Closing Remarks

I rejoice exceedingly in the very splendid conference we have had. I feel very grateful to the Lord, beyond my power of expression, for the great blessings poured out upon us during our conference. ¶

I am indeed grateful that in these times of distress there has been a remarkable increase in the tithes of the Latter-day Saints. Although I am sure that the actual income of some of the people has not been anywhere near what it was three years ago, yet our tithing is better than it was three years ago. "By their fruits ye shall know them." ¶

BLESSINGS COME THROUGH ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS ¶

There is an increase in the attendance of the people at meetings. There is nothing that causes the people to grow more in the Gospel than attending their meetings. There is nothing that is more calculated to cause the spirit of the Gospel to dry up, figuratively speaking, than to stay away from our meetings. When we are in a meeting we partake of the spirit of that meeting. When we are absent from it and somebody tells us of the wonderful spirit that was present and what was accomplished by being there to partake of it, we cannot appreciate those things. It is very much like the man who was hungry and someone told him of a fine dinner, but he did not appreciate that dinner. We have to eat for ourselves, we have to live for ourselves, we have to be in the line of our duty in order to partake of the Spirit of the Lord, if the Spirit of the Lord is manifest. ¶

I call to mind that a brother who lost his standing as an apostle was a very, very poor attendant at the meetings of the Council of the Twelve, other matters occupied his attention. Francis M. Lyman had to come from Tooele the night before our meeting and spend one night here and ¶

all day in order to be at the meetings of the Presidency and Apostles which lasted two or three hours, but he never missed one of them. ¶

I said to him one day: "It is remarkable to me that you are so prompt and always present at our meetings." ¶

He said : "I do not want to miss any inspiration from the Lord; I do not want the Spirit of the Lord to come to me second hand. I want to partake of it, and to feel it, and to realize it, and to know it for myself." ¶

RICHARD W. YOUNG'S EXPERIENCE ¶

Speaking of not being there to partake of the Spirit, I am reminded of an incident in the life of my nearest and dearest friend, Richard W. Young. Richard had graduated from West Point and had gained a knowledge of law while stationed at Governor's Island, and attending the Columbia university and graduating from that institution. After he had graduated he was chosen by Gen. Hancock, because of his admiration for the studiousness of the young man, to be a major on his staff. I took some pride in looking out of a window on Broadway at the fourmile-long procession which was the funeral of President Ulysses S. Grant, and seeing a grandson of Brigham Young riding on horseback at the head of the funeral procession with Gen. Hancock and others. The general made him judge-advocate-general of the eastern department of the army. But Hancock died and another Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph, so Richard fell back to first or second lieutenant, I have forgotten which. ¶

He came home for his vacation, and he said to me : "Now, Heber, I took the advice of President Taylor at your suggestion, and instead of resigning years ago in order to get a legal education I stayed in the army. Now I have my legal education. There are more lieutenants in the army than they want, and they would like me to resign, with the understanding that I will volunteer if there is trouble. I do not want to ask President Taylor, but I wish you would plead my cause for me at the meeting next Thursday in the Endowment House, and Uncle 'Briggie' has promised to do the same." ¶

We two pleaded his cause and some others also, and not a word was said in favor, of his staying in the army, but after we had got through pleading, President Taylor said : ¶

"Tell that young man it is the proper time for him to stay in the army." ¶

Richard was in Logan at the time. His aunt, Mrs. George W. Thatcher was entertaining his friends in his honor, and he received my telegram reading, "Stay in the army," just as they were about to sit down to dinner, and it took his appetite away completely. ¶

ASKS FOR REASONS ¶

When he returned to Salt Lake City, he said : "What were the reasons why I am to stay in the army? What arguments were given ?" ¶

"None. All the arguments were for you to resign. President Taylor said, 'Stay in the army.' " ¶

"Well, I would like some reasons." ¶

"You cannot have them, as none was given. You got your education for nothing by following his advice. I think you should do it again." ¶

"Oh, my gracious, I am going to do it, but I would like some reasons." ¶

I said, "Well, I cannot give you any. If you had been there, if you had felt as I did when President Taylor spoke, you would have felt as I felt it in my heart, that he was right." ¶

Richard went East and met one of his classmates who said : "Where are you stationed, what is your place?" And he told him. ¶

MAKES CHANGE ¶

The other man said : "Lucky dog ! You had the best station in the whole army — Governor's island — and now you have got another good one, and I have to go away out in the wild and woolly west to Salt Lake, to Fort Douglas." ¶

Richard said : "I would just as soon change with you if the Secretary of War will consent." ¶

So they wrote and asked for a transfer and got it, and Richard returned, went up to Fort Douglas, with a street car running every ten or fifteen minutes, came down to the city, and went into LeGrand Young's office — he could not go into court of course — and got through the four years of starvation period as a young lawyer. ¶

I happened to be in the President's office one morning and I saw in the morning paper that Richard's four years at Fort Douglas were up, and it told where he had to go. ¶

President Taylor said : "Heber, I see your young friend, Richard Young, is going to leave Fort Douglas." ¶

"Yes." ¶

"Well, you tell him that he is released now, and it is time for him to stay home." ¶

SACRIFICING PERSONAL AMBITIONS ¶

There have been experiences in my life during the last fifty-three years, from the time I went to Tooele, illustrating the benefits that come through obedience, the benefits that come when we sacrifice our personal amibitions for that which we feel in our heart is our duty. Like Brother Ballard, I had an over-weening ambition for a university education and a degree from a great school. I had very little hope of obtaining it, having no means and having a widowed mother to look after. ¶

I met President George Q. Cannon, then our delegate to Congress, and he said : "Would you like to go to the naval academy, or to West Point?" ¶

I told him I would. ¶

He said: "Which one?" ¶

I said: "The naval academy." ¶

"All right. I will give you the appointment without competitive examination." ¶

For the first time in my life I did not sleep well, I lay awake nearly all night long rejoicing that the ambition of my life was to be fulfilled. I fell asleep just a little before daylight; my mother had to awaken me. ¶

I said : "Mother, what a marvelous thing it is that I am to have an education as' fine as that of any young man in all Utah. I could hardly sleep, I was awake until almost daylight this morning." ¶

I looked into her face, I saw that she had been weeping. I have heard of people who when drowning had their entire life pass before them in almost a few seconds. I saw myself an admiral in my mind's eye; I saw myself traveling all over the world in a ship, away from my widowed mother. I laughed and put my arms around her, and kissed her and said : ¶

"Mother, I do not want a naval education. I am going to be a business man and shall enter an office right away and take care of you, and have you quit keeping boarders for a living." ¶

She broke down and wept and said that she had not closed her eyes, but had prayed all night that I would give up my life's ambition so that she would not be left alone. ¶

We all have temptations, we all have things come into our lives which iii we give them proper consideration we will reject. ¶

Brother Ballard has referred to the invitation that was sent to President Ivins to accept the nomination as governor of the state of Utah, which reminds me that a telegram came to me from Ogden at that time asking me where they could find Anthony W. Ivins. It said, "We will nominate him by acclamation to be the first governor of the state of UtahJ or the first representative to Congress." ¶

I answered to the effect that he was on the Kaibab mountain and had accepted a call to go to Mexico. Nothing in the world would cause him to fail to fulfil that call. ¶

I received another telegram telling me that they could not nominate me by acclamation, but that they had the majority pledged to me, and believed it would be by acclamation before the voting was through. ¶

I showed the telegram to Heber M. Wells, who had been nominated by the Republicans. He said: "Well, my name is 'Dennis', the people don't know me. You are sure to be elected." ¶

I said; "Well, I am not sure that I am going to run, I will let you know later." ¶

CONFERS WITH PRESIDENT ¶

I went to President Wilford Woodruff and handed him the telegram. I said: "How shall I answer that?" ¶

He said: "What are you bothering me with your affairs for? Haven't you got enough inspiration as one of the Apostles to know what your duty is ?" ¶

I said : "Thank you. If you had wanted me to run, you would have said so. Good-bye." (Laughter.) ¶

I sent a telegram saying: "It will be a personal favor to me if my name never comes before the convention." And it never did. ¶

Do you think I would not like to have been the first governor of the State of Utah, where I was born? If you do you are mistaken. I do not know of anything that I should have liked better than that at that particular time. Thank the Lord I did not get it, because I think that perhaps I should have made a failure of it. It was not in my line, it was just an ambition. My education, my knowledge of government laws, and such things were just thqkind that did not fit nor qualify me to be the governor of a state. I thank Brother Woodruff for the inspiration that kept me from making a serious mistake. ¶

ENDORSES REMARKS ¶

I endorse with all my heart the remarks that have been made here during our conference, but particularly and especially do I endorse the remarks of Stephen L. Richards and others who have talked about our being honest and not imposing upon the government, but maintaining our manhood and our independence and living if necessary under difficulties, instead of rejoicing that we can get our share of the government's funds. ¶

I regret beyond expression the change that has come over many of the people. I went into business with my brother and my cousin-in-law way back nearly 50 years ago. We sold $120,000 worth of goods in the implement business to farmers. I think I am safe in saying that ninetynine out of a hundred of them were "Mormons," and; $90,000.00 of the sales were on time. I have asked many men to guess how much our losses were. Some have guessed 5 per cent, some 10 per cent and one 15 per cent. Our losses were $300 on $90,000 — one-third of one per cent. ¶

That business grew from a little business of twenty-odd thousand dollars in capital to $2,500,000.00, and we have cut the capital from $2,500,000 to $1,500,000. We have had to charge off a loss of over $1,000,000 of farmers' paper. True, a great deal of it is due to the hard times, but I want to say to you that that spirit of determination to take care of ourselves, to build for ourselves, to be independent, and to be sure to meet our obligations, is not so strong today as it was at that time, and there is more of a disposition to lie down, figuratively speaking, on the government. ¶

REPUTATION FOR HONESTY ¶

George A. Lowe tried to sell us his business when we were a little institution of $21,000, and I laughed and said: "We could not think of such a thing. We haven't any money." ¶

He said in substance : "I will take your note at a low rate of interest for the entire purchase price." ¶

I said : "But we would have no capital to carry on the business." ¶

"You do not need any with these Mormons," he said. "I have charged every loss from selling machinery to the people in Utah and Idaho to what I term 'farmers' paper'; I have charged all the interest I have paid to 'farmers 'paper'; I have credited the notes and the interest that come in to my 'farmers' paper'; I borrowed from McCornick's Bank every dollar with which to carry it. I have not put up a dollar and I have got all my money back and in addition $2 and a few cents on every hundred— the difference between the interest that I have collected and the interest that McCornick's charged me. ¶

"He will credit you for all the paper that you take from these farmers, because he knows it is worth one hundred cents on the dollar." ¶

I remember that Howard Sebree asked us to buy his business for $60,000. I told him we did not have the money. ¶

He said : "Go over and tell McCornick that you would like $60,000 credit to buy me out and he will let you have the money." ¶

I laughed, but went to McCornick's as a joke. He let the company have the money and we bought Sebree's business. We did not lose anything on the transaction. ¶

When I was in England, J. M. Studebaker, the last of that wonderful quartet of Studebaker Brothers, visited Salt Lake and he was interviewed by the newspapers. He said that for ten long years Studebaker Brothers sold wagons and carriages in Utah to the Mormons on commission, and during that whole ten years they collected the money for every wagon and buggy they had sold. ¶

The day was, years ago, when to be classed as a good Mormon was to be classed as a man who paid his debts. Let us, wherein we may have failed in the past to live up to that record, make up our minds that we are going to live up to.it again in the future. ¶

A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ¶

Do not go into bankruptcy unless you are forced to do so. My nearest and dearest friends pleaded with me to take bankruptcy when I was ruined, according to their idea, beyond the hope of recovery. I said : "If I live to be a hundred years old, I will not do it. I will go on working to pay my debts. If some one knocks me down, I can not help that, but," I said, "if a giant tackles me, I will defend myself. And if, after a hundred years, I have not paid my debts, then I will pray to the Lord to let me live another ten years in the hope of doing so." ¶

I was security for a note of a friend of mine, a good Latter-day Saint, I thought, and he was going to take bankruptcy. He showed me that I would be relieved because the rate of interest had been increased without my knowledge or consent. He brought me legal opinions to the effect that that released me as endorser. I laughed, and said, "That does not make any difference to me. If you do not pay that note, I will." ¶

There was a loss on that note of $4,700 in the shrinkage of security. I said, "I will see you tomorrow." ¶

I went to the bank. I said, "Now I will give you three of my notes ¶

for $900 each if you will renew this note, without my endorsement, for $1000 more than the collateral is worth; and if the man will not do that, will you take his notes for $900 payable each year for three years ?" They said : "Yes. Either way." ¶

I went to him and told him to take his choice. He said : "I will not do it. If you are foolish enough, when you are not legally obligated, to pay that note, that is not my concern. I am going to take bankruptcy. You do not have to pay it unless you want to." ¶

A PROFITABLE TERMINATION ¶

I said: "That settles it. I will assume it." And I did. And what was the result? In the providences of the Lord I changed the securities on that note, got them to take other securities, and finally sold part of the securities that I took off the note and paid part of the note with the money that I received, and I kept) $5000 of a certain stock that I had only paid $3,250 for, and in the providences of the Lord it paid 100 per cent cash dividend — $5,000. Afterwards it paid another dividend, and I made enough to pay that note (instead of losing $4,700) and $3,000 or $4,000 additional, inside of two or three years. He took bankruptcy and injured his good name and his reputation in the community. ¶

There are those who have been forced into taking bankruptcy. That is what it is for. We can not help that. We can not help it if a bigger man than we are knocks us down, but we should never lie down and ask somebody to step on us. ¶

CIGARET SMOKING ¶

It fell to my lot to accompany the choir to Chicago on their recent trip. I never saw a cigaret between Salt Lake City and Chicago, or between Chicago and Salt Lake City. Every one that I met, railroad men and others, was loud in his praise of the choir. Hotel people said they had never met such a fine group of young people, people of such fine character. To me that was of much more value than their winning — as they did — laurels for their singing. ¶

The presidency of the Liberty stake have sent out a circular for ward teachers. I would like to read it all, but I see the time is shorter than I had figured on. ¶

Dr. Hugh S. Cummings, United States Surgeon General, has said: ¶

If American women contract the smoking habit, as reports now indicate they are doing, the physical tone of the whole nation will suffer. The habit harms a woman more than it does a man. ¶

And Dr. D. H. Cress of Washington has written: ¶

When women take up with this practice of smoke inhalation the race will be doomed For both man and wife to be addicts to smoke inhalation is destructive of everything that is good. Children born to such a pair had better never have been born. ¶

PRESIDENT HEBER 1. GRANT ¶

NEED WORD OF WISDOM ¶

That is pretty serious talk, isn't it? Never in the history of this Church have we needed so much as we do today the Word of Wisdom. No nation can ever prosper, this nation being no exception, that undertakes to pay part of its obligation and to build up the nation by licensing the sale of liquor and allowing people to make millions upon millions of dollars by selling liquor. I have never felt so humiliated in my life over anything as that the state of Utah voted for the repeal of prohibition. I do not want to interfere with any man's rights or privileges. I do not want to dictate to any man. But when the Lord gives a revelation and tells me what is for my financial benefit and the financial benefit of this people, because "of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days," I do think that at least the Latterday Saints should listen to what the Lord has said. ¶

Can there be any meaner or more devilish thing than the advertisement showing cigaret smoke as an engagement ring ? That is the kind of advertising cigarets are getting. ¶

We have a newspaper that does not pay, known as The Deseret News. We have to put up money in order to keep it going. It would pay tomorrow if we would advertise beer that does not intoxicate, — of course that is, white people, but it does intoxicate Indians when they drink it. Legally it does not intoxicate, but actually it does. ¶

MORE DRINKING THAN PREVIOUSLY ¶

Every one said : "We do not want the saloons to come back." Well, they have more than come back. It is said that on Second South street today there is more drinking than there was in all the saloons we had formerly in the same amount of territory, and it is said there is also as much if not more boot-legging than there was before we repealed the prohibition law. ¶

I could not help but feel humiliated when the Latter-day Saints knew as well as they knew that they lived that I wanted them to remain true to the Word of Wisdom and not vote for the repeal of prohibition. ¶

A Word of Wisdom, for the benefit of the council of high priests, assembled in Kirtland, and the Church, and also the Saints in Zion : ¶

To be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint — ¶

Some people say : "That is the way I get around it — 'not by commandment or constraint' — we can do as we please." ¶

WILL OF GOD ¶

But what else does it say ? It says "by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth — " What? "Showing forth the order and the will of God." I say to such people, you do not want to know the will of God, do you? I think one of the weakest excuses I ever heard of in my life is that one — "not by commandment or constraint" — when, before ¶

the verse ends, it tells you that it is the will of God, "in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days." ¶

Now, I see there is no time left, so I will ask you, one and all, as a favor, every Latter-day Saint within the sound of my voice, to read the Word of Wisdom as contained in the Doctrine and Covenants, and do it tonight or tomorrow. Do not put it off longer than tomorrow, and it will save my reading it and saying any more about it now. ¶

I thank the Lord for the splendid record made by the choir. ¶

PRESIDENT YOUNG'S ATTITUDE REGARDING CREDIT ¶

I intended to bring a letter here to read to you over the signature of Brigham Young. I shall publish it in the Conference Pamphlet, and shall ask that it be published in The Deseret News, following my remarks here, because I have not time to read it now. A firm refused credit to Z. C. M. L, and President Brigham Young wrote to the firm and thanked them and said that his advice to the people always had been not to go in debt. ¶

This letter from Brigham Young upon which President Grant commented is printed herewith as follows : ¶

To ¶

St. George, Utah. March 27, 1877. ¶

Messrs. Meyer Bros. & Co., St. Louis, Mo. Gentlemen : ¶

A few days ago we received from Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution at Salt Lake City, a copy of your communication of the 3rd inst., in which you inform that institution that you prefer to do only a cash business with it hereafter. ¶

We are thankful to you for giving them this notice. ¶

It is in exact keeping with our repeated instructions to the officers of that institution, to do all their business on the no-credit system. ¶

If those officers, and all of our people engaged in business would only be advised by us they would do their business, and all of it, on the cash-down principle and not a dollar on credit. ¶

We desire to see our people invariably adopt this manner of doing business — go with their money and buy where they find they can do so to the best advantage. Be self-sustaining in this, as they are in so many other respects. In this course, we do not fail to see abundant increase of business thrift and financial prosperity. ¶

For this reason we most earnestly desire, that all with whom our people of this territory do business, would refuse credit; and thus teach the very useful lesson of making them self-reliant and sustaining in their commerical transactions. ¶

The triumphs of the people in this before-time, so-called desert and forbidding wilderness, have been achieved by this very principle of self-reliance, coupled, of course, with the blessings of the Almighty. ¶

We would that the same principle were invariably to rule in all our monetary transactions likewise. And, therefore, again thank you for refusing to sell your wares on time to Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution and remain Gentlemen ¶

Yours Very Respectfully, ¶

BRIGHAM YOUNG. ¶

I wish also to compliment the director and the good sisters of the Singing Mothers chorus. ¶

WORD OF THE LORD TO HYRUM SMITH ¶

I want to read something that the Lord said to Hyrum Smith : ¶

Seek not for, riches but for wisdom; and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich. ¶

Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be done unto you; and if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation. ¶

Say nothing but repentance unto this generation. Keep my commandments, and assist to bring forth my work, according to my commandments, and you shall be blessed. ¶

They were working at the time on the translation of the Book of Mormon. ¶

And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good — yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit. ¶

Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy;' * * * * ¶

Wait a little longer, until you shall have my word, my rock, my church, and my gospel, that you may know of a surety my doctrine. * * * * ¶

Keep my commandments; hold your peace; appeal unto my spirit; ¶

Yea, cleave unto me with all your heart, that you may assist in bringing to. light those things of which has been spoken — yea, the translation of my work; be patient until you shall accomplish it. ¶

Behold, this is your work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind and strength. ¶

Seek not to declare my word, but seek first to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men. ¶

Now this is the part I want you all to remember : ¶

Behold I speak unto all who have good desires, and have thrust in their sickles to reap. ¶

Behold I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, I am the life and the light of the world. ¶

I am the same who came unto my own, and mine own received me not; But verily, verily ,I say unto you, that as many as receive me, to them will I give power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on my name. ¶

ANY MAN WHO RIDICULES THE SAVIOR ¶

We are told that agitation is going on in some sections of the country in favor of so-called "liberty," which instead of being liberty is anything but liberty. I do not want to be accused of engaging in politics, but let me tell you that if any state in the Union of the United States shall elect a man to stand at the head of that state who has ridiculed the Savior of the world, it will be as bad as the rebellion of 1861. I lift my voice against it, and I am willing to have it said that this is politics, if they want to make politics of it. Any Latter-day Saint who sustains or votes for a man to be governor of a state who has ridiculed in print the Savior of the world, is doing that which I as President of the Church hereby condemn. ¶

GIVES TESTIMONY ¶

The time is up, but I am going to say something more. I want it distinctly understood that in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Germany, France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Mexico, from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon, in the Hawaiian Isles, and in far-off Japan, I have lifted up my voice, and I want to lift it up here, before closing this conference, to the effect that I know as I know that I live that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Redeemer of the world, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the true and the living God, and that Mormonism, so-called, is in very deed the plan of life and salvation. ¶

God help you and me and every Latter-day Saint to prove to the Lord by our lives, that our testimony of the divinity of this work is not merely lip service. God bless you, and bless all honest men, and defeat all men who are working to destroy churches. Roger Babson tells the truth when he says we need more religion. God bless every man that believes in Jesus Christ and is working for the uplift of mankind, and God defeat every man who ridicules the Savior of.the world, the Redeemer of mankind. This is my prayer, and I ask it in all humility, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Savior. Amen. ¶