Show FIFTY HEST FIRST conference FRIDAY sent sept 10 am conference was called to order by president john taylor choir sang hymn on oil page 33 softly beams the sacred dawning ac c prayer byA by apostle loranzo snow choir sang tl the a hymn on oil page 29 arise glorious glori zion ac APOS APOSTLE TLE F me LYMAN said aid I am ain pleased to meet with YOU in in this general conff conference rence this work that engages our attention is more remarkable than any that the lord has bas ever upon the earth and his determination ia is j that this work shall aana forever and never be taken from the earth I sometimes fear that we are not as energetic as we should be in doing ki our part to carry on the work in observing his laws and that we do i oot prize them as wo we should if we did lid we lye would not sin wo we should be every day seeking to get his spirit to prompt us and urge us forward to accomplish his will we are too much interested it in getting a living and to lay up this worlds goods we must seek to get such things only to enable us to build up the kingdom of god the spirit and body are one and sympathize with each caell other the body cannot live without the spirit t so it should be in fulfilling our duty d u ty the tile spiritual part should come first the chief aart olour of our lives should be use tise in works of righteousness to develop the moral spiritual and intellectual man to gain favor with our Father and inato to lay up lip treasures which when die we wi take with us on orson pratt was not a rich roan mail but he is wealthier than all tw rich men of the world for ho lie earned the he title of a SM of gad and his bis wealth cannot be taken from him the more wealth a man aitu the better his fa cili are for building it up itis it is not necessary that wealth should contaminate a man if it did what should we say of our father for f or it all belongs to him he ile has a right to eay fay to his people that he requires tho the use of ocono buo ouo tenth of tho the other nine they are weli iconic come to use now why should the lord require this there is u philosophical reason why wily ho ile shou should d require qui this ho ile is tho tile owner of it all and tind he is the fountain of life and light and knows what is good tind lice marv for us its the lod lo d requires us to ba have faith in him so that we will be willing to bo be led and advised by him then to repent that we may turn from ein and atia would that we all had done right from front the time wo lye embraced the gospel to the present res time we will find that athe all the laws that god has given us tend to keep keel us all in the straight and narrow path placing the authority of the priesthood on oil every man mail iu in israel seems evidence to me that the lord was well acquainted with human nature or he lie would not have planted such safeguards around arouni us to keep us faithful and away from the power which seeks to destroy men hence the necessity of these plans and with all this israel goes over the wall they will not bo be kepi kepl in and the spirit of god is grieved grieved by our want of faithfulness edit fidelity and truthfulness we all have lines homes and plenty of food which we cat regularly we have good clochin clothing cr our houses are better berniz furnished hed and ald we ire cat and drink extravagantly trava gantly of those thin things that arc are good and of some things that arc are not good now it is the duty of us all to quit doing those things that are not good we seek happiness and wo are can find it best in obe obeying ing the commands of god we may be called to go to prison or to go b hungry it r b but it if we have to undergo this h doing P our duty it will pro promote eternal joy 11 in our minds the man wh who neglects these things will be fox found in sorrowing that lie did lid not fulfill b his is mission for every man who receives any portion of the holy chood is on a mission and lie who neglects it will find a time of sorro sorrow iv let every man mail ask himself this question has my mouth always spoken truth given good counsel coun sial ad ind teachings to tal those around me if it lias bas not let it do so in in future what a boon we ire have in getting the holy spirit that we ire ina may have a knowledge oatlie of the truth and an Tenable enable us its to become good men and women we renew our covenants and fellowship with and ask his forgiveness when we take the zmer sacrament ament on oil sundays and nd when we all do this worthily there will bo be less sickness and quarreling among us I have thought that tile E iders should study why these laws arc are given unto us but we have been satisfied with the tile portion of the spirit we received in the beginning and liec not progressed we have remained stati stationary ry by the observance of the word of wisdom many of the calamities that come upon us would be averted for our faith is weakened on oil account olour of our neglect to keep all these commands athenian alie man who would approach the throne of grace should do so in humility but with not taking a denial for he lid should be able to say I have kept the lords commands let usall us always ays be found in this way E C IV said I take pleasure in be bearing aring testimony to the truth of the remarks to which we have listened if we could remember the teachings that we get e t from time to time and and obey them we would then be latter da day saints indeed and no power could coul prevail against us for the spirit of the lord would be with us if we unite to do his will and d do a tile work wo we are called we wc shall bo be un upheld and prosper and no weapon raised against us its will wili prevail from tile time joseph smith received the gospel to the present there never has been a moment when the saints could not tell what to do there has always been a voice to tell tel I us what god requires at the tile same time tile holy spirit has been with us and thus in our awn own souls was the voice of the almighty shou allowing ing aliat was right and str strengthening en tl ionin us our mission is to do ri eglit ir lit M and to teach others to do so we fe are to be a people different from the rest of the world we have the same flesh desires and organization as other people but we have been call to a special mission not simply to acquire lie alre wealth but to establish the order of god that the time may come when his kingdom will be c established so that every part man and beast shall be sanctified santi fied that the lord may come and dwell here the lord lias has no objection to our acquiring wealth but lie has commanded us in doing so that we hold ourselves subject to his will what ire mcdo do must be done in righteousness and wo we must seek to secure other people in their rights the tile same as we would be secured secure in ours wo we are told sometimes that money is tile root of all evil this is a mistake money is is ne cesary it is the love of money mone y that is the root of all evil god has brought us up here in the mountains and he ile has lias blessed the land and the labors of the people and some of them have waxed rich he ile lias has blessed us when we have sought to do his will and he will continue to bless us he ile has promised us the wealth of the tile lar world bromis d but he ile will not give it to us unless we have an all eye single to his honor and glory we arc are called to a dif different calling from the rest of mankind the eye of god is over all and b by his power all things are sustainer sus sustained sometimes ho lie raises up great warriors giors and anil great for or certain purposes ur poses but aba latter day saints flave have been called to tb the special especial work of receiving and promulgating the laws of god to moe anvor world r d therefore it is said isaid bo be ye clean pure pur and dand holy and be perfect even as your father in heaven is ig perfect A man may be ic near to the lord and walking in iii the cities of the gentiles what is the r amise these things shall be added added to us if wo iro aeck first alic kingdom of or god GM and its righteousness nessA then why should wo we not seek to establish good ghou and bliss blis and righteousness aness in the earth wo we must put these things first fira and to help us to do so we have eo so many niec meeting tings and quorums qu quork jesus ia is the pattern for us all lio lie knew no sin neither was any guile found in his mouth tie ile was perfect ilia his desire sire was to br ng his pa passions pasi ions in subjection to the will of god in his agony lie ile paid raid let this cup cul pass fl froni oni me ili but re melberin mem berin zaid but not my will 11 II but thine bo be done lone the time tine will come when we will all pull together and unite our hl interests te rests both temporal and spiritual then all will bo be industrious Q then the idle will not cat the tile bread of the laborer then every man will do the tile work for which ho is fitted until then what we do we will try and cultivate this spirit in our family and make every homo honic a little zion then in a little while we will have a big zion crowned with glory and then zion will rise and shine and the king will come conic to her and dwell in her midst let its t ien prepare for or these things how s shall allvie we prepare the lord says stand t and yo in holy places when these tl aings come it is a shame and disgrace race to sec see excursion trains loaded lown down with latter day saints on the sabbath day let us go to our meetings and be edified let lot us attend to all our duties and in the evenin evenings IS not forget our prayers in in our families let us be kind to all around us we must teach our children to be bonat and truthful when mien we carry out our mission the lord will bo be with us and the zion above will unite with avith us to do the work of the lord and no power on earth can call prevail against us ch choir air i sang an a anthem benediction by president aco Q cannon adjourned to pm TWO r P M called to order by president john taylor choir sang the hymn on page though nations rise anteen and men conspire prayer by elder george teasdale choir gang sang tile hymn on oil page awake ye saints of god awake PRESIDENT josepn JOSEPH r SMITH said we should at all times concentrate cen our faith and desires on the subject before us its on the file occasion of meeting together so that bl blessing tat ing could be obtained if we ask not we a need not expect to receive it is true that the human family docs does receive receive many manifestations fe of gods without apparently manifesting much desire lor for them and that the tile rain rain falla falls upon the just and the un unjust st but there arc are blessings for mich which we must labor if we e wish to obtain them and then we ave can appreciate them when we possess them he sometimes reflected upon the blessing odthe of the sunshine and the rain b being e ing conferred upon the human fam family ily and being so little acknowledged as being gifts directly from the lord and was convinced by reading in the word of god t eliat tat an account will have to bo be given and answers made lor for not acknowledging t the ile hand of god in these things and d putting them to thebert the best uses in in our power the great m mercies c r cies and gifts of the gospel arc are not bestowed upon the children of men without certain cc r tain conditions being fulfilled a P faith aith is a gift gill of god but it is only bestowed by being sought after from the hand of god there arc are many who profess to be latter day saints Saint ss but do not enjoy enjo y this gift for they do not live in the i way a r to claim it we should have ahn faith to acknowledge the hand liand of god in all things faith to know all eliat it je jesus ut has atoned for our sins feitli ith to believe the truth when it is presented to us faith t to ore receive c i dive principles for our elevation exaltation and salvation N fc the remission of sin is not common as is the sunshine and the rain god would nut not be consistent with his own law and promises if he lie conferred this boon upon man of having his sins washed away be guile without requiring of him a putting away of unclean impure things and become obedient to the principles of christ man alan would be unfit for communion with angels f for or fellowship with the holy ghost for dwelling with god with out first firs A becoming pure in heart elcon washed from all sin the wicked may come in tile presence of god but the they y will wil if feel L c I M most ost uncomfortable most unhappy there and will be thrust out the gift of the holy ghost is bestowed upon those who have receive received a remission of eina lino who have faith and none others this is one of the tests of eternal I life if a no man can know that god is god that jesus is the savior and that hig his blood washes away the sins of the world but by tho the spirit of god joseph the prophet even might h have aye been deceived w when hen receiving the ministrations of ang elsif he lie had been without t this discern discerning ing power it is the he witness of tho father and the son and to know god is eternal life we may believe without the holy lo 10 ghost but we can only know hy of f t the th bilings ings of god by this great gift gill there is a great deal of sickness s the present year is marked as having a very largo large death rate exceeding in ill numbers everything happening in does in this valley before what docs this portend it should bo be taken as the sign of tile times and the latter day sain saints ts should take warning the lord gave unto us its a word i V V ay of counsel a word of wisdom it in tho tile early lays of the church a taud I ll 11 pro r iiii raised ed that the du destroyer oil should u i a pass pas us its by and not cuter enter and wo should have access to the treasures of knowledge and wisdom and understanding der standing and nud should run and not lot bo be wea weary and there ia is no assurance that the opposite of this course will not come to paa if we do not keep that word of wis wisdom doln mr PRESIDENT GEO Q CANNON CANNO X then read the tile statistical report for tho tile half year ending the of sei september last ello eh owing Illg among other tap er thill things the tile following member ship baptized I new mem chil total bers dren bear lake o 00 20 00 71 I lea beaver ve r 1735 21 37 31 box elder cl 31 cache 71 telle 43 D davia a v ks 50 juab 2425 2423 50 30 1675 1673 30 31 Milla illard nl 2866 64 morgan 1618 1515 CO panguitch 1558 14 30 parowan Pa Fa rowan 1912 1012 41 salt Kalt lake 92 San sanpete pete 30 30 02 sevier IS 95 05 st george 04 16 80 summit 2964 2064 89 thoele CO 60 utah so 80 wasatch 2422 18 47 weber 15 little colorado eastern A arizona aw 1658 20 total 1915 1905 this report docs does not include the members of families in the chur church ch over years old not baptized nor nor the sai saints rits in fore foreign ign missions president eside NT JOHN TAYLOR said it is interesting to some to hear bear and read our statistical reports there arc are facts exhibited therein in ill tc resting to all ofus one remarkable feature is is that wo we find generally throughout that near nearly y one third our population ia is under eight years of age another feature that presents itself is the number r of the births birt lis and I think the reports of deaths wo we should offset by the reports of the births some statisticians slate state that one half the tile human family die under years of age I will say place the figures figur esat at years of age and it is nearer the facts fact this demonstrates the principle afan of an opposing power power to life that is being constantly waged war between god and the devil a rebellion first started in which lias has been transferred from the heavens to the earth and cain was the leader in his day loving satan rather than god satan with |