Conference Address

The inspiring music of our great choir and organ, both in the broadcast this morning and in this service, and also the timely, masterful address of President McKay, and the interesting talk of Bishop Wirthlin, have all tended, I am sure, to uplift us, to bring us nearer our Father in heaven, and others on the other side. ¶

It is my earnest desire and prayer, my brethren and sisters, to say something useful, something that will be helpful to us, that will bring more happiness and joy into our daily lives. One of my favorite themes, already mentioned by one or two of the speakers, is, ¶

Men are that they might have joy. (II Nephi 2:25.) ¶

Activity Brings Joy

Work is a great blessing; activity brings joy. Last Sunday, I was in California, attending the Inglewood Stake conference. Some of you have already read in last week's issue of the Church Section of the News of some of the activities of this stake, especially of their building program. There was one achievement not referred to in the article, that I should like to mention. Last summer, in California they had some of their "unusual" weather, quite an extended hot spell, and the entire apricot crop ripened so rapidly that it became necessary to harvest it or it would be wasted. This was called to the attention of the southern California regional welfare officers. Through them, attention was called to the stakes in that region. I do not know what other stakes accomplished, but one day was set aside by the Inglewood Stake members for picking, and as a result they have now 25,777 cans of apricots in their stake storehouse and in their homes. ¶

Just a month ago today I was in the Burley Stake conference in Idaho. At the conclusion of that conference the president arose and casually announced that the beet harvesting for this year had been set by the officials of the sugar factory to begin on a certain date. "We would like to harvest our welfare crops before we begin on our own." A time was decided on for that purpose. He said: "We would like to harvest the entire crop on these two days." ¶

I had visited these projects, and had seen the extent of them, and so I arose and said: "If you accomplish this, will you kindly send me a telegram collect? If you don't you needn't say anything about it." ¶

Last Sunday, while at the Inglewood Stake conference, just at the beginning of the ten-thirty session, this telegram was handed me. ¶

Burley, Idaho ¶

Thomas E. McKay ¶

Care President Alfred E. Rohner ¶

Brother McKay: ¶

Members of Burley Stake harvested 40 acres of potatoes Friday, 26th; ten acres potatoes, 27 acres of beets, and cut five acres of corn Saturday the 27th. People present both days, approximately 900. Trucks, 50. Tractors, 25. Potato diggers, 18. Five beet diggers. Relief Society served lunch. Thanks for challenge you made at conference. ¶

Sincerely, Burley Stake Conference ¶

Congratulations, members of Burley Stake! ¶

There are now, 168 stakes in the Church, as we were told yesterday by President Richard L. Evans in his well-worded, I was going to say, musically-worded address on the growth of the Church. Seventy-eight of these are outside of Utah, all active and doing splendid work. As one investigator friend stated: "You ¶

all seem to know one another here — just like one large happy family." ¶

It is a privilege to visit these stakes, and especially thrilling to find so many of our members active now and in prominent positions who were not so active in their home wards and stakes. As one of them told me: "At home I belonged to that group, that rather large group that you referred to as who treat their religion as a spare tire; they never use it except in times of emergency. Also," he continued, "we had time on our hands which we used in finding fault with the brethren and the Church, looking for the thorn on the rose, and the dirt on the lily, instead of for the flowers themselves." ¶

Story of Japanese Philosopher

He was referring, as you know, to that story that I like to tell of the Japanese philosopher who was accustomed to going out into the hills and woods to study the laws of nature. After spending a day in such study, he would return to his village at night, where he would gather his people around him and instruct them in the lessons which he had learned. One day one of his friends came to him saying, "Will you please bring me a hawthorn twig when you come back, that I can study the lesson you gave last week from that tree?" "Yes," said the philosopher, "I will bring you the twig tonight," and a second one of his friends that morning said, "Will you bring me a rose, that I may study concerning the lecture you gave last evening?" "Yes, I'll bring you the rose." And just before the philosopher went through the gate of the town that morning, a third friend said, "Will you bring me a lily that I might study the lesson of purity you gave last evening?" The philosopher promised to bring the lily. ¶

In the evening about sundown when the old philosopher returned to the village, the three friends were waiting at the gate to welcome him. To the first he gave the hawthorn twig; to the second he gave the rose; and to the third he gave the lily. Suddenly the man with the hawthorn twig cried, "Here is a dead leaf on the stem of my hawthorn twig!" The second said, "Here is a thorn on the stem of my rose!" and the third one cried, "Here is dirt on the roots of my lily!" ¶

"Let me see," said the philosopher. From the first he took the hawthorn twig; from the second, he took the rose, and from the third he took the lily. He plucked the dead leaf from the hawthorn twig and gave it to the first friend. He plucked the thorn from the stem of the rose and gave it to the second. He took the dirt from the roots of the lily and put it into the hands of the third. Holding the hawthorn twig, the rose, and the lily, he said: "Now, each of you has what attracted you first. You looked for the dead leaf, and you found it. You looked for the thorn; it was there. You found the dirt of the lily because I left it on the roots. You may keep what attracted you first. I will keep the hawthorn twig, the lily, and the rose, for the beauty I see in them." ¶

We find in this world just about what we are looking for. If we look for dirt and the sordid things, we can find them; or if we look for mistakes in others we can find them also. If we look for the good and the beautiful the good and the beautiful will return to us. There is no place for hate in the heart of a Latter-day Saint, or of any other true Christian. ¶

. Love your enemies, bless those that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. (Matt. 5:44.) ¶

That is the doctrine of the Savior. ¶

Hate incapacitates anyone from doing one's best, no matter whether it is hate for a person or for a people. ¶

Whom the gods destroy, they first make mad. (Euripides.) ¶

Hate, envy, jealousy, ingratitude, intolerance are all weapons used by Satan to thwart the purposes of God. ¶

The Love of Money

One of the main weapons, I think, not mentioned very often, one that creeps upon us very quietly, is the love of money. The love of money, we are told, is at the root of all evil. You may not agree with me, some of you, in what I am going to say now, but I believe that one of the main reasons why it is so difficult for some of our members to pay tithing is because Satan does not want us to pay tithing. He puts all kinds of excuses in our way, because he knows that a person or a people who will pay tithing will never worship gold instead of God. We are so bent, I was going to say hell-bent, on getting rich, making money, that we miss some of the sweetest things in life, brethren and sisters. We never have time to look up at the beautiful blue sky or enjoy our wonderful sunsets or see the beautiful flowers and the bluebird hopping from post to post or hear the song of the meadowlark as we speed along the highways. We have no time to go into these colorful canyons with our families and occasionally take a fishing trip, something unpardonable. No, we are too busy for these things. Yes, the love of money, the use of tobacco, liquor — Brother Merrill referred to in his splendid address yesterday — are weapons of Satan that he is using to thwart the purposes of God. ¶

President Smith has advised us, and I like the way he puts it, to keep away from the devil's territory. This is rather a large order, at least according to Mark Twain who said: ¶

I want to see the devil, just to set my eyes on that person who for untold centuries has been the spiritual head of four-fifths of the human race and the political head of all of it. ¶

That statement may be a little exaggerated, but this part I do agree with, "he must surely have executive ability of the highest order." I think we would do well to follow President Smith's ad- ¶

vice to keep away from his territory; and "enter ye in at the strait gate." (Matthew 7:13.) Overcome evil with good, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ¶

Our Father in heaven, brothers and sisters, is our Father. He loves us and because he loves us he has given us the gospel, every principle and commandment of which is for our happiness in this life. Honoring parents, keeping the Sabbath day holy, refraining from taking the name of the Lord in vain, attendance at our sacrament and priesthood meetings, remaining honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, keeping the Word of Wisdom, paying tithing and our fast offerings — all these are given to us that we might have joy in this life. ¶

Fast Offering Plan Recommended

When I mention fast offerings, my heart goes out to our brothers and sisters in Europe and to the starving millions in the war-torn countries. I wish we could do more to establish fast offerings in the world. I hope I am not speaking out of line, but I would like to see this great gathering endorse a resolution to the United Nations recommending as a means of helping the starving millions in the war-torn countries the adoption of the fast offering plan of the Church. ¶

May we have a greater desire, greater faith, greater will power to live in accordance with the great gospel plan of life and salvation, as revealed in our day by the Prophet Joseph Smith, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶