Show GENERAL conference convened at 10 am a m on sunday april ard 1892 in the tabernacle salt lake city president wilford woodruff presiding I 1 on the stand were of the first presidency wilford woodruff george Q cannon and joseph F smith of the council of the twelve apostles lorenzo snow franklin D richards moses thatcher francis francia M lyman john henry smith heber J grant john W taylor marriner W merrill anthon 14 lund and abraham H cannon patriarch john smith of the presiding council of seventies seymour B young C D fjelsted john morgan B H roberts and george reynolda Reynol dc of the presiding bishopric wm B preston robertt robert T burton and john B R winder win ier there were also many other leading officers of the church from froin various parts of utah and surrounding states and territories conference was called to order by president george it cannon the choir und and congregation sang come let us anew our journey pursue roll boll round with the year and never a sand and still stil I 1 till the master appear his adorable wil will I 1 let us gladly fulfil fulfill opening prayer by president lorer lorec ZO 20 snow 8 singing by the choir come dearest lord descend and dwell by faith and love in every breast then shall we know and taste and f feel eel the loys joys that cannot be expressed president george 4 cannon was the fl first rat speaker he said at the request of president woodruff I 1 rise to make a few foiw remarks at the opening of our conference notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather there is great cause for thanks riving this morning on the part of the latter day saints in having the edge of meeting at the opening of our claty second annual conference of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints and meeting together too under such favorable circumstances as now surround us having a comfortable building in which to worship where we can sit and listen in peace to the words of life and salvation that may be addressed unto us by the servants of god in contemplating the past there can be no soul in this congregation from whose heart thanksgiving and praise cannot arise to god our etoal Fath father tr tor for the goodness and mercy that he ban baa shown unto us we are never without cause for thanksgiving for our eur god has been good I 1 and kind and merciful he has not forgotten us KB he has not turned his face away from us he has haa not closed his ears to our petitions neither has he refused to answer the prayers that we have offered unto him the evidences of his mercy are around us are within ua we have received them and we rejoice in them this morning and I 1 feel for one to lift up my voice in the congregation of the saints in praise of our eternal father our great creator I 1 feel that we can come together this morning full ot of gratitude full fall of humility with broken hearts and contrite spirits bringing them as a willing g unto our god a orifice a that he will acce accept t it being the sacrifice that he require at the hands of his saints when we contemplate the great changes that have occurred within the past few years and see gee how wonder fully god has softened the hearts of the people how bow he has turned aside the wrath of man and given favor to a goodly extent to his is people we certainly ought to feel thankful to him I 1 have hav just ejust returned from the east where I 1 have been for several weeks and I 1 never in my experience among men saw a kinder beelin feeling I 1 manifested towards this people than I 1 have during this visit the lord has softened the hearts of the people of our nation and ot ol the leaders thereof and they feel kindly disposed to the latter day saints the misrepresentation the falsehoods the mists of darkness which have be clouded us and our reputation have to a very great extent been removed and I 1 have felt exceedingly thankful to the lord because there is no power but his that could have done this mans power could not have accomplished such re suits but god has all power and he has poured out his spirit and softened the hearts of the people and taken away that animosity anti and removed many of those misconceptions that have existed in regard to us usa the lord has blessed his people in many directions we have of course our difficulties to contend with we have many things to overcome we are still in the world and being mortal and subject to the vicissitudes of human life we must expect to have many things to contend with that will try us but looking at our condition as a whole at this entire people in all their abi dings I 1 think it can be truthfully said that we are exceedingly favored ot of the lord I 1 mean in temporal matters I 1 do not believe there can be found an equal number of people in one cam community on this continent who are so well provided with food with raiment with shelter and with the conveniences and comforts of life it is true we do not have a great excess of riches among us on the other hand we do not have extreme poverty we have the poor but as a rule they are cared for theory the cry of the poor and the oppressed I 1 hope and believe does not ascend to the god of heaven against this people because of that which they suffer at our hands bands on the contrary I 1 trust and believe that the prayers of the poor ascend in thanksgiving to god imploring blessings upon their brethren and sisters for their kindness and benevolence at least it if this is not dot the cue case it should be among us the poor should be made to rejoice they should be made to feel so glad that when they bow their knees before the lord they will implore blessings upon their brethren and sisters for their goodness and kindness to them the gospel to is being preached with exceeding diligence 0 by the elders who are now dow in the field in some parts of euro europe 6 the gospel is spreading ing and the elders feel greatly encouraged cou raged at the prospects before them news from turkey to Is to the effect that the sublime porte will grant unto pur out elders privileges that are granted to other denominations this Is in the latest intelligence that we have bave from there the firman hs his probably not yet ret keen been issued but it wih be and then hen our elders will be free from many embarrassments embarrass ments which have surrounded them in the preaching of the gospel throughout the turkish empire there is in a field in those lands for the labor of a large number of elders elder and no doubt our attention will be drawn more and more to that quarter of the earth because of the promises that are connected with the lands under the dominion of the turk ish ieh empire the latter day saints have always entertained very great affection for palestine the land that was promised to our father A braham abraham and to his bis seed our interest has been excited in perusing the words of the prophets of ancient days and also in the w words of god in these latter times concerning the restoration of his ancient covenant people to 40 the land of their fathers for upwards of sixty years now since this church has been organized the eyes of that people have been directed to that land and to the jews probably no people on the earth not even the jews themselves take greater interest in the events that are taking place in that quarter of the earth than the latter day saints do it is therefore a cause of rejoicing when we bear that there is ft a great prospect of our obtaining liberty to preach the word of god gd throughout those lands and to those various nationalities that are embraced in that empire the lord has baa blessed the labors of the elders in holland also and a good work to is being done there they write that doors are being opened to a great extent in the netherlands in belgium the elders are finding many converts and are gaborit laboring ig successful success fu rough out the german empire there is 18 an in creased interest being taken in the gospel the day will yet come when there will be freedom throughout that empire and when there will be thousands and thousands gathered from that nation in northern sweden many effectual doors are opening and there is also a call for more mission aries from norway on the pacific islands the elders have been very sue suc also at samoa the elders are laboring diligently it is a hard mission but they are young men and full of vigor full fuh of 0 zeal full of faith and they rejoice exceedingly in their labors because they have abundant fruits as the reward thereof some of our eur brethren have gone to the friendly islands to tonga and they have learned the language of that group which is a kindred language to that of the samoan islands the hawaiian islands new zealand and the society islands that polynesian language is divided into dialect sit may be sai sat dand when a man to is familiar with the dialect spoken on one of those groups he be does not have much difficulty in learning the dialects of the adjacent groups throughout polynesia two of our elders have gone down to the society islands and are about to commence or have commenced their labors on that group you yom doubtless doubt les remember that in former days a great many members of the church were on that group of islands but through various circumstances they have been left to a great extent to themselves it has been felt however by the elders on the navigator group that some effort should be made to establish reestablish re the work on the society islands in now new zealand the elders elden are laboring with diligence and success the book of mormon has been translated into that language and is being circulated bad and read by the natives throughout the united states our elders are laboring with all the zeal and diligence that we could ask for in the nor northern therin states this winter has been severe and there have not been many baptisms while I 1 was east bastl I 1 met elder C W stayner who told me that as soon as spring ing opened he expected there would be a great many additions to the church there was an increase of interest among the people in many places they listened is as they had not done for years to the preaching of the elders in the southern states mission the elders inform us that they are making efforts to get doboff opened in the cities and they are encouraged ed by the prospects before them in ahe the indian territory our brethren have commenced to build a chapel so that so 80 for far as our own land to is concerned there to is much to be thankful for and many souls are being gathered out the work of the lord to Is also growling growing among the Lama especially in southern arizona under tho the ministrations of the presidency of the maricola maricopa Mari copa cops stake slake of zion eton we are trying to do our duty to this nation to lay fay before the people the raes message sage of salvation which god has given unto us the days of 0 trouble axe are at hand band and it is our duty as gods servants to go and declare to the inhabitants of the earth that these are the last days and that god is about to bring to pass pan that which he has spoken concerning his judgments and be out upon the wicked in the last days preparatory pr atory to the coming of the sun son of man the elders it must be said in their favor go forth as aa a rule full of this desire to abuit themselves as men and to cleanse their garments of the blood of this generation by bearing faithful testimony to the truth ft Is ie most gratifying to see our young men respond as they do to the calls that are made upon them to go here and there wherever the authorities of the church direct as an missionaries to carry the message of salvation and glad tidings and it must be said that the character of our elders elder in some respects respect is 19 improving the pains that are being taken in our primary schools our sabbath schools our young mens menis improvement pro associations are bearing their fruits I 1 remember presiding abroad and having elders come whose ignorance concerning the principles of the gospel they bad been sent out to teach was painful to see there hap bae been a great change in this respect therefore I 1 say the character of our elders has bas improved they now go out as a rule well instructed in the principles of the gospel familiar with the history of the church capable of explaining explain jing the doctrines and everything connected with the gospel anu and when necessary capable of defending the principles they teach this is a gratifying improvement and it will be more and more visible as the years roll by and as our facilities for imparting understanding will increase as they are increasing on every hand band throughout these theme mountains tallis we the fjord has baa poured aut his spirit upon his people there I 1 la a great deal of union there is much room for improvement in this respect the alerd is trying try ing us in directions in weib we have never been tried before did any of you ever think that we should be wed tiled as aa we are now being tried these are new tri alsand they are going to test the faith of a good many who are called latter day saints the depths of our love for the truth are going to be sOUD bounded ded and if we are not dot built upon the rock and have a living testimony concerning the truth within us we shall be in danger Godlis god is going to have a tried people and the trials will nota not always ways come in the form that we are looking for they would cease probably to be trials if they come came in that way but they come in forms for which it may be said we are partly unprepared they come to us in unexpected form therefore the greater the trial of our faith I 1 tell you my brethren and sister alste that I 1 tremble for us for lest in these trials we should take mis stem lest we should give way to wrong influences and yield to an improper spirit and be led away from the truth and that union which in ils so precious prealo us which to is so great a gift that god has bestowed upon us not to distinguish us from all peoples upon the face of the earth I 1 pray that god may give unto us the light of eternity to ever be with us and that we may watch it and take care that it does not become dim in our hearts that it don dont donit it become obscured by any influence or power but that having that light ablia ling upon our path continually conal dually we may walk stingly forward until we attain unto that krett greit glory that god has in store and be crowned with him in his presence pree ence with those blessings that have been sealed upon us by the authority that he has restored from heaven I 1 pray god to bless us during this conference to fill every man that shall speak with the of god and the hearts of all who hear with that heavenly and softening influence that the words of life may fall like good seed into mellow ground there to lodge there to germinate there to grow there to bring forth fruit that shall be to the glory of our god and to our own salvation which I 1 ask in the name of jesus christ amen apostle Frak franklin aln 0 richarda Ric Ble barda bards addressed the conference following is a brief and harily imperfect synopsis of his discourse he felt the necessity of having the holy spirit in attempting to address the congregation A grand view bad been presented to us of the progress of the work of god in the pre igent time and even in the contemplation of this we are reminded that tbt it is necessary for us to have a sense of our own unworthiness wort biness without humility the spirit of god cannot dwell within us up there is one Drin principle ciple which underlies the very existence of the church ot ol god and that is the necessity of con sinuous revelation against this principle all the world goes out in opposition loD but without it the saints cannot grow in the knowledge of god the reason why men have been left to form religious which have tho the form of god godliness linew but deny the po power |