Remarks by David A. Smith

I rejoice, this morning, that I find my soul in harmony with the remarks of this conference. I thank God for this, and pray that while I shall stand before you, he will assist me in the remarks I may make. Enough has been said already during this conference to assure us our salvation, if we believe and put into practice the good advice and admonition. ¶

In looking over the congregation today, judging from the expressions on your faces, I am satisfied that those who have attended feel that they can go to their homes fully determined to carry out the instructions received. It will not be long before many of us are again plunged into the affairs of business and some will perhaps forget this wholesome, elevating influence. ¶

It was my good fortune to accompany President Grant and others to Canada for the purpose of attending the dedicatory services at the temple, and for four days most of the General Authorities were in meetings almost continuously for from twelve to fifteen hours each day. Every moment of the time was a joy to me, and I thought while there, how easy it would be to keep the commandments of God, if I could constantly be surrounded with such an influence. This cannot be, it seems, for we must labor to provide food and comforts for ourselves and families, and our labors take us into channels where that spirit is not always present. Some of us, I am afraid, feel it is sufficient to keep the commandments of God as they pertain to our spiritual welfare. We attend sacrament meetings, our priesthood meetings and other meetings that are held for our benefit and edification. Our lives are clean in thought and action, yet many times we overlook the fact that it is also necessary that we so live that our every action may be influenced by the Spirit of God. In the world today, it seems, people think mainly of their selfish interests, hoping constantly to get about them those things which will bring luxury and comfort, and in their anxiety to gather about them luxuries, they forget God and the teachings of the Lord and Savior, and sometimes those who are active in their Church work give way to selfishness and greed, when it comes to business activities. ¶

On our way home from Canada, President Grant received a telegram from the Commercial Club, at Great Falls, asking that while there, President Grant and party be guests of the Chamber of Commerce. President Grant answered he had had a hard week and would prefer to spend the evening quietly. But another telegram came, requesting that President Grant and party be guests of the Chamber of Commerce at Great Falls. Upon arriving we were met at the train by a committee who took the party by automobile to the Rainbow hotel, where arrangements had been made to hold a reception. Remarks were made by leading citizens. In their statements of welcome they expressed a desire to be friendly with the members of the Church, and encouraged them lo come to that country to settle. They stated, not those words, but in thought, that they were not concerned with the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but were very much interested with the effect of those teachings upon the members of the Church who had gone there to settle. A leading banker made this statement: ''We have discovered that where we have *Mormon' families in our community, they are a hard-working" class of people ; they farm intelligently, and confer with one another as to the best method of farming and if need be, they co-operate with one another to get the best results in their farming. Only a few days ago my attention was called to a condition where one of them had been taken sick. His crops were ready to be harvested ; he did not have the means to harvest them himself. His associates, seeing his condition, fixed a time, went in a body and harvested the crops and saved them for him. This is the class of people we want to come amongst us. If we have more of them we will have fewer I W. W's. and Bolshevists.'' I do not know whether this man made the statement purely through selfishness or not but I do know he had discovered in those few farmers who had gone there a condition that should always be manifested in the actions of those who believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ. ¶

While this condition is seen by those who hope to make capital out of it, many of us who should see it and feel the importance of cultivating this spirit of fellowship, have very little time to do so. It is through our thoughts and actions that we succeed. If our thoughts are unclean, our actions will become unclean. If our thoughts are selfish, then we will become selfish. We may attend our meetings, pay our tithes and offerings, but at the same time hold ourselves aloof from the Saints, and thus fail to partake of the spirit of fellowship and personal contact, which is so helpful and comes only through mingling with each other in the spirit of friendship as taught by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether we are engaged in operating a store, laboring in a professional capacity, or in any other of the activities of life, we should not permit the spirit of selfishness to enter into our hearts. We should look upon our brother in need as one to whom we should stretch a helping hand. ¶

The other day, I heard a man from Los Angeles make the statement : "We must look to Utah for subsistence. Our farming ground is being rapidly built up. Utah must supply our meat, our poultry, our eggs, our butter and our cheese." Many times, when farseeing men in the stakes of Zion have made an attempt to have the people in their district see the importance of co-operation and recognize that they may be more helpful to one another in producing" to the best advantage and for the purpose of putting" their produce upon the market to the best advantage, there have been some who. in each case, in the spirit of rebellion, refused to lend aid to this movement, ¶

feeling that the leaders had a selfish motive in advising the people in this manner. There are a few in our midst who have this spirit and they mistrust every man who tries to do good, and, perhaps, because of that mistrust, on the part of a few, the large majority, rather than force their ideas upon others, sit back content with looking after their own affairs, and because of this we fail to accomplish all that we might accomplish. ¶

I want to say to you, my brethren especially, that it is just as important for us at times to discuss in our priesthood meetings our local affairs as they pertain to our business, the crops we should raise and the best method of producing or marketing, as it is that we discuss things which pertain alone to our spiritual, welfare. In all, we should be guided through prayer, faith and works, remembering the commandments of the Lord to Nephi, as found in III Nephi 18:15-25 : ¶

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him. ¶

"And as I have prayed among you even so shall ye pray in my church, among my people who do repent and are baptized in my name/ Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you. ¶

"And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words unto his disciples, he turned again unto the multitude and said unto them : ¶

"Behold, verily, verily, I say unto "you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation ; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. ¶

"Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name; ¶

"And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you. ¶

"Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed. ¶

"And behold, ye shall meet together oft; and ye shall not forbid any man from coming unto you when ye shall meet together, but suffer them that they may come unto you and forbid them not; ¶

"But ye shall pray for them, and shall not cast them out; and if it so be that they come unto you oft ye shall pray for them unto the Father, in my name. ¶

"Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up — that which ye have seen me do. Behold ye see that I have prayed unto the Father, and ye all have witnessed. ¶

"And ye see that I have commanded that none of you should go away, but rather have commanded that ye should come unto me, that ye might feel and see; even so shall ye do unto the world; and whosoever breaketh this commandment suffereth himself to be led into temptation." * * * ¶

The Lord in his wisdom has given us a commandment which is a guide: (III Nephi 18:28-30.) ¶

"And now behold, this is the commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall not suffer any one knowingly to partake of my flesh and blood unworthily, when ye shall minister it ; ¶

"For whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul; therefore if ye know that a man is unworthy to eat and drink of my flesh and blood ye shall forbid him. ¶

"Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out from among you, but ye shall minister unto him and shall pray for him unto the Father, in my name; and if it so be that he repenteth and is baptized in my name, then shall ye receive him, and shall minister unto him of my flesh and blood." ¶

Yesterday, in this building, one of our bishops told us what was being accomplished in his ward by way of leaching the young men, holding the Lesser Priesthood, how to become active in Church work. Young men holding the Lesser Priesthood are generally of an age when they learn mainly through observation. Think of the effect upon these young men just beginning their ministry in the Church, knowing that men should not partake of the Sacrament unless they are clean in their lives and in their actions, when we disobey this instruction : let Vis partake of the Sacrament often and witness anew that we are willing to take upon us the name of the Lord and keep his commandments. ¶

I see that my time is up. I pray that when we go to our homes we will not feel that it is sufficient for us to labor in a spiritual capacity alone, but that it is also necessary to keep with us such spiritual guidance in our every-day walks of life, and apply to all we undertake to do, the Golden Rule. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we are one big family, and to receive the blessings promised should keep in mind that fact, remembering the words of the Savior: "Pray always, lest ye be led into temptations," for no man can pray as God would have him pray, with a spirit of envy, malice or selfishness in his soul. ¶

God grant that through our efforts to serve him we will prove our worthiness to receive his blessings, which I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶