Report on the Southwestern States Mission

(■President of Southwestern States Mission.) I desire with all my heart, my brethren and sisters, that I may be led by the inspiration of the Spirit of God during the time that I shall speak to you this afternoon. There is one lesson, at least, that I have learned during my brief life, and it is this: no man can reach the hearts of the children of our Father in heaven, in speaking upon the principles of eternal life, save he is led by the inspiration of the Spirit of God. So important has our Father thought it to be that His servants should be led by that Spirit, that He has given commandment that they should not attempt to teach unless they knew they were led by His Holy Spirit. ¶

While the brethren have been speaking today I have thought a little about the opening up of this great work that you and I are engaged in, and of some questions that are presented to us when we go among the nations of the earth and bear witness unto our fellows that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God, and that Jesus is the Christ. When we bear witness of this great truth revealed in these latter days we are frequently asked, "Why do you so often bear witness that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God? Do you believe that he takes the place of Jesus, the Savior?" If we should answer that question dogmatically, we would say that we bear witness to that great fact because it is true; but that, I take it, is not sufficient. Whenever our Father in heaven has had a dispensation of the Gospel upon this earth, He has sent to the earth choice spirits, who had been foreordained in the heavens because of their pre-existent faithfulness, through whom He could reveal His will, and upon whom He could confer the keys of power and authority to minister His word among His children upon the earth. The time came when the promises of our Father were going to be fulfilled pertaining to His work in the last days. Again He sent to earth one of those choice spirits, who, when he came here, was given the name of Joseph Smith. Through him Father in heaven revealed His will again to His children, and to him He gave authority. Through that great man of God has been opened up the work of salvation for the living and redemption for the dead in this the greatest of all dispensations that have been given to man. I hold as a principle in missionary work that the first fact to be established before the people is the great truth that Joseph Smith is the man whom Father in heaven has raised up for this special purpose; for if they will not accept of him they will not accept the revelations of God given through him. It is because we believe this with all our hearts that in the mission over which your humble servant has been called to preside the Elders hold before the people first and foremost the great truth that Joseph Smith is a true Prophet of God. ¶

A few weeks ago I stood, with President Andrew Kimbail, in the room in Carthage, Illinois, where our beloved Prophet and Patriarch laid down their lives and sealed their testimony with their blood. Years before that time I made a vow to my Father in heaven that if He would give unto me His Holy Spirit, and courage and intelligence sufficient, I would devote my life to bearing witness to the world that He had raised up that man of God to establish His latter-day work. When I stood in that room and passed to the window out of which that man of God threw his body in order to save his brethren who were yet alive, I renewed that vow, with tears streaming down my face; and I want to say to you this day, especially to the young brethren and sisters in Zion, that again I do renew that vow, and desire with all my heart that I may ever be led by that Spirit of God to lift up my voice and bear witness that that great man who there gave his life is a Prophet of God, and that his testimony, sealed by his blood, lives today and will live in the hearts of the children of men. ¶

In the Southwestern States Mission this fact is second only to the great truth that Jesus is the Christ. In that mission we are doing the work of our Father in heaven as He gives us ability to do it. "We have about 120 Elders laboring there, and have had two of the beautiful, intelligent daughters of Zion, but one has recently returned from filling a faithful mission and is now in this building; the other is still there, doing good, efficient work. "We hope to have others of the daughters of Zion sent to us to assist in the work. Brethren and sisters, your sons who are there are full of courage and zeal. Your daughters who have been and are there are filled with the same spirit of devotion and courage. I bear witness this day, with regard to the work of our young sisters, that when they stand before the people of the world and bear testimony that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God, and that Father has again spoken from the heavens, it goes to the hearts of the people, and they cannot resist the humble testimony of our beloved sisters. ¶

I would like to say a word with regard to writing to your sons. Never allow one line of discouragement to go from you to them. Never put a thought in their minds that they should return home until the men whom God has chosen to direct His work are moved upon by the Spirit of God to release them from their missionary labors. Why do I say this? Because we have had occasion sometimes to know that the work of the Lord has suffered by reason of our young men being taken from the field before they ought to return, and they themselves have suffered most in consequence of it. I know the presidents of missions are careful of the young men. They are considerate of your sons. They love them as they love their owns sons. They would lay down their lives for your boys, and they are not going to permit them to do that which would be for their detriment, if they can help it. ¶

The work of the Lord in that mission is progressing reasonably well. Our Elders are treated well by the people. It is a rare exception where they meet mob violence. We have only had one case of extreme mob violence in about three years, and that was in a part of a state that has always exhibited a rank spirit towards the work of God; but even in that state the governor is a friend to the people of the Lord, as are some of the judges. I have talked with leading men in that state, and they have said to me, "Mr. Duffin, I want to say to you that the better element in this state, the men of thought and progress, are not bitterly opposed to your people, but are friendly towards you." That is the spirit which prevails generally among the intelligent and thinking classes of the people throughout the Southwestern States Mission. There is one exception to this rule, and that is among those who pretend to be followers of the meek and lowly Nazarene. From that class of people come the bitterest statements and opposition that we have to meet. A few weeks ago we held a conference of the Missouri Elders in Kansas City. The leading newspapers there treated us nicely, and gave fair accounts of the conference. They sent their reporters to our meetings, and they advertised us free of charge before the conference began. This stirred up the anger of some of these men who pretend to be followers of the meek and lowly Nazarene and they gave us a little more advertising in their Sunday night sermons. As soon as the reporters got those sermons they came right to our office and wanted to know whether the ministers' statements were true or not. They said they wanted to treat us fairly and get our side of the question, and they reported pretty fairly what we said in reply to the attack of those men who are not following the Savior, though they pretend to be. President Rich said he sometimes got warm in talking about these men and thinking how they treated our young men who are full of faith and zeal and who are doing a work of unselfishness among mankind. I do not suppose there is a president of a mission anywhere but gets angry sometimes at this, and righteously, too. ¶

Brethren and sisters, we reported last spring that we had issued a ten thousand edition of the Book of Mormon in that mission. Since last May we have distributed nearly seven thousand copies of that sacred book, to various missions and throughout the country; and it is now going out by the thousands where formerly it was distributed by the hundreds. It is down to a price that can be reached by the people. Since I have been a student of this great latter-day work I have always held that if we must speculate out of any books, it should not be out of the Book of Mormon; for when the angel delivered the plates to the Prophet Joseph Smith he warned him against using them for the purpose of getting gain. I believe that same principle should obtain in the publishing and distribution of the book. We have acted upon that principle in contributing of our means in this direction. Your sons have given of their means to put this book at such a price that the people could reach it. ¶

I pray, my brethren and sisters, that the Spirit of the Lord may be in the heart of everyone who attends this conference, and in the heart of every member of the Church, and that it may go forth among the nations of the earth and enter into the hearts of the people and open them to the reception of the eternal truths of heaven that have been revealed in this dispensation. I want to bear you my witness this day that I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. I know that Brigham Young is a Prophet of God. I know that these testimonies are being borne among the nations by our young men. I know that our beloved brother who sits on this stand today— Joseph F. Smith— is a true and a living Prophet of God, and that he holds the keys of the kingdom in the day in which he lives. God bless you. Amen. ¶