Gratitude for Recovery of President Grant

I feel to thank my Heavenly Father for again having the privilege of attending a great Conference of this people. I know I utter the thoughts of everyone who listened to and attended the services yesterday, when I say that I have attended no Conference of the Church during all my service as an Apostle, or even before, when I have not felt in my heart that the thanks and the counsel and the wisdom expressed must have ascended to our Heavenly Father. ¶

Among the great things that every member of the Church should be not only interested in, but thankful for, is the privilege to serve God. I am thankful that I have been privileged to serve my God. I am grateful for the health and the strength and the vigor that enable me to be of service to my family, and with all my heart I am thankful for my service to my Church. Weak or small as that service may be I have asked my Heavenly Father to assist me in that service in every particular. ¶

A Day of Extravagance

We are living in a day of extravagance and I have wondered of late where it is going to end. The Church has set the example to every member of it and to the glorious nation that we love, to be out of debt. I remember when our nation, at the close of the World War, found itself in debt to the amount of twenty-six billions of dollars. For ten years as Chairman of the Finance Committee, and a ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, I did everything in my power to reduce that obligation by necessary legislation. It was reduced to sixteen billion dollars and now it is up to forty billion dollars. ¶

I know it is easy to say "billions," and we have become used to it in America and perhaps in the world, but it may be of interest to some, at least, to give a description of what forty billion dollars really is so that all can understand it. I do it in this way : Supposing that the minute the Savior was born some person had decided to deposit in a place selected by him forty dollars and he continued that plan, carrying it out faithfully every minute to the present time, at the end, my brethren and sisters, there would be forty billions of dollars there. ¶

So you see what responsibilities rest upon those who direct the financial affairs of our Government. I want every Latter-day Saint, no matter where he is, to support in every way every recommendation made, not only by this administration but by the administrations to follow to reduce these obligations, for they will have to do everything in their power to accomplish this. ¶

I thank my Heavenly Father that the Church is out of debt. I am told by President Grant that it is ten years since the Church has been in debt. That is splendid. ¶

The Faith of a President

Among the homes that I visited during my service in the Senate of the United States was the home of President Coolidge, where I was invited several times. I never ate a mouthful of food at his home without a blessing upon it. Prayer was the practice of President Coolidge. The last time I visited him was shortly before his death. I sat by his bedside. We talked over conditions existing in our country, and when I was about to leave, the President said to me : "Senator, there is some plan in your Church, isn't there, where men administer to the sick and pray for them ?" I said, "Yes, Mr. President. We call that administering to the sick." He said, "Can anyone in the Church administer to anyone outside of the Church ?" I told him "Yes." He said, "Reed, I wish you would administer to me." I did so, and I want to say to you, my brothers and sisters, I never felt happier in my life than when I laid my hands upon him and asked God to bless him. He was a wonderful man, as nearly all of the American people knew him to be. ¶

I believe, with all my soul, in the administration of the sick. I have seen the results of it hundreds and hundreds of times and it will never cease being a part of our faith. ¶

May God's blessings ever be with the Presidency of this Church and the Authorities of the Church. No matter what position they may hold may the Father give them a desire in their hearts to fill the position with ¶

honor, with integrity and love. I am quite sure there is no people, other than the people of the Latter-day Saints, that has such faith in prayer and exercise it more generally than do we. Never forget God's blessings. ¶

The Divorce Evil

One thing more that I desire to speak of is divorce. I haven't the figures now. I don't know how we stand along this line, compared with other parts of our country or the world, but I do know that the last investigation made by me revealed the fact that there were fewer divorces per capita among the Mormon people than other group of people in the world. South Carolina has no divorce law and I understand Nevada has about fifty-seven kinds or fifty-seven reasons for a divorce. Brethren and sisters, I pray that the Spirit of God may be in your homes, and that marriage of a man and a woman may be such that they can work together in the service of our Heavenly Father and that the Spirit of the Lord may direct their thoughts and their actions, that people seeing their deeds may judge that there is something binding upon them and their conscience, quite different from those of the world. ¶

Our Heavenly Father, bless the Authorities of thy Church and particularly give strength and health to our President. God be with us and bless us all, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶