The Vital Force Behind This People's Progress

When I got on the train yesterday evening, leaving Boise. I had the pleasure of meeting a gentleman from New York,' a distinguished man, who stated to me that he had spent the last five months in this part of the country, investigating the history of the people who developed this country, and what he found is a great revelation to him, in the results and labors of the men who live here. He stated that he belonged to a distinguished church of the world ; and, in the diocese of New York, he stated, they have over five million dollars in the vaults and treasuries of that church. Notwithstanding all their enormous wealth, said he, there is poverty on every hand, there is sin in every community. We see the laws of God violated every day, and yet we have all this means, we have many churches sending their spires up to heaven. Since I have been among you, I have observed the great wealth you have, and I have also observed the energetic, progressive people. You seem to be working with one heart and mind for one purpose, and the revelation of my life is to see what has been accomplished here. Within the lifetime of a man these valleys have been made to blossom as a rose, the ground has been reclaimed from its aridity, the soil has been moistened and made fertile, and has given forth of its life, and brought forth crops to gladden the heart and feed hungry ¶

souls. Said he: "Tell me if you can, what is the vital force behind all this? How has it all been brought about? How is your people held together? How is it there is less iniquity and less sin? How is it there is a less percentage of immorality among young men and young women ? How is it that your jails are less populated by your people than by the outsiders?" I told him the only solution to that question is in the fact that we have the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that Gospel we apply to our lives. ¶

Every one who has come here today will contribute his share to the general enjoyment ; we will go away satisfied. He' who is an hungered, when he sits down to the table of the Lord, he will go away full. This is a Gospel of work, this is a Church of workers, and every man in it has some position to fill, has some responsibility upon his shoulders, and knows his place. He does not depend upon a crutch that indicates he has not ability to stand alone. In the various organizations of this Church, from the heads of the Church down to the least member, you find opportunity for every man to exercise ability, develop his character, his virtues and talents, for attainment of salvation and the exaltation of his soul, in the name of the Master, who is the Savior of all mankind. I have made a little study of this question, and I am of the opinion, firm and convinced, that no man can develop any virtue unless he has exercised ' that virtue. If you have love in your heart, and desire to attract love to you, you must exercise love toward your fellowmen. You must give expression to good things, in .order that good things may come back to you. The lives of the Latter-day Saints are attracting the attention of the entire world, from the simple fact that they live their religion, that they give expression to the virtues inculcated by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every man who cultivates a field knows that it is through the exercise of his mind, and the muscles and power of his body, that he is able to wring from the soil the harvest. He knows that it is only as he contributes his labors that he shall be rewarded. He knows that he must contribute time and ability, he must sow the seed in the ground in order to reap a harvest that will gladden his heart and fill his granary, and provide the means to tide him over the time when the ground ceases to yield, and the chills of winter surround him. So it is that every man, if he be a merchant, a school teacher, a lawyer, a doctor or skilled in any profession, he knows that in order to receive a reward for his labors, he must exercise his talents. The student in the college knows, and utilizes it, he will be duly rewarded for his efforts. So it is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ ; as we give of our i time, as we give of our talents, as we exercise our virtues, among our fellow men for their good, all these unselfish activities will bring us a satisfactory reward. ¶

That is why the Latter-day Saints are becoming famous ; they are looked up to by the world today because they live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They have in their hearts love for their fellow men. They give of their time, they give of their talents, they give of their love to others, and all those things come back unto them to gladden their hearts and make them happy. As already stated, this is a Church of ¶

workers. We believe in the principle of "Six days shalt thou labor, and the seventh shall be unto thee a day of rest." We believe that the day of rest is not earned until it is preceded by six days of labor. We believe in the principle that iniquity spells decay. It is only the man that is actively alive that can survive ; it is only the man that will properly exercise himself who will ever succeed. A German scientist discovered this principle in his experiments, that the longer an electric current passes through a volume of oxide magnesium, the greater becomes the conductivity of that thing. The same law holds good in the mind of man ; the longer a certain train of thought is concentrated in the brain, the greater becomes the brain to the conductivity of that thought. The more we exercise our muscles, the greater is the power they develop. The more we exercise our virtues, the easier it becomes for us to exercise them, the greater they increase and become of value to ourselves and others. So it has proven in the exercise of the qualities among the Latter-day Saints. We have developed young man and young women of virtuous character, the superiors of whom are not to be found anywhere else in the world today, and it is because of these things which I have mentioned. Mark Twain said: "Man is the only animal that blushes." He could have gone on to say : Man is the only animal that has need to blush, because he is the only animal that ever drinks intoxicants ; he is the only animal that smokes tobacco ; he is the only animal that beats his wife, he is the only animal that tells a lie; he is the only animal that is immoral in his nature ; and he has need to blush indeed. ¶

Some of the purposes of the mission of the Latter-day Saints in the world are to reduce crime, to instruct men and women in the Gospel of Christ, that they may resist evil. The way to do this is to build the foundation of true manhood, make the man complete, and 'so morally courageous that he will always say, "No !" when tempted to do wrong". When he says "yes," it will be a response to do right. He is in control of the tabernacle of God which his spirit inhabits, and has been given it to manifest his agency. A man can only claim that he is a man when he is master of himself ; when he regulates what goes into that body : when he can hold his tongue, and say only things that should be said ; when he can exercise feeling and kindness in return for scorn ; who can say a word of love in return for bitterness; when he can do good 'for evil ; when' he can respond to the wants and necessities of his fellow men. ¶

These are the kind of young men and young women this Church is producing, and I am thankful and proud that I have the honor of belonging to it, and of contributing my mite to the building of this broad, expansive, ennobling Church, known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To me it is the grandest thing in all the world ; there is nothing' like unto it. I find facilities for expressing all the good there is in me ; I find opportunity for developing all the goodness that I should develop. I find opportunities for my social need, for literary need, 'for spiritual need. When I come to a meeting of this kind, I come hungry so that I can sit at the table of God and be filled. I want ¶

to have Church work to do, so that I can create 'an appetite for spiritual thing's, just as the laborer works in the field and has created an appetite for his daily bread ; he eats with a relish, because he has worked and has done well. ¶

May God bless us and help us, and inspire us to do good, and inspire us to manifest by exercise the good there is in us, to upbuilding and betterment of ourselves, and to the glory of God who is our Creator ; I ask, in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶