Remarks by Charles A. Callis

{President of the Southern States Mission) ¶

Brethren ' and sisters, our hearts are glad because the Lord has shown us the path to' eternal life. In his service there are joys that fill the heart to overflowing. ¶

On my way to South Carolina, a few days ago, the passenger train on which I was riding was delayed four hours. A freight engine running ahead of this passenger train ran off the track. Enquiring from one of the railroad men the cause of the engine being derailed — for the track appeared to be in good condition — I received this reply : "The engine was running 'light.' It had no cars — no load to pull. The engineer was driving it at high speed. If the engine had been pulling a train it would probably have kept on the rails." ¶

I pondered over this answer. How many men in this republic are running "light?" Shakespeare makes one of his characters say: ¶

"Let me give light, but let me not be light. For a light wife doth make a heavy husband." ¶

If there were more men who would take upon themselves the natural and God-ordained responsibilities of this mortal life, that is to say, if there were more men who were heads of families, assuming the duties of life there would be fewer strikes and less industrial disturbance. ¶

The Latter-day Saints are a great people because they are engaged in a great work and they sense the responsibilities thereof. They have not made this work great, but the work has made them great. It is God's work. What is the mission of the Church? It is a glorious one. In the Book of Mormon the Lord said to one of his prophets : "For my work is not yet finished ; neither shall it be, until the end of man ; neither from that time henceforth and forever." Yes, the Almighty hath a work. It must be a noble one, a work of power and glory worthy of the Majesty on high. The Lord said unto Moses: "For behold, this is my work and my glory; — to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." And this work will go on throughout the countless ages of eternity. ¶

Blessed are the Latter-day Saints for they have been called by the Master to perform a great and far-reaching work pertaining to the ¶

salvation of the souls of the children of men. The Lord says that we are called to lift up our voices "as with the sound of a trump, both long and loud, and cry repentance unto a crooked and perverse generation, preparing the way of the Lord for his second coming." ¶

This is the mission of this Church, to warn the world by the preaching of the everlasting gospel proclaiming to the world that the coming of the Lord is nigh at hand. He is coming to judgment, to reward the righteous, to bring to pass the resurrection of the righteous dead ; and to reward every man according to the deeds done in the body. "And even so I have sent mine everlasting covenant into the world," saith the Lord, "to be a light to the world, and to be a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a messenger before my face to prepare the way before me." ¶

In sublime faith in the spirit of service and sacrifice, meeting every form of prejudice, your sons and daughters are proclaiming the truth to the children of men, at street meetings, in halls, cottages and houses of worship. They are preaching the gospel as a witness and a warning to the nations of the earth preparatory to the glorious second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. ¶

As I listened to President Grant, President Penrose and President Ivins I thought of the splendid lives of these men. What a great blessing to the people of the world and especially to the Latterday Saints they are and have been. ¶

And the same may be truthfully said of all the leaders of the Church both past and present, and it will be said of those who will follow. God said to the Prophet Joseph Smith: "And thy people shall never be turned against thee by the testimony of traitors." Our leaders instruct us by the power of the Holy Ghost and their words are carried by that power unto our hearts. We rejoice in the fulness of the gospel and thank God that Israel is led by prophets, seers and revelators. ¶

Almost at the commencement of his communication to Joseph Smith, the angel Moroni said that God had a work for him (Joseph) to do. In what spirit did the Prophet Joseph perform that work? In the spirit of service and sacrifice. He lived for others. On his way to Carthage, knowing that he was going to his martyrdom, in the splendor and nobility of his soul, he exclaimed: "If my life is of no value to my friends, it is of none to myself." We are living for others. We want to be of service to our fellow men, to our country, to our God. I believe from the bottom of my heart that this faith which the world designates as "Mormonism" is the spiritual force that is saving the world from bursting asunder into spiritual anarchy. The young people have the faith of their fathers in their hearts, and it is the faith that is the power of God unto salvation. The missionaries go into the world with the light and inspiration of the Holy Spirit to deliver their vital message in the name and power of Jesus Christ. ¶

God, in his spiritual firmanent, has set constellations of spiritual ¶

power and righteousness "for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." Chief among these is the First Presidency of the Church. So long as the Latter-day Saints look to these spiritual guides, the Presidency and the Twelve, and obey their counsels, they will never go astray. These inspired men are servants of Jesus Christ. The Redeemer is the head of the Church, the chief corner stone of our salvation and faith. Without him we can do nothing. In keeping counsel and in doing the things the Lord shall command them the Saints will walk in the glorious light of truth : they will share the glory of the first resurrection, and the great gift of salvation will be their eternal reward. ¶

May God help us to keep our vision from being blurred by the deceitfulness of riches and the cares of the world. May he help us to live and preach the gospel to help mankind to keep from perishing spiritually, to teach our children to be true to their leaders, to themselves, loyal to their country and to God, is my humble prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶