Report on the Fremont Stake and Educational Growth

(President of Fremont Stake.) My heart is filled with joy, my dear brethren and sisters, at witnessing the wonderful success, the very large attendance and the most excellent spirit that has prevailed at this conference. Never, in my experience in this church, have I felt that the subjects treated upon have been more timely than they have been at the meetings of this conference. Seeing the very large attendance assures me forcibly that the evil speaking and comments derogatory to the character of our leaders, that are being indulged in by our opponents, are beneficial, bringing this people together, and demonstrating to the whole world that we are true to each other. We do not fully realize the love and affection that is down deep in the hearts of this people, toward each other and toward our leaders, until we are attacked. Then are manifested those ties of affection and love that bind our hearts together, and make us one in Christ Jesus, more than family ties. I thank my Heavenly Father for this feeling that we have in our hearts toward each other and toward our leaders, the kind and generous feeling that we enjoy when we are in the discharge of our duties. I appreciate that as much as any other blessing I have ever enjoyed. There is no joy that can come to the human heart, there is no blessing that is more appreciated, no feeling more pleasant than the love that characterizes every true Latter-day Saint. Our Savior said that the first great commandment was, "Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all thy heart, with all they might, mind and strength; and the second commandment is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Upon these two great commandments hang all the law and the prophets." I have often been impressed with the fact that it would be extremely easy for us to perform every duty that is required of us, as Latter-day Saints, if we really possessed that love to the extent that we should. Of all the 'duties of the Gospel, all the requirements that are made of us, whether it be to contribute our mites for the support of the poor, for the erection of meetinghouses, or institutions of learning for our young people, for the sending of missionaries abroad to the nations of the earth to preach the Gospel, or whether it be the sacrifice of our homes and all that we possess on earth — all these things would be cheerfully given did we but love the Lord, our God, with all our mind, might and strength and our neighbor as ourselves. There would be little need of admonishing the people to attend to their prayers; and little need of admonishing them to pay their tithes and offerings, and attend their meetings and to do other things that are incumbent upon Latter-day Saints. ¶

The burden of the instructions during this conference has been to the Latter-day Saints to banish from our hearts all feelings of animosity, bitterness, hate and enmity that we may entertain toward any one. If we do not forgive our brother his trespasses there remains in us the greater sin. The object of the Gospel is to build up, to benefit, to strengthen and to bless and comfort the human family. That is our mission, we are here to do good, we are here to build up, we are here to extend a helping hand to any brother or sister who is oppressed, to reach out the hand of kindness to each other, to be forgiving. ¶

We are all full of weaknesses, faults of mortality, there are none of us that are perfect. There is not one within the sound of my voice this afternoon that has not transgressed to a greater or less extent during his life. When we are inclined to find fault with our brother or sister, let us investigate our own soul and it is probable we will then find more fault with ourselves than we can with our brethren and sisters. ¶

Another admonition of the prophet of the Lord to this people for several years has been to get out of debt. These two points, as they have impressed me during this conference, have been sufficient to repay me for the time and means I have spent in coming something more than 200 miles to attend this conference. I sincerely hope that these two great principles, the importance of the Latter-day Saints loving each other, being true to each other, standing shoulder to shoulder, extending the hand of kindness to each other, and the other great principle that has been advocated, to get out of debt — I sincerely trust that these two great topics, may burn down deep into the heart of every person who has attended this conference. ¶

It was a source of regret to listen to the statement of one of our brethren yesterday who rather questioned whether the Latter-day Saints were any more out of debt today than they were when the Prophet Joseph F. Smith gave this counsel two or three years ago. If we have not profited by this admonition, the responsibility rests upon our shoulders, for it has certainly come to us in no unmistakable terms, as being the mind and will of our Heavenly Father. If we continue to remain in that condition, without lifting the obligations that are resting upon our shoulders, we shall have to stand the consequences. The day may come that the people will be urgently required to pay their obligations to those that they are in debt to, and perhaps have their homes and farms sold in consequence. It would be a fearful thing, brothers and sisters, to contemplate that, in the face of this good and wholesome counsel coming from men whom we revere as inspired of our Heavenly Father. I hope that we will feel the importance of this, my brothers and sisters. Latter-day Saints should not be obligated to the people of the world. Our Heavenly Father has said to Israel that they should be lenders and not borrowers. Every good and perfect blessing that can come to mortal man is the right of every Latter-day Saint to enjoy. All the wealth and riches of this earth, and all other blessings that our Heavenly Father has vouchsafed, the Latter-day Saints are entitled to through faithfulness. I do not know of any greater trouble or vexation that can come to the human heart than to be burdened with a load of debt. To be thoroughly miserable a man needs only to obligate himself, to become involved in debt. If we want to be happy let us extricate ourselves from this bondage. Let us be a free people, as our Heavenly Father has designed that we should be. He has established us here, in the midst of these rocky mountains, for a wise and glorious purpose, in fulfilment of utterances of the prophets made many hundreds of years ago. He designs to make us a great people. Let us be true to each other, and true to our file leaders, which I feel sure we will be. We will be true to our brethren who are called to lead us. We know they are men of God; we know they are humble, and that they do not seek to aggrandize themselves at the expense of their fellows, notwithstanding all the hard things that are said against them by those who are seeking to tear them down. ¶

I bear testimony to you that I know this is the work of God; I know that our Heavenly Father has a watchful eye over this people, and all we need to do is to remain true to the covenants we have made with Him, and He will sustain us. May God be with you, and bless you. my brothers and sisters. May love abound in your homes, at your firesides, in your gatherings; may the peace of heaven be with us all, I ask in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶