Show DISCOURSE B cider elder eider GEORGE georae A SMITH sail SAll Tir tabernacle Taberna cie elf f 0 louday afternoon murch march lot loy 1461 lagi jio jho 1 REPORTED ED by BV JOHN V vios LO ngi nai 01 I 1 hilse arise before xou vou ou brethren on oil be the present occasion with aheart a heart full of 0 gratitude gral grai tude thour to oun our heji heavenly enly eniy fa her for his manifold blessings unto us im for our pres ovation and the light of hll hit countenance that has sh ne apoi us to enable us uso 0 o understand so much ot of truth as h bas has been taught unto us or at leaa so much as aa we have hase been capacitated to receive that e eabe the storms lower upon the earth which dord lord is ab ut to sweep with the besom of destruction we are d to stand in the ers of the mountains while the indigena the almighty uron upon uj upon on the wicked passes over ovir U from the time tiu tio e that we vie entered this villey valley to 6 the present moment I 1 have never cae con em empl plated aled our position without feeling to or the place prace that the lord had preserved for his saint for he the natural forti fortl i ases that be had c anstr act ed arid and for the the had revealed to enable ui to d beope and to bring from t e earth the nices necessaries saries sarles of life and more abundantly for the privilege of pati p in the enjoy anent of the principles and blessings of our hiv bal religion 0 uninterrupted by ahbe who are without our toll toilsome some bome journey across the plains the ties that we had to encounter IH making fregi a settlement were such as are aled in 16 the history of mail maii mankind kind ren rendered so by the ze e isilta of conveying our provisions provi lons ions over a desort for tor or upwards of a thousand aniles miles you WT may search the astory of the whole hole A h bitable habitable globe in vain to find a parallel we were guided by the hand of the lorl lori from the be ginnif g of this great work this people commenced to radiate forth from th s place cities began to rise up branches were A ere organized new nw towns sprung up into being new va leys have been and still are be ng dg discovered and other advantages caned ganea up to the present morn mom nt with a corresponding correspond mg ratio of increase which is truly astonishing P the winter after the pioneers arrived here in 1847 a was appointed to examine th a valety and to ascertain ascer talia how bow much I 1 and could be irrigated after a careful examination they reported eight hundred acres was all that could be cultivated for fok want 0 i water and the result is as many thousand are now cultivated you might inquire into the th condition of oher oher valleys and you would be invariably told that the whole country was a barren desert alis was the case ath fork and various other places that are now the most frile the L rd has opened our eyes that we can see and unde s and the nature c f the facilities that surround us that we can produce the finest of grain and make ourselves hapl haply y in the earliest days of 0 the church the elders A were ent sent forth with a report that those who were in the easte n lands flee to the and we continued to flee from the eastern ianda lahda towards the mountains and we have continued to do so and at tue present time we above all other people upon the face of lf the kaith haith have cause to rejoice while turmoil dis dle di content ani bloomah d are increasing u on the earth we are at deac we present the spectacle of a people inhabiting a country flourishing as a reward for our industry the princ ples pies of the everlasting gospel being in established in the minds minda ot of the people and he people bin bing b ing united there is no power in existence that a able to interfere with or mar the community it has bas been my privilege for the tue last six weeks to spend my time in tra traveling and preace sing ling in the southern set leme ts tsin in compa y with elder joseph A young now I 1 member remember rp the time that all aj the saints in kirt lahd could have assembled ii ia one of those lit fit ie j school houses that I 1 have been preaching xing Aing in of late and thy they would biot tot ot have been crowded cro vi ded either during our absence we have traveled eight hundred and fifty miles mlle that is is going south and north via ting el all the settlements south I 1 of sanpete San pete we have attended some f orty forty three meetings to accomplish this we had to make long iong days traveling elgh een hours in a day in consequence of deep snow an I 1 we have tasted of the variety of tempe ratu e with which the lord has blessed ulah udah from the frimid frigid to the torrid zone on a our return up the rim of the basin from the settlements of the rio virgin and santa clara clar we e appreciated the change moie mote than I 1 we ed did in rig g ing down the brethren are in good spirits with few exception exceptions sr tb til r were a few places alere we had bad to stay aad and settle some difficulties they expressed a wi wil wll il dingness lin ling gness to do right ani arll they were very glad to see us and although in mid winter they would crowd together and add in fact they ap peare eared 1 to enjoy our oan visit more than it if them they iad ead had known knova n we were cor cot co i in inz faz it is ia generally understood T that all nations are arc desirous of getting under their control both a northern and a southern climate this i 1 desirable in all nations we found that the brethren in wa washington shing shina ton county had again good quality of cotton which wo ild be highly creditable in any ott other otter er country we have als ais 9 so soi BOI 1 and climate that will pr duce tobacco as fine as is grown in virginia it if only needs to be cultivated i now div M ere e to take a man from the broad pr prairies irl lri of missouri or illinois and show him t the h arow narrow flats fiats of the rio virgin he would b be e apt pt to 0 describe it as aa a certain member of congress described the louisiana purchase made jeffe sophe paid that it was a mel met e t at it was not rot a belt nor a garter but a 8 amply 1 stairl mere trin avest of river thai that bows stows how bow little a congressman in mr mi r Jeffer jeffersons time knew of the valley of the mississippi such is the feeling in relation to the limited extent of arable arabie land in the southern part of our y the field of operation for the production 0 of a y of cot on is within our reach many of us ch ose to use tobacco a d we co jd id save tr fr m going out of the territory every year it if we would raise these articles within ourselves I 1 am well known as one who is in favor of letting this article of tobacco alone it is said i that many buffered suffered arre for the want of it than hey hey did for bread in th time of famine if wemusa have it I 1 am in favor of layng plans to au produce it within ourselves seeing thattie th atthe lord has given us the alimae cl imae now the production of coton co ton in washington banny eu nyia is no longer a matter of uncertainty it can be prod produced andas andas men enter into the business they will gradually learn how to manage it experience shows that thae as we plant the seed sect year after year it becomes naturalized to the climate and we raise a better article and mere of it every year this may also be said of grain la in this territory wheat and corn in pai pal li ti cular many settlements have arisen within the las few years that are i ow in a flourishing condition I 1 visited one deseret city on the nevii r where they are raising an abundance of wheat and other grain we org nihed a branch of one hundred and twelve members and a good feeling appears to exist there the thel so I 1 is of the best quality and there is a prospect of it being one of the granaries of the mountains there is a spirit of waking up among the people at the present time to their own interests and we if are in regard to I 1 rome ome product products i ns durn burng the last two to or three years there ha has s been such a vast influx of m r h a n dis the goo is in marlet market being ead easily 0 obtained bt a ind hat bat has had a tendency to cause the people to negi ct lome productions and they have exerted their ingenuity to pro cure means to buy what they needed instead of producing it this feling fueling is now dying away to bome extent and we find the people busily at work to produce those thir things gs which they need for their own us KB and they do not f feel eel to depend any longer upon a foreign market B ethren and sisters enters th work that is before us requires our undivided exert ons and our best besl economy and industry and when we undertake to do a work we ph h uld do it with an eye single to the glory of god and a determined zal zeal z zai al to do his will ivill to ive give lve in accordance cor dance with his ordinances I 1 i taking up the book of doctrine and covenants and anti looking at the commandments and promises premises premi preci ses gibu through joseh joseah sal h I 1 am led to r rei rel oice olce 1 with somewhere som ethere has evidently been beell a 10 doubt ab ot their fulfill fulfil ment and the ida that there was as a p of the saints ever going to live in jackson county why say gay a a y bome soine t is full of missourians Missour ians many of tt cm poss asing the most hostile feelings which they have nourished for years past the driving of the saints from their homes by the people of miss missouri uri and he the great greaf prosperity that has attended this people has elci ed a kind of apprehension that at some time or other the mormons cormons Mor mons naly nayl would take a n tion to go 0 o back to root them out of their bomes homes fear occasionally takes hold hoid of them out a ill there is that same deadly hatred among ilem biem them towards us which they possessed and in cons consequence ence enge of tha many mahy have coni considered dered that I 1 it would be immoss ble for the Saints ever to go back to thit tbt land arid arld inherit it and build the temple that has bren promised and commanded to be built notwithstanding the reve actions that had been given to bui liui d a temple the breth en were prevented torn fulfilling f ul filling it in consequence of tlde tile appo ilton liton of their enemies or foolishness or care ersness in the breasts of many who were called to act with the prophet joseph p when the saints were driven when the saints S were dr ve ven n from the united states we could not see why but those who have any light in them can see now if we were in missouri we should be obliged to take ldes ijes in the pres pros ent lamentable a rife rite of brother against brother if we were ere there ther we would be lui lri inconstant con trouble tile the pres preb rit nt a s ate of anarchy should show us u that it is impossible to settle settie their difficulty peaceably they may strive 0 divide and nd male an amicable division but it will end in the mos most awful bloodshed it Is possible impossible to avoid it their determined will and their hatred to each other aher are such auch that they cannot be the hatred with which they hated us has turned upon each other and it will continue contin wi upon them in such h a manner that they cannot avoid it and sc y and d manner by it will be like it was with the ja es and the Nep Nephi hites teg when they became divided ivi ivl ded deJ they were determined to ate ite each 0 oher ober her they reso ved ted on the ai of 0 e party or the other and it ended in the extermination of both you iron in the book of ethe rin the book f mormon and you vr 11 find it after they hey had sla n two iwo millions of people the king of one of t tho contending parties tiled his very best t cpr curs cura pace and cease the she ding of blood Corian timur orf off t ed red shiz if he would g ye ve peace to the people he would give his hla kingdom 0 o shiz would not consent to peace uness Corian corlan timur would come and be slain by he hand band and anul sword of shiz then te t e people were again stirred up to battle and fought il all were a ain except him whom the prophet of G d had bad sali bali should not die by the sword icord from the spirit that isalow is now manifest it is not impels ble bie f fi r like scenes to be again menaced upon this con continent tinen it is just judt as easy I 1 contend for the lord to cause ause the saints to return and build the tem term yle yie in J ackson county as it was for the lord 0 bring us into this wilderness or to frus trus r ate the powers of our enemies here in thib this errit oy as most roost of you have se n when peo people ie shall have learned to do the will of our Fat fatherland herand heraud to be united in all things then hen will be brought about the credic tion that the wicked shall slay tb the e wicked the b e tt time m e i is not far distant when the ed of r a all ali n nations a ns will come frem trem the east tast and from the west from the north and from the south and claim protection from the saints 1 of the most high god it is h gh time for the saints to be awake and on on hand to perform their duties and live up to their calling as saints of god doin doln al alir things required at their hands bands that the igat light of truth may constantly shine in our minds tb only thing that we h ve to fear is tha that the ibb IL saint saints a do not realize the importance of their position and that they will n not at le ie awake to the duties that devolve upon them 1 0 the time is nigh wh n thousands anti anel tens of thousands of our enemies and their children will come to crave protection tion of this thia people there are many persons who have haze ha e read the revelations of joseph joaeph smith that have had misgivings in relation to them and they hae haa feared that they were true but thy they did not fe I 1 quite willing to beli believe belleve eve evo that they would be literally ful fui fulfilled fille f 0 or i r if they did they dared not conless confess confess it I 1 any persons blat t at have looked at the accounts pub fished in our papers can carl see how bow rapidly and how easily the lord can accod accomplish lish his wark he does nt mt w sh us ui tc go ans and slay our enemies but he wants us to be upon the watch tower he aits ai ts us to build towers temples houses and every esery everything thin t that hat will make us comfortable forta torta for table blei biel also to p plant I 1 an t vine aids and 0 ive ya ds and to watch over them but when it comes to the wicked slaying the wicked he has chrs far caused the wicked to slay tle tie wicked the saints have been and doubty BJ as always will be i e spared this trouble but ut hey wi I 1 have to fa tace face dangers in many instances to lay down their lives for the sake and to such the lord will give crowns of glory and end ess lifee life even to all those that tha live according to the principles of eternal life but bub B u we v need eed m n t expect crowns of glory in in tb this I 1 ilfe life i e the ba bass e is of light and life that are in the midst of the saints are only to be had by living for them by living our reli glor there are hundreds and thousands abat are arg willing to fight for their religion the things that are arc required regi ired are for us to live our daneli i ell eil gion walk in accordance with the les ies of honesty and justice that the light of the thi holy spirit may rilay continually shine i pon us and that our religion shill shall be the upper uppermost MOLt thing in our minds I 1 all the day log I 1 ve frequently suffer ourselves to be bound by earthly co side bide durations de rations so BO that we neglect our duties and arld attend to some small mattefs matters and we thereby become careless and indinger ent but of this we should be very cartful cr fui ful when I 1 first settled at parowan carowan Pa rowan in the thie county of iron the la ilard |