Show GENERAL conference OF THE Y M M 1 I A the general conference of the Y M M 1 I A convened at 10 am june lot in the tabernacle the attendance being large there were re p present r t 0 on n the stand president zilfo wilford r d ea woodruff oo 00 d ruff apostles lorenz snow moses thatcher F M lyman and A H lund elders jacob gates B H roberts Bo berts george reynolds junius sF dwells FW wells ells MH NH mchardy Hardy joseph A west rodney kodney C badger wm 8 burton E H anderson joseph E taylor 0 W penrose and others the opening piece was sung by the harmony and fifteenth ward glee clubs prayer by elder M H hardy singing by the fifteenth ward glee club ELDER JUNIUS F WELLS one of the assistants to the general was the firt speaker he dwelt upon the necessity of systematic practical work in the exercises of the associations and ov of the guidance ot of the holy spirit to in order that success might attend the organizations he hoped that a definite plan would be agreed upon for the next seasons work at the meeting on monday june 2 ELDER JOSIAH BURROWS spoke on the subject of the origin and objects of the mutual improve ment associations their origin was due to president brigham young who in 1875 appointed junius F wells as an organizer brother wells belgan began this labor and add organized a number of associations there had been improvement as aa soc lations literary societies etc prior to this time but they were not under the direction of the presidency of the church brother wells was called on a mission in the fall of 1875 and elders J H smith M H hardy and B M young took up the work of the associations and that winter about one hundred organizations were effected in 1879 there were nine thousand members enrolled in the associations the object of theme societies was mutual improvement of the youth and the acquirement of a testimony of the gospel the education of the young morally socially religiously and intellectually this day which may be termed the fifteenth anniversary of the organization there are nearly four hundred associations with a membership of over fourteen thousand their work has been grand and glorious and the future has still brighter prospects ELDER JOSEPH E JOHNSON of emery stake spoke on the sentiment obedience the key of power ap he cited instances recorded in the bible and book of mormon where by obedience to the commandments of god great power was wa obtained by men and nations the lord jesus obeyed his fathers will that he might become the redeemer of the world ELDER GUY C WILSON of sanpete stake was the next speaker his subject was the promises of god to his people 11 the number of these promises was so numerous that there kasnot was not time to mention even the prominent ones all the promises of blessings are predicated on obedience to the laws jaws of god one of these laws is tithing for obedience to this the lord ha has a promised to pour out upon us blessings 1198 till we are not able to contain them he has bb bestowed stowed upon us great blessings and asks that we devote to him but one tenth of our increase there are men who have accumulated immense wealth who think they need all they have they do not feel willing to trust god for further blessings by paying their tithes other promises the saints have are connected with tho the word of wisdom obedience to which ensures that the destroying angel will pass us by this is an important one to the youth of israel and those who trust in the lord will not be die disappointed one great promise to the saints is that given to abraham and his hia children the lord has also promised that those who have faith in him repent of their sius and are baptized will receive the holy ghost this is one of the greatest promises that is given to mankind for the holy spirit will lead them into all truth god his promised that in this dispensation his kingdom will triumph anti and will be established forever certainly we should live so as to partake of these glorious blessings our fattier father taught the I 1 nation past ages that he was able to deliver his people from the power of their enemies and that he held the destinies of men and nations in his hand band surely the saints can afford to implicitly trust in him and keep his commandments the glee club sang a selection ELDER ELDEB B H ROBERTS addressed the audience on the life of joseph the prophet he said that among the benefactors of our race joseph smith holds the second place next to the messiah there is no man who had done more for manki mankind ud abere have been prophets and philanthropists who have done much for the benefit of men hut but their labors pale in comparison with that which joseph performed in the few years allotted to him lenoch enoch noah Melches idec idee isaiah ezekiel danle daniel joel and all the prophets performed glorious missions but joseph smith stood in an age nhep god designed to perform a greater work than at any other period and all those who stood at the head of former dispensations came to joseph and transmitted to him the keys they held it is needless to compare the work of statesmen and philosophers leading spirits though they were with that performed by joseph for to him was committed the great mission of restoring the falness odthe of the everlasting gospel in the last dispensation early in his youth god revealed himself to him and he beheld the father and the son and talked with them and could declare that god lived the lord revealed to joseph the testimony of an entire continent and a volume of scripture equal at least in importance to that accepted by the christian world the bible he also gave to joseph the authority of the priesthood john the baptist came and bestowed the priesthood prie B t h peter pe te r james and john conferred the apostleship which gave to joseph the authority to organize the church in all the world thus god gave to the world apostles and prophets and all the officers in the church for the ed edifying afy I 1 ng and salvation of the people joseph not only organized the church but through him was indicated the place where a city should be built to the name dame of god and where the celestial law should govern goverd he exercised the gifts of and gave to the world a translation of the writings of abraham anti and a new and corrected translation of the scriptures he sent the acs pel to the nations on this continent and in europe this is but a portion of his bis which reaches into eternity and carries salvation to all mankind he contradicted the prevalent belief of the people in his day that there were but two places of destiny for formen meu he drew aside the curtain or of the future and made it known that all men would be rewarded according accord ilig to gieir labors he declared that after this life man might walk wak in the paths of right and exercise the gifts of faith and repentance of sin he also taught the people regarding the celestial terrestrial and king kingdom doin he also declared to the world the great principle of the salvation of the dead he revealed the condition of men before they came came to ear h anti and gave definite ideas of what our happiness would consist of in the life to come he taught that life in the future was a reality that the holy family uni n was not dot for time alone buteas but was to continue throughout all eternity by the power given to him he united husband rod and wives for time and eternity these are a few of the principles which he was the ina instrument ment in the hands of god of revealing this was the work of a lifetime yet his life in mortality closed at the age of thirty nine his was no pleasant walk in ill life for from the time of his first visions vis iotis till his death he wae continually hounded hou ndel by the hig bigotry otry injustice aad intolerance tolerance fia of the age even when a boy he was in justly and cruelly pursued As he grew in years his tribulations increased and he was beaten and bruised even F some of those who professed to be his bis friends turning against him he passed through one continual ex peri ence of mob violence in missouri he be was condemned to death hut but was delivered by the power of god he was thrown into jail and his keople people were driven to illinois at last a as t in the latter state in carthage jail he was assassinated but by his death the purposes of god were not completed when he fell by the hand of assassins he be affixed a broad seal upon his testimony which made it of fo force ace upon all the world his life was wonderful and his character remarkable A prop prophet bet of god in frequent communication ommund om muni cation with angels there was no affectation fionin in his character of him a noted man said that he was the opposite of a prophet and priest because he be was sociable kenil and hospitable this man was mistaken in the attributes of a prophet of god joseph was a child of nature and an exemplar among men he returned good for evil as was shown by the instance when be wab kidnapped to be put to death he was liberated and took his captors captive he treated them with the greatest hospitality and made them guests at his own house he freely forgave those who sought to work him the greatest injury he was a friend to innocence noc inocence no cence enee and detested oppression in any form though his body slumbers in the tomb his spirit lives and associates associate is with the gods he is still the friend of the saints and is cognizant of the oppression upon them he is at work and will continue to labor till the redemption of zion is accomplished the young men of israel do cheru themselves delves honor by bri bringing aging in the life of joseph smith as a part of their exercises it was he who brought the knowledge of god to the children of men in this age ae I 1 commend to you his life and la borsand to put in practice his teachings that you may receive the knowledge of god PRESIDENT WILFORD WOODRUFF testified to the kind treatment by the prophet joseph of his captors and persecutors as stated by elder roberts As to the character of the prophet brother woodruff rem remarked a rk that he was without hypocrisy ny and this drew upon him the adverse comment of clergymen and professed ministers of the gospel the glee club sung a selection ti on and the closing prayer was offered by elder W P F smith of morgan stake 2 pm p m the choir snug sang come holy ghost oar hearts inspire let us thine influence prove prayer was offered by elder J H wilcox of davis stake the choir sang the hymn commencing 0 my father thou that dwell est in the high and glorious place the priesthood of the second ward officiated in the administration of the sacrament L B R MARTINEAU of cache stake responded to the sentiment the future of zion the speaker said that their interpretation of the word zion wase was indicated in a revelation given to the prophet joseph smith in the year 1833 which he read the future of zion was a theme which should be of more than common interest to lat ter day saints saint for if they could but penetrate the future they would see closely interwoven with their everyday life the glory and greatness of zion and her people it would be giors im i impossible 8 ible for the lord to have a zion upon p on the earth as predicted by all the holy prophets unless he had a people who desired to be pure in heart und and carry out his hie instructions and commandments chedid he did not know where today they could look for a people who were and standard bearers of those principles which would exalt and purify the human family if they could not be found in the young and rising generation of the latter day saints the speaker adverted to the trial and eions through which the saints had passed ever since the organization of the church and said the courage and fortitude which they had d displayed is throughout had bad no parallel in the annals of history they were taught that in the future the saints would have to endure man many s bourg ings inge many more trials and eions before the redemption should draw near he fie therefore especially counseled the young amon among boll the latter day saints to hold firmly to the principles which they had espoused for to renounce them on account of what the world might say would be the greatest moral cowardice they could exhibit the latter day saints were eng engaged 9 ed in alf a conflict in which truth and error were the two opposing forces but he himself bad no doubt as to the ultimate issue he had no fear that the young men of zion would depart from the faith of their fathers that they would barter their principles for political or other privileges which might be held out to them let them not be discouraged because of the unpopularity of the work in which oh they were engaged but rather look to the fulfilment fulfillment of the promises of god which swatted his people and to the glorious fut future u re of zion B R B R farnsworth of sevier stake responded to the next n sentiment testimony he remarked that all who had conal lence jence in the promises of our lord exercised faith androse and hose who did his will could testify that this was not the gospel of man but of jesus christ it it was a wonder to the world why the young men and women among the latter day aay saints cling so closely to the gospel taught them by their pare parents Itte to that which the world was pleased to call mormonism it was not because of the wisdom of their parents r its however but because of the apor spirit aft connected with the gospel of our lord jesus christ revealed 1800 years ago and restored to the earth in this lay jay and generation he for one knew that neither joseph smith president brigham young president john taylor nor president woodruff had the power to confer the spirit upon mankind that could be enjoyed in the church and kingdom of god at the present time unless god had acknowledged their acts unless they held bold his priesthood and authority it was within the power of all latte rd saints to secure a testimony from the lord if they but sought for it humbly and faithfully the church of god would yet triumph and not all the forces which man might seek to bring against it could stay its progress N 0 of san luis liuis stake in responding to the third and last sentiment persecution se and its results said the of god in all of the world bad had to suffer buffer persecution whenever a ray of truth dawned upon the face of the earth it bad been the mission of satan to oppose it this had been so from the time of christ down to the present the speaker referred especially to the persecutions ution and sand prophet dorph joseph smith mith and to his subsequent martyr martyrdom dom he also drew a picture of the suffering endured by his co laborers and followers fr for the gos goa pePs sake notwithstanding all this however they stood firm to their faith and the trials which they had bad undergone only made the people more united than before though persecution still followed the saints it t bound them still closer together and this would continue to be the case until gods work had been accomplished complis hed here below that work would id go on despite all the opposition that could be brought to bear against it PRESIDENT WILFORD WOODRUFF then addressed the conference lie he said in substance no man occupying the place that I 1 do at this time addressing a body of latter day saints could answer his own mind or the minds of those who hear bear eab e capt by the inspiration of god and the assistance of the holy ghost if I 1 were to tell this congregation which has assembled together as a mutual improvement association of the young men and maidens of zion that I 1 was not deeply interested te in your welfare I 1 should deny tie faith indeed the circumstances stan in which we are placed cause me as well as my brethren to have the deepest interest in the rising generation who dwell here in the mountains of israel I 1 will tell you why I 1 |