The Lord Gives Spiritual Laws Only

My dear brethren and sisters : This has been a very profitable and pleasant Conference. We have all enjoyed it greatly. It has been a witness to me that the Spirit of God is still available to his servants here upon earth ; not only that, but as I have looked at this congregation I have felt impressed that the simple truths of the Gospel, plain, easily understood, still sound good to latter-day ears. ¶

REJOICES IN REMARKS OF PRESIDENT GRANT ¶

I was stirred by the remarks of our President yesterday. My soul responded to all that he said. As one who was born in Europe I need not tell you that my heart leaped in response to his statement that the Church ¶

would give continuing and increasing attention to the people in the lands from which we all have come, either directly or by descent. The blood of Ephraim, the blood of Israel, runs strong in European countries, and I believe that the time has come, as predicted by the prophets of old, in the Book of Mormon, that in the latter days groups of the faithful shall be found throughout the earth, serving as centers of inspiration to those with whom they come in contact. ¶

So I rejoice in all that our President said, and I would be greatly tempted to comment on his remarks were it not for the fact that for some time I have had in mind a subject that I would like to present to the Latter-day Saints. In fact I have gone so far as to make some notes dealing with this subject, which I shall follow if I can. ¶

THE LORD GIVES SPIRITUAL LAWS ONLY ¶

The subject, I think, will appeal at first sight as not one of deep spiritual import, yet I feel free to use it, for in the philosophy of Mormonism all things pertaining to man's life have a spiritual meaning. This was plainly stated by the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith : ¶

Verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given a law which was temporal, .... for my commandments are spiritual, they are not natural nor temporal. ¶

From the beginning of its history, the restored Church of Christ has been concerned actively with the temporal welfare of its members. It has fostered city-building, business and farming as well as education and the erection of meeting houses, tabernacles and temples. Our present attempt in behalf of economic security is but an evidence of this ideal of the Church. ¶

In this day of world-wide unrest, it has become evident that a major cause of depressions and contentions has been and is the declining emphasis placed upon the productive activities of mankind — the activities which lie as foundations of a contented, progressive civilization. ¶

HAPPINESS IN HUMBLE PURSUITS ¶

Agriculture and the crafts are being spoken of as the "humbler" tasks of life, and by this false valuation enterprising youth looks to socalled "higher" pursuits, too often to his own lesser happiness and always to the diminished welfare of humanity. ¶

There was a time, not many generations ago, when craftsmanship, the power to shape articles useful to man from wood and fibre, stone and metal, from the raw materials of earth, was held to possess a noble dignity, second to none. Today, through a distorted vision of life, youth hesitates to train mind and muscle, nerve and sinew, for the necessary trades of the world. There is a scarcity of really skilled workers in the trades. Yet, the competent artisan has an income not much inferior, if any, to that of the average so-called "professional" man. Those among our people who have the natural mechanical endowment should not hesitate to enter the trades as a means of livelihood. ¶

AGRICULTURE A BASIC INDUSTRY ¶

The tilling of the soil has ever been recognized as the basis of national welfare. It is the basic industry of humanity. Without it mankind could not survive. The physical toil which formerly accompanied farming could, if farming were managed properly, disappear with the invention and introduction of farm machinery. Work is not undesirable; it accompanies all success. The drudgery charged against farm life may in our day be eliminated by proper planning and systematic approach to farm tasks. Advancing science has accumulated a body of knowledge concerning the production of plants and animals, which has raised agriculture, from the point of view of organized knowledge, to one of the best established of professions. Our institutions of learning, notably the agricultural colleges, give unsurpassed training for life on the farm. A person should train for agriculture as for any other profession. ¶

It was J. W. Sanborn, first president of the Utah State Agricultural College, who went back to his native New Hampshire, and converted, by modern methods, worn out, deserted farms into prosperous, money making enterprises. And he assured me that he won unsurpassed joy in the labor. ¶

My spirit thrilled to the young missionary who said to me, "My brother and I are poultry producers. The flocks of poultry are keeping me on this mission. When I am released, I shall go back to that business. It is good enough for me." It is a source of satisfaction to me to know that perhaps two-thirds of the Latter-day Saints are farmers, tillers of the soil, keepers of flocks, producers of the world's first necessity, food. We may get along without many things but food we must have. ¶

FOOD THE FIRST NECESSITY ¶

Hunger is a prime factor in the social and economic ills of mankind. One needs only spend an hour in the congested, poverty-ridden sections of the world's great cities to understand that the cause of human convulsions, often resulting in bloodshed, is the lack of bread. Disease of body and mind as of spirit travels in the wake of hunger. A nation in which all citizens are well-fed is a nation of prosperous peace, of courage to undertake the conquest of natural forces for the good of man. Fear departs from the man whose food for himself and his family is assured. He faces the world and its problems fearlessly, courageously, trustingly. He may use his powers to the full. ¶

The farmer, though he use but a modicum of farm wisdom, may be freed from hunger. Let that be remembered by all whose tastes lead toward the land, but who, because of the erroneous ideals of the age, are tempted to look elsewhere for a life pursuit. Indeed, it would be well if those following other pursuits would maintain a kitchen garden. The professional or business man would find release from many troubles, if he devoted a few hours a week to the cultivation of a garden. And the income in food produced is not to be ignored. During the summer of ¶

1918 the war gardens of Salt Lake City, covering only a part of the vacant lots and backyards of the city, produced crops valued at more than one-half million dollars. May we never forget the ideal of our pioneer fathers : the home with its home garden. May the majority of Latter-day Saints continue to be tillers of the soil and keepers of flocks and herds. ¶

The woman often determines the career of a man. Again it must be said that farm life may be made to yield happiness for the man and the woman, and confer a real boon upon the children who may be born to them. But the woman, as the man, should receive some preparation for life on the farm. In the modern Palestine, schools are maintained for the training of farmers' wives, and with most excellent results. ¶

AGRICULTURE AND SCIENCE ¶

The farmer and the farmer's wife may receive today the same training of mind and emotions given to those of other pursuits. The spirit of culture, of trained intellects and awakened emotions, may be enjoyed perhaps most fully under the natural conditions surrounding farm life. ¶

In our imperfect social-economic structure, it is true that the farmer has not always had a fair deal. But, a new day for the farmer is dawning. Thinking men recognize as never before the importance of maintaining a sound, prosperous pastoral foundation of the world's commonwealths. And science, the wonder-worker, is finding outlets for the farmer's products not dreamed of before. Eminent farmers, industrialists and scientists, the foremost in the nation, have combined to help find new markets for the farmers' products. Formerly, the farmer was only a food producer. Today with the aid of modern science, the products of the farm may be used to build houses, to furnish them, to paint them, to drive automobiles, to make artificial silk and plastics to compete with stone and metal, and hundreds of other things useful to man. A new applied science known as Farm Chemurgy is being established — which means the use of chemistry in the service of agriculture, by which the farm, the factory and the scientific laboratory join in benefiting themselves and the world. ¶

LIFE ON THE FARM CAN BE MADE RICH ¶

Even under present conditions who shall say that the farmer and the farmer's family cannot live life richly. Thereby hangs the whole matter. Our life pursuit must be only in part a business ; it must be more a mode of living, else we cannot win happiness. Life is bigger than the parts of which it is made. From that point of view, agriculture leads the many pursuits of man. It is a mode of life under the open sky, in contest and collaboration with the genial forces of nature, near in feeling to God, who made the earth. It produces ; it does not destroy. It gives ; it does not take. It adds true wealth to the world's storehouse ; it enlarges the soul of the farmer. ¶

Read the history of our day. Crime is not bred in the fields of grow- ¶

ing grain. Strong men are called from the farm, from the earth as the Lord gave it, from honest creative toil, to correct the world's mistakes. ¶

My plea this day is that the Latter-day Saints give increased attention to the production of food and the winning of physical and spiritual health from the cultivation of the soil. ¶

May God help us always to have our feet firmly upon the soil, to be owners and tillers of the land, and to follow the great example which we have had set for us in the past, showing us that strength, vitality and power and a rich form of living come to those who deal with the earth as the Lord gave it to man. ¶

May God bless us in all respects. I have enjoyed immensely this conference, and I feel that the Lord is with us and blessing us. If time permitted I would like to add my testimony, by actual recount of experiences, the manner in which the world now looks to us as never before for leadership ; and how we are explaining, making clear to the nations, the mysteries which must be solved if mankind is to move forward into a day of happiness and perfect joy. I pray that we may all be blessed according to our needs, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶