To begin with, my brethren and

To begin with, my brethren and sisters, I desire to commend to you the advice of Brother Ivins in relation to the constitutional amendment, prohibiting the manufacture and sale of liquor in the State of Utah. We have that amendment on the statute books of the state of Idaho, and we would like to see the time when every adjoining state shall adopt the same constitutional amendment. ¶

In Idaho we have tried two forms of prohibition. In the county from which I come we have had prohibition for a number of years. The county seat of our county is Pocatello. I remember in our campaign against the traffic in liquor that the whisky men told us that if we adopted the prohibition measure, the grass would grow up in the streets of Pocatello, business would be stagnant, and ruin would come to that city. And now after a number of years of prohibition in Idaho, I am proud to say to you that Pocatello is the most prosperous city in the state, and instead of grass growing in the streets, the buildings that were used for the traffic of liquor have been transformed into buildings used for other purposes, the streets and the sidewalks have been paved, and the city as a whole shows marked improvement over the conditions that existed in the days when liquor was transported and dealt out to the people in our county. So, from the experience that we have had I desire to recommend to the people of the ¶

State of Utah the adoption of the constitutional amendment forever prohibiting the manufacture and sale of liquor in the state of Utah. I am very grateful, my brethren and sisters, for the opportunity that I have of being present at this conference. I rejoice in the testimony of my brethren. I rejoice in the instruction and the counsel given by the presiding authorities of the Church. And our service does not end, my brethren and sisters, at the dismissal of this meeting. But we who have been in attendance at the ¶

sessions of this conference have a ¶

duty to perform after we have gone home from this conference of the Church. It becomes our duty to adopt in our homes the teachings, and instructions given by our brethren. It becomes our duty to disseminate the principles of the gospel in our wards, as they have been made clear to us, among our friends and our brethren and sisters wherever we may go, that all may have the privilege of enjoying the blessings of this great conference of the Church. All men and women in the Church have a right to know what the Lord expects of them. The Lord has said, "If any lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not." And the Lord Jesus said upon one occasion : "Ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you." The privilege of knowing our standing before the Lord, and what the Lord expects* of us as members of the Church, is within our right, and we have a right to go before the Lord and ask him, and receive from him inspiration and revelation pertaining to our own selves and the work that we should perform as members of the Church. ¶

Every blessing is predicated upon law, and in order for us to enjoy the blessings of the gospel, we must obey the commandments of the Lord. If we desire a blessing at the hands of the Lord, it becomes our duty to ask for it. In that connection, let me say that the Latter-day Saints should observe their secret prayers. Latter-day Saints should call their families together in the time and season thereof, and pour out their souls unto the Lord that they may be in communion with the Holy Spirit and be directed in their labors to do the things that the Lord requires at their hands. ¶

It is not the rule that the Lord shall come to us and bless us with blessing's that we need, without our asking. In reviewing the history of the Church, the Prophet Joseph Smith, in the beginning, when his mind was wrought up as to which of all the religious organizations of the world was right, and while he was pondering in his own mind, the Lord did not come to him and say that none of them are right. He went out into the woods alone, and poured out his soul to God to find out which of all the religious organizations was right. Then the answer came to him in the visitation of the Father and the Son. The Father, pointing to the Son, said to the Prophet boy, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased ; hear ye him." Then the voice of the Lord to Joseph was that none of the organizations was acceptable to him, and that he should wait, apart from any organization, and in the due time of the Lord he should be the instrument in bringing about God's purposes. Later on, when the Prophet desired to learn his standing before the Lord, pondering upon this question while lying upon his bed, an angel of the Lord appeared to him. Then the angel Moroni reconciled the Prophet boy by saying that his labors, his acts, were acceptable before the Lord, and that he was in good standing, having repented of his shortcomings, before our Father in heaven. Then he rehearsed the story of the whereabouts of the Book of Mormon, or the plates from which it was afterward translated by him. and what the mission of the prophet should be in relation ¶

thereto. Later on, during the translation of the Book of Mormon, the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery encountered some problem in reference to baptism for the remission of sins, as recorded in the Book of Mormon, and desired to know what was meant in relation to the subject of baptism by immersion. I presume they consulted one with another, and talked about this matter of baptism, but the Lord did not come and say, This is the proper mode of baptism ; but we find that Joseph and Oliver went out and prayed to the Lord relative to the subject, and while in the attitude of supplicating the Lord upon this question, John the Baptist appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, and laid his hands upon their heads and ordained them to the Aaronic Priesthood, and commanded them to ordain each other, and also commanded that they should baptize each other. ¶

So also, when any principle or ordinance of the gospel, or any laws of the Church, have been given in this dispensation, the brethren who stand at the head and have the right to receive these revelations have gone to the Lord in secret prayer, and the Lord has come to them and revealed his mind and will upon these matters. ¶

When the question of tithing came up in the early history of the Church, the Prophet Joseph went to the Lord, and said: "O Lord, show unto us, thy servants, what thou requirest of this people as a tithing." Then the word of the Lord came to the Prophet Joseph, that all of the surplus property of the people should be turned in as a tithing of the people, and after that one-tenth of all their interests should be given to the Church for the upbuilding of Zion upon the earth. ¶

So that is the example set for us. While we have not the right to receive revelations and visions for the Church, as has been explained in the discourses of our brethren, yet every member of the Church, whether he be young or old has a right to know his or her standing before the Lord, has a right to enjoy the testimony and the divine influence of the Spirit of the Lord, has a right to receive revelation pertaining to himself and his duty and ministry in the Church : and it only comes to us by our performance of duty, by our drawing near unto the Lord, as in the history of the organization and the revelations to the Prophet Joseph Smith. ¶

I rejoice, my brethren and sisters, in the testimony that I have of the gospel of the Lord Jesus. I know it is true. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the Lord, and that the brethren who have succeeded him, including President Joseph F. Smith, were prophets, seers and revelators, and were the right men in the right place. When I heard our beloved president say in his opening address that for seventy years he had devoted his time to the ministry, to the work of the Lord, to the spread of the gospel in many lands and climes, and in presiding among the brethren and sisters here at home. I honored and respected him. When I thought of the blessings we have enjoyed here at home, and of the wisdom and understanding exhibited in his life, I am certainly led to say that the Lord certainly blesses his servants. If we will devote our time and our talents to the ministry and the work of the Lord, the spirit of the gospel, and the establishment of truth ¶

and righteousness in the earth, the Lord will continue to bless us. ¶

I bear witness to you that the Lord has again spoken from heaven, has revealed his gospel, organized his Church, and placed therein every blessing and gift that is necessary for us to develop and grow and become like our Father in heaven, even in the gospel within the Church. It is an individual work. Every man must save himself. True, we can do a great deal by helping one another, but the salvation, the exaltation, the blessings that we obtain hereafter depend upon ourselves, upon our labors and faithfulness in keeping the commandments of the Lord. ¶

May the Latter-day Saints everywhere be faithful and devoted to the cause of Christ. We have been told during this conference, and it has been pointed out to us, of the great responsibility of the Church in relation to this great world war, and I trust the Latter-day Saints everywhere will prepare themselves to do their full duty in whatever calling may come to them. This is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶