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Show CONFERENCE DRAWS GREAT CROWDS; PRIZES OFFERED TO ENCOURAGE FARMERS SALT LAKE, April 9. With appeals for frugality, economy and loyalty as American citizens, the Mormon church yesterday ended Its eighty-seventh annual an-nual conference in the tabernacle "by offering $3,500 in cash prizes for tho best yields of potatoes' and spring wheat from acreages supervised this year by ward organizations as a stimulus stim-ulus to increased production of food supplies in the present state of war with Germany. Thousands were unable to gain entrance en-trance to the tabernacle at either assemblage as-semblage and President Smith announced an-nounced two overflow meetings, one in the assembly hall, where Joseph E. Robinson, president of the California mission, presided; the other an open-air open-air gathering in front of the bureau ot information, where Walter P. Mon-son, Mon-son, president of the eastern states mission, officiated. The speakers at these meetings in tho forenoon included includ-ed William C. Parkinson, Heber C Austin, Alvin Merrill, U. G. Miller, A. A. Hinckley and W. H. Smart. Similar Simi-lar overflow meetings were held in the afternoon. Boy scouts helped to handle han-dle the throngs. Apostle Smith Speaks. With Professor J. J. McClellan at the organ and Professor A. C. Lund conducting, the choir sang: "Tlie Lord Is My Shepherd," and the afternoon session was opened with prayer by J. H. Robinson, president of the South Davis stake. Apostle Joseph F. Smith, Jr., was the first speaker. He declared the world was staggering and groaning under the weight of sin and expressed express-ed the belief that it was not growing better. "I am not a pessimist," he said, "but I do not believe the world is growing more righteous or that its people are coming nearer to God. I believe people peo-ple of the nations are drifting farther from truth, although I realize great strides of progress have been ta.ken in certain directions. For instance, there has been a great move throughout the world to overcome strong drink. Such things will result for good. "But so far as the gospel of Christ is concerned or the. morality of the people, I do not believe the world is better or even as good as it was in 1832, when the Lord in a modern revelation rev-elation to this church instructed us to warn the world against evil and ininuitv nrevalent. False Notions Abound. "The world is full of false doctrines doc-trines and false notions that are not a part of the gospel as given to us In the days of Jesus. There are fewer, few-er, I believe, among the Christians of todav who believe in the divinity of the Savior than at any time in the history of the world. There is a greater great-er belief in the philosophies and researches re-searches of men, without striving to seek the spirit of the Lord or know Him in tho manner He has marked out. "Throughout the churches of the world today it is Easter Sunday. But tho people of the churches I am speaking generally and making honorable hon-orable exceptions have , not assembled as-sembled because they accept the Son of God. They are assembling because it is custom. This is true especially among the sisters. They want to show off their millinery, their new spring gowns. They are there as a sort of social functions. They call themselves Christians, but they don't worship Christ as the, Savior in assembling as-sembling in such a spirit." On the subject of the resurrection the speaker declared that even ministers min-isters today wore standing before congregations con-gregations "denying the atonement of Christ. He quoted from George Harris's Har-ris's "Century's Change in Religion" to the effect that the virgin birth of Christ is not now regarded as an essential es-sential doctrine, but that it Is His teachings that constitute Christianity. Declared False Doctrine. "This Is a false doctrine," declared Apostle Smith. "There is no warrant for it In the scriptures. All Latter-day Latter-day Saints believe in the literal resurrection resur-rection of tho body. The resurrection of the Son of God was typical, as the scriptures show us. He was placed in the tomb for three days and then the spirit and the body again united inseparably. in-separably. In that form He appeared to the twelve disciples. When they wero unconvinced, thinking they had seen a spirit, He told them to come and handle Him, to thrust their hands into the wounds made by the spear and the nails at the crucifixion. "As He arose from the dead, so shall all men arise, the just and the unjust, and stand before God to be judged according to their works. "The world cannot comprehend, it seems, a body being raised from the dead and quickened by the spirit, not by the blood. After the resurrection bodies will bo tangible, of flesh and bones. They shall be immortal and shall never die. Blood is the life of tho mortal body. The spirit is tho life of the Immortal body." James H. Nlelson sang a solo: "If With All Your Hearts Yo Truly Seek Me." The next speaker, Apostle James E. Talmage, declared the kingdom of God was the Church of Jesus Christ, as restored through Joseph Smith, and that it was the preparer for tho kingdom of heaven, which should be established when the King should come in might and glory to take dominion do-minion through the world. Then no longer should men exalt themselves on thrones, adorn themselves with crowns and scepters, he said. It would be a monarchy with the right kind of a monarch, who would do full justice, jus-tice, giving every man his rights. J-le dwelt upon the Mormons' belief be-lief in tho literal translation of the scriptures and saw In the world crisis slgnH as prophesied of the coming of tho millennium. Right Living Enjoined. The concluding speaker at the forenoon fore-noon session was Hyrum G, Smith, presiding patriarch of tho church, whose theme was principally concern- Ing children. He declared children, like adultB, would tako part in the resurrection res-urrection and be glorified according to the works they would havo accomplished accom-plished as grownups. Bishop David A. Smith offered the benediction. William A. Hydo, president ot the Pocatello stake, opened the afternoon sesaidn with a prayer for the guidance of President Wilson and leaders of the government in the world crisis. Horace Hor-ace S. Ensign and Dr. William Wor-ley Wor-ley sang a duet. Stephen L. Richards, recently ordained or-dained apostle, was the first speaker. He said the deepest" impression made upon him by the church was the practicality prac-ticality of its teachings. He said the Mormon religion was not a thing apart from everyday life, but ihat it was the very basis of right living even' day in the week. There was too much Sunday Sun-day religion, in the world, too much separation of religious views from everyday ev-eryday life. The law of tithing, giving a tenth ot one's income to aid the work of God, he said, was the surest course to temporal tem-poral success. Tho church, he said, stands for tho most concrete system of ethics in the world, and its talent, temples and teachings exemplified the greatest love and opportunity for art and scionce. Owe Much to America. "Nowhere else in this great republic," repub-lic," he said, "are men more consecrated consecrat-ed to the liberty and freedom of the United States. Do we perhaps not owe more than any other people to the government of America, which has afforded af-forded us the opportunity to develop great truths as found in the principles of the gospel? Certain it is we should protect that government in every way. "Our religion teaches us the true relation re-lation of church and state. The constitution con-stitution is our safeguard against encroachment en-croachment on truth, justice and liberty. liber-ty. There can be no more loyal people peo-ple from the Atlantic to the Faciflc than in these few states that harbor the Latter-day Saints." Ho closed by saying it was impossible impossi-ble for any great nation to fulfill its destiny without good homes, and emphasized em-phasized his belief that nowhere in the world were better homes or better iiuiuu iiie emu suuiiii purity iu uu iuuuu than under the Mormon church. By request Prof. J. J. McClellan played play-ed variations of "O My Father" and "Nearer My God to Thee," to bring out the beautiful qualities of the great organ, which many of those present had not heard since its enlargement. Urges Loyal Citizenship. Bishop C. W. Nibley, the next speaker, speak-er, declaring that a man could not be a good Mormon and at the same time not be a good citizen of the United States, pictured the perilous times confronting the nation and urged church members to do all in their power pow-er to increase food supplies. He announced an-nounced that at ' Saturday nighfs priesthood meeting it had been decided decid-ed to offer prizes amounting to S3500 for the best yields of potatoes and spring wheat by ward organizations as a stimulus to the production of food. The prizes offered are as follows: For the best one acre yield of potatoesFirst pota-toesFirst prize, ?1000; second prize, 500; third prize, $250. For the best five acre yield of spring wheat First prize, $1000; second prize, $500; third. $250. Those entering the contest, he said, must report to the presiding bishopric on or before May 15. The results from the competing acreages will be reported report-ed to the presidents of stakes. Bishop Nibley emphasized the need of frugality, economy and stimulation ot food production in the present state of war. He urged women of the church to knit hosiery and underclothing. undercloth-ing. "Make yourselves feel poor for six months," he said, "and you cannot fail to benefit yourselves and the nation that needs your loyalty at this time." The Church Abroad. After James Montcarr sang "My Redeemer," Re-deemer," Hyrum Ballentyne, recently returned from the Swiss and German missions of the church, over which he presided, told of the suffering of church members abroad through the war, of the splendid aid rendered them by members here in sending relief contributions con-tributions amounting, to 25,000 francs ($5,000). Of the sixty branches in the German field, he said, not one had been closed through the recall of the elders from tho mission. He said the year 1915 had been a banner year in tithes and charities in the mission. In closing he declared his belief that the present conflict is a conflict of governments and not a conflict between be-tween the peoples, and urged the extension ex-tension of a spirit of love and brotherhood broth-erhood toward church members abroad. Ho characterized the European war as a great struggle toward freedom and equality of human rights. The conference closed with tho presentation pre-sentation of the names of the general authorities of the church. They were sustained without a dissenting voice. nn |