My Brethren and Sisters: I Have Enjoyed the Privileges

My brethren and sisters: I have enjoyed the privileges and the blessings of this conference, and I feel perhaps more than at any other time in my life that I have appreciated my membership in the Church, the blessings that come through it, and the wonderful associations that come with this privilege. My testimony has been increased, my desire to labor and do good have increased, and I have prayed that my heavenly Father would give me strength to be able to build up myself and to carry into my life some of the resolutions that I have made as a result of the inspiration of this conference. I am very much concerned and interested in the welfare of the young people of this Church. I feel that our greatest strength should be given more particularly to them. I feel that our greatest concern is with them. Those who have grown old in years and in service, and have a testimony of the divinity of this work, can't be changed very much ; and, while we must labor with them, we are not nearly so much concerned as with the youth of Israel. Our young people in our auxiliary organizations, the youth of the Church in our Lesser priesthood work, gives our greatest anxiety. I have been grateful indeed that there has come such activity and such a program and such organization in the Lesser priesthood work to more carefully direct and teach and inspire the young men of the Church. As one associated in this work with the young people, and connected with the Mutual Improvement organizations, I have been greatly interested in the work for young boys. I have been happy indeed that all of my time for a number of years past has been spent with them, with the Boy Scouts of America. ¶

May the Lord bless our young people. May all of us, who are responsible for their welfare, in all our organizations and priesthood quorums, give them all we have to direct their work, their thought and their actions. May our greatest desire and ambition be to instil in their hearts a testimony of the divinity of the work in which we are engaged, and if they enjoy this testimony, we may feel assured as to their welfare and the outcome of their lives. May we thus be concerned, and have as an objective in every contact, in every activity and program the putting into the hearts of our young people an appreciation and a testimony of the divinity of this work, I sincerely pray, through Jesus Christ, Amen. , ¶