Remarks by John Wells

No doubt all have been deeply impressed with the variety of subjects that have been presented during this conference. It seems to be the sincere desire of all the speakers to bless, advise, counsel and instruct Latter-day Saints to reach a higher plane, both in temporal and spiritual development. The music has been inspiring. It, no doubt, has reached our very souls and has been sung by those who feel what they sing. The music of the Latter-day Saints is not hired to create effect, but is a part of the congregational worslrp. . ¶

It is not what we hear that benefits us so much as the thoughts which sink deep into our soul, that ring out, not only in our ears, but which become part of our life'.s habit that will benefit us. If we take home with us the counsel and instructions we have received, and develop in our hearts a fixed determination to follow that counsel and make it a part of our daily life, we shall develop as the Lord expects us to. ¶

On Friday, President Heber J. Grant referred to the great missionary work of the Church. He stated there were 1,775 men and women laboring in the, nations of the earth and in this great country without any hope of earthly reward. They are suffering trials and sometimes distress that would appall ordinary persons. They go from door to door with the messages of the gospel, frequently have these doors shut in their faces ; in many cases they struggle to acquire another language. The Lord blesses them so abundantly in] his labor and ministry that in a few weeks or months they are able to do what others have not been able to do in years, that is, express themselves in a foreign tongue. And it has been a constant comment and marvel to the people of the world of the rapidity with which the Latter-day Saints acquire a foreign language. ¶

Many people have an idea that success in life is measured by dollars and cents ; others by the acquisHion of lands and cattle and sheep ; others by the accumulation of stocks and bonds. But there is ¶

in the gospel something far more substantial, far more important than success measured by dollars and cents or the things of the world. And one outstanding feature of the Latter-day Saints is the great work that is being done by its missionaries in all parts of the world ; by their exemplary lives they teach the world that there is something in "Mormonism" different to other religions. The leaven of the gospel is slowly vitalizing the theories of men concerning Christianity. Not only that, there is the great development that comes to the missionaries themselves. They may come home without the gratification of having made converts, but they do a wonderful work for themselves . by obtaining a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the most priceless thing a man or woman can obtain. ¶

It is not necessary that the Latter-day Saints should measure their success in the world by the numbers who embrace the gospel, although it is always gratifying to know that others have received with glad hearts the message of the gospel that has come to us. But the Father, when he appeared to the Prophet Joseph, thought one man was enough to show himself to, that he might be a new witness for God. ¶

I was talking with a man the other day who had just received a letter from his son, breathing the spirit and power of the gospel. The father said : "Yes, that one letter alone has paid me for all the labor, the expense and all the effort that we have made to keep that boy in the mission field." Let us keep a constant stream of young men and women in the missionary field. Let every ward do its full share in warning the world by sending missionaries to proclaim the gospel message. Let us not measure the work of the Lord in terms of a pocketbook, but measure it in terms of eternal life that will come to our young people who perform their part and remain true to the covenant of the gospel. ¶

Perhaps I ought to say something on temporal things, for my duty and calling is to minister in all temporal things. President Grant has more than once expressed his desire that the Latter-day Saint should get out of debt. We are on the eve of another era of prosperity. Whether is is permanent or not only time can tell. The nations of Europe are still struggling and trying to lift their heads out of the chaos caused by war. They are unable to purchase the necessities of life, much more import luxuries, and even necessities from other countries. Our present wave of prosperity may not be permanent ; it may be that in the providence of the Lord there will be an era of good time for this country which will equally affect the Latter-day Saints and will enable them to get out of debt. So I want to urge my brethren and sisters to take the advice of the President seriously and make an effort to rid themselves of the bondage of debt. ¶

Some of my brethren and sisters say they are tied up so tight with debt that they do not know which way to turn. Well, there are only four ways to change that situation. The first is, to earn more. ¶

Some of us can't do that. The second is, to spend less. Most of us don't like to do that. The third is, to dispose of our assets, and with our equity in our unencumbered assets pay our debts. But I want to give you a fourth method of paying your debts, and that is to pay your tithes and offerings in the season thereof. If we will tithe all that the Lord gives unto us. that belongs to us, and do it in the season thereof and at the time we receive it, the Lord has said that he will bless and prosper the land for our sakes. And there are hundreds of ways by which the Lord will bring about circumstances and conditions where our debts will be lighter and more easily paid, and funds come into our hands when we observe the law of tithing. ¶

Let me illustrate this by telling you an incident that occurred a few days ago. A certain well-known brother whose father has gone to rest — a great man in this Church, a man who has left a name and a fame that will never be forgotten — was on the non-tithepayers list. I spoke to him about the payment of his tithing. He said he could not possibly pay because he had promised to pay the bank where he was ow • ing a large amount, his full check for his pay for that month. I said, "You have no right to promise that to the bank which belongs to the Lord. There is where you make the mistake. You have taken the Lord's money and applied it for your own purposes and thus deprived yourself of a blessing." He replied: "What shall I do?" I said, "If it were my case, I would pay my tithing and trust to the Lord to find some way to help me out of my difficulties." He stood a little while, uncertain what to do. I went back to my desk. He came in and said : "I will do it," and he went to the proper department of the office, paid one-tenth of his check and stood outside on the front steps wondering what to do. While standing there thinking oLsome kind of an excuse, a man came to him, who had owed him money for a number of years and said, "I have been looking for you for a day or two. Here is that $25 I owed you years ago." That was the exact amount of his tithing. ¶

Now I don't wish to leave an impression that the Lord will give to you or me just as much back as we pay him on tithing. Don't go away with that idea. But I do want to appeal to the Latter-day Saints to sit down with themselves and their conscience once a month, find out what the Lord has given to them, their interest, and tithe it first of all. Then the blessings of the Lord will surely be on the 90 per cent which he has given us to use according to our good judgment and discretion. ¶

If we will live the commandments of the Lord, we are entitled to his blessings and the promptings of his Spirit, which will bring gladness and happiness to our souls. ¶

A solo entitled, "The Lord has risen," was sun by Mrs. Mark Gardner. ¶