Minutes of the April 1868 General Conference

The Thirty-Eighth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, convened in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, April 6-8, 1868, President Brigham Young presiding (preceded by an unofficial session Sunday, April 5). ¶

Sunday, April 5 (unofficial): Elder Joseph F. Smith, Elder Wilford Woodruff, and Elder Joseph W. Young bore testimony and spoke on the work of the dispensation (summary only). In the afternoon, President Brigham Young spoke on "Everything Desirable is Contained in the Gospel" and Elder George A. Smith also spoke (both summary only; never printed in full in JD). ¶

Monday, April 6 Morning Session: President Brigham Young, President Heber C. Kimball, and President Daniel H. Wells spoke (summary only). ¶

Monday, April 6 Afternoon Session: Elder George A. Smith delivered [[1868-04-smith-importance-of-observing-the-sabbath-dayemigration]], Elder George Q. Cannon delivered [[1868-04-cannon-word-of-wisdomfish-culturedietetics]], and President Brigham Young delivered [[1868-04-young-necessity-of-obeying-counsel]] (all filed separately), covering keeping the Sabbath, dietary reform (fish culture, abstinence from swine's flesh), Bishops' example-setting, Relief Societies, and silk culture. ¶

Tuesday, April 7 Morning Session: Elder John Taylor reviewed thirty-eight years of Church history and spoke on home manufactures and self-sufficiency. Elder Ezra T. Benson testified of the Gospel and urged abstinence from stimulants (both summary only). ¶

Tuesday, April 7 Afternoon Session: Elder Orson Hyde spoke on the Word of Wisdom and demonstrated his own home-manufactured suit of clothes, and Elder Orson Pratt spoke on the obligation to obey the Word of Wisdom (given thirty-five years earlier) and on humane treatment of animals (both summary only). ¶

Wednesday, April 8 Morning Session: Elder Erastus Snow spoke on the folly of gold-seeking among the Saints, citizenship, the season's immigration, charity toward Native peoples, and conditions in the Muddy River and St. Joseph settlements, then delivered [[1868-04-snow-the-gatheringpractical-dutiesemigration-of-the-poormission]] (filed separately). President Heber C. Kimball also spoke (summary only). ¶

Wednesday, April 8 Afternoon Session: The General Authorities of the Church were sustained by vote of the Conference and missionary calls were read. President Brigham Young delivered [[1868-04-young-domestic-economytraining-childrencultivation-of-silkapplication-of]] (filed separately), and Elder Lorenzo Snow spoke, closing the conference (summary only; never printed in full in JD). ¶