My brethren and sisters, I most

My brethren and sisters, I most sincerely and deeply crave an interest in your confidence, and your faith and prayers, for the few moments that I shall stand before you upon this important occasion. There never has been a time in my life when I have felt more in need of the assistance of the Spirit of our heavenly Father than now, for I recognize that all of you assembled together in this great audience have come to conference for the purpose of receiving some word of inspiration to take to your homes and carry with you individually, or to disseminate to those among you with whom you are called to labor in the various wards and stakes of the Latter-day Saints. ¶

I realize that these conferences are of very great importance to you. Those who attend the meetings from the beginning to the end of conference realize this to a greater extent than if they attend only one or two sessions of the conference. ¶

I am very grateful, personally, my brethren and sisters, for a membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have enjoyed a great many privileges and blessings that have come to me as a member of the Church. Like many who are assembled here upon this occasion, I was born in the valleys of the mountains. No doubt there are many men and women in this congregation who received the gospel in the nations of the earth, and I recognize that there is a vast difference between the men and women in this congregation who received the gospel in the nations of the earth, and the boys and the girls, or the men and women, who received the gospel in the organized wards and stakes of the Church. We who have been born in the Church have practically automatically become members of the Church. Our fathers and mothers have been interested deeply in the work, and we have arrived at the age of eight years without overmuch knowledge of the gospel. We have been baptized by the servants of the Lord, had hands laid upon us for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and in a certain sense almost have become automatically members of the Church. Its teachings have then rested upon us as we have grown. Years and experience have brought unto us the power to receive deeply within our hearts the same kind of testimony of the gospel that the members of the Church who have accepted the gospel in the. nations of the earth have received. I am very grateful, my brethren and sisters, to know that we who are born members of the Church, so to speak, are placed in a position by which that testimony can be given to us, and are also ¶

able to say and to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God lives, that in this day and age of the world in which we live, he has established his Church upon the earth. ¶

There are many responsibilities, my brethren and sisters, resting upon us, as members of the Church, not only as presiding men and women in the Church, but as members : we are to be careful in our lives to set before the world an example that will be worthy of emulation, and to adopt principles that have been revealed from heaven, that will make its better citizens of our country, and better members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I trust that as members of the Church we shall live worthy of the cause that has been established, and endeavor to overcome the weaknesses of our own flesh and the difficulties that surround us, in the way of temptations presented to us in our various walks and avocations of life. I trust that we shall endeavor to observe the Word of Wisdom, particularly to overcome the habit of using cigarettes, tobacco in any form, and intoxicating liquors. ¶

I am very grateful indeed to know that those states in this intermountain region that have not passed laws already governing the sale of intoxicating liquors will have laws go into effect soon. We who are living in the State of Utah are grateful to know that soon a prohibition law will go into effect to help us in conquering the liquor traffic that is with us at present, and overcome the use of intoxicating liquors. ¶

In my experience, my brethren and sisters, I do not know of one thing that I abhor quite so much as ¶

the use of intoxicating liquors. All my life I have been thrown directly where I have observed the effects of the use of intoxicating liquor. The misery that has come to men and women with whom I have come directly in contact and known intimately has caused an abhorrence in my soul for the use of liquor. I hope that the men and women who are here who have boys and girls will use every effort to teach them that the use of intoxicating liquor is detrimental to their welfare as well as contrary to the teachings that God our heavenly Father has revealed unto the children of men. Misery has been brought into the world through the use of intoxicating liquors beyond the power of the human tongue to describe. No doubt many of you, my brothers and sisters, have witnessed these things in your lives. You have seen, perhaps, a gray haired mother unfortunate enough in her life to have to stand on the door step and wait for the father to return, or a son who has gotten away from the shadows of the roof and come in contact with the influence of the world, and who, before he returns to his home, has been overcome with intoxicating liquors, to come home and fall into the arms of the mother who has been tearfully praying that her boy would not be overtaken by that sin or other sins directly connected with it. ¶

Temperance is an important thing in our lives, because it builds up the individual — and the strength of the Church and country is as the strength of the individual. If we could have a race of men and women who had never touched intoxicating liquor, who knew not the evils of the use of tobacco, nor what the taste of tea or coffee is, how strong would that generation of men and women be in our midst, as well as in the nation and the world at large! We have striven, undoubtedly, for that end, and I am very much convinced of the fact that we are greatly growing in that direction. There may be some who believe that we are not achieving a great deal along those lines, but personally I believe we are gaining ground, and will be able to establish the truth in the hearts of the boys and girls with whom we come in contact in our homes and in the organizations and otherwise, that it is not good for them to indulge in these forbidden things. We are able to convince the older men and women who, in their younger days, adopted the use of tobacco or intoxicating liquors, that it is wrong for them and wrong in the sight of God to continue in the use of these things. And consequently, one step after another, one effort after another, we are able to accomplish a great deal along this line. I am led to the belief, as I come in contact with the people, that we are gaining ground, and that the Word of Wisdom is being more thoroughly established amongst us. ¶

I trust, my brethren and sisters, that we may enjoy ourselves and have the peace and the blessings of the gospel of the Redeemer within our souls. The comforts of the world are great blessings to have. I believe it would be a good thing if we could enjoy the riches of the world. It has never been my privilege, thus far in life, to enjoy them to any great extent, but as I come in contact with other men and women who enjoy the temporal blessings of the world, I am convinced it would be pleasant to possess them. But, my brethren and ¶

sisters, it would be better for us to be in rags, at the door of starvation, than not to possess within our hearts, the sweet, peaceful, directing influence that comes from our heavenly Father — that gift and blessing of the Holy Ghost promised unto the children of men if they would be obedient to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. ¶

I testify, my brethren and sisters, that God has again restored the gospel to the earth, that he has bestowed the Holy Ghost upon all who have obeyed the gospel's first requirements. The Holy Ghost is given to the children of men, to be a teacher and a comforter unto them, to guide them unto eternal truth, and to assist them when trials and tribulations come upon them, and to give unto them the peace and the happiness that their souls crave. ¶

I ask that the blessings of God may be upon us, that we shall be able to become better men and women, and to carry out in our lives a little more closely the things which we have covenanted with God to obey. I ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶