My dear brethren and sisters. I have enjoyed

My dear brethren and sisters. I have enjoyed very much being with you this morning, and while I realize it is indeed an honor to be ¶

called to stand before a congregation of the Latter-day Saints to address them, I must confess I cannot fully appreciate that honor. I assure my brethren and sisters who have stood throughout this meeting, they are just as comfortable at the present time as I am. I desire that you will help me by your faith and prayers while I stand before you. ¶

I indorse without reservation all that my brethren have said. They have given us so many good thoughts that we cannot go from here feeling that we have not been fed with the bread of life. I have learned to realize, my brethren and sisters, that when we come together to worship the Lord, the responsibility is not all upon those who preside at the meeting, nor is all the responsibility upon those who address us. There is a responsibility upon each and every one of us. For if we come together with a real desire in our hearts to worship the Lord, our God, he will do his part and he will feed us with the bread of life though it may be through a stammering tongue. ¶

I desire to emphasize one thought that Brother Wells spoke of. He suggested that we put spirit into our worship. Oh, what an important thing this is, my brethren and sisters. I suggest that we put spirit into our lives, into our very existence, that we do not go through life in a listless way, but that we have spirit in all that we do. This is the thing the world is crying for. You go to the manufacturer, the business man ; leaders everywhere are calling for spirit. They do not call it spirit; of course, not; they call it in the modern slang "pep." They have called it enthusiasm, and ginger, and push, and now they call it "pep." It is spirit, my brethren and sisters, and it is one of the most important things in life. Someone has said that eighty per cent of success is enthusiasm, and I believe it. And I believe that eighty per cent of our success is spirit, the spirit with which we do things, the spirit with which we endeavor to do the things that Brother Smith has been advising us to do as parents, for parenthood is indeed a responsibility, and if we strive to teach our sons and daughters the principles of the gospel of Christ, with spirit, I believe the Lord will bless us and we will be successful in a great measure. ¶

If when we come together, we will put spirit into all features of our worship, as we did into the song we have just sung, what a wonderful thing it would be ! If I had received nothing else than that one hymn we have just sung, with spirit, I would have been fed 'with the bread of life. Brethren and sisters, take part In all the features of our worship. When we come together, let us strive to cast out from our hearts everything that is contrary to sincere worship of God. Let us seek earnestly to be truly humble, have a desire to have our souls fed. If we do this, I know that the Lord will bless us. When we are in this attitude, there is no room in our hearts for hatred or for jealousy or anything of that kind; there is true love in our hearts. And when we get true love in our hearts we are being fed with the bread of life. ¶

There is so much of the spirit of criticism, destructive criticism, in the world today, that, as Latter-day Saints we' cannot afford' to give way to this spirit, not for one minute. When we get this spirit in our hearts — that spirit of hatred and malice, we are crowding out that beautiful spirit of which I have spoken, that spirit of brotherly love, which is the Spirit of God. So, brethren and sisters, when we come together let us put spirit into our worship in every feature of it ; when an elder is called upon to pray, let us follow him very closely in every word he repeats, for remember, he is but the mouthpiece for each and every one of us, and if we do not take part in the' prayer, we are not doing our duty, and we are not entitled to the blessing of that prayer. ¶

It is a wonderful thing to know how to pray. I do not mean to say I can tell you how it is done but I have lived, lo these forty years and upwards, and am just beginning to learn how to pray. And oh, my brethren and sisters, I exhort you and myself to learn how to pray. As I said, I am just beginning to learn the beauty of prayer, and it is a wonderful blessing to be alone and strive with all your heart to pray. "Prayer is the soul's sincere desire," and it is a wonderful thing to express that desire to our Father in heaven and feel to a slight degree that we are approaching our Father in heaven in such a way that he desires to come near unto us. It is a wonderful thing ; and we should not think of praying without spirit — in a listless way, but think of it with spirit, and put our hearts and souls into it, and it will bring blessings to us. ¶

And when anyone is addressing us, let us put spirit into the thought with which we follow him, and we will be blessed in doing it. We will not go to sleep, not at all ; we will be interested in what they say. ¶

And then, when we have the privilege of joining with our brethren and sisters in congregational singing, put spirit into it. It is a wonderful thing to put spirit into our music; it means so much. A hymn sung without spirit does not mean anything at all. Like everything else, it means nothing unless this spirit is in it, and then it is wonderful. It would thrill" our very souls if all this congregation would put spirit to the fullest extent into our hymns ; these very walls would vibrate. ¶

And so, in all our worship and in all we do, my brethren and sisters, put spirit into it. As I said in the beginning, that is what the world desires, that is what they are starving for. There is so much indifference in the world and listlessness ; and we cannot develop like unto our Father in heaven, while in listlessness. We are created in the image of our Father in heaven ; therefore, we have a wonderful thing to do. The Savior said, "Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect." We are destined to become like unto our heavenly Father; and we cannot do this mighty work in indifference and indolence, we must put spirit into it, into every part of our life's work. ¶

These words of exhortation, my brethren and sisters, I wish to apply to myself, even more than to any one of you. You will pardon me if I seem to speak hurriedly; this congregation is so much better than I am accustomed to speaking to on the street corners in the big ¶

cities of the East where we talk loud and fast with a desire to stop the passers by. It is the most successful way for me to reach them. If I talk fast for a few minutes, and earnestly, I get a few hearers, and when I get a few, others will come to listen. Then I can slow up and be a little more deliberate. I suppose I will never learn to be deliberate when I stand before the Latter-day Saints, for I do get very much excited. ¶

Now, I desire to say to my brethren and sisters, that your sons and daughters who have been sent into the Eastern States Mission, with very few exceptions, are doing a very splendid work. I love them every one ; and I would like to meet their fathers and mothers and their wives and sons and daughters ; as many as are here today, I desire to assure you of their well being, and they send to you a message of love and good cheer. Their only anxiety is for their loved ones at home, and if you will send them a cheerful message, I am sure they will continue to develop and progress satisfactorily in the ministry. ¶

You know, my brethren and sisters, we have but few experienced missionaries in the field today. A great majority of our workers are new and young and inexperienced in ,the ministry. I think we should speak of our weaknesses as well as our strength ; therefore I am going to mention one of our weaknesses — and I do it in sweet humility, for I may be as guilty of it as any of you; but I desire to point it out, with the earnest desire in my heart that it may lead to an improvement along this line. It is a reproach to us as a people to find so many of these splendid young men and women coming out into the world as messengers for the Lord Jesus Christ without a knowledge of the gospel. That is a sad reproach upon us. I do not mean to say that I can tell you how it can be remedied, except by carrying out the instructions Brother Smith has read to us ; but I believe if we will do this, we will be blessed to a certain degree in getting our young people to learn something about the gospel of Christ. It is indeed a sad spectacle to see a splendid young man or young woman come out into the mission field and after they have been given instructions as to what they are expected to do, to have them come to their conference president or the president of the mission, and, with tears in their eyes, confess that they know very little about the gospel of Christ, and yet they have been sent out as teachers. ¶

Now, my brethren and sisters, let us see if. we cannot improve this condition. It is a fact that many in the world know a great deal more about the gospel than do these teachers whom we have sent out. We know that the Lord makes no requirements at the hands of any servant except he provides a way for the accomplishment of that thing, and it is very gratifying to see how the Lord does bless and magnify these young men and women when they apply themselves to learning the gospel and teaching it, and I am glad to report they are developing wonderfully well. Even some of these young men and women who come out and confess that they know nothing about the gospel, after they have been there two or three months studying the gospel — without a feeling of boasting at all, I would not be afraid to have them meet any of the ministers of religion. Our cause is not suffering; the Lord does bless them; they are in the school of the Lord, not in 'the school of man, and they are being taught by the Lord in the school of the prophets, as it were, and the Lord is with them and does bless them ; the work is progressing as satisfactorily as we could expect. ¶

I am glad to note a wonderful improvement in the sentiment prevailing among mankind compared with twenty years ago when I was upon my former mission. It seems the little leaven is gradually leavening the lump. ¶

The brethren have spoken of amusements in our Church. We believe, of course, in all rightful, legitimate, and helpful amusements. They are necessary for our well-being and good. It was only a few years ago when certain religious denominations looked upon the thought of dancing and such other things with horror. I 'say the little leaven is beginning to leaven the lump: the staid old Methodists in a national or international assembly of their representatives have decided to introduce dancing among their young people as a means of drawing them into and holding them in the church. I do not mention this to encourage dancing in our midst, in fact I think some .of it needs curtailing, but it is all right when conducted under the proper influence and spirit. ¶

My heart is full of good cheer and good wishes for the Latterday Saints, and I know that the Spirit of the Lord is in our overflow meeting today. We can all find consolation in the fact that when the vessel is filled with milk, the cream comes to the top, and so it is the cream that overflows ; and we are in the overflow meeting. The Spirit of the Lord is here, and the brethren who have preceded me have spoken under the inspiration of the Lord, and if we each do our duty, we will be just as well fed with the bread of life as if we were in the Tabernacle with the rest of our brethren and sisters. ¶

Let us seek for the Spirit of the Lord, that the spirit of malice and criticism may not get hold of us, that it may not crowd out the good things from our lives that we are entitled to. ¶

May the Lord bless you, that his peace and blessings may continue to be with and upon these good men who lead us, that we may uphold and sustain them by our faith and prayers and good works. In doing this, we are honoring our Father in heaven and helping each other. May the Lord help us to this end, I earnestly "ask, in Jesus' name. Amen. ¶