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Show QUARTERLY CONFERENCE. <br><br> The quarterly conference of this Stake of Zion convened in the upper room of the Tabernacle Saturday, May 1st, at 10 a.m. Present on the stand Apostles W. Woodruff, C.C. Rich, J. Snow, F.D. Richards and M. Thatcher, the presidency of the Stake and Elder H.S. Eldredge of the seven presidents of Seventies. <br><br> After devotional exercises, the clerk read the minutes of the last priesthood meeting, which were accepted, and the statistical report of the Stake of Zion, for the quarter ending April, 1880, the totals of which are as follows: Apostles 1; Patriarchs 7; Seventies 319; High Priests 431; Elders 1,109; Priests 311; teachers 318; Deacons 471; lay members 6,473; children under 8 years 1, 117; total of souls 14,???; families ???, marriages ???; births, males 73, females 81; deaths, males ??, females 23; baptized 29; excommunicated ??; persons drawing support 17?. <br><br> Apostle Wilford Woodruff then spoke for a short time. He was pleased to meet with the Saints in this Stake of Zion and in so good and comfortable house. Thought the people greatly blessed, and urged the continuance of their earnest labors upon the Logan Temple. <br><br> Elder H.S. Eldredge said in his remarks that while seeking to build up Zion we should not forget the importance of beautifying our homes and making them attractive to our children. We should make home the dearest upon earth so that the youth may not be under the necessity of seeking abroad for pleasure, or then they are thrown into bad company and false impressions made in their tender minds. <br><br> Apostle C.C. Rich showed that a person who obtained worldly goods in a dishonest manner, could not be benefited thereby, and that riches ???? left to children often worked their destruction. The Saints came far, from being as united as they should be. The wrong doings or sayings of someone was continually creating difficulties, some said it was impossible for people to do right in this wicked world. If all did what lay in their power to keep themselves in the right path, the speaker could see no reason why this might not be as good and happy a world as we could wish for. We hardly understood what good we had the power to perform. No one could be saved in ignorance but if we lived up to our privileges none would be ignorant; a few books contained the necessary knowledge of the gospel, it was not a difficult matter to get this information. Should seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, lay up treasures in heaven, and not let the things of the eternal world be lost sight of in ??????????? in earthly matters. <br><br> Saturday Afternoon. <br><br> Apostle P. P. Richards said we should be grateful for the blessings we enjoy here as compared with the condition we were in before gathering. The earth had been left to itself for a time, by the Lord and his gospel and priesthood were not ??? the inhabitants for a long period; ?????? upon the earth was inspired according to his plan ordained by or under the direction of our Heavenly Father, the inspired prophet [unreadable] had been imposed from the very first by the ???????? against the faithful always [unreadable line]??? claimed to have revelations as well as the Saints did, ??? some other manifestations might be true they were mainly fake and Spiritualism had no system in it. The third part of heaven had been cast out and those were the spirits who communicated with people upon the earth, and according to prophecy were to perform great miracles in the latter days insomuch as to deceive the very elect if possible. Because some truth was obtained through this channel, the ???said, and perhaps believed, that all such revelations were true. As those beings before mentioned were not permitted to take bodies upon earth they continually tried to lead astray those who sought to serve the Lord. We should not boast in our strength and say we can never be led astray, but put our dependence in the Lord and rely on His support. The principle of ??? was becoming popular among the nations whether publicly acknowledged or not, and the results were ??? the foundations of society from the highest in the government to the least. This, with [unreadable line] confirmed ??? of the most ??? person in Christendom. The Lord was ??? a people who would live ??? and whom ??? prepare to take the reign of government, and become rulers with Him. The people were urged to work with [unreadable], for in doing the will of the Lord in these things He will multiply His blessings upon us. <br><br> Apostle Moses Thatcher said it should be a source of satisfaction that we could meet in health, peace and happiness with none to make afraid. By tasting the bitter we could better appreciate the sweet. Elders who went among the cold? world could, on returning, enjoy the society of the saints, though the spirit of God was with them abroad as well as at home. He had been asked by learned men why the laws and principles of the brethren agreed with the equity? shown? in the Old and New Testaments. It had not entered their minds that Noah was a great preacher of the word of God. [Unreadable line] of America came ??? with the ??? ??? in regard to the creation of the earth and of animal and vegetable life - also in regard to the ???. Writings found in America were now in European libraries and had not been ???. The speaker thought that men would eventually be inspired to translate these and that ??? ??? go to prove the truth of the Book of Mormon. A native chief in the early ??? of America told of records that had been hidden up in the earth and that if they could be found, they would agree with the doctrines of Christianity. The ??? and Astec [Aztec] records told the number of families who left the tower of Babel, and of four brothers, who came and peopled America; also of other things confirming the truth of the Book of Mormon. The Lamanites had been heavily dealt with by the hand of the Lord, but the speaker thought this would not long continue, but that the spirit of the Lord would work upon them and they would arise and perform His work. It was a man's privilege if he would live aright to be a prophet to his own household. <br><br> The Sabbath schools were reported by Supt. [superintendent] O.C. Ormsby, showing that there were 8? Schools, 4,?00 officers and members and 3,314 as average attendance. Through instructions given at the general conference, the teachers of the Sabbath schools were to be set apart by the priesthood, and the office was to be considered a mission as binding as if the person were called to a foreign country. <br><br> SUNDAY AFTERNOON. <br><br> Present on the stand in addition to those of previous day Apostle L. Snow and Bishop [L? E.?]W. Hardy. The authorities of the church and of the Stake were presented and unanimously sustained. <br><br> Apostle Erastus Snow read from the book of Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. [section] 81, the instructions there given in regard to the keeping of records in the Church. These regulations were made for the early rise of the church and since the great increase in numbers it became necessary that records be kept in each of the wards. He further read on the subject of the lesser priesthood and their relation to the other members of the church, and then explained the manner in which difficulties should be settled, showing that the priests and teachers were ??? to inquire into these cases and bring about a reconciliation but not to sit in judgment nor decide what amends the offending party should make. The bishop and his counselors constituted a court for the hearing of and deciding upon such cases as can not be amicably settled by the teachers. The bishops were intended to be the common judges in Israel. As it was sometimes necessary for an appeal from the bishop's court, the High Council had been organized as a higher court to which such appeals should be made. In the ordination of officers the consent by vote of the branch in which the candidates reside, should first be obtained. In consideration of the great growth of the church, the plan for the regulation of a ??? had to be enlarged upon correspondingly. The crimes of murder, theft, adultery, etc. coming under the laws of the land should be referred to the same as the church could do no more than excommunicate in such cases, while other crimes were to be tried according to the instructions given. Persons found in transgression belonging to the quorums of the higher priesthood should be reported to the quorums to which they belong, and dealt with by them. <br><br> AFTERNOON. <br><br> Apostle W. Woodruff said there never was a prophet or inspired man upon the earth in any age who did not require the spirit of God to teach him the things of God, and that no quorum of Twelve Apostles who had ever lived upon the earth had been more united or had done a greater work toward building up God's kingdom than the Twelve were now performing. He then gave an account of his recent mission to the Saluts and Lamanites in Arizona. During a visit of nine months among the settlements of the Saints in that territory the speaker had not heard a man profane the name of the Deity, had not seen any quarrels among neighbors, had not known of any drink as of intoxicating liquor, nor using of tobacco, nor nor coffee; in fact he had not witnessed the vice which are too common in the cities and towns of Utah. The town of St. John, Apache county seat, having been owned by Jews and Mexicans, and as the "Mormon" settlements were located around this town, it was thought excellent to buy the townsite, accordingly the purchases had been made. <br><br> The tribes of Indians visited were the Navahoes, Apache, Moquis and Zunis. The two former tribes had been very ???????? were ??? by the [unreadable line]. The former were roving and savage tribes, the latter lived in town and were partly civilized. He was well treated in all his travels among them. The strictest attention was given to all his preachings, and the teachings and instructions he imparted caused a spirit of thankfulness and rejoicing among them. Especially was this the case among the Zunis who were the most intelligent and civilized of all the tribes. Through their earnest request, he continued speaking unto them for several hours, whenever he would stop the question would be asked "Do you know any more?" and the hearers became so overcome that they wept for joy. The situation on the Moquis villages was very picturesque, they being built upon the tables of solid rock from 800? to 1800? feet in height with perpendicular ???. Here they have lived for centuries perhaps - tilling their farms below and carrying the products, their food and their water up to their homes by means of a circuitous path or dugway. The frequent raids of the warlike tribes had driven them (the Moquis) to this manner of living, that they might protect their lives and property without going to war. Some of the leading men among these tribes had said that before the whites came among them, adultery was not known ????????? such a sin was punished by death. In conclusion, the speaker alluded to the remarkable preservation of the Saints in gathering from the nations of the earth, testified to the near approach of the Son of Man, and exhorted the Saints to faithfulness continually. |