Opening Remarks

By request of President Woodruff, I arise to make the opening remarks to the Conference. This is our Sixty-fourth semi-annual Conference, and we meet together this morning under circumstances that, in some respects at least, are exceedingly favorable to us as a people. We have our trials and our difficulties to contend with and overcome; but we are in a state of probation, and it is not to be expected that we shall be free from the ills that trouble humanity and that are consequent upon an earthly existence; in fact, as Latter-day Saints, we have been assured, among other things, that we should have trials to contend with, and they would come in various forms, to test our faith, to prove us and to give us that experience which is so necessary for us in our future careers. ¶

We have had, since we last met, considerable trouble in financial matters. You are all doubtless aware of this. You have no doubt felt it individually, as we have felt it as a Church. Probably at no time in our previous experience have we had to contend with pecuniary embarrassment as we have had of late. It is not necessary that we should dwell upon the causes that have produced these embarrassments; they are familiar to you all. You know the burdens that the Church has had to bear. But the people, in very many instances, have responded willingly to the calls that have been made upon them. We know of brethren who have run in debt in order to furnish means that they subscribed for the completion of the Temple, and the burden was borne, I may say, joyfully by the brethren and sisters. We resolved that with the help of God we would finish the Temple and dedicate it to the Most High on the sixth day of April, 1893. The Lord helped us to keep that resolve and He abundantly poured out His Holy Spirit upon us, in testimony of His acceptance of that glorious work. But the people have felt this burden—that is, they have felt the debts that they have been compelled to incur. The Church collectively, represented by the trustee-in-trust, has also felt this. Nevertheless we have been greatly blessed in having abundance of food in our valleys, and sufficient shelter, and comfortable houses in which to dwell. Contrasting our circumstances in these days with the past, we have abundant cause for thanksgiving and for glorifying our God. ¶

It is very interesting to see the favorable condition of affairs abroad, so far as we are concerned. The wrath of man has been turned aside from the people of God. Who could have thought a few years ago, when we were surrounded, it might be said, by a feeling of intense enmity and hatred, and a spirit that seemed anxious for our destruction, that such a wonderful change would occur within so short a period in regard to public opinion? The recent visit of the choir to Chicago, with the First Presidency, has been most gratifying in its results. I believe it has done more good than the preaching of a large number of Elders could have done, and we were received with the utmost consideration and kindness. I cannot mention anything that is more illustrative of the changed feeling than to state that the House of Representatives has passed the bill returning to the Church its personal property. This shows the disposition that is being manifested to treat us with that consideration and fairness with which other citizens of the Republic are treated. Well, we can praise our God for His mercy and kindness to us, because this is in fulfillment of the promises which He has made. He has told us that when we should pass through the deep waters He would be with us, and He would sustain and deliver us; and we this day, in this conference, can praise and glorify His name with all our hearts for having fulfilled His promises to us. We are living evidences of the truth of that which He has told us. ¶

Throughout our valleys we have reasonably good crops. In some places they may be a little short; but there has enough been raised to sustain us and all who are dependent upon us, including our flocks, and our herds. I do hope, as we all must, that throughout all these valleys no cry of distress shall ascend to God our eternal Father, not even from an animal; but that we will administer of that which the Lord has given to us to supply the wants of all the children of men who may be brought in contact with us and be destitute, and especially to those who belong to the household of faith. Our Teachers, our Bishops and our Relief Societies should take great pains to see that there is no want, and that there will be no want this winter, for fuel, for shelter, for food or for necessary clothing. We can in now way better show our gratitude to our Father in heaven for that which He has done for us than by administering to our fellow creatures; for if we do not love our brother whom we have seen, how can we love God, whom we have not seen? How can we better show our love for our great Creator than by taking care of His children, and thus return to them, in some measure, the kindness that He has shown to us? ¶

We have, as you know, done all in our power to promote the manufacture of sugar in our Territory. The First Presidency and the Twelve have taken upon themselves individually, as well as in their organized capacity, very heavy burdens in order to carry this project out. We were impressed and impelled to do this by the manifestations of the Spirit of God through our President and to each one of us who received that testimony. We felt that this was right, that it was an enterprise that should be taken hold of; and though we have had many obstacles to contend with, the greatest of which has been the difficulty of raising money, nevertheless we have carried the load as best we could, and we have the gratification this season of feeling that the Lord has been very kind indeed to His people. He has blessed their fields. He has blessed the crops of beets. We are told that they are yielding very generously of saccharine matter, and that the prospect is we shall have good returns in sugar, and begin to be able to meet the obligations which rest upon us. We want to speak favorably of this enterprise. We want to urge it upon the Latter-day Saints. We want to say everything in its favor to sustain it and make it a success, to furnish employment to our people, and to give our farmers remuneration for their labor, helping them to produce a crop for which they will receive money, and also save the money at home that would otherwise go out of our Territory for the purchase of sugar. This is the true policy. It is the true way to build up Zion. ¶

We must turn our attention to these matters and discard all foolish theories and all unwise conduct. There has been a great deal of it in this country about this sugar factory. it has been dragged down into politics—a thing that ought never to be done. We want to lift it out of that. We want to look at these matters as servants and Saints of God and when God tells us to do a thing, to do it. God has called us to build up Zion in the earth, and He will build it up in His own way, and not according to the theories of man. It is our duty, when He gives us a command, to go with our might and fulfill that command. If we do that, He will always stand by us, and sustain us, and carry us off triumphant over every obstacle. ¶

I rejoice this morning in being able to make this statement concerning our sugar factory. The prospects for it are good, and we need the means that the sale of the sugar will produce. If we could manufacture enough to supply our entire Territory, it would be a grand thing for us, and for the entire country also. We hope that you will all take hold of this, buy the stock, and help carry the load, and not leave it on the shoulders of the few. ¶

Our missions in foreign lands and in the United States are, generally speaking, in a good condition. There are 120 Elders in the Southern states alone, and they are laboring effectively. There are no mobbings to speak of, and the Elders are doing very well and escape violence. In the Northern states also there is a great deal of good being done, the missionaries being diligent and active. ¶

There is this difficulty, however, in all our missions: It is hard for the Elders to sustain themselves. Some of them do so who have means, but the cry comes from our missions that unless help is rendered, experienced men will have to come home. Of course, this means the payment of their passage home, and also the payment of the passage of others fill their places who are not so well qualified through experience. Letters have been written by the presidents of missions to the Bishops and others, asking for help to be rendered, that they might be able to keep these men of experience in the field; but the response from home generally has been that they cannot do it. We should, if possible, avoid the release of men who are capable until they have filled their missions. You know, brethren and sisters, that there are many men whose best field is the missionary filed, whose greatest influence is in preaching the Gospel. Many of them are not good managers at home; they do not seem to have a gift for financial matters; but you give them a mission, and they are successful in preaching the Gospel, in warning the people, and in gathering out the honest in heart. Where there are such men in the field, they should be sustained there. Efforts should be made to keep them at that which they are best qualified to do, and not compel them to return and struggle at home. ¶

The work is doing excellently in northern Sweden. We hear of a great many baptisms in that region. In Norway also the people are favorably disposed to the work of God and are willing to hear the Elders. In the Netherlands there are good openings, but there are no men scarcely to fill the openings, very few among us being able to speak the Dutch language. ¶

The field in Germany is an extensive one; but the restrictions there interfere seriously with the spread of the Gospel, though these are in some places gradually becoming milder. In Hamburg the work is progressing. It is a remarkable fact, worthy of note, that during the prevalence of the cholers in that city, though the Latter-day Saints worked alongside of people who were stricken down with that dreadful disease, not one of their number fell a victim to its ravages. The blessing of the Lord appeared to rest upon the Saints, and through faith they escaped. My son David, who died a year ago in Germany while laboring in the ministry, opened up a region for the preaching of the Gospel where the Elders are laboring now with considerable prospect of success, many souls having been gathered into the fold. Throughout the Swiss and German mission the feeling is hopeful, and the brethren are encouraged. ¶

France has scarcely been warned. It is true there have been missions in Paris; but there are parts of France which our Elders have never visited. Spain remains yet untouched; no Elders have entered Spain or Portugal, and there are souls there to be saved. ¶

Our young men should pay some attention to the acquirement of languages. God has said that He will give unto us the gift of tongues for this purpose, and the gift of interpretation of tongues, and I know that these gifts can be obtained if they are sought for. Our youth should be learning every language that is spoken by human beings, so that we may have men among us that would be able to go to any of the countries of Europe—Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Holland, Italy, etc., and preach the Gospel of the Son of God. Here is Japan stretching out her hand for knowledge. We have not an Elder to go to Japan. So with the rest of Asia. Nearly the whole of the continent of Asia without Elders, and the people perishing for the want of that Word which God has given unto us! They are clamoring in their souls, doubtless, as you aged men and women clamored in your youth; praying to God for the truth. The condition of the world should appeal to us, and our young men should be trained to speak the various languages. He to the south of us in a whole continent of Spanish-speaking people. We need hundreds of Elders—thousands I might say—to visit these foreign lands and open the Gospel to the thousands and millions who are sitting in darkness and who have not that peace and heavenly joy that we rejoice in. When I think of it, I feel as though I would like to have the privilege of going out and carrying this Gospel of salvation to these people. The greatest joy of my life has been to preach the Gospel. I would like to go to new fields. I have wanted for years to go to Japan. Years ago, if circumstances had allowed, I would have volunteered to go. Attention should be paid to these things and our brethren should seek to qualify their sons for usefulness in building up Zion by giving them suitable advantages as fast as they can, and our daughters also should devote attention to these various languages. ¶

We have three Elders in Turkey, two of them laboring in Asia Minor and one in Damascus; and they have opportunities there of preaching and baptizing. But how few there are to do this! The field is wide, the harvest is a great one, but how few the laborers are! So it is throughout the United States. So it is in England. I was in London a little while ago. I saw a most excellent opportunity there, it seemed to me, for the preaching of the Gospel in a way that it had never been preached in England—that is, among those who are termed the better class. There was an interest manifested in our affairs that spoke well for the disposition to listen to the Elders preach. But our meeting houses and surroundings, both in London and Liverpool, are not of such a character as to invite this class of people to visit them because they are not suited to their ideas for the preaching of the Gospel. I was only there for a very short time, but I felt while there that the field was an excellent one. I believe it is so in other places in Great Britain. The trouble is, many Elders go out who are unsuited for the labor. A good man, energetic and capable, will always do a good work; while others, with equal opportunities, are failures, not being adapted to it. I saw that while I was there. This is the case in all kinds of labor; it is so in the preaching of the Gospel. We hear a great deal about the failure of Elders in places. It is true that the people are hard in their hearts, and they are slow to listen to the truth. But there are ways of bringing it before them which, if employed, would result, in my opinion, in great success. I returned from California yesterday, where I went for a few days on business. It is a field with which I am very familiar; for I labored there for some years. I thought I could see some of the causes why there was not more success in California. It is a field, probably more than any other, which for palpable reasons, requires men of peculiar fitness and aptitude. I have no doubt the Elders there are doing the best they can, but they need experience. ¶

But the Gospel is being preached. Zion is being advertised. The nations of the earth are hearing about Zion. Our own nation is learning considerably about her. The visit of the choir, to which I have alluded, has been productive of great results. I believe we will feel the effect of it in years to come. Everything, I may say, is encouraging. We are passing through a trial now, just as we have passed through other trials; but if we have been guilty of folly in monetary matters, let us repent before the Lord—repent of our extravagance, of our want of wisdom, of our disposition to speculate. Where we have indulged in these things, let us repent with all our hearts and implore the blessing and forgiveness of God upon us. I say to you there are good days coming. There are bright days in the future for Zion. We are advancing, and I have nothing but good to say, I have nothing but encouragement for the people of God. We may be pinched now; but we have been before. We have been pinched in far worse circumstances than we are now. Let us be thankful that affairs are in as good a condition as we find them, and let us try and improve. Let us bear with each other. Where men owe their brethren or their sisters, let them pay as fast as they can, and let the creditors be patient. We will all come out right. We will pay our debts, we will save our credit and our honor, as a people and as individuals. I promise you this, in the name of the Lord, if you will do right and put your trust in God, who has never yet failed us. ¶

I have not alluded to the Pacific Islands. There the Elders are doing excellently. On the Sandwich Islands and in New Zealand and Australia the Elders are having souls given to them as a reward for their labors. The Society Islands have been visited by Brother James S. Brown and his son and other Elders. There were a great many baptized on those islands a long time ago. There was a mission sent from Nauvoo, led by Noah Rogers, Addison Pratt, Benjamin F. Grouard and Knowlton F. Haake. These Elders carried the Gospel there and thousands were baptized; but they have been left to themselves to a great extent, and others have gone in and endeavored to seduce them from the path. The prospects are, however, that our young Elders who are there, and who are acquiring the language, will do a good work. We hope to save a remnant of the Polynesian races from the various islands, to be numbered among the people of God in Zion. ¶

I pray God that during this conference both speakers and hearers may be filled with the Spirit and power of God, and that the word of God which is adapted to us may be given to His servants to give unto us. I also pray God to bless in an especial manner President Woodruff, to fill him with life and health, and to make him strong. His visit to Chicago, I believe, restored him to the condition of health that he had at the Dedication. But he is suffering a little from cold now, and I pray that he with the rest of us may be blessed with life and health in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶