| Show OUR TALENTS HOW TO USE THEM Pis discourse course delivered at the sixty fourth semiannual semi annual conference of the church in the tabernacle salt lake lahe city friday Afier afternoon noon october 6 by ELDER HEBER J GRANT REPORTED BY ARTHUR WINTER I 1 am very much pleased indeed to once more have the opportunity of meeting rae eting with t he latter day saints in a general conference and I 1 have rejoiced exceedingly in listening to the remarks rem arks that were made to those who assembled here this morning and I 1 regretted that so few of the latter day saints were present I 1 remarked ked afterward that it seemed to me that I 1 had never attended a meeting where so much valuable instruction st ruction had been given it seemed as though all that was said by the speakers was lull full of good things for the latter day saints we many times listen to the elders and they speak in a manner that is interesting and we are pleased with what they say and we hear many eloquent discourses but it did seem to vie me that from first to last all that was said in our hearing this morning was of that character that all of us could re ceide great benefit and profit I 1 trust that the few who were here will remember what they heard and that they will endeavor to communicate to t others the inspiration that we all felt I 1 I 1 feel that as a people we have indeed t areat reat cause to rejoice and give fi ve thanks unto the lord for the man manifestations e s lations of w his goodness kindness and mercy unto us in a council meeting that we held a few days ago at which a I 1 of the members of the quorum of the apostles was present brother thatcher remarked that in the midst of the financial trials through which the people were passing it did seem to him that there never had been a time since I 1 the latter day saints came to these valleys when the lord had magnified the leaders of the people so much and k so go many courtesies had been ext extended endea tx unto them by the people of the world as in the past six months the prejudice K the bitterness and the animosity that a few years ago existed in the hearts of the people of this country against the latter jatter day saints have because of the outpouring of the blessing 5 of the lord upon the people almost entirely disappeared while but a short time ago those of us who came to conference were called upon to look at these stands here and see hardly a representative of the apostles and none ol of the first presidency today we ard alre permitted to see all of the presidency aid ten of the twelve apostles and odthe of the two absent one has just arrived in the city and will be here tomorrow and the other is laboring as the brer president aident of the european mission working for the onward advancement of gods kin kingdom dom there but those who were absent sent from us a few years ago were so because 0 of f the prejudice and bitterness that existed against the saints today there is a disposition on the pat part of the people of this nation at least al 11 all whom I 1 have come in contact with to do justice to the latter day saints we are becoming known for what we w are the latter day saints are aa ai honest upright and a devoted people and when the people of the united states learn this they will concede to us our just jt dues that which we tave had to suffer has been because of prejudice and of falsehoods which have been circulated against us toe american people as a people are not lacking in generosity in liberality or of in ln justice and when they have done a wrong because of false statements toey are ready and willing to right that teat wrong as is illustrated by the passage yesterday of the bill in congress restoring to the latter day saints all their air personal property who could hae thought a lew few short years ago when the e prejudice that existed here was so intense that such action would be taken for wherever you went you would neet men who would say that thal if they had the making of the laws they would not only confiscate the church property but they would confiscate the property proper of all the members of the Chur church cli that senti ment has almost entirely died out As I 1 sat on the stand this morning and listened to the remarks of president cannon and the other tyr brethren ethren referring to the honor that was done to our aged president and hio hi counselors in their recent trip to chicago it was impossible for me to restrain the tears of gratitude that came to my mf eyes we may be called pon to pass through financial hardships but what do they amount to if we are blessed of the lord with the light and inspiration of his holy spirit and if efthos thase who 0 o stand at the head of le the church ore re honored and respected and not looked upon by the world with contempt the latter day saints have been through hard times and there are a great many of us who are pulling long faces and thinking we are in a terrible fix when we are in no fix at all this whole financial panic is a great hoax from first to last in one sense of the word the people all over the country got scared scared at what at nothing in the face of good crops of cotton corn and wheat and general prosperity kave ros perit y in the whole country we have had something over banks fail and I 1 venture the assertion that out of that number there were only a very few that failed because they were in a bad financial condition why did they fail simply because the people got seated deew their money out of the banks ana and in many cases hid it in nine cases out of ten there was no earthly reason for their taking their money out of the banks it is ia estimated that of the trade that is transacted ninety five per cent of it is done on credit and that there is only five per cent of actual money that changes hands in transacting the business of a country we have had such a scare that the ninety five per cent has been contracted about twenty per cent in other words about four times as much contraction as there was money in existence to do the business with the result is that everybody has become frightened of everybody else and as I 1 say banks have failed and almost without exception they were absolutely sound and solvent many and many a bank has been called upon to close its doors that had five hundred thousand dollars capital and only one hundred and fifty or two hundred thousand dollars of deposits left when the bank closed three or four dollars assets to one of liaLi liability lity when people put their money in the bank they expect it to be loaned and of course the banks loan it and if a great majority of the people demand their money at the same time they are sure to close the bank the bank of england could not stand if the people all went there and asked for their money the united states government could not pay all its obligations at once salt lake city if called upon to pay all her bonds could not possibly do it utah territory could not do it or any other city state or territory in the nation it has simply been a sense less panic from first to last and the whole of us have narrowed ourselves down because of this panic and made matters that much worse I 1 want to confess to you that I 1 and many ause others have done wrong why because we have been so very anxious to make a dollar that we have run in debt and now we cannot promptly pay our honest debts I 1 cannot for the reason that collateral securities which are good would not raise a thousand dollars for the first time in my life I 1 have had people come to me and ask me to pay money that I 1 owed them and I 1 have had to ask for an extension of time if the lord will only forgive me this once I 1 will never be caught again I 1 have been a borrower of money since I 1 was eighteen but if I 1 can only get paid off what I 1 owe now I 1 shall be content I 1 believe with the blesi blessings ings af of the lord whatever they may be b be it much or little when I 1 realize the fact that if I 1 owed a bank a certain amount ot of money and they asked me to pay it and I 1 could not and I 1 stop to reflect that my failure to pay that money in in connection with the failure of others might be the cause because the people had become frightened frighten edof of breaking that banki bank I 1 want to tell you that I 1 would feel considerably humiliated we hear many who owe banks complaining because the bankers have oppressed them and raised their rates of interest and so on I 1 tell you my friends that if we have taken a chance and have borrowed the money we have done it for what in the hope of making something and we have no just reason to complain when we are called upon to make sacrifices to meet our obligations I 1 am sure I 1 do not I 1 want to say to the latter day saints that we do not want to lose confidence in ourselves we do not want to lose confidence in oui our brethren we do not want to lose confidence in the institutions in zion and we do not want to lock UD our money where where it will not do any good if god has given us a talent we should put it to usury and make two talents out of it this applies just as much to money as it does to mental talents it is our duty if we have any mean sto let it go 0 into ciraula tion and benefit somebody some somebody gody another thing that we want to learn as latter day saints and I 1 have gone to work to learn it is to follow the counsel that was given to us here today and that is to confine ourselves to the necessities of life and not to indulge in extravagant habits if we have a surplus use it as god desires that we should use it for the onward advancement of his kingdom and the spread of the gospel we are ready and willing to spend ten twenty and in many cases thirty thousand dollars for a fine home that has no more rooms in it no better ceilings no more comforts no more happiness than a house that did not cost more than one tenth of that but it we were called upon to live in a house costing one tenth and expend the balance to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth it would break many of our hearts I 1 believe that the very stringency through which we have been passing has not only inspired us with the idea of being more careful but also with a desire to use our means more liberally for the onward advancement of gods kingdom why because we have seen how little our means amounted to we have found out how absolutely worthless so to speak is all our property I 1 went out hereon here on the street with thirty thousand dollars worth of securities and tried to borrow ten thousand dollars and I 1 would have twenty per cent interest if I 1 could have got ot it but I 1 could not get anything to so far as our property is concerned it is of no actual value to us only as we are ready and willing to use it for the advancement van cement of gods kingdom it is is our duty to provide for our families but it is not our duty to live in extravagance it is not our duty to 40 labor to gain wealth for the adornment of our persons of course I 1 like to see people have good things and I 1 hope to live to see t the he dy day when the latter day sain saints ts will be w wealthy a athy but I 1 want to say to you that unless we become more humble more godlike more faithful in keeping the commandments of god I 1 do not expect we shall become wealthy whenever we learn to be willing to use the means means that god gives us for the onward advancement of his kingdon lat ter day saints will not have any particular financial trouble the lord will bless them with an abundance what we need to do is to seek for the light and inspiration ot his spirit to guide us at all times and he will add all other thin things s to us that are necessary I 1 happened happened gapp ened to read a revelation on the train the other day as I 1 was coming home from new york one that was given to our martyred marty red patriarch I 1 had read it before but it never seemed to strike me with such force as it did then I 1 thought it was a revelation that every latter day saint ought to read over a great many times because I 1 believe pleasure will come to all of us who read it when I 1 read it I 1 thought that the next time I 1 was called upon to speak if I 1 had a few moments notice beforehand I 1 would glance over this revelation and read a few passages from it but inasmuch as I 1 was called on today without notice I 1 have not had time to look for the passages that I 1 wanted to read I 1 will therefore take the time to read the entire revelation A great and marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men behold I 1 am god and give heed to my word which is quick and powerful sharper than a two edged sword to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow therefore give heed unto my word behold the field is is white already to harvest therefore tte whoso choso des ireth to reap let him thrust in in his sickle with his might and reap while the day lasts that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in in the kingdom of god yea whosoever will thrust in his sickle and reap the same is called of god therefore if you will ask of me you shall receive if you will knock it shall be opened un unto to you now as you have asked behold I 1 say unto you keep my commandment sand seek to bring forth and establish the cause of zion seek not for riches but for wisdom and behold the mysteries of god shall be unfolded unto you and then shall you be made rich behold he that hath eternal life is rich neb verily verily venly I 1 say unto you even as you desire s ire of me so it shall be done unto you and if you desire you shall be the means of doing much good in in this generation say nothing but repentance unto this generation keep my commandments and assist to bring forth my work according to my commandments and you shall be blessed behold thou hast a gift or thou have a gift if thou wilt desire of me in in faith with an honest heart believing in in the power of jesus christ or in in my power which speak eth unto thee for behold it is is I 1 that speak behold I 1 am the light which in in darkness and by my power I 1 give these words unto thee and now verily verily I 1 say aay unto thee th ee put pat your trust in that spirit which to do good yea to do justly to walk humbly to judge righteously and this is my spirit verily ve ri y verily ri y 1 I say sa y unto un t 0 you yo u 1 I will impart i rn unto you of my spirit which shall enlighten your mind which shall fill your soul with joy and then shall ye knower know or by this shall you know all things whatsoever you desire of me which are pertaining unto things of righteousness in faith believing in me that you shall receive behold I 1 command you that you need not suppose that you are called to preach until you are called wait a little longer until you shall have my word my rock my church and my gospel that I 1 you may know of a surety my doctrine 3 and then behold according to your desires J yea even according to your faith shall it be don done unto you I 1 keep my commandments hold your peace appeal unto my spirit yea cleave unto me with all your heart that you may assist in bringing to light those things thing of which have been spoken yea the translay tion of my work be patient until you shall ac 1 com it 41 behold this is your work to keep my corn com j mand ments yea with all your might mind and strength S tren gt h j seek not to declare my word but first seek 1 to obtain thy my word and then shall your tongue be loosed then if you desire you shall have my spirit and my word yea the power of god i unto the convincing of men I 1 but now hold your peace study my word 1 which hath gone forth among the children of s men and also study my word which shall come forth among the children of men or that which J J is now you have obtained an all H which I 1 shall grant unto the children of men ir in this generation and then shall all things be 3 added thereunto behold thou thoa art hyrum my |
