Show tabernacle SERVICES discourses by TTO returned SUNDAY march president L W shurtliff presided over the services the opening hymn wag from page the opening prayer waa deliver cd by elder P A brown after which the choir sang the hymn on page sacramental exercises ELDEK E BINGHAM of wilson ward a lately returned missionary to the southern states first addressed the assembly he realized that without the spirit of god ho would be unable to edify the saints wo aro frequently called to account by the world for saying wa know that this to be the true gospel of christ they say we do not know we may bo satisfied or we know it but we have no such knowledge it is the duty of the saints to seek until they do know for themselves that this gospel is correct he referred to the saying of jesus concerning the signs which should follow those who believed his says ings the people of the world say show us a sign that we may know that these things do follow belief and we will believe what you say but jesus said these things follow believing and do not go before it and he said referring to those who wanted signs they were a wicked and perverse generation he had borne testimony of the truth of the principles of the gos pel to thousands and had been well used and in spite of the fact that ho had gone forth in the world without purse or scrip he had not suffered for want of food nor friends while the Latt erday saints feel that the whole world is arrayed against them there aro thousands of men and women in the united states who wish them well and who desire to see the courts do equal justice to all still these were it to come to the force of arms would take up their tuua to defend the saints or the elders from an attack from mob violence have not the moral courage to stand by their convictions and eay freely and in dependently that alio despised mor mons are right there arc a great many people in the south who would willingly be gathered out to these mountain valleys but for the strong opposition against this people still these people are willing to impart of their substance for the sustenance of the elders and in the due time of the lord they will bo numbered with this people the speaker delivered a discourse which it is impossible to give a synopsis of that would do justice to it ELDER WILEY 0 of pleasant view also a southern states missionary wag the next speaker elder cragun left on his mission on the of oct 1883 lie found that the ministers of the world were very busily engaged in endeavoring to strife against the elders of this church the speaker had been laboring among a email tribe of Lama for a beenson this people seemed to be rie for the reception of the gospel and readily received the elders the white people how ever would not permit them to pursue their labors in peace on one occasion elder cragun and companion were warned to leave the place or they the people would not be responsible for the consequences the els ders however did not leave and a few days subsequent to the warning the eldera about to res tire to bed w a house be longine to a Li Elder Cragun having got his feet undressed when a mob numbering 16 or 20 men came upon them he started to run and wag only about 20 from the mob when the whole number fired on him was knocked down by a bullet striking his forehead another ball struck bin ou alio chin penetrating to the bone and then emerging again he was not seriously injured however and ran barefooted for two or tarco hun dred yards through timber where the stumps of black oak remained standing the timber having been cut for firewood the ground was in such 0 condition that no one could have run the same distance in daylight without severely wounding his feet yet ho was entirely uninjured and could only ledge the hand of god in his deliverance the circumstance called to mind verv vigorously the worda of apostle teasdale while setting him to his mission that lord make his power to preserve the from harm in his labors the speaker aavo a number of interesting sketches of his experience among the people of the south and spoke eloquently on the principle of the truth of the gospel of christ tho elocre had frequently been warned by having notices posted on trees in the woods atuck into their rooms under the door and in many other ways warning them to leave and informing them that unless they did eo blood would be spilt notwithstanding these mcnamee cee he had enjoyed his and he thanked god that he had been permitted to fulfill a mission to the place where he had been although the latter day saints have many evil habits there is no belter people on the face of the earth than they are should a set of officials be sent to the south to harass and persecute the people as our people arc being persecuted the united states would have to maintain a standing army to protect them should a asper vilify and slander the people of the south as the salt lake tribune vilifies the mor mons the editors of that paper would judging from the feelings of the southern people not be permitted to edit a second issue closing the speaker bore a strong testimony to the truth of the gos pel ELDEK MYE addressed the meeting for a few moments he had received many testimonies of the truth of the gospel and if necessary could bear a testimony as strong as that of the prophets of old after a short but stirring address the speaker closed praying that the blessings of god might rest on the people of god the choir performed an anthem and the meeting adjourned the benediction being pronounced by counselor james burch |