Prayers Answered

PRAYERS ANSWERED ¶

My attention has been called to the fact that a resolution was passed here some time ago, recommending that a day be set apart for a general fast and prayer meeting among the Saints, to ask for the success of the great International Conference on the Limitation of Armaments. We thank the Lord that our prayers and those, undoubtedly, of the great majority of all the people in the United States, for the success of that conference, have been answered. ¶

AIM AND DESIRE OF THE GENERAL AUTHORITIES ¶

I believe that I am in a position to know, better than any other living man, the heart, the aspiration, the desire and the ambition of each of the twenty-six men who constitute the General authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Starting with myself and ending with Brother John Wells, and without any mental reservation whatever, I announce to you that I believe — I not only believe, but I know, that each and every one of these men has his heart set upon the accomplishment of the purposes of God. While we all have our faults, ¶

our failings, our imperfections, our weaknesses, nevertheless there is no mental reservation in saying to you that these brethren, one and all, desire the advancement of God's Kingdom, and that it is first and foremost in their affections. When we become perfect we may not be able to stay here. ¶

AN APPEAL TO FATHERS AND MOTHERS ¶

Once I was able to quote the following stanza correctly, but I am not quite sure of it now : ¶

"Vice is a monster of such frightful mien, As to be hated needs but to be seen ; But seen too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then pity, then embrace." ¶

I can remember when a young lady walked the streets of Salt Lake with her dress high enough to show the tops of her shoes, and an inch or two more, that we were shocked ; but I have seen many a knee on the Temple grounds today, because the dresses were too short. Fathers and mothers, use your influence with your modest, pure, sweet girls who, in their anxiety to follow fashion, are causing men to blush with shame ! ¶

USE NO DRUG THAT CREATES AN APPETITE FOR ITSELF ¶

The head of the health department, Dr. Beatty, has requested me to say to the Latter-day Saints that, there are more injurious ingredients in coca-cola than there are in coffee, and particularly when some of the good people say : "Give me the double shot." I say to the Latterday Saints, and it is my right to say it — because you have sung, since this conference started (whether you meant it or not, T am not saying)— ¶

"We thank Thee, O God, for a prophet, ¶

To guide us in these 'atter days ; We thank Thee for sending the gospel ¶

To lighten our minds with its rays ; We thank Thee for every blessing ¶

Bestowed by Thy bounteous hand ; We feel it a pleasure to serve Thee, ¶

And love to obey Thy command." ¶

Now, if you mean it — I am not going to give any command, but I will ask it as a personal, individual favor to me, to let coca-cola alone. There are plenty of other things you can get at the soda fountains without drinking that* which is injurious. The Lord does not want you to use any drug that creates an appetite for itself. ¶

A WORD TO FARMERS AND POULTRYMEN ¶

Fifteen years ago, yes longer than that, when I was presiding over the European mission, I remember reading an article on the. poultry ¶

industry, and I was dumb-founded to learn that the products of the poultry industry — eggs, chickens, ducks, etc., were greater than all the products of any other industry in the United States of America. Cotton was not "in it." Corn was not "in it." I would not be positive as to the figures, but my recollection is that in the state of Utah there were not two hundred thousand chickens, and in the state of Iowa there were over ten millions ; and yet, I believe we have as good feed for chickens here as they have in Iowa. I ate butter all the way from Denmark, when I went to Japan. We ought to export butter, but never import it. We ought to export eggs and chickens, but never import them. I have known of poultry coming in here by the car-load, which ought never to come. It is really almost a moral obligation on us to provide these things here at home. ¶

THE TESTIMONY OF THE GOSPEL FAR-REACHING ¶

We had at our Priesthood meeting here, two thousand three hundred ninety-eight men — lacked only two of two thousand four hundred men — the largest Priesthood meeting that has ever been held within my recollection, and in another six months it will be forty years since I first had the privilege of occupying this stand to proclaim, the gospel to the Latter-day Saints. I thank the Lord for that power and that inspiration of His Spirit which abides in the hearts of the Latter-day Sainfs, men, women and children. No other people like them ; no other people have the absolute knowledge that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that God has spoken, and that He did reveal Himself to the Prophet Joseph Smith. The testimony of the divinity of that man's mission has been given to people from the country of the mid-night sun, Scandinavia, clear away to South Africa. It has been given to men and women all over Europe, from Canada to South America, and in the islands of tne sea. The Japanese and Chinamen, and men all over the world have been blessed by Almighty God through His giving to them a knowledge that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the true and the living God. ¶

THE ABSENT BRETHREN OF THE GENERAL AUTHORITIES ¶

Brother J. Golden Kimball is not with us today on account of poor health. He is in San Francisco, or in the neighborhood of San Francisco. Our prayers and faith go out for his recovery. With the exception of Brother Kimball, the only members absent from this conference, of the twenty-six men standing as the general authorities of the Church are: Elder Reed Smoot, who is in Washington, and Brother Orson F. Whitney who is presiding over the European mission. Brother Whitney is accomplishing a wonderful work. I have read with the keenest interest some of his splendid editorials in the Millennial Star. T believe that it is needless, now, for me to say anything in praise of Elder Peed Smoot. From the President of the United States down, he is being commended for his splendid labors as a senator. ¶

A MEETING OF STAKE PRESIDENCIES WITH THE GENERAL AUTHORITIES ¶

Now, I agreed to quit in thirty-five minutes, and I am through in ten, with one single exception, two exceptions ; maybe I will find three before I get through. I have found three. The Presidency and the general authorities desire to meet tomorrow morning at 9:30 in the Temple — en' race from the west door — all the presidents of stakes who are here at this conference, and their counselors. We will not promise to close that meeting till we get through. You know if you were at a picture show you could stand it for three hours without getting tired, but when you are in a meeting somewhere, you know it nearly kills you to sit a little over the regular time. ¶

PRAYER IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND IN THE FAMILIES ¶

I have here a note from Elder Stephen L. Richards, who is an attorney, and he says: "A notion seems to' be prevalent among educational people that the offering of prayer in our public schools contravenes the law of the State. I believe a reputable legal opinion will not support this view ; since provision is made for prayer in the Federal Congress, the State Legislatures, and other public assemblies, why prohibit prayer for the children?" ¶

President Brigham Young said: "Prayer keeps a man from sin, and sin keeps a man from prayer." We ought to have enough interest in our children to have prayers. I will thank the Lord when the public sentiment of America shall say that a man who c'oes not believe in prayer cannot teach our children, at the expense of the public. Why should my money be used to employ a man to teach my children infidelity and a lack of faith in God? I remember as a boy, when we had our small common schools, that they hired a non-"Mormon," to teach in the Twelfth Ward school. He got up and said : "I understand that in the past you have prayed in this school. We will not have any more prayers, because we do not know whether or not there is anybody to pray to." I consider it an outrage that the money of people who believe in the Lord God Almighty can be spent to teach our children that kind of ''rot." I endorse Nicholas Murray Butler's words, "The fool who says in his heart: 'There is no God,' finds his god when he is looking in a mirror." ¶

Mr. Babson, the greatest statistician in America, and be knows what he is talking about, says : "Much, of the prosperity of the nation is due to the family prayers which were once held in the homes of our fathers. To a very large extent, this custom has gone by. Whatever the argument pro and con may be, the fact remains that such family prayers nurtured and developed the spiritual resources to which the prosperity of the nation is due. The custom of family prayers should be revived, along with many other good New England customs which some radicals may ridicule, but to which they owe all they possess." ¶

HAPPINESS CONSISTS IN GIVING AND SERVING ¶

Those are the two things I nearly forgot. Here is the other. Henry Drummond has written some of the best essays, and has delivered some of the finest speeches that I have ever read. In one of his books entitled, The Greatest Thing in the Word, he says: "Half the world is on the wrong scent in its pursuit of happiness. They think it consists in having and getting and in being served by other.s. It consists in giving and in serving others." The happiest men in the world are the missionaries who are giving the gospel free of charge to the people of the world. ¶

May the Lord sanctify all that has been said and done in this great conference. May He bless our organizations. I thank the Lord for that wonderful oratorio, "The Restoration," that came from the brain of the daughter, Susa Young Gates, and partly from the voice of the granddaughter, Emma Lucy Gates Bowen, and from the inspired pen in writing the music of the grandson, B. Cecil Gates — of the great man, Brigham Young, under whose direction was erected this building, and our great organ. May the Lord inspire us one and all who have a knowledge of the gospel to live it. May we obey the Word of Wisdom, because God tells us to, to say nothing about the advantages to ourselves by so doing. May we pay our tithing so that we will be on the right road to happiness, is my prayer. May we pray to God, so that we will have His Spirit ; may we live the gospel, so that we may inspire our children to do the same, I ask it, with my blessing upon you all, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶