The world recognizing worthiness of Mormons

This vast congregation is certainly a testimony to the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that the work of God is growing. It is certainly an evidence to the world that the people of the Church are loyal to its principles, believe in its destiny, and have unbounded confidence in the promises of God, our Father. I, with you, rejoice in the privilege of meeting in these general conferences. I believe that we all have assembled here for the same purpose. We come to these conferences to receive instructions from the servants of God. We come here to renew our obligations to Him, and to receive a portion of His Spirit to direct us in our future life. I don't know that I have ever attended a conference that I enjoyed more than this. I can't remember a time when my soul was in so perfect accord with all that has been said, as at this conference. I desire to bear testimony to what has been said by the brethren who have already spoken, calling attention to the mission of the Church, the magnitude of the work, of what the Church is accomplishing in the world, of the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph, and the establishment of this work, never to be thrown down or given to another people. ¶

The present position of the Church has not been attained, without unselfish devotion to its purposes, without loyalty to the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, without labor, yes labor without ceasing. I am proud to say that the world recognizes the fact that the "Mormon" people, as a people, are industrious, honest, peace-loving, God-fearing, even if they think we are mistaken as to the form of religion, or our idea as to God. ¶

I remember when I was a boy the Juvenile Instructor came regularly to my father's home, and upon the front page of the cover there was always printed, at that time, this quotation, "There is no excellence ¶

without labor." There never was a truer saying; and I doubt whether there ever was a people on earth that has demonstrated the truth of this statement more than have the lives of the Latter-day Saints. ¶

Our president, yesterday, expressed the thought that he had wasted, in different ways, a part of the time allowed him. I want to say to the brethren and sisters that I don't believe that there is a man living who labors harder and more hours each day than President Joseph F. Smith. If he is guilty none of us will escape. Labor does not always mean manual labor, ' and I say to the people of this Church that if they will labor as many hours and as diligently as the general authorities of this Church, there will be a great improvement in all the stakes of Zion, and greater prosperity in all the homes of the Saints. I often hear men talk of being overworked. Others are overworked and say nothing of it. This is sometimes true of the men we least suspect. This comes forcibly to my mind every time I receive an issue of the "Americana," and read the history of this people written by Brother Roberts. I never read any one of the chapters unless I stop and think of the weeks, and months, of diligent investigation and work required in collecting all the facts and truths presented in such splendid form. The time and effort he has given in writing the history will never be known by anyone but himself. The history when complete will live as a monument to his industry and to his intelligence. I think Brother Whitney and other members of the general authorities of the Church, who are called upon to do special work, are at times overworked, and all of them are doing everything in their power to advance the work of the Lord upon this earth. ¶

Waste of time, waste of food, waste of substance, of any kind, is displeasing in the sight of God. This has been preached in every stake of Zion. I remember, not many years ago, that I hardly ever attended a stake conference but what some of the brethren asked the people to improve their fences, their sidewalks, and their front yards, and I am pleased indeed to know that that counsel has been followed in many sections. At this conference I want to call attention to one yard that is just as important, and perhaps more so than the front yard, that is the back yard. I was in one of the little towns, in a county in the southern part of this state, not many days ago, and as usual I arose early, before the family was up. I surveyed the back yard. (I believe I can tell more of the reasons for the prosperity or non-success of a man by visiting his back yard than I can by meeting him upon the street, or judge from the appearance of his front yard.) The brother was complaining somewhat of hard times; thought that everything was costing too much money ; living was high, and yet I saw in his garbage can that morning enough food that could have been used, if properly prepared, to feed his family the following day. A wicked waste, and such waste is an abomination in the sight of man and God. My brethren and sisters, let us learn a lesson against waste from the great industrial institutions of this country. Take the steel industry. It wasn't many years ago when all their byproducts were wasted, thrown away — actually an expense to the industry to remove them, but today they ¶

are used in a hundred different ways. We find made from them material for pavements ; we find the blast furnace gas running the powerful engine for moving their great machinery ; we find the byproducts made into aniline dyes ; iron-ore waste pressed into brickets, and made into high class steel; in fact, everything is now used that a few years ago was thrown away and wasted. So with the packers of this country. There is nothing wasted by them. Every particle of a steer that is now slaughtered is utilized. The steer is converted into the necessaries of life, — from beef steak to buttons, and as one person aptly expressed it, there is not a particle of a beef wasted, with the exception of the air that the animal has breathed. I could go on, my brethren and sisters, and tell you of how every great industry of this country is utilizing every particle of material that they handle; but I haven't the time today to do so. ¶

The president of the Church warned us yesterday — and it was indeed a timely warning, against breaking some of the admonitions and laws of the Church, and, in doing so, physically weakening the bodies that God has given us. I am in full accord with every word that he uttered. I believe in the word of Wisdom with all my heart. I believe it is the law intended by God to keep our bodies healthy and strong, to transmit to our children, coming into this world, clean bodies ; and every child that is born has a right to expect of the father and the mother a clean, healthy body and mind. ¶

There are other things, it seems to me, that are sapping the life, at least the spiritual life, of the people of the world, and our communities are affected, somewhat, with the same evil. I have reference to the maudlin, half insane sympathy for the murderer, the unnatural, and the wicked, the desire for sensationalism, the mad rush for pleasure, the desire to become one of the idle rich, or a determination to join the idle poor. What do I mean by maudlin, half-insane sympathy for the murderer, the unnatural, and the wicked ? I simply have to refer you to a case which has filled the magazines and the press not only in this country but all over the world, and, as far as I can estimate, if the space had been charged for by the daily papers of this country as they charge the business men for the space for advertising, it would amount to a hundred million dollars, or more. I have reference to the Thaw case. Who was Harry Thaw ? A man reared in the lap of luxury, a debauchee, a murderer escaping the gallows on the plea of insanity, a man reared in a home where all the luxuries of wealth were given him, but devoid of everything that makes man what God intended him to be. Wasn't it a spectacle to deplore to see the crowds following him from place to place, from jail to the auto, while he was in Canada ; ovation after ovation was given him ; women presented him with flowers on every possible occasion, and young girls not out of their teens, stood at the jail begging "Harry" to come to the bars that they might see him. Oh God, have mercy on such deluded people. I remember one case here in Utah when a murderer, sentenced to die, was sent flowers by some of the women of our state. Thank the Lord there were but a few so foolish. I take it that such action can only be indulged in by a person having a diseased mind. There is surely something wrong with them. I do know that there isn't a spark of the Spirit of God in them. ¶

I was more than delighted with the reading of Joaquin Miller's poem today. I have read it many, many times. I hardly ever pass the old house he made his home while in Washington (it has been moved to Rock Creek Park lately, by the Government of the United States, from Sixteenth Street to a lovely part of the park) but what I go inside. You cannot always tell what a man is by the house he lives in or by his dress. I knew Joaquin Miller, having met him many times in Washington. I don't remember of seeing a man that was so careless in his dress, and yet God inspired him to present to the world, in poetry, some of the most beautiful thoughts and ideals that can appeal to the better part of man. As you enter the living room of the old log house, you see in the corner the old desk that he toiled at for so many years, the place where the inspiration of God came to him to record in poetry the history of our nation and people. I honor his name for his words of commendation and truth for the womanhood of the state I love so well. God bless his memory. ¶

Before closing, my brethren and sisters, I want to leave with you today my testimony that God lives, my testimony that He will be with and assist any man or any woman who will rely upon and have faith in Him; also my testimony to the power of prayer; and of God's goodness to his people. I am not worried in the least that God will not carry out His part of the compact with His people, if we honor and obey Him and keep His commandments. May God bless this people, may He bless every honest soul in the world ; may He bless the different governments in all the world, and particularly the men who make and administer the laws of the respective governments ; for we all desire that liberty shall abound upon the earth. I believe that God held in the hollow of His hand this continent for the planting of truth and liberty, and I believe that liberty will continue to spread until it covers the whole earth as the waters cover the mighty deep. So may it be, O Father, and hasten the day is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶