| Show AV i L 8 M BY P ill joir JORR TAYLOR U I 1 athe vall salt lake assembly sall sail buda sunday suda zater after afternoon oon dec m mw i 1881 1681 ac 1 BY JOHN AM pleased to have the opportunity of meeting with and addressing the saints in this Is place lace since our last conference I 1 rave eave have traveled a great deal among the th a saints in dif rent parts of the Territory I 1 in jn part accompanied by bk same bame some bome ol 01 my tny counsel sel bel and the I 1 Tw rw eye jyle personally within a shorb short time lime I 1 have visited all the leading settlements of the north and south east and west we gestand stand and aud it may not be uninteresting te to you to hear a briefs brief statement of the position which the saints occupy jn n their thein various locations and settie settle settlements ments mente bemuse because we all of us feel more or less interested inathe welfare of all it wab was in view of ims IMA that I 1 felt a desire to visit the saints at their own homes to associate with them at their own fires fi resides ides idea atlease or at least to meet them thorn in their public assemblies it has been very interesting to myself and accompanying brethren to find out the true position tion which the saints occupy tornow wh aft att their standing liels aul aai n relation to their religious views and sentiments and alsoto also aiso to ascertain their moral status and how they conduct themselves not only religiously but socially and then another thing feltro felt feit desirous to understand was the true educational condition condl condi tion of the saints and aud what they were were doing to onra enra onra onea maho naho tho the minds ot the youth and to ta train ithem in the r right aright paths and how now fan far literature science and those principles of ot intelligence which are calculated to id exalt edall and enonie inen men when under proper jn ins fluen cea prevailed d among our people aid ald an d in ii they deported themselves san m regard to all these things ve we have haxe elt the more do dei aya aba his bif because many of tha aan ann from the beat seat 4 the of the church 1 I suppose BO 40 jr ad alsi we wee have been in this territory jn in the adjoining territory of idaho in some portions of wyoming ag and in other othen portions bou sou south bouth 0 that we have not traveled legs less than t from to miles milea in lna ina a d direct course north and south bouth besides aisi ting mearly yearly all the prominent settlements east cast and wes wea tand owr oun our Ie ellig feeling and Impress impressions loiis after visiting the he whole or of the saints in all of meir weir locations 3 aid are to us very in terest mg and so far as the temporal position or 0 the people ia Is concerned they e beem f em to be bt in hi posses of a reasonable share of the good things of life ilfe tihes kheir r habits try and aul perseverance pL their beit belt abnegation the desire to comprehend aud and nd sustain C correct principles ples pies together with the thet blessing of the almighty have tei tiu tended to pro promote m ote their welfare in a temporal point of view i V we do not find gad so many very wealthy wealth y people w there are in some communities but our people peppie BO fan far as our observation goes and we hie have had a pretty fair investigation all these matters are second to none in regard to the oom cum comforts forts conveniences and necessaries of life and perhaps there is no place nor people at least none that I 1 have any knowledge of and I 1 have travelled quite exten liy lly in the world that are better bettee situated as a whole than are the blatter day saints in this and abid the I 1 adjoining territories nor where more of the people dwell in their own homes homed we nind find thousands upon thousands t of f happy homes and the people bhat phat inhabit them are sober industrious frugal and god goa fearing feeling a strong desire to observe the flaws taws laws and keep beep the commandments mand ments theror dand and notwithstanding thi the many aspersions cast upon them ly wicked and designing men inen s they nevertheless evince W strong to observe the laws and institutions of the land wo anve find them theme in possession generally rally raily of good housel housti rearms rf arms orchards gardens and in ciany instances of or cattle sheep horse sand and all ail the appliances of lifee lihew bin hin tend to promote comfort in ab asocial dial lial and family capacity we nind find too that this season has been aitery prosperous one with very lew hep few exceptions 9 throughout the tho territory the tho lor nor ha blessed our labors labor ex atan awan ianda tandi 1 1 I presume that the crops a al qt general thing have been increase dat least lea iea a t 20 to 0 25 5 per cent I 1 think we should be quite safe in paying 20 per cent and this of course tends to make existence more pleasant and agreeable and to enable the vople reo pieto pleto to more easily struggle in the he battle of life in forms forma and phases in addition to this we ue find that they are generally seeking to live their religion and to keep the commandments of god and the various organizations which you have among you here in this city prevail throughout all the settlements of the saints with very few exceptions very few indeed we vve find that the relief belief societies which are ore so active and energetic among you here and which are operating so creditably in looking after the in terest and welfare of the female portion DC DE bur society also exist all over the territory and that there is a creditable eai zeal eal and intelligence without that obtrusiveness which w we a see among many a desire to promote the well being of those with whom they are associated 3 and to td make themselves useful in all the affairs of ilfe life and we feel whenever we find a disposition of this kind to appreciate it we find flud also that our young mens mena and young women Ps mutual improvement associations ciati ons prevail almost everywhere and that there Is a desire to elevate the youth and lift them up from the sloughs of ignorance and darkness and to in implant plant with in thein their minn minds true and correct principled putting them in possession of a knowledge of sc science lence literature aud and the arts and cultivating those principles that are calculated ao to clevah cl evae evne e and ennoble mankind as well aa as to correct their morals and govern them in their religious pursuits we find niso also that ther kimary associations boe soe lations are attended to with the same game vigilance g ilance liance that they are around us here ber and that the most wise wied prudent and intelli intelligent gerlt gerit hadjes are selected for the purpose of supervising per their movements and in teaching the young idea how to shoot we find also that through out the territory our sunday schools bhoola receive that attention wh chiche ich iche we consider all euch such institutions ought to merit and do merit and that the best of men and women are selected fur for their teachers who as we eee take an interest in the elfare welfare vf our rising posterity jt Is not for me to enter into i particulars I 1 merely wish to give a brief outline of these matters all AU of these institutions that I 1 have referred to are in a very creditable position are managed with great caret and many of your old neigh neighbors lorb Lors who used to live her hero 0 in the city both men and women and who were known as high minded honorable persons we find mixed in the various societies throughout the settlements tie tle ments and organizations tiona tlona emering ex ering an influence which is truly trinny interesting ng to all who feel desirous to promote the welfare of Zio zion nand and the building of the kingdom of god upon theearta the earth then in regard to our scholast la af affairs we find that there is very great progress being made in our ourt schools or rather wha what tare are termed our 01 dis I 1 triet schools we nind find that a more intelligent class of teachers la Is beld bein being 9 employed and that with the operations of the normal department of the university sity with the brigham young academy in Provo and other institutions of learning they are arc telling very favorably upon our youth and as better teachers bre ire bre obtained there seems to be a greater greiter desire manifested among the people to acquire intelligence of every kind from the best information that I 1 am able to obtain I 1 suppose there area are at t least lead t thirty normal students turned out every year they are prepared in our out university and in the other scholastic institutions referred to and as these teachers coming from their own counties and peoples return to their several homes properly qualified as instructors they do a gleat deal of good among the cm enin in relation to other in matters such as the building of temples they thuy aire acre are also pro progressing giessing very favorably I 1 need not say eay anything about tho the one we aee sie are building here oj oa are all acquainted with that tho the 1 ho one which is being built in logan logon is now covered coveted in A large force ot of carpenters are engaged in finishing thein their the interior department the thereof ref and aud another year will count very fauvor ably in the work on that structure it is a beautiful building and stamis stands el amis in ina lna a very ivory imposing position on an elevated plateau in cache jache county neki near nean logan about miles from chatin the south in sanpete county there is another tempo tempe being built that also occupies a very ell at ibie elble ible position A veris large amount of jabor labor hab bas been abeen performed in preparing the site elte the point of a mountain has been removed and a great amount of labor has been expended expend ea on the walla walls which surround the temple farming pearly a bernt clr cir circio circle cio clo there are three terraces elevated one above another aa as the gallery may be elevated above the lower part of this thia house they surround the temple being wider of courses course at the lower part and nir narrower as they approach towards the temple A very large amount of means ardd arid labor have been expended in preparing these terraces and aleorn also in preparing the temple tempie the temple itself asat isa iba BeAutiful structure they expect tb to has hai the walia walla up to 16 the square in another benson beason I 1 think they haye have built up the wall this thia yar year pa some bome 23 feet teet itis it ls built of be beautiful paull pauli ful fui white hite rock korat roe roc ar nt least very light clear roch rockland roe roc krand and ia Is hown hewn on the outside where the joints come t together og ether and presents aver a very sery beautiful f ul ard creditable appearance it is interesting too boond to nind find how strongly y the feelings fee lingl of tile the people are drawn out in relation to those edifices they seem to think that no sacrifice is too great to accomplish the object which they have in view indeed in both of these temple districts they seem to take very great pride in prosecuting this thia jabor labor I 1 was informed that the superintendent was a little short of means a short time ago at mantl manti temple and he asked if he must slacken the labor they told him no he be was to proceed with it and I 1 think in a very short time a num number berof of people from diffie different rent parts subscribed bushels of ot wheat to assist in the construction st of the temple and there seems to be gener generally allysA a strong desire a for the accomplishment of this work th the a re religion ligion that we have ed connects time with eternity heaven with earth this world with the next and while the lord luord has revealed unto us what is termed a new now gospel it is the everlasting gospel and hence it is js called the new now and everlasting gospel new indeed to the people of the world but ever lasting la so far as god is concerned and the interests of mankind both living imag and dead for god is interested in ether the welfare of all humanity that has ever lived that now ilyes lives jor JOT that yer yen lyer ver will live Heis reis he is weare we are 2 told the god of the spirits of all aleh h and he has introduced principles which have been made known to us for the benefit of all the principles that we are associated with reach back tack info into eternity and forward into eternity they are not the ideas the theories or notions eions of men they emanate from the tho almighty audin andin regard to the ideas which have been developed pertaining to the past the present and the future none of us can claim ourselves to beahe bethe founders or alfe tife th e originators of any one idea asso elated with the church and kingdom dompf of god neit nelt neither er was wai joseph am ibb lib neither was brigham young neither are a any ny of anybody that tha t now exists or has existed all of these things come from the lord and having pro preceded ceded from him he has dictated the whole matter from first to last we did not receive our ideas ideal from th theologian from any scientist scientists from any man of renown or of position in the world or from any body or conclave of religionists but from the almighty and to him ulm WB we are arti indebted for all ail life all truth and all intelligence pertaining to the past pertaining to the present 1 or pertaining to the future there therefore fore fora we feel our dependence upon him neither are we indebted to any man for any doctrine that we have re ived nor for the organization of ico Ice our church nor for the holy priesthood whether it be the meiches Melches idec idee or the Aaron le all of these proceed frol from ddom the almighty and if he had not riot giver given them we should have been beeg as ignorant of them as others are for they do not gerle gerie generally rally raily comprehend the jaw law the word the will or the design of the aleigh almighty ty for no 60 man k knows the thi things ng of god but by the spirit of god and if it the eather father r did not reveal them we should be very ignorant indeed as are the rest of mankind pertaining to these matters but the time having come to introduce what is term td til the dispensation of the fuin falness ess of times when god lod god would gather together all things in ones one whether they thoy be things in JU heaven or things on I 1 he ilia earth it became necess necessary nty aty because of the ignorance of men because tufey ih ey didiot did not co comprehend m god nor his laws nor the principles of eternal truth that man should be laught taught laugh taugh to of the almighty that god ahou labet bereft AI A hence he iffe introduced through the medium of the holy priesthood that had existed heretofore upon the earth those principles which are calculated to bless and exalt the human family prepare them to carry out the word and will of god and to ac ae eom tom those purposes which he hajt hai designed from before the foun fouw atlon aaion of the world hence he or the first presidency and i he the twelve he organized the seventies he ho organized elders eiders priests egts dAts teachers and deacons he ue organized bishops and high councils and all the various adjuncts associated with of ot the church of jesus christ christof of lat latter af lay day saint salat 4 aud and chy w hy ir IV may be ask asked d should these institutions be Q ur tet tot in our midst for eor certain sons when we reflect ftc urto urmo wa uk all important matter having revealed repealed his will to man to joaeph joseph smith mith as ile he had done dona men in 14 adi mer ages it was necessary that rtha will should be made will nate nati nations ons kirL kindreds dredA tong lb ea A and leo jeo people that men might be informed vf of the things that he ife revealed fort forth forcher |
