| Show 7 REMARKS made at the general conference if of the church in the tabernacle salt lake city monday april 8 0 A PRESIDENT GEORCE Q CANNON y REPORTED BY ARTHUR WINTER 5 the spirit that is enjoyed in this con carence arence is a very sweet and heavenly reeling feeling je eling it produces pure happiness and contentment and our hearts are filled with joy these are the evidences of gods W ls favor that he accepts of us and r approves of our course there has bien a great deal of curiosity indulged 4 v by different members of tile the church 1 as to the spirit ot of revelation and how it imanil ests itself it is true that in the sCh tourch the lord has given among other gifts the gift of the ministering of angels also the gift of visions and dreams and some people imagine that the church is i led of god by the ministering of angels now angels do minister unto men in our ur day and vie we can testify to this we can testify that jesus our lord and re deemer has visited the earth and has ministered unto men some can testify of this from their personal experience but the church is led by the gift of revelation through the holy ghost and how is it known to be from god that which comes sometimes with power sometimes with the still small voice of s fee w spirit it is known by its fruits questions questions arise upon various matters differences of views exist and are expressed pressed for the men whom god has I 1 I 1 chosen to lead the people are men of ofin in dependent I 1 thought and of positive char acter and they do to not consent without A baing convinced but there is a way by t which the truth and the right can always ia be known Dark darkness nelis is oot not one of the of revelations from god kit it Ss 18 light light bight which removes darkness 1 and doubt from the human mind that is the evidence that a thing 1 is right or that it is revelation from god if you read what the prophet joseph had ie revealed to him concerning oliver cow dery connected with the work of trans lation 1400 0 you will g get ret a key to the spirit of revelation that god has placed in his rc church burch A just as brother B H roberts quoted this morning the lord told the I 1 church that they should receive the I 1 w words rd 0 of f his servant joseph as it from r I 1 tn name i 0 own r n mouth it is in this manner th atthe t e church of christ is guided it is tins this that constitutes its strength it is this that has given it its success men won tsefat rat its success but if they could see haw w the lord operates and how he ago things about to accomplish ta tain ends they would understand it why if it were not so we would be worried to death ath we never could stand up under the pressure if we had to cate care for this work or if we had to indulge in fears concerning it it would kill the strongest man that ever lived but it is not necessary to worry or to take trouble it is only necessary to do our part and leave the result with god he will take care of his work he has not gone to sleep he has not gone on a journey he has not tor forgotten gotten this work that he has established not in the darkest hour not in the deepest dilemma does he forget us we can go to bed and sleep without wording worrying over the work of god and 1 I do 0 not believe that that keeps the servants of god awake financial troubles may have worried some but so far as the work itself is concerned that does not disturb the servants of god they know that he is taking care of it and when the burden appears heavy aad a ad oppressive the only course then is to ask god to make it light and to lift the burden and he never falls fails to do it in his own time and way there is no reason in the world why we should not live if not forever in the flesh at least till we are all satisfied with life I 1 was going to say if I 1 live till then I 1 will be very old for I 1 am very fond of life there are so many opportunities to labor I 1 would like to live and work and I 1 suppose we all have that feeling we have had a good time at this con ference and I 1 want to say a few words that are in my heart I 1 want you my brethren and sisters to bear with the first presidency think us honest men think us true men think us men that are not schemers and designers and full of tricks do not think of us as b bad ad men men that are ever ready to take advantage what right have you to entertain such a thought about any of us what right has any man or woman in this congregation or in the church to have such an estimate about wilford woodruff or george Q cannon or joseph F smith have we ever done any thing in our lives to furnish the least foundation for such a view of our characters I 1 declare to you in the presence of the lord almighty and all the holy hosts have never done anything 9 in our jives fives to justify any suspicion of this character go through our entire lives in secret and in public and in our transactions with the children of men you cannot put your finger on where we have done intentional wrong I 1 do not say this to boast but because of what has occurred in the past months at the same time in another light we feel that we are unworthy of that responsibility and that honor which god has in hi his Is wisdom seen fit to place upon us now I 1 want to say to all of you who are here and I 1 wish all israel could hear my words go away from this conference C carrying g with ith you a feeling of confidence and love v ean in and for the first presidency of this church as well as the twelve apostles and if you wilt will do so god will bless you if you do not do it I 1 wilt will not say what the consequences will be I 1 do not want to predict evil but I 1 say that god will bless you if you love the men whom he loves and whom he has hag chosen out of all israel for these stations they have not chosen themselves they have not sought the offices themselves the lord knows this and many of you yott ought to know it it is bad enough to have the world to fight I 1 have been willing through my lite to battle and to t 0 stand up and take all that men would heap upon me that did not belong to the church but I 1 have been wounded to the very soul when my brethren and my sisters have said things that were false concerning me and concerning my brethren for their reputation is as dear to me as my own is is there is where it wounds there is where it cuts there is where it hurts why I 1 have felt as though I 1 could fight the whole world if I 1 only did what god wanted me to do I 1 have suffered from mental fear as very few men in the world have but I 1 have not suffered from the other fear 1 I thank god for that and I 1 thank him that the men who stand at your head are men whose knees have never trembled whose hands ands have never shook whose hearts have never failed them in ia the hour of peril and danger the lord has stood by thom them and has made them valiant in the truth now whether you know it or not I 1 know it and I 1 bear testimony to it this afternoon we have not paltered faltered palt ered with the word of god we have not temporized with the enemy of the church of christ but when peril per lihas has come w we have been ready to rnett meet ft and to face it and to stand all ad toe conse quence with take thel ord tofu na we should esteem hese meo mea afe jare are unworthy of the blessings of god if we do not do it I 1 have had bad some experience before I 1 was a member of the first presidency in traveling with president young and ana listening I 1 to complaints from married people it is surprising how lenient a man will be with his wife when he loves heri her but it if he does not love her he is apt to be suspicious suspicion ot her and perhaps unkind and hard bard towards her heir so on the other hand when a woman roman becomes alienated from her husband and her affections are drawn from him how wonderfully suspicious cious she grows and how she distorts and misconstrues trues her husbands husband Is words and acts because of jealousy her mind becomes io bo filled with jealousy that she illustrates the truth ot of the words of shakespeare trifles trifle light as air are to the jealous confirmations strong as proofs of holy writ yes trifles that would not be noticed ordinarily to a jealous person and especially where there is no lovet love or where love is not strong enough to overcome jealousy become as strong as proofs proff of holy writ I 1 have seen this illustrated many times now it you love us you will not be jealous of us you wilf will not suspect our acts you will not attribute false motives to us you will not distort our words and put a wrong construction on them but you will have confidence in us we ought to be trusted the lord has trusted us and can not you trust us can not you have confidence enough in us to believe that we will give right counsel in all affairs if you do not then our declaration cl today is of no use it would be useless if you are going to rise up and say oh dont you see how they favor that man dont you see how they discriminate against that other man dont you see they will allow that man to do this and they will restrain that other man that man is a republican and this man is a democrat or that man is a democrat and this man is a republican thus they would attribute false motives to us and color our conduct and look at us with suspicious eyes watching for some evidence of unfairness on our part let me warn you today in the presence of the lord and in the name of our lord and master against that and be careful for satan I 1 will strive to these ideas and thoughts into your minds to weaken the influence of the priesthood of the son of god it is most unfair to us it ic is most unjust because we can see what others cannot see always we can see reasons for a certain course of conduct that others cannot see you men that have large families understand this one child may think father is not fair he lets my mv brother or sister do such a thing or have such a thing and why cannot I 1 do the same or have the same NOW the father knows the reasons for doing as he does we may as well impugn the providence of our heavenly father on the same principle if we carry it far enough the lord blesses some men in various ways and others do not receive these blessings although apparently they are just as worthy and infidels impugn the justice of the eternal father because ot of this as they see it discrimination in his treatment of his children and they scout the idea of there being a god because measured by their puny fallible standard he does 1 l not come up to the mark that they think I 1 he ought to Teach As I 1 ai bayto sayto y to confidence in urbelio us tie lieve ve that weare we are hon honest estand and say pay aw cannot understand that it is not alto altogether jether clear to me but I 1 know that there is nothing wrong if I 1 understood it I 1 know it would be all right ht that is the way we should talk M do you think that I 1 would doubt a man whom I 1 knew no I 1 always believe good about him if I 1 cannot understand some of his actions I 1 think well if I 1 knew the reasons reason sI I 1 would understand it and it would be reconcilable with my ideas of the justice of his character that is the way I 1 feel towards all my friends I 1 am loth to believe that they are acting from improper moti motives ves or with improper feelings for this reason I 1 never want to hear a one sided I 1 statement nothing ex parte because it is impossible to come to a correct conclusion without hearing both sides I 1 trust that the lord will impress these thoughts on all our hearts that we may feel and realize the truth of these things there is another subject that I 1 would like to allude to if time will permit it is this you have heard of our entering into enterprises and striving to do something to furnish employment for the people and to cause the people of this state to assume that position which we think they are entitled to we have endeavored to seek the mind and will of god concerning this and we have endeavored deavo red to be careful about every step that there should be no misstep no wrong conclusion no wrong action if ever men sought this I 1 believe I 1 am justified in saying that we have now we are entering into these enterprises for wise wise purposes first speaking for the latter day saints it does not seem right that the people should gather to zion and then scatter throughout the land this is a gathering dispensation we have felt that god has entrusted you to us as a flock is entrusted to a shepherd the eyes ot of the latter day saints naturally turn for counsel and help to the authorities of their church in the pours hours of distress and affliction it is therefore a cause ot of unfeigned sorrow to us to see men and women either latter day saints or others idle in our land being without employment and dependent upon the church or upon individual charity for that which is necessary to sustain life according to the report read at this conference there are too many dependent upon the church for assistance we should lessen this num ber by every means in our power and ad place within every persons reach riot dot only the latter day Si saints dritt but every citizen of utah the opportunity 01 of earning his or her own dread bread I 1 can scarcely conceive of anything in human affairs that is so painful to men and women who have been energetic and in industrious dust rious to be reduced to penury and to a condition of dependence and we should be merciful to those who are in this condition some people become helpless and they have to be sustained when help is extended to such it should be done in the most delicate manner not to wound the susceptibilities of the poor I 1 believe there are men and women that would almost rather starve than to g go about and make their wants known know they feel what we would call proud well it is a proper pride to feel independent and it is contrary to all our practices in the past to do any thing that would have the effect to reduce people to pauperism residents of this stake should earn their own living by some honorable means of employment these reasons have bad great weight with us and we have falkel talked and counseled about them a great deal as well as prayed about them now the lord in his goodness seems to be opening the way for us to obtain employment we have as you know a large enterprise at ogden some of the brethren who went up there I 1 understand have become dissatisfied and come aw away A y be cause the conditions did not alWi altogether ether suit them we are doing everything in our power to make employment for on our r own people we do not want people 1 from afar tp to come in and take the bread that ought to be earned by the residents of this state but some have said they ther are not suited with the conditions this is unfortunate the contractor is desirous of employing residents of the state he says he likes our citizens he has bad them work tor for him before and they have given him entire satisfaction as they are peaceful and quiet and do jhc thc their ir work A number of men were sent u up there the other day and I 1 met one efthem of them on the street he said tome well a good many of us have come back back I 1 asked him the reason said he we did not like the man a sort ot 01 subcontractor I 1 think he was I 1 asked him whether he required of the men anything that was improper no but we did not like him 0 therefore he and others had quit work I 1 think that is a very unreasonable thing if work is there it seems to me that we should embrace the opportunity to work we do not want any working man oppressed we do not want any tyranny exercise exercised over them but this eon contractor tractor can get the men without drawing them from our settlements there are many coming here who will gladly take employment they may not stay long they may give dissatisfaction in some respects but they can be obtained I 1 wanted to say this |
