Show I j J I J T 1 TN I l. l J VENERABLE h PR PRESIDENT OF 0 F CHURCH CHURCHWILL WILL NILL AGAIN ADDRESS Al Mr WILL FOLLOWERS I T t I bi dj Joseph F. F Smith president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints who will speak today to at Fw least assembled Mormons jei lL r k tI n J tg cr- cr I Ji J- J cr i l S SS S v r j v 4 r rW W AA J 4 5 4 t C e c t O OJ 7 J ft 1 4 J J 1 fi I c 1 r fl- fl I t 5 z I i i 4 i I C I I T t S VM I g 11 1114 14 1 1 I I Ie e I I I 1 I r c f j t Photo by hy Hu t Monroe Studio I 47 I By By th the Giles Engraving Co Joseph F. F Smith Latter Latter-d Latter day y Saint Head Has Seen Every Tree Planted in Salt Lake Valley Every F Foundation Foundation Foun Foun- oun- oun dation Laid for City tures By J. J LEO MEEHAN It Il wn was in tho the office o of President Joseph Jo Jo- seph F F. Smith of or the tho Church of or Jesus Christ of Latter they Saints In August 1913 A number of or advertising agents agento of transcontinental railroads were baIng belag boIng bo- bo Ing lag received b by the venerable head of t the lie 1 Mormons President ent Smith was Wae Ina In In ina a reminiscent mood Sturdily erect h h. h he gazed out of 01 the window of his office onto magnificent South Temple street and across toward the sky line of tall buildings that represented the tho wonderful wonder wonder- ful tul gro growth th of ot th city I have seen ever every tree planted In this valley allo I J have seen the tho foundations laid of ot every structure I have seen en them grow stone ston upon stone tim Um- bar ber r upon timber limber When I came camo into this this valley gentlemen there was noth noth- lag ing ng hero here but sagebrush I have seen this city built from nothing with my own eye eyes Slowly Impressively as though he he- were wera going back over those 1 days days days- happy happ daJ days das s exciting days das blue discouraging discouraging dis die days President days President Smith ut uttered uttered uttered ut- ut these words His auditors among whom the writer was privileged to La bo be one were fascinated We had ad just been on a R. sightseeing tour of Salt Lake City To these visitors as a. well as to tho the local people who were helping to entertain them thorn the thought that this man had bad seen the great city which ro Tre o had Just seen built bunt from sagebrush was indeed food for thought Pioneers indeed to have In a e. single gen generation gen gen- ono one of ot the finest most modern and most beautiful cities In America The unmentioned Incidents of or hardship and sacrifice of or comfort menus means and even life that those words 8 us jested I Will Bless Ble Faithful This morning morning- at 10 o'clock Itt In tha the great Ireat Mormon tabernacle If it events follow tollow lot fol low their usual course that same earna wan n will stand before probably ten thousand of or his faithful spiritual children chIldrez to give th them m his semiannual blessing and and in in instructions In- In for tor their guidance It willbe will Trill willbe be the occasion slon of ot tho the o opening of ot the fifth eighty annual general conference of the church Tuesday April 6 willbe will willbe be he tho the fifth anniversary of ot th the th foundation of or the church by Joseph JO Smith the prophet of whom the pres pta present present ent church leader is 18 a direct descend descend- ant Church historians say that the first real attempt to celebrate the Mormon church birthday was at Independence Mo Io on April 6 6 1833 three years after after tho the church was organized This then was really the tho first annual cont conference rence although the they are dated from the foundation foundation foun foun- dation of the organization Since SInco that time conferences have been held In commemoration of ot the establishment of ot the church practically every cry year Later It became tho the custom to hold tho the an annual annual an an- nual spring conference and also alro a semiannual semiannual semiannual semi semi- annual conference In October This plan pInts Is followed d to the present day and the Latter-day Latter Saints now meet in the spring to celebrate their churchs church's s birthday birth birth- birthday day and to pray for tor the success of ot their crops and again In the fall to lo the unfailing barvest har bar harvest harvest give I e thanksgiving for tor vest which the tho farmers of or the tho state Invariably Invariably In- In variably enjoy Zions Zion's First Conference The first conference In Salt Lake City was held helel In the fall tall of 1847 in an old structure called The Tho Bowery Bower which was ono one of oC the theer er very first buildings building erected In Iii the valley Alley under the dIrection direction tion ion of ot Brigham ham Youn Young It W was a public pub pub- public lic tic meeting house Here Hero the mere handful of oC the faithful who had braved the tho desert and who then faced the po possibility pos pos- of death by starvation or by bythe bythe bythe the Indians who still Infested the valle valley val val- thanks The They were le Ic ley met and gave Ja thankful because they had bad found their homo home At the the conference this morning will willbo he bo members o of the church from all allover over the state of Utah which was still gUll a wilderness when that first conference was held And there will be members member pre present ent who have come to attend the of or orthe meeting from froni almost every corner the globe lobe missionaries who have hae been sent forth to preach In-ench the Mormon gospel gos gos- ospel os- os pel pet to all peoples nail and all nil nations They They- will come In palatial vessels that carried carried car car- tho the oceans in luxurious luxurious lux- lux lux luxurious ried them across urious comfort at tremendous speed They The will como come upon railroad tr trains in inor of or such magnificence as was w yet Undreamed undreamed undreamed un un- dreamed of or when that first conference was held The They will sIlI be there to hear leader who tho the spiritual advice of their has in his own lifetime seen a all these recalls Salt Sall- who vividly things grow Lake Lake ka CIt City as a dreary discouraging expanse of or parched sagebrush and alkaline earth Old Tabernacle Built In 1852 under the direction of ot PresIdent President Pres- Pres Brigham Young the master Plo Plo- Ident residents residents resi- resi what is 18 known to the tho older dents acer neer as the old was was- erected on the present site of the assembly assembly as- as halt hall ii In the temple grounds and tan fall conferences conferences con con- the spring After that date late which replaced were held the tho In bowery bower this building ot of f the madof made mad was The structure days early erected with such adobes and of at Jude stone stono then had hadas crude tools toots an lS the pioneers available 1864 I the present taber taber- early as As ot of structures wonder or of the nacle one and amI tamed famed In continent the America land for Its elous acoustics every ery has inspired in- in that thal n or organ and its with its melodies was millions It was completed corn com later Three years cars begun band ot of and the ever er growinG time faithful met In It for the first the tho first fall conference con can the 1867 for tor in October have now which or of the tho many ference history the tho buildings building's been written In Since that date data semiannual tn In held there Ott have ha been conference tn In re recent nt fact almost every capacitY of 0 the mm years ears the tha vast ast seating inadequate iO to hold has been auditorium that have as- as eat the great meetings In the as- as han hall Overflow and on the tho temple grounds have been necessary Roi Rose to Presidency ot of thuG these nIl And to almost for him it was to all at which Joseph F Smith to President attend faithful member ot of his has gone as a one of the twelve apostles church chUlch or of Chosen the thc church AS smith head ot of the great Ot or- became stands as Its leader leLder Ito Ho Will again probability today and aTil In all this morning morning- morningto to people his go before and advise theta them with theta them counsel cO their future futuro concerning manS la is a a. simple man President Smith associates lots to the lila his close ot of staid aid one week He d da d last st writer realizes real reat He man Is t a great he not the church that makes is izes that It Without his him him a great nina man he would with be nothing this simple dignity that is 11 It Smith carries his vast ast power Joseph eph F F. Jo of oC the Mannon and trust n. n as president C |