Influence of Song and Observance of Temperance

I desire that I may possess the good spirit that has been enjoyed by the brethren who have spoken unto us thus far, during the conference. In order that I may do so I would like to read two or three verses from that wonderful hymn written by Brother Phelps : ¶

"There is no end to virtue ; There is no end to might ; There is no end to wisdom ; There is no end to light ; "There is no end to union ; There is no end to youth ; There is no end to priesthood; There is no end to truth ; "There is no end to glory; There is no end to love; There is no end to being :— ¶

Grim death reigns not above." ¶

I congratulate you, my brethren and sisters, on your ability to be in attendance upon this conference, that you have found the time and the means, and have had inclination to be present to commemorate this wonderful day. To me it is among the memorable days of my life, from the fact that it commemorates the birthday of my oldest living son, and also one of my wedding days. ¶

I am happy in the privilege of attending this conference and receiving the impress of the spirit, in the songs rendered by the choir, as well as the solo given by our sister, to which we have just listened. The touch of inspiration that reaches us from this source gladdens and sweetens these gatherings, and causes us to reflect, probably more seriously and more thoroughly upon our condition. We are inclined to weigh with thoughtfulness the possibilities of our conduct in the future, as we look backward upon our lives, under the influence of the spirit of song. I presume resolutions have been made by every man and woman present, many times in their past lives, as they have felt the influence of the spirit of song, or have listened to the words of inspiration that have fallen from the lips of their brethren, that in the future they would! make a very earnest and serious endeavor to apply in life the principles and doctrines of the Gospel of the Redeemer. I presume that probably all of those under the sound of my voice, whether members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or of any other of the church organizations of the world, have made these resolutions quite frequently in their experiences and many of them, possibly, have hedged quite close to the fulfillment of the covenants, that they have made in secret conversations with themselves and their Heavenly Father. No doubt the same will be our experience as we depart from this gathering here today, as we weigh the past, as we look into the present, and as we consider and reflect upon the possibilities that are in the future. When we look upon the list of calls that have been made from among our ranks in the past few months, and consider the possibility of such calling coming to us, as soldiers of the cross of the Redeemer, we may well consider with deliberation and thoughtfulness the character of the seed we have sown, as shown in the lives of the children our Father in Heaven has entrusted to our watch-care, and who should - have been impressed, by the character of our lives, with regard to the principles of everlasting life. I believe that all the fathers and mothers congregated here today would like to have every child of theirs follow carefully, thoughtfully, and prudently the doctrines which they accepted when they embraced the Gospel of the Redeemer. We would be most happy if the moral principles that it has been our purpose to implant in the minds of our fellow-men, as heralds of righteousness, shall have made an impress upon their minds, as well as upon our own, so completely and thoroughly that there would not arise a necessity for words of warning and counsel, such as we continue to give concerning the problems involved in this latter-day Gospel. With all our success, and with all the efforts we have made to implant these truths in the souls of our children, and notwithstanding the efforts we have put forth to establish these principles in the minds of our fellows, we note conditions existing that are not quite in harmony with our wishes in regard to these matters. Nor is there a proper consideration of these problems to be found sufficiently in the minds of those who have possibly received the impress of this great mission of the latter-days, and who still cling to the truth, but who fail to apply its doctrines as completely as they might in their lives, and in the work that continues to present itself before them. ¶

Our attention has often been called to this principle of temperance, upon which President Smith and the brethren spoke this morning, and to which President Lyman has referred this afternoon. How deeply it should have made its lodgment in our souls. How thoroughly its impress should have been stamped upon the lives of our children. How completely we should have observed this law, that in the fulfillment of our duty in this respect our example might have impressed our fellow-men wherever, in the providences of our Heavenly Father, it has been our duty to labor and minister. It has made its impress, probably, in wider circles than we sometimes imagine, but how much more extensive would its influence have been among the children of men, as the result of our companionship, if we had received of it in the spirit thereof. If there had been a more thoughtful application of this principle in the conduct of our daily lives, its power for good would probably have spread much further than it has done. But, it is not my purpose to continue my talk upon this subject, except to say that I believe, in proportion to our numbers, we have observed this law of temperance more fully than the people of the world. I believe that the Latter-day Saints, taken as a whole, whether located within the state of Utah or beyond the borders in the various states of our Union, in the Republic of Mexico or the Dominion of Canada, or among the governments of the world, a larger proportion of them have applied the principles of temperance, along the lines marked out by our Heavenly Father, than you will find in a like number of people anywhere in the world. It is true there are many thousands, of good men and women in every land and clime whose hearts have been so fully given to respect and reverence for the Divine Master and His teachings, that they have largely applied these moral principles in their lives. There are many people who have accepted these doctrines, but when we come to consider their impress upon a whole community, I believe that these principles have sunk deeper into our hearts than they have into the hearts of any other people. I trust that in the future, guarding our own rights and the rights and liberties of our fellows, we shall seek fully and thoroughly to obey the Spirit of our Heavenly Father in regard to this matter of temperance, and that through our companionship its impress shall be felt among all classes of people with whom it shall be our privilege to mingle. ¶

My brethren and sisters, I think the young people of the Latter-day Saints should rejoice, indeed, in the privileges that have been theirs. No matter where they are found, or how far they may have drifted from the path of rectitude and temperance, I do not think that any of them will ever be able to say that the doctrines of the Church, of which their parents were members, did not impress upon their minds the importance of righteous living. The aim of the Church has been to teach the best that could be found and to implant in the hearts of its members such ideals that, seeking to approximate the conditions presented by those ideals, they might be in advance of conditions found among others with whom they have mingled. To me there is no scheme presented to mortals, in the world's history, which presents so bright a prospect as the system given to us and known as the Gospel of the Redeemer. There is nothing in the world which presents to mortals such possibilities and privileges as are given to the Latter-day Saints in that religion which the world calls "Mormonism" — so broad, so complete, so thorough in every detail, and presenting such incomparable possibilities and probabilities. ¶

Just think of one proposition that comes home to the hearts of the mothers who are congregated here this day, under the sound of my voice. Compare their situation with that of the mothers who were believers in the doctrines of Calvin and good old John Knox, when the idea prevailed that infants, by countless thousands, were forever lost, unless, per chance, parents had the foresight and wisdom to have administered to them certain ordinances ; and if by any chance those ordinances were not administered their infants were eternally lost. Compare this doctrine with that presented by the boy Joseph Smith, in the introduction of the Gospel in these the latter-days, saying to all the mothers of the world — not to the mothers of the Latter-day Saints alone, but to the mothers of the Catholic Church, the Protestant Churches the Jewish Church, the Buddhist Church, and the mothers of every denomination in the world : "Your children are redeemed by the blood of Christ, not one of them' will be lost." What a beautiful proposition, in its breadth, in its liberality ! It comes home with joy and gladness to the motherhood of this organization of which we are members. What a comfort this is to them, when they take their infants to their breasts and care and minister for them. And if any of their babes drop to sleep in death, they realize that these little ones are welcomed by the Redeemer of the world, that they are not outcasts, they will not be found among the unjust, the impure, the vicious who have rejected God and His truth. ¶

We are taught that every human being, that reaches an understanding of right and wrong, shall be judged upon the basis of his acceptance or rejection of the truth. To every man and woman it is made known clearly and fully that the justice of our Heavenly Father operates in the interest of all His children who have grown to maturity, that all who comprehend right and wrong are accountable for the lives they lead, and in the end they shall be called upon to answer for their actions, whether they be good or evil. Upon the opening of the books where the facts of their lives are recorded, they will be judged according to their works and their understanding of right and wrong. We cannot go through the world in recklessness, in viciousness, in impurity, injustice, doing wrong, trampling beneath our feet every principle of righteousness, and then think that by declaring with our last breath that we believe in the Redeemer of the world, that the door-way to heaven will be opened to us. Think of these things you "Mormon" boys and girls, when people talk of the breadth of the doctrines of the sectarian world, and condemn, and brand with infamy the doctrines and system introduced through the providences of our God, by the declaration of the Father Himself, in the introduction of His Son and in the bestowal of the keys of everlasting life. ¶

President Winder spoke to us this morning of the great work being accomplished in the temples, in behalf of the millions that have died without a knowledge of the Redeemer of the world, without an understanding sense of the purpose of His Gospel, without a knowledge of these glorious buildings dedicated to our God, wherein work is performed for the salvation of the dead, and clustering under the Gospel of the Redeemer all those for whom these ordinances shall be administered. ¶

Why need any Mormon boy or girl in the world hang the head when men brand with infamy, and lack of liberality, or lack of worth, or power or goodness, a system that makes men pure and clean, by the gift of God, redeems them by His blood and crowns them with everlasting life? Why should we bow our heads, or be ashamed of a cause which aims at the establishment of righteousness, and teaches that, under the laws of God, we shall all be judged according to our individual works ? Shall we find fault with the justice and mercy of our God, when His great plan, as revealed to us, provides for the redemption of millions who have gone before without a knowledge of His Gospel, and to whom' the witness of the Spirit had not come? He says to those who are living: Do your duty in harmony with the principles of righteousness, then the key of knowledge shall be turned, and the thousands who have gone before shall hear and accept the Gospel in the spirit world ; the justice of our Father thus exhibiting itself for them as for us. ¶

My friends, especially you younger people who are under the sound of my voice, I ask you to weigh these propositions, study these principles. Standing in your presence and feeling the impress of the Spirit and the nature of this great work, I declare to you that in all the schemes and devices that have come to the understanding of men through their own skill, through their own wisdom, and light, and knowledge, there is nothing which can be compared to it. Everything else in the world sinks into insignificance when we think of this wonderful plan of life and salvation which has been restored to earth in our day. There is no truth in the world, whether in the sciences of men or from the revelations of God, but what is part and parcel of the Gospel which the Redeemer has given to us. I bear you my witness to its truth, and implore your thoughtful consideration of it. I trust that these younger people will weigh its possibilities, that they will keep themselves pure and unspotted from' the world, and fulfil the mission and destiny of genuine, earnest, devoted and thorough-going Latter-day Saints. May peace abound with you all, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶