New Zealand Mission Report

I am happy to add my testimony to those already borne in your hearing this morning, by those who have preceded me, for I have a testimony that this work is the work of the Lord. ¶

While President Winslow F. Smith was speaking, and reminding us that something over one hundred years had elapsed since the Prophet Joseph received his manifestation in the visit of the Father and the Son, my mind ran back to what has been accomplished since our people reached these valleys. It was my privilege, some years ago, to go back and visit a number of places where the Saints formerly lived, in Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, New York and Vermont. Previous to this visit, I had indulged somewhat in a feeling not altogether wholesome toward the people of Illinois. My grand-parents with other Saints had been driven from that state, and I felt they had not had justice, and that if the time ever came, perhaps, that I could do something to the people who lived there for the treatment they had given to my grand-parents, I would have been happy in doing so; but the visit I made took that unholy feeling out of me. When I visited Nauvoo, and thought of what it had been at one time, with a population of upward of twenty thousand people, with a hum of industry on every hand, and to see what it was then, with but a few over a thousand souls, and more like a country village, I could not help but think the Lord had withheld his blessings from that people and from that land, and I came back with a different kind of spirit from that which I had when I left home. ¶

I then thanked the Lord that my grand-parents, with the other Saints, had been driven out from that place, and that they had found a better place to live in. I then appreciated more than ever before the inspired words of Brigham Young, when he said upon arriving in this valley, "This is the place." There was no mistake made on the part of the Lord in bringing our people to this land. Great as is the state of Illinois, with its wonderful acres and their great production, I believe that within the confines of this commonwealth, together with the state of Idaho and other surrounding states in which our people are now living, there are far greater and better conditions of productiveness, reserved by the Lord for the people who are now living here, than ever could have been found in Illinois. ¶

The Lord did not make a mistake in leading President Young and our people here, in the year 1847, notwithstanding, that such men as Col. Bridger and others tried to persuade them that this was not a fit place of habitation for men, that crops could not be matured here, and suggested that we need not attempt to make a home here. That has all been set at naught by what has been accomplished by those who settled here. Compare the wisdom of such advice as that of Col. Bridger, to the inspiration of President Young. No doubt in his prophetic eye he could see what our people would some day accomplish. ¶

We have people coming here as tourists, to this block, who come here, you might say, to scoff, and literally remain to pray; people who have no idea, no desire even to affiliate with us, or to indulge in the faith that is so dear to us, and yet after being told the story of "Mormonism," and what has been accomplished by our people, and ¶

seeing it for themselves, have gone away and marveled at what we have done. ¶

I remember President Roosevelt coming here in the year 1903; when over in the tabernacle he said, "I pay my respects to the early 'Mormon' Pioneers, who came here to this great American desert, and made it literally to blossom as the rose." ¶

You remember when President Brigham Young came here and said, "We will settle here," that there were some in that first company who thought a mistake had been made. They had seen other spots that were more inviting to the eye, than what presented itself when they first saw this valley; they were willing to take chances on what lay between here and the Pacific ocean, and so expressed themselves, but President Young, said, "This is the place;" and when reminded that this was a desert, said, "We will make it blossom like a rose." Years afterwards President Roosevelt, holding the highest position in the gift of the people of this great country, the United States, gave testimony of the wonderful wisdom and prophetic utterance of President Brigham Young. Surely the Lord made no mistake in leading us here. ¶

The Lord established his Church and kingdom here upon the earth for a purpose. We have been privileged to become members of the same, and ought to appreciate our standing and membership in the Church. I wonder sometimes if we really do appreciate such a blessing. If not, and we need to repent or adjust ourselves so that we can more fully appreciate our standing, we should do so. ¶

If we are not in harmony with the commandments of God, if we cannot purge from our beings whatever is unholy, whatever is not consistent with the mind and will of the Lord, and live consistently with the Spirit of the Lord, which will lead into all truth, then we are not Saints in very deed. ¶

On the other hand, if we can order and so conduct our lives as to conform to the requirements of the Lord, keeping the commandments and laws of the gospel, our influence and power cannot be measured. Such unity cannot be hidden. Do you not think, then, that our influence will be felt all over the earth? Why certainly. Ask these mission presidents, who are sitting here, and who can testify of what they hear men say about the work being done in a missionary way by the Bureau of Information. They can tell you of hearing men say how they have been impressed with what they have seen and heard while here, and they have gone away to tell it to their friends, and to urge them to come and see for themselves. ¶

The positive stand that we have taken as a people on education, morality, clean living, and other things that have put us in a class by ourselves, is now being brought to the attention of the world, and people are beginning to better, appreciate us. Our stand on these things ought to be of a most positive kind, however. ¶

I remember a man I knew, when I was a little boy. I was im- ¶

pressed with his goodness, and I remarked to my father, "Brother So-and-so, is a pretty good man, isn't he?"* and my father said, "Yes; but what is he good for?" And then he went on to impress me that we must be good for something, not good for nothing. As I look back now, I cannot remember anything that this man did that was positively good. Now we want to be good for something. We want to be positively good, not negatively good. We want to be so good that other people will appreciate us; for we are told that the time will come when people will know us as we are known, when they will know us as we should be known. And yet, I almost fear the time when all people will begin to say good things about us. ¶

I remember the admonition of the Savior, when he said that, we should take care when a time like that should arise, and that we should rejoice and be exceedingly glad when people would speak evil against us, falsely. But beware when people begin to prate about our good points. I believe, however, that the time is past, long since, when people want to believe something that is not true. I believe the time is past when people should ask, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Now they are wont to say, "I am my brother's keeper." ¶

The movement that has grown up among the Rotary, Progressive, and other clubs, that we are brothers, the Big Brother and the Big Sister idea, and which has spread to nearly all parts of the world, is a sign that the people of the world are looking out for one another rather than, as it has been in the past, each for himself. ¶

My testimony to you is that the Lord is at the helm and will guide us through trouble and storm. He is not going to desert his people. My testimony is that Joseph Smith was a prophet; that his legal successors have been prophets. Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, Joseph F. Smith and Heber J. Grant, have been sent by the Almighty for a purpose; the Lord has blessed them with prophetic vision, and with the power to discern and tell the people the things that they should know. He has given to this people a mouthpiece, that we may know when to go and where to go, when to do and when not to do things; that if we find we are not doing the things we should do, that we should repent, and repent sincerely; that we should get in line and remain in line, not set up our judgment against our leaders, or against the rule or direction of the Church. ¶

There have been men, I regret to say, who have had the audacity to say that they have known certain things to be the mind of the Lord, when they have not been in accord with the Church. I cannot think that such a man is going to be prospered, or is going to have the Spirit of the Lord to be with him. The Lord may be with him. The Lord may be long-suffering and patient, considering that such a man might see the error of his way and repent; but in the long run that man, unless he repents, is going to fall. The Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man, and oh, what darkness when he is left dependent on himself ¶

This morning, I stood at the tabernacle door. A man came along. I asked him, "What is your position in the Church?" I knew the man, and I knew he had been doing some things that I did not think would entitle him to come to a certain place that had been reserved for those holding certain positions in the Priesthood, he said, "I am an old man, and for the first time in my life I am without a position." Just think of it, after a man is almost ready to go down into his grave, he is stripped of the Priesthood of the Almighty, and he is without a position in the Priesthood, in the Church of God! Do you want to be in a position that will compel you to make such a confession as that? God grant that the time will never come when any of us will have to give such an answer. ¶

May the Lord ever bless and assist us in our faith; may he encourage us to keep the commandments of the Lord, that we may be able to hold fast to the Iron Rod, which will bring us back into his presence, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶