| Show THE REMEDY ONE of the leading topics of the salt lake stake conference which closed at the tabernacle on sunday was vu the dilatoriness dila torineea of a large proportion of the members of the jhb elders eldera quo rume this condition was waa exhibited by the report from that department of the pr priesthood leathwood leat hood the chief reason for this doll delinquency was clearly stated by some of the speakers large numbers of young men had bad been ordained elders to enable them to go to the temples temilee to be married without first had bad any training to enable them to understand the nature duties functions and responsibilities of the priesthood they were not familiar with its genius and spirit and therefore not prepared to operate within its pale the form of ordination had been complied with but the corresponding spiritual growth and fitness were apparently parent ly absent this situation is deplorable the question of remedy is the leading thought connected with it there can be no doubt as to the propriety of refraining from placing grave responsibility lity upon those who are unprepared for it the probability is ie that greater care will wili be exercised in this respect in future than heretofore the important part of the subject in ie however to produce the needed development in young men so BO that there may be no necessity for their being denied the inestimable privilege of entering the marital state under the full auspices of the gospel as understood by the latter day saints it seems as if the matter is to a large extent in the hands bands of the bishops it to is from them that recommends for ordinations to the office of elder issue they ought to be based on the general fitness of those to whom they are given if not dot they are liable to mislead those officers of the church in whose hands is the duty of taking final action in addition to this fact Is or of equal if not greater importance that the production of fitness of the candidates is largely in the same hands the process by which eligibility la Is reached is both natural and divine graduation unless this is provided in the wards where the young men of israel reside it Is hardly possible for them to obtain it at all within those 1 local coal divisions the facilities exist the chief necessity is to keep them in active operation if they are allowed to remain stagnant the young men of the community grow up loosely without any definite idea as to their true position their privileges opportunities and duties finally their minds become so barren from sheer stagnation that it is well nigh impossible to turn their attention in the proper direction and they drift into the lifeless sea of spirit ual indifference and become a prey to skepticism the chief consideration la Is to give the youth something to do and treat them generally as if they were a very important factor in the community which is the fact such of them as are worthy ought to be ordained to office in the lesser priesthood the first being that of deacon and the next in order that of teacher and the next priest the quorums of the bev era orders ought to be kept full according to the revelations on the subject these steps are only preliminary if the members of these quorums are left to themselves it will be found that the organizations will dwindle dissolve and so far as any practical progress is concerned will die where this occurs it would probably have been better it if no steps whatever had been taken in the premises the law of divine economy has been violated by conferring the priesthood on those who were not ready to make use of it in the interests of progress the situation would be just what is complained of in regard to many maicy of the quorums ot of elders now these it quorums of the wards need looking after and ought ough t to be cultivated by the fathers so to speak of these minute local sub divi of the church the young me i have not the necessary confidence and experience to lead out in the path they should pursue without assistance and encouragement those who are older and have under standing ought to meet with them and instruct them not only in the duties of their own offices but in the nature of the priesthood as a whole that they may have understanding concerning it and be prepared for advancement they ought also to be instructed in the principles of the gospel and thus be enabled to obtain a hope of salvation and give an intelligent reason for possessing it they should also be taught how they can instruct each other by a mutually beneficent process for these purposes no organizations that ifford afford facilities equal to those presented by the quo quorums of the priesthood unless the means that the lord has placed in our hands for the purpose of developing the youth are utilized startling delinquencies on their part will continue to exist a natural result of our own shortcoming they can not well take hold bold of these facilities themselves they must be called directed taught and u ed the great est eat of all the capabilities vr for presiding is that faculty which will enable a leading officer to use to the best possible advantage all the intelli geum placed under his bis |
