I am not accustomed to speak in

I am not accustomed to speak in audiences out of doors. I have always had them closed in where they could not get away. (Laughter.) Brethren and sisters and friends, I want to bless you people, in the name of the Lord, for he surely ought to bless a people who hunger and thirst after righteousness enough to stand up as you have stood and listen to the word of the Lord. ¶

I bless you, as I have blessed hundreds and hundreds of elders ¶

who have gone on missions. I have had many of them come back and say, "Brother Kimball, every promise you made has been fulfilled." One of the easiest things to do in the Church in our ministry is to bless an elder or a missionary sister who goes out in the service of the Lord and does his will and keeps his commandments. I have never been afraid up to date to promise them that they would go in peace and return in safety. ¶

Why fear death? That is what I am talking about to myself all the time. People have been looking for it in every case for a considerable length of time, but I have fooled them up to date ;and I am trying to learn not to fear death. A great man said when he went down with the ship, "Why fear death? It is the most beautiful adventure of life." He must have been exalted by a spiritual enthusiasm such as elders have when they go out into the world in the service of the Lord. They feel as Christ felt when he said, "Think not of your life, of what you shall eat, or of what you shall drink, nor of your body what you shall put on." I want to say, on the side, that is about all we are thinking about, at least some of us. ¶

My brethren and sisters, the short time I occupy I want to say to you, my knowledge is very limited, and it does not take me very long to tell it, but what I do know, I know as well as any man in this Church from the least to the greatest. Why do I know it ? Because I have learned it through the things which I have suffered. We have to suffer sometimes to find things out; until our hearts are twisted, before we are meek and humble and have faith in God. ¶

I remember reading a story. The incident happened during the civil war, when a large committee of Christian ministers came to Washington to wait on President Abraham Lincoln. After they had performed their duties, one of the Christian ministers turned to President Lincoln, and he said, "I hope the Lord is on our side." That is what all these nations are hoping, that the Lord is on their side. And President Lincoln said, "Well, I am not much concerned about the Lord being on our side," which was quite a shock to those ministers. "I am not concerned about that. What I am most concerned about is whether we are on the Lord's side." That is what I want you to be concerned about, you men who hold the holy priesthood ; you want to remember, in this great rush and hurry, not to be too much taken up with man's business, but you want to be exercised more about "our Father's business." ¶

You have listened to three presidents of missions — the Southern, Northern, and Western States Missions. I know just about as much about missionary work as they do. I spent five years in the Southern States, and filled my first mission, in 1883, when they killed elders. I was with Elder Roberts, and I know all about that experience. I never got much notoriety out of it, but I know something about it, just as much as anyone who was there. I know what it means to smell powder, and I am glad of it, and I thank the Lord I did not run. I guess I would have done so, but I had no place to go. (Laughter.) These brethren that have been talking to you have been in the Lord's service, they are soldiers of the Cross, and they are too old to go in the army of the United States ; and so am I. But I would like to touch off a 13-inch gun anyhow. (Laughter.) I am a great believer in the United States, but my service is first for God, for our heavenly Father. Do you remember when the Savior, Jesus Christ, was of the age of twelve? I think it was quoted at this meeting. He was in Jerusalem talking with those learned men and hearing and arguing with them, and his mother came back for him very much concerned. He said, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" That is what we want to be concerned about. ¶

I think you recognize the fact that I am the son of a prophet of God. And I am mighty proud of it. Heber C. Kimball, a short time before he died, often said to the people, "O, the test, the test, the test — who will be able to stand? And the answer comes back, 'Only those who know that Jesus is the Christ.' " Don't go off and forget it. There is a great test on, and it is only those who know that Jesus is the Christ that will be able to stand. I want to say to you brethren that if it is the last time I speak in the flesh, I feel that I am greater than a king on his throne, I am so much bigger than the Kaiser that I would not mention him in the .same breath. (Laughter.) Why? Because I hold the priesthood of God, because I am a servant of God, because it is my right and privilege when I keep the commandments of God, to testify under the spirit of prophecy and revelation of this great truth. ¶

I am going to ask you a few questions, and will let you answer them. If you don't know enough to answer them, then you don't know as much as I do. (Laughter.) I am going to ask you this question, Do you know of anything — you can think about your money, your wives, and children, and everything else — but do you know of anything in all this beautiful world more important than human life? If you do, just hold up your hands. ¶

I am going to ask it in another way : "Do you know of anything in all this universe that is dearer to the Father than a human soul? You don't. ¶

I am going to ask you another question : Do you know of any gift in all this world, or blessing, that is greater than salvation? No, because God said in the revelation that "salvation is the greatest gift of God to his children." These are reasons why you ought to be in the service of the Lord. That is why these presidents of missions and elders are blessed, and that is why we are able to come home as I did from the South in 1884 — and it is one of the greatest truths I ever told in my life — although I never had as hard a time in all my life as I had in the South, and when I think of it now, I actually shudder ; — and yet I came home to you people, and I looked you in the face and I told you it was the happiest time of all my life, and I never lied, either. That is what you get for being in the service of the Lord. ¶

I will conclude by reading to you from the Book of Mormon. It has impressed me very much, and I want you to think about it just as I have been doing. ¶

Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy ¶

name, that he would have mercy upon you ; ¶

Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save; ¶

Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him; ¶

Cry unto him when ye are in your fields; yea, over all your flocks; ¶

Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening; ¶

Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies; ¶

Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness. ¶

Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them; ¶

Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase. ¶

But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness ; ¶

Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you. ¶

And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need; I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith; ¶

Therefore, if ye do not remember to be charitable, ye are as dross, which the refiners do cast out, (it being of no worth,) and is trodden under foot of men. ¶

Try and remember that, will you ? ¶

As a servant of the Lord, I only want to repeat what the servants of God have said : "These are the last days, spoken of by the prophets, when perilous times shall come;" and you know, as I know, by what we read, that the most striking feature of this world war is the great destruction of life, which ¶

owes its success, if there be success, to the employment of almost all the science of the world, except the numerous discoveries in surgery and medicine which is freely given, ar.d the physician, as a physician, knows no difference between races and nations, between friend and foe. ¶

This is the biggest thing that physicians ever did, and I pray God to bless them in their efforts to save life. ¶

There has never been a time such as the present in the history of the world, when men ought to be talking big things, thinking big things, doing big things and overcoming their selfishness. It is a day of destruction, and leaders must be raised up who are constructive. Constructive work sometimes means destructive — you tear down to build up — you change the old for the new. Leaders must have a knowledge of mankind in order that the Lord's plans may be carried out. ¶

The German nation is one of the greatest nations today, when we consider her social and industrial condition, although it is founded on militarism. ¶

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as it has been organized through the Prophet Joseph Smith, is more perfectly organized and greater than any organization upon the earth. ¶

When you contemplate this great organization you find prophets and inspiration which is not founded on militarism, but brotherhood, fraternity, and "love-one-another," which is in accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ. The great test was : "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." ¶

If you have not love for one another you have not the spirit of the gospel. ¶

May the Lord bless you. Amen. ¶