Report on the California Mission and Individual Testimony

(President of California Mission.) I sincerely desire, my brethren and sisters, your prayers of faith, that what I say to you shall be dictated by the Spirit of Truth, that it may be beneficial to you as well as to myself. I have rejoiced in the testimonies of my brethren this afternoon. I have drank in from them inspiration in the mission work. I have rejoiced exceedingly in meeting with the Saints in this conference. It is grateful to ones' soul to come from the world where there is opposition, or if not opposition, indifference that is more hurtful to us in our labors than opposition, to find such a vast concourse of people of one thought, one purpose and one mind, that are serving the Lord and keeping His commandments, who can truly say that we do know that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that our souls shall live again. It has been, it seems to me, an epoch-making conference. The spirit that will go forth from it will be felt, doubtless, wherever the messengers of truth and salvation are sent, and it may be that even the spirit shall reach beyond the footsteps and go farther than the voices of our elders are heard ; for in my experience I have learned that we never know the result of our efforts nor how far-reaching their effects. I was approached today upon the stand by a young man who heard us a few months ago in San Francisco, now come with gladness of heart to tell me that he had joined the Church. We lost sight of him just before the dreadful earthquake that came upon us. I remember once in traveling through the State of Nevada and stopping for a brief moment at one of the little side stations I was intercepted by a young man who came up to me and wanted to know if he had heard me speak upon the corner of Grant and Geary, in San Francisco, upon a certain date. I told him I was there about that time. He shook hands with me very warmly, and told me he wanted to come to Utah and to know more about that which he had heard that night on the street corner. When I arrived in the city, coming up the street here, I saw a gentleman looking at me rather peculiarly, and he approached and asked if he had not heard me on the occasion before mentioned. I told him, yes. He said that he was going east, and he had been constrained to stop off and visit the city, and if he could have found employment here it was his purpose to have remained. I will say that these two incidents were brought about by the one meeting, each of the young men having heard me speak just that once ; and I thought to myself, how far and how wide do our testimonies go and whence are they carried ? I have met men from various parts of the country who have said that when they heard our testimony, that "that is the same thing that I heard some elder say in the South," and another, "in New England," and another told me "in Australia;'' and one man said, "How is it that wherever you people are you always bear the same testimony; you do not differ like us fellows of the world do. I am a Sunday School teacher, but another teacher differs with me in the interpretation of the Scriptures, but you fellows all speak the same way." He wanted to know if we were schooled and trained in our academies or seminaries of learning to that end. I referred him to the words of Isaiah concerning the last days : "Thy watchmen shall lift up their voice, with the voice together shall they sing, for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion," and that He had brought again Zion. And the same testimony that Isaiah bore, along with the ancient prophets, and that was borne by the elders in these various places is borne by the Latter-day Saints in Zion. This was a testimony to me that we are of the house of Israel, that we are that which we claim, the true worshipers of the Lord Jesus Christ, seeing eye to eye, to His glory, understanding alike the precepts of His Gospel. ¶

I rejoice very much, as my brethren have, in the Address that has been issued to the world. It is manful and able ; it carries conviction with it. The proof of each statement is in the matter set forth in itself. I thought what a splendid tract it would make for us in the missionary field, that here authoritatively by the Presidency of the Church, endorsed by the body of the same, are these very principles brought together before the world. We elders have possibly been discredited, in part, because of our youth and inexperience, and people have said, "that may be the way you look at it," and ofttimes they do make such remarks, when we meet them. Sometimes they say : "Well, you are different from the rest of them; if they were all like you, they would be all right. If they would teach the same at home that they do in the world we could accept it." Now they have it authoritatively from the heads of the Church, endorsed by the people in conference assembled, I am glad to report, my brethren and sisters, that the condition of the California mission is much better than it was a year ago. This I hardly thought possible, following in the wake of the fire and the earthquake, that destroyed our home and the homes of many of the Saints in San Francisco, that shut us out of any hall, that precluded all our street work, or any particular efforts in that city for some time. But despite it all, the Saints in that district paid a greater tithing last year than the year before. The tithes of the mission are several hundred dollars more than they were the year previous, an evidence of increased faith and zeal. The work done by the elders has also been very much greater, so far as statistics are concerned, than ever before. The number of homes visited by "invitation" has increased over 100 per cent. The number of homes visited in tracting, has increased about 60 per cent above the year before, and the number of tracts distributed about 35 per cent, and the number of books distributed about 300 per cent, and baptisms more than 100 per cent above the previous year. I have hardly ever spoken of statistical matters, because I thought it not particularly interesting, but the reports of my brethren made me feel to say this much for our mission in California. ¶

When it comes to speaking .of your sons, my brethren and sisters, I want to tell you that some of the choicest souls that are upon the earth have been laboring with me in that mission, and I know it because God has loved them, He has magnified them in the eyes of the people. He has made the weak strong, and given wisdom to those who seemed like babes and sucklings. Some of the mighty of that land have been confounded, and have been made to stand in awe, almost, at the wisdom of some of our boys. Some of the leaders of that state have complimented me upon the appearance which they make upon the streets. One physician, who is a member of the State Board of Medical Examiners, told me: "Elder Robinson, whenever I see one of your boys on the street, I want to take him in my arms and bless him, because I can see cleanliness of life in his face and bearing. Before I knew you, before I knew of the mission of the Mormons in this state, I had this same desire and feeling in my heart, whenever I saw any of them." He has written me some letters calling me "Dear Brother," and saying "God will reward you and your boys for the work you are doing in uplifting humanity. You doubtless will sit with them at Jesus' feet, and I trust that I may be there, or be permitted to be where I may at least look on." The Chief Executive, or Ex-Governor of our state has been a friend of our people. The Secretary of State, a long-standing friend. Also the mayors of the largest cities. And of the two million and odd inhabitants of California, three-fifths of them are grouped within seventy miles of San Francisco and Los Angeles. ¶

We have done some work in Arizona. We went into the great mining camp of Bisbee, and found a little branch there almost disrupted, the presiding elder partly discouraged. We assisted them a little while, and then went to Douglas, where the branch work had ceased entirely, and helped them. Brother Kimball,who presides in that Stake, followed our footsteps, and made a full ward organization at Bisbee and established a branch in Douglass. We felt that this was largely through the work of the elders in those two cities. We have had good success in Tucson, Arizona. We have finished recently our labors in the city of Phoenix, the capital of the state ; and while there, this winter, had the privilege of meeting with some of the lawmakers of that territory, and with some of the leading commissioners of the counties, who met there to advise about ways and means for the improvement of their various districts. So that in this way we have come in touch with some of the leading spirits of these two states. In Nevada we have done but little. It is filling up rapidly with people, and when the mad rush for gold somewhat relaxes, we hope to be able to do some good there. I wish to say that possibly the most joy that has come to us is the fact that we have been able to interest anew some of our brethren that have gone into those states or territories, that we have been able to reclaim some of the girls that have been led away by the glamor of the world, by the thought of better employment, through the specious tales that designing men have told them. In this we have had a great deal of comfort and consolation come to us, in the thought that we have been able to save some, or cause their return. Who are more precious to us than the sons and daughters of the Saints ? ¶

I want to refer just briefly to one of the thoughts put out in our Address to the World. It is a matter that I have brought before the leading men that I have come in contact with in the state of California, and that is respecting our position toward the general government of the land and the hope that we entertain in relation to it. ¶

I do not know that the Latter-day Saints themselves fully realize all that the Lord has in hand, or intends for the Gentiles, the people of these United States. In the Book of Mormon wondrous promises are made to them. The Lord speaks of this land as the chosen land of Joseph, where the tree of liberty should be planted, that all the nations of the earth should find protection under its branches, that in its beneficence it should reach out over the nations of the land with its succor and protection to all who should come to it ; that, for this purpose, the Lord inspired the constitution, the men who framed it being raised up by Him, that His kingdom or His Church might be established here under the protection of the most benign and free government of the world, and thus make its propaganda of the truth. These are the words which the Lord speaks in relation to it: ¶

"According to the laws and constitution of the people which I have suffered to be established and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles, that every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto them, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment. Therefore it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another. [So that he could claim that he was not responsible for his acts, or that another might be held responsible for them.] And for this purpose have I established the constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood." ¶

In the prayer which was offered, and which was given by revelation to the Prophet and Seer, Joseph Smith, and which was read in the Kirtland temple at the time of its dedication, March 27, 1836, these words occur : ¶

"Have mercy, O Lord, upon all the nations of the earth, have mercy upon the rulers of our land, may those principles which were so honorably and nobly defended, viz., the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever." ¶

How can they say that we seek to tear down our Constitution and laws in view of these words? Again : ¶

"Now these words, O Lord, we have spoken before thee, concerning the revelations and commandments which thou hast given unto us, who are identified with the Gentiles." ¶

"We," the Saints of God, then assembled in the temple, "who are identified with the Gentiles." Their interests, my brethren and sisters, are our interests ; our interests are their interests, as a commonwealth, and we cannot be separated from them. A kingdom cannot grow up within a kingdom established upon democratic principles as this government has been. I might make a broader interpretation, probably, than is justifiable in reading to you from the great Prophet Daniel, but I read from the seventh chapter and 27th verse, speaking of the times when the Lord shall again establish His kingdom, the works which should follow in its wake, and how the little stone that was cut out of the mountains without hands should roll forth and fill the whole earth, he says : "And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the Saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." Now in our declaration, we state that God does nothing arbitrarily. Then He does all things naturally, and they follow as the natural sequence of conditions or events. He has predestined the events of the nation. He did intentionally set up kingdoms for various purposes, and He made Joseph a savior to his father's household and people in Egypt. If it had not been for the power of the kingdom in which his life and destiny were cast, he could not have done it. King Nebuchadnezzar, whom God placed at the head of the nations of the earth, made it possible for Daniel to exercise the wondrous power which he did. Otherwise I believe that we would not have known of him as a prince of the House of Judah. Even Rome, which was set so bitterly against the Christian Church, as well as the Jew, enabled Paul to accomplish most successfully his mission in the earth. When the forty members of the Jewish scribes had said that they would neither eat nor drink until they had consummated the apostle's death, that power was taken away by the strong hand of Rome. And when Felix and Agrippa would have freed him, he had made the appeal to be tried according to the rights of a Roman, by the Roman law. By that means his life was saved, and he was taken to the household of Caesar, and had the privilege of declaring for upwards of two years, if I remember aright, the Gospel in the very household of the emperor, to the reclamation or conversion of many souls of Caesar's household. Conditions in this time and this day, thank the Lord, are different than in the cases to which I refer, for the Lord has not designed that His work should be thwarted or brought to naught in this dispensation, but I believe that this government and the people of this government will help us to maintain it. I believe God's kingdom could not have been set up under other conditions or under any other government. How then is the law going forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem? You will remember that Christ is to come and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. When He comes we will not all be Latter-day Saints ; but there will be Protestants, and there will be Catholics in the nations of the earth and in this land. Christ will reign over the kings of the earth, and they will acknowledge Him as the King of kings. They will pay tribute to Him, and kings and queens shall be the nursing fathers and mothers of the Saints of the Most High, and the kingdom which will be set up will protect the Church, as I understand it, which will then be a protege of that kingdom and the Gospel shall be preached by the people of the Church, and the Great King will see that we have liberty in those states and countries which today shut their doors against us. Scarcely more than a decade ago, the Iron Chancellor, Bismarck, of Germany, speaking of the United States, said it was only a great "Commercial Ox," that it should not be taken into consideration in connection with diplomatic affairs. What is the condition today? When John Hay, Secretary of State, voiced the general policy of this nation in regard to the Japanese war, declaring that Manchuria should not be divided, that the integrity of China should be maintained, the whole world stood aghast at his boldness. And Russia, even if she had won, would have lost under that policy, for then she held Manchuria in her own grasp ; but the policy that was sent out by the United States was maintained and accepted by the peoples of the old world. Again, the question of the republics to the south of us, our position with relation to them has been fully defined by President Roosevelt, by Secretary Taft, also by Secretary Root, in convention at Rio Janerio, recently, as well as the policy that we propose to follow in Oceanica. And the peoples of the world have accepted the position of the government of the United States in reference to these matters, and received our sentiment, and it has molded their legislation, while ten years ago they would not have listened to us, nor dare we have presumed to undertake to set forth what we would do in their territory or upon their continents. President Roosevelt has intimated to the powers of the earth what position the United States would take in regard to the government of the Congo Free State in Africa, and they have accepted it. Are we beginning to mold the sentiment of the world? ¶

Are we preparing for the law to go forth from Zion, as well as sending the word of the Lord from Jerusalem? Who are the people of the Saints of the Most High God? Are they the people of Germany? ¶

are they the people of England? are they the Scandinavian people? are they the people in the republics to the south of us? are they the people of China, or India, or of Africa? You will say, doubtless, in your hearts, that they are the people of the United States, the Gentiles, with whose interests our interests are identified in the constitution and government which was prayed for, that it might forever stand. Then do I make too broad the application when I say that the government should be given to the people of the Saints of the Most High God ? It is something, at least, for us to think about, for we are but a handful of people, and the prophecies made concerning us must certainly be fulfilled soon, if fulfilled within the time stated. We are scarcely 400,000 people, and look at the four and a half millions of souls in New York City alone. We could scarcely police that city properly, let alone govern the eighty millions of this Republic. I tell you that our interests are identified with the interests of the Gentiles, and when they come to understand our purpose and our mission, as this proclamation will give them to know, they will not look upon us as a menace to the nation, nor as threatening the powers of government, but, quite the reverse, they will be brought to the knowledge of the fact that we are the true worshipers of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we would be the true conservators of peace on the earth and of good will toward men — rendering that which is just and true to all our fellows, by giving them a greater and better conception of that which God has destined for this nation and people, and not only for those who are living, but for those also who have long since died. ¶

May the spirit of this conference, the spirit of truth, the spirit of liberty and of fairness, go abroad in the world. May the spirit of faith, of courage and integrity rest down upon our people, and find place in their hearts, that we shall not set our feet in forbidden paths, that our faces shall not be turned away from the light, but that we shall follow after the worthy example of our sires, and emulate the virtues of our mothers, until our Father shall say, "Enough, my son, or my daughter, come home, for you have kept the faith, you. have finished your course, you have fought a good fight, and henceforth there is laid up for you a crown of righteousness, and not for you only, but for all those that love the Lord Jesus Christ." Amen. ¶