Doing the Will of the Lord

(President of the Eastern States Mission). ¶

My Brethren and Sisters: I would much prefer to have listened to my brethren talk, but since the duty is put upon me, I cheerfully respond ; but I beseech you, sustain me by your faith and prayers that my remarks may be directed by the proper spirit. ¶

This is the first time I have had' the opportunity of addressing a congregation of Latter-day Saints in the open air. It would be considered by me a most glorious privilege to stand before such an intelligent congregation of non-believers but I confess that I am a little nervous in standing before my brethren and sisters. ¶

However, I know that God lives and that he will make no ¶

requirements at the hands of his servants except he provides a way and gives them the strength and ability to perform; the duty acceptably, provided they put their trust in him. Therefore I assure you I stand before you in the name of our heavenly Father with an earnest desire to bless and encourage you. ¶

I have enjoyed very much the remarks of our brethren, and the spirit of our meeting thus far, and throughout the entire conference which we have attended in the past few days. I feel the instructions have been very timely, and desire in my heart to live them more perfectly in the future. What a wonderful people and community we would be if we would sustain one another loyally, and sustain our home industries loyally, as suggested by President Heber J. Grant in his remarks at the first session of our conference. ¶

President Grant's remarks regarding our patronizing home industry brought to my mind experiences of recent years during which time I labored throughout the length and breadth of the inter-mountain country striving to persuade the people to be loyal to one another and sustain themselves by patronizing home industry. My labors were quite generously rewarded for which I am very grateful to my brethren and sisters, because it is through their patronage of home industry, to a certain extent, that I am now able to maintain myself while doing missionary work. Nevertheless, I am confident of the fact that we could all improve a great deal in our attitude towards home industry, and thus add very materially to the general prosperity of our great state. I was greatly surprised to find that, in many instances, it was necessary to give the merchants some slight advantage in order to induce them to handle the home products, they were not willing to give it an equal show with the imported article. It almost seems like we are prone to give goods manufactured outside our state the advantage, which is very inconsistent when you stop to think of it. Every time we buy an article manufactured in Utah, we are helping to give employment to our brethren and sisters, our neighbors and friends, our fellow citizens, and, as explained by President Grant, in the Tabernacle yesterday morning, every dollar thus put into circulation in our midst enriches the community many times its value by paying many obligations. ¶

I'm sure the results would astonish us if we would be absolutely loyal to home-industry for a brief period. For illustration : we manufacture in Utah a very good grade of overalls, than which there is nothing better made in the United States. Now if only fifty per-cent of the overalls consumed in the state of Utah were the home product it would be necessary for both the Z. C. M. I factory, and also the Scowcroft factory at Ogden, to double their capacity ; in other words, if the people of Utah would be absolutely loyal to home industry as pertaining to overalls, the state would sustain at least four big factories instead of two small ones and thus give employment to hundreds of women at good wages. The same thing applies to other articles made ¶

within our state. I know from experience it brings a high sense of satisfaction to patronize home industry, it gives one a sense of a clear conscience, and he is able to look his fellow citizens right in the face. ¶

On one occasion I labored earnestly with a prominent merchant of the state trying to persuade him to handle the home product in preference to the imported, without success, until I observed that a great many of the checks issued to our employees in the factory were cashed at this merchant's store. When this merchant saw the large percentage of these factory checks endorsed by his firm he began to see the light ; he realized that he had been standing in his own light and henceforth became a loyal booster of home-made overalls. Personally I prefer our home products, even at a higher price than the imported, if necessary to pay it ; however, as a rule, the home product is able to compete with the imported goods in price as well as in quality ; therefore, my brethren and sisters, I most heartily endorse the remarks of President Grant as pertaining to home industry, and I know, that you and I and every citizen of this inter-mountain country will feel well in loyally patronizing our home industries and thus doing our bit to sustain one another. This, like all unselfish service rendered our fellow-men, in the final analysis, rebounds to our own good. ¶

Now, I had not intended speaking along this line, but I hope you will accept of the remarks I have made in the spirit thereof, they are given in the spirit of love, with a desire to help build up Utah, the Queen of the West. ¶

Now, my brethren and sisters, I feel that as a people we do not fully comprehend the strength of our position in 'the world, nor do we comprehend the great responsibility placed upon us nor the power or God's holy Priesthood. It behooves us to bring up 'our children with a more comprehensive understanding of the gospel of our Redeemer, that they might go into the world better qualified to explain its glorious principles. We are recipients of all blessings which the rest of the world possess, and in addition we have the power of Almighty God within us, given, through the holy Priesthood. A great responsibility is upon us. Our missionaries are accomplishing a wonderful work, but if we could send them forth better equipped the results of their labors would be much more satisfactory. The gospel of Jesus Christ, of which we have been made happy partakers, has all the saving powers within it and will save us temporally, morally, physically, intellectually, as well as spiritually, and the whole world is starving for these redeeming principles. We must go forth and proclaim these glorious truths earnestly to all the world, manifesting the fruits of our religion in our lives, both at home and abroad and never be found tearing down that which the world is doing. ¶

The spirit of the gospel of Christ is not one of negation but a constructive plan of redemption which if adhere to will save us now, ¶

not at some far off time but now, and eternally just as fast as we incorporate these glorious principles in our daily lives. Now I would not have you understand that I am preaching the doctrine so commonly taught in the world that belief alone will save us; if our belief is sincere and leads us to do the things which our Master has commanded we shall work out our salvation, just as quickly as we accept the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. However, this does not mean that we cannot sin as taught by many professed Christians throughout the world. ¶

One of the conditions upon which the Savior's plan of redemption was accepted by the hosts of heaven was that we should have our free agency while in mortality, and while in is true we can become strongly fortified against sin by right living and by constantly resisting evil, it is not a fact that we cannot sin. This brings to my mind an experience while laboring as a missionary in England, years ago. On one occasion I approached a door where I was graciously received by a very intelligent-looking woman. After listening to my story, she smiled upon me and said that both she and her husband were saved, and had been for a number of years, that they had Christ within their hearts and could not sin. I labored very hard to show this good woman that she was mistaken and that we were all susceptible to sinning while in mortality, but she got quite offended when I disputed her statement that she could not sin; however, apparently I made no impression upon the good woman, hut I learned afterwards that at the very moment while I was at the door talking to this woman her husband was on his way to London with his neighbor's wife, having eloped with her. ¶

I know, my brethren and sisters, that that doctrine, "By grace are ye saved," as it is being interpreted by the world is a pernicious one, it puts a premium upon indolence, and is quite contrary to the spirit of the gospel of the Redeemer as we understand it. There is much for us to do, in fact the Savior has given us the opportunity of working out our salvation and in my mind the essence of the gospel of our Redeemer is work and therein will we find joy and satisfaction. ¶

I am sure that when life's book is opened before us we shall be judged according to our works, and woe be unto the indolent and slothful, those who have been deceived by these pernicious doctrines which n lakes religion easy for people who have become lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. One of the universal or most commonly accepted teachings among the Christian world which we have to contend with today is this idea that we are saved, that there is nothing for the individual to do, any attempt to add' to what the Savior already has done for us is sin. The followers of this idea are very set in their notion, we are seldom able to make any impression upon them. They have certainly been deceived by the powers of the evil one. ¶

I am very glad to report to you, my brethren and sisters, that the missionary work is going along in a satisfactory manner. Of course, ¶

we regret the loss of so many missionaries due to financial depressions in the west, but notwithstanding this we are able to show a splendid increase in missionary activities. We are having some wonderful experiences, our workers are finding great joy and satisfaction in their labors, and the Lord is blessing their efforts. These young missionaries are showing the fruits of the gospel of Jesus Christ in their living, while out in the mission field, and I hope you good friends will encourage them to continue on in the same way after they return. Two of our elders recently had a very interesting experience, showing how the fruits of the gospel are made manifest in the lives of men. It seems that these two elders had interested in their teachings, a young man and his wife who, finding themselves unable to refute the teachings of the elders, had appealed to the young man's father, who happened to be the leading minister of their town, but to the young man's astonishment he found that his father was unable to explain the scriptures as clearly as the "Mormon" missionaries, notwithstanding his father was a man of degree while the "Mormon" elders were not so well equipped with education of a worldly nature, but they were commissioned of the Lord to teach and preach the gospel of our Redeemer. ¶

It seems that this young man desired to have his father meet the '"Mormon" elders, but the father was indignant at his son's request, he thought it an insult to ask him with all his learning, to meet and discuss the gospel with these illiterate "Mormons." However, the young man planned to have the missionaries chance to drop into his home at the same time his father was there partaking of dinner, this proved te> be a wonderful opportunity for the young man and his wife to have all their questions, which had accumulated in weeks past, answered to their entire satisfaction, and apparently the minister was unable to explain the scripture to the satisfaction of this good young man. In due time the reverend gentleman found himself badly concerned and as is often the case he flew into a rage and began to curse everybody in general and the "Mormons" in (particular. At this point the young man arose and said emphatically, "If this is the fruit of the gospel you teach, Father, I want none of it," and he turned to the young missionaries and said they had manifested the fruits of the true gospel of our Redeemer, patience, love, kindness, and he expressed a desire to have strength and fortitude to accept the true gospel, which he did in a very short time afterwards, and he is now a very devout Latter-day Saint and is very happy notwithstanding he has been disinherited and disowned by his parents. ¶

It is indeed a very interesting sight to see men of high learning and men of real ability lose their nerve and their heads when attempting to question the humble "Mormon"' missionaries ; on many occasions I have seen the scriptures literally fulfilled wherein it was said, through one of God's holy prophets, that the Lord would confound the wisdom of the wise with the weak things of the earth, etc. ¶

Now, my brethren and sisters, this young couple as I have just ¶

stated, were made exceedingly happy through accepting the gospel of our Redeemer. I'm sure they were given the wonderful gift of the Holy Ghost which is promised to those who are baptized worthily and have hands laid upon them by one who has the authority to officiate in the name of Jesus ; and so were our parents before us, when we accepted the gospel in our lives. It is the one thing that will continue to make us happy just as long as we live it. We must not deceive ourselves by feeling that when we went down into the waters of baptism we finished the work. This is a mistaken notion. We have just begun our. work of observing every principle of the gospel as taught by the Latter-day Saints and, as stated in the beginning of my remarks, we shall earn salvation just as quickly as we obtain a knowledge of the principles of the gospel and live them. If we would obtain temporal salvation, we must live the temporal laws of the gospel of our Redeemer. I exhort you, my dear brothers and sisters, as well as myself, to strive more diligently from now on to live up to the teachings of our leaders, and I hope every one of us will return to our homes from this conference with a determination in our hearts to be loyal to one another, be loyal to our brethren and sisters who preside over .us, and the holy Priesthood of God, thus honoring our Father in heaven. We shall find great joy and satisfaction in so doing. There is no other name under heaven whereby we can be saved, except the name of our Reedeemer, and there is no other plan under heaven whereby we can obtain satisfaction in this life except the plan laid down in the gospel of Jesus Christ. ¶

We are indeed highly favored of the Lord to be happy partakers of this glorious gospel of our Redeemer. To a certain extent it is with this as with all other blessings of life, we do not appreciate them fully only by comparison, or when separated from them. In order to appreciate the beauties of the gospel which we are partakers of, it is necessary for us to go into the world and see what error and what folly is being taught under the name of religion. I am indeed grateful that my parents had the courage to come out of the world and accept of that which the world speaks of contemptuously as "Mormonism." I am indeed grateful that they had the courage to do this, for had I been raised in the world, it is possible that I would not have manifest the courage which my good parents did. Therefore I praise the Lord for my parents, and for his blessings toward me, for he has made it known to me that the gospel, which my parents embraced and which I now enjoy, is the true gospel of our Redeemer and that it has in it the power of God unto salvation to every one who will believe it and obey its principles. ¶

Surely any unbiased person who would read carefully the history of our Church must recognize in its progress some super-human power; just last week I had the privilege of visiting the deserted city of Nauvoo in company with President Winslow F. Smith, of the Northern States mission. This was one of the most flourishing of cities, ¶

and in all likelihood would have become the capital of Illinois. When the Saints were driven out it had a population of 25,500 people, while Springfield, 111., at that time, had but six or seven thousand, and Chicago had but 12,500 people ; after our people were driven away, others acquired this city and the farms surrounding it for a mere song ; yet, with only mortal vision and wisdom, they failed utterly, and today Nauvoo is the most deserted village I have ever visited, while our Saints, driven through the trackless desert, wended their way to the Rocky Mountains, and here, in the midst of great hardship, established a great commonwealth. This notwithstanding we have submitted to a terrible "tax," as the world calls it, that of tithing, or a ten per cent of our incomes ; and further, notwithstanding we have paid the same taxation as all other people, federal, state, county and city, and have met all donations required of us liberally ; and further, notwithstanding our people have sustained their sons and daughters and husbands in the mission fields for at least a period of two years during the productive period of their lives. Notwithstanding these many handicaps, from a worldly standpoint we were recently accused on the streets of Rochester, N. Y., by a very eminent divine, of being the richest people in the world, and, if to be rich is a crime, I fear we are guilty. Statistics show that a larger percentage of our people own their homes than any other people in the world, and that, as a community, we are richer than any other community of like number, I say surely in the face of these apparent disadvantages the unbiased man must recognize some divine help in our behalf. ¶

I rejoice exceedingly, my brethren and sisters, in the knowledge of the gospel which God has given me, and I earnestly desire to encourage you, my brethren and sister.?-, to live more closely to the Lord, for we are passing through perilous times, and it behooves us to stand in holy places, manifesting the fruits of the gospel of our Redeemer in our everyday lives. One of the most desirous fruits of the gospel is that of love for one another. I want to urge upon you to manifest this beautiful quality more freely in your lives toward one another. It will make you happier, and I am sure it will make greater your admiration and love for our kindred, and for our brethren and sisters, friends, and neighbors. Do not wait until they are dead to place bouquets upon their caskets, let us now put our arms about our parents, and brothers and sisters, and tell them that we love them, thus radiating sunshine wherever we go, showing practical results from the gospel which we have accepted. Life is a wonderful gift, and it is ours to live every day, and great possibilities lie before us, notwithstanding we have adversities. ¶

In conclusion I will quote the last verse of one of our Sunday school hymns, I think we can apply to our lives, and it is appropriate for our consideration during these perilous times: ¶