Why should we come together, so

I certainly desire that while I stand before this great congregation, the words I speak mav be prompted by that same excellent ¶

spirit which has directed the other utterances of this conference. ¶

It seems odd that we should meet together so frequently and should have such tremendous interest in this one subject — the gospel of Jesus Christ. The reason we are not weary from this repetition is that the gospel of Jesus Christ is classic. A classic grows better and dearer and sweeter with repetition, "it is always new and incapable of growing old." ¶

As I see these presidents of stakes their counselors, their bishops of wards and counselors, high councilors and other leading Church men sitting here day after day listening to the teachings of the servants of our Father in heaven, and realize what important elements they are in a business and financial way, in their respective communities, I appreciate that they regard, as do we all, these meetings, these conferences, this worship of ours, as of first importance. What are we struggling for ? We are aiming to reach perfection. We sang it yesterday in that glorious hymn : "Thus on to eternal perfection, the honest and faithful will go." ¶

It was intimated yesterday by one speaker that perhaps all of us are not living in strict conformity with some of the teachings and practices of the Church. It was said, with regret, that some of the members of the Church may not be prayerful. Perhaps some do not pray in secret, and there may be some who do not pray with their families. Why is it necessary that we should pray in secret and that frequently? Why is it necessary that we should pray with our families? Why is it necessary that we should come together so often to worship?, The reason is because we are clothed upon with mortality. We all have tremendous imperfections. We all have shortcoming's and weaknesses to overcome. We pray in secret, we pray with our families, we go to our places of worship, we come together as we have met this morning to worship in order that we may become perfect, even as our Father in heaven is perfect. When we go from this building, this conference will not have been a complete success if as a result of it we say only in our hearts, "How well the brethren have spoken." We should leave this service with bowed heads thinking. These meetings should make us all reflect and resolve anew to be better. This lesson is beautifully and forcefully taught by the following familiar but classic lines from the scriptures : ¶

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. ¶

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. ¶

I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. ¶

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. ¶

And the great Master said : I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. ¶

Here in humility we are studying, teaching, learning, helping one another to be perfect in accordance ¶

with the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe in being honest. Are we honest? We believe in being true. Are we true? We believe in being chaste. Are we chaste? We believe in being benevolent. Do we love the unfortunate, do we feed the hungry? do we clothe the naked ? do we visit the widows and the fatherless? We believe in .doing good to all men. All these teachings are a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Until we are able to love perfectly in accordance with it, we have reason to meet, we have reason to pray, we have reason to worship, we have reason to partake of the sacrament. All these things we aim to do that we may finally be perfect, even as our Father in heaven is perfect. ¶

The gospel of Jesus Christ — it includes every earthly and heavenly thing that is good for man. Every rule, every teaching, every philosophy, every principle, that lifts man up, that makes him strong, that makes him better, that makes him Godlike — all these things belong to the gospel of Jesus Christ. That we may more nearly live in accordance with it is the purpose of our meeting. If here or elsewhere, in any philosophy, or in any science, there "is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy," whether it be in our own country, or any other country, whether it be in our own or any other church, we, Latter-day Saints, seek for these things. ¶

In our great democratic government, the fundamental element in its makeup is its daughters and its sons. In this Church of ours, in our own families, the fundamental element is also our daughters and our sons. To make these men and women truly good, truly wise, • truly Godlike, is one of the ends.for which we struggle. The spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ tends to lift men up — to make them stronger and better. Nor are our labors confined to our own families. We do missionary work with our friends and with our associates and with our neighbors. ¶

Only a little while ago I sat during an evening with a man who is comparatively old. He said that one of the traveling brethren of the Church came to him when he was a young man, and he said, "I will never forget the lessons he taught me." He came into my place in the early evening; and explained that he was to leave at five o'clock the next morning, but he said, 'I want to talk to you. I want to teach you. I want you to know the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want you to be a man. I want you to be clean. I want you to read the scriptures, I want you to be familiar with the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. ¶

"He not only pleaded with me for one hour or two hours, but all night long. At five o'clock in the morning his team came and he drove away without having taken off his coat or his shoes. He would not be satisfied until I told him that I would give the matter serious consideration, and if upon investigation I found these things as he represented. I would be willing to lay my work aside and go into the mission field and teach others. He came to me thus earnestly when I was a boy, and he made me a man. He taught me to look towards the rising sun. He gave me an ambition. He taught me to be clean. ¶

"I have introduced you to my sons and to my daughters, to my sons-in-law and my daughters-in- ¶

law and you have seen my grandchildren. For these, for the example I have set them, I am indebted to the man who labored so earnestly all night long to induce me to take a mission. If some degree of success is coming to my children and you can see that it is, I feel sure, that it is to a degree because of, and not in spite of, the life of their father." This is an example of the intense missionary spirit — the desire to do good to others — that fills the hearts of faithful Latter-day Saints. ¶

The important element in the Church, in the Nation, in the family, as I have said already, is our daughters and our sons. We want them to be true, we want them to be good, we want them to be virtuous. We are meeting here, we are uniting our hearts, we are uniting our faith in prayer to our Father in heaven that he will give us the power to bring them up as they ought to be brought up. O, that we had the faith, O, that we had the power, O, that we had lived the life that would bring such faith that we could know that those who have gone abroad, would come back to us clean, noble, men of God, protected bv his Spirit from every harm ! Who is there here that has alwavs prayed, who is there here that has alwavs had the faith, who is there here that alwavs partakes of the sacrament worthilv, and therefore has the right to expect such a blessing? Who is there here that deserves to have the life of his son preserved bv the power of God? Being mortal we each and all have reason to smite upon our breasts and exclaim, "Father, have mercy on me a sinner." We are struggling for the good, for the salvation, for the education, for the progress, of our daughters and our sons. In this great struggle we need our heavenly Father's help. ¶

I have in my hands a recent number of The Outlook. In it is a letter written by a father to his soldier son. From this letter, some of us may perhaps learn how, more successfully to teach our own sons. — I quote with a few slight changes the following portions of the letter. ¶

My son, hold fast always to the grand old Anglo-Saxon ideals of personal chastity. So live, that when you return, you will not have to turn away from your mother's or your sister's kiss. ¶

The part religion will play in all these things of which I. have written, I shall not amplify, but only remark, it needs all the assistance of a supernatural faith, a faith in God, to keep most of us, all the time, up to the level of our possibilities." ¶

We pray, we fast, we partake of the sacrament, — we live the lives of Latter-day Saints so as to have this faith. ¶

I have written you a long letter; but, as I see before me on my table this portrait of a boy in uniform who is taller than his father, and, thank God, better equipped for life and fitter to command men and himself, I have been moved to go on and on to the point of tedium. Let me whisper a secret. While it has tickled my vanity to know how proud you are of your father's little successes, and while this has been a real spur to me, yet all the while I know, and so should you, that you, my son, are my real success. Every line of your clean, strong body, every expression of your alert, steady mind, has been to me a joy beyond all rewards of money or distinction or service. I suppose children never can know until too late what they mean to parents. If this letter were not already so long, I could tell you tales of men known to me personally and to the whole world, who would gladly give every dollar they possess and every shred of fame, if their sons ¶

were only honorable, useful, and noble men. I blush to think how often I've boasted of you, my boy. All that ever I dreamed of doing or being I know you will accomplish, if you come through this war alive. ¶

As for that, it is in the hands of you and God. Remember there are a thousand things worse than being dead. I know you will never take an ignoble chance to live or refuse a noble chance to die. Either would be sorrow's crown of sorrow to your mother and me, who have poured into your life more than you can ever surmise— more, even, than we possessed, it seems — of high purpose and expectation and patriotism. You are the flower and fruit of our life; therefore, we thank God daily that you are a good soldier of the world's welfare and of the American flag. ¶

We have in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints our Religion Classes, the Primary Associations, the Mutual Improvement Associations and the Sabbath-Schools, all devoted to the training of our boys and girls. In these we struggle, we try, we pray, we fast, we teach, we partake of the sacrament, and we worship, in the hope that our Father in heaven will bless us with wisdom to so bring up our daughters and our sons that to us, to him, to the Church, and to the country, they will be a credit. ¶

A sacred tenor solo : "O divine Redeemer," was sung by G. W. Charlesworth, of Idaho Falls. ¶