Report on the Southern States Mission

(President of Southern States Mission). ¶

When the prayer was offered opening this meeting, I was reminded of a little pamphlet that I had in my pocket, which bears a portrait of the Prophet Joseph Smith, with some of his words uttered concerning his beloved brother, Hyrum Smith. And it also contains a picture of the Patriarch Hyrum Smith, with his sons, Joseph F. and John, each side of him. I want to speak to you concerning the words of the Prophet Joseph in relation to his brother Hyrum, and also what the God of Israel said concerning that beloved brother of the Prophet. The words of the Prophet Joseph were as follows : "Brother Hyrum, what a faithful heart you have got! Oh, may the Eternal Jehovah crown eternal blessings upon your head, as a reward for the care you have had for my soul ! Oh, how many are the sorrows we have shared together! and again We find ourselves shackled by the unrelenting hand of oppression. Hyrum, thy name shall be written in the book of the Law of the Lord, for those who come after to look upon that they may pattern after thy works." This was uttered August n, 1842, while he was in the hands of his enemies. ¶

I read from a revelation of the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith given Jan. 19, 1841, the following, concerning Hyrum Smith, the Patriarch, "And from this time forth I appoint unto him that he may be a prophet, and a seer, and a revelator unto my Church, as well as my servant Joseph. . . .That my servant Hyrum may bear record of the things which I shall show unto him, that his name may be had in honorable remembrance from generation to generation, for ever and ever." ¶

I was reminded of this little pamphlet, containing these words, when a grandson of Hyrum Smith opened this meeting with prayer. I was impresed more when I remember that this grandson stands, with two others, at the head of the Aaronic Priesthood upon the earth, he being one of the members of the Presiding Bishopric of this Church. ¶

In the Tabernacle today you will find two of Hyrum Smiths sons: one the Prophet, Seer and Revelator, and President of the Church in all the world, and the other occupying the same position that Hyrum did when he was assassinated in Carthage jail, Patriarch of the whole Church. Thus the name of Hyrum Smith is remembered today, by these children, this grandchild, another grand child in the quorum of the Twelve Apostles, another as Assistant Historian of the Church, and by others faithful, true, clean as any men or women in the Church. They have maintained, by their faithfulness, in honorable remembrance the name of Hyrum Smith down to this generation, and will continue to hold him in honorable remembrance throughout all generations. ¶

There has not been a day since the organization of the Church that his Satanic Majesty has not endeavored to get between the people of God and the man who stands at the head of the Church. It was true in the days of Joseph Smith; and true in the days of Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and Lorenzo Snow, and it is true today. If he can succeed in getting between these people and the one whom God has placed at the head of the Church, he" wins a victory over the hearts of the people, to a certain extent. The spirit of the Nauvoo Expositor was not more malignant in the days of Nauvoo than is manifest at the present time. All the fiery darts of the wicked are directed today, as they have been from the year 1830 to the present time, against the head of the Church. The devil has always inspired men to believe that, if they could destroy the man who stands at the head, they could destroy the Church. How foolish! If they should succeed, which I do not believe they will. — If they should succeed, what would happen? Just what has happened upon the death of every former President of the Church. The Twelve Apostles, with their chief, would stand up as leaders of Israel, and the work would go on; because it is not built upon man. The enemies of this Church do not care for man, they do not care any more for Joseph F. Smith than they care for any one of you. You exchange places with him, if it should be the will of God, and no more fiery darts of the wicked would be directed toward Joseph F. Smith; they would be pointed toward you, and he would be forgotten. That has always been the case. This work is built upon that rock mentioned by Jesus when He was talking to Peter, and asking him whom men said that He was. When He asked Peter who He was, and Peter answered that He was Christ, the Son of the Living God, Jesus said, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, flesh and blood has not revealed this unto you, but my Father, which is in heaven." He also said, upon that rock — the source of information that gave to Peter the knowledge that Jesus was the Christ — He would build His church, and the gates of hell should not prevail against it: and they did not. The wickedness placed by the devil in the hearts of mankind at that time caused them to believe if they could destroy the head of the Church they would destroy the work, and they took the Master, the head of the Church, and nailed Him upon a cross and crucified Him, and laid His body in the tomb. Then Christ, while His body lay in the tomb, was quickened by the Spirit, and He broke down the gates of hell, showing that they could not prevail against Him. He then went into hell and preached the Gospel to those who had been swept off the face of the earth in the days of Noah. ¶

We are engaged in preaching the Gospel of Christ. It has come to the earth, this time, with the promise that it will stay forever, never more to be thrown down,never stopped. It will continue to grow, and increase until it fills this whole earth with the righteousness of God, in fulfillment of prophecy. As the missionaries go throughout the world, it is their duty, their business, to search out the children of Joseph, the blood of Ephraim and Manasseh, and bring them to the land of Zion. In God's own due time, His spirit will move upon Judah, and they will go to the land of their fathers, and Ephraim and Joseph will come unto the land given to them, and then Zion will become the great capital city of our God, and Judah will rebuild Jerusalem. Then as Brother Robinson quoted, "The law shall go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem ;" and the time will come when the seed of Joseph will meet their brethren of Judah, and the peace of God will reign over the great capitals that He is going to found upon this earth; but in accomplishing this, there are many things to contend with. God gives an assurance that we will be successful if we will be patient. He has told us that it is our business to forgive all mankind. He has told us that He is the Judge, and we must remember that. ¶

I was reminded of a statement made the other evening by one of my brethren about Paul, when he was known as Saul. When he was a persecutor of the Saints, on the road to Damascus, having willingly held the clothes of those who stoned one of the martyrs to death, (I suppose he had a look of contempt upon his face when he heard that missionary, with his dying words bear testimony that he saw the heavens opened, that he saw God, and Jesus standing upon His right hand), he was filled with hatred, this man Saul, and determined to punish every man who would bear testimony that the Nazarine was in reality the Son of the living God. When he was on the road to Damascus, to execute his designs, to serve the papers he had in his possession, he saw a great light and was stricken blind. He heard a voice, and the voice said, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Then the question, "Who art thou, Lord?" And the voice answered : "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest." Then he realized what he had done. Although he was a persecutor of the Saints, he was a choice spirit, and the time came when his eyes were opened; when he was converted to the Gospel. He was led blind, until an humble missionary came to teach him the way of salvation, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. ¶

I tell you, my brethren and sisters, he is not the only Saul that has lived upon the earth. It has been my privilege to meet a man who was the leader of a mob, who attempted with hatred and violence in his heart, to get at our elders, and, by streaks of lightning from the heavens, three different times he and his companions were driven back, then the horses of the mob took the bits in their mouths, the riders lost control, and the animals fled with the mob away from the servants of God. It was my privilege, two years ago, to lay my hands upon the head of the man who was the leader of that mob, and bestow upon him the holy Melchisedek Priesthood, and send him out to preach the Gospel, as Saul of old was sent out. It teaches the lesson of patience to us. We can afford to leave all mankind in the hands of God. But we cannot afford, my brethren and sisters, not to keep the commandments of God, and not follow the revelations that God the Eternal Father has given us. ¶

I wish to call your attention to the work that a woman can do in this Church ; I refer to Mary Fielding. In England, many years ago her father was a minister, an honorable man, who did not believe it was right to preach for hire and divine for money. He sent two of his children, Joseph and Mary to America. They landed in Canada. The Spirit of God led them into a little company of people, of whom John Taylor was a member, and they were praying for light, asking God for the truth. A Mormon missionary, Parley P. Pratt, also led by the Spirit of God, just as that Spirit took the missionary to Saul, taught that company the Gospel that had been restored to the earth, and brought many of them into the Church, among others John Taylor, Joseph and Mary Fielding. She afterwards became the wife of Hyrum Smith, the mother of Joseph F. Smith. Our President was born at a time when Hyrum Smith, his father, was dragged by his enemies away from the side of his wife, when she most needed his care and attention. Under those circumstances the present President of this Church was born in the world. After the death of Joseph and Hyrum, the martyrs, she maintained allegiance to the man who then stood at the head of the Church. She was found trailing across the deserts, her boy, nine years of age, driving an ox team ; thus manifesting her abiding faith in the man who stood at the head of the Church. She also took the other children of her husband, by his deceased wife, and nurtured faith in their hearts. She went through all the trials that the other pioneers went through, and was always faithful with her tithes and offerings. This woman planted the faith of the Gospel so deep in the hearts of her children that all hell has not been able to root it out of a single one of them. Through the faithfulness of that woman, her children and grandchildren stand where they do today. ¶

There is a lesson in this of the responsibility that rests upon mothers. Take it to yourselves; look after your children. ¶

Do not let the devil get between you and the man who stands at the head of the Church, no matter who that man is. God bless you. Amen. ¶

Prof. Kent's male chorus rendered a selection entitled, 'Thy way. not,mine, O Lord." ¶

SISTER RACHEL H. LEATHAM. ¶

My brothers and sisters : Some of you, I know, will appreciate my feelings as I stand before you. I think that I am one of the happiest girls in all the world, and it is the Gospel that makes me feel this way, for I do know that the Gospel is true. I do know that God our Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, came down and brought the Gospel and established it, and spoke to the Prophet Joseph Smith. I know that Jesus is the Christ, and that Joseph Smith is His Prophet. I feel that if I could live forever, I could never thank my heavenly Father enough for the blessings that have come into my life, for the privilege of going out into the world and bearing this testimony, telling them of the Gospel being restored, of the authority Christ has given to His servants, and of the blessings that are in store for those who listen to and obey the words of truth, life and salvation, as they fall from the lips of the servants of God who are sent out to preach the Gospel. ¶

I sometimes think that we young folks at home do not fully realize the responsibilities that rest upon us. We do not always remember that those who stand at our head are aged, and that when our fathers and mothers are gone it will devolve upon us to assume their work ; that we are the future responsible people of Zion. Are we doing our part, and are we preparing ourselves so that we will be able to do the work that our fathers have done? Are we ordering our lives so that the Spirit of God will dwell with us as it has dwelt with our parents ? Do we realize the extent of the blessings that God has given us, and do we understand the words of life and salvation contained in the Scriptures and in the Doctrine and Covenants ? Are we able to tell what the promises are that God has made us, if we will keep His commandments? Are we familiar with the ancient record of the inhabitants of this continent, the Book of Mormon ? And are we familiar with the great truths that are taught therein, and with those books that teach us the beauties of the work in which we are engaged today ? I am afraid we are not sufficiently conversant with the principles of the Gospel, and that we are not as diligent as we should be. ¶

Where much is given, much is re-required ; and you know, every one of you, how much has been given to us, and how much will be required at our hands. Are we preparing ourselves so that we will not fall short? Let us live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Let us live so that He will ever be willing to own us, and bless us, and love us. ¶

I do not desire to speak longer, but I want once more to bear my testimony. I want to say again that I know the Gospel is true. Not because my father knows it, not because my mother has always taught it to me, but I know that the Gospel is true because God has revealed it unto me. His Spirit has borne witness unto my spirit, and that testimony is God's most precious gift to me. ¶

May God bless us all, I ask in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶

SISTER M. M. LANGENBUCHER. ¶

My brothers and sisters : One of my greatest privileges is bearing my testimony. I can say that I know the Gospel is true, and I love it. There is nothing in life that has given me so much joy as going on a mission and bearing my testimony unto the people of the world. They ridicule us, but we know it is true, and we do not feel at all hurt for what they say. ¶

I greatly appreciate the privilege that we have of meeting together in these Conferences. We do not have this privilege out in the world, and we never see so many Saints gathered together as there are here. How happy we all ought to be in coming and receiving words of instruction from those who are placed in authority. If we are humble and prayerful, we can accomplish a great deal of good in this world. ¶

We are set upon a hill to be a light unto the world, and our actions are watched every day. Out in the mission field, the Elders are watched as they walk the streets, and all their words and actions are closely observed. ¶

I sincerely trust that the Spirit of our Heavenly Father may abide with us during the rest of our Conference; and that we may enjoy ourselves while receiving instructions that will be for .our eternal benefit. ¶

I have never had more blessings visited upon me than I did while in the City of Denver, going from house to house and bearing my testimony. ¶

I pray that the Spirit of God may be with us, that we may be a light to the world, that those who see our good works may glorify our Father which is in heaven. May this be our happy lot, is my prayer in th< name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶

Prof. Charles Kent sang, by request, as a solo, the hymn, "Kind words are sweet tones of the heart." ¶

EIDER JAMES G DUFFIN. ¶

I feel grateful for the privilege, my brethren and sisters, of meeting with you in this great conference, and of partaking of the spiritual feast that has been spread befor us. I am reminded of a few words, containing a prophecy, that were given by the Prophet Joseph Smith, on the 6th day of August, 1842, while standing with a number of his brethren in front of the Masonic Hall, in the town of Montrose, Iowa. ¶

"I prophesied that the Saints would continue to suffer much affliction, and would be driven to the Rocky Mountains, many would apostatize, others would be p it to death by our persecutors or lose their lives in consequence of exposure or disease, and some of you will live to go and assist in making settlements and build cities, and see the Saints become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains." ¶

A few thoughts concerning these words have passed through my mind while my brethren have been speaking. It is a fact that our people did suffer persecution after these words were uttered. It is a fact that they were driven from their homes in that land where they had established themselves. It is a fact that they went out upon the great plains. It is a truth also that many of them endured great privations, and many of them laid their weary and worn out bodies in the silent grave along the pathway of that great exodus from the Mississippi River to these mountain vales. ¶

Now, my brethren and sisters, particularly I would speak to those of our boys and girls who are here today, your fathers and your mothers blazed the way. They came to these mountain vales, and they established themselves here under the direction of men of God. They devoted their lives to fulfil the words of God the Eternal Father, as given through His servant, Joseph the Prophet, and it is as a result of their labors, of their privations, of their integrity to the truth, to the work that God had established upon this earth, that you and I are here today, and enjoying the blessings of these mountain vales. Now there are those who, when these words were spoken, looked upon this western country as "The Great American Desert." Statesmen made the assertion that it was absolutely worthless so far as commercial value was concerned. The great statesmen of the day — one of them in particular, when discussing the opening up of a great highway to the west — speaking of this great western country, of which there was little known at that time, said, "It is worthless. I would not give a $5 bill for the whole country.*' Notwithstanding this, the Prophet of God said that this people, God's people, should come to this western country to be established in these mountain vales. There they should build cities, towns, villages, and become a mighty people. It is not land that makes a state, but it is men, men of integrity, men of honor, men of truth, men who love liberty, that make a state ; but lands and country are adjuncts to a people, and in order that they might become a great and a mighty people, they must have lands and other properties as well. ¶

Now for a moment or two, I want to talk to you upon the temporal side of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. My brethren, my friends here, President Rich, President Robinson and others, their special work is to direct the energies of our boys who are out among the nations of the earth declaring the words of eternal life. I have had that great privilege also, but I have been released from that labor, and my mind and my energies are directed more particularly toward the temporal affairs of the kingdom of God at the present time. I see undesirable conditions in our midst concerning these wonderful lands that have been subdued by our fathers and our mothers: I see a condition arising in our midst that if we do not meet it, many people, thousands who now possess these productive lands, the possibilities of which are yet little understood even by us who have spent our lives here, are going to allow what they now hold to pass out of their hands. Now, I am not going to say a word against any man or set of men who come into our midst, who see the possibilities of this land that has been subdued by our fathers, and come to us and tempt us to part with our possessions for a handful of gold. They have been in other countries, and they understand the value of lands such as we are in possession of. They come here into our midst and see what we have. They come to us and say, "You have been holding your land at probably a hundred, or a hundred and fifty, or two hundred dollars an acre, some of your best lands, and I want to get hold of a piece that you are in possession of. I will give you three hundred dollars an acre, double what you have been valuing it at." And what do we do? We cannot resist the temptation to sell our possessions, and we part with them, and they go out of our hands. Some of our older brethren, notwithstanding the fact that their pood wives have almost worn their lives out in assisting them to make a home, sell that good comfortable home, and are going out again and attempting to subdue arid wastes. Now, I say I do not blame, neither have I a word to say against a person who, seeing these beautiful possessions of ours, has a desire in his heart to obtain them by honorable purchase, but the thought that is in my mind is thus: Is it justice, you husbands, to these dear wives of yours, to sell the homes that you have spent so many years in making, and taking that dear wife out again upon the arid waste, and wear her life out there, without her enjoying the comforts and blessings you had mutually labored so many years to collect around you? And is it justice to your posterity to set an example of that kind before them ? ¶

This was one thought that was in my mind.; Now another in connection with this prophecy. Joseph said that in the midst of these mountains, the Saints should become a mighty people. No people ever became mighty who would part with their possessions for a handful of gold. It is the people who get possession of the soil, and retain it who stay, and build from that foundation, who become mighty. I want to call your attention to a remark that was made by a son of Heber C. Kimball, some years ago, in speaking at a conference in this great Tabernacle, he said : "If you Latter-day Saints would but put yourselves in a position to fulfil prophecy, after it had been made by the servants of God, they would not be so afraid to prophesy !" The Prophet of God, speaking by the light of heaven said that the Saints should become a mighty people in the midst of these Rocky Mountains. I hold it as a true principle that, when servants of God are moved by the spirit of our Father in heaven to prophesy, it is the duty of this people to do all that lies in their power to fulfil that prophecy. It is your duty, young men, you gray heads, mothers and daughters in Israel, and my duty, to do all that lies in our power to see that the word of the Prophet of God is made true, that we do not rest satisfied with the conditions we are under today, but that every movement of our lives shall be to glorify Zion, and build up the kingdom of God upon earth. ¶

There is another thought in my mind in connection with this subject. The enemies of eternal truth, as has been remarked here today by one of the speakers, always direct their darts against the man who stands at the head of the work of God. Why? Because, if they could destroy the confidence of the people in that man, they destroy the confidence of the people in the work of God ; for he is the one who holds the keys of eternal Priesthood. I will read to you a portion of the word of the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith, while he was lying in Liberty Jail, Clay County, Missouri. "The ends of the earth shall enquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee in derision, and hell shall rage against thee, while the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous, shall seek counsel, and authority, and blessings constantly from under thy hand." Now there is a thought in connection with this. Who are they my brethren and sisters, that you see raising their forces against the mian who holds the keys of the everlasting Priesthood? Did you ever hear a man who was clean, who was pure, who was seeking every day of his life to do what was for the good of humanity, for the establishment of truth and of righteousness upon this earth— did you ever hear of a man of this kind lifting his voice against that man who holds the keys of the Holy Priesthood ? Now, think for one moment, young men of Israel, if you have never heard a man of that character lift his voice against the head of the Church, who are the men who do that? Then consider, if you are ever tempted by a man, or by any set or combination of men, to raise your voice against God's servants, consider where they are likely to lead you if you accede to them. You had best beware how you listen to the tempter, because he will come to you. ¶

Fathers and mothers, young men and daughters of Israel, remember that when the Lord speaks He sees that it is fulfilled. He provided the way for the fulfillment of His words through the Prophet Joseph, when he spoke to that little company of his brethren in front of the Masonic Temple, in Montrose. His people came here. They have grown. They have continued to grow, and it is your duty and mine to see that those words receive a greater fulfillment, not only in a temporal way, but see to it that we are true and faithful unto the authority that God has placed here upon this earth. ¶

God bless you forever. Amen. ¶