Gifts from God and Striving Toward Perfection

I pray for the blessings of our Heavenly Father while I stand before you this morning. I realize my weaknesses, but I want to assure you, my brethren and sisters, I never cease asking my Heavenly Father for his kindness, his revelations to me, that I may fulfil every requirement made at my hands, affecting his great, cause here upon this earth. ¶

'GIFTS FROM GOD ¶

How often I have heard the expression, particularly during the terrible depression we are passing through, that "Life is not worth living or striving for." Think of the many horrible suicides as reported by the press of the country. How many live a lifetime and never think that life is a precious gift from our Heavenly Father. He is the giver of all that makes life worth living. Are we as Latterday Saints appreciative of God's mercies and protecting care from the first appearance of the Father and Son to the boy Joseph Smith? Some are, others are not. Oh Father, assist us all to appreciate these things. ¶

The surest way to please our Heavenly Father is to put into action the commandments of the Father, and make them a part of our daily life, no matter where we are or with whom we are associated. Never be afraid to let the world, if necessary, know that you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have never, to my knowledge, lost the respect of a single person by my unqualified statement that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ¶

STRIVING TOWARD PERFECTION ¶

Perfection in this life or world is impossible for mortal man, but we must employ every power we possess to reach it as near as possible. ¶

How often do we hear people rail at what they call fate. It is my opinion that we receive just what we make the proper use of. Let me quote the following: ¶

Fame, place and title finding a fitting use And rightfully demand all reverence due. But envy not the empty lot of man Who, winning without merit, wins in vain. Greatness, true greatness, mightiness of mind, And greater greatness, grandeur of the soul, Tell but one tale — capacity, not place. Capacity, whose sire, experience, Whose ancestors, innate intelligence, Original, inborn nobility, As oft in hut as mansion have their home. ¶

The more we strive to accomplish a thing, 'be it right or wrong, the more chance we have of success. This same principle applies to every action in life. ¶

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION ¶

I have wondered, my brethren and sisters, what is going to be the ultimate outcome of the dreadful conditions existing in the world today, covering nearly every civilized country, drawing from all sources the resources of nations; and I am quite sure that without the assistance of God, the Eternal Father, chaos would be the end. Suffering in the world,— I doubt whether there ever was a time that it was so widespread. ¶

I noticed in a government report the other day that there are 23,375,000 on relief in our country. That means that one person out of every five in our country is on relief today. This is an increase of 77 per cent, over a year ago. Yet business is at the same level as last April. ¶

The nation's workers in normal times total 50,000,000. Subtract our present army of 6,000,000 federal state and local government employes, and the 10,000,000 workers who are now jobless, and we havq 34,000,000 working in private industry in all of America— a startling statement, and yet it comes from the Government of the United States and cannot be questioned. ¶

FOREIGN OBLIGATIONS ¶

I thought that following the World War our government never would be placed in such a position again, I mean financially. With between eleven and twelve billions of dollars that our government advanced to the foreign countries involved in that war, at the close of the war it was owing $26,187,000,000, a sum unknown to the world before. ¶

It is true that between eleven and twelve billions of that amount was advanced to the countries involved in that war in which we assisted. I was a member of the committee that made the settlements with all the foreign countries that had received assistance from America during that great catastrophe. The settlements were made upon a basis of their ability to pay: Italy, 17 per cent of what she owed us, and we gave her sixty-two years, as we gave all of the other countries, in which to pay back their obligations to our country. Belgium 40 per cent, England 82]/2 per cent,— and I might go along the list, but it was all the way from 17 per cent to S2]/^ per cent, according to the showing that each made to the committee, and the committee used its best judgment in arranging the settlements. ¶

Of course England and France were the ones that owed the Government of the United States the most, — and the settlement was made upon a basis less than par — France, 51 per cent, England 82 ^ per cent; and then, my brothers and sisters, they were given sixtytwo years to meet these obligations, and yet every one of those countries has failed to carry out the contract! ¶

OUR FINANCIAL BURDEN ¶

What other nation in the world would have been so liberal? None, I assure you. The financial burden fell upon us, and it reached a deficit of $26,000,000,000, notwithstanding the heavy taxes imposed during the war period. I was chairman of the Finance Committee and senior member of the Appropriations Committee, — the one to raise the money, the other to expend it; — and that obligation was reduced to $16,000,000,000, at the time the present depression began. ¶

I am not finding any fault or criticising what has been done, but T want to say to you, my brethren and sisters, that our obligations are such now that I, of course, never will live long enough to see them paid, nor will a soul in this congregation. They aimount approximately to $35,000,000,000 ! ¶

I know some people speak flippantly of a billion dollars. Do you know what $35,000,000,000 means ? I have been asked so many times, and once in public life I made the statement — at that time our indebtedness had reached $26,000,000,000— that if there were an unknown power who had an unknown receptacle, and that unknown power decided that it would, the very minute the Savior was born, place $26.00 in that unknown receptacle, and had continued to place in it $26.00 every minute from the minute the Savior was' born until the time the settlement was made with the United States, we would have about $26,000,000,000. ¶

LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS ¶

I do hope and trust that we Latter-day Saints will live up to the instructions that we have heard so often from this, stand, by every President of this Church; that is, to live within our means and keep out of debt. It is a hard thing to do, particularly if we live on the plane that has been set so high, I was going to say, in modern days; but to have peace of mind, happiness within the home, confidence among yourselves, keep out of debt; live within your means; and I know of no people anywhere that can do it so well as the Latter-day Saints, if they will. ¶

GREAT FAITH DEMONSTRATED ¶

I have had a great deal of pleasure, my brethren and sisters, in visiting the different stakes of Zion, during the last two years. I doubt whether there ever has been a time when there has been more faith demonstrated by the people of the Church than today, unless, perchance, it was during the early history of the Church, when the Prophet Joseph Smith and those noble men associated with him were called upon to sacrifice more than any other people since the days of the Master. ¶

My prayer always is, it always shall be if God grants me the desire of my heart, that his people, members of his Church, shall be honorable, honest and upright) not only with men but with God himself. The plan of the Father is such that his work can be taken care of. There is no such organization in all the world. It was not many years ago when one of the great men of this country made the statement that the two greatest organizations in 'the world were the Mormon Church and the German army. I have thought so many times, — and did the very first time I heard it, — one for the salvation of the children of God, the other for the destruction of life and liberty. How proud we should be that we are members of God's Church. ¶

SUSTAIN THE PRESIDENCY ¶

Brethren and sisters, may I ask of you that you support the Presidency of this Church. I testify to you that they are men of God. I know that they are true to the Church, that they would sacrifice, if necessary, their very lives for its existence. Other men have done this, and there never will be a time when that will not be the case. God grant that it may never become 'necessary. ¶

I know that I echo your thoughts and your feelings and your prayers when I say to this audience, and all who may be listening in, let us uphold the hands of the Presidency of the Church, pray for them and sustain them and be with them; and also men holding responsible positions in the stakes of Zion, in the wards, in the branches and in the mission field. ¶

May God's blessings ever attend his work and may it increase in power for good in the world. With these expressions, my brethren and sisters, I pray that God's blessings may ever be yours, and I do it in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. ¶