OCR Text |
Show SAINTS URGED 10 SAVE JD SERVE 7 CHURCHMEN ASKED TO GIVE OF SUPPLIES TO NATION AND HELP DEFEAT HUN. President Smith Pledges Loyalty of People in Opening Address at Annual An-nual Conference of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Luke City. The eighty-eighth annual conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was held in this city April 5, C and 7, President Presi-dent Joseph V. Smith, who had just returned from California, where lie had spent the greater part of the winter because of his health, delivering the opening address. Three Officials Absent. There were three prominent absentees ab-sentees at this conference. Apostle Keed Smoot, Brigham II. Hoberts, ono of the first seven presidents of seveni ties, and Hichard W. Young, president of the Ensign stake of Zion, were thq absent ones. Apostle Heed Smoot is in Washington serving as United States senator. President Brigham H. Roberts is a lieutenant in the United States army, serving as chaplain in the 145th light field artillery (First Utah) at Camp Kearny. President Richard W. ioung is a member of the efficiency board at Fort Sill, Okla., having been recently transferred to that post after having commanded the Utah artillery since its incorporation into the national army. Urges Increased Production. Achievement of practical independence indepen-dence through producing at home what is needed for sustenance of the people and avoidance of all wastefulness wasteful-ness was the uppermost theme in the opening address of President Joseph F. Smith. During his address, President Smith declared: "There is not a feeling in my soul nor a fibre of my being that is disloyal. The government of the United States we should support in maintaining the principles of liberty and justice and freedom that have been established through the constitution constitu-tion of our country. I believe in the principles which that instrument promulgates pro-mulgates and teaches and inculcates freedom to man, freedom to do right, freedom to worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences, freedom to pursue their way in peace and to observe and maintain their rights and freedom, opportunity equally equal-ly to defend and preserve freedom for their neighbors and fellow citizens. "I believe God Almighty inspired the minds of men who framed the constitution, con-stitution, and that it was an inspired instrument. I believe it ought to be preserved and is worthy to be preserved pre-served and is worthy to be defended and upheld by all the people of our land." Elder Anthon H. Lund of the first presidency followed in a brief expression ex-pression of approval of President Smith's teaching and an admonition to parents to make the home so attractive attrac-tive that their children would be kept in better control than when allowed to go out for all sorts of amusement. He said he believed also that the health of the people would be better if they more generally observed the word of wisdom, which advises against the use of tobacco, liquor, tea and coffee. Scores Hun Ruthlessness. A note of severe criticism of German war methods entered into the discourse dis-course of President Heber J. Grant of the twelve apostles at the afternoon session on the opening day. He characterized that policy as one of rapine, murder, robbery, blasphemous impudence and repudiation. "Even the constitution of the United States," President Grant said, "is regarded by the German ruling class as a mere scrap of paper." Elder Charles W. Penrose of the first presidency delivered the first address ad-dress of the afternoon session. "The beauty of the congregation is much enhanced, in my mind," he said, "by the absence of so much millinery as we had some years ago. Your faces are not hidden by frills to obstruct the view; and the sight is gratifying to the soul." President Penrose supplemented the production and conservation talk of the morning meeting by saying that Utah should send out vastly more than is brought in. The Financial Report. expenditures made from the tithing funds of the L. D. S. church during the year 1917 were briefly given in a general summary by President Joseph F. Smith in his opening address, ad-dress, as follows : Expended in the stakes and wards for local purposes, 751,078.00; maintenance main-tenance and upkeep of temples, including in-cluding repairs of the St. George and Logan temples, . $111,030.56 ; construction construc-tion of the Cardston, Canada, and Hawaiian Ha-waiian temples, $120,745.36; maintenance mainte-nance and operation of church schools, $303,028.75; charitable purposes, including in-cluding hospitals, .$320,903.75; mission purposes, including the erection of mission houses and chapels, $335,-801.37; $335,-801.37; completion of the new church office building, $154,808.40. Total, $2,100,482.80. |