Our Beloved President, Joseph F. Smith, in His Opening Address

Our beloved President, Joseph F. Smith, in his opening address to this conference, made reference to some of the material things In which the Church has been interested. It has caused me to think, my brethren and sisters, that God is interested in the material condition of His children, as much, perhaps, as He is in their spiritual welfare, for, to Him, all things are spiritual. I have discovered this, as you who have been preaching the gospel have also, that it is exceeding difficult to interest in our message men or women who are hungry, or who are in dire necessity for the things of life, or whose lives are so depressed by long hours of service that they are too tired to become interested in the gospel. ¶

Looking over the past, we discover that God has always been interested in the material welfare of His children. How bounteously He has provided the things of life that men are in need of, in the forming of the earth, in the organizing of the elements, in the soil and the water, the coal, iron and oil, the gold and the silver, and all things that are calculated to make life enjoyable upon the earth. And God designs that His bounties should be distributed in a just and right manner, that those who labor should enjoy the fruits of their labor, that the idler should "not eat the bread or wear the raiment of him who labors," and that there should be a just and honorable distribution among all His children. In the early ages of the world He gave, together with many spiritual laws, temporal laws also for the material interests of His people, the observance of which so perfected them in material as in spiritual things, that we are told of at least one great community who had "all things in common," and became perfect, so much so that God removed them from the knowledge of the world, or at least from that particular part of the earth, so that their place of habitation has not yet been discovered by men. I refer to Enoch and his people, whom the scriptures say were translated because of their perfection. Again, among the laws God gave to Moses He condescended to speak of material things. Many of these laws were intended as a "schoolmaster" to bring them to greater things that God had in mind for them, both spiritual and temporal. ¶

When Jesus ministered among men He announced advanced spiritual laws, and, in all probability, He gave information with respect to material things as well. I cannot think that the apostles, of their own initiative, began to establish that order of things that made them to have "all things in common," so that the people brought, the scriptures tell us, all their earthly things and put them down at the apostles' feet for a common store. So also in the establishment of this latter-day work, God has likewise been concerned for the material welfare of His people. Many of the revelations given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, deal with temporal things, imparting information calculated to be an essential blessing to the people. The Prophet, himself, was instructed to labor for the material welfare of the people, in the building of cities, and in assisting to establish mercantile and other institutions looking to the benefit of the people ; he seemed to keep these material things in mind, so much so that many on the outside have found fault with the Prophet on this account. I believe that they who complain have not properly understood the object the Church had in these matters. ¶

I begin to realize the necessity of the Church taking interest in more than the spiritual welfare of the people, and I notice that this idea is growing in many of the leading churches of today. Recently a certain congregation in the east, replying to questions sent to them by the minister as to why they did not attend church, expressed themselves as being dissatisfied with what they heard there. One of the delinquent's said : "The reason is, you are always telling me about the time that I am going to wear a white robe; why don't you tell me how to get a few white shirts now?" I believe that feeling will continue to grow. There is complaint against the ministers, who are referred to as "sky pilots," that they live above the things of the earth, and are soaring beyond the comprehension of mankind, who are in need of assistance in the settlement of problems that ought to be solved now. Not that we contend the church should usurp the functions of the state, but, wherein the state lacks in ministering to the wants of the people, the church should provide for those wants. ¶

We have discovered in the revelations of God to this Church, that He has provided, even in the minutest detail, for the government of the life of each member, his physical conduct as well as his spiritual regulation. For example, we are told we should "retire early to rest, and arise early, that we might be invigorated and refreshed;" that we should abstain from the use of tea, ' coffee, tobacco, liquor and other things that are injurious. Attention has also been paid to regulating the amusements of the people, in the dance, the theatre, etc. Members of other churches have ignored these dangers,' and permit their children, in many instances, to mingle with men and women who have no character ; nor do they seem to feel any responsibility for the moral welfare of their young men and women. We believe that the Church was justified in taking into consideration the needs of its boys and girls, and providing for them necessary and proper amusement. We believe that the Church has been justified in looking to the material welfare of the people in all directions. ¶

Not long ago, an editor in the city of Vancouver, B. C, made an attack upon us, sarcastically, saying that we ought to go to the backdoors of Europe and bring the poor out to our communities, and make them till the soil, and then extract one-tenth of their earnings from them, that being the method, he said, by which the Church has become wealthy. ' It is no reproach upon us for preaching to the poor ; don't you remember it was the poor that had the gospel preached unto them in the days of the Savior? If a tenth of their earnings has made the Church "immensely rich," what has the nine-tenths done for those who were before always dependent, having to go to the poor house when old age came upon them, and never ¶

knowing the joy of owning their own homes. It is true that in the days that are past the Church did, through the Perpetual Emigration Fund, aid many men and women to come from the land of their nativity to this glorious land, and assisted them in becoming located upon the soil, helped them to acquire homes, and saw them become independent, ninety per cent, we are told, eventually owning their own homes. The Church influenced them to construct irrigation ditches ; and lent them aid and assistance in many ways. It helped them in the disposal of their crops ; it assisted in the construction of a railroad, that enabled the products of the country abroad to be brought in, and the shipping out of products grown or manufactured here. Before the days of the railroad, the Church interested itself in the beet sugar industry, bringing machinery across the plains with ox-teams ; but owing to the people not understanding beet culture as they do today, that enterprise was a failure then. But today, that industry has been established very largely through the efforts of the Church, so that beet farmers are now the most independent farmers in the community, they are well to do, as a rule, and this industry has been a great blessing to them in many respects. ¶

The Church authorities saw the prices that were charged by transient merchants who brought their goods here to be sold, and, by their instigation, a commercial institution was organized, which purchased goods in large quantities, shipped them in cheaply, and, by selling to the people at reasonable figures, it became a great blessing to the men and women struggling here for a livelihood, and for means to rear and educate their children. This institution has since been a great price leveler. The Church sought to establish woolen mills, iron works, shoe factories, and other enterprises calculated to be a blessing to the people. It did not leave them in ignorance, but built school houses and meeting houses, and gave them opportunities to acquire information, until now our state ranks third among all the states in our Union in the matter of our education. No wonder the "Mormon" men and women pay their tithing; they have received abundant returns in the numerous blessings that have flowed to them in a material way and also in a spiritual way. They have never been robbed by the Church, and have no reason to complain, but many reasons to rejoice. ¶

I do not raise any objection to the Church interesting itself in enterprises for the blessing of the community. I expect to see the day when the Church will aid even more than it is doing now. The law of tithing was calculated to be only as a "school master" to bring us to greater and better things. The greater and better things are that we shall reach that condition when we shall practice and enjoy that system of Enoch, which was revealed to the Prophet Joseph, and the keys of which are held by the Latter-day Saints today. This will eventually bring us to enjoy on an equality the material wealth of the world, so that we shall have no rich and no poor, and have no oppression of one by another. Men shall love each other, otherwise there would be no reign of peace, no millennium. ¶

We have no quarrel with our Socialist friends. While we recognize they have some truth, yet what the world needs, more than socialistic ¶

system and methods, is a people so trained that they can keep themselves in line, and maintain high ideals and standards. Why was it that many of the communities that were founded and established to colonize and develop the west, outside of the Latter-day Saints, failed? A man in Portland recently told me there was something remarkable about our people, as he recounted the failures of others and our successes. I stated, it is the unity of our faith, constituting within us a strong binding force, so that we have been enabled to stand together for a long period without getting results, not becoming discouraged, but continuing mutually working for the common good. ¶

Let me tell you that the solution of the great problem that is confronting the world today, between capital and labor, shall be completely solved through the instrumentality that God has devised, and through the faithfulness of the Latter-day Saints. An ensign, and a pattern to the world in these things, shall be raised and established through the men and women who have obeyed the "school-master." and are prepared to learn better and higher things. Let us fix our -eyes upon these things, for the Lord has decreed they shall be established. The men and women who do not obey the "schoolmaster," and keep themselves up to the standard of that law, will not keep the higher law. That man and that woman who pay their tithes, thereby witnessing that they are indebted to God, showing that they are but leasers of the portion of earth upon which they dwell, giving to Him grateful acknowledgment of His rightful ownership of it, and complying with the conditions upon ¶

which final ownership may be secured to them as an everlasting inheritance, unto them only will there be given the greater things. ¶

Every man and woman ought to feel thankful unto trie Lord for the glorious privileges that we have of being material assistance unto the Church. I know it is a splendid system that has been devised and given to the Latter-day Saints. God wants to make us unselfish : He wants to make us generous. -He loves a generous giver, and He provides such with what He designs they shall bestow. He wants, not our dollars, but our hearts. In giving, our hearts should go with the gifts, this makes us truly liberal, as He is liberal. ¶

The father and mother who are constantly giving to their children, providing them education and giving them social position, as well as the necessaries and comforts of life, and denying ^themselves; .personal comforts in order to bestow the means upon their children, should have respect, grateful acknowledgment, and honor from their boys and girls. I have looked with sorrow upon boys and girls who have been indulged by their parents and then -complained that they did not get more, that they were not given a better hat, or a better suit of clothes, and thus brought grief to their parents who were doing all they could for them, even with great sacrifice to themselves. I have looked with sorrow upon fathers and mothers under such conditions as these, when their children seemed to be ungrateful. What is the return that the father and mother want? They merely desire that their son or daughter acknowledge their obligation for the generous support and provision that is made ¶

for them. Such boys and girls ought to go to their fathers and mothers, put their arms around them and kiss them and say, God bless you father, God bless you mother, I appreciate your sacrifice, and I want to do something for you. What can I do? That pays and compensates the heart of that father and mother. ¶

God is like our fathers and mothers in His great, grand scheme of giving to and providing for His children, and He is grieved when He sees us receiving ungratefully the good things that He provides, coveting what He gives to others, and begrudging that which ' we should return as a tribute to Him. God loves to see a spirit of thankfulness manifested by His children. ¶

God bless us and help us to keep fixed in our hearts and minds these things that He has revealed to us. Let us labor through these years of preparation — for we are in a state of preparation — to accomplish what the Lord has laid out for us to do, not only for our own salvation but for that of our children and, as much as lies in our power, for the salvation of all our brethren and sisters in the earth. God help us to live up to these high ideals, and merit His promised blessings, I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶