Temperance, Prohibition, and the Word of Wisdom

The Saints always under laws of Temperance and Prohibition. — Should sustain present world-wide agitation against liquor traffic. — Valuable suggestion for Sabbath day observance. — The Saints should be examples of righteousness. ¶

It is a very great undertaking for many of the brethren to speak to so large a congregation, and I think it will be very proper for all Latter-day Saints present, as the brethren arise to speak, to ask the Lord to bless them', so that they may speak with the Spirit and with understanding. ¶

I am sure we were all greatly pleased this morning in listening to President Smith and his counselors, for the good Spirit was abundantly with them and with the congregation, and I trust the same may be true this afternoon. We all endorse most heartily the word of the Lord so beautifully given to us this morning in regard to the Word of Wisdom, the law which prohibits the use of intoxicating liquors of all kinds. The most of us have lived under this law for a long time ; and when the temperance movement was inaugurated by the world, looking to this important reformation among men, it was not a surprise to the Latter-day Saints ; for we live under the law of the Gospel, which is the law of prohibition so far as strong drinks,tea, coffee and tobacco are concerned ; and the same law requires also the very moderate and wise use of meats. It behooves the Latter-day Saints to order their lives in harmony with this law, which we heard read here today, for it is a very important law. I remember so distinctly, and, no doubt, many in this congregation remember the same, when President Brigham Young, speaking as the mouthpiece of God, announced, from this stand, that from that time forth the Word of Wisdom was a commandment, binding upon all Latter-day Saints. ¶

I have no doubt but from that time, as well as before, very many of the Latter-day Saints have undertaken to observe this law, but some of us, no doubt, have excused ourselves because it was not given in the beginning by way of commandment or constraint, but by revelation, a "word of wisdom," with promise of very particular and important blessings — the blessing of health, and wisdom and knowledge. We have been striving to live that law, and we have labored unceasingly, especially with our leading brethren, in all the stakes of Zion and in the various mission fields, to train the Latter-day Saints in this law of temperance and wisdom, given for our temporal salvation. Compliance with it on the part of the members of the Church would not only be a great blessing to them physically, but it would have a remarkably beneficial effect upon their financial condition, for the means expended for liquor, tobacco, tea, and coffee, go out of the country, as these articles are generally imported, and the people are impoverished to the extent that they use them. So it is with meats, which the Lord says, should be used sparingly, and in times of excessive cold and hunger. If the meats that are so extravagantly expensive in our day, could be partially dispensed with, and if we could dispense with all the tea, coffee, tobacco and strong drinks that are used — if all the Latter-day Saints would do without these things entirely, it would conduce to their becoming a wealthy people ; for the means thus saved would be kept at home. It is upon this principle that we are now producing in our state all the sugar that is used in the state, as well as all the sugar being used in the state of Idaho ; and I presume the same is true of Colorado. We produce our own sugar, and at the same time give employment to the people, thus keeping the means at home. Then, we manufacture and provide for exportation as much more, which is sent abroad, and the means therefor comes back into our state. This industry alone has materially helped to put the State of Utah in splendid financial condition, but if the people would observe the Word of Wisdom, if the law of temperance were enforced and prohibition obtained that would prohibit, the benefits to the community would be incalculable. ¶

It seems necessary to have laws of the land to confirm and assist the law of the Lord in prohibiting the use of strong drinks, and the world has been moved upon to make an effort in that direction. This movement should find a ready response in the heart of every Latter-day Saint. Those who bear the Priesthood especially should second every movement of this kind and encourage and sustain it, at home and abroad ; for it means the temporal salvation of the people of our state and our nation. There is no profit in drinking strong drinks, or tea or coffee ; and there is no profit in the use of tobacco. There is profit in the barter and sale of these things. A great deal of money changes hands, and there is, no doubt, profit for those who barter and sell tea and coffee, liquors and tobacco. But there is no profit to the person who uses these things. No good comes to those who use these things, but very serious injury does come as a result of their use, and we become the slaves of our appetites. Now, we have been trying to correct, and the Lord desires that we should correct our appetites in this regard, and set an example before the people, so that the Latter-day Saints may be recognized, among the children of men as remarkable for their temperance. ¶

I am sure the importance of this question is felt by my brethren — the Twelve, the presidents of stakes, the bishops of wards and their counselors, the high councilors, the presiding men in quorums and associations. I am sure that, as a rule, these brethren feel the importance of this burning question, and I trust that the brethren who have been doing about right in this regard will use their influence with others. There is quite an army of people who have been doing fairly well, but there is an army that needs reformation. We expect our people to fall in line with every movement and every action taken in our nation and among the peoples of the world for the salvation and redemption of men. We approve of all good that is being accomplished among the children of men. We sustain men that are workino righteousness ; for there are many people who are as honest and conscientious as they can be. They have not entered into the light and received revelation from the Lord; but the world is full of truth. Mankind have been abundantly furnished, by the Lord, with the spirit of truth; and there are many men of principle, and women also. I believe that the great majority of all the children of men are good, conscientious and honest. I have that faith in human nature. There are men, of course, who are wicked, and there are women who are wicked, and there will always be, no doubt, so long as men live in the flesh, in a fallen condition ; but there is goodness in the world ; purity and righteousness among men. We recognize such people ; and their splendid conduct, their good lives, their good principles, and their honor in business, we approve and appreciate, and - we love to live among them. We love to be associated with men of honor, men of honesty, men of sobrietv, men of truth, men who love righteousness ; and we hold out to such men the hand of fellowship in the truth ; we love them and feel to bless them. ¶

We call all men to repentance. The mission of the Latter-day Saints is to call all men, everywhere, to repentance. The Gospel is being preached among the nations of the earth ; and as we call men to repentance in the nations of the earth, so we call upon all Latter-day Saints in this mountain region, in the land of Zion, or among the people of the world, as we, do upon ourselves, to repent of sins, follies and weaknesses, that we may serve the Lord the remainder of our mortal lives. It is an important matter that we should be in, the service of God while we live in the flesh, for the Lord has so ordered that if we will receive the truth, receive the light, listen to His counsels and enjoy His Spirit while we live in the flesh, we shall be freed from the power of Satan ; he will have no power or influence over us ; for whom we list to obey in this probation of ours, to him we will be servants in the world to come — either the servants of righteousness or the servants of Satan and darkness. We ought to be very anxious, my brethren and sisters, to do what is right, to serve the Lord, and to keep His commandments, so that when we are in need we may be worthy to ask and receive of the Father. ¶

In addition to what we have said upon the subject of temperance and the Word of Wisdom, I want to say a few words in regard to the Sabbath day. Latterly, I have felt very much impressed with the importance and sacredness of the Sabbath day among the Latter-day Saints, and the necessity of our advocating the keeping of the Sabbath day holy. On that day we should refrain from all labor, from all secular and improper pleasures, and spend the day in the service and worship of the Lord. Efforts have been made in numbers of cases to bring this matter before the presiding brethren and sisters in the various stakes of Zion, to try to bring them not only to observe the Word of Wisdom and the law of tithing, not only to meet together and partake of the Sacrament, but to make the legitimate and proper use of the Sabbath day. I believe I have discovered a thought that is worthy of our consideration in this regard. The Lord commands that we should keep the Sabbath day holy, that during six days we should do all our labor, and rest on the Sabbath day; for the Lord hallowed the Sabbath day; it is His day, and we are expected to honor it and to keep it holy. Then, the question is, how shall we keep the Sabbath holy? We have provided Sunday Schools for the morning, and we have also provided for classes of Seventies, on the Sabbath morning, that our foreign ministry may be thoroughly trained and prepared for their work abroad. We have provided for the Sacrament in the after part of the day, either in the afternoon or evening, in all the wards of Zion, and quite a percentage of the people attend these meetings. However, those who attend the Sabbath schools sometimes excuse themselves from attending the afternoon meetings, and those who attend the Sabbath schools or afternoon meetings sometimes excuse themselves from meeting with the young people in the evening. But, what shall we do with all the Sabbath day? How shall it be occupied? This thought has taken possession of my mind. You will remember that the Lord has required that parents in Zion, who have children, should teach them faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the doctrine of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, so that when they are eight years of age they shall receive that sacred ordinance of baptism and be brought into accountability under the law of the Lord. Parents are required, also, to teach their children to observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy ; and they are required, also, to teach their children to walk uprightly before the Lord. Now, we have organized in our midst, not only the quorums of the Priesthood, but we have the auxiliary associations. We have the Relief Societies and the Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations for our sisters, the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations for our brethren, the Sunday Schools, the Primaries, and the Religion Classes for our young folks — and all these organizations have been established in our midst in order to perform just the very labor that is required of parents, in the way of teaching and training the children, that they may be prepared for their lives in this Church. Now, I wonder if the Latter-day Saints haven't felt thankful that these associations have been established, and that they (the parents) have been so nicely relieved of teaching their children. The parents prepare their children for the Sunday Schools, the Primaries, and the Religion classes, and send them' to these organizations, and I wonder if they do not then conclude that that is about all they need to do, and that their children will receive about all the religion, in these meetings, that they can take care of and live up to. I have felt that the Sabbath day should be utilized by the fathers and the mothers in their homes ; that after the children have returned from their Sabbath schools, and after they have been suitably fed, as they should be on the Sabbath day and their food prepared, as ours has been, with singleness of heart— that the balance of the day, instead of the children being turned adrift, instead of those half-grown being allowed to walk upon the hills and visit about, spending their time seeking worldly pleasures, instead of the young people spending their time going visiting and riding in carriages, or young men fishing and hunting, or the like, making the day a time for pleasure and frolic and fun — I believe that the Sabbath day should be occupied in our home temples, in home study, in home reading, in home prayer. The fathers and mothers will, perhaps, find themselves pretty well "stumped" at times to know just exactly how to handle the little ones ; but they must not be wearied; they must not be worn out and disgusted. I believe they will all enjoy singing the songs of Zion. This is what is desired by our brethren who are teaching little children. If Brother Stephens could have his way there would not be a child in the world who could not sing; he would have them all taught to sing and enjoy themselves in this way. They may be taught the songs of Zion; there may be some singing, some praying, some reading, and the time may be occupied wisely and well. I believe in fulfilling that requirement of the Lord, that parents in Zion, having children, shall teach them. Oh, what a glorious thing, if there could be a people such as the Latter-day Saints — a half million of them, possibly, in all the world — and in every home there could be given these Sabbath instructions, this home training, and home worship ; fathers and mothers teaching: their children these principles, that their children may learn to love and reverence the Lord. We have six days in the week for school and for labor and for pleasure, for fishing, hunting, frolic and everything that is required ; and we want a great deal of that. We want all the six days for labor and for pleasure, but on the Sabbath day we should be occupied in the service and worship of the Lord, in every home. Fathers and mothers should see that their children observe this day ; but they should do it in such a manner that they will not offend their children, that their children shall not feel that they are too closely cared for. Make the singing, the instructions, the worship and the occupations of the Sabbath day a choice morsel to the children. Little boys and girls, if they are thus trained in their childhood, when they come to be fathers and mothers will walk right in the same path. They will say : That is the way father did, and that is the way mother did ; we were so instructed when we were children. That is the home discipline we want; and there should be prayers — morning, evening, and other times as well. Let the children be so trained that they understand there is no lying down at night until prayers are said; and there is no such thing as going to work on the week days without we have commended ourselves to the Lord's keeping, thanking Him for what we enjoy, and asking His protection to be over us. And when we have done this, we are under the necessity of keeping His commandments. If we keep His commandments, we are then entitled to ask and we shall receive, to knock and it shall be opened unto us; and there shall not be anything, that we are entitled to enjoy as His children, but what the Lord will be delighted to bestow upon us, and He will hear and answer our prayers. ¶

I feel, and have felt for some time the importance of this question, and so I recommend to all Latter-day Saints that they undertake this improvement; and let us see if we can not, under the inspiration of the Lord, find just what is the best and wisest way to keep the Sabbath day holy. I believe if we will do this, we will receive great pleasure and satisfaction in that labor, and there will be great pleasure to the children. The Spirit of the Lord will be with parents who thus labor, and the Spirit of the Lord will be with children who are thus taught; for they will be so instructed and trained that when they are eight years of age they will be prepared and they will be anxious to go into the waters of baptism; and this matter will not be overlooked. We will remember it, and they will remind us: We are eight years of age, the boys and girls will say, and we want to be baptized; we want to be Latter-day Saints, so we can partake of the Sacrament in our own right, and so that we may have our sins forgiven us. Thus great good will be accomplished, and our children will be saved; we will be able to restrain them and withhold them from sin; they will listen to our counsel, and Satan will not have power over them. I believe that we have not done our duty fully in this regard; I am satisfied that I have not, and it may be true of others; yet, there may be many Latter-day Saints who have done their full duty. If they have done their duty in the past, they will recognize and approve what I have said. If they have not done their full duty and feel a little reproved and condemned in their spirits, as I do, they may make reformation for the future. ¶

I pray the Lord to bless us, that we may take hold of all these various points and principles and doctrines, and bring them to bear upon the whole measure of our life in the world today, for the Lord requires wonderful things of these Latter-day Saints. We have the preaching of the Gospel to the world, and we ought to go into the world spotless, for we are entitled to be spotless; we have no reason for doing wrong, no reason for indulging in anything that is forbidden, anything that would contaminate or corrupt us; we should be free in this regard. We ought to be filled with the light and inspiration of the Lord, for we are entitled to enjoy that Spirit which the Lord gives with His work, and which bears testimony to the heart of every Latter-day Saint in every country. We are entitled to enjoy that spirit daily if we keep His commandments so that we can stand approved before him and before our own consciences. May God bless you, my brethren and sisters, and give us the light and inspiration of His Spirit, now and forever, and the seal of His Spirit upon the position and stand taken by our Presidency today, for I am sure that they have the full fellowship and support of all Latter-day Saints in the doctrines they laid down for us this morning. God bless you, my dear brethren and sisters, in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶