My brethren and sisters: It is

My brethren and sisters: It is a pleasure to me to meet with you this beautiful morning in continuation of our splendid eighty-ninth semi-annual conference of the ¶

Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints ; and to hear the excellent testimonies we have received. It is an evidence to us that we are indeed the Church of Christ, and a joy that we have the privilege of living in the dispensation of the fulness of times, led by prophets and inspired men who have been chosen of the Lord to guide and direct his people. ¶

We have been interested in the discourses that have been delivered which are testimonies to us that the great latter-day work in which we are engaged, is of God. ¶

What we need in this Church today, my brethren and sisters, are teachers, to teach the word of God to our young people, men and women who are qualified for this duty, and I hope that we will not shirk the responsibility that rests upon us. We cannot dodge the responsibility that is required of us in this beautiful world in which we live. If we do, I think we will not live in a better world. But there are certain responsibilities that are resting upon every man and woman in Zion. One obligation is to teach the gospel to the young people in the splendid organizations that we have in this Church today. We call, perhaps, a number of sisters to preside in the Primary organizations in the wards and stakes where we live, and we send our children, but we never go there ourselves, we never meet with those s:sters in teaching our children. Now if we would make it a point to meet in this organization once every year, what a splendid thing it would be for us, and what a splendid thing it woidd be for our children, what interest they would have in us and the work in which we are engaged ! So in the Mutual Improvements Associations, we appoint a certain number of men and women to preside in these organizations, but we never go there ourselves. We never show much interest in them. We leave the work to these officers that we have appointed. Now, if every man and woman would make it a point to visit these organizations once a year, what an excellent thing it would be for us and our interest in these organizations. How the young people would rejoice to see our presence with them once in a while. The same with our priesthood quorums. Men shirk responsibilities more or less. We should not shirk responsibilities ; we should not dodge these things, because it is detrimental to us as well as to the Church at large to do so. ¶

The greatness of the work and responsibilities that rest upon us, my brethren and sisters, we can hardly comprehend. Our brother has said it is our responsibility to preach the gospel to the world. Half of the people of the world today are starving for a little love and sympathy that should be extended to them, and the other half of ail the world today are starving because they are not willing to give it. That is the condition the world is in ; arid I hope that we as Latter-day Saints may not be starving for the want of these things, that our young people may be more diligent in serving the Lord and striving to keep his commandments. ¶

I have a son in South Africa, who has been in that field laboring now for nearly three years. A short time ago he was sent to a new field of labor, where elders had not been before, a stranger, a poor, insignificant boy, as it were, yet an elder of the Church going there in the service of the Lord and with the ¶

blessings of the. servants of God upon his head. He labored there for ,six months. Lately I received word from him that he had been called into another field to labor. He says, "I have baptized two members of the Church, I have blessed two children ; and we had a meeting a short time ago, where I made my farewell address. The people of the little meeting we had of ten or twenty shed tears to know that I was to leave that little community and go into another." He went there as a strange boy, yet he made converts, had the love and confidence of the people, which love we have inasmuch as we strive for it, inasmuch as we seek to do the will of God and to keep his commandments. ¶

I was very much intereste l la .t evening' in Brother Nibley's address delivered before the priesthood, wherein he stated that the Latterday Saints are blessed with bounteous crops this season, more so than he could ever remember before. Now I bear that same testimony, my brethren and sisters, that our people are blessed this season as perhaps we have never been blessed before. I hope that we will not forget the Lord. Elder Hyrum M. Smith, in one of the last discourses that he delivered, I think, in one of the Idaho stakes of Zion, said that if the Latter-day Saints will be a prayerful people, if they will be diligent in saying their prayers morning and night, if they will be diligent in attending their sacrament meeting's every Sunday or as often as they can, if they will pay an honest tithing, doing those duties, they will never apostatize from the Church. I believe that, and it is possible for us all to do. It is possible for the little children even to meet together often and to partake of the sacrament, to pay an honest tithing, to say their prayers morning and night, and in secret. It is possible and it would not be difficult; if we would do that, what a reformation would come in the Church. Let us be more diligent. ¶

In the stake in which I reside, we have over a thousand people who are non-" Mormons." a splendid class of people. We visit with them, we associate with them, and it is a pleasure for us to do so, because they are good neighbors, they are good citizens, they are good home-builders, and we appreciate their company. We do not quarrel with them ; we let them worship as they will, and they do. We say, do not embrace "Mormonism" until you investigate for yourself, test its principles, and if you find them worth while, if we can assist you, if we can help you in explaining the principles of the gospel, we shall cheerfully do so. The consequence is that we have a satisfaction in living among them, and I trust that they have with us. I wish that we may be exemplar)- men and women. That preaches the gospel more than anything else that we do in the Church. How effectively it preaches the gospel to those who are not of us. if we can be exemplary men and women ! ¶

I reioice in the. spirit of the gospel. I rejoice that we are here in conference, and that we have the privilege to listen to the servants of God. Another thing, my brethren and sisters, this is a splend'd year to pay our debts and obligations. ¶

A dollar now, you know, is not worth more than about 50 cents in the commodities of life, but it is worth one hundred cents on ^the ¶

dollar in paying our debts and obligations ; and for that reason, this is a splendid year to meet our obligations. ¶

I am a little interested in the banks of the state where I live, and men will come to the banks, and beg for money at eight or nine per cent. Now that should not be the case. Let us pay our obligations as we can, while we have the splendid opportunity now afforded us. ¶

God bless you, my brethren and sisters. May peace and the blessings of the Lord attend us, and may we be worthy of every blessing that we enjoy, is my prayer, and I ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶

Sister Amelia Margetts sang a solo, "Song of my soul." ¶