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Show EIGHTY-SECOND ANNUAL CONFERENCE CON-FERENCE HELD Salt Lako City, April 5. Despite the rain, tho iabernaclo was filled this morning at tbo eighty second annual an-nual conference. Tho auditorium was well filled and tho gallery held largo numbers. Tho First Presidency of the Church, Presidents 'Joeoph F . Smith, Anthon H. Lund and Charles W. Penrose, Pen-rose, were In attendance, as also were Elders Frnnci3 M. Lyman, Heber J.' Grant, Hyrum M. Smith, George F. Richards, Ors'on F. WhltnoyDasld O. McKay, Anthony W. Ivins and, James E. TaImago,.of tho, council ot, tho twelve; Elders Seymour D. Young B. H. Roberts, J. Golden Kimball, Hulon S. Wells, Jospeh W. McMurrln, and Charles H. Hart, ot tho first council of seventies; C. W. Nlbloy, Orrln P. Miller and David A. Smith, of tho presiding bishopric; nnd a largo number of presidents of Btakos bishops of wards, high councilors, and presiding officers of tho auxiliary organizations. The opening session was taken up by nddresses by Presidents Smith and Lund. Tho themo of President Smith's dlscourso was that tho grounds of opposition, hero and a-broad, a-broad, to tho Latter-day Saints nro not what tho Saints do, but rather what their opponents think they do. And his whole address, which was listened to with profound nttentlon by tho largo audience, showed how this was true. President Lund's address touched upon tho llfo ot Christ. Ha drew from tbo life of tbo Savior topics of practical prac-tical Import and applied them to existing ex-isting conditions, urging tbo Latter-day Latter-day Saints to adhere to tho teachings of tho Savior. , President Joseph F. 8mlth r President Joseph F. Smith expressed expres-sed his pleasure at meeting with tho Saints in another contorenco of the Church.. Personally ho wont on in Bubatance, I havo nothing but this cause to llvo for, for tho rest of my life. It has been tho object of my llfo from my childhood. I have been connected con-nected with tho missionary work from tlie beginning. There is nothing noth-ing greater than to bo Identified with the causo of truth. For I verily believe that wo aro engaged In tho causo ot truth, and not error, restored in our day. It Is a sourco of gratitude to know that our enemies havo not been opposed op-posed openly to tho principles wo Continued on Page G. - B EIGHTY-SECOND B ANNUAL CON- B JFERENCE HELD H (Continued from pngo otio) H ;mvo espoused. As n rule tho op- H i position against the Church has lioeu B i against iih from fnlso promises. In- V .aliuul of our religion being attucksd H Jiy Jjur enemies tlioy havo boon at- H itncklng things thoy have charged us H with and of which wo nro not guilty. H Our enemies could not consistently H .of course, opposo tho principles ot to- H. volution from God, that tho Lord At- H mighty Is finite as capable of making H. I .known bus will to men as ho over B Kim. Hence, when our opponents op- R: , poso lis on this point, It is rather on E Xhu .falso promises thut wo don't be- B Jlovx. In revolution. Thoy nro ruspon- H allilo for saying there Is no rovola- B tfion In our age. Wo contend that H fJniro Is such a thing, that ho has re- H -),calcd himself to men In this dts- B 'ficusatlon. B And, bo wo might take up every H 'iirliu'ljilo which has excited opposl- H t Inn against tho Church, and wo H shmtld find that it Is not tho truth ' wti nro being attacked for, but lather B 'our enemies' construction of our bo- H Hot They nccuso us ot doing things B 'which are contrary to our teachings, ) ' Tlioy chargo us, for Instance, with 'jo- b lng corrupt, secluslvo and opposed to V our government, opposed to good H laws, llcally, they chargo us with 1"- K lug murderers and adulterers. They B distort what wo do bolievo, and thou t proceed to nrrny thcmsolvca against B Now- lf tho wc'ld doBlroH to op- H pose us becauso wo bollovo in tho B divinity ot Christ, becauso wo bolt- B tiV0 tlmt 'lle Principles ot tho gospel H bavo been revealed to us lit this ago, K nnd that ,wo arc endeavoring' to llvo H these, wo cannot find fault with them. B cannot ' find fault with my cnomy H for charging mo with bellovlug In tho B ministrations ot tho Prophet Joseph, H. .or in faith, repentonce, and other BBt .things of liko character. Hut lf thoy t .charge mo with merely protomllng to B liollevo in theso things then thoy SIB nro putting mo In n. falso light, and S8 BflBfek can JU6U? blamo them, k Wo have endeavored to preach Uio truth to tho world, to bring men to hotter living, nnd it our opponents nro opposing us for this, I pity ttieni. Hut It Is not for this, as I said, but rather for what wo hnvo not done, and do not bcllevo Jn doing do-ing President Smith stated his bcllet that tho Church had nevor been better bet-ter organized. There is ns much union un-ion in tho Church today, ho said, as thero o or has been in its history. I do not bollovo that nt any tllno in tho past tho Saints were any better conversant con-versant with tho principles of their religion or had any more faith In tho principles they believe. Similarly, I do not belieo tliero has been any time in our history when tho authorities of tho Church, general nnd local, were moro united. Wo j" have no reason to complain, to bo in f doubt. The spirituality of tho Salntb A is us great as it is anywhero. Wo hno been charged with losing our f spirituality. This is as falso as can i ho. I.ot mo say for persons who I mnko this chargo that thero Is .10 I person In full fellowship that has 4 not received tho gift of tho Holy J Ghost, by thoso having authority, f Whoio will you find anywhere olso 4 u community that has iccoived nn J equal ndvuntngo with this? So far, I then, Is It from tho fact that tho j Church Is losing Its spirituality, it Is J Increasing In tho gifts ot tho spirit. Tho gift of tho Holy Ghost bolougs to every Individual member of tho Church. Chur-ch. It is tho privllego of every mem- hor ot tho church to rocelvo rovoia- tlous for his own guidance. I can, therefore, say without foar of con- I tradictlon that thero Is no other , Church so splritunlly ns our. Tho Church is charged with conl-morclallsm. conl-morclallsm. Thoro is not oven tho Bomblanco ot truth in this charge Thoro is no ground nt all for tho chargo. It is true, wo bollovo and practice tho principle of tithing. Tho peoplo contrlbuto voluntarily of their means to tho support of tho Church. ' Tho officers do not forco tho observ- I nuco of this law. It Is a voluntary , matter. I have tho right to say whether I will pay my tithing or not. Of course, being loyal to the churcn, I pay my tithing and Just as I repent or ohservo any other law of tho Church. But becauso thero is tithing disposed of by a body U men, tho leaders of tho Church, thoy call this j commercialism Wo havo Just as much right to cnll tho passing of tho contribution contri-bution plates In other churches commercialism com-mercialism as thoy havo to call our tithing system commercial. I repeat, therefore, that it is not what wo do, but what thoy falsoly charge us with, that forms tho groundwork of tho opposition against us. Wo nro a praying people, who bollovo boll-ovo In getting nenr to tho Lord. It Is only reasonable to bollovo that a man who believes himself to havo boon born again, to havo received tho Holy Ghost, can get nearer, to tho Lord than anyono olso. Tho man who possesses tho spirit of tho Lord In him can bettor know whother ho is a slnnor than ono who hns not; ho can toll I better how to approach tho Lord. When wo pray wo do not -pray to him to bo heard, but wo pray for thoso things which wo need. It we uavo nn abundance ot food on hand and for a reasonablo time to come, wo do not vainly repeat "Glvo us this I aay our dally bread." Wo thank him for this abundance ot food and pray rather for thoso things wo need. Wo pray with Intelligence and faith. Tho. world, therefore, I repeat, is arraigning us on charges founded on not what wo do but what wo do not I do. Thero aro of course good peoplo in tho world, peoplo who nro Just hs true to what they believe as wo are ! to what wo believe, and thoy will bo rowarded for their good deeds. I bollovo In tho Latter-day Saints, as I bollovo In tho Lord. Wo understand under-stand that thero aro some persons in I tho Church who do wrong nnd go wrong, but tho vnst majority of them aro good men and women. I know tho truth. I don't know It all, but what I do know, I know. I do know that tho prlnclplo of faith In God, Christ and tho Holy Ghost Is n, truo principle. prin-ciple. I know that repentence Is n truo principle. I know that tho prlnclplo prln-clplo of baptism by Immersion by tho demission ot sins Is a true principle. I know that it Is a truo principle to keep ourselves pure, I know that men should not steal, should not Ho, should not commit adultry. I know that tho priesthood which we havo received through tho Prophet Joseph Is truo and necessary In tho Government Govern-ment of tho Church. I know theso things, nnd I know that I know them. I know this too, that God has organized organiz-ed his church In tho earth, and that when tho Lord desires to mnko a chango In tho Church ho will mnko tho chango himself nnd will mako It In such a way that tho people will know It, Instead of calling Tom, Dick and Harry, to mnko tho change In tho Church. May tho Lord bless you. My heart Is full of blessings for tho Latter-day Saints. May he bless you with tho spirit to be true, to-be Just, to bo generous, gen-erous, to Wo In, such a way that, If your cnomies opposo you, It will be becauso ot what you do not do, and not becauso of what you do. President Anthon H. Lund President Anthon H. Lund spoko in substnnco as follows: I do not bellove we nre retrograding retrograd-ing in respect to our splrltualuy. I bellove with President Smith thnt the Saints were never stronger In their spirituality. Of course, thero is room for Improvement. No peoplo havo greater occasion to thank God for what ho has dono for us. Our day should begin, as It should close, with prayer to him, in which wo express our gratltudo and thanksgiving to him for what wo have received from him, and ask him for what wo need. When wo go before tho Lord, wo should go as children, believing in him and In his power to grant us that which wo dcslro nnd ought to receive. It what wo nsk for Is granted, let us thank him for them; and If It is not, let us not conclude thnt tho Lord does not answer prayer. Tho things wo have asked for, might not have boon for our benefit or blessing. Our spirit should bo thnt of our Savior, 1,982 years ago last night: "Not my will, but thy will bo dono." Wo should be dovoted to him who liaH dono so much for us. Let us not forget, in this season, to dovoto our thoughts to him. Every Sunday tho Saints meet in dovotional services to worship the Lord. In theso wo partnko of tho emblems of Christ's sacrifice and wo covenant In doing this to koep his commandments. Ho purchased us by bis blood, by giving tho last tost of love. Ho sacrificed his Ilfo for us, In fulfillment of tho plan formed before the world was. It was necessary tor us to como down to this earth to gain experience where wo might learn tho dlfferenco between good nnd evil. Tho Lord prepared a Lamb to bo sacrificed for our sins. Jesus was that Lamb. It was necessary neces-sary for ono innocent to bo sacrificed sa-crificed for those who were sinful. Jesus came, ho brought the sacruice, ho was without blemish', and as such ho was a propor subject for tho sacrifice. sa-crifice. Wo should lovo ono another, and then we can say thnt wo lovo tho Savior and tho Father. Tho trials that may couio to us- will be easily overcome over-come through tho lovo wo mny have for him. When we think of the suf ferlng ho endured for us, wo can got aid in overcoming. Let us follow his .example. Ho showed himself to bo nbovo his fellows, in forgiveness, rte-engo rte-engo is human. Wo deslro to obtain revenge for what Is ovilly dono to us. But Christ prayed for thoso who accomplished ac-complished his death. Tho great majority ma-jority of thoso who cried out against Christ, know not what they did. And so, when men offend us, let us not think badly ot It. In the majority of cases wo shall find thnt thoro wuu not any offenso intended. But we should forgive thoso w'ho offend us ns wo hope to havo our offences for given. Wo must cultivate this feeling. feel-ing. Wo must live la harmony with our neighbors. How thankful we ought to bo that tho gospel has boen rovealed In our dispensation. I am thankful for this. And now let us Bhow by our lives that wo aro truly grateful for this great revelation on our age. Tho musical numbers wero "Come como, yo Saints," by choir nnd congregation; con-gregation; "An Angel from on High" nnd "Jesus, I my Cross have Taken," by the choir. Miss Amelia Marge Us sang "O My Father." in Spanish, at tho closo of President Smith's address. ad-dress. Tho Invocation was offered by Elder Moses W. Taylor, nnd tho beno-diction beno-diction by Elder Richard W. Young. |