Centennial Progress and Testimony

It is always a pleasure to me to meet with the Latter-day Saints in any of their public gatherings, and especially am I pleased to be present at the General Conferences of the Church, having had the privilege of attending them from my childhood until the present time. ¶

There are assembled I am sure in this city today fully twenty thousand people from different sections of the Church, from Canada on the north to Mexico on the south, who will attend these meetings. In addition there will be several hundred thousand who will attend our meetings by means of the marvelous radio. It is wonderful how many people are permitted to listen in, those who have a desire to do so, to our conference proceedings. In many of our Wards and Stakes the meetinghouses will be filled with those who will hear as plainly and partake of the spirit I believe as perfectly almost as those who are assembled in this building today. ¶

I rejoice in the opportunities that have come to preach the Gospel through the means of the radio. One day four letters were received from New Zealand, announcing the perfect reception of a program broadcast by KSL. ¶

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION PUBLICITY ¶

We rejoice in the marvelous Conference that was held here six months ago. When we think of this building being filled for thirty evenings by people who attended the wonderful pageant that was presented, it is another marvel to contemplate the fact that publicity was given to millions of people regarding that great pageant. I have here on exhibit and I wish to show you what is merely a collection of newspaper clippings regarding our Centennial celebration. Over three ¶

thousand newspapers gave us favorable notices. The great change that has come about since the days of my boyhood in the general attitude toward this people is almost beyond contemplation or expectation. ¶

I can remember when I was the junior member of the Council of the Twelve, forty-eight years ago this month, that during my first trips away from home, almost invariably, wherever I went I found opposition. I found ill-will toward the Latter-day Saints. I found men so full of bitterness toward us that they said if they had their way the "Mormons" would be shut up in their tabernacle and the guns of Fort Douglas be turned upon them. Today, wherever I go I find the opposite feeling; I find good-will; I find kindness; I find readiness and willingness on the part of newspapers to give us favorable public notices. Anything we wish to say they are willing to print. ¶

ATTITUDE OF THE PRESS ¶

During the time when I presided over the Japanese Mission there were some vile things published in that country about us; and when I obtained affidavits from home refuting the published statements I could not get them into the papers that had published the scurrilous articles against us. During my presidency of the European Mission, for three long years, I never succeeded in getting one single line of refutation printed in the papers in England. Some very pernicious articles were written about us, but the newspapers would not publish refutations of those articles. Today, we are getting very favorable publicity. The newspapers are open to the president of the European Mission, Elder John A. Widtsoe. We regret his absence from the meetings of this Conference. We would be delighted if he were here. ¶

We also regret very much the absence of Elder Stephen L. Richards on account of ill health. ¶

I remember calling upon one newspaper in London that had published some seven to ten columns of vile stuff about the "Mormons," and I took with me a letter of introduction from a large shipping firm in Liverpool — with which we had done business for over sixty years — ■ vouching not only for my integrity as president of the European Mission, but for the integrity of all of my predecessors, and yet they would not publish a single line. I told them I had letters of introduction from all of the non-"Mormon" bankers in Salt Lake City, and from bankers in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago, and from the largest wholesale dry goods house in New York, vouching for my honesty, and gave them my word of honor that what they had published was false. Yet they would not publish a thing in our favor. ¶

SOURCE OF GRATITUDE ¶

To have over three thousand newspapers ; to have the Associated Press; to have the Hearst papers, and to have western papers — especially in Utah and in Idaho — the newspapers generally, give us such extended and favorable articles as this immense volume ¶

contains, is a cause of deep gratitude on my part and that of my associates of the General Authorities of the Church. These notices and editorials as well as the original articles that appeared with illustrations, are all that we could possibly have asked. "There was very seldom anything published during our Centennial Conference that was not favorable. The Associated Press and special representatives of various newspapers sent out truthful and informative notices. This is a source of profound gratitude on our part. ¶

FOR WHAT WE ARE ¶

I announced to the good sisters yesterday in their Relief Society Conference that we are becoming known for what we are, a Godfearing, honest, upright people, striving to serve the Lord and keep his commandments, carrying a message of good will to all the world. All that we have ever asked or expected is that people shall judge us by the standards laid down by the Savior of the world, "By their fruits ye shall know them." ¶

We have a lower divorce rate, we have a higher marriage rate, we have a higher birth rate, we have a lower death rate, we have a lower criminal rate, than other people. ¶

I know of nothing for which I am more grateful than to realize that we are coming into our own, that we are being accepted for exactly what we are, a God-fearing and splendid people. ¶

IN FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY ¶

The accomplishments of the Latter-day Saints are in absolute and full accord with the prophecy delivered on the west bank of the Mississippi river by the Prophet Joseph Smith, as recorded in the prophet's journal under date of August 6, 1842 : ¶

"I prophesied that the Saints would continue to suffer much affliction and would be driven to the Rocky Mountains. Many would apostatize, others would be put to death by our persecutors or lose their lives in consequence of exposure or disease, and some of you will live to go and assist in making settlements and build cities, and see the Saints become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains." ¶

This has been fulfilled to the very letter and we have over one thousand wards and branches from Canada on the north to Mexico on the south. The Church has expended during the last three years between three and four million dollars in assisting to erect local meetinghouses. The people have contributed a like amount. As you know we have builded here a four-million-dollar temple, and we have built temples in St. George, Manti, Logan, Canada, Arizona and the Hawaiian Islands, costing in all many millions of money. We have in very deed fulfilled that prophecy notwithstanding the fact that this western country was considered worthless. When you think of this arid region, when you think that it was considered of no value, and then realize what has been accomplished, it is beyond question that we have fulfilled that prediction. ¶

At the very time this prophecy was uttered, Daniel Webster, one of the foremost statesmen in the United States at that time, said: ¶

"What do we want with this vast worthless area, this region of savages and wild beasts, of deserts, of shifting sands, and whirlwinds of dust, of cactus and prairie dogs? To what use could we ever hope to put those great deserts or those endless mountain ranges, impenetrable and covered to their very bases with eternal snow? What can we ever hope to do with the western coast of three thousand miles, rock-bound, cheerless, uninviting and not a harbor on it? Mr. President, T will never vote one cent from the public treasury to place the Pacific Coast one inch nearer Boston than it now is." ¶

MARVELOUS RESOURCES ¶

When I think of the magnificent harbor at Seattle, and the wonderful Golden Gate harbor as well as others on the Pacific Coast, I am aware that Daniel Webster was not very well posted. When we think of this "worthless" country — Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and California — having furnished more wealth so far as the precious metals are concerned than any other part or all of the balance, I think, of the United States ; when we realize that we have one mine here, a copper mine, the copper being mined in a most unusual and wonderful way, having paid as I recall over one hundred and fifty million dollars in dividends, working successfully ore that does not run one per cent — less than twenty pounds of copper to a ton — handling upon one occasion more than eighty thousand tons in a day, or double as much as was handled in a day in the construction of the Panama canal ; when we think of the millions upon millions of dollars' worth of gold produced in California; when we think of the rich copper mines in Arizona, to say nothing of silver, lead and gold in all these sections, and Colorado's immense wealth, we realize that Daniel Webster did not know very much about this country. ¶

But the only point I wish to make is that we as Latter-day Saints realize and know that Joseph Smith was and is the representative of God and a prophet of God, and that his sayings have been fulfilled to the very letter. ¶

SIGNS OF THE TIMES ¶

I am very happy in contemplating the prosperity that prevails today, and my heart goes out in gratitude for the change that has taken place at home and abroad. While the world is in a state of commotion and there is perplexity among the nations, the Latter-day Saints have no fears for the future. The signs of the times indicate the near approach of the coming of the Lord, and the work that we are engaged in is a preparatory one for that great event. ¶

NEVER WHILE THE WORLD STANDS ¶

In speaking here last month, Bishop Sylvester Q. Cannon referred to a statement made by a minister to the effect that unless the "Mormon" Church can withstand the criticism of intelligent people, the test of modern science, etc., it must, in the next one hundred years, be counted ¶

in the category of declining religions and that it would then be necessary for us to shift our faith from Joseph Smith and his reputed revelations. ¶

Never while the world stands will it be necessary for us to shift our faith. God lives, Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God. He has appeared to Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and Sidney Rigdon, and we proclaim to all the world that we know that he lives and that God has given to us individually a testimony regarding the divinity of the mission of Joseph Smith. We have the truth, and as the great lawyer said to those who were fighting Christianity, we can repeat today : ¶

"Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space; ¶

"And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. * * * ¶

"Refrain from these men, and let them alone ; for if this work be of men, it will come to naught: ¶

' But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it ; lest haply ye be found to fight against God." ¶

DURING ONE HUNDRED YEARS ¶

This work is of God and it has been proclaimed now for over a hundred years. We are here today assembled celebrating the one hundred and first semi-annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During all of these one hundred years the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as revealed through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith, has been proclaimed all over the world wherever there has been religious liberty. In every land and in every clime wherever it has been proclaimed honest men and honest women have received the message, have accepted the Gospel, have gone down into the waters of baptism, have pledged their lives and their fortunes for the advancement of this work. From every religious denomination under heaven we have gathered converts. I have never investigated beyond my own experience in life, but I know of no single missionary who has gone out into the world, not one, who has been converted to any other religion and come home to announce that this Gospel of Jesus Christ is not true. But by the hundreds and thousands, during my life, I have heard the testimonies of the young men and the young women who have gone out to proclaim this Gospel returning from their missionary work and bearing witness that they had an increased knowledge of the divinity of this work, that their testimonies had been strengthened. Think of it! What a wonderful miracle it is that with this "false" prophet and these "purported" revelations our young inexperienced members of the Church go out and come in contact with all the education, all the learning, and all the faiths of the world, and yet the churches have not been able to convert any of them and show them that straight and narrow path that leads to life eternal. ¶

WITNESS TO THE WORLD ¶

I bear my witness to you today — and I am talking now not only to the people who are here assembled but to the people who may be ¶

listening in by means of the radio, at home or abroad, in the United States or in foreign countries — I bear my witness that God lives, that he is the Father of our spirits; that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God ; that Joseph Smith is a prophet of the true and the living God, and that his words contained in the Doctrine and Covenants are the inspired words of a prophet of God. I desire all men to know that the revelation or vision given to Joseph Smith, as contained in the seventy-sixth section of the Doctrine and Covenants is absolutely true. I have repeated two passages from that section time and time again, and I shall repeat them again now, in this day of doubt. ¶

Some years ago many ministers of the gospel, even several hundred of them, were asked the following questions : ¶

"Do you believe in God, the Father ; God a person * * * in whose image you were made? ¶

"Do you believe that Christ was the Son of the living God, sent by him to save the world * * * that he is God's very Son, with a divinely appointed and definite mission, dying on the cross and raised from the dead? ¶

"Do you believe that when you die you will live again as a conscious intelligence, knowing who you are and who other people are?" ¶

These questions were put to ministers in the New England States, and not a single one gave an unequivocal answer, Yes, notwithstanding they had been asked to answer them Yes or No. ¶

THE FAITH OF THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS ¶

All three of those questions can be answered by every Latterday Saint. We believe that God appeared to Joseph Smith, and that he proclaimed Jesus Christ as his "Well Beloved Son." ¶

And now, I quote from the vision given to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon : ¶

"And this is the gospel, the glad tidings, which the voice out of the heavens bore record unto us : ¶

"That he came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness. ¶

"Who glorifies the Father, and saves all the works of his hands, except those sons of perdition who deny the Son after the Father has revealed him." ¶

"And now, after the many testimonies that have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him : that he lives ! ¶

"''For we saw him, even on the right hand of God ; and we heard the voice declaring that he is the Only Begotten of the Father— ¶

"That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God." ¶

So there is no dubiety in our minds. One man said to me, "The only religious people I ever met in my life who have a perfect faith in and an absolute assurance of their final destiny are the Mormons." And it is true. ¶

IN DEEP GRATITUDE ¶

I feel that I have occupied enough time. I rejoice in the advancement of the work of God. My heart goes out in deep gratitude to the ¶

members of the committee who furnished that magnificent pageant. I thank the men who secured this wonderful publicity for us. It is marvelous. ¶

May the Lord bless each and every one who has a testimony of the divinity of this work to so live the Gospel that his life will proclaim its message to the people of the world. The promise is made that those who will do the will of the Father shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God or whether it be of man. Having fulfilled the law and having received the knowledge that we are engaged in the work of the Lord, we pray that he may help us to live it. May he help us to be absolutely honest in the payment of our tithes, in observing the Word of Wisdom and setting an example that will cause men and women to investigate the message that we have to bear. It is my humble prayer that the Lord will bless every honest-hearted soul upon the face of the earth, and I ask it in the name of Jesus, our Redeemer. Amen. ¶