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Show Seventy Eighth Annual General Gen- ferenee of the Chureh ef Jeeui Chrftt of tatter 4y Oalnta a Mimerible en. Salt take City -The chief feetHre of Ihn opening 'lon of Ihe aeven ' ly elxhth annual xennril conference of , the Church of Jeena Chriat nf tat ter-day ialnia w Ich r nvi-netl In Ibla city on April f. waa ihi- reading of( the declarallnn of prln- IpU-e and Ha approval by the lbauaauaMif member I of Ihe ebntCN prcaeniWhe mornlnx malon; together wlih the oddreaa of I'reeldent Hmltb, whloh waa Itrxe-ly Itrxe-ly In tho imliirn nf a review of the work of Ihe church ilurinx tbe year Aildreaeee were alen made by Apnatle lllrnm Hmllli. Ileoriie A Hmlth. II 0 MeKay mid tlnorxe I' llldharde Their addreeaea were devoted largely large-ly In theological Ihemea The tabernacle wa crowded, at leaat S.0O0 people being pteeenl With the naaertlon Ihnt Ibe mem ber of Ihe Church of Jeeua Chiint of tatler-day Haluta are living better live than ever before, that Ihey paid more tllhca during lf(x; than In any other year In the hlalory of the church, and that n n rrniill the IxhhI (x Indeblediieaa of tbe church haa been wliml mil I'realdmit Joeetdi 1- Hmllli oieiin hi niM rei I'realdenl Hmllli denied Ihe chnrgea that have lienn made lo the effect that the ofllclala of Ihe church tiave been diverting Ihe Cthea tu their own pergonal per-gonal mm, by aaylnx. "Not one wen-oral wen-oral authority of Ihe church drnw a dollar from Ibe llthlng fund for hi own nee and profit " l'reeldeiit Hmllli then proceedeil to eiplaln where thl money xoea, any-Inx: any-Inx: "I want to lake yoii Into n aecret In Ihe Mt money belonging to the church haa lieen lined to help atart n number of Inalltiitloii. audi aa Ihe '. V M I, Ihe augar faclnrle. and other enterprise livery cent nf the amount no Inverted ha been returned to the church, Ihe Hock of all Iheee roncerna la now paying dividend and from Iheee dividend tho oieiie of the general nulhorltle of tliu church are Mlil We are not lining one cent of your tithing eoept fur Ihe purpo for which It waa Intended When you kii home and hear ximo of Ihe old charge about what la being done with tho tlthlug fund, I want you to wiy that wo are not using; thla fund for the purpone which they necuio ii of, that tho II tlit iik fund I Intact nnd wo have u little lo aparu And 1 would llko to say lo soma of thoio who hava charged in with misappropriation misappro-priation of thl fund Tut Hint In your plpo and mokn It" In referring In tho general flnan clal condition of the church Ihu preil dont said: "Today tho church doca lflioll7allrV Wo drt not want lo l)0 row money and wo do not havo to liorrow nny. Wo oiicct lo ace tho day In tho near future when wo will nut hnvu to ask you for one cent In donations that you don't wish Id give with Ihe freest kind of will I hopo lo see the day while I yet live In the fleeh " President Hmlth referred lo the dec laratlnu of principle which had lieen formulated by Ihu church nulhorltle. and Immediately after he had finished nla adilreu tho document wa read by Apostlo (I P Whitney, und adopted by the member present, n rising olo being taken, the voto being unanimous The dooument I qultn a lengthy one, nnd we are unahlo to give It In full, but tho following cover the pertinent points. Declaration of Principles. Tho principles nnd puriHMie of the church nro widely misrepresented nnd seriously misunderstood Thn religion Is founded on Ihn revelations rev-elations of tlod It teaches pure Christianity Chris-tianity nnd Hit theology Is based on tho iloctrlnr-H of llio lledeomer "If It bo true Christianity to accept Jeua Christ as divine to revert) him a tho Bon of tlod through whom alone mankind csu attain salvation, ti nccept his leaching a n guide, to comply with Ihu requirement prescribed pre-scribed by htm a essenllM to mem bershlp In his church If ibis lie Chrlstlanltv, Itiin we are Christian " The theology of our rliureli In the theology taught by Jnau Christ, the theology of scripture nnd reason Those who anept of Mnrmonlsm are among the best men nnd women of Ihe nation from which Ihey come honest, Industrious, virtuous nnd reverent They are opposed In lie and crime by Instinct and training There la nothing In Mnrmonlsm to attract the selfish or Ibe vile llui Mormon people nre not good honest but misguided folks and their leader the permiiillleatlon of all that I lad I'rleiUuHhl and Ihe people are Inseparable nnd stand together The charge that the church relle on dupllrlty and shuns Investigation, I contrary (o reason and fact KnllghloBed Investigation Is tho menus by which tho church seek to promote bullet lu It principle The history of tbe church ami the precept of II leader are auMclcul proof lhl the charge that Mnrmonlsm I opposed to education I false It Is ImiMMslble for n man lo be saved In Ignorance A man I saved no faster than he gels knowledgh Mormonlsm Is hot destructive If tbe sanctity of tbe marriage relief. Marriage wm not designed as mty an earthly union, but a union for j iilty f The generation of ienpl bornlfrJ reared In Mormon home will com t favorably In Chrlsilsn virtue any community In this or any i Vr country The charge that Ihe church Is at alKolule domination In romme ail affair I untrue. It I true that rhnnh claims the right to con l and advise members In tempera well spiritual affair This K lieen done witlimit eierrlse of rl Irary power nnd ha resulted f wise counsels, persuasively given ig willingly followed II ha lieen Ihe policy of tho clu a (o foster homo Industrie Government h) consent of the i itemed it-emed I Ihn rule of Ihe church " ecclelaleal government exist It i by tbe will of Ihe ieopl elect! a are frequent ami member are nt If erlv (o vole s thev choose The elective ylem oierale k) populr acceplanre rather It ai through iular selection I All church oRlclals are answers!! In Hie church for their conduct Holt government cannot le classed a. lyrnnny nor considered n menace H free Institution I The tithing system Is not an opti slve til but a system of freo j offering It I n voluntary oftorlif for religion purpose and not It scheme of exlortlun for the enrichment enrich-ment of higher nfflclals j Neither In mental Attitude or la conduct Im Ihe church linen dlsletil In Him mivurn moll! The only roiiduet Mi-mlngly Ineoa-alstent Ineoa-alstent with Ihe profesalon of the Mormon iwople as loyal cltltenit l lirvnlveil In controwrsle, conrcrnlng plural marriage The law ennlnst IHilygamy imsseil In IKOt wa conicl enllously disregarded by talterjto Hslnl In Ihelr obnervanre of n wn HimI sanctioned by Ihelr reunion, ind a lielng contrary tu the oonntltutfon The supreme court ilerlslon did tot obtain until 1S7S nnd no attempt Was made lo enforce the law until 1 year later Hurely llils lolcratleti hind tho iieople of the United Htnet In tho oxerclsn of psllence nnd chir Ity In dealing with ltd question. Wbit tho Mormon iieople did In dlsrcgird of tho court declsnn was In Ihn spirit of maintaining rellglnua rlxhta, and hecnuto Ihe law devetoel n conflict between a duty In tlod and n duty to government The Mormon peoplo hnve now Uiwed In ic-'i tful submli alnn to the law enacted against plnr al marriage Tho union of church and state, doo Inallon of the slain by tho church, ecclesiastical ec-clesiastical Interference with tho political po-litical freedom of cltlien nro con trary In tho policy of Iho church This doctrine I predicated upon tho ua derslandlng that there shall bo no fa-lorferenco fa-lorferenco by tho statu with t chiirch, , y, Tfi tonrtninrrfririti iho world for ti world's gisxl Second Day's 8ctslon, Bait takn City At Haturdny s slon of Iho seventy-eighth conferemt of the Church of Jesus Christ of la teriUy Halnls. AikmIIo UihmI Hmog waa tho principal speaker of Ihe day Apostlo Hmnot made no referenro his recent exMrlpiice In nnd with U federal semitn further than to declag. Id liellet Ihnt many person's wbo wern ponvluceil nt one limn that U alioutd not retain hi m-at, now havt ncknowledgeil Ihelr emir of Judgment and nre glad that Ihe senntora v iie4 n the) did AiKMtla Smoot delivers! nn Inlereallng nddre, one of ib fenlure of hi talk wa Ihe recital of a list of lint ructions which, ho sail hi mother had given lo him, nnj which follow Pru l flbd for guidance nnd Ides Inn Take for )our motto' "Pallli la Clod, self reliance, honesty und Imlus-lr Imlus-lr " lusrrllin In your home IhU motto; "I.uck I n fool, pluck I a hero" lie careful from what source you tnkn your ndvlre Itlse above ihe envious and willful llatu Place jour nmblllon nbovo tho goal nu Intend lo reach ltemember that energy and deter mlnallou are the lever that more Hi world Don't drink, chew, smoke, swear, deceive, read trashy bonks or pay attention at-tention to vicious and llng news-paper news-paper He lu earnest. He generous II civil I-ovc truth and lrlue liivn our countrv mid pray for Its success lie strong Khun not the struggle Stand up nnd wak nut Imivel) lu (!odV nuinn John H Winder a member of the first presidency, simke nt some length The drift of hi remark wa that It were far belter for the church to rep resent Itself than to lie misrepresent ed h others Other speaker of tho day worn President Joseph V Hmlth. Aimsllevt llelier J (Irani and lludger Claw son and Klders Union 8 Wells, II llotmrl. I W MciMurrln and Hevmour II IMIIIg Al the general Ponfenncn the r-eleitlon r-eleitlon of the present onicera of Ihe church WHa concurred In The audit lug committee reimrted that It had ex nmlued (he accounts of (he trusten-ln trust nnd found that (he book were kept In excellent form |
