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Show Conference Comes I to Close; Records For Crowd Broken SALT LAKE. Oct. 11. Willi prayer by president Heber J Grant for the 1 blessing's of God upon the Latter-day Saints, the ninety-first semi-annual conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was brought to a closa- ye-terday at 4.30 o'clock in the tabernacle; Beside the tabernacle meetings yesterday, yes-terday, a large number of special meet-lings meet-lings of various branch organ Iza lions Were held Thousands of church members flow-led flow-led into Salt like yesterday for the final fi-nal no eilngs and as a result both morning ni afternoon sessions were 'the most largely attended of ihe cn-I cn-I tire three days. Overflow meeUngs were held In the assembly hall and the Bureau of Information building iTlie tabernacle, capable of holding more than 10.000 persons, proved inadequate in-adequate for the crowds LARGE t BOWD. ' Following the afternoon tabernacle idcetlng and other gatherings which wen b. id late,-, a great exodus of visitors vis-itors began to lake place from the City, and every out-going train was packed !to capacity and the roads were black with automobiles. The conference was said to have been one of the largest I attended yet held. , President Grant, in his -keynote address Friday morning, set the standard stand-ard for Ihe scores of church olficiuls I who have occupied the stand, by request re-quest of the president, with addresses Iduring progress d the conference, 'ibis keynote was keep the commandments of God." Some phase of the wide ! realm of thought opcn d l Oils scriptural scrip-tural declaration has been the theme (of every man who spoke. The Slfb-Ijects Slfb-Ijects emphasised ware charity, pay-jinem pay-jinem of tithes, obedience law, suppression sup-pression of the tobacco habit, the evils I of hasty judgment and the distinction made between. the Latter-day Saints land the rest of the world, because, the speaker said, they are the chosen people peo-ple of Qod Each address was grounded ground-ed on some point in the doctrine of the church, and with few exceptions references to political or business con- rdltions were incidental. However, at the afternoon session yesterday, i residing Bishop Charles ; V. Nibicv took occasion to reply to criticisms Of those within the church. Who objected to the church being in business He said'. "Business is a 'part of the church business. It is one of the purposes for which it was established. es-tablished. It is in business so that it can help In the work of developing und building up Cities and towns and communities; ihe church Is one of the uterus to this end anil that is one of the reasons for its power and influence in-fluence ' One of the features of the morning ssioii was the address ol Apostle Mel-vln Mel-vln l Ballard, who set out his exposition expo-sition of the view that the Latter-da) Saints were the chosen seed of Israel, i set apart and designated by God in a 'previous existence tor exaltation and glory here, who were to enjoy the re-iward re-iward for their faithfulness and loyal-tv loyal-tv In the ' latter du when the wicked Gentiles and all others who rejected the true gospel are to be condemned and punished." l I aORFITES SUS1 UN ED It took President Grant only about twelve minutes to read the names of all the general authorities of the church, designating the various positions posi-tions they occupy, and to say: "It is proposed that we sustain." mentioning name and title, "all in favor make It manifest by raising the right, hand..'' I'p went thousands of hands on trary by the same sign." President Grant called There was no suggestion sugges-tion of 'contrary" and the sustaining was completed without a bitch or stop. The session yesterday mooting be-j gan with choir and congregation in The Spirit of God Like a Fire Is Burning," after which Warren Smith of American I'ork, president of Alpine stake, offered the- invocation President Presi-dent Grant then designate, I Apostle George !' Btchatds and Bishop David A. Smith of the presiding bishopric to Ink-- charge of the overflow meetings In the Assembly haJ.1 and the Bur, m of Information "Praise to the Man Who Communed With Jehovah' was sung. Then Apos-'tle Apos-'tle Richard K. Lyman, Junior' member df the quorum of twelve, was called I to the stand. I Taking for his text : 'By their fruits lye shall know them" Apostle Lyman 'pointed out that It was more than LQQ years ago since the prophet Joseph Smith received his first vision, more than nlnet) scars ago since trie church was organized, and more than eighty-eight eighty-eight vears ago since the "Word of Wisdom" was given to the saints through revelation. He affirmed that this period of time should be long enough to give demonstration that the gospel of the Latter-day Saints is true He calbd attention to the growth and progress of the people as one of the evidences of its truth. lie maintained that In many respects the teachings of the prophet were not being observed. He quoted the slogan of the M L A.: "We stand for the non-use and i non-sale of tobacco." m He called It the duty of every loyal "church member! to get behind that slogan with all the power and influence at his command.; lie said that when a bill forbidding the sale of cigarettes was Introduced1 into the legislature, the advocates of the measure were told that there was no sentiment in favor of the proposed law "I want to know whether or not, we believe the prophet told the truth in that revelation " ho asked. "Certainly "Cer-tainly if we do our tree should bear the fruits of our teaching." The speaker iruoted authorities to the effect that t'he use of tobacco was injurious to the vouihs in school or college and I hen said that at one convention, con-vention, held in the state, a plank was put into the platform embodying the M. I. A slogan. He did not mention the party or the place of holding the convention. Emma Lucy Gates Bowen. lyric and I dramatic soprano, sang "Should You Feel inclined to Censure," giving the familiar old song a new attractiveness bj her beauty of voice and her art of i interpretation. "Do we really realize who we' are and why We are here?" asked Apostle Melvln J. Ballard, after his Introductory Introduc-tory remarks. 'This Is no ordinary event, we are no ordinary race of individuals, in-dividuals, thus gathered together." he declared. "We are the descendants of I that Joseph who was sold into Egypt, the Chosen seed of Israel, Selected b) God, our Father, to bo a light unto the Gentiles." Mr Ballard admonished the people that, keeping these things in view, it was incumbent upon them to live up to the letter and spirit of the revealed law. He reaffirmed that the followers follow-ers of Joseph, the prophet, were the only ones in all the earth that hail the I I i : gospel In the dispensation of the "latter days," and quoted numerous passages of scripture and revelation in support of his contention. SMITH SPEAKS. President Grunt then read oxtrai is from a letter from George A. Smith, president of-the European mission, in which the writer told of the good progress prog-ress made in the work across Ihe water. Hyrum G. Smith, presiding patriarch of the church, was the first speaker of the afternoon. He confined his re-, marks" largely to a discussion of the I need that the Saints support and encourage en-courage each other in the doing of good, and a prayer for blessings upon, all his people. James n. Lambert, former president 'Of the New Zealand mission, who has' 'recently returned from four years of! ; labor among the Maoris, told of th avidity with which the natives of New I Zealand were accepting the gospel and ' jthe establishment of their racial con- jiicclion w ith the Kanakas of the Ha- j vv.iilan Islands. ) President Orant made a feeling rcf-erence rcf-erence to the hymn. "O. Give Me BaT;k i Mv Prophet Dear." written by President Presi-dent John Taylor, and this number i was effectively sung by a male quartet ' under the direction of James H. Xicl-!son, Xicl-!son, tenor. Dr. Seymour B Young, senior president pres-ident of the first seven presidents of 'the seventies, recalled some of the Incidents In-cidents In the early history of the church, with spei la I reference to what he designated the massacre at Haun's mill, September 28i 1S3S. He testified that after seventy years of experience In the active work of the Mormon Church he saw more clearly than ever i ibefore the truth of Us principles. B- H Roberts, of the eoum.il of (seventies, expressed his feelings of in-abilit in-abilit to voice, in his own language, the thoughts inspired by the successful success-ful conference. He believed that the written scriplure would better carry the largeness of appeal. He read from the Bible numerous passages to illuminate illumi-nate the thought of God's exaltation of the righteous, and concluded with the Lord's prayer. Presiding Bishop Charles w. Nibley aid that he always approached a conference con-ference With his SOUl SUbdlled by the m ignitude of the great work of the church He was confident that the Latter-da Saints were the best people "" earth Mthough admitting the there were .millions of good people the I Latter-day s;.,m(s Were th(? on)v CJ)) m Who hail been willing to listen 'to the call of the gosp, m accordance with the plans of God. OO ! |