I shall endeavor to divide the

I shall endeavor to divide the time that is left with President Kimball and I will try to astonish you by being brief. ¶

First I desire to read a verse from the prophecy of Daniel : "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms and it shall stand forever" (Daniel 2:44). ¶

The Prophet Joseph Smith, many years ago (in the early days of the Church), and during his temporary residence in the state of Missouri, was arrested on a charge of treason, because he alluded to the fulfilment of this prophecy of Daniel in the coming forth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ; and, together with other men — his faithful co-laborers — he suffered several months in prison. The main accusation against the prophet was, as I have stated, treason, but of course it was a trumped-up or unwarranted charge. ¶

The passage in holy writ which I have quoted is a part of the interpretation given by Daniel the Prophet to King Nebuchadnezzar, when that mighty monarch had a vision of a great image which symbolized certain great kingdoms which should flourish in regular succession upon the earth, and in which interpretation Nebuchadnezzar himself was referred to as the head of gold, or a world regent — a "ruler over them all." ¶

But the Lord became very angry with Nebuchadnezzar because of his pride and arrogance, and because he would not acknowledge the God of heaven and earth, and as a punishment God took away the king's reason, after which that once mighty man spent seven years among the animals of the fields, eating herbs and grass like some of the beasts. His grandson Belshazzar attempted to mock the God of Israel by using the 'holy vessels ( that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem), in a drunken feast with his nobles and harlots. The Lord was so angry with him because of his wickedness that he allowed the Medes and Persians to break into his capital city that very night and kill him, thus destroying the great kingdom of Babylon, and verifying the interpretation given by Daniel to the inscription on the wall : "God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it; thou art weighed in the balance and art found wanting; thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians" (Daniel 5: 26-28). ¶

Another man who in course of time aspired to become the ruler over the whole world was Alexander the Great who, after subduing all the nations of the earth known to him, wept because there was nothing more to conquer. It must be remembered in this connection that men did not at that time know the size of the earth; it being long before America was known to the people of Europe and Asia, and also long before the southern part of Africa, and many of the islands of the sea had been discovered; but Alexander set himself up as the great master of all, the great ruler of the whole world, and took upon himself, like his predecessors, to deprive men of their free agency and to make them slaves. But the Lord soon humbled Alexander and his days in the role of an arrogant and proud ruler were only of short duration. ¶

Next we have the Roman empire which endeavored first in a political way and later as an ecclesiastical power to rule the world with an iron hand, and crush the people who would not yield to the dominion of Rome ; but that power was also broken and the aspirations of the usurpers of authority were never fully gratified. ¶

The great Napoleon Bonaparte tried to conquer the world about a hundred years ago. From his individual standpoint some of his plans were perhaps intended for good. He aspired, it seems, to be a great liberator of men, but he also arrogated to himself that which the Lord has reserved for Christ, the Redeemer of the world who is the only one who, according to the divine plan, is destined ultimately to rule the whole earth; but the rule of Christ will be one of righteousness under which the free agency of men will be respected. ¶

I refer to these matters in connection with an important theme which has been dwelt upon by many of the speakers at this general conference of the Church, and in reference to our views as Latter-day Saints. We have in the world at the present time another man who is not mentioned in Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Nevertheless he is following in the wake of Nebuchadnezzar and his other predecessors, who aspired to power and unrighteous dominion. He also wants to arrogate to himself that which belongs solely to the King of kings and Lord of lords, and aspires to rule the world according to his own notions and behests ; but we know that the German kaiser will not succeed. It is only a matter of time till he will go the way of all his predecessors. ¶

But as Latter-day Saints we know something in regard to the kingdom of God which has been set up upon the earth in these the last days by the God of heaven, in fulfilment of Daniel's prophetic utterances. The Church and kingdom to which I refer and to which the Latter-day Saints belong has quite a history already, and I will just mention at this point to Brother Lesueur, president of the Maricopa stake, that the last thing I did at the Historian's office, before this conference commenced, was to write the history of the Maricopa stake of Zion, including a history of the Papago ward — the Indian ward — which was organized in Arizona many years ago. We are endeavoring to write a true history of the Church and kingdom of God as it has been established through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Personally I have not only had the privilege with many others of my brethren, to preach the gospel in many lands and climes, but I have also had the opportunity of studying and writing the history of the Latter-day Saints — the people who stand alone and separate in many respects from all others in their day and generation— the people who are destined to exercise a great influence in the world, but not to rule with arrogance and oppression — a people who will be accepted by Christ when he comes to reign as the King of kings and Lord of lords. We firmly believe that at some future day the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will become known and accepted for what it really is, and that millions of people shall not only know the Prophet Joseph again, but shall also know many other faithful men who have labored for the salvation and liberties of humanity. When that day comes, the people of the earth will become immensely interested in the history of the Church out of which shall grow the kingdom of God. ¶

For many years some of your brethren at the Historian's office have been busily engaged in important historical labors, aside from other duties. We have written histories of every stake of Zion, and of every mission field throughout the entire world, and it may be gratifying to the hosts of Zion, including those who are present here today, when I say that we have almost completed this task which was commenced thirty-one years ago. We have proceeded so far with the histories of missions, stakes, wards, and conferences that we now need a more thorough cooperation with some of those who constitute the membership in the various stakes and missions. I have already suggested on a number of occasions that a historian be appointed in every stake of Zion and in every ward throughout the Church to co-operate with the Historian's office, in order to make our histories accurate and complete in every detail. ¶

We have already prepared a great deal of material which we expect in the near future to read to the people, and in order to complete our labors, we expect before long to make a trip throughout the stakes of Zion and read to the old settlers and others in the different wards and settlements of the Saints such parts of the history as pertain to their particular ward or stake ; and when this is done and the local historians otherwise have had an opportunity to assist us, we hope to possess the most complete and accurate history that has ever been prepared and written about any people in the world — a true history in the fullest sense. It may not be amiss to state here that historians sometimes are the servants of those who will pay them for their labors, but the histories which we have prepared and are preparing of stakes, missions, and individuals are written from an impartial standpoint, as we have worked independent of any favors on the part of any individual, except that common Latter-day Saint hospitality and assistance which we have met with almost universally everywhere in our travels. ¶

In the various stakes of Zion there are still alive many men and women who have figured as faithful and successful workers in the Church ; and there are many others now dead who from the beginning took a most active part in the establishment of God's work upon the earth. These faithful workers in the good cause should not be forgotten, and we are endeavoring at the Historian's office to record certain facts concerning them which will cause their memory to live forever. ¶

Those of us who are working faithfully in the Church today will, like our predecessors, grow old and pass to the great beyond, and our children and grand children will, as time rolls on, include us among the founders of the great kingdom which Daniel speaks about. I will say here that your historians have been pursuing a plan by which faithful men and women can be placed on record without being sold into the hands of strangers who come into our midst for the sole purpose of financial gain. These strangers have charged from twenty-five to a thousand dollars or more to write a biography of a man or a woman who has figured prominently among our people, omitting, of course, those who could not raise the amount required. It is not necessary to submit to this method of having biographies written because the work done at the Historian's office is of such a nature that even the poor are given credit for what they have done. If a letter should be received by any of our leading men emanating from the Historian's office concerning biographical matters, let me assure you that it is not based on selfish motives, but only intended for the good of the people, and calls only for proper co-operation on the part of those who are entitled to credit. Here is, for instance Apostle Charles C. Rich, whose grandson has addressed us to day, and many others, whose names and deeds should not be forgotten, but in order to preserve their memories it is necessary that histories of their lives should be written. Think of the members of Zion's Camp, the Utah pioneers of 1847, the members of the "Mormon" Battalion, the martyrs of the Church, the missionaries who have died abroad, etc. The great majority of all these would be forgotten in a generation or two, were it not for that which shall be recorded about them in history. By co-operation we can perpetuate the memory of all faithful workers in the Church, rich and poor alike, and that is what we have aimed to accomplish. ¶

May God bless us who are now workers in the Lord's vineyard, and enable us to be faithful and true, even as our fathers and mothers before us have been faithful and true ; and if we can, Nephi like, do greater works than our fathers have done, it is our privilege to do so, because we have better opportunities in many respects than they had. May God enable us to be what he wants us to be and remain true and faithful to the end, and may we to the very best of our ability do our part to promote the interest of this great kingdom which Daniel speaks of — a kingdom that shall endure forever ! and by and bye will come our turn to be rewarded for our faithfulness. ¶

That God may bless Zion and her interests everywhere is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶