Show THE MISSOURI MISSION tho gospel gaining ground Gron iid confer nce in fit st louis louf by courtesy from prost IT peery wo we aro are permitted to publish tile following interesting communication believing that a brief sketch of our ouri labors in the missouri conference would bo be of interest to yourself and others I take pleasure in writing you to that deflect after lab laboring oring in various I us parts of georgia with elder john W taylor for a little more than seven months elder geo C parkinson Park hison and myself were assigned by president morgan to labor in the state of missouri liz more directly I IN TUB THE CITY OF or ST LOUIS we arrived here sept 3rd ard being accompanied thus far by elder samuel bills on his return home from a mission in the south here we found a small branch of the church numbering about sixteen persons presided resided over by elder andrew emall burman this branch is of long standing and has been replenished pleni shed lied from time to time through the labors of elder david if stuart and others under the bleg blessings sings of the lord and again diminished by frequent removal of the saints to ut utah a I both of which are satis satisfactory facto ry the S saints had discontinued their mechin meetings gs for several weeks previous to our arrival TOK ME neat HAVING NG KEEN DEM I EXCESSIVE during luring the past cimmer in this region of country the use of union hall at 1310 broad way which had been used by tho tile saints in times past for meeting purposes was soon obtained and we commenced our meetings two each sunday at and 73 pm feeling i n desirous to employ all feasible iad an and honorable means to spread a knowl knowledge dge of the gospel among tho the inhabitants of this populous city we published the notice olour of our meetings in two of the principal journals of st louis the st louis globo globe democrat missouri lican oun our INIEL MEETINGS TINGS are attended attend fd in moderate numbers with a gradual increase of interest on tho the part odthe of the people notwithstanding aliis is an old field fieldor labor we feel quite encouraged by the assurance we have that a g goodly addly number from the midst of the multitude will yet stand out on the side of truth yo ye are generally treated with kindness by those whom we visit and feeling hat our father in heaven hag has been very kind to us we can well afford to extend the arm of charity around our fellow man near the latter part cf of october WE BAPTIZED AND CONFIRMED a daughter abro john F a local ocal elder in this branch others are investigating by reading our books and coming to hear ua us preach on oil tho the sabbath day lay A number of these I think are convinced at least sufficient to believe that our mission is not to be set aside as a thing of nought no tight they beg begin gin to feel that alje principles of faith repentance bap baptism tim and the laying on of hands when explained in their true light are so something methin more than the popular display sPlaT li 01 of religious elig ious proem professions ions that has come rown d down by tradition from past generations to the lie present time several weeks ago we received a letter from a lady in connecticut of whom we had bad never heard before stating that her father resided in st louis she kindly enclosed a 81 bill to assist assia ua us temporally and requested quested that we visit her father and lay before him THE principles OF THE GOSPEL we did so and were kindly received by the gentleman who listened attentively tent ively to our remarks afterwards attended our meetings and read the voice of warning g through twice one sunday after meeting he exclaimed to us that he had felt great ay joy since he began to read the publications licati leat ions ons of this church his ilia daughter in connecticut received the gospel about tw two years ears ago in in ato canada at fit the ha hands of elder of richfield sevier co utah this circumstance shows not only that our labors are being blessed of tho the lord but the good that may result from a little ittle I effort on the part of the saints to place the their irrel relatives in a position TO neah hrar TUE THE GOSPEL riot ilot forgetting that they were once as equally destitute of sp spiritual blessings and while every circumstance of this kind may not produce suan favorable results we feel assured that the lord would bo be pleased eadith with the efforts of his people to reclaim their fel fello lowman from their fallen condition since coming to this city we have been favored with occasional VISITS from the elders from utah en route to tho the southern states it always affords us pleasure to meet our brethren and they usually spend a day in st louis visiting objects of interest nt erest which in addition to being a source of pl pleasure e asure and satisfaction increases our fund of information and helps to prepare us when received and used in the spirit of the gospel gopel for the duties of life the lord lora has said that we should seek wisdom and tind knowledge by faith b by prayer and from the best of books why not then from the ot 01 his own off offspring pring and from the beauties of creation especially since wo ive believe that nil all of alil these e useful invention inventions and products of nature will be employed in building up and adorning the cities of xion zion october the we were io joined ined by elder der george E howe f of salt lake k city who has lim been bee n with us since that time laboring in the ministry lie ile haa bas quite a circle of acquaintances in st louis baa having ing i resided here himself several years ago A VERY ENJOYABLE TIME was spent on the alth of november with tho the elders and saints en route for utah among them as you arc are well aware were many of our virginia friend from the counties of tazewell blande and smyth to meet them was a time of refreshing to me more glorious than any picnic or excursion excursion party that could coul possibly be brought about especially ally to know that my my prayers in in connection with those of many others were answered in their and now they we were re going going up ap o tho the mountain of the lord lords s hause to learh more perfectly of his ways and to walk in his paths achs which I trust they will fulfill to the letter I prest rest TT morgan organ came with the tile oro coin pany but continued his journey tany n t the e morning with a party of for colorado agreeable to is suggestion we APPO APPOINTED bied A col o be held in st louis saturday md and sunday december ad d and fth o give ti the e notice of the confer a wide circulation vc we pro I the printing of about two thousand bills and employed a bill aster to post up several hundred of hem them in various parts of the city n addition to that nv woi posted up circulated many efthem ourselves prest Is morgan forgan arrived friday evening on his return from colorado and the next day at m our conference convened in union hall 1310 broadway besides the local priesthood and missionary elders present E elder ider ezra D carpenter was present who with bis his wife and children were returning from a visit to connecticut their former home there were present then prest john morgan an of the southern states miss T mission ion elders G geo C parkinson geo E and TAT F cowley travel traveling ing in the missouri conference and elder ezra D carpenter of lo 10 logan an city utah the tho local officers who were pro present at most of the meetings are elders andrew burman and jno F and teacher Ve aelier carl A i peterson after tho the usual opening exercises exercises 11 rest jolin john morgan arose and addressed the people most of whom were members of the church upon the subject of prayer arid showed the order and system through which THE LORD REVEALS HIS WILL and brines brings to pass his ilia righteous poses I rn ll 11 the earth explaining in in tur purposes rief that the quorums of the holy priesthood operating together upon tile earth operated cooperated co with the priesthood behind the vail thus forming a channel of communication between the heavens and the earth he ile also explained that to enjoy the revelations of the lord we must understand the whisperings of the holy spirit and learn to discern that from tho the inclinations of our natural minds without this power of discernment it would be bc just as impossible to enjoy that communication as it would be to understand tand a dispatch that might be sent over the wires from washington city unless there was an operator to receive the message on speaking of the pur purposes poses of the he lord concerning us he explained that circumstances would transpire at times that we could not thoroughly iid and that would ap appear contrary to what we considered right but when the rc roi i suits were produced we learned that etwas it was just t right and had bad been overruled by THE HAND of THIS THE LORD it was similar to a man who had never witnessed the planting growth and development of wheat askings fl person why yby he lie was sowing the grain and in being beilig answered that it was to produce more wheat ho lie could only bonfy understand it in a limited sense but when he lie saw the stalk shoot forth and in time pro producing ducin other grains rains of wheat ho co could uld better comphel comprehend bild the object of planting I prest morgan exhorted the saints to do right cont continually dually and the purposes es of god w ald allwork all work together for the re and Fol salvation f all who love an I ser serve the lord elders bowly and parkinson followed successively upon THE SUBJECT OF PRAYER and practical duties of the stints saints exhort exhorting ino them to diligence in discharging their duties as latter day da Y saints aft after er singing and prayer the conference adjourned till pm ara soon after the celoso of the necking prest morgan forgan was interviewed by a reporter of the tho st louis globe who also attended the evening meeting and took items of the services at 30 pm after the opening services of singing pray craycr or and singing elder carpen ter er addressed the audience relating his lis experience ash as a latter d day a saint Q n t in in contrast to that which he ae had bad received in the religious world be ure embracing the goepel showing the assurance and certainty that comes with inith the C GOSPEL IN ITS PURITY he ile spoke of the ge degenerate generate condition of the world in in social affairs stating that the first great ireat com command nand to multiply 17 and replenish the earth was ignored to a fearful extent As an illustration of this growing evil he referred to the fact hat that the fhe first families of new eng and were gradually becoming extinct he ile also spoke of the purity ind and elevated character of celestial barriage darri arriage age as revealed to the latter lay day saints through through joseph smith the prophet an and as practiced by iho the prophets of god in ancient imes times referring to the evidence contained in the holy bible to bub hub the truth of this principle elder cowley followed on the subject of the restoration OF THE GOSPEL quoting from the old and new testaments to prove that in the history of joseph smith the prophet and that of the book of mormon I M many predictions had beon been literal litot y fulfilled after singing and brayer yer the conference adjourned until sunday at 10 am winch which convened agreeable to appointment and succeeding the opening services elder geo E howe spoke in a laici and spirited manner upon the first principles of the gospel follon foil owed by john morgan on the samo same subject who showed the responsibility that rested upon the servants of the lord stating that wo we should be held responsible for principles leg that we proclaim and on he other apier hand if the people re acted the plan of salvation a heavy rests ruts upon them THE ANCIEN T APOSTLES who were personal witnesses to the ministry of the savior beholding tim him by the powers of god heal the eick sick raise tho the dead cast out devils cause tho the blind to see the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak cal z z etc if those thoe men with all tr that at experience were rewired required lu to tarry arry at jerusalem until they were endowed by power on heigh bea before ore hey they could preach repentance and remission of sins how ow much more should men in this ag age who never had such great experience tarry until they received power and authority from the courts of ilea heaven to preach reach the gospel he ile a also N so proved clearly I that lat when the gospel was enjoyed by mail in this alre age the same power would at tend their ministrations and that the lq spirit i r t of god would do for men today y what it did for the people two thousand I sand yeara years ago alter after singing i i and benediction the conference adjourned till p m when the seats in the hall were well filled and after the opening services THE SACRAMENT I INT waa WAS administered b by y the brethren to the saints present elder cowley made a few preliminary I remarks and presented resented the names of the bened general authorities of the church and the name of elder john morgan as president of the So southern athern stags mission lis and those of elders elden AL F cowley owlet aco C parkinson and geo E howe as traveling elders in the missouri conference all of which were sustained st Is bained by the unanimous vote of the saints present president morgan then delivered an excellent discourse on the or organization AN I Z ATI ON OF TIIE cleur CHURCH showing by reference to the 11 holy oly scriptures that to uphold and sustain Ap apostles ostlee prophets seventies etc t was nothing new though it is unusual among the people generally of today to day the latter tact fact being caused by ancient apostasy apo stacy from the true order of the church of christ the effect of which was universal and extends down to the present time until tho the religious confusion now exhibited throughout the length and breadth of the earth has become a spectacle to the whole world all of which was proven by abundant references in the old and new testaments in connection to other prophecies to which he referred tho the L otaker made mention of pauls writing to timothy in the fourth chapter of his first epistle wherein be states that men in the latter times would give heed to seducing spirits and dive doctrines oct rines of devils and having their conscience scared seared as with a hot iron among other things thing that arc are evil they would forbid to marry how often ho he was reminded of this prediction ie diction in connection with the law of 1862 intended to prose proscribe rib the religious belief elief b and practice of the latter day saints E elder mer parkinson Parkin sou who was the nest next speaker deliberated berated in a plain forcible manner upon the first principles of the gospel after which by singing and prayer the conference adjourned tilt till p in between the two meetings we ive were counseled by president morgan in ft a kind fatherly manner in connection with THE LOCAL regarding our future labors laborg sh showing ow to us that vo we should be united in all our efforts to spread a knowledge of the truth As president morgan lorgan was unexpectedly called away he could not meet with wi us in ae the evening meeting which we re very much as his valuable teachings cach ings and timely counsel is always a source of satisfaction to ourselves and many others at tho the hour of meeting p in the seats in the hall were well filled and people still coming ia succeeding tho the usual hopeni opening ng exercises exercises E elder ider cowley addressed iho the people chiefly upon the first principles of the gospel but spoke for a short limo time relative to the provision made in the FLAK PLAIX OF SALVATION forthe for the redemption of those who do not hear tho the gospel in this probation to elder ezra D |