Eastern States Mission Report

My dear brethren and sisters: I am glad indeed to be with you today, and partake of the wonderful spirit present. A little story comes to my mind. Once upon a time a splendid old couple lived in a community, and had won the respect of all their neighbors; and their neighbors were wont to show their love for this goodly couple on various occasions. And at one time they presented them with a nice jar of peaches, put up in brandy sauce. It seemed that this good couple did not like peaches, and when they acknowledged the token, they wrote a small note like this: "Dear friends, we regret to say that we did not like the peaches, but we did enjoy the spirit in which they were sent." ¶

I earnestly desire that I may speak to you a few minutes under the Spirit of the Lord which my brethren preceding me have enjoyed, so that you will enjoy the spirit with which I speak to you. ¶

I testify to you that the Spirit of God, like a fire, is burning; and if you have failed to enjoy it here this afternoon, it is not the fault of the brethren who have spoken to you, and it is not the fault of the music that has been rendered, for I do know that the Spirit of God is here,' and it is the sweetest thing in all the world. There is no place in all the world where I would rather be than here, today -- or rather, just a few steps from here, where I expect soon to be. ¶

I bring you greetings from your sons and daughters who are laboring in the Eastern States mission. I am glad to report that they enjoy a wonderful spirit, that God is with them, that they are doing a wonderful work. I feel that we all need the gospel preached unto us, and I know of no one in all the world' who can impress you more thoroughly with the need of a genuine repentance and a knowledge of the truth than those splendid sons and daughters whom you have sent out into the world, and I hope you will send back to them a message of good cheer. ¶

I was delighted in hearing President Wood relate some manifestations of God's power, for it is a fact that our Father in heaven has not changed, and he is pleased to bestow his power upon his servants who will serve him. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. We read of the wonderful blessings he poured out upon his people in ancient times, and I testify that he is willing to do the same to us, if we abide by his laws which called down the blessings of heaven upon them. I testify to you that we are enjoying the same gifts and blessings of God, for they do follow them' that believe. ¶

We enjoy many manifestations of God's glorious Spirit in the mission field, and we do at home, I realize. We recently had a little controversy -- but I wish to stop here and state that we do not contend with the people of the world. We have no contention whatever with the people of the world, but we have a beautiful message of life and salvation to give to them, a message which gives no offense; it is a positive inspiration for all humanity. We do not contend for it, but give it to the world for their acceptance or rejection. ¶

Upon one occasion, lately, a learned gentleman saw fit to challenge our statements while speaking to a splendid congregation, and he got up and raved about the so-called "Mormons" being the richest people in all the world. He also said that we had come out there to get their women to take them back to Utah, but he seemed to feel very bad that the "Mormon" people were the richest people in all the world, and thought that was a terrible crime. I saw fit to answer him. I told him that we came not for their women, but I had to plead guilty to the second charge that our people were the richest people in all the world. He had made the statement that we owned many stocks and bonds, and one thing and another, but he did not state our original riches. I proceeded to tell him that over 85 per cent of our people own their own homes, and the land, not merely the furniture and fixtures in their homes, but the ground on which their homes were erected, and I pleaded guilty to that. They owned many good things of a worldly nature, and I called their attention to them, that their acquirements had been accomplished in the midst of drivings and persecutions, from the time the Church was organized until the time that we reached the valleys of the mountains, and even after that our Church property had been confiscated. And I called his attention to the fact that we had to meet the same taxation as other people, and we had also made the same contributions, fully up to the standard of any of them, in the recent war; and, in addition to these, our young men, to a very large number, had given at least two years of their time in preaching the gospel, and they had borne their ¶

expenses while doing so, and that this necessitates taking them away from the various business interests of the community; and in addition to this we had paid one-tenth of all that God had given us, back to him; and in the face of all this we were the richest people in the world. ¶

I then told them how it had been accomplished. I told them that they were not the greatest riches we possessed, but our greatest riches consisted in having a testimony that God lives, that we know that God has spoken in these last days, that we are willing to accept his wonderful revelations; and through that means we had received and accepted the gospel which is the power of God unto salvation, not only a salvation in the far off eternities, but an immediate salvation, so far as we would live it, and we were being saved temporally. In the words of the speaker I was answering, we were the richest people in all the world. We had the power of God unto salvation, not only intellectually but morally. And I rejoiced exceedingly in being able to proclaim these things. ¶

I rejoice in being present here this afternoon. There has been a wonderful spirit present. I hope I have said nothing to detract from what has been said previously. I felt at the conclusion of the brethren's talk that the feeling was almost too sacred to disturb. It is a wonderful thing to be able to come together and partake of the Spirit of the Lord, as we have today, and I hope that we will strive earnestly to take the message that has been given to us, and live it, for I know it has been an inspiration to all of us. ¶

After listening to the key-note speech of President Grant, and the addresses of the other brethren, I was telling some of my folks, at luncheon, that I felt that they were speaking to me personally, and the others responded with the same thought, that they felt that the message was to them directly. I hope we will all go to our homes feeling earnestly the desire in our hearts that we will keep the commandments, that we will strive to manifest the spirit of love and charity in all our walks and talks in life. ¶

In the world, the greatest difficulty we meet is the sense of indifference, and after we have reasoned with people, and tried to explain the plan of salvation to them, they almost universally come back with the saying, "Well, we are all on the road to the same goal; you are taking one road, and we are taking another, but we are all destined to reach the same goal." What a mistake! The scriptures teach nothing of the kind, but the Master said, there is only one way, and he that entereth by another way is to be accounted as a thief and a robber. We have gone in through the narrow gate into the straight and narrow way, and we cannot afford to step to the right to take advantage of our brethren; we cannot step to the left to steal or to lie or to disobey the commandments of God. We must keep on in the straight and narrow way if we want to become partakers of the kingdom of God. I hope that we will strive earnestly; and these exhortations I want to direct to myself even more than to you. I rejoice exceedingly that I have been accounted worthy to go out and preach the gospel of my Redeemer. I realize that it is an opportunity. It is a blessed privilege to be given the opportunity to go out into the vineyard and work for the kingdom of God. I find that some are doing that at home. I was exceedingly gratified with the work that the father of one of our missionaries is doing in Ogden, and I had heard of it before. He is sending his friends the Liahona tracts, and other literature, as well as his own testimony, and I was glad to find that he has the same sweet joy and satisfaction in doing these things at home that we enjoy out in the world. And I exhort you, brethren and sisters, to live up to this opportunity so far as it is in your power, for it is a privelege and blessing, and we are all enlisted to it. ¶

I do not desire to take more of your time this afternoon. I feel that it would not be right, inasmuch as we have Brother Smoot and others that we would all like to listen to. As for me, I have heard a definition of a good speech that I like. The British premier says there are three fundamentals to a good speech, and I find much consolation in his definition, because it is the only one that I have hopes of applying to myself. He says, the first is to stand up, the second is to speak up, and the third is to shut up. The blessings of the Lord I earnestly pray for us all, my brethren and sisters, in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶