Report on the Kanab Stake

My brethren and sisters, I do not know whether I will be able to make you all hear, as this is more of a congregation than we have in two or three of our stakes; but I rejoice in being present at this conference. I realize that it is the duty of the presidents of stakes to visit the general conference of the Church, wherever it may be called, for the reason that there they can receive the instructions that are needed, and be able to impart the same to the people they represent. There is a responsibility upon every presidency of a stake similar in proportion to that upon the Presidency of the Church, and I realize that it is necessary for me as an individual to be humble and to seek unto the Lord for His Spirit, that I may be useful to my brethren and sisters, and guard and protect the interests of the people. It requires a great deal of labor, thought, patience and perseverance to be able to detect and to ward off the adversary, the enemy of righteousness in the earth. ¶

The physical conditions of our country are very similar to that which you have heard described by Brother Smith, of Arizona. We are only about three miles from the Arizona line; and when he was speaking of Mrs. Nation I thought that if she made a visit to our country she would have to go just over the line into Arizona to get occupation. There is a man established there in a tent, and he dispenses liquor, and entices some of our young people down to play cards. But we have no saloons or places of that kind in our county. ¶

The spiritual condition of our people is fairly good. We have good Latter-day Saints, who are conscientiously trying to keep the commandments of the Lord, and they have an abiding testimony of the Gospel, which they are trying to maintain by living uprightly before the Lord. I have felt that of all the gifts of the Gospel which follow the believer, we should seek for the gift of discernment of spirits. I have asked the Lord to give me this gift; for I can see that the adversary will work upon the minds of the people, and one of the great safeguards against this is for the Latter-day Saints to possess this gift, that they may ward off the adversary and his temptations, or any influence that is calculated to bring up doubts in their minds and cause them to complain and find fault and to think that perhaps the work of God is not growing. I can testify to you, my brethren and sisters, that the work of the Lord is growing, and it will continue to grow, whether we keep pace with it or not as individuals. One of the evidences of the truth, to my mind, is that as we grow and advance the heavier the opposition becomes against us. You take the opposition that has been against the Latter-day Saints from the time that the Father and the Son appeared to Prophet Joseph Smith down to the present. Considering that, it is marvelous in my eyes that this people have made the progress that they have. They never could have done it if it had not been for the individual testimony that the Saints receive. And they must receive that testimony from the Lord. It cannot come from our brother or our sister. We may encourage, we may strengthen, we may build one another up in faith; but the testimony of the Spirit and the genius of this work must come from our heavenly Father. This is what I tell my children. When my boys went to school at Provo, I said to them: Now, you will study theology. The mechanical part you can receive; but the spirit, the testimony of the work, you must receive from our Heavenly Father, and it must be through your humility, your faith and your prayers to Him. ¶

My experience thus far in life has been with the Latter-day Saints. I was born in the Church; I have been reared in the Church, and I am pretty familiar with the history of the Latter-day Saints by passing through it from the early settling of this valley. I came here as a child in 1848, and have been in Utah ever since. I have seen many trials that this people have passed through, and I have heard many prophecies delivered from this stand, and in the old Tabernacle, which I have lived to see fulfilled. I have heard the warning voice of the Prophet of the Lord from time to time all my life. ¶

Speaking in relation to the suggestions given this morning by President Smith concerning our financial condition, I remember that for years before the financial distress of 1893 the Apostles warned the Latter-day Saints — they did in our stake — to prepare for a financial crisis. Many of the people accepted the advice and profited by it. Before I left home, I had been reading the editorials of President Smith, and his remarks in different stakes, and I remarked to some of the brethren, there is going to be a financial depression, and that very soon, because the President is beginning to warn the people. From the early settlement here up to the present time there has never been an approaching evil but this people have been warned of in ample time to avoid it if they would listen to the voice of inspiration. It has been so in all the history of the world. When the Lord has had a people upon the earth He has always forewarned them of any calamity that was approaching, and I firmly believe that He always will. We should appreciate these privileges that we have over and above other people, because of the testimony and assurance we have that when we receive this advice or instruction it comes through the inspiration of our heavenly Father. He is fulfilling His promises to us. He will guide us, if we will listen. He will give us every opportunity to grow and expand, and to become a noted people in the earth. He is magnifying this people in the eyes of the people of the world today, and He will continue to do this. I have no fear of the growth and prosperity of this work. I have no fear of the leaders of this work not receiving the necessary inspiration for the guidance of this people. I believe that the majority of the Latter-day Saints have a testimony of this, and will have understanding hearts and listening ears to receive these instructions and to profit thereby. In our stake we have a good people. We are similar to other stakes; we have good Latter-day Saints, we have good "Mormons," we have lukewarm "Mormons" and we have a very few that are not of our faith at all. ¶

May the Lord bless us at this conference, that we may receive those things that are calculated to build up and strengthen us in our faith, that we may magnify the Lord in the earth and establish His kingdom, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶