I am very grateful to our Heavenly Father

I am very grateful to our Heavenly Father for membership in his Church. I am thankful for the privilege I have had of attending the sessions of this conference thus far, and for the inspiration that has been felt as a result of the instruction we have received. ¶

I fully sense the responsibility that attaches to one who occupies this position, and desire that the Lord will bless me, that I may be directed to say such things as will be profitable to us here upon this occasion. ¶

PERILOUS TIMES

We are living in perilous times. The scriptures are being fulfilled, and as it appears to me this is the particular time when, if it were possible, the very elect would be deceived. It is remarkable how easy it is for those who desire to advance their financial interests in the world to find a reason for setting aside the plain teachings of the Lord with reference to our lives. And it is strange to me how many people fall into the habit of listening to those who say things that are contrary to the revealed will of our Heavenly Father. ¶

This is a great institution with many organizations that are calculated to bless and benefit mankind. I fear that as members of the Church we depend too much upon the auxiliary organizations, and upon the advice and counsel of those outside our own households. We have already heard of many of the blessings that the Lord has given to us in the sacred records that have been kept until our day, and that contain the advice and counsel of an all-wise Father. It seems strange that so many of our people, with the opportunities offered, lack familiarity with the contents of these sacred records. ¶

CONSERVATION ADVISED

We live in a rapid age; there is new development constantly. The Lord has warned us that there are certain requirements that are made of us, and that if we fail to take advantage of his advice and counsel, these other things that seem so important will be but a source of sorrow and regret to us. This people have been advised to conserve their energies and their means. We have been taught by those whom the Lord has raised up to instruct us that we should live within our income, that we should not follow the fashions of the world and expend as rapidly and even more rapidly than we can earn the money that comes into our hands, to take care of ourselves and our families. ¶

I fear that the Latter-day Saints, in many cases, are blinded by their own vanity, by their desire to be what the world is; and we have been told in such plain language by our Heavenly Father that we cannot live as the world lives and enjoy his Spirit. ¶

CONSISTENCY IN OUR LIVES

We read in the Old Testament scripture and in the New Testament, we read in the Book of Mormon and in the Doctrine and Covenants, the advice and counsel of our Heavenly Father through his servants that direct us to be consistent in our lives, not to be selfish, not to desire those things that belong to somebody else, to take care of our bodies, to have our houses in order, to exemplify in our lives those virtues that will enrich us here and prepare us for eternal life in the Celestial kingdom. And if any of us fail it will not be because we have not been well taught. ¶

THE THINGS OF THE WORLD

As I go out through the country and see the improvements that are made, as I look at the fine conveyances that our people are using, I observe the tendency to follow after the world in so many ways. I fear that if we are not careful we will be tempted beyond our power to resist and we will lose the gifts the Lord desires to bestow upon us. In his wisdom he has warned us that some things commonly used by the world are not good for us. ¶

EVILS THAT AFFLICT MANKIND

For instance, we read in Section eighty-nine of the Doctrine and Covenants that in our day certain evils and designs would exist in the hearts of conspiring men; and as I see the increase in the use of tobacco among the people of the world, and realize its baneful effects upon the human family, I am concerned for our youth. If as members of the Church we fail to listen to the advice and counsel of our Heavenly Father we will not gain but we will lose our blessings. If as the head of a household I fail to influence the lives of my family to avoid the evils that afflict mankind; if by reason of my own carelessness or my indifference I fail to inspire in my children faith in God, surely I must know that sooner or later I may repent in sorrow. ¶

The harmful use of stimulants and narcotics among the Latter-day Saints ought not to prevail. These habits should not be customary with us as they are in the world, for we have been better taught. ¶

We ought not to be among those who violate the Sabbath day, because the Lord has told us plainly what we should do in order to properly honor his holy day. ¶

We ought not to be among those who neglect their prayers and fail to seek the Lord for his advice and counsel, for he has told us that if we will come to him he will hear us and bless us; and if we in our families neglect our prayers the loss will be ours. ¶

DIVINE INSTRUCTION

I do not feel like criticising people in the world, because of conduct that is prejudicial to good health and good morals, as much as I feel like criticising the members of this Church when we fail. We have been divinely instructed. Not only do we have the advice that has been given to the world through the Old and New Testament, but that has been supplemented in our day by teachings contained in other sacred records and by the inspired counsels of men that we have sustained as prophets, seers and revelators. With these things confronting us surely the members of this Church should ever be on the alert, we should think seriously of our privileges and our opportunities, and we should not be willing to do what others do because it is popular. ¶

DUTIES OF PARENTS

It is the duty of fathers and mothers to call their families together and instruct them. It is our duty to bow before the Lord in prayer in our homes. It is our duty to ask the blessing upon the food that we partake of and to thank Him who gives us all these things. It is our duty to be honest with our neighbor, not incur obligations thoughtlessly that we may not be able to meet. We should teach our children that honesty even in minor things is important if they are to obtain a place in the Celestial kingdom. ¶

We should stress the necessity of morality among the rising generation. It is not safe for us to leave to our public schools and to other institutions outside of our homes the training of our boys and girls with reference to a proper conduct in life. If we do not teach them the sacredness of these bodies of ours, if we do not inspire in them a desire to build character that is beyond reproach, if we fail to impress upon them the danger that confronts them in their contact with the evils that afflict mankind, we will not be justified by saying that we did not realize how serious it was. God has warned us that we should teach our children to pray and to walk uprightly before him. He has given us schoolmasters after his own heart who have been instructing us from year to year in the things that we should do. If our children grow up in idleness we know that that is displeasing to the Lord. If those of our households neglect to hold in reverence the things of God, we must know that sooner or later sorrow will come into their lives; and if it comes into the lives of our children then we, too, must join them in sorrow and remorse. ¶

INTEGRITY AND INDUSTRY IMPORTANT

I feel very much concerned, when I think of the temptations that are everywhere present. The very fact that so much wealth has been made available to many people gives the youth in some instances the feeling that because their parents are well-to-do, honest toil is not necessary or desirable; and yet I am satisfied that no people have ever lived upon the earth who have failed to earn their livelihood by integrity and industry, but have gone to decay. ¶

I wish there were some way of inculcating into the minds of our boys and girls a greater feeling of appreciation for the advice and counsel of our Heavenly Father, and a desire to benefit by it. ¶

HARMFUL LITERATURE

When we think of the large amount of information that is disseminated in our magazines and books, easily accessible to our boys and girls, much of which is harmful to those who read it, how important it is for us who have had years of experience to safeguard and direct them by pointing out the dangers that confront them if they accept as desirable the vagaries and philosophies of men and women who do not believe in God. ¶

THE SAFE COURSE

I am thinking of the time when ancient Israel went astray. They worshiped false gods They listened to that which was popular, but false, and then destruction overtook them. We are in just as much danger, my brethren and sisters, as any people who have ever lived upon the earth, unless we listen to our Heavenly Father. His is the only voice, and the teachings of those whom he directs are the only teachings that we are safe in following. We know that the adversary is alert. If he can, betray the rising generation, if he can lay pitfalls for their feet and ensnare them in evil his desire has been realized and their downfall is accomplished. ¶

TEACHING IN THE HOME

It is important that in our home and by our own firesides we take more pains to teach our sons and our daughters those truths which the Lord has made plain to us are necessary for eternal salvation. What a wonderful privilege it is to live in an age such as this! No such opportunities were ever afforded the human family before. But with these opportunities and blessings there also comes temptation. It is everywhere present. We must not take too much for granted, but be alert. We must feel the importance of our duty as fathers and mothers and safeguard the future happiness of our youth. ¶

I am grateful for the great Primary organization in this Church, for the Sabbath Schools, and the Mutual Improvement Associations. I am grateful for the Relief Society, and for our great Church school system. All of these things are making a contribution for the salvation of mankind. I am mindful of the advantage of missionary experiences that come to so many of our young men and women. All these things are calculated to draw us nearer to our Heavenly Father. But I feel like calling to the attention of the fathers and mothers of Israel today the fact that all these splendid helps are not sufficient. It is your duty and mine to see to it that in our own homes and at our own firesides the important lessons of life are taught to these children, not leaving them to the kindness of our brethren and sisters — and there is great kindness manifested by them. We must not depend upon them entirely. It is our duty — I should say it is our privilege as well as our duty to take sufficient time to surround our children with safeguards and to so love them and earn their love that they will be glad to listen to our advice and counsel. But if as a man holding the priesthood of the living God I so far forget myself as to violate the Sabbath day, can I say to my son that he shall not do that? If I violate the Word of Wisdom by using tea and coffee in my home, what influence have I with my boy or my girl when I say to them, you shall not use tobacco? These difficulties that afflict us do not come all at once. They are insidious and they creep into our midst a little at a time, until after a while they become dominant in our thinking. ¶

EVILS AND DESIGNS IN HEARTS OF CONSPIRING MEN

When I realize the harmfulness of the cigarette, and how great the effort that is being made to make its use universal by every means of advertising, I realize what our Father meant when he warned us to be on our guard. ¶

Permit me to read what the Lord has said with reference to this matter. This revelation was given February 27th, 1833: ¶

"Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation. — " ¶

In that very chapter the Lord mentions the use of strong drinks. He tells us of the baneful influence of tobacco. He warns us against the very things that today are being championed by men who stand in high places, as being desirable to the children of men. Are we as a people to listen to these men who are misled by the adversary? Or shall we take for granted that what they say is true, when in the face of it, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, he who loves us and desires our salvation, has plainly told us that these things are not good for us? ¶

JOY AND BLESSINGS THROUGH RIGHTEOUS LIVES

I hope and pray that as members of the Church we will be more diligent in the future than we have been in the past; that we will be more earnest than we have ever been in safe-guarding the youth against all manner of evil. If any of us in the past have ignored the kind and loving advice of our Heavenly Father with reference to these things that so many think are not important, let us repent of our sins, and ask forgiveness for our weakness. Then let us turn to him and obey his wise counsels; thereby enriching our lives and earning the right to the companionship of his Holy Spirit. We will then radiate an influence in the world for the blessing of all those with whom we come in contact. ¶

I pray that the Lord will bless you good men and women who preside in the various departments of this great Church, you who give so much of your time for the blessing of mankind, that your physical and spiritual strength may be renewed unto you; that the joy that was expressed by one of our faithful brethren this morning when he referred to his mission experience, may fill your souls; and that we may all feel the sacred nearness of our Heavenly Father by reason of our righteous lives. ¶

OUR FATHER'S WORK

This is our Father's work. He gave it to the world for the salvation of the human family. He has counseled and advised us in loving tenderness, and now let us be wise, let us be consistent. Let us put our own houses in order; and then by the power that will come to us as a result of our faithfulness and devotion, let us carry the message of life and salvation unto the children of men with greater power, with greater strength, with greater determination than we have ever done before, to the honor and glory of God and the blessing of his children, to our own salvation and the salvation of those we love, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶

A sacred solo, "Nature's Adoration," was sung by Charles O. Peterson. ¶