Show EAST conference jonesboro Jone tenn sept 6 1897 after a journey of two weeks through some of the most mountain stained counties of east tennessee from jacksboro Jack where our conference convened on the and of august 1897 to our field of labor in washington county we come to a halt long enough to sound our trumpet to your readers and let them know that the east tennessee conference ignot is not quite dead yet nor are we dying no we are just beginning to rouse ourselves true enough we have been taking medicine not the various wide famed herbal bitters but that which flows from the inspired lips and pen of our worthy leader prest elias S kimball and his assistants when we went forth from our place of conference in 1896 we did it with determination that we would do more work than we had ever done before the reports of the elders at our conference this year show a verification of our desires and intentions instead of reporting meetings by the hundreds they were numbered by the thousands instead of numbering baptisms by toe the units they are numbered by the score yet we have not reached the height hecht of our ambition we have not come to a place where there is no more work ork to do there are yet cities to capture caP tur villages and settlements to visit people to baptize and op posers of the truth to make friendly As long as there is yet grain in the field the harvester must not cease his earnest and energetic labors at our late conference con ferenc our hearts and minds were stored with useful knowledge and new devices by which to reach the most people in the shortest time with an end in view of accomplishing comp lishing the most good without system the largest and strongest army would be easily routed while a small army under the strictest discipline in the latest and most improved metti methods of warfare would soon devastate a splendid empire the army of truth is asyet as yet comparatively small but by our frequent drilling under one inspired torn tom heaven we can wage a successful war against the mighty and confused eon fused babylon this has been thoroughly tho demonstrated by our elders during the past year extremely bitter counties and neighborhoods have shown the white flag and many of their ranks shave have come with the same question that peter so closely answered on the first pentecostal day after the resurrection of our master prest kimball has told us that after our testimony would come the testimony of fires earthquakes faL famine mine pestilences rings and which are the judgments or god and we firmly bear testimony that some of these have come and others will follow close upon them at our conference which met at jacksboro Jack campbell county tenn were thirty one elders including elder albert matheson from the office at chattanooga who was with us on behalf of prest kimball who has not yet returned from utah our public meetings were held in the large assembly room of the court house and were very well attended especially on sunday the elders were well provided for at hotels and private dwellings most of them at the kindness of A F and P shau the former manager of the rothschild free soil farm the latter an attorney at law who hasteen has been in utah neither spared pared any efforts in assisting to make T the h e many mormon preachers as comfortable for table as possible many other kind friends gave a helping hand but time and space will not permit mentioning all on monday we listened to the inspired words of elder Matheson which is to be hoped fell heavily upon our earea ears and sank deeply into our hearts on the our ranks were strengthened by the arrival of four elders from zion and thirty four of us are now scattered through the various counties of east tennessee and western north carolina the missionary field is indeed like the traditional field of the tropics where sowing growing and harvesting last throughout the year our present ambition is to become a system of information and light in our sisterhood of conferences for we have been a satellite sat elite long enough may we grow and increase in our labors and may the spirit of god abide in every honest heart is our desire and prayer for all your paper is a welcome visitor and is an indispensable to missionary work JAS E HART prest east tenn conference F G WARWICK E K FILLERUP clerks |