The Mexican Mission

I am very pleased, my brethren and sisters, to stand before you this afternoon and represent the Mexican mission, as well as the Council of the Seventies. You understand, of course, that in the last six months, since I first stood before this congregation, my entire time has been spent in the Mexican mission. Because of that I shall take the liberty of telling you just a little of what we have done in that mission and what we would like to do, and then I shall take my seat. ¶

Judged from one point of view we may say that the Mexican mission is in good shape. From another point of view we must say that it is not in good shape. Our Mexican people depend entirely upon the service that they can render others for their food and clothing, and at times like this, when industry is at a standstill, they are usually the first ones to go out of employment. Because of that fact there is considerable suffering among the members of the Church of that race, and because of that fact also thousands and thousands of the people with whom we were wont to make contact in our missionary labors have found it expedient to return to Mexico. ¶

I think close to a hundred thousand Mexicans, perhaps, from the United States, have been repatriated, as they say, within the last year. I passed one afternoon between Laredo and San Antonio nore than twenty vehicles of various sorts and sizes, laden with Mexicans who were homeward-bound, all, almost without exception, poverty-stricken and forced to retreat because of the lack of employment. That has taken out of our territory just that many prospective candidates, just that many people with whom we would like to make contact, with whom we would like to leave Books of Mormon and tracts explaining the principles of the Gospel. They are gone now from our territory, leaving, however, a great many people. ¶

Our headquarters are in Los Angeles, and it may surprise you, just as it did me, to learn that the city of Los Angeles is reputed to be the second largest Mexican city in the world. It is, or was just recently, second only to the city of Mexico in number of Mexican inhabitants. It is quite natural then that we should retain for the time-being at least, under existing laws of Mexico, our headquarters in Los Angeles. ¶

The Mexican people whom we have been able to baptize, most of them are a faithful and good people. Those of you who know Mexi- ¶

cans know that they come to us, almost without exception, addicted to the use of tea, coffee, tobacco and liquor. Many of them are converted, really, who do not ask for baptism, because they feel as yet too weak to give up those vices ; but almost without exception when they come into the Church they do leave off those habits, and they are to be congratulated for that fact. They come to our conferences in great numbers, and we never see them using tobacco. We see none of them, while they are with us at least, under the influence of liquor, and we are told that they leave off the use of tea and coffee. I think that you will all agree with me that any people of their habits, their past, and their history, who can do that, are a worthy people. ¶

Our missionaries are enjoying health and strength at the present time. We have had one case of very serious sickness in the last six months. Very fortunately that young man is now well and strong, carrying on his missionary labors again. The Elders, however, many of them are struggling, just as the Elders of other mission fields, with a lack of funds. Some of them have had to leave their missions even before completing a full year of service, because of that lack. The boys who have come to us from Mexico, especially, of whom we had a few, have had extreme difficulty, because their parents had no market for their crops and their money had to be divided by three when it was sent into the United States. Some of them have remained in the field with utmost difficulty but with great loyalty. They have done excellent service for us, and we thank them for it. Others of them have had to return home for the same reason — their parents were unable longer to find the funds to keep them there. ¶

We don't need a great deal of money in our mission to get by, but some money is necessary. We were pleased beyond expression, just a short time ago, to receive a communication which has been referred to here already, from a certain stake presidency in the Church, to the effect that before any missionary from their stake should be released we were to confer with them, because it was their desire that every missionary they had in the field should complete his full and customary term of service. It made me weep almost to think that I didn't have a single missionary from that stake, because I would like to have availed myself of that good offer. ¶

The most outstanding thing that has happened to the mission, from a missionary standpoint, in the last six months, was the visit of Elder Melvin J. Ballard with me and my wife throughout the mission. We held a series of conferences which began at San Diego and terminated at Albuquerque, New Mexico. We covered the entire distance from San Diego and Los Angeles, to San Antonio, Texas, almost on the Gulf of Mexico. ¶

When I visit my Elders I travel two thousand miles before I find the Elders in Brownsville and Corpus Christi. You see, it is a long, extenuated district, and there are only thirty-four men and women to serve that territory now. We need more help; we will accept it graciously; but we are going to strive with all our power and all our zeal ¶

to carry forward with what men and women we can get, and be thankful for them at this time. ¶

The trip of which I spoke carried us to the City of Mexico. The last time I was in the City of Mexico I was there as a student, and I left there, as I remember, in the year 1905. It was my pleasure, on this trip, to meet some of the old Saints who were there at that time, still faithful and energetic in the performance of their duties. Some of them wept when they realized that they were looking upon the son of my father, who baptized them there in about 1881, and who are still faithful ; and though not strong physically, they are strong in the faith. ¶

We were really astounded and surprised at the success those people down there are having in carrying on their organizations without our help. Many of you perhaps know that before a man can function as a priest or minister in Mexico, under the present law, he must qualify as a native-born Mexican citizen, and we have few of such among our race. There are a few young men now in Mexico who bid fair to be prospects for that service, should they declare themselves ; they are eligible to citizenship by birth ; but as yet we have none of them functioning. ¶

I think, however, it may be considered as an advantage to those people that the law was passed and the missionaries were taken out of Mexico, for the responsibility fell directly upon the shoulders of the native brethren and sisters, and they have carried it on well and faithfully. We dropped in on them as a surprise Sunday morning. We found the Sunday School in session, which was conducted very much like ours here at home, the same subjects being treated, and the classes divided, so far as their numbers would permit, in the same way. We attended a meeting as visitors only, for we were not allowed to do it in the capacity of our calling. We listened to eight or ten of them bear their testimonies and talk, and it was an excellent service. After its dismissal we were allowed to visit with them, to discuss some of their problems and advise them. ¶

I can't say too much in commendation of the way those brethren, who have come right out of the jacales, as they are called there, the poorer houses of the peasants, are carrying on this work. They are faithful ; they are true ; they are intelligent. They represent the Indian blood of Mexico almost in purity. You will remember that all of the outstanding leaders of Mexico, almost without exception, owe their prominence and preeminence, I think, to their Indian blood. The greatest of all their statesmen, perhaps. Benito Juarez, (was a pure-bred Indian. Porfiro Diaz had a large infusion of Indian blood. Their present president has also. He is almost pure Indian, I am told. ¶

We are very expectant that great things some day may be realized from these Indian people. They are very typical. They are very much alike, and they are very, very interesting. ¶

We had also the privilege of visiting the ruins of Mexico at San Juan, Teotihuacan, and the pyramid which is called the Snake pyramid. They are full of possibilities, from an archaeological standpoint. However, in using them to substantiate the Book of Mormon we have to be ¶

extremely careful, because while they apparently give evidence of certain things, archaeologists are not all agreed as to their value. They are, however, extremely interesting. ¶

Not the least interesting thing to me on that trip to Mexico was my visit to the American Embassy. It is the first time in all my experience that I have ever been in the United States in Mexico. That really is the case, because by fiction of the law the American Embassy is considered American territory. We found the embassy occupied by one of our own people, a man whose faith is unquestioned, and whose friendship we found to be pure and unalloyed. We enjoyed for three days the hospitality of Brother and Sister J. Reuben Clark, and I want to tell you that I learned to love them while I was there, for they are indeed Latter-day Saints right through to the core. The work Ambassador Clark is doing in Mexico is a wonderful work and a wonderful advertisement for our people. They know who he is. They know what people he represents. They honor and respect him for his stand. ¶

I don't know that I should take more time this afternoon. I have extremely enjoyed the remarks of my predecessors. I wish to bear out, by testimony, the things that they have spoken. I support and sustain and uphold the President of this Church and those who are in authority under him. It has been my privilege to know him and his first counselor, at least, all my life, and I can bear testimony that I have never received, in all those years, which are past fifty now, a single word of counsel that t could not pass on in public to this congregation. I know their motives are pure and unsullied, regardless of all the things that may be said. I bear you this testimony and I stand here to uphold it, and I do it in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶