Thoughts on the Return of the Soldiers

My dear brethren and fellow workers: ¶

In his address this morning, President Clark spoke of postwar problems. They are many, and they keep pounding upon our thinking. President Clark enlarged upon the most important of these problems. I would like to call your attention to one or two minor, though also important, problems, which are being much discussed at present. If it seems to be largely of a temporal nature, my defense is that in the Gospel of Jesus Christ there is really no distinction between the temporal and the spiritual. Speaking to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord said: ¶

... verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal... (Doc. and Cov. 29:34.) ¶

Thoughts on the Return of the Soldiers

At a recent stake conference, a fine young man, a soldier, enjoying a brief furlough, addressed the congregation. He was clearly perplexed. He wondered why in the heat of battle, he had escaped the bullet that took the life of his buddy. He spoke of the interruption of his education; the frustration of his life's plans; and the hell that we call war, into which he had been catapulted. He declared his readiness to die, if need be, for the freedom of man; but wondered why men should have to die to possess freedom, which belongs to every man by the right of his existence. "Shall this self-destruction of man continue?" he asked. As he sat down, he voiced the question now asked by millions of men: "What of the future?" ¶

I thought of the 80,000 youths and young men of our faith, members of the Church, nearly all of whom will return, after the war, whole in body, but perhaps maimed in spirit, and scarred in memory, by the unnatural life in the army and navy, and by the inexpressible horrors of warfare, as conducted by "civilized" man. They will return to a world which has been shaken and changed by the turmoil and tumult of battle in the air, on the land, and under the sea. It will be a new world. They shall not see again the world they once knew. The forces of change will have carved deep furrows in the face of human existence. ¶

These returning men were torn from their native soil by the roots. In the field of war, they have been nurtured with the poison of destruction. How to transplant them, to revive their full vigor, and ensure normal growth after the war, is perhaps the major problem among the many that will arise in the proposed reconstitution of the world. ¶

Human history does not justify the belief that returning armies will be adequately rehabilitated by governmental efforts. Grants of small sums of money, or the offering of opportunities to the few, cannot restore that which has been lost, or supply the needs of the many who will need help. That has been tried before, without success. Salvation by government, whether spiritual or temporal, before or after a war, is a delusive and elusive will-o'-the-wisp. With God's help, men win success by self-effort, and only so. ¶

Duty Towards the Defenders of Our Country

The responsibility for our homecoming boys, who are really the coming generation, will rest, as in ages past, upon the family and the home and the cluster of neighborhood families and homes. Each man must bear his own burden. Such help as he needs must be given by family and immediate friends. By such a distribution of a labor among many any task is easily accomplished, far beyond the power of any government. In every household we must convert our faith for peace, and our love for our boys, who have been willing to face death for us, into sober planning and direct activity. We must sift the many possibilities for the benefit of the returning lads. This duty, which we owe our defenders, cannot be shifted to others. Nor can a central agency undertake it successfully. Moreover, that is ever the method of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. ¶

Now is the time to undertake such planning and the consequent preparation. There should be no delay. We must be prepared. Building is slower than destruction. Our boys may soon be coming home. They will then be ready for the next adventure. We must not reward their sacrifices with disappointment. Rather, we must be ready also with the necessary advice and help. It may be too late if we do not begin now. ¶

In this important matter, Latter-day Saints must needs cling to the well-established ideals of the Church. Among them is one that we treasure greatly. We have the reputation of being a productive and creative people; and indeed we deserve it. We have always tried to better the world, to leave it richer than we found it, spiritually and temporally. In our temporal affairs we have taken the Lord at his word; that he has given man dominion over the earth, on the condition that he would seek to subdue it in the sweat of his brow. We have proved this promise to be true; we know that only as we toil do we overcome obstacles. We have learned also that whenever human energy is applied to the resources of earth, wealth is produced. That is indeed the only way that true wealth, much or little, can be added to the world's possessions. By that method this people made a garden out of the desert; and by that method they have bettered their own economic conditions; and have led others into paths of prosperity. By that method every man may win wealth sufficient for his needs. It is the surest approach to a competence. We are a practical-minded people. Of that we are proud. This basic principle should be before us in planning for our returning sons. ¶

Education to Be Encouraged

It is an equally well-established Latter-day Saint principle that ignorance waits on no man. Dominion of the earth will ultimately be in the hands of those who know, and use their powers intelligently. Therefore, as a people we believe in education -- the gathering of knowledge and the training of the mind. The Church itself is really an educational institution. Traditionally, we are an education-loving people. Remember the valiant group, young and old, who more than a hundred years ago gathered daily in upper rooms of the Kirtland Temple? They were really the founders of adult education in the modern world. They dipped into English, mathematics, history, science, law, and languages. They were fearless in their educational aspirations. They exemplified the words of Brigham Young, "The religion embraced by the Latter-day Saints... prompts them to search diligently after knowledge." Remember, also, the succession of educational institutions marking the progressive history of the Church! Schools, colleges, and universities attest the high place of education in "Mormon" philosophy. Do not forget the surpassingly high present educational standing of our people. ¶

Our young men returning from the front, should be encouraged to take up their educational work where they laid it down when the country in its need called for their service; and they should be urged to continue it to the end of their program. Despite the loss of time during the war period, and the apparent financial need, they would make a mistake to rush into active life without proper development and training; without the eye-and-mind-opening vistas that follow the wise discipline of schools. The coming age will require the service of trained minds and bodies more than before. During the late financial depression, few men who had professions, including agriculture and the trades, were unemployed. The untrained group suffered most. We must see to it that our returning boys, even at our own heavy sacrifice, finish their educational ambitions. Thus we shall better protect their futures. Some help may be offered by the federal government. Schools will do their utmost, we may be sure, to intensify and shorten the courses required for men who have matured quickly among the stern realities of warfare. ¶

Education cultivates the innate powers of man, and gives him a vision of eternal truth and the great gains of the centuries. It should also help fit a person to make a living, and to perform better the work likely to be required of him, and from which he earns his bread and butter. In that sense, all education, dealing with men, having earthly needs, should be practical. Probably most of our young men have already decided upon their life-pursuits; all should do so, and make their educational training subserve their life's needs. All their learning, including that which seems at first remote, should fit into the student's life ambition. Wise parents, and all young men, will heed this matter with care; and direct their educational efforts to a definite objective. Wasted educational opportunities are seldom recovered. ¶

Agriculture Gives Promise of Success

Among the membership of the Church; farmers and craftsmen predominate. They are true wealth producers, for they convert the elements about us into articles needed by man. By the efforts of these wealth producers, the prosperity of the world may best be measured. Therefore, the Church has always advocated that its members keep close to agriculture, the crafts, and the industries. They form the safe base of the pyramid of social and economic life on earth. More than a hundred years ago the Prophet Joseph Smith, then building the city of Nauvoo, stressed this principle in no uncertain words. ¶

Probably more than half of our Church membership is agricultural. Of that we are proud; for that we are grateful; we hope that it may ever be so. Tillers of the soil are a steady, dependable element in society. There is an unusual stability in the lives of farmers and farming communities. They know better than any other group that as we sow, so do we reap. The succession of seed time and harvest bespeak to them an orderly universe. The changing seasons reveal powers beyond man's control, for which he must prepare in favorable years. Big lessons of life come out of the profession of farming. Seldom does a hare-brained social, economical, or political philosophy issue from those who, upon the soil, face wind and weather for their sustenance. If the farmer is caught, for a time, by the oily promise and airy prospects of a fluent demagogue, he is usually the first to repent, often in sackcloth and ashes, and to return to a sensible, lawful order of living. A strong rural membership brings safety to the Church not otherwise obtainable. It is so in the nation. ¶

We believe in rural life. By that we mean not only living on a ¶

farm, but in a rural community, composed of farmers and the necessary craftsmen, tradesmen, and professional workers. If living joyfully is the purpose of life the small community, in which all modern advantages and comforts may now be available, has a distinct advantage over the crowded city. Because of this, eminent business and professional men, operating in large centers, often commute to their homes in rural neighborhoods. The present two chief candidates for the office of president of the United States maintain their homes in rural communities. Already there is a strong movement towards the decentralization of industry, so that workers may be placed in smaller communities, with the family kitchen garden and other similar advantages. The experiments of Henry Ford in the field of combining industry and agriculture are notable. ¶

The city of Zion, as laid out by the Prophet Joseph Smith, was planned to accommodate between 15,000 and 20,000 people -- a relatively small city for the capital of a kingdom -- the kingdom of God. The whole city was to be divided into twenty-four wards with six hundred to eight hundred souls in each ward. Each lot was to be four by twenty rods, ample for a dwelling house, outbuildings, and gardens. All public buildings would be placed in the easily accessible center of the city. Such a plan would be ideal in our day, if living richly is the consideration. Indeed, we came near to this ideal in laying out our cities in the intermountain country. The Mormon village system has contributed much to our strength and our happiness as individuals and as a people. It is one of the many Mormon contributions to the plan for human welfare. It is interesting that many sound thinkers in our day are advocating similar cities and villages. ¶

The majority of the service men of the Church have come from the farm. They are acquainted with rural conditions. It would be wise to encourage them to return to the farm. They would make no mistake if they do so. Modern agriculture has become a profession of equal dignity with the older, so-called, learned professions. It is good business, if practiced properly. It has the unequaled power to yield daily, sane joy to the farmer and his family. And from generation to generation it builds men and women of strength for the world's service. ¶

If the family farm is too small to be divided, lands may yet be obtained. Such opportunities are usually known in every community. Communication with the agricultural committee of the welfare program will reveal many localities where lands may be obtained under conditions that may be met by our young men. Our western lands are far from being fully occupied. ¶

The Conservation of Water

Besides, in the irrigated area, where so many of our Church members live, the people have it within their own power, within their own locality to increase the area of tillable land. By conserving, and using more rationally, the water now available, the irrigated area may be greatly increased. Almost everywhere there is a great waste of water. The fallacy remains that the more water used the better it is for the plant. Over-irrigation follows. The fact is that the yield of a crop is completed with much less water than is usually applied. Water saved may be used to redeem more land of which there is a surplus in the West. ¶

Immense quantities of water are lost by seepage. In one ideally located L.D.S. community, nearly one half of the water held in the reservoir is lost in transit over three or four miles to the farms. The task of making this canal water-tight is slight compared with the labor of the pioneers who settled that community and dug the first canals. There are also hundreds of places where water now going to waste might be stored, of spring water held back for later crops. By a little united effort on the part of the people, such projects could more easily be completed than the pioneer projects of the founders of the West. Why wait for others to do it for us? Let us do it ourselves! ¶

Improved Conditions in Farming

In addition, the introduction of new, more intensive, and more profitable crops, is increasing the acre income on the farms, thus automatically enlarging the agricultural area. The relatively small farm, if cultivated properly, is the most satisfactory. There is yet land available for our young war veterans. ¶

You who may advise our lads to return to the farm should also remember that the profession of farming has moved forward with the vast progress of recent years. Much of the toil has been taken out of the tillage of the soil. Motorized implements, from plowing land to baling hay, even for the small farm, under control of one man, have cut down the former manual labor. Only the other day I saw a farmer's son drive a herd of pure-bred, sleek, dairy cows to the cooperative shed to be milked by machinery. When this herd was on its way back, another took its place at the iron milk-maid. Such devices, helps to the farmer, are steadily increasing. The farmer need no longer be kept busy from dawn to dark. Headwork is today the prime requisite of the farmer. The day of the pioneer is not over. Progress is never ending, on the farm as elsewhere. Problems beckon to every man of courage; and there is joy in conquest. ¶

When we think of our boys who have gone out, willing to face death, if need be, for our freedom, our hearts grow warm. They have a claim upon our help when they return to enter upon paths that will lead to service and joy. When we do our best and most for them we do not do too much. ¶

May the Lord bless us in this matter; and may He bless and protect our sons who are placed in battle array and guide them wisely upon their return. This I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶