| Show DISCOURSE by president yOUN youna 0 delivered in the shew tabernacle salt lake city gily sunday eif elj elf termon june sih 1873 REPORTED BY javid lavid W EVANS 1 I WILL read the text that my brother joseph has been talking about if the foundation be bv destroyed what hat can the righteous do I 1 will read tire the second verse for lo 10 the wicked bend their bow they make ready their arrow upon the string that they may privately shoot at the upright in heart I 1 shall make a few remarks to the tile latter day saints and make the application of this scripture as liberal as I 1 feel to first I 1 will inquire of my brethren and sisters how far they would like to be righteous and upright in heart how far they would like to be bo saints I 1 frequently infrequently use the sayings of our natives here and make the application to the saints you ask the native if he is a captain catain he will sometimes say ciles riles es a little how much iq am a captain so much another one says f 1 I am a captain so much i while another one is all captain or pe up 11 he is the chief well how much do we want to be saints A little but not much it would infringe upon our speculations our covetousness ous ness our prepossessed notions upon our dally daily labor and the fact is we want to be just enough saints to escape the punishment that will come upon the ung odly and to get into the kingdom of heaven by squeezing in at the tiie door I 1 am now going to ask a question of both saint and sinner I 1 think I 1 might venture to make mike the question a national one Is it good for man to use ardent spirits in my remarks I 1 shall confine myself for awhile at least to this subject without referring to other traits in the character of the children of men Is it good for the tiie people in the states of maine new hampshire massachusetts or we will say in all the eastern states the old bay states away down in yankee land to drink and be drunken I 1 say is it good for us yankees to drink and be drunken we have said sald said sald not and the time has been and I 1 do not know but that it continues to this day when parties carried in their pockets little tin canteens made to represent bun novel the pilgrims progress or a small bible and those who kad had had them were thought thought to be preachers but when they got into a suitable place U up went the cup and down went tze tee the whisky now is this good I 1 ask this question of the people of the eastern states and then come to the middle Sta testo the western states to the southern states and finally the whole united states is it good good for men to drink and be drunken Is it good to use liquor Is it a benefit to the people saints what say you shall I 1 answer the question for you if I 1 do I 1 shall say that it is better to let ardent spirits entirely alone than to use them and that people are better off oft without liquor than with it now I 1 will refer to th e customs which prevailed in this city when it was inhabited by latter day saints only pass through the streets here then and would you see a man intoxicated from day to day week to week month to month or feromone from one years yearns enato end to another no I 1 do not sup suppose a drunken man was ever seen in the streets of this city until strangers came along and demanded through necessity they said that liquor be te sold hold that a house be kept where they could obtain that which they were in the habit of using I 1 might car carry this a little further and tind to touch au upon pon our meral moral status in oth other er points year after year passed away perhaps twelve or fifteen years after we came here and if any families were sick they could send a child any time in the night light two three four or half a dozen blocks to tell sister jones that mother was sla sia si ak and sister jones J ones could go to the house of the patient and cross and re cross and go over the city a thousand times a night if necessary and never be interrupted or bistu disturbed bed or have a question asked unless the child or sister jones wanted to be helped across a ditch for example then if a al man was going to or returning fiona frona fi f ca ona ova m the kanyon or arwas was going toor returning home from business say any time between 9 at night and 5 in the mornin gand a brother sister or child ollied wanted assistance there was a hand ready and the word was yes lyes I 1 will help you across this bad place get into my wagon and ride across this slough the streets sheets are not worked the road is wet and it ift is bad passing I 1 will take you where you want to go where are you goings going to sister SmIth iho is sick and wants assistance and they would pass along was vas there a grogshop in this city then not one was therea there a place where liquor was sold not hot one unless it was where it was necessary to make up a little ine medicine dicine compare th that atwith with the tho present status of this city Is it ift dangerous now for a woman to pau pass pasa ar around gund aund this ibis temple tempie block after dark yes she may expect to be grabbed by some ruffian and treated like a brute Is it dangerous for a man to pass around here in the night yes he may expect somebody or other to put his liis arm around his neck and stop his breath until another one can rob him here I 1 wish to make the application Is it ift beautiful is it itt lovely to behold tho the glory and the excellency of this civilization what do you say oh how I 1 do love babylon says one how I 1 do love this fashionable coat this beautiful at thi is raf rif t frock that lovely ribbon oh see the hat on that lady and I 1 say see the five bushel basket sticking kicking out behind liow ilow mow how beautiful it is and she od on stilts spoiling the spine of her back how beautiful it is lovely in bi the extreme it is right from babylon what whit do you say bay F say bay my saints sainte I 1 must say that when I 1 talk about these thin things I 1 am like the yo young ung man who loas biot lot t his apples ile he was in the habit of swearing a good deal and one day while driving in ga a load load of apples up hill the hind gate ate of his wn wagon on came out and noticed it lie he had lost his apples when wilen lie he baw saw the situation said lie he 1 I will not say a word any swearing that I 1 can do will fail fall to do justice to the occasion so with me any language that I 1 know anything any thing about would utterly fall fail in conveying conveying a correct idea of the ridiculous nature of the conduct of inina who profess to be latter day saints I 1 will now read this text again cre for or lo 10 the wicked bend their bow do you know anybody who does this dp do you latter day sain saints ts know of any such persons in this city for lo 10 the wicked bend their thein bow they make ready their arrow upon the string that they may privately shoot at the upright in heart take the people of this city as they were and take them as they are and make the application for yourselves the next verse says if the foundations eions s b be des destroyed troyO what can the righteous ois do 1 I shall apply this ilmy awn own way if I 1 lanriot suit stilt myself thoroughly I 1 will suit gult myself as well weil as as I 1 I 1 can if I 1 can ean cannot not suit you you must try aed aad suit yourselves ourselves I 1 ask all the latter Z day saints do you like the condition here at the present time do you ilce lice like ilke to walk herein here in the even ing or in in the day time and see second and hear what you are forced to see and hear do you like to pass pass these grogshops grog shops or to enter jenter these gambling hells and othel mischievous places and seo see what their inmates are doing dolne iam going to make my wishes known to you without regard to the feelings of any who may blame me for far making these re marks and I 1 would that I 1 had all theluster the latter day saints who lavein live in this city before me this afternoon but as they are not here I 1 shall pr probably 0 ask the bishops and teachers to learn what I 1 want to find out my brother has lias been speaking of law you know that civilized nations are governed by law this nation is governed by law there are just as good and wholesome laws in this city territory and government as can ean be found anywhere we have hav ejust just as good laws in these united states and in the dimm diff merent different states as can be found probably in in any country on the face of the whole earth in carrying carryll Ig out these laws it is our privilege i 1 ege t to 0 magnify ourselves as individual citizens as a community of men and women dwelling together in a town or olty city to sign a petition to the city council coonc 11 to shut up every bar or gros groF gery there is in this city others who wish to keep thes grog sho asand to keep them open morning night sundays and every day ab in the uhe we week echave have hate the privilege of getting t up tip a Temon remonstrance straube but the ma man ban n or woman who professes to bo be a latter day saint who would refuse to sign a petition to have this drunkenness stopped lias has very little right to the name it would be hard to take their measure measurement as saints r carry in my pocket brule bruie a rule ruie on which the inches are divided inton into a hundred parts such a rule would be necessary in my opinion to measure the standing of those proff pro essing flessing to be saints who would refuse to sign a petition to stop drunkenness drun keness you may differ from me in your opinion and you have a perfect right to and I 1 have the same sami right va to differ from you but it is my opinion that the man or woman whose name is upon our records asa as a latter day saint who would fellowship what we see and have to endure here all the time is a very poor saint I 1 have some notion to ask you whether you like these things and who among you will sign a petition to the city council to stop them I 1 must explain here that the evils we see in our city are the result of the acts of men who though administrators of the law in in various capacities instead of ot sustaining the laws say seil seii sell liquor as much as you please pay no attention to the city council cauna diere disregard gard the laws of this e ity city an and territory ride ovar over and trample tramp le them under your feet a and nd b break breau rea k whatever law the city coun council c H may my a make this is what our ad administrators min is of the law say and to this cause only can be attributed wh whatever ta of chime crime and defiance of law we see manifested here her it has been said that brother brothen brigham has proffered his services to help stop the liquor traffic in this city I 1 will say that is true and I 1 do it upon the principle of justice and truth and within Ith ln the bounds of our local laws and in in no other wa way y and if the inhabitants of this city are disposed to raise their voices and influence against the conduct we see here and the city council passes a law to stop the drunkenness and gambling they will find us the citizens ready to sustain them by our faith and works for lo 10 the wicked bend their bow they make ready their arrow upon the string that they may privately shoot att at the upright in heart I 1 leave it to the people of the united states to all fill good Cit citizens iLens from the atlantic to the pacific if it is not better to live without gambling and drunkenness than to have them in our midst what would 1 they say if they were to express an opinion on the subject the leading portion of them would say let us have sober civil communities ys sy 11 and they would rejoice to see ece tiie tile the time when our presidents law ma bersan bersand ker sand d executors of the tile law would live continually with a sober steady brain able to ludge judge between right and wrong and with willing hearts and steady hands administer the laws to this great nation in righteousness ous ness will we latmer latter day saints sign a petition to the mayor and city council to stop these evils entirely congregation said yes I 1 will invite all whether citizens or strangers who are in favor of a people living a sober steady life to vote on this question if they desire to do so the congregation voted unanimously in favor by sll sli showing owl their right hands does atly ally anybody body want to vote against it Is there a man who wants to lift his hand against seeing a sober civil industrious community a community that will work for what they need instead of gambling robbing and plundering for it if there is a man either in the church or out present this afternoon lie is at liberty to make it manifest by the same sign no dissentient no we L attert latter day saints go together andone and one fault found with us is that we will hang together to ether I 1 recollect not over a hundred years ago there was a certain man in philadelphia who said winve we are accused of bf hanging banging together we might just as well hang together as hang separate and if we do not hang together we shall certainly hang separate 2 he was a rebel and traitor so said isaid the eh english lish govern government menti menty and he was vas tail talking ang to his companions and they thoy had to hang jiang but by hanging together they saved their necks and gained the their country 0 that is the way wily with the latter day saints they hang together just enough to save saive themselves now that I 1 have your in minds hiLls I 1 want the bishops to ask the minds of the people of their wards on this subject and see what they say let the wicked lie in wait and accuse and find fault with the latter later day saints as much as they please but we go in for truth and righteousness we go in for a civil community we go in for honesty and not plunder plundering in g our neighbors we believe in laboring for what we want and accumulate ing honestly I 1 want the bishops to go to and find out how many in their wards will sign a paper to the city Coun council counsil dil bil asking its members to pass a law for the of liquor selling and enforce the present law against gambling I 1 am thankful that I 1 have the privilege and am willing to put my name at the head of such a paper for I 1 am opposed to these t things lings raper at the present time it seems to be impossible apos for the city council counell to license people to keep bars for the accommodation mo dation of strangers they would be glad to do so and would be reasonable with those who wanted them but owing to circumstances it does seem that our citizens will be bound to stop the whole of it or else let a few ride over every law law enacted for the preservation of the peace and good order of the city elty I 1 wanted to make a few remarks upon the subject touched upon by my brother but I 1 shall not have the time I 1 frequently inkin chinkin th my meditations how glad we should be to instruct the world with regard to the things of god if they would hear and receive our teachings in good and honest hearts and profit by ethem them I 1 have been found fault with a great many times for casting reflections upon men of science science and especially upon theologians bemuse because of the little knowledge they poso pose possess 39 about man being on the earth about the earth itself about our father in heaven his son jesus christ the order of heavenly things the laws by which angels exist by which the worlds were created and are held in existence ac how pleased we would be to place these things before the deop people I 1 e if they would receive them how much unbelief exists in the minds of the latter day saints in regard to one particular doctrine which I 1 revealed to them and which god revealed to me namely that adam is our father and god 1 I do not knowl knori know I 1 do not inquire I I 1 cam care nothing about it our fat father reller adam helped to make this earth it was created |
