Family Prayer and Home Teaching

My brethren and sisters, I have no desire to prolong the meeting. We have had a good one, and very much excellent counsel and admonition, and I trust that each one of us will make it the business of our lives to carry them out. ¶

I wish to remind the brethren and sisters who are here of the counsel given by President Smith this morning, that just as far as possible you will attend the conference meetings tomorrow and the next day, until the conference ends. ¶

I have been very much impressed with the remarks of all the brethren, and especially the last remarks of Brother Hyrum in regard to the teaching of our children, and I desire to say just a word or two on this subject. Recently I enjoyed the honor and privilege of accompanying President Smith and his party to Canada, and the Big Horn. In the Big Horn Stake of Zion I had occasion to stop all night in various places, and I believe that, at every place where I stayed, before they had prayer at night, the family was called together and sat down and sang a hymn, one of our sacred songs, and they were attended by the influence of the Holy Spirit. A chapter was read from the Book of Mormon or the Bible, and, if time permitted, some remarks were made upon it for the benefit of the children. The father, mother, and children, each in turn, from time to time offered the family prayer. Now, this is a very simple thing. I enquired of the President of the Stake if that was the practice of every family in the Stake, and he said he believed it was; it had been counseled. I wish to say that this is a very good practice. It has been recommended to us time and time again, by the Presidency and other brethren of the Church. It simply means this, my brethren and sisters: That it is establishing the Church of God in our homes; it is establishing the worship of God around the family altar, and I believe if we try it we will find that good results from it. I desire to carry it out myself, in order that I may consistently recommend the same to others. I believe that the great cause, possibly in about nine cases out of ten, of the transgression of our children, and the cause of skepticism in some instances, is not that they naturally drift away, but because they have been neglected; we have not sat down and talked to them. We have got to establish the order of heaven in our families, in the spirit of prayer and supplication, and must teach our children the principles of divine truth. ¶

I want to say another thing to the Latter-day Saints: If you have any grievances against any of your neighbors or against the servants of God who stand in authority in this Church, do not talk about those grievances before your children. I give that out as the word of the Lord. If you do, you will poison the minds of your children, and the day will come when you will regret it, when you would like to fill their souls with interest in the work of God and with the spirit of this Gospel, and then you will remember you have poisoned them. I give this counsel because I feel impressed with it. ¶

Now, just one more item occurs to my mind. I suggest to the brethren and sisters, and especially the Presidents of Stakes and Bishops of wards, that when they attend conference in Salt Lake City they should take advantage of every opportunity afforded at the meetings for informing their minds in regard to the work of God. I do not mean by this our attendance alone at the general assemblages, but also at the other meetings we are invited to attend. (The speaker here invited the Saints, especially those in authority, to attend the Religion Class meeting to be held at the close of this service.) God has established these auxiliary organizations in the Church for the education and training of our children, and no man is justified in depreciating them, in casting any reflection upon them, nor in saying they are not necessary in the work of God. Every sound Latter-day Saint will welcome every institution in this Church as a help in the education of our children in the principles of the Gospel. ¶

I bear my testimony to the truth of this work, that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God. This testimony comes to us by the Spirit of God; and, outside of this, they of the world are proving he was a Prophet of God. Brother McMurrin, in speaking of the Presbyterian Church dogma regarding infant damnation, which they have taught for the last 250 years, might have added that the Methodist Church is adopting the law of tithing. The Epworth League also has made a covenant to give one-tenth of its income to the service of the Lord. The sectarians are now adopting what the Prophet Joseph Smith taught over seventy years ago. They are not doing it to sustain the Prophet, but it proves he was a Prophet, for he said the Gospel would revolutionize the world. God bless you. Amen. ¶