Show i I I DEFENSE OF POLYGAMY i i Joseph F Smiths Address tot to-t Young Ladies AT THEIRSTAKE CONFERENCE p Hakes the Argument that Truo Vir tuo Is Found in the Men with Plural Wives Pays a Glowing Compliment to Polygamists Mrs Minnie J Snow Has Noted Much Improvement in the Young Women Due to Payment of Tithing She J l Predicts Early Arrival of Savior I At the stake conference of the Y L jl l I A held In the Tabernacle last evening President Joseph P Smith delivered de-livered I I the principal address and In the course of his remarks defended polygamy and denounced adultery say ing that the former was approved by 1 God the latter denounced and condemned con-demned and made punishable by death He denied the charge that the Latter day Saints are adulterers even though they are polygamlsts and said there was no people on the face of the earth who so abhorred adultery as the Lat terday Saints The lower floor of the Tabernacle was filled when the first number on the programme a song Softly Beams the Sacred Dawning by the Temple choir was announced Bishop Whitney delivered the Invocation Invo-cation after which the Temple choir rendered Some Sweet Day Airs Nellie C Taylor president of the Salt Lake stake presided l at the meeting Sirs Maria Y Dougall a member of the general board of the Y L M T A was Introduced ns the Ilrst I speaker Mrs Dougall congratulated the young ladles upon the present prosperous pros-perous condition of their organization said that she wus proud of both the Sons and daughters of Zion and trusted I trust-ed that they would be more faithful in the work of the Improvement association asso-ciation this year than ever before I Mrs Mary B Freeze who was one of the charter members of the Young La dies organization said It had gained strength steadily until now It had exceeded ex-ceeded the wildest dreams of even the most sanguine of Its founders Not one of Its founders ever Imagined that a meeting of the association would be held in the Tabernacle GOODNESS AND TITHING Mr George Pyper was heard to good advantage in a solo Sunshine in the Soul after which Mrs Minnie J Snow said she had noted a marked Improvement Im-provement In a spiritual way among the young ladles of Zion during the past year and said It was due lo the fact that the law of tithing has been more carefully obeyed during the past few months as this was prophesied by the first presidency Mrs Snow expressed ex-pressed the belief that the time was not far distant when the Savior will again mako his appearance on lie earth I that when that time comes many of the young people will be chosen togo to-go and rebuild Jackson county and she advised the young people to prepare pre-pare themselves spiritually temporally and physically for that great time Miss Smith a daughter of President Joseph F1 Smith was not particularly fond of tho unknown Mormons which has been applied to the Saints but sold she felt that sumo of them were not worthy of more than the name of Mormon She besought the young people lo HO live that they would be In every deed Lnllerday Saints Miss Mary Young a daughter of John W Young sang The Promine of Life very sweetly Indeed Then President Smith addressed tho congregation for half an hour or more on the laws of God lie too regretted that there are more Mormons than Latterday Saints He said that the former term was applied to any man associated with the church while they Avero lacking in many of the qualifications qualifi-cations necessary to make them Latter day SninlK He said that Mormonlsin In Its true fensc embraced the pure principles of righteousness of In leg rlty of purity of life and said that neither Ill Father nor the Son require anything of their children that they IheniHehes are not obedient lo DEFENSE OF POLYGAMY Then taking up tho question of adul tery and polygamy President Smith said In part Thou shalt not commit adultery The crime of adultery under the ancient an-cient law of God in Israel was punishable punish-able by death the same as the crime of murder Of course some people say that flirt I TnMftilnv I I < 3iliilci t i I HIT < LI verbial In the world adultery but men have been and are today so ig I norant that thc I they cannot perceive or understand that there is a difference between that which God sanctions and approves and that which lie denounces and condemns They claim that even Abraham and David and the ancient prophets of God to whom God gave wives were ns much adulterers as those who practice promiscuous polyg I I I amy and adultery having wives and children at home There Is a vast dif ference between these and I want lo say It lo the world that there Is not a people on the face of Gods earth who abhor the crime of adultery as do tho Latterday Saints notwithstanding their plural wives and marriages in the past pastI I can point out to you men whom I have known from my childhood and with whom I have been as intimate aft I with my brother and I will afllrm to I I you that these men have never In their I lives trangvessed the law of chastity aa God Almighty revealed It and yet they have had more than one wife And TA want lo loll you thai the man thatr stands before the world and says that he never wronged a woman I Is a man after Gods own heart In relation lo that thing at least He Is pure and he Is moral In the fright of God because he has done no oilier thing except that which he believes III his soul and In his heart according to the Intelligence that he possesses that God has sanc tioned and approved And an to his Intelligence It will compare with the brightest Intellects In the world AH lo their moial conception of character It will compare favorably with that of any living preacher They ire not ig noramuBos They understand the laws the precepts and the power of God and they know that whomsoever God hath Joined together men cannot put asun tier Neither can time nor distance nor death For when God hath joined men and women together It Is I not for time alone but for time and all eternity eter-nity too for the Lord Almighty does not deal with us for lime alone und the Lord Almighty asks nothing of us I except that which he has obeyed him self Jn closing President Smith I appealed I to both young men and young women to lead virtuous lives and said that men should be as virtuous and sinless ns women Horace Ensign I rendered a beautiful I I solo A Dream of Paradise after which Mr Nellie C Little thanked IhoHcwho had helped to make the even ing so HueecHsful The Temple choir sang Shall Wo Meet Beyond the River Riv-er and the benediction was PIO flOUnced by h Joseph E Taylor |