What of the Day and Hour in Which We Live?

I wish to read from the 52nd chapter of Isaiah beginning with the 7th verse : ¶

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bnngeth good tidings, that publisbeth peace ; that bringeth good tidings of good, that pubhsheth salvation; thii, saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth. ¶

"Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice ; with the voice together shall they sing ; for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion. ¶

"Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem ; for the Lord hath comforted His people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem. ¶

'1 he Lord hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations ; and all the ends ot the earth shall see the salvation of our God." ¶

WHAT OF THE DAY AND HOUR IN WHICH WE LIVE? ¶

I rejoice, my brethren and sisters, to belong to a Church that has watchmen, who sing together in unison, who indeed have the vision, the light, and the inspiration of the living God, to direct this people. ¶

When the people come together, as we do on these great occasions, there may be in the hearts of many, the cry, "Watchman, what of the night, and what of the hour, and what of the day in which we live?" ¶

But that cry is not made in vain. The hour, the times, and the seasons in which we live, are known and have been revealed during the sessions of this conference, to the Latter-day Saints. We are not groping in the dark, and we live in the day that Isaiah was talking about when, upon the mountains of Ephraim, where we stand, the watchmen shall sing together in unity ; the day when the waste places shall be redeemed ; and Jerusalem, as we heard at this conference, stands on the threshold of her redemption, for the Lord hath decreed it. ¶

A PEOPLE WITH A GREAT MISSION ¶

I rejoice, I say, to live and to be identified and associated with a people who have the great mission that has been committed to the Latter-day Saints. I rejoice, with my brethren, in the thoughts expressed by the distinguished gentlemen, who spoke to us following the remarkable address of the chief watchman upon the towers of Zion, our president. I thought that Professor Carver might have referred to what he has written with reference to the Latter-day Saints. He s'ated, in our hearing, that he thought this was one of the most fruitful fields in the world to study those who were dealing with great empire building questions. He wrote, two years ago, in a preface to a book published by Professor Warren H. Wilson of Harvard, entitled Evolution of the Country Community, deploring the tendency on the part of the majority of the people of this country to move from the rural communities and the small towrts into the larger cities. He commented upon the exceptions to this general rule, and he found the exceptions among the "Mormon" people. He has been here ; he has studied us. It is not only considered a fruitful field by him upon the occasion of this visit, his attention has been upon it a long time, or he would not have said what I now quote from his introductory chapter : ¶

"The elements of permanent cultivation of the soil are found in greater niimber among the 'Mormons' " — [You will note he mentions them first] — "Scotch, Irish. Presbyterians, and Pennsylvania Germans, who are the best American agriculturists." ¶

A PEOPLE WHO MAINTAIN SELF-CONTROL ¶

Professor Wilson said in his book, in a later chapter, "The 'Mormons' represent in the highest degree, these exceptional farm communities in the United States. Perhaps no other so large or powerful a body of united farmers is found in the whole country." Then I thought of something Professor Carver said in that very excellent work he has published, entitled, The Religion Worth Having. He asks the question: "What is the best religion," and answers it in ¶

these words : "The best religion is, first, that which acts most powerfully as a spur to energy ; and second, directs that energy most productively." I was thinking upon these utterances of the distinguished gentleman, who was a visitor and a speaker at this conference, and in connection with his very remarkable address which I was privileged to hear at the University the other day, in which he summed up his whole answer to the question, "How much civilization can we stand?" He said: "The answer is found in our ability to maintain self-control." When I think of these questions, and; khe suggestion in his message, I ask: "Where in all the earth, could he or any other man go to find a people who maintain more self-control than the Latter-day Saints? ¶

RULES OF CONDUCT BROAD AND COMPREHENSIVE ¶

I tell you when God laid the foundation of this Church, He gave us the principles and rule of conduct for the membership of this Church, so broad, so complete and comprehensive, that upon that foundation we can build to attain heights that men never have attained in the history of this world. We are here for that purpose; we are here to produce the highest civilization that has ever graced the foot-stool of God. ¶

THE DESTINY OF THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS THEIR DUTY ¶

IN REACHING IT ¶

If this people will listen to the voice of the watchmen, who, in the days that are past, have successfully piloted this people to their present state of efficiency, on the farm, in their commercial relations, in the family institutions, and in the morals of the people, I testify to you there will be no disappointment. Every principle by which these problems may be solved has been delivered to this people. We did not come here to be imitators. If there is anything good or praiseworthy, we seek after these things, but we are not here to be lured from the great goal and end, which is to build up the most perfect race of people that have lived, and they will not be perfected by talking about it. We will attain that end when we can maintain full self-control. When I listened to those stirring words from President Ivins relative to the conditions that obtain in the world, indicating that even in our own blessed land, there is a loss of 'self-control ; that men are not willing to abide by the constitutional law of the land; when I listened also to the statement quoted from a distinguished senator to the effect that there are no interests in this country now that are not bound up together for selfish purposes, I wonder if we are not approaching the day prophesied of in olden times, both upon the eastern and the western continent, and again uttered in this dispensation, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, to the effect that men would be bound in bundles ; and when the time cometh that they ¶

are bound in bundles, they are ready for the burning; they are ready for destruction. ¶

THE DANGER OF SELFISHNESS AND CLASS COMBINATIONS ¶

I plead with you now, my brethren and sisters, that we shall not fall into the ways of the world in being bound into selfish bundles. Every organization and institution that promotes the welfare of one particular class against the welfare and interest of others, is dangerous ; any institution, I care not what its name may be, that makes you concerned only in your own particular group of workers, promotes selfishness. Unions have never found very much favor in this Church; not because we do not like to see our brethren of one particular profession or group affiliated together, but we see the danger of the system, the plan and the purpose of it, which is selfishness, wherein the man within the union or combination is at enmity with his brother, who is out of the organization. There ought to be, therefore, no feeling tO' find fault with the leaders of this Church, who have given counsel and advice to our brethren, with respect to this matter because they see dangers that we can not see. The appeal to selfishness is dangerous, and there never was a period in the world's history when it was more rampant than it is today. We talk about the time when the Redeemer of the world shall come, when peace shall be in the earth, when we shall enjoy universal brotherhood. But outside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it seems to me, there never was a period, in modern days at least, when there was less universal brotherhrood than there is today, and more selfishness displayed than -ever before. But you brethren, sixty thousand of you, who have filled missions, who left your homes, paid your way, to preach this gospel to strangers, what was your training? It was a training in universal brotherhood. It shows that we love our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world, sufficiently, that we not only pray for them but we spend our good means and time to bring them salvation. ¶

THE LAW OF TITHING A REMEDY FOR SELFISHNESS ¶

The law of tithing which has been revealed to this people makes for the destruction of selfishness, and for the establishment of universal brotherhood. And how much that is needed now, when we think that a half-million people in this country today are on strike because of the warfare between capital and labor, wherein the country itself, is in danger and in peril, and the whole world is in distress because of the conflict between capital and labor. I have reached the conclusion that the Lord knew the needs of our times when he gave to the Prophet Joseph Smith the law of tithing. And prior to that, he gave him the law of consecration, a plan by which, in the days of Enoch, men had all things in common ; there were no rich and no poor among them. Our people were willing to go forward ¶

GEXERAL CONFERENCE. ¶

and enter into that order, but they were not prepared, they lacked training, they lacked preparation, and the Lord gave the law of tithing in his own words, "as a schoolmaster," to bring us to the higher law. I want to tell you that the day of graduation from that school is coming, but it will not come by a little group going off here, and another there, to undertake to precede the Church. It will come when God inspires His prophet to step forward and speak the word, and many men and women will be prepared for graduation, to enter into those principles that are altogether righteous, that God has decreed must be established when the Son of God comes to reign and rule among men upon the earth. They will come from that school, and be the men and women who have paid their honest tithing, and those who have not, will be ready to go back in the primer class and start all over. How many are prepared to do greater things ? Flow well have we attended school ? I appeal to you now, at this time, when men are tempted, because of their financial circumstances, because of their distress and inability to pay their obligations, perhaps, to depart from the commandment of the Lord, and deny Him that which belongs to Him. I say to you, my brethren and sisters — I know it, in the very depths of my heart ; I know it, and I say it to you. As the Lord lives, if this people will pay their honest tithing and practice economy, as suggested by the President of this Church, you will meet your debts and your obligations and be free. I promise you that if we will keep the commandments of the Lord, we will never lack means to the accomplishment of the purposes which he has in store for us, if we will use the material things as but a means to a glorious end. ¶

HOW THIS PEOPLE HAVE LEARNED OBEDIENCE AND SELF-CONTROL ¶

I said that we are men and women who have learned self-control. We have learned it in the payment of tithing ; we have learned it in obeying the laws of the land. One of the things that men are now deploring is the tendency upon the part of the people, even of our own country, to disregard and disobey the laws of the land. I hold up to the Latter-day Saints and to the world the example of this Church, in obeying the law as an evidence of our superior ability in self-control. ¶

President Ivins called our attention to those experiences through which we passed in the days of President Woodruff, when we resigned the practice of a principle that God had revealed, when we gave it up. What for? In order to obey the law of the land. It produced hardship, heart-ache, sorrow and distress. Men had shown their devotion to that principle and had suffered bonds and imprisonment, but in order that we might be a law-abiding people, honoring and obeying and sustaining the law, we surrendered it, no matter what it cost ; the practice of it we gave up, and I hold it before the people of this country as an evidence of the ability of the ¶

''Mormon" people to honor and to obey the law. Let us not forget it, Latter-day Saints, that there is a duty incumbent upon us, to continue, to set a law abiding example. The Lord said (you will find it recorded in the 115th Section of the book of Dbctrine and Covenants) that he called upon the Church to come out of the world and to lift up an ensign to the nations. That is what we are here for, to show them the way. ¶

TO REACH THE GOAL WE MUST PAY THE PRICE OF MORAL INTEGRITY ¶

I speak now of another principle involving the same question. No people ever shall reach the heights except they are pure in heart. There is coming from abroad, reaching us in some form or another, and it will continue to come, the demoralizing influences that are in the world ; that have broken down the moral standards of the nations of the earth. I care not what they say against us in England. They are saying that we have selected handsome boys to go to England just now, when there are two million more women in England than men. to lure the women and girls of England to come over here for immoral purposes. As Sir Phillip Gibbs said to us privately, in commenting upon it, "You would not need to send boys over to England to do that, particularly handsome boys ; if you would just put a little advertisement in the paper that you would pay their fare you would get a boat-load a week." Let them say what they please in England or anywhere else. I care not what they say ; but what I am concerned in is what we do. All the world may condemn us and count us as the scum of the earth, impure and unclean, but that will not keep us down, nor deter us from reaching the heights. On the other hand, all the world may speak well of us and praise us and give us credit for being a virtuous people, and if we are not, we cannot rise, by all the plaudits of the world. So, the secret of our attaining the goal is to pay the price of moral integrity. We must maintain the standard that has been exalted for this people. I have heard it, as you have. From the clays of my boyhood, I was taught by my mother to live as clean and as chaste and as pure as the girl I asked to be my wife, the mother of my children. It has been taught by this Church, that next to murder itself, is the crime of sexual impurity. Jesus said, discussing the question of the morals of men, "He that looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery already with her in his heart." In these last days he has said that he that looketh upon a woman to lust after her and does not repent, shall deny the faith. There never was an immoral people who did not entertain immoral thoughts. I believe this generation excels all others in doing this wicked thing and we are encouraged by reason of the dress and deportment of women, innocently, sometimes, perhaps, and yet in others, deliberately to attract the attention and make the sexual appeal. They deport themselves in such a manner that their very appearance is suggestive to impure and unclean thoughts. The depicting of the sex stories that we now often see upon the "Movie" screen, tends in the same direction, and I could mention other things. ¶

APPEAL TO YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN TO MAINTAIN OUR MORAL STANDARDS ¶

Now, I say to you, daughters of Israel, do not fall into the snares of the world. It is incumbent upon you, not only to preserve yourself, but to save your brothers. If the young men of this Church do not keep themselves clean, woe, woe unto the daughters of Israel ! You, young men, it is incumbent upon you to preserve our standards ; to preserve the moral integrity of the daughters of Israel; and remember that next to murder itself, is the crime of sexual impurity. Let that be burned into our hearts and our souls, and we will weather the storms that beat upon us. ¶

PARENTS SPIOULD ASSUME MORE RESPONSIBILITY ¶

Then, parents, let us assume a little more responsibility ; do not take too much for granted. I have said to my own sons and daughters. ;"It isn't that I do not trust you and have confidence in you, but I know the temptations of the hour ; I am not going to let you stand alone ; I am going to keep a little closer to you than I have ever done before. Too many courtships are going on in automobiles, instead of next door where father and mother are within the home. I am appealing to you, my brothers and sisters, that we shall not follow these alluring things, because they are deceptive. ¶

A CALL TO REPENTANCE ¶

I say to you that the civilization of this world has reached its pinnacle. Except it shall repent and serve God, there will never be any greater civilization in this world than there is today. They cannot go higher, because their foundation is not solid. They have not learned self-control. We who have set out upon a great task of doing things, that never have been done, let us remember the lessons we are to learn; and if we adhere to these things, we shall "go over the top ;" we shall attain the heights. May God help us to get clearly in our mind the vision of what we are called to do and the ambition to do it, by individually maintaining control, while chaos shall reign out there. Do you know what is coming? Oh, my heart is sick when I see what is coming in the world. Do you want to know what it is? You read what happened when Rome became immoral and degenerate; you read what happened on this land of America when the Lamanite and the Nephites became degenerate. Kings will be murdered upon their thrones, bands of men with common interest shall seize the government for a moment, to be overthrown by other combinations of interest ; property will be unsafe ; law will be mocked at, and the rule that will obtain is the rule of self-interest and selfishness, except men shall repent. ¶

A VISION FOR ZION ¶

But, I see something different for Zion. I see her rise and shine in glory and power and might, because she has the truth, if she will only treasure it and live up to it. The day will come when people shall come from the east and the west, and the north and the south, and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the house of the God of Jacob, that there we may learn to walk in her paths." and so, we shall attract not only them but we shall attract the angels of God and bring to live upon the earth again, among men, the Lord Jesus Christ. We can speed that day, for he is waiting upon us. Let us rouse ourselves, and go forth from this conference with a determination that, better than ever, we will adhere to the standards of Zion, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶