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Show I TEMPLE AND TABERNACLE, i 8AINTU IN SESSION. Nearlr Kverr Stake Ileprescnted at the Slitr-nlnth Annual Conference. The sixty-ninth annual conference of ths Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Latter-day Saints convened at Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 0, at 10 a. m., President George Q. Cannon calling tha conference to order. Elder Seymour 11. Young offered the opening prayer. President Lorenzo Snow then addressed address-ed tho conference, and the remarks of the vencrablo president were listened to with great Interest. Ho appeared vigorous and strong for one so old and his address was earnest In the utmost. It gave him great Joy, he said, to see so many of the Saints assembled. "Nature Is smiling on every side this morning," "and every one hare should feel a thrill of Joy at our condition as a church. We want to have a good conference. We will have a good conference con-ference If your faith and prayers are In.the work.''1 President Snow blessed the Saints In tho name of the Lord and spoko very cheering words to all. Apostle Rudgcr Clawson followed President Snow, speaking against tho power of wealth. Apostle O. A. Woodruff spoke next, devoting most of his discourse to a sketch of the advance of the church. Nearly every stake was represented at tho opening session, and the tabernacle taber-nacle was filled to overflowing. At the afternoon session Apostle Lund was the first speaker, followed by Apostle Merrill and President Georgo Q. Cannon. Apostle Lund spoke of tho good missionaries could accomplish accom-plish at home, as well as on foreign missions, while Apostle Merrill spoke of the rapid Increase In the member ship of tho church, and gave some good advloe to the young people lu regard to avoiding extravagance and saving their earnings. President Cannon said that Mormontsm had been a leveler of class distinctions and came as a salvation to the poor the tollers In Europe and America, so long deprived of hope, had .heard the gospel. Mormontsm had "Wde uveryjmanii.thattvri . wortkyk .leara eouT4Vhu?ehrd ttfm beSaflf 'to Jkf VorltLat (lurglUiad given new -Ideas, of heaven and liell; the light of the Gospel had disposed of the fearfulness attached to the place of eternal punishment. Ho spoke of the Mormon Idea of eternity and said that a man would preside over his family, large or small, In the hereafter, and the relationships of this world would be a part of heaven, purified and exalted. ex-alted. Pro-creation would be continued and tho planets would bo peopled. The Idea, he said, was materialistic, but nevertheless this would be the ohlef source of enjoyment In the world to come. rniDAY's SESSION. Thcro was an unusually large attendance at-tendance at both sessions Friday, especially espe-cially In the afternoon when there was not room enough to accomodate all rt ho wished to attend. At the morning morn-ing service Elder David II. Cannon of St. George gave the opening prayer, after which President Lorenzo Snow opened the services with a few words, congratulating the church on the auspicious aus-picious opening at the conference. Apostle John W. Taylor spoko of the missionary work In the mountain too much money to their sons who were on missions, as In his experience the best missionaries were thoso who depended on their own labors for their support, and not on the money sent from home. He took Issue with Evangelist Evan-gelist D. L. Moody, who asserts that ordlnunccs such as baptism and laying lay-ing on hands are unnecessary. Jesus taught the neccassty of these ordinances, ordi-nances, he said, and the same things aro promised at the present time as when Jesus was on the earth. Apostle Hobor J. Grant was the next speakeri and during the course of his address hs spoke of tho Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, saying say-ing they had nothing upon which to base their claim that their church was the true one. Apostle George Teas-dale Teas-dale spoke of the patriotism of members mem-bers of tho church to the natlan, and also criticised the utterances of Evan gellst Moody In regard to the ordinances ordi-nances of baptism andlaylngon hands. Apostle John Henry Smith preached an eminently practical sermon at the afternoon session. Ho spoke of the position which the Mormon church has attained In the world, holding that this had not been gained solely from the spiritual Instruction which the gospel taught. "Our practical application of our faith," he said, "has wrought us a fair share of respect and esteem." Apostle Francis M. Lyman followed la a discourse which was purely doo- Eldor Melvln Kent of Lewlston, Caohe county, was set apart for missionary mis-sionary work in the southern states the 17th of March, 1897, and left for that field on the 18th. Ho has beea laboring In Mississippi conference, where he filled a successful mlsslou. Elder R, W. Wallentlne, of Paris, Rear Lake county, Idaho, returned in company with Elder Raymond. He has also beau on a mission to California. Califor-nia. He was set apart on May 19, 1897. He saya the mission lu the const tt U In excellent condition, trtnal In nature. He dealt with the J necessity of faith, the evidences of dl- J vlnlty In the revelations of Joseph aLI Smith and the efficiency of repentaaoe il as a means of grace. B President Joseph V, Smith made a i B most smphatlo denial that the church BBVJ had In any way been responsible for r the nomination or electton of- II. II- ' BAVJ Roberts as a member of congress from i HHB Utah. He said that the charge had KsVJ been made by enemlespt the church to flftSJ blacken Ita character and to bring ' HBVJ odium upon It, and he averred positively HBVJ that the church was not responsible HBVJ for the acts of either of the political pBVJ parties saying, with some dry humor, H as hs concluded: HBVJ "If we did control them, we would H not allow this wrangling and bitter- HKVJ ness. We'd have peace In the ranks, HBa and we'd put a stop to all this quarrel- iel bundat's SKSSlOX. ,( J At the morning sorvlces Franklin D. JftfJ Richards spoko of the evils of skeptl- M ctsm and ngnostlclsm, pointing out the HKVJ dangers which lay In such things. ,,j HKVJ Then ha turnod to the question of , . HftV marriage and urged all the young men H to marry early In life, not to wait JKVJ until thoy had saved up tholr money n- IKVJ and had a competence. He Impressed HKVJ upon the people tho necessity of tho BKVJ payment of tithing. If everyone were regular In the payment of their J HftVJ tithing, he said, the church weuld bo . JftVJ supported easily, without the frequent appeals for contributions which wero '' now necessary. - pBVJ Apostle Rrlgham Young followed In ' KV a similar vein to Apostle Richards. urging all members of the church to faithfully pay their tithing and to pay It honestly, and truthfully, and no- gradglngly Ho announced the lm- portanco of belief In the prlnclplo of ' revelation reading from the Doctorlno H and Covenants In support of what he HBV President Loronzo Snow occupied a H few moments Just at tha close of the H session. He spoke of the influence of M publlo opinion as a moans of restraint H from temptation, and the dangers of M allowing oneself toy leld to temptation, M ren In small matters. y H . At the afUrncn service hegealjaaB...; ,. . yH MthOTlUeasoffrBeT&HSw0)-' ,""i ikaH atnUd by President George QVnMjKBBf 5 "'ft, M-fjH aBl:H'waWiaBlojKiyiwtstaed.!?ftjvH "H There-were-i.no ohangeajrthe porson-- M nel of any of the quorums. H Individual responsibility was the H theme of President Georgo Q. Canaon's M address. Ho said that tho Latter-day M Saints were not taught to rely upon "" . M priests and teachers and apostles, but H each was held responsible for his own H President Joseph F. Smith took up H the subjeot of tithing, saying that the H church was called upon very fre- H quently to pay the expenses of the B families of elders who wero on mis- HBV slons and that the church paid almost HB all tha traveling expenses of all tha HKV olders who went out Into the mission- HftV ary field. This amounted to a very JJ large sum annually and all of it must BV come from the peoplo In the form of HBb tithing. He urged honesty In tithing, HKV for ho said that even though the bishops HKV might not see through tho dishonest HftV return, the Lord would know, and ho HKV would mete out justice accordingly. B After tho hymn, "Our God We Ualso to Thee," by the choir and the congre- H gallon, President Lorenzo Snow pro- JftS nounced the benedletlon and the con- HBb ference adjourned for six months. HBa |