| Show S CONFERENCEJ II I I i I tin Immense Crowd in I ittenflance OVERFLOW MEETlt President Woodruff Publicly Thanks President Harrison FOR HIS ACTION TO JOS F SMITH lull Report of the Two Days Meetings Jloat of the Authortica Hold Forth The sixtysecond semiannual conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints convened in the tabernacle Sunday Sun-day morning at 10 oclock Many strangers who attended conference nd aw the throngs of people on the streets may not know that the event that brought them together was the semiannual celebration of the organization of the church which occurred April 0 3S30 Every April and October the members of the church meet in conference to receive instructions and admonitions from the heads of the church and counting that they havo met every six months since their organization organiza-tion the conference that opened Sunday was the one hundred and twentythird that I has been called Seldom has a conference opened under more favorable auspices The stormy weather of the week previous had settled into the most del lrhtful Indiansummer the air was balmy the streets free from dust and every condition favorable for an immense gathering And an immense gathering turned out The Sunday afternoon at the Tabernacle during conference is usually the test of attendance i at-tendance and last Sunday has rarely if ever been excelled in the way of crowds At 2 o clock the groat building was crammed to suffocation all the aisles were blockedand the great fringe of space around the gallery was crowded with standing people An overflow meeting was announced for the Assembly Hall adjoining and this was Jammed up in five minutes After all this there were at least a thousand people standing stand-ing near the door and sauntering about the yards The gathering of the heads of the church was scarcely less notable For the first time in many years the head quorum of the church the First Presidency was united and Presidents Woodruff Wood-ruff Cannon and Smith occupied the stand together Besides these there were present of the council of twelve aptStles Lorenzo Snow Franklin D Richards Francis M Lyman Heber J Grant John W Taylor Mariner W Mer I rid Anton H Lund and Abraham H Cannon Can-non patriarch John Smith of the presiding presid-ing council of the seventies Seymour B Ycung C D Fjelsted B H Roberts ana George Reynolds of the presiding bishopric bish-opric William B Preston and John R Winders The presidents of stakes bishops and other authorities from stakes and branches all over the west occupied the usual places Stephens greatchoir nearly 400 strong I furnished the music even after forty or fifty voices were sent over to help the overflow meeting enough remained to make a volume of sound most inspiring Twice during Sunday led by the choir and organ the whole vast concourse arose and rendered congregational hymns Talk of congregational singing I Rev DeWitt Talmape could have heard it he might have been persuaded that even his fashionable Brooklyn tabernacle congregation might have gained some pointers At 10 oclock in the morning the congregation congre-gation was called to order by President George Q Cannon Tho choir and congregation sang the hymn commencing How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord Is laid for your faith in His excellent word The opening prayer was offered by Apostle M W Merrill On the mountain tops appearing I Lo the satreii herald stands was sung by the choir The conference was addressed by President Wiitord Woodruff who said My heart is filled with gratitude grati-tude to God my Heavenly Father for the clessings that I enjoy I is over seven years since the Presidency of this church and as many of the twelve apostles have occupied this stand until today and I feel that we have all reason to thank God and rejoice in His name for the blessings and privileges that we enjoy this glorious morning God bless President Harrison for exercising exer-cising his official clemency in liberating President Joseph F Smith and I am thankful thank-ful that Brother Smith is with us today I any also God bless every other man liothor he bo Jew or Gentile Catholic or Protestant judge or juryman who has lent his name to this and not only liberated President Smith but many of our brethren who have the privilege of sitting Bore with us on this occasion I hope there is no harm in that thought or feeling for that is the wav I do feel at this time Mv heart is lull ii gratitude and blessing to my fellowmen fellow-men for all the good they have done Everything that leads to good and to do coodis of God and everything that leads to evil and to do evil is said to te of the wicked one I feel that all of us have reason rea-son to rejoice before the Lord for the deliverance de-liverance and blessings which Ho has wrought among us I rejoice in the union which exist among us as a presidency of this church and the twelve apostles These are bodies of men who of all men under heaven ahould be united in the work of the Lord in which we are engaged I do not believe there ever has been a body of men bolee any age of the world who as a general thin are moro united and happy than are those today and while we are hero assembled as-sembled together I hope and trust that we may have the inspiration of Almighty God with us in our teachings in our Instruct I tons in our counsels We shall call upon our brothers to address us and I say in the name of the Lord let us all havo peace President Joseph F Smith Of himself felt very weak and incap ableof addressing so vast a congregation as he now saw before him ho felt exceedingly exceed-ingly humble in the sight of God He desired to say that his faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ had undergone but one change since be met with tho Saints there before The change that bas como upon my oe faith since 1 had the privilege of last meeting with you is that my faith is much more fervent as much stronger as as much more determined as it is passible for it to have crown in the laps of seven and a bal years That is the only change that has como upon my faith in regard to the principles of the gospel Ho desired to exhort his brethren and slsaers to be just as faithful as it was possible pos-sible for them to be from this time hence t forth and forever They had received the truth inasmuch as they had embraced the A gosnel that had been restored to the earth in this dispensation through the Prophet I Joseph Smith After enlarging upon the subject C faith I in God the speaker went on to say that during his exile he enjoyed perfect liberty I because the gospel of Jesus Christ was the I gospel of liberty and whoever received It i was free indeed though he be in chains in bondage or in prison I made no differ once as to that He was free because God made him so and thero was no freedom greater than this In conclusion the speaker exhorted the Saints to bo faithful humble and diliEent in the performance of all their duties never wavering nor faltering in the least but remaining steadfast in the principles of the gospel Then God would bless and prosper them and thoir children after them from generation to generation President Georse Q Cannon said it was a glorious thought that in the midst of affliction sorrow and trial that they had a friend so powerful as the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob whom they served He knew and could bear testimony that God was pleased with the Latterday Saints and had accepted of their sHe s-He had recognized their fidelity to his cause their determination to do that which was required of thorn There were many things yet to be accomplished and they would be done in the good time of the Lord Though the Latterday Saints numbered num-bered thousands yet they were but few compared with tho great family of man They could not however pride themselves with the reflection that this blessinn was for them alone God was just as willing to remove doubt and uncertainty from every other heart as Ho had been to remove it from theirs He was not a partial God but when they saw how te inhabitants of the earth wandered and dulled in all manner of speculation concerning God and eternity and then reflected upon what God had revealed to the Latterday Saints it I should fill them with inexpressible joy and thanksgiving for the mercy that He had I shown unto them and for the light and intelligence in-telligence which He had poured out upon them as members of His church The choir sang Pilgrims Chorus Benediction was pronounced by Patriarch I Patri-arch John Smith AFTERNOON SESSION Sunday October 3 The choir and congregation sang Now let us rejoice in the day of salvation No longer as strangers on earth need we roam Good tidings are bounding to us and e ch nation And shortly the hour of redemption will conic Prayer by Elder Seymour B Young Singing by the choir Jesus once of humble birth Now in glory comes to earth Once He suffered grief aLd i ain Now He comes on earth to reign The sacrament of the Lords supper was administered the priesthood of tho First ward Salt Lake city officiatng President Lorenzo bnow addressed the conference Most of the saints had realized their anticipations re garding the manifestations they expected when they embraced the gospel Ho was acquainted with the prophet Joseph Smith and his brother the patriarch and othors over fiftyfive years ago He became satisfied satis-fied that i there was any truth in the claims of any religion the principles taughtby those men were correct Tho time was near at hand when tue saints must again endeavor to do away with the class distinctions which Iave grown up in our midst and become one in all things Apostle Franklin D Richards was the next speaker V7e need never have any doubt concerning this work The man who was honored as the instrument of introducing it into the world was a servant ser-vant of God He received it from Jesus Christ our Savior Gees children are of little account before be-fore they have been tried and have faithfully faith-fully endured When we have learned to take everything as it comes and yet have the firm determination I and my house will serve the Lord when we can give up everything and do tuis UP it behooves the servants of God then we are prepared to receive all things back again as ours which are not so now Let us then go on and uoep the commandments of God We need more of the Spirit of the Lord if we wish to see our way through all trials and difficulties culties The choir sang an anthem President Wilford Woodruff addressed the congregation and refuted some of the slanders that have been hurled against the people of God even by prominent promi-nent men who have visited the territory He made an eloquent appeal for liberty of conscience The Latterday Saints accord to all men freedom to worship God according accord-ing to the dictates of their consciences and we ask for ourselves only what we are willing ling should be enjoyed by others The speaker wished the blessings of God to rest abundantly on the conference and all the people A u r aposue ouuu II mjior said God called upon all men to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins Those who bore this message should keep themselves in purity I the young have sinned let them repent and the Lord would forgive them They should keep out 01 saloons for it was sinful to eat and drink with the drunken They should refrain from the use of tobacco to-bacco and other things which the revelations revela-tions of the Lord said were not good forman for-man Tne revelations of tho Lord Jesus Christ wore given daily through his servants serv-ants to His peoule The greatest desire of the Saints should be to do the will of our Heavenly father and keep His commandments command-ments May we have wisdom firmness and faith sufficient to enable us to endure unto the end The day or the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ was at hand Those who should stand at that time would be those who are free from the sins of the world The choir sang Awake 0 my soul ton Benediction by Bishop William B Pres Overflow Meetlnel 1 An overflow meeting was held in the Assembly hall at 2 p m Apostle F M Lyman presided The speakers were Apostle Heber J Grant Bishop O F Whitney Apostle A H Lund and Elder B H Rooorts Second Day Monday October 5 MORNING SESSION The choir and congregation sang Do what is right the day dawn is breaking Hailing a future of freedom and light Angels above us are silent notes taking Of every action do what i right Prayer by Elder John D T McAllister I Singing by the choir I Lo I the mighty God oppearing From on nigh Jehovah speaissl I Apostle Francis M Lyman was the first speaker He said the gospel they have received commends itself to the honest courageous and independent everywhere every-where It embraces all truth I requires courage to believe m the Father Son and Holy Ghost and repent of sin A coward will not repent It needs force of character char-acter to live right combat sin in himself and do the will of God We seem to be inclined in-clined to love evil and gratify ourselves The gospel requires selfdenial taking un the cross and following Christ and being like Him We arc apt to conclude that it is impossible to do right But the gospel requires that we should be honest virtuous and charitable The church is sixtyone years old and most of its members have been within its fold over twentyone years Should we not now be able to show the results of maturity and exhibit an example ex-ample to all people that would bo the admiration of the whole world 1 I We are not expected to make any excuses when we are required to perform any duty but to do what is required by the priesthood priest-hood The elders should be men who do not need to be exhorted to do right They ought themselves to be comforters and exhorters ex-horters and their conduct should be harmonious har-monious with their teachings The world is looking upon this people and we are nor no-r ticed as a community Many visitors come here to see us Do they see an improvement improve-ment among the people in relation to temperance tem-perance and observing the Sabbath Do they see a growth of love among us in our families and in all our associations with I each other Families ought to be united Wives and husbands should live in union I and the children should not be alienated i from their parents The young men ought to be taught to take part in family prayer Fathers should not monopolize the performance per-formance of this important duty It is un i lair to send young men into the world I without some experience Those who are I advanced should teach them their duties If the young are brought into active service serv-ice there will be discovered in them the power of God The presidents of stakes I and bishops should give attention to this subject Apostle Heber J Grant was the next speaker and said I desire the advancement of the kingdom of God I above all things on the face of the earth All the Saints wish to know the mind of God that they may keep His commandments command-ments While we may make mistakes and cause our sincerity to be doubted if we have the selfconsciousness of desiring tho selconsCousness progress of the work of the Lord we still stand firm and will endure The criticism of a mans own consciousness is more exact than that of others in relation to him It is our duty to bow in prayer for the light of the Holy Spirit to beam upon us as a guide Wo should also seek the counsels of those who preside over us Something has been said about loading brethren being engaged in business pursuits Criticisms in relation to myself have been indulged in by some people I have not engaged in anything of this character without the approval ap-proval of the brethren Men have various I gifts Some aro more spiritual than othors But be this as it may so lone as we labor with an eye to the welfare of the work of I God we are in the right path We know that we are engaged in the work of God I have shed tears of joy because of the testimonies tes-timonies which I have received from the Lord concerning His cause Let us learn to be loving kind and forgiving for this disposition brings peace and contentment Apostle Mariner W Merrill The gospel has done a great deal for us This can be seen at once when we compare our former situation with the circumstances circum-stances now surrounding us Beware of faultfinding with those who are over you i Dont judge iach other unless you are appointed ap-pointed io do it Be honest with each other All our agreements no matter who they may be made with should be strictly fulfilled If we do this all people will have confidence in us Th6 Latterday Saints should not forget thoir dead millions of whom are waiting for us to do a work for them We will meet them in the future I and the question may be asked as to what i we have done for them I we cannot I make a satisfactory explanation wo will be ashamed This is an important and mighty I work It pertains to us and our kindred These things should be remembered for there is a reality behind the vail as there is here How joyful wo will be if when wo meet our dead we havo done all we WI 1 could in their behalf The choir sang Let the mountains shout for joy After which tho congregation joined in singing the Doxology nediction by Elder Joseph E Tailor AFTERNOON SESSION President George Q Cannon opened the services by announcing the hymn The spirit of God like a fire is burning The atterday glory begins to come forth Prayer by Elder B H Roberts The hymn was announced as follows Lord Thou wit hear me when I pray I am forever Thine Apostle Moses Thatcher I desire very much the aid of your prayers pray-ers as I have not been accustomed to speaking speak-ing to such a large audience I regret I could not be with you from the beginning of this conference I feel tho sprit of God with us this afternoon You have been edified by many speakers during this conference i con-ference I have nothing special to speak of i this afternoon but I know this is a busy time and all who wish to can work I will relate a story When the Powell expedition expedi-tion went down the Colorado canon they ton had boats with airtight compartments so they would not sink When these boats were drawn into a whirlpool and sucked down they would soon appearabout a hundred hun-dred feet below This has an application We must have our air tight compartments made from doing right and when we are sucked down vre will soon appear again and not stay under If we do what is right in whatever busi I ness we engage in we will be able to hold our heads abovu water We are always in danger of turning our thoughts upon the acquiring of riches Though there is no evil in riches themselves the possession of them may make us blind to some of our duties The temptations around us aro now worse than formerly but if tho people peo-ple keep their work in view thero will bono bo-no danger of falling by the wayside I God should bestow on this people riches the only danger would be that the gift i would be worshipped instead of tho giver which would be extremely improbable The Lord has said this people will be at the head of the earth and to my mind there is no more powerful factor to remove the evils that surrounds us than the acquirement acquire-ment of riches by the people But should we acquire riches would wo worship the gift or tho Giver I we would worship the latter riches woula be a blessing for centralization of wealth gives a power not otherwise to be acquired A man of our religion may be scoffed at because of his belief but i he is wealthy he will command com-mand a certain respect that will help him in his work Our missionaries know these valleys to be as blessed as any on earth and aro always al-ways glad to return to them for they know prosperity in to be found in them A commercial com-mercial traveler once said in my hearing that the leaders of this church kept the people peo-ple poor by having them pay tithing and that they rolled in wealth and spent the tithing money I took him to task for this and other accusations and asked him a few questions first quoting to him the saying of an eminent Republican who spoke in the Salt Kake theatre some time ago and who said that the third in rank of the states and territories as to culture and tho education educa-tion of the people I asked him I there was a state of the Union where there could be found tho pro portion of people who owned their homes that there could be found in Utah I then asked him about the state of the people of Utah as to their prosperiay and he then said be had had the information given him by different people and could not tel what truth there was in his statements Our missionaries have gone wherever there was a civIlized people to be found on the face of the earth and all the Saints who have boon gathered have been ta ght by the elders as well in temporal in spiritual matters All who have come from the old I world to Utah as Saints have been sent I here comfortably and cheaply and have been received hospitably by the Saints upon their arrival This people has not been driven by their leaders as a flock of sheep as some people say and our condition is better today than that of any people on the face of the earth and it will be as long as wo are guided by the spirit of this religion Capital does not array itself against labor in these valleys and when theie two forces come to open hostilities in the world these valleys will bo one of the peaceful spots of the globe l that the leaders of this church ask is t > i f + t > i Tfinnlfi will fnllnw thorn nnd thntr will follow Christ l We may seek fame or glory but there is only one path to God and that is t resist temptations In the name of Jesus Lot our motives be good and let us separate the good from the evil There a reward for all the good and a retribution for all the bad in the hereafter May Zion grow and prosper is my prayer President Gilford Woodruff then arose and said he was gratified to seo so large a congregation assembled to listen to the words of wisdom which would fall from the mouths of the divinely inspired speakers He then said ho would give his opinion on some of tho temporal matters of the church God created everything the earth the sun the moon the stars the animals and plants of the earth and lastly He created man to dwell thereon Father Adam He created and gave him sovereignty over tho beasts of the field and over the plants of I the earth But Adam had his A t1 xj I temporal matters to attend to and tho apostles and men of God from the apostes days of Adam to the days of Christ have had to deal more or less with matters temporal tem-poral As it was in those days so it hs become in our day I believe our that although the leaders of this j the stake church the first presidency presidencies and the apostles have many I temporal matters to attend to i called upon to do so would willingly give up their riches or would even lay down their lives if they could help this cause lves i Wo have given up our lands into the which had hands of the receiver lands reCOver been put aside for the poor of the church But notwithstanding this fact many thousands thou-sands of dollars have been expended to help out the people who have gotten themselves them-selves into trouble Some one had to build I the school and meeting houses and some had to take care of the poor As our enemies would not do this the LatterDay Saints have had to do i and as a consequence conse-quence this amount of money has been expended ex-pended The LatterDay Saints because Qf this and of many other things in that line have to give much attention to their temporal affairs God Is not displeased with any who pays attention to these matters mat-ters if they are useful but i they are selfish he will be exceedingly displeased President George Q Cannon I feel to rejoice in the proceedings of today to-day and I trust all who have attended the conference today and on other days have beon repaid I think all can afford to leave their occupations to como here during a conference for I think tho time we shall spend here will not be lost to any of us for we would feel refreshed for renewed exertions ex-ertions The officers of the church have been trying ever since we came to these valleys to convince the people that the policy advocated by the leaders which we are pursuing and which was and is advocated advo-cated is the best one for the people President Young advised the people t stay here and not KO to California for he said they would be better off if they stayed This has been proven and thougu the counsel of the official heads of the church may seem to conflict with our common sense we should always follow i for it has been proven that the counsel of the heads of the church has always been best for tho people to follow The old residents of the territory know l that where the peoplo have followed the their leaders they have counsel of prospered pros-pered and where they have not they have not prospered Many of the delegates to the irrigation congress expressed their admiration of the methods ot irrigation in vogue here and many of them said they had received its sons that they would apply in their own countries We have a batter wjy of dis pjsiug of our water than have the people of many other countries There is no place where so many people own their homes as dp the people of Utah ThiR mining of men who learned from us 0 irrigaion seems to be the 1 eginning of the ecu ior it has been said in mis Scriptures i Scrip-tures that man will come to this people to learn wisdom They who observe will see the old are getting rich in spite of the persecutions we have undergone and i the people will examine ex-amine they will see wo have increased in wealth in tho midst of these persecutions of tho latter years The Lord is showing us he can increase our wealth i he wishes We cannot serve God and Mammon at the same time but must servo only ono or them tme all know the circumstances by which we are surrounded In consequence of the chances that have taken place much business is unsettled and many have been made to change their employment and many others have been thrown out of em ploymouti I wish to impress it on your minds that there aro many in our midst who are in destitute circumstances and that we should provide for them from out of our prosperity We are about to have an inclement winter and we should take to heart the lessons of the Savior and make the poor glad in Zion Jesus labored for and i taught the poor We cannol do as we desire de-sire as we are not yet prepared for what we desire hut we have been given all things which conduce to the happiness of man I thought when we reached this valley I val-ley i we could have only bread and water we should be happy hen we came hereto here-to this valley we could breathe freely and I thought that wouldbe f nougn But God has made our orchards give us much fruit and our vegetables cannot be excelled and we We have beon given many things have a place that is much richer than the lands we have been driven from There is no need of anyone being in destitute cir cumstances in these valleys where wo nave so much for God designs every human being shall have nil that is necessary for their comfort But through mismanagement mismanage-ment many have not enough for comfort People will say because a man is not care f 1 he does not deserve to be helped by those who have been careful of their means 1 want my children to divide all they have with their brothers and sisters sis-ters no matter what may happen In tho same way God wishes us to divide our substance sub-stance with His children so none shall want Our duty is to help our brethren and sisters in the sight of God for the poor must be cared for and by those who have the substance This is not to be observed ob-served so tho Indolent will bo cared for by I the thrifty but i a man is willing to work and cannot earn his comfort he should bo helpped Though I want to see our schools as high as any in ths lands I want to see the children child-ren get their education by labor so they can earnthoir own living I would rather a boy of mine shonld receive a labor education instead of a book education if he could only have one of the two For a man who can use his hands to work can always take care of himself God bless you all my brethren Announcements were then made that the Sunday School union would meet and of several other meetings wnicn will bo hold during the conference An announcement was also made of the concert to be held and the conference was adjourned until 10 oclock this morning after the choir had sang the anthem Look Up and Put Your Trust In God and a benediction was said by Counselor C W Penrose |
