Show priesthood MEETING the bishops in the various settlements deport Ee port the regular monthly priesthood meeting of the utah stake was held in the priesthood room on saturday morning last december ast 1st besides the stake there was a goodly attend ence of the priesthood present president A 0 smoot referred to the lack of statistical reports from some of the wards which necessarily made the stake report incomplete he hoped the negligent wards would attend promptly to this matter in the future the bishops present to make a thorough report of the condition of their wards jj W A mccallough aard the brovo first ward was not in as favorable condition conditi oj as was desired the teachers were dilatory in their labors and the meetings of the various associations were poorly attended counselor jorgen hausen of the second ward made a similar report bishop nephi packard of springville Spring ville felt grieved at some of the conditions existing in his ward the people generally seemed drewsy eo far aa the work of god is concerned bishop jos S tanner of payson said the condition of his ward was similar to the condition of springville Spring ville there was a lack of interest and attend ance at all the meetings except the sunday school co W W hunter in reporting american fork ward said it was a mixed community A portion of the teachers were good and energetic and somewhere some were dilatory the same with the people president smoot stated the presidency of the stake had had under tion for some time the present condition of the people and felt a deep solicitude for their welfare it had been thought that perhaps home missionaries appointed to labor continually among the people to encourage them to works of usefulness might do good and in this connection woodruff had been written to and ha had approved th suggestion consequently there would soon be missionaries appointed to labor amona the people and he desired the bishops to give them what aid they could to help along the work the letter mentioned by president smoot was read president david john was pleased to with the priesthood ha realized the adversary was on aba alert to take advantage of the indita brenca of the saints but it is now high timo that elders in israel and men bearing the holy priesthood should wake up to their duties and be on the watch tower to warn the people of their awful danger of getting into the power of satan president H H cluff approved of the proposed change in the homa missionary system whereby the deop t can be visited at their houses and have the gospel preached to them heretofore the home missionaries have gone on the sabbath day and preached to the people in the various settlements who attended meetings but those who are absent from these meetings do not receive of the word of god from the mouths of his servants while it seems as though the bishops and many odthe priesthood wre involved so much in business that they did not have time to visit the saints at their homes jre berred to the growing tendency of the youth of zion to turn away from the principles of the gospel and the necessity of the labors of the priesthood among them meeting adjourned until 7 p m benediction bv elder karl G maeser |