Show SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION the regular meeting of the officers and the sunday schools of this stake was hold held feb 20 in the assembly hall superintendent T griggs grigge presiding the ball was well filled with representatives from all the city wards except the fourteenth as well as many from the following country wards warda farmers Far mero U onion nion sugar house Forea gDale and Brighton elder A S geddes opened the meeting by prayer the excellent opening and closing musical exercises were rendered by the sixteenth ward choir under the direction of brother john vincent after the roll call the audience were delighted with a beautifully rendered baritone solo by mr john robinson entitled the noble boy bay of 0 truth the organ accompaniment by prot prof frank W merrill As AB per previous announce me it t prof james E F talmage taimage delivered an in te resting and highly instructive lecture upon the subject of infidelity 22 the tendency of the age the speaker said was to seek for and establish new ideas now new methods of belief or of unbelief and break away from the old established paths of their fathers both in religion and politics the re sult suit of which was the establishment of new religious religions new philosophies vain nov novel elaud and fanciful sophistries sophis tries theold the old forms of government were overthrown and liberty and license too often arose in their place and instead or an increase of religion there was a growing disbelief in the divinity of the scriptures scripture and doubt was cast upon the life work and mission of the savior himself by many professors and teachers of religion in view of 0 this ten denoy dency of the age it was well for teachers lu iu our sabbath schools to become well fortified and prepared to faith and fidelity into the minds of the children so that the sophisms sophi sms and scoffs of the infidel world have no effect upon them in after life the great argument of the disbeliever was that reason alone was sufficient clent to teach man to be godly inspiration prophecy and the spirit of god were not necessary the speaker took the ground that study reason and philosophy alone could not lead mankind to a knowledge of god revelation was before phil he knew one who was wan well learned in the scriptures yet boasted of his infidelity theology was waa not religion one was the theory of godliness the letter of the law jaw but the other was the practice the spirit the motive erudition was not godliness otherwise there would not be hope for the masses but true religion was so so eo that a wayfaring man though a fool could not err therein there was much ground for the boast of the infidel who claimed that many of the brightest minds of the day did not believe in the christian god which could be accounted for in the fact that they had sought by the wisdom of man to find out god and in the further farther fact that as described by modern christendom no rational mind could comprehend him or his ways the speaker was once conversing with an estimable and figuly gifted gentleman who was an infidel and who could not bring his mind to I 1 believe in nor conceive of such a being as aa described by the divines of the day but when presented with the mormon idea of god as aa our literal father in heaven after whose likeness we were created he was forced to admit somewhat irreverently that it was the most sensible idea of deity he had bad ever heard the infidelity ol of the age was characterized of the truth of revelation of doubt and distrust of sacred things to combat this tendency it was necessary to implant la in the mind trust confidence belief this la Is fidelity teach the young fidelity and there will be no rum room for infidelity teach them to love the light and to love and appreciate the truth with their whole heart and there will be no inclination for the evils of infidelity however fancifully painted there is a alove love existing in the family relation that to is incomprehensible to all philosophy philoa ophy that when fully developed between parents and children children and parents knits them together stronger than bands of arun it the child is early taught to comprehend and love god and this love is i 1 telli gently nurtured and developed infidelity or of debt d abt can never enter into the mind of that child nor can it be drawn away from its love of truth by any of the allurements allure ments of the unbeliever teachers should use all aft the power and influence they possess to fill the hearts of the children with a love respect and reverence for truth purity virtue integrity anti and all the attributes of goo goi and never picture the horrors of evil or bring them up before the child teacher should not teach alone by precept but by an upright example in every particular anti and strive by earnest and diligent study to qualify them selver for the responsible calling placed uton upon them he that does not do this is unworthy of his calling having done this seek for the spirit of god for aid and assistance that the mind may be filled with truth and intelligence it is well to pray for the enlightenment lighten ment of the spirit of god but it is well to remember that the holy spirit cannot illumine an empty mind if teachers will do their duty tin in these respects respect the children whom they teach will rise up in after years and bless them A brief synopsis of the address by elder talmage cannot do it justice it was replete with excellent instruction from beginning to end and was listened to with rapt attention by the largo large audience it will shortly be published in full the seventeenth ward is requested to furnish the musical exercises at the next meeting of the union also two deacons benediction was offered by president joseph E taylor and the meeting adjourned for one month JOB HYRUM PARRY seely |