, in order that there might be a representation of
all the families and races of men upon the earth, to lay the
foundation of this, the greatest work that has ever been established
upon the face of the earth. And yet men talk of there being no
evidence in favor of "Mormonism." They say, Where is the evidence of
its divinity? Where is the evidence that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of
God? Show us a sign that we may see whether you are the people you
profess to be? Why, here in these mountains is one of the greatest
signs presented to all the inhabitants of the earth that ever was
shown to man—a system, an organization composed of people from every
creed, and it may be said from every civilized creed, and from every
civilized race, gathered together, dwelling in union and in love, and
worshipping God according to the laws which he has given with a
oneness, with a union, with a love that is unexampled upon the face of
the earth. Nowhere else can such a thing be found; and I often think
when men talk about delusion, and about the shrewd leaders of this
people, and that by the power of their shrewdness and the strength of
the imposture, they are able to hoodwink the people and to lead them
astray, that it takes more faith to believe that theory than it does
for the Latter-day Saints to believe the truth as we have received it.
If this be imposture where is the truth? The Gospel of Christ was to
produce union, its mission was to produce love, to destroy strife, to
make men and women live together as brethren and sisters, and it has
done so for us and it is doing so and it will do so more and more, and
it will build up a system such as cannot be found on the face of the
earth. And it is growing and increasing. It is like a little leaven, and by and by it will leaven the whole lump, and the influence
and the power that will go forth from this people will be felt
throughout the whole earth. I know it is a great thing to say, and
men, looking at us numerically, think we are exceedingly presumptuous
to advance such an idea, but it is nevertheless true. The union of
this people, the power which accompanies them and the effect of their
example will be felt more and more, and the truth will continue to
spread until all honest-hearted people will be convinced of the truth
of the statements which are made concerning the restoration of the
everlasting Gospel in its original purity and power, and those who may
not be prepared to receive it—will sooner or later respect it and
admire it, and be willing to share in the benefits which will accrue
from its establishment on the earth.
Now, my brethren and sisters, there is one thing above everything
else, that every speaker from this stand would like to impress upon
your minds, and that is, when you go away from this Conference that
you carry with you the determination to live and to carry out in your
lives the principles that you profess. That is all that we can ask of
you. Live your religion—that embodies all that can be said to you.
There is glory in it, there is happiness in it, there is peace in it,
there is virtue in it, there is wealth in it, there is exaltation in
it, there is no gift or blessing or power that it does not contain and
that does not accompany it. On the other hand, violate the principles
of your religion, deviate from the path that God has marked out, and
there is sorrow and misery for you, if persisted in.
You have been gathered together in the most wonderful manner that any
people ever were. We talk about the gathering of the children of
Israel under Moses. I consider that that mighty movement fades away in
comparison with the gathering that is now going on. This people have
been brought from the various nations of the earth, and you have
received a testimony from God concerning this work. You know for
yourselves if you are living as you should do—concerning these things.
How necessary it is, then, that you should carry out these principles.
But the great difficulty we have to contend with is that we bring with
us our traditions and preconceived ideas, and to overcome these is the
great labor we have to contend with; it is a labor that we should set
ourselves industriously, patiently, perseveringly to accomplish. Let
us be pure in our hearts, in our language, in our conduct, in
everything that we think and say and do. Let us seek for purity; let
us inculcate purity; let us take the principles of the Gospel and
teach them to our children and endeavor to make them better Latter-day
Saints than we are; let us do everything we can in this direction, and
then if we do this there will be no vice in our land; liquor saloons,
gambling houses, houses of prostitution and the other evils that
abound in the world will not be found within our borders. It should be
our aim to so live that these things shall be repressed, completely
extinguished. It is a shame for anyone professing to be what we are to
enter a liquor saloon, or to patronize one, or to patronize any of
these evils; and we should withdraw the hand of fellowship from all
who do. Drunkenness certainly will never be countenanced by the Lord.
It is a gross vice, and it will bring the loss of the Spirit to
everyone who indulges in it; and so with these other vices to
which I have alluded. No one can be a Latter-day Saint who practices
these things. We should be honest, we should be truthful, our word
should be like the words of the Lord, that is, in our sphere. When a
man says a thing to his neighbor, he should so live that his neighbor
can have confidence in him. When he makes a promise that promise
should be sacred, and if he cannot fulfil it, let him explain the
reason so that confidence may be preserved. When we borrow we should
repay; When we deal we should be upright in our dealing. I would like
it to be the case among us that when a man has a horse to sell that he
will tell all he knows about it and not endeavor to take advantage in
any shape or form. The same with a wagon, a cow, a piece of land, or a
house, or anything else, that a man will tell what he knows about
these things, so that confidence may be maintained. There are some men
of whom I have heard who when they make a trade think that the one
with whom they trade ought to have his own eyes open, and if he does
not and is taken advantage of because of his inexperience or being too
confiding, the one who gets the bargain is not to blame, but to be
congratulated on his good luck. Indeed there are some men who, if they
can take advantage in this way, would think nothing of bowing down on
their knees and thanking God for having made so good a bargain. Now, a
man who calls himself a Latter-day Saint, and will do a thing of the
kind, grieves the spirit of the Lord. Again, if a man employs you to
do a piece of work, that work should be well done whether he is there
to see it done or not. And when employers agree to pay a certain price,
or a certain kind of pay they should abide by their agreement. But
there is a great deal of trickery in such matters. Some people think
"I am a good trader; I can sell a horse for more than it is worth; I
have got an old wagon, but my neighbor, who has not my experience
wants a wagon; I can trade that poor wagon to him, I can get a good
price for it, and I shall thank God if I can do so." I tell you such
things are very sinful, and are not from God. When we, professing to
be Latter-day Saints, do such things, we grieve the Spirit of God, and
cause Satan to laugh. These are practical duties. I would give more
for a Latter-day Saint who, if I employed him to do me a job and he
did it right, than I would for a man who would offer a long prayer and
tell the Lord a great many things that might be very good, and did not
do the work honestly. I would rather have a man that was honest in his
dealings with his neighbor—a man that if I wanted to buy a horse I
could go to him with the full assurance that he would do the square
thing by me—than I would have a man who offers very long prayers if
he neglected this other duty. I tell you that the Lord wants works
from the people and not professions. We have got lots of profession.
There are some men very sanctimonious, and because they can pray well
and are looked upon as good Latter-day Saints, they think they are
privileged to take advantage of their neighbor. Now, I tell you that
we want a religion that is different to this. We want a religion of
honesty. If I say a thing to a man I ought to live so that he will
believe every word I say. If I sell him a piece of property, I should
tell him the truth about it, there should be no concealment, no lying
or allowing the man to be deceived. It is on that account that
I despise this trading. Some men live by trading, and in the long run
somebody is cheated in the community. There are times, of course, when
men can exchange property, and both parties be benefited thereby. If
one man has a piece of property that another man wants, and the other
has a piece of property that suits the first party, a mutual benefit
results from the exchange. There are other instances of this kind
which frequently occur; but it should be done on the square. Any man
who takes advantage in this direction cannot be a Latter-day Saint, in
truth and deed, and God will hold him accountable for his conduct.
Ours ought to be a religion of works and not of profession. It should
be a religion that we can carry with us in our every day work—a
religion that will make a man a better son, a better brother, a better
husband, a better father than he would be without it, and I would not
give a fig for a religion that did not have that effect. When I hear
men quarreling with their children, husbands with their wives, wives
with their husbands, I say there is not much religion about that kind
of work or conduct. A man who is not kind to his wife needs some
religion. A man who is not kind to his children and to his neighbors,
needs some religion, and he needs the religion of Jesus Christ. A man
who is indolent and neglects his duties, needs more religion, the
religion of Jesus Christ, to make him more industrious. An indolent
man cannot have much of the Spirit of God about him; an uncleanly man,
and certainly an impure man, a dishonest man cannot have much of it.
When I hear a woman quarreling with her children and making the house
too hot for her husband—I rarely, if ever, hear them, because I do not
go where they are, but I hear of them—I think that woman needs
religion. When she loses patience, she should go to God and ask for
patience, that the power of her religion may rest down upon her.
The great difficulty with us is: We have a religion and do not seek
for its power, we do not dive to its depths, we do not rise to its
heights, we do not comprehend its beauties and blessings. We go along
without seeking after our God and the power of our God, as we should
do. If we would devote a little time to self-examination when we go to
bed, review the events of the day, see if our conduct has been such as
God can approve of, and as enables us to lie down with a conscience
void of offense towards God and all men, we do well, and if we cannot
do that it is time to repent. If we have wronged anybody, we should
make it right. And when something comes along to cross us or disturb
our equanimity, instead of throwing out words that are like daggers,
lacerating the feelings of those to whom they are addressed, we should
shut our mouths. Some people pride themselves in what they call their
frankness and candor in this respect. I tell you, I don't want such
frankness around me. I would rather a man would hold his tongue and
not indulge in such expressions as are hurtful to people's feelings.
We should so live that our examples as fathers and mothers will be
worthy of imitation by our children. You see a brawling, boisterous,
swearing man, and his children will copy after him. You see a man that
is the opposite of that, and his children will bear his example in
mind. If he is a prayerful man, his children are likely to be
prayerful also; if he be honest and truthful and keeps his word
strictly, that lesson will not be lost upon his children. If I
were a young man and wanted to marry, I would not go to a house where
there was continual quarreling between the husband and wife and
children; I would not want to select a wife from such a family; I
would want to go where peace reigns, the peace of God, which every
man, woman and child possess in their hearts and in their habitations.
That is our privilege. These are very simple things, and yet nobody
has gotten true religion who does not possess these gifts. We may talk
about our religion; We may boast about it; we may tell about its gifts
and powers; we may tell about the manifestations we have had; but
after all, the marrow of our religion lies in the performance of those
everyday duties, some of which I have alluded to.
There is one thing that has struck me as very remarkable about the
Latter-day Saints. God in the early day of this Church told us that we
should be a people that should have peace, and he has given unto us a
revelation which says, that "it shall come to pass among the wicked,
that every man that will not take the sword against his neighbor must
needs flee unto Zion for safety." Now that day will come just as sure
as God has spoken, and we of all people on the face of the earth ought
to be a peaceful people in view of this promise—no quarreling, no
seeking to injure each other, no doing violence to one another. I have
heard of men threatening to do something which would involve the
shedding of blood if certain things were done to them. Why, it is a
most horrible thought, for there is no salvation for the murderer.
There is no people on this broad continent who cherish the
Constitution of the United States as a sacred instrument any more, or
as much as do the Latter-day Saints in these mountains. Believing it
as we do to be inspired of God, and given for an express purpose, of
course we attach a great deal of reverence to that instrument. We do
not always pay reverence to officials, because of their
maladministration of the laws; but the instrument itself, and the
form of government we live under, we think is equaled by none upon
the face of this broad earth; we think it is the greatest form of
government, the freest, the most liberal, the best adapted for men and
women, that ever was instituted by man among men. This we hold in our
hearts, in our heart of hearts, concerning this government. But then a
great many people are not suited because we take the liberty of
criticizing certain officials. There have been a good many who have
trampled upon the principles of the Constitution; but these outrageous
acts, even against a people such as we are, do not affect the
instrument, the fabric or the genius of our institutions, and on this
account we are truly loyal. When the South raised the flag of
rebellion, there was no well informed Latter-day Saint who could
approve in his heart of such conduct, however much we might have
expected it, Joseph Smith having predicted, nearly thirty years before
the rebellion broke out, that it would occur—however much this might
be the case there was nothing connected with the principle of
secession or rebellion that met with the approval of the Latter-day
Saints. And it is a remarkable fact that God, through the acts of our
enemies, caused us to be placed in a position where, in the war of the
rebellion, we should not be compelled to shed the blood of our
fellow men. Had we remained in New York, where our people
first settled; or afterwards in Ohio; had we remained in Missouri, to
which State we subsequently emigrated and from whence we were cruelly
driven; had we remained in Illinois, where we afterwards took refuge,
and from whence we were also cruelly driven to the wilderness, we
should have been made participants in that dreadful strife, we should
have been compelled to have taken up the weapons of war, or the people
would have said we were disloyal. Inaction at such a time would have
been set down to disloyalty and sympathy with the rebellion, and we
could scarcely have escaped, in view of the prejudices against us,
being branded and treated as traitors to the Government. But we were
here in the mountains, in a position where we could do nothing in the
strife. President Lincoln asked for some men to guard the great
highway, to preserve the mails and keep open communication, and these
men were sent out. But they did not have to fight. Under the command
of General James Craig, our men were sent to guard the great
trans-continental highway, and we did our part in that direction. But
God, in His Providence, did not place us in a position to imbrue our
hands in the blood of our fellow men. And when five hundred men—after
we were driven from Illinois in 1846—were required to make up the
Mormon Battalion for the Mexican war, the promise of God to these five
hundred men was that they should not be compelled to shed blood during
their absence, and in a remarkable manner this prediction was
fulfilled. They never shrank from doing their duty as good, loyal
citizens and soldiers, but there was no bloodshedding by the Mormon
Battalion. We have been in all our troubles preserved from shedding
blood. We are not a bloodshedding people. Our garments are not
stained with the blood of our fellow men—I mean as a people. There are
many among us who have been soldiers in the war, but I am speaking now
as an organization, and we stand in that position today, in the
United States. We can say to the Southerner, to the Northerner, to the
Westerner, to the Easterner, and to every man, "We are your brothers."
We are at peace with all mankind. God has given unto us a law
concerning this, that we must hoist the standard of peace and continue
to proclaim it, and then if we are called upon to defend ourselves, we
are told to leave our cause in the hands of God. We are a people who
love peace, and in the turmoil, in the wars, in the confusion, in all
the disorders that will eventually occur, not only in Europe, but in
our own land—our own blessed land in many respects which shall become
yet very unhappy in consequence of internal broils and disunion—when
all this shall take place we are the people who will present such an
aspect to the world, that they will say, "Here are the features we
desire, they have the peace our souls long for." Now, my brethren and
sisters, we should cultivate this feeling of peace. My sisters, let
peace be in your hearts. Repress everything like quarrelling. Suffer
wrong rather than do wrong. It is a harder thing for a man to submit
to wrong than to fight against it. The natural tendency of the heart
is to resent wrong, to strike back when you are struck at, but it is
not the way laid down by the Savior.
There is one thing I want to speak about before I get through, and
that is in relation to our tithes and offer ings. I can speak
about this not boastingly, but with freedom, for I do my part in this
matter. There is too much delinquency on our part as a people in this
respect. Let me entreat you to be more punctual in these matters. The
more you do for the Church of God, the more you want to do; the more
you are interested in its welfare the more you will become attached to
it. Look at the Twelve Apostles, have they not set you an example—I
will not speak of the First Presidency—in regard to these things? Have
any of them sought to build themselves up and become wealthy? Here is
Brother Woodruff, President of the Twelve Apostles. Is there any man
in Israel who has worked harder to support himself and family than he?
He is known for his persistent industry. He has set the people a great
example in that respect. He has not been a burden to anyone. He has
labored from morning till night for this people and for their
salvation. He has not fattened upon your earnings, he has sustained
himself by the blessing of God. And so have the rest of the Twelve.
They have labored continually for this people. They have traveled
thousands of miles, gone to the ends of the earth, to build up Zion,
and not counted anything too great a labor. That is the example the
Twelve have set this people. And they have paid their tithing
punctually. They have done as much in this way according to their
means as any of you, and in addition to this they have spent almost
their entire time in the interest of the Church. What I say on this
point applies fully also to President Taylor, when he was one of the
twelve. Now, with such examples as these, how will you appear in the
day of the Lord Jesus, when you present yourselves before Him, when
you appear in those Temples to receive your blessings, if you have
thought more about your money and about worldly things than you have
about anything else? Let me say you will be very sorry for this if you
do not repent and do better. There are many leading men among us who
do not do their duty in this respect. They are derelict, and neglect
of this duty is extending among the people. We must do more in this
direction if we would have the blessing of God than we are doing. We
must be more diligent; we must think more about God and His kingdom
and His salvation than we do about the things of this world. It is
true, as we have been told during this Conference, we shall have
houses, farms, etc., etc.; these are all necessary; but above all else
we should think about the kingdom of God and its advancement. We have
no friends but God and ourselves. At the same time let us extend the
hand of relief where we can to others; but it is our duty to build up
Zion. From my childhood I have vowed in my heart—and I have endeavored
to keep the vow—that not one cent of mine would ever go to build up
anything that was opposed to Zion. At the same time I have spent
years, as others have done, traveling without purse or scrip and
preaching the Gospel to those who were in darkness; but so far as
working to sustain that which is opposed to Zion I have determined,
and I did so determine in my childhood, not to do that, God being my
helper, and he has helped me up to the present time. The advancement
of the kingdom of God should be uppermost in our hearts, and we should
not be afraid to spend means to assist in this great work.
Those who do will have it returned unto them an hundredfold. You look
at the men who have done the most in this Church, and you will find
them the most blessed. They may not have so much wealth as some, but
wealth is not everything, not by a good deal. The men who have spent
the most time and the most means for the advancement of this work have
been the men who have been blessed and preserved of God, God has
prospered them all the day long, and he will bless their children
after them. It is something to have one's children blessed. I would
like to have that as well as to be blessed myself; I would like to
live so that I could invoke the power, and blessing of God upon my
posterity.
I pray God to fill you with the Holy Ghost; the Holy Ghost that will
bring things past to your remembrance and show unto you things to
come; that you may retain the things you have heard during this
Conference, and be built up and strengthened in your faith which I
pray may be the case, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
- George Q. Cannon