Rejoicing in the Gospel and Priesthood Labors

( Former President of Central States Mission). ¶

Last evening, with many of you who are here today, I listened to a very interesting account of a naval journey that was recently taken by a fleet of battle ships of the United States. One of the facts that impressed me very much, in the speaking of Admiral Evans, was his relating the obedience of the officers and seamen to the commander of that fleet. He said, when the word came to him from the President that he was to get the fleet in order, and start upon that long cruise, he felt that they would not only by request, or command, of the commander in chief of all the forces of the United States, go to any possession belonging to the United States, any waters, but that they were on hand, at a moment's notice, to go to any part of the earth where their ships could float. I thought, while he was speaking, that was the spirit of a true soldier. I thought also in connection with that, how like to it are the true soldiers of the cross. When those holding the Holy Priesthood speak by the voice of the spirit of God, and say to the true soldier of the cross, Your services are needed in Africa, Russia, or Asia, or some part of this great land in which we live, or upon the isles of the sea, there is no hesitancy, he says at once, as did Admiral Evans, "Aye, Aye, sir, we are ready, when will you have us start ?" And this great army of young men, belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ, take their lives in their hand, as it were, not considering consequences to themselves, or the sacrifice of their earthly possessions, they leave all, and go to any part of the earth where the authorized servants of God call them to travel. ¶

While Brother Whitney was speaking concerning the growth and development of this great work, how the people had heard the gospel sound in various nations of the earth, had gathered to these mountains, and had been organized into stakes and wards, I was thinking of the responsibility that is placed upon us who have thus been gathered and organized here ; and of the responsibility that is upon all who have been born and raised under the sacred covenant of the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As was stated by Elder Whitney, I had the honor, for a number of years, to preside over one of the great missions that have been established by the Church of Jesus Christ for the proclaiming of the gospel. During that period of time, there were several hundreds of young men who labored under our direction, and I had the opportunity of observing the results of home training, of the effect the teaching and training of the father and mother had upon the lives of these young men. I take it that one of the most important duties we have to perform is that of rearing and teaching these precious souls that are entrusted to our charge, bringing them up in the way of the Lord, that they may be fitted, while passing through this mortal probation, for earnest, devoted and efficient work, to aid in the progress and development of the work of our Heavenly Father, that their souls might be saved eternally. In the Doctrine and Covenants, there is a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, in the early rise of the Church, in which the Lord says : ¶

"Inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes that are organized, that teach them not repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands when eight years of age, the sin be upon the heads of the parents. And the parents shall teach the children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord, and shall observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy." ¶

And there was an injunction placed upon the parents that they should be an example unto their children of what they would have them become. Now during the time I was presiding over that mission, as I have said, I had opportunity to study the effects of home teaching and training upon the lives of your boys; and I have pleasure in saying to you here today that, during the years I was there, out of the hundreds of young men who labored in that mission, there was not one failure on the part of those who had been carefully taught and trained by parents at home. The failures were very few indeed ; those few young men who weakened and gave up, who came home without performing fully and completely the work they had been sent to perform, were, without exception, those whose training at home had been neglected by their fathers and mothers. The responsibility here at home is not only that the young men may become efficient missionaries, but that they may also be good workers in wards and stakes, in the various organizations established by our Heavenly Father, and, that they may be honored citizens of the great nation of which they form a part, so that when we, as parents, give an account to our Father and Mother in heaven of the manner in which we have conducted ourselves toward the precious souls entrusted to us, how we have dealt with them, that we might bring them all with us, and be able to say to our Heavenly Father, Here are these sacred trusts that you gave unto me while I was upon the earth, I present them to You now spotless, full of faith and integrity, fitted indeed to be members of Thy eternal kingdom. To do this requires thought, work, care, and faith, to bring these children up in the way they should go. You know, it was the wise man Solomon who said : "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." ¶

There is a difference between teaching and training. Teaching is causing the child to understand, training is causing the child to do. Every act performed is that much done towards fixing habits ; repeated many times, the habit is established. If we train our children in the ways of the Lord, in doing the things God has revealed for their salvation, every time they perform an act of obedience to the word and will of our Father in heaven their character becomes more firmly fixed in doing the things that God requires of them. Another thought in connection with this. In my business I have the privilege of meeting people from different parts of the United States, and even from foreign countries, some of whom come here to make their homes among us. There are several significant things said in my hearing by people who travel among us. One expression is this : "You can always tell the home of a Mormon by his surroundings." Another is: "You can tell the home of a Mormon by the size of his family." Now, what does this mean? Does it mean that our home surroundings are so beautiful, so neat, so orderly, so much in accord with the divine plan of growth and development, that when one of these strangers, driving through the country in his travels among us. sees a home of this kind, he can say at once, That is the home of a Latter-day Saint? Or does he mean the opposite? What are the conditions surrounding our homes? Now, when he speaks of a Mormon family, saying "You can always tell whether it is a Mormon family or not, by the size of it," does he mean that alone? To us it should mean that in that family we are developing faith, honesty, and integrity, that we are educating and training them, making them refined, genteel, courteous to the stranger. Does it mean that to us? Now, my brethren and sisters, I take it that in the divine plan of our Heavenly Father there is just such work for us to do in the family. The family is the foundation of the governments of the world, and it is the foundation of the government of the kingdom of God. ¶

May we give thought, attention, and care to all things that will cause Zion to grow and increase in strength and power, beauty and glory, I ask, in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen. ¶