Faith in Youth

I do humbly pray that I may enjoy the spirit of the Lord. I bear my testimony to you in all the sincerity of my life that this is the work of the Lord. ¶

Boy Scout Memories ¶

This morning I had an assignment at the South gate to meet many of you brethren. While I was there, across the street marched a double column of young men going to be inducted into the army. While I have two sons that marched in a like column only a little while ago, and two more that may go in the months now coming, I must confess to you that the spirit of this occasion caused me to see other young men. I saw lads in Vienna; in Austria, bearing their testimony with such fervor before a group of Saints there that I was thrilled. I saw a boy from Hungary in a tent with representatives from seventeen nations present — all Latter-day Saint boys, and I heard him say, "When I go back and tell my mother and father that I was here at a meeting with the boys of seventeen different nations and they all bore testimony to the truthfulness of the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, there'll be only one answer from them— they will be in tears." ¶

And I saw a thousand German boys that I've seen in, oh, many, many villages throughout the land, and I received a card just a few months ago from a lad in France that said, "Well, I'll be going up to the front soon. I may never see you again, but we shall never forget each other." Well, out of this tragedy there is only one answer. ¶

Appeal for Faith in Youth ¶

Dr. Kim, a great minister missionary to Tokyo, was there in 1923 when the great earthquake came. The people were anxious about his welfare and they began to send cablegrams to him until finally the word came back from Dr. Kim, "All gone except faith in God." ¶

These are great days. Nineteen forty-three will never come again. Look at the headlines of this one day and realize what has happened. But it is a great day, and I want to look at it with faith and hope. I want to join my spirit in sincerity with these millions of young men whose inspiration and daring and power are perhaps beyond an equal in all history. These are the hours of destiny — these are the hours of greatness. ¶

I was in an M.I.A. meeting just a few weeks ago where a young man sang an international hymn. I want to read you these words — this was the last stanza. ¶

As sure as the sun meets the morning, And rivers go down to the sea, A new day for mankind is dawning, Our children shall live proud and free. ¶

I want to join with that spirit. I do not want to feel that this is just another war and that the thing will be repeated over and over. I want to lend my faith with the youth of this day that this job shall be faced and faced right. And I appeal to you brethren to join in that faith. Give them that uplift. Give them that true hope as I sincerely feel it for there shall be a new day. The young man who wrote the music to this song, the words that I have just read, wrote that famous Seventh Symphony, the greatest piece of realistic music that has ever been written, according to the world's critics, and it had its birth and its writings at the siege of Leningrad. And that is only in one field. If you dare to step over into science, yes, into many other fields, you would see a great world in the making. ¶

God help us to give that faith to youth. ¶

Responsibility to Preach the Gospel ¶

Let me read these lines from Will Durant, one of our vigorous American philosophers. ¶

We move into an age of spiritual exhaustion and despondency like that which hungered for the birth of Christ. The greatest question of our time is not Communism vs. Individualism — not Europe vs. America — not even the East vs. the West. It is whether man can bear to live without God. ¶

Now, words from the Prophet Amos: Behold, the days come, sayeth the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. (Amos 8:11) ¶

A great trust is placed upon this body of Priesthood. We who are here this night, more than any other group in all the world, must answer that hunger. We must fulfill that word of the Lord. ¶

God help us from this hour forth that we shall strengthen every stake mission; yes, double the number. The work is here to be done and what greater work is there to be done, and may I suggest that we begin to pray that that son who now fights may live to carry the word of peace to the world. Oh, God, help him that while he uses the sword he may also use the Word of God, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶