| Show REMARKS made at the sixty eighth annual con ference of the church n the taber nacle salt lake cl city ty utah m thursday afternoon april 7 1898 by ELDER JOHN HENRY SMITH I 1 do not remember having heard single word either read or spoken by iw our brethren during this Confer Con enot that I 1 did not endorse it seems see to 2 me that each one of the brethren 11 hs presented some item that should cai carlm us to reflect seriously upon the soon good ness and mercy extended unto us ua by lav our heavenly father the aired aged wha heard the cry in the land from whence they came come out of her my arx 1 pie that ye be not partakers par takers of her sins and that ye receive not of hw her plagues should rejoice and their children and their childrens children should continue in that rejoicing ua on suggestion contained in the remarks remar tri of elder merrill this forenoon of fotss brother who would have been plead to have taken from his swill baral the food that was applied I 1 in U the 41 st of providing for domestic awa aal mals is one probably that hosts off young people whose homes have bom ben in this mountain region cannot aa asyl fully appreciate fathers and mother of mature years may appreciate suggestion some of our brothers and ad sisters who have been unsuccessful te set securing aring proper labor within HH cent years may have been made to taste in some limited degree these conditions as did the early pioneers ia a their experiences the blessing that well stocked swill barrel would pr pre sent to td the hungry man or wo woman an each suggestion presented for our consideration during this conference has been of a practical character whether applied directly to the temporal conditions that surround us to IS life or to those conditions that we speak of as spiritual the labors and ministrations of the past few monther montha by quite an army of young men under the direction of president woodrun ruff and his aids who made a tour vr of the various stakes in zion and visited the homes of the people interviewed their sons and their daughters and awakened an interest in the minds vc those sons in those associations established in connection with the worle work of god and the calling in as suggested in the remarks of one of the breth of about souls give to us A possibilities of missionary work among the covenant people of god and present before our vision the opportunity to consider the possibilities that attend the spread of the truth among those spirits who have been forgotten and reared among that gathered israel who have been called to come forth from among the people of the world many received and believed the testimonies of our young brethren whose hearts and minds were bent upon arousing to life by nurturing it the gospel that had been planted in the breasts of the number that I 1 have named it cannot be anticipated that the brief but earnest efforts made during the winter season to gather the young men into these associations organized for them can have accomplished all that should be desired in connection with this matter but it is 18 a matter of joy to those who have been engaged in this ministry that our nur father did sweeten their words and arouse to reflection the hosts of young inen who will remain earnest and devoted laborers within this fold and who perchance will be found whenever f they will be needed in connection with the development of the work of god using the talents with which their maker has endowed them for the furtherance of his purposes there remains without doubt large 12 numbers umbers who may have been aroused temporarily to reflect upon the sacred obligations of the gospel and who may have fallen temporarily from grace to be followed by the laborers in these various fields with a devotion and earnestness that shall cause them to continue at least to strive to know more fully of the work of god with their hearts gladdened said and their minds aroused their understandings educated the spirit of truth distilled upon those minds shall fasten there that none of them perchance may fall in the receipt of the impress of the spirit of the living god in such form as to brighten their entire lives I 1 trust my brethren and my sisters fathers and mothers bishops and counselors presidents of stakes and sigh councilors councillors Counci lors that the work that has been inaugurated in this direction which calls from the den of infamy from the places where loafers congre gate ate and from the places where evil and crime to is begotten through the 4 ghering etherl ng together of young men and young boys assailing each man in the spirit of that missionary labor which haaf called so many during the brief f barfod of the last winter season to at beast enroll themselves in the hope of AL bibbler abler and better development of and all maintaining th the e spirit of that work who have been used from the sleep of idleness to the me understanding of the relationship of at the holy spirit will continue their ministrations until every son and every mghiter in zion every stranger with in her borders in every home shall klicar the voice of testimony making its that god indeed does live paid and that his holy truths restored in these latter days are surely among the children of men I 1 trust my breth yen rm and sisters that the same spirit that has actuated these young men who have gone forth to prove zion to text test the faith of parents to scatter the he seeds needs of life to point out the way af f the he gospel of the son of god will have touched your hearts in such form that in no home where the truth of the dospel has come shall the father or t mother the son or daughter fail in way my degree having received the sweet te ft fluence heard the still small voice i of the spirit to nurture and care tor for jund ad i develop its force and its in their breasts V tere ere is another item that I 1 have my mind upon which I 1 wish to 4 for a few moments as an I 1 discover A y in my associations among the people that there is a continuous tendency tend aney for our young men as well as many of our middle aged men to ally themselves with the various organizations clubs and societies formed outside of 0 the church many of them for the purpose cf insi insurance trance that they may be b enabled to secure perchance i a few hundred dollars in the interest of their families should accident happen them or in their own interest provided they are enfeebled and unable to discharge the duties and responsibilities that attach to them it seems to me that in every stake of zion alon there is ample capacity to organize mutual aid societies within our own circles among oui own members and retain at home hoine any profits that may arse from such organizations all the organizations of this character within our state are sending off hundreds of dollars to aid in the maintenance of people in other sections of the land we have the skill we have the ability we ought to have the practical common sense to be able to form and adjust these associations within our dur own circles one hundred men or three hundred paying their dollar a week or dollar a month into a fund manipulated and managed by themselves within their own circle and thus utilize to profit and aid their brother who may mav be afflicted or to pay to a sister should a brother be removed from the home circle As it is these organizations are receiving their money and sending a certain percentage continuously to the heads of the various societies from I 1 which they receive their organizations and keeping a portion of it possibly at home I 1 believe that care and attention should be bestowed upon these matters and the formation of membership in those organizations that look after and guard you in some measure should not occur among the latter day saints but I 1 would not arouse a spirit of antagonism in this respect it is just as legitimate just as proper for you to form your organizations in your circles in which you legitimately move as that others should form them and you pay tribute to them I 1 desire to raise my voice in commendation men dation of the position that has been assumed by president mckinley and his cabinet on the question affecting spain and to say to you my brethren and sisters it should be the prayer of the latter day saints that our nation be preserved from war and that the efforts to maintain peace should be carried to the utmost limit before bloodshed should be resorted to I 1 trust that this feeling pervades the hearts of the people called latter day saints and that all of us feel within I 1 our souls a determination to stand for the principles of right and sustain our government in every proposition of liberty justice and mercy and the maintenance of these principles of righteousness the prevention of the shedding of blood to the most reasonable extreme I 1 feel my brethren and sisters to thus give utterance to the sentiments of my own heart and mind upon this question and that the prayers of the people should go up in an appeal that god shall guide the destinies of this great government in such form that its mission of liberty to the human race may be accomplished shed in that way that life and property and happiness and peace and not bloodshed shall come to the children of men we recognize our rathers fathers purpose in connection with the development of this work and the world receiving the message we have to bear will be remembered by him in the wars and rumors of wars that shall exist among the nations and in the seas heaving themselves beyond their bounds but we claim with hands lifted to high heaven that we believe the constitution of the untied united states was a revelation from god and opened the door of liberty in such form that his sons and daughters should be permitted to possess every right and every privilege that mortal should be permitted to enjoy in the flesh the extension of these sentiments and these views lie dearest to the heart of every man and every woman who he haw become conversant with the gospel of the lord jesus christ and I 1 trust that we will not permit ourselves in the midst of the excitement that arisen to shout for bloodshed but on the contrary to desire that god shall direct the hand that has been placed to guide the destinies of this nation at the present time and make the minds of leading men of the wise wine and broad and firm upon the principles of right may heavens peace and blessi blessing nIg abound in every heart may god IX bd glorified the truth spread liberty in ini i crease justice and mercy abound in my prayer in the name of jesua amen |
