Opening Address

Brethren and sisters and friends: There are many reflections that arise in my mind as I behold the faces of so many Latter-day Saints here this morning. Sixty-nine years ago the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized. How many strange scenes have been witnessed and what wonderful things have been acomplished by the Latter-day Saints since the organization! Prophets and Elders have been martyred while defending the great cause which God established in the interersts of the salvation, exaltation and glory of His children whom He has sent upon the earth. ¶

This is a lovely morning. All nature seems to smile upon us. I would like to ask my brethren and sisters, how do you feel? Do we all feel to rejoice in our hearts and to be happy? In view of what has been accomplished, do we feel grateful to our Heavenly Father? Think of the persecutions through which the Saints have passed and the sacrifices we have made from time to time, and yet we are here this morning: surrounded by pleasant conditions. Then, what are the glorious prospects before us? After a few years, whatever may have been our experience, we shall stand in the presence of our Father in the future life, having accomplished His purposes while in the world, having made sacrifices in fulfilling that which the Lord has required at our hands from time to time, and we shall look back upon the past with joy and satisfaction. How happy we ought to be under present circumstances, in view of what we have done since we received the Gospel, and how we have been sustained, while some upon our right hand and upon our left have fallen into a state of apostasy. Contemplating the past and glorious prospects of the future, our hearts ought to be filled with joy and thanksgiving to our God this day. ¶

We wish to have a good Conference, and we will. Just in proportion as we exercise our faith during the progress of this Conference, so will the blessings of the Almighty rest upon us; and as the speakers address us from day to day we will secure that which will be of vast importance to us. It is not always the lengthy discourse that affords to the Latter-day Saints that which is the most profitable; but in the various discourses delivered we may gather some idea, or some principle may flash upon our understanding which will prove valuable to us afterwards. Our blessings and our success in the past have been in proportion to our efforts and the exercise of our faith. When we contemplate what the Lord has done for us in the past, our present surroundings, and our future prospects, what a blest people we are! I have thought sometimes that one of the greatest virtues the Latter-day Saints could possess is gratitude to our Heavenly Father for that which He has bestowed upon us and the path over which He has led us. It may be that walking along in that path has not always been of the most pleasant character; but we have afterwards discovered that those circumstances which have been very unpleasant have often proved of the highest advantage to us. We should always be pleased with the circumstances that surround us and that which the Lord requires at our hands. ¶

Brethren and sisters, in the name of the Lord I bless you this morning. Let us be faithful and keep the commandments of God. Let us never allow our prospects to become dimmed; let them be fresh before us by day and by night, and I will assure you that if we will do this our growth from day to day and from year to year will be marvelous. We can look back now and we can see that we have advanced. We have not stood still, but we have been moving along and gradually increasing our growth. The child grows from childhood to boyhood, and from boyhood to manhood, with a constant and steady growth; but he cannot tell how or when the growth occurs. He does not realize that he is growing; but by observing the laws of health and being prudent in his course he eventually arrives at manhood. So in reference to ourselves as Latter-day Saints. We grow and increase. We are not aware of it at the moment; but after a year or so we discover that we are, so to speak, away up the hill, nearing the mountain top. We feel that we have faith in the Lord; that His providences are always beneficial; that we are connected with Him; that He is actually our Father, and that He leads us along in life. ¶

We should have before us a strong desire to do good to others. Never mind so much about ourselves. Good will come to us all right if we keep our minds outside of ourselves to a certain extent, and try to make others happier and draw them a little nearer to the Lord. We have been sent into the world to do good to others; and in doing good to others we do good to ourselves. We should always keep this in view, the husband in reference to his wife, the wife in reference to her husband, the children in reference to their parents, and the parents in reference to their children. There is always opportunity to do good to one another. When you find yourselves a little gloomy, look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated. ¶

Brethren and sisters, God bless you. Let us have a good Conference; and in order that we may have, let us have a prayerful spirit all the time, and especially when Elders arise here to address you. Amen. ¶