Remarks by Junius F. Wells

{Assistant Church Historian) ¶

The last time I had the pleasure of speaking at an outdoor meeting was in London, in Hyde Park, a year ago last June. I went up there to look for a congregation of Latter-day Saints, as I supposed there might be an outdoor meeting. I found near the Marble Arch, in the northern part of the park, several congregations : one of Catholics, one of Lutherans, one of Free Thinkers, some Socialists. They were all holding forth, far enough apart from one another, not to confuse one another in their services. I looked for some time before I found, off at one side, a small number who were singing, "O, my Father." And then I knew that I was in the right direction for our own congregation. I went up to them, and found a young man had just stepped forward to speak as the hymn closed. His name is Andre Anastasiou, a born Russian, who had been converted to the gospel four or five years before. He had become a very zealous and active member of the Church ; holding the Priesthood, he was filled with an ambition to proclaim the truth, ultimately, to his own countrymen. He was a student of law in King's College, London. He had learned the English language, to speak it quite fluently. I listened to him with interest as he was speaking. Presently three or four fellows in the congregation, who had come there on purpose to nag the "Mormons," began to interrupt him. I had not let it be known that I was of that faith. I stood with the rest of the small congregation ; I had a Panama hat on and kept it on, and so was not recognized. When those fellows got to interrupting too much, I stepped forward and pointed to them and held up my hand to my ear (I only hear with two-fifths of one ear), and I said to them: "Be still; I want to hear what this man has to say." That caused them to be still, and they listened, and Elder Anastasiou completed his discourse. He delivered a very wonderful message, with a fine testimony. ¶

As he was nearing the end, I drew nearer to him and told him that I was Elder Wells ; that I had come from Liverpool, and would follow him. So, presently, he quit. The congregation commenced to move, just as the back part of this congregation is moving a little now, and so, as soon as I stepped forward and took his place, I called out in a loud voice, "I was born in Salt Lake City." You should have seen how the people turned and drew about me again. I was at once a curiosity. Of the Catholic congregation, a large part came over, and from the Lutheran congregation, and some of the others; so, presently, we had a large — certainly the largest — congregation assembled there on that Sunday morning; not so large, however, as I see before me now. ¶

It is a great pleasure, my brethren and sisters, to go out in the world and meet the congregations of unbelievers, to deliver to mankind, irrespective of their faiths, whatever they may be or have been ¶

in the past, our message ; for we have a message to deliver to our fellow creatures. We are called upon by the sublime authority, the highest of all, God himself, to declare to his children that he lives, that he is, that he has spoken from the heavens ; and deliver to his children a message that has been committed to the Latter-day Saints. Holding the Priesthood, with the authority to speak in the name of God, we have to proclaim the principles of the gospel of life and salvation, and to call all men to repentance of their sins, that they may come into the brotherhood of the Church of Jesus Christ. We declare to those who listen to our message and give heed to it, that if they will follow the counsel and instruction we are sent forth to give them, they shall come to a like testimony and knowledge of the truth of our message. We have the courage to do this and dare challenge mankind to put our testimony to the test. We say to every man what Peter of old said : "Repent, and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; for the promise is unto you and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." That is our proclamation to all the world, to every nation and kindred and tongue and people. Whosoever sets himself up to proclaim any other gospel than this, we challenge to a proof of his divine authority ; and of his right to call upon any of his fellow creatures to repent, in the expectation that he shall come to a knowledge and the certain testimony that he is accepted of God, in the congregation and brotherhood of the Saints, and is approved of our Father in heaven. So we say, my brethren and sisters, that it is a delight to go forth in the world and proclaim this glorious message; because we may and can and do so without fear. ¶

I feel to rejoice with all my heart in the sight that is before me; td think that the great tabernacle cannot hold the multitude of Latterday Saints assembled at this conference. In addition to those in there, the Assembly Hall is crowded, and here on the outside is a congregation that would fill it pretty well, listening to the servants of God bear their testimony. ¶

I remember when the Bowery stood just north of here. I remember when the old adobe tabernacle stood there in the southwest corner of this block. There was a bowery at the north of that. I remember when the first stones were laid for the new tabernacle, and have seen it and the temple in process of building. I have played upon the walls of the temple all my early life, and remember when they were not above the foundation. I think I have said my prayers on nearly every step, as the building was raised to the top — on those circular steps in the corners ; for this was my playground ; I was born across the road from here. I have known the men who have officiated in this Church, personally, intimately, and have been closely associated with them all my life. I bear testimony that they were men of God. I knew Brigham Young, have sat on his lap, called him "Uncle Brigham," and was treated by him almost as one of his own children. I knew his counselors, Heber C. Kimball, and George A. Smith, and those of the twelve apostles who have administered here. I did not know Parley P. Pratt, the grandfather of the man who is presiding at this meeting, but I knew his father, Helaman, and himself — three generations of faithful missionaries, declaring the gospel that I am proclaiming to you now. ¶

Do you think the world realizes how strong we Latter-day Saints are today? Do you think you could portray to a congregation in Hyde Park, London, the truth, and have them realize what I am looking upon in this assembly? Not at all. They think that "Utah City" is some sort of a place out here in the Rocky Mountains, surrounded by a high wall, into which we gather a few of those poor girls from Great Britain and make plural wives of them. The ignorance of the world concerning the Latter-day Saints, in view of the fact of the marvelous progress that is being made in the multifarious means of communication, is something that is dense indeed. The prophet who saw a time when "darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people" must have been looking upon people of the present day world, out in London for instance, the greatest city on earth, where gross darkness concerning the Church, concerning this people and the work of God, concerning the character of God himself, is dense as the darkness of Egypt. ¶

Now, my brethren and sisters, I do not wish to prolong my remarks. I Wish to close with a testimony to you that the work that we Latter-day Saints are engaged in is the truth ; that it is God-given ; that it has been preserved by his providence, by his loving care ; that it is of far more consequence to him than it can be to any one of us ; and that every little effort which any one of us puts forward, in the authority of the holy Priesthood to proclaim the truth and declare our message to our fellow creatures, is taken up and magnified by unseen associates and powers under the control of God, and is carried on with influence and power that we little comprehend to the conversion of the honest in heart; the seeking out and searching for the House of Israel ; the bringing to pass of the glorious purposes of our Father and God, in the establishment of his Church and kingdom on earth in power. The day is at hand when this work shall be recognized as established upon the earth in power — "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." ¶

It is for us to qualify by fidelity to the truth ; by faithfulness in our prayers ; by observance of our duties as Latter-day Saints in our lives, to carry in power to the ends of the earth this message of Almighty God to his children; to come out from Babylon, from wickedness, from darkness and error and sin, into the light of everlasting life, through the gospel of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen. ¶