Show REMARKS de at the general conference ot of the v church ot jesus christ of latter day saints in the tabernacle salt lake a I 1 city sunday morning april ath L 1897 by RESIDENT PRESIDENT GEORGE 0 CANNON BY ARTHUR in commencing the sixty seventh anal conference of the church we have sat t reason to be thankful to the lord the dav favor or that he has shown unto ls vand and for the prospects that we have ding the growth pa of his work here ere is is everything to encourage us as people there is is every reason to beeve that the lord is with us and that e looks with favor upon zion I 1 think is scarcely too much to say that the work of was never in a more pros idrous S condition in many respects than at present from all parts of the where the elders are laboring reports come of their success prom the imperfect statistics that we haave and we are trying to improve these AM the time we learn that upwards of ten thol thousand asand souls have been added to IU chorch during the year in the states the work has gone f for or ward with considerable rabidity it is claimed that in the southern states dime there there have been more souls added church than in all the european fissions but elder anthon H lund who has recently returned from 11 over the european mission mission wil wi 1 not almit that the elders have been more successful in the southern states than they have ir in 1 europe for in tion to the number of elders engaged in in the ministry they have baptized more to the elder in europe than in the united slates gi lites I 1 mention this because it is worthy worth y of mention and shows that the elders fiihr in europe are industrious and successful also before the close of the present year it is expected that in the Zo southern athern states sunday schools will be organized there are nearly TOO already in operation and by means of these a great work is is being done and uny many are being indoctrinated witti with the principles of the gospel the eastern states mission as reported by elder samuel W richards who has just returned is a very promising mission and the probability is that many souls will be added to the church there during this coming season adis A disposition is manifested on the part ot of a gam many to investigate and the cry irons from that mission as from all the mis ais siola is u we want more help send aft more elders we cannot fill the calls call LIS that ave have for elders 11 brettl brother has been laboring in that mis sion now for upwards of two years and has been quite successful in gaining access to 10 the public prints getting our views published in newspapers and in removing prejudice irom from the minds of public men brother alonzo P kesler has been sent to take the place of brother richards brother lewis A kelsch keisch is laboring as s resident president P of the northern states mission brother elias S kimball is still laboring in the southern states mission brother ephraim nye is laboring in california and all these elders and their co laborers are performing their duties with great success elder andrew kimball is about to be succeeded by elder william T jack in the presidency of the indian I 1 territory errit ory miltn mission which is also rapidly increasing in colorado rado elder john W taylor and his associates have within the last few months opened the gospel in a number of towns and cities in that state with gratifying graif ying prospects for success elder B H roberts and a few other elders have been visiting many of the large cities of the east and holding meetings therein that have attracted widespread attention nearer home elders J golden kimball henry W naisbitt itt and others have been labain laboring g in idaho still other brethren have been een ministering in in montana in both of these and atje the neighboring states there at appears pears to be abright a bright prospect for doing good many scattered saints who at lerent time have wandered oft off from the main body of the church being found in th these es e regions many of baom whom are anxious to renew their fellowship with gods people there is this noticeable feature at the present time lime in the preaching of toe the G gospel 0 all through the various missions it is the laith faith of the elders to travel without purse and there has been a time when the faith of the elders did not appear to be sufficient to enable ihen to travel in this manner and some have said that missionary labors would have to cease in some parts if the elders had bad to depend upon the people to sustain them but from all the missions where the elders hive pursued this plan of trav traveling elink without purse and scrip they have reported that the lord has blessed them as never before and there is a disposition on the part of the people to entertain them and to supply their wants the betteis that come from the elders are exceedingly encouraging they show the faith of the elders and also the power of god moving upon the hearts of the people in great britain and on tho the continent of europe the el ders are struggling to do this oi course in some countries it is an exceedingly ugly difficult thing because of the fear there ere is of socialism anarchism and nihilism and if a man be found in some places without money in his pocket he is in in danger of being put in prison as a vagabond hence in those countries great care has to be taken that the elders do not expose themselves to imprisonment still the spirit in the elders is to carry out the word wora of the lord in regard to traveling without purse and scrip in europe the work is progressing progress int particularly in northern sweden where a great many converts fire are bang being made and also in holland the saints who live in this city no doubts doubt heard the report of elder G S spencer who returned a few weeks ago from over the netherlands mission I 1 suppose that in that mission there are more people being added to the church tam in any of the european countries and the elders eiders feel exceedingly encouraged in their labors and believe there is a great work to be done in that land i la in germany the elders are laboring with zeal and with a large degree of success and leading men are more disposed to investigate the principles of the gospel than they have heretofore been in dined to do there is also a disposition in berlic and other cities to grant larger liberty the police are not so rigid ind and so disposed to interfere with the meetings jim in fact where they have attended the e meetings as hey have done in some instances to get an idea of the natu nature ot our teachings they have been almost converted at least their prejudices have been to a great extent removed at the te city of B breslau the police commissioner toner has granted to the elders perfect liberty to preach so it may be said wherever the elders have gone the lord has opened their wiy and hoo has raised up friends to them and has bless blessed them in their labors from turkey we have deemed it wise to withdraw the elders for the time boing in consequence of the Armen lop troubles it being thought that it dangerous for our brethren to bs be there when there was rioting and so tamy collisions between the turks and armenians Armen ians Lo looking king therefore at all the fiu fidd the polynesian wands islands the states and Europ ethere is reason to t be thankful to god tor for the he blessings that he has vouchsafed to us for the ing of the hearts of the people and tor the pouring out of his holy spirit up them to to sek seak to understand the principles of the gospel goshell Go spell everyone who is at all acquainted our history for the past few yeara a aft see the great change that has bag baft wrought out in this direction hw avroo der futty fully the lord abe it arfat liberty he has bought t ti his poopoo poop fo the removal of prejudice dice atad amed of 0 taj deadly animosity that was so severely directed against us a few years ago god can do a wonderful work when he pours out his spirit upon the people he can soften the hearts oi of the hardest hearted men and women and he can remove blindness from their eyes and cause them to see the truth the elders are feeling the benefit of this when we think that there are 1300 i elders sent out from this land to these various coun tries laboring indefatigably without purse and scrip and testing the world we can form some idea of how great the work of god is is and how it is spreading and we have scarcely touched the indian races there is an immense field spreading out before the elders of this church in the redemption of these poor remnants of the house ot of israel the elders now are laboring among nations of our own blood excepting in the polynesian islands but here stretches out before us this immense continent on the south peopled with descendants of the house of israel and there is scarcely an elder among them when we think of these millions of people who are await ing the glad tidings of salvation and concerning whom so many precious promises have been made we can imagine what an immense labor devolves upon us as the servants of god this should icide us to renewed diligence it 11 the hearts earls of our young men with burning zeal and a determination t to qualify themselves for the great work of of redeeming the human family which rests upon us as the people of god so far as our own surroundings are concerned we have every reason to be thankful for that which the lord has done and is doin doing there was a probability that w we e st should have division in the church at home in consequence of false doctrine that was taught and false statements that were made it looked for a while as though a great many of our people would be misled and come to wrong conclusions concerning the authority and power of the priesthood of the son of god but from all parts of the church in these mountains the intelligence comes that the members of the church are having their minds enlightened and error is is being removed and inceptions misconceptions which have been industriously propagated are now being understood in their true light this is the representation that comes from all the stakes of zion and it is most gratifying because the church of christ cannot prosper on the earth unless there is union if there be divisions division sor or schisms sms if error prevail if false doctrine be believed they will inevitably retard the progress of the work of god I 1 am thankful mosed that the issue has been raised railed among us some have found fault with the declaration that was made ha here a year ago some have thought it ft unnecessary and that it was framed tor jor the purpose of en trapping somebody now I 1 wish to say to this conference Conle rence that no such purpose ever entered into the hearts of the men who signed that there ameye was no snare nor no trap ed but it was felt that there should be e a declaration of principle made at that time in consequence of the statements which had been made concerning these nu and the misconceptions and division of sentiment which had arisen concerning taft I church of ca ennst audits d government everli i might be thoroughly understood every man that signed that paper felt that it was opportune and that it was needed the very fact act that there should be differences of views on such important questions f furnishes ur all the proof necessary that it was an appropriate and necessary document to 10 issue to the churchard Chur chand all latter day saints will see how appropriate it is if chev will read it in the light of the spirit ot of god it was not issued for the purpose of encroaching upon the privileges or liberty of the latter day dav saints I 1 have said it and I 1 repeat it here that there is no freer people the face of the banh than the latter day saints there is no people that enjoys fuller liberty than we do there is no people who are interfered with less by their religious teachers than are the latter day saints I 1 am willing to risk that statement and have it examined in the light of that which has been and is being done among us there has been no interference with human rights in fact we have refrained from saying and do ng that which I 1 have sometimes thought we ought to do but in our anxiety to avoid giving the least color to the charges that have been made against us we have refrained from expressing ourselves when it was really needed the leading men of this church and I 1 speak this with out boasting are the men who have helped lay the foundation of this commonwealth mon wealth all there is that is looked upon as admirable in our state is due in part at least to them but I 1 need not dwell on this I 1 need only announce to you that today to day all the signs are favorable to a correct comprehension ot the duties of the priesthood and of the members of the church in all parts of the land I 1 am happy to be able to say this I 1 know that god our eternal father will enlighten the minds mind of this people I 1 know he will pour out his spirit upon us when we seek for it he will dissipate darkness and will show us the truth he will give us strength in temptation and trial and he will deliver us from snares if we are true to him and put our trust in him he will not suffer us to baled be led astray by false and delusive spirits I 1 look back to the years of trial through which we have passed and I 1 recall with great satisfaction and pleasure how the lord assisted and sustained his servants and people when everything was dark and it looked as though the powers of darkness would prevail over the church of christ he sustained his servants and his people through the blessing of the lord our sisters were filled with a strength that was almost superhuman and the whole people felt the sustaining hand of our god and he will continue to do this tor for us if we will put our trust in him when we pass through the deep waters he will be there to guide and sustain us when we go through the fiery furnace he will be with us as he was with the three hebrew children the young mens and young ladies mutual improvement associations have received quite an impetus of late and in creased interest is being manifested in them the prospect is that they will do a great amount of good among the people eople we have not the statistics at band hand concerning them as we we have of other institutions I 1 find that the sunday schools are growing there has been bee an n in increase ase of nearly six thousand during F we past year we number now in bur au S sunday schools about one hundred and five thousand officers teachers and pupils this is an exceedingly gratifying showing in the missions abroad where there is is opportunity sunday schools are established and many people who are not members of the church send their children to them because they see that they are taught the word of god and the principles of righteousness and true morality it is is very encouraging to know that through this humble instrumentality so much sod is being done we ought to be diligent in like manner at home and seek after the souls of our own offspring who certainly ought to be as dear to us and as worthy of sacrifice ion on our part as the offspring of strangers there has also been a great increase in the primary associations they show a membership of besides these there are 2770 officers no doubt if every stake reported with care there would be found to be a much larger number it is estimated that there are at least then there are the religion classes you are aware no doubt that it was deemed proper to have religion classes established in in some settlements so that if there should be any tendency on the part of some of the pupils of the district schools to drift into unbelief these classes would have the effect to check that tendency we do not want to say sar one word disrespectful to the district schools we have excellent schools itt 10 our state but there appears |