Counsel to men and women holding responsible positions

I desire to thank the good brethren and sisters who have attended this conference, and if the time would permit, without interfering too much with your desire to return to your homes, I would like to make a simple suggestion or two to our Relief Societies, to our Young Women's Mutual Improvement Associations, Primary Associations, and our Sunday School, and Religion Class teachers, the presidents of stakes and their counselors, and the high counselors throughout Zion, and the bishops and counselors, and ward teachers throughout the Church, that they set their faces like flint against every spirit of apostasy, every kind of evil, intemperance, the violation of the Sabbath day ; and hold in reverence that which is sacred in the eyes of the Lord, and should be held sacred by all Latter-day Saints ; to hold sacred also all and every divine and human right ; to do unto all men as we would that they should do unto us, and set an example, as members of the Church that will be worthy of emulation by all men and women in the world. I want to say to our Relief Societies, our Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations and' our Primary Associations that I desire and sincerely hope they will set their faces like flint against every immoral thing, including the prevailing habit of card-playing, of unbecoming fashions in dressing, of indecent exposure of the human form divine to the lecherous gaze of men ; that they clothe themselves in decency, both in public and in private, and that they keep sacred those things which have been conferred upon them in holy places. I ask this, and I would suggest to our Relief Societies, Young Ladies' Improvement Associations, and Primary Associations, that when you find members of your boards indulging in things which are not right, call them to order, admonish them ; be gentle and kind, of course, and forbearing and patient ; but unless they will conform to the rules of these associations to give out a moral and wholesome influence to the young people of Israel, let them be dropped and others who will be more exemplary chosen and put in their places. I expect that my sisters will listen to this counsel, for it is not mine; it is the counsel of the spirit and letter of the word of God as we have it in the divine records ; it is God's will, and those who are entrusted with these imporant duties in the Church should be vigilant in guarding the welfare, the happiness, and good name and character of the daughters of Zion. I want presidents of stakes and their counselors to so live their religion that they can say, consistently, to the people of their stakes, "Come and follow me." I desire that the bishops in all the wards will set an example before their people that they will feel proud to emulate ; and that when a man having authority in the Church stands up to teach his people that the people will know, "He practises what he preaches ; and, therefore, his example and precepts are in force." We would like this: and we hope that you will honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy, that you will reverence the authority of the Priesthood, and magnify it by good works ; that you will observe the covenants you have entered into in sacred places and keep them inviolate ; that you will be Latter-day Saints in very deed : that you may be indeed the light of the world, that is not and cannot be hidden under a bushel, nor in ¶

some dark corner, and the salt of the earth. We are coming out in full sight of the world. The eye of God, and the eye of man, is upon this people. We cannot hide ourselves from them. It behooves us to speak right, to think right, to do right, and to work righteousness in every capacity in which we are called to act, in private and in public, that it may be said of us, "They are worthy of their standing and name, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ bf Latter-day Saints, the highest honor that can be given to man. ¶

We regret exceedingly that our beloved brother, George F. Richards, is prostrate on a bed of sickness, and has not, therefore, been able to attend this conference. We invoke the faith and prayers of the Saints in his behalf, that he may speedily recover and resume his duties as an apostle of Jesus Christ. ¶

I will try not to take any more of your time than I can not help. I would like to mention the names, here, of some of our missionaries who have fallen in the mission field within the last six months, or since January 1, 1912 : ¶

Elder Mons P. Larson, of Spring City, died in the New Zealand mission, April 26, 1912, of typhoid fever; ¶

John Leonard Hill, of Mapleton, Utah, killed by a train, at Dickson, West Virginia, January 8, 1912; ¶

Nephi Robert Olsen, of Lovell, Wyoming, died in the Swedish mission, February 13, 1912; ¶

George O. Blake, of the twenty-second ward, this city, died at Hamburg, Germany, April 18, 1912, of typhoid fever; ¶

Joseph W. Maynes, of Waterloo ward, this city, died in the British mission, June 16, 1912, of heart failure; ¶

Thomas J. Cove, of Thatcher, Arizona, drowned in Buchannan, Georgia, Southern States Mission, July 4th, this year; ¶

Royal P. Oldham, of Paradise, Utah, drowned, at Charleston, West Virginia, October 2d, this month. ¶

I am sorry to say it, but if these two boys, recently drowned, had kept away from those rivers, where they had no special duty, or calling, they would not have been drowned as they were. I would like it to be understood by the presidents of missions, and by the elders, that are out in the world, that it is not a good thing, neither is it at all wise for our elders to go out on excursions, on dangerous lakes, or streams, or bodies of water, just for fun. They had better keep away. The Lord will protect them in the discharge of their duty; and if they are more careful of their health, there will not be so many of them become a prey to disease. We know of some of the incidents that were the cause of the death of some of our brethren who have passed away in the mission field. They lacked caution. They did not exercise the best wisdom and judgment. They went too far for their strength, and were not as careful of themselves as they ought to have been. I do not speak this to blame these brethren. I have not the least doubt but they have done according to the best wisdom they possessed; but there is such a thing as overdoing. A man may fast and pray till he kills himself; and there isn't any necessity for it; nor wisdom in it. I say to my brethren, when they are fasting, and praying for the sick, and for those that need faith and prayer, do not go beyond what is wise and prudent in fasting and prayer. The Lord can hear a simple prayer, offered in faith, in half a dozen words, and he will recognize fasting that may not continue more than twenty-four hours, just as readily and as effectually as He will answer a prayer of a thousand words and fasting for a month. Now, remember it. I have in mind elders now on missions, anxious to excel their associates, each wants to get the most "red marks" of credit, and so he will exert himself beyond his strength; and it is unwise to do it. The Lord will accept that which is enough, with a good deal more pleasure and satisfaction than that which is too much and unnecessary. It is good to be earnest, good to be diligent, to persevere, and to be faithful all the time, but we may go to extremes in these things; when we do not need to. The Word of Wisdom dictates that when we become weary we should stop and rest. When we are threatened with exhaustion, through over-exertion, wisdom would caution us to wait, to stop; not to take a stimulant to urge us on to greater extremes, go where we can retire and rest and recuperate according to the laws of nature. That is the best way to do. ¶

Now, I do not blame my dear brethren who have met with death abroad; yet, I wish that they could and would escape it. ¶

(Notice respecting German meeting read by the President, after which he spoke as follows:) ¶

I sincerely hope and pray that my German brethren and sisters will maintain the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in humility, and faith, that it will help them to keep in good standing before the Lord, despite the efforts of some of their brethren to mislead them from the truth. ¶

I thank God for our conference, for the good words that have been spoken, and for the honor that has been shown the cause of truth and the presiding authorities of the Church, on the part of the people who have attended; the good spirit that has pervaded our meetings, the joy that we have felt in looking upon your faces, and the pleasure that I trust you have also felt in being present during the conference. God bless this people and all the good of the earth, and overrule all the acts of men to praise Him and to ultimately bring to pass glorious results and His righteous will, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶