I am very happy in the privilege that

I am very happy in the privilege that I enjoy of meeting with you in the opening session of the 87th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I can assure you we feel highly honored, as every one present associated with the Church must feel, in witnessing the great multitude who have assembled here this morning in honor of the opening of this conference. I fear that it will be somewhat difficult for me, to get my voice in trim sufficient to make myself heard and understood. It is no small task to attempt to address an audience like this, depending, as I do, upon the promptings of the spirit that may pervade our conference in regard to what I shall say. I have certainly obeyed in this respect, the injunction of the Savior, -as recorded in the scriptures (Matthew 10:19, 20): "Take no thought how or what ye shall speak, for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak." The Spirit will give the impressions that are needed as far as the time will permit and as far as we are susceptible to the impressions of the Spirit of God, I sincerely do hope that the Spirit of the Lord will pervade this assembly and have place in our minds and hearts, that we may rejoice in the privilege that we have of meeting together under so favorable circumstances, witnessing, as we do in our assembling here, the many blessings and privileges the Lord has vouchsafed unto us. ¶

Exercise Prudence, Economy and Extreme Industry

We are living in critical times. Conditions are such as practically defy either .description or complete understanding, for we can see today only what is visible to us, but no one unless inspired can foretell today what may occur tomorrow. But we need not be concerned anxiously about this, for the duty of members of the Church, as such, and their duty as men and women in the communities in which they live, and as citizens of our country, are of the greatest importance to us for present consideration. Our duty is to seek for peace and happiness and the well being of the whole human family, as far as it lies in our power to exert an influence to this end; and if we do our .duty today, as members of the Church and as citizens of our state and of the adjoining states in which we live, we need not greatly fear what tomorrow may bring forth. One of the things that impresses me as a matter of importance to be considered by the people of our state and of this intermountain region is a careful course of prudence, economy, and extreme industry and carefulness with reference to the production and conservation of the necessaries of life. We have had a long winter which has extended down far into the lap of spring. It 'is possible that we may have a short season for growth of grain and cereals of all kinds, together with vegetables and fruits, that are needful to sustain life. We should realize that we are dependent upon the soil and upon tilling it, the labor of the husbandman and the blessing of Almighty God upon our labors and upon the soil, for the necessaries of life. We cannot subsist without these things. ¶

I think that the united faith and prayer of the people who believe in the possibility of the answer to the prayers of those who are devout and who have faith in God, should be lifted to the Giver of all Good, that peace may continue to prevail over all our land, and that prosperity might attend the people of our great country ; that peace may also be restored to all the nations of the earth, when it shall be the purpose and the will of God'that it should be. I think it is our duty to ask the blessing of the Lord upon the labor of the husbandman. That the blessings of the season's fruitfulness may be bestowed upon those who till the soil and who earn the bread and food necessary to sustain life. In years gone by, even before our state was a territory, the earliest settlers of this country were, by the merciful providences of the Lord, and the wise counsel of the leaders of the people, in a position to help their neighbors with the necessaries of life. While many of them in the south, the north, and in the western part of our country, were searching for gold and precious metals, things that would not in themselves sustain life, we were cultivating the soil, producing that which was needful for them, and they poured their gold into our laps for the 'food thatlwe gave them in return, to sustain their lives and to enable them to prosecute their labors. I hope the people of this state, especially the Latter-day Saints, will prove themselves to be veritable Josephs in Egypt, that when necessity stalks abroad through the land, the needy may apply to us for that which is necessary for their happiness and for their subsistence. I understand that the authorities at Washington have requested those in charge of our Agricultural College, in the north, to exercise all the influence they can to prevail upon the people of this state to economize and to produce, save, and store up, to the best of their ability, those things that will supply, if need be, even the sinews of war, if war should come. ¶

The Spirit Which Latter-day Saints Should Manifest in War

Speaking of the possibility of conflict, of war, I exhort my friends, the people of our country, especially in this intermountain region, to maintain above all other things the spirit of humanity, of love, and of peace-making, that even though they may be called into action they will not demolish, override and destroy the principles which we believe in, which we have tried to inculcate, and which we are exhorted to maintain ; peace and good will toward all mankind, though we may be brought into action with the enemy. I want to say to the Latter-day Saints who may enlist, and whose services the country may require, that when they become soldiers of the State and of the Nation that they will not forget that they are also soldiers of the Cross, that they are minisers of life and not of death; and when they go forth, they may go forth in the spirit of defending the liberties of mankind rather than for the purpose of destroying the enemy. If we could convert them to peaceful ways and to the love of peace without destroying them, we would become saviors of men. And it is abominable that men who engage in the great and grand and necessary duty of protecting and guarding our Nation from the -encroachments of wicked enemies, cruel and destructive foes, should not maintain among themselves lives of honor, virtue, purity and of immunity from sin and crime of every kind. It is a disgraceful thought that a man to become a soldier should become a rake and abandon himself to crime and wickedness. Let the soldiers that go out from Utah be and remain men of honor. And when they are called obey the call, and manfully meet the duty, the dangers, or the labor, that may be required of them, or that they may be set to do; but do it with an eye single to the accomplishment of the good that is aimed to be accomplished, and not with the blood-thirsty desire to kill and to destroy. ¶

Our Mission Is to Help the Oppressed and Needy

Charity, or love, is the greatest principle in existence. If we can lend a helping hand to the oppressed, if we can aid those who are despondent and in sorrow, if we can uplift and ameliorate the condition of mankind, it is our misssion to do it, it is an essential part of our religion to do it. And I say to our friends present that we have an organization in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that is perfect in its operation, by which we may call today to almost the whole Church, for aid, and tomorrow we will receive returns with the generous contributions that are freely given for a good cause, and it will cost nobody a cent. Every dime contributed for the benefit of the poor goes to the poor, and is not consumed by charitable organizations, who collect and handle means intended for the poor, and are paid for their services, thus absorbing a large percentage of the means contributed for the benefit of the poor, by those who are not poor. I wish to announce that to our friends. The Latter-day Saints know this, they understand it. They have recollection of recent events in which, within twenty-four hours or thereabouts, the people of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints contributed somewhere near $35,000, and it was sent to the afflicted people of the east that were suffering in consequence of war, and it was put into hands who would distribute it wisely to those who needed, without cost to anybody ; and a portion of that fund, which was not distributed, remains to be dealt out to those who are really in need as their circumstances require. ¶

A Spirit of Love and Toleration Enjoined

I should not occupy too much of your time, but I have another thought or two that I wish to announce, merely as a matter of reference or as a text, perhaps, for those who may follow, if the Spirit so*leads, to amplify. We admonish, we beseech our brothers and sisters in the gospel of Jesus Christ, not only to honor themselves by a proper course of Hving, but also to honor and love and be charitable to your neighbors, every one of you. We admonish you not only to keep the greatest of all the commandments that has ever been given of God to man, to love the Lord your God, with all your heart and mind and strength, but we exhort you also to observe that second law, next unto it, to love your neighbors as yourselves ; return good for evil, do not revile others because you are or may be reviled. We have no need to tear down the houses of other people (using this expression as a symbol). We are perfectly willing that they should live in the homes they have erected for themselves, and,we will try to show them a better way. While we will not condemn that which they love and cherish above all other things in the world, we will endeavor to show them a better way and build them a better house and then invite them kindly, in the spirit of Christ, of true Christianity, to enter the better dwelling. That is the principle, and I wish to impress it, upon you this morning. I desire to impress, if I can, upon the minds of the parents the necessity of properly instructing and teaching their clrldren with reference to this glorious principle, charity and love, that love for our neighbor that will enable us to cherish his rights as sacredly as we cherish our own, to defend the rights and the liberties of our neighbor, as we would defend our own rights and liberties, put up the fallen bars in the fences of our neighbors that are carelessly left down, just as we would put our own bars up surrounding our own fields, in order to protect our crops from the ravages of stray animals. That is a simple thing to say, but there is a meaning in it, and it is a very important thing for us to observe. Many of us are farmers. I have heard of some people who were so far from a love for this principle of kindness that they would prefer to tear down the fence and let down the bars of their neighbors in order that they might receive damage, rather than to put up the bars and try to protect them as they would wish to be protected themselves. ¶

Parents Should Teach Their Children Belief in Christ, and Loyalty to Law and Country

Fathers and mothers in Israel, will you try to teach your children that there is no other name given under heaven by which we have such a glorious hope of the resurrection from death to life, or assurance in the principle and promise of eternal exaltation i,n the Kingdomof God than that of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We are a Christian people, we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we feel that it is our duty to acknowledge him as our Savior and Redeemer. Teach it to your children. Teach them that the Prophet Joseph Smith restored again to the earth the priesthood that was held by Peter and James and John, who were ordained under the hands of the Savior himself. Teach them that Joseph Smith, the prophet, when only a boy, was chosen and called of God to lay the foundations of the Church of Christ in the world, to restore the holy priesthood, and the ordinances of the gospel which are necessary to qualify men to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Teach your children to respect their neighbors. Teach your ch'ldren to respect their bishops and the teachers that come to their homes to teach them. Teach your children to respect old age, gray hairs, and feeble frames. Teach them to venerate and to hold in honorable remembrance their parents and help all those who are helpless and needy. Teach your children, as you have been taught yourselves, to honor the priesthood which you hold, the priesthood which we hold as elders in Israel. Teach your children to honor themselves, teach your children to honor the principle of presidency by which organizations are held intact and by which strength and power for the well being and happiness and upbuilding of the people is preserved. Teach your children that when they go to school they should honor their teachers in that which is true and honest, in that which is manly and womanly and is worth while ; and also teach them to avoid the bad examples of their teachers out of school and the bad principles of men and women who are sometimes teachers in schools. Teach your children to honor the law of God and the law of the state and the law of our country. Teach them to respect and hold in honor those who are chosen by the people to stand at their head and execute justice and administer the law. Teach them to be loyal to their country, loyal to righteousness and uprightness and honor, and thereby they will grow up to be men and women choice above all the men and women of the world. ¶

Remember the Blessings of Temple Ordinances

And as Latter-day Saints, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ do not forget those ordinances of the gospel which require proper recognition in order that we may be placed unexceptionably before the Lord. The Lord has revealed to us a principle by which, by the proper and righteous exercise of divine authority, we may be joined together for time and all eternity. Teach your children that principle, that they may live worthy to go and receive the benefits and blessings of these ordinances. . Teach your children and let yourselves be taught the fact that it is necessary for you to become saviors upon Mount Zion for those who have died without the knowledge of the gospel, and that the temples of God in these mountains, and that are being reared in other lands, have been built and are designed expressly for the performance of these sacred ordinances which are necessary for those who have passed away without them. Do not forget these things. Keep them in mind for they are necessasry for us. ¶

A Testimony to the Purity, Honor, and Integrity of Leaders of the Church

There are many things that might be said, but I do not want to weary you. I want to bear my testimony. I have served from my youth up along with such men as Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards, George A. Smith, Jedediah M. Grant, Daniel H. Wells, John Taylor, George Q. Cannon, and Wilford Woodruff and his associates, and Lorenzo Snow and his associates, the members of the twelve apostles, the seventies and the high priests in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for more than sixty years ; and, that my word may be heard by every stranger within the sound of my voice, I want to testify to you that better men than these have never lived, within the range of my acquaintance. I can so testify because I was familiar with these men, grew up from babyhood with them, associated with them in council, in prayer and supplication, and in travel from settlement to settlement through our country here, and in crossing the plains. I have heard them in private and in public, and I bear my testimony to you that they were men of, God, true men, pure men, God's noble men. Virtuous men, who never were either tempted to .do evil or tempted others to do wrong, men whose examples and whose lives were above reproach, except in what corrupt, wicked or ignorant men supposed they saw and presumed to denounce as wrong in them. It was a crime in the eyes of lecherous scoundrels that President Young should have more wives than one. But they were his wives, and he honored them, and their children, and fed, clothed and educated them. He did not desert, nor abuse, nor abandon them; and because of this, extremely pious people and others have condemned him. Some of the rest of us have come under similar condemnation. I know that this was a true principle with them and that they did not sin, because they did not do violence to anybody; neither did they wrong anybody ; but that is a thing of the past. Others have complained and do complain, because certain men, who were fortunate enough to have families when the people of the state capitulated with the government of the United States, and President Woodruff announced the discontinuance of plural marriages, have taken care of their wives and their children that were left with them. I want to tell you just once more, and would tell it before all the world if I could, that I believe with all my heart, that if any man ought to be damned in this world, it is the man that will abandon, the mother of his children. We do not do it, we will not do it, the Lord Almighty helping us not to do it. Now, pardon me for digressing so far from the thought that was first in my mind. ¶

I bear my testimony to these men, that they were good men, pure men, honest men, leaders, builders, teachers of righteousness by precept and by example. They live in my memory as sacred as my life. ¶

I bear my testimony to you that no man has ever yet been able, so far as it is recorded in history, to bring to pass an organization like that of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as it was organized by Joseph Smith, the boy prophet. I testify that Joseph Smith revealed anew, and so to speak, re-enacted the gospel of Jesus Christ, and nothing else, even including the injunction of the Master, "if ye were Abraham's seed, ye would do the works of Abraham." ¶

God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son

I accept Jesus of Nazareth as the only begotten Son of God in the flesh. This is a great principle, though it seems hard for some people to understand it — those who believe in the foolish notion that God is a "vapor," if )?ou please, ether, electricity, "energy" or anything else you might call him or it, and that he fills the immensity of space, is everywhere present at the same time, etc., etc. It is difficult indeed for those who believe this foolish doctrine to believe that Christ could be the Son of God ; that God, being only spirit, or "energy," as defined by a certain learned preacher, could beget a son in "his own likeness," and "image," and the Son also be in the likeness and image of mortal man. The apostles of Jesus Christ, his witnesses, declared it, and he himself has declared it by his own voice in the day in which we live, but it is hard to get people to understand how that nondecsript creation of man's ignorance called "God" by the sectarian world, which fills the immensity of space and is everywhere present at the same time, can beget a Son in the form of himself and at the same time in the form of man. But when they hear the truth, as it was revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith, by Christ himself, and as it is revealed in the testimony of the ancient scriptures, that God "created man in his own likeness, in his own image, male and female created he them," it is hard to get men to understand that Almighty God, who possesses all knowledge, all wisdom, and all power, can extend his power, his Spirit, his majesty and glory and .dominion over all his creations, while he himself sits upon his throne — it is hard to make them understand it, and yet that is the truth. We want to teach those principles to our children, and inculcate the teaching of the same things to our children's children to the latest generation, that they may grow up in the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ, whom he has sent unto the world, whom to know is life eternal. ¶

The New Church Office Building

I will give way to my brethren to speak as the Spirit may impress them ; but, before I conclude. I have had jotted down a few statements of facts which I presume will be interesting, at least to those present at this conference. ¶

As you know, for the last sixty odd years, the Church has had its headquarters in the little old buildings,which were erected by President Brigham Young, away back in the early 50's, and which at the time served the purpose very well, and have continued to .do so until now. Still, they have become worn with age and not quite in keeping with the progress of other things. A couple of years ago we determined to construct a building which would afford office room for our various organizations. Previously, however, a very creditable building had been erected for the Presiding Bishopric, and for the Relief Societies and other organizations of the Church. But we concluded that we would build a house that would furnish suitable accommodations for the Presidency and others, and at the same time would be a monument of the real character of the work in which we are engaged. I am happy to say that we have practically completed it, although we have been delayed on account of the lack of facility on the part of some of those who have contracted to furnish material with which to complete the adornment of the walls. We are waiting for marble. I am pleased to say that we have used, in the adornment of the interior walls of our building, as far as it was possible, home materials— marble and onyx and precious stones that exist in great abundance in Utah, and it is therefore practically a home-made building. There has been expended for the erection and equipment of the new Church Office Building, $864,562. ¶