Show ANNUAL GATHERING fiA OP SAINTS opening session Is well attended authorities are sustained church answers bitter articles artio jes in magazines S 4 1 first joseph F smith prophet seer and revelator and president A 11 lund first counselor john henry penry smith second counselor 4 quorum of the T twelve iv apostles F 1 M I lyman II 11 J grint grant rudger alamson Cl claw amson son reed smoot 11 II NI smith G A smith C W penrose G 0 F richards D 0 mckay 0 F whitney A W ivins joseph F smith jr john smith pro presiding alding patriarch 0 first seven presidents of the S D young B 11 II roberts J G kimball R S wells J I 1 W McI ln C 11 hart b and levi E young presiding bishopric C I 1 V nibley presiding 0 P miller first counselor david A smith second counsell coun selo 0 A II 11 lund church historian and general church recorder andrew jenson D XI it roberts A william lund and J F amith tr ir assistant historians it 11 II cummings general superintendent of church schools general church board bo ird of education joseph P F smith wll lard young A II 11 lund G II 11 bramhill Brim hill ball rudger clawson C W 4 penrose 11 11 cummings 0 P F Nh whitney itney francis M 1 I lyman and arthur winter secretary and treasurer joseph F smith trustee in trust D it mcallister McAll later cleric clerk of general conference 4 positive tive declaration that the church had abandoned plural marriage that any person within the church performing such ceremony or any man or woman a member of the church entering into any plural marriage would be dealt with th direct and unqualified statement of willingness to see congress congre aa pass a constitutional amendment dealing with marriage and divorce throughout the nation formed the features of jobeth F smiths address at the opening session of tho the church of jesus christ of latter day there were other significant utterances te rances by the president of the mormon church such as an implied rebuke to the followers of modern science and an urgent exhortation for more general tithe paying but alitae ere overshadowed b the statements dailing directly with the marriage question large numbers of the veterans vet et trans crans in the church who ho have attended every conference for min nian ears sald the utter of president amith might NN well il be regarded is as the most significant since the issuance of the manifesto against plu nl ril ts bi president nood rutt ruff seat it throng pie ait at 10 15 clock thursday morning Pros president ident siruth rose roie to announce the opening hymn I 1 come lome ye yo saints I 1 the great tabernacle waa was comfortably filled but none was for forced c ed to stand of thi quorum of the twelve tele apostles all were re present except senator ref re smoot and apostle clawson president of the european mission all of the seven presidents of the seventies were in attendance and anon II 11 lund first counselor was taken ill and was as unable to be present lewis anderson Ander sou president of the manti temple offered the opening prayer and both choir and congregation sang I 1 guide me ale 0 thou great jehovah when president smith began MB ble opening address by announcing that th it in times past too much time had been taken up by the reading of notices from the pulpit and that hereafter alt all minor notices would be posted on a bulletin board in the tabernacle grounds and followed ell abia Is with alth the statement that he did not intend to say very ery much as he was not in good health there was mas no expectant expectation at ion that the opening ees ses slon sion would mould bring forth any keynote utter uce tice ait I 1 of goil 01 ol in all conting ailing upon his own indisposition po chilk canned by ft severe cold president resident smith aid it la is the duty july of latter day faints to ledge the hand of god in all things and to remember that all afflictions are for our o 0 Et expressing pressing his gratitude for the fol followers loers of preserve prea pre erce serce of so many the church the leader declared this la Is an indication that we do 10 feel feet as we e should feel that we me are laboring as we should labor for the up building of zion all AH sho ild contribute all they can to the ing of our baurch I 1 can truthfully say that the church of jesua jesus christ of latter day saints la Is in a pros seiona con altion zion la Is enjoying the favor and blessing of almighty god those who are entrusted with the ratch watch care of the church are faithful to their trust every presidency ot of the takes stakes aery bishopric li so far ae as I 1 know compose nt of CHURCH bilm 1 s TO Mi emilii lII ATTACK just before the adjournment of conference the report of tho the farot presidency signed by president joseph F smith first counselor anthun anthon 11 II lund and second counselor john henry smith was read it was as in tho the adoption of this report that decision was made to answer the attacks against the church in the report the members of the first presidency declared that they were not in favor of engaging in any controversy but that there were forne u untruths being circulated they believed should be answered they denied that there have been any plural marriages sanctioned by the church since tho the manifesto and declared that where such unions had bad been discovered the violators had been put out of the church denial was nas made of any attempt by the church officials to dominate political conditions in the state and a challenge was mas issued to anone to produce an pledge made mad by the chur h to accept the instructions of the li presidency residency in regard to voting every citizen it was declared has ling the right to vote as he or she wishes in conclusion the report declared that ti things are not received b the presidency contrary to statements published publish cd in some magazines the ti things are received at the various arious tithing houses and every penny Is accounted for the antl anti mormon articles have one good feature it waa was said that the they r create additional interest in the so called mormon question atil that after people have investigated they find that the articles arc untrue and thit that the mormons are a ing gentle gentl e people trying to do what Is right men rnea of truth and sobriety men who are oneat faithful upright who he enjoy the spirit and favor of god who shun even the appearance of evil it if there ther are any negligent in their duty it baa has not been brought specifically to our attention the same is to be said of all the organizations in zion and of the various missions the hrit first 1 I need not eay say anything at this time particularly in regard to the first presidency of the church tue toe are before the people their live lives are an open book open and accessible ble 1 to all 11 we leave it 11 to the he members to say whether the presidency is in good standing or not hut but I 1 do want to bar my testimony as to all of the twelve apostles they are men of god true and faithful referring ferring Ile to the growth of the church during the past year president smith announced tho the organization of two to new stakes the chesne and the carbon and of fit tf dpn n new wards ards there are now he said sixty matakes wards and twenty one missions during the year 1910 thre th tb re were baptized into the church persons in the various stakes and missions the church leader found particular cause for congratulation in the fact that statistics showed the birthrate in the church for the year to be fairty eight per thousand the highest in the world and the death rate to bo be nine per thousand the lo lowest aest in the world he lie was glad also to report that there had been among church members one divorce to every ever five thousand persona persons about one fifth of the average or go shown shon throughout the nation natio the church had expended during durins the year 5 for inis missions inure than for its schools and upward url of to the poor ml 11 the operating expenses of the general charch offices he ex had lind been pahl out of the revenue derived from front made of church funds leaving ill the tithing collected tree free to be ex e in relief educational il and nilsson nil slon work ork nied of tit moir tithing non tithe payers were in a at dill I 1 matte wa handed blinded an emphatic roast by the president when hen he 1 I will not siy sly anything an thing about the long hat list of non tithe pa pier ers sl but I 1 would say to the latter day saints who ho honor this jaw a and who ho provide the funds to carr on the work of the tho church that they the are to bo be congratulated thoe those who fill fall to obey this la laa will have lime to settle with their god from the question of tithing which he lie liter later referred to in his hial address president smith turned to the taste of his peorl la lit amuso monts ments and pointedly expressed regret tint that in the salt lake theater in which the mormon chi cht h holds the controlling interest and eloe whore where the tendency was as to give pat komg mostly to the class of shows that the vulgar degrading debasing and obscene lie sp specified the vaudeville houses as catering to and fostering this taste but in tho the same breith breath stat stated e d that it was the bid bad show that drew the largest house even in the salt S alt lake theater this degraa degradation of taste he said exists not alone in utah but throughout the length and breadth of the lind land l aitho luire then the president turned back again to the tithe payers god go bless you for your noble efforts ef lorts he lie bald during the past year we have been under the necessity nece asit of cutting down don to the limit the bums sums furnished to the various warda and stakes for building purposes it all the members of the church fulfilled their in this respect we wa would uld hive hane ample means to carry fo rard the work in thia this respect you are deiling dealing not with mith me nor I 1 with you you iou are deiling dealing with the lord and must settle the account with him hint after praising tho the work of the mutual Ini improve provi ment association the sunday schools the relict relief society biety and the v i lous church organizations zat ions he said alon Is prospering the litter day saints have the power pomer to divide truth from front error light from front diran ss and faey are abiding by the true faith I 1 no science no philosophy can i in take the place of the true faith in the gospel he lie slid said vo e have had hail science and philosophy for centuries and it haa has constantly changed science and philosophy must be demonstrated beyond the possibility of a doubt but the word ot god la Is always true now as in the beginning the revealed revel led word ord he said ga I 1 1 was not capable of being changed the doctrines of repentance baptism the laying on of hands are always true and always necessary to salvation plural marriages 4 must censi cease it was then that the church leader turned to the question of plural marriages and in emphatic words and impressive manner warned arned his people that plural marriages within the church must cease he ile eald said and another thing we ought to obey the rulea rules of the church with regard to marriage hundred marriages were contracted last ear not in accordance with tho I 1 li v of god As announced time ard rd again at these conferences confer erces plural marriages have ceased in the chirch ch there 1 Is no man who U authorized to perform a plural mar r ige no man and no woman oman 4 have the authority nut hority to have this ceremony performed for them we have been boon doing ilo ng all in our power to stop this continued on page eight 9 continued froni we have been doin doing trace he the men who ho art ar these eren 10 biles n 0 i cate them 1 but when be al the them in w wo 0 will 4 deal a 1 ith with respect to th paa ed by some to jad aou 4 bress grebs of the un united cited SWI aty tile constitution so as a I 1 government the regula re gulatt tc plural I 1 nm RM 4 concerned I 1 h hate v whatever to title such h a an neither has as atta othe other I 1 saint I 1 let et the states nation to regu te the eject act of marri ge it aa stites and anti it bet be i the people everywhere notts soni 11 i el I 1 president ire slant smith te that he did not latea strictures on plural prescribe regulations re cases ot of plural 1 ag law of the church cricri efesto of 0 president N the contrary ari he urged tt had taken civet time to be trub to the then children who had leo bm them under buch such condia condil are not genuine men if true to them thern he said marriages performed sin I 1 refer to president smith cot address by pronouncing pronoun cin upon the mission go 1 church declaring lit its strong evidence of 0 the U gos gospel pel ward and noal iraq the morning breaks effect and anthon IL counselor to president livered a brief address particularly of the grat graffal the birth ald death lu by president smith h hi him and held it to be I 1 e every very latter day saint tt the word of iscom ill long life |