Conference Address

My dear brothers and sisters, and I do regard you as my brothers and sisters, I feel very humble and very frightened in looking into the faces of this great congregation in this, the tabernacle of the Lord. I have sincerely prayed that the Lord would bless me while I occupy this position that I may say some words of meaning, of encouragement, that I may be directed by the Holy Spirit in whatever I say. I sincerely trust that the Lord will bless you that you may meditate during the conference, that you may worship and that you may feel his holy influence. ¶

We come here to worship and to bear testimony and to partake of the Spirit of the Lord, so that we can discharge our duties more faithfully and so that we can live according to his plan. The choir today has touched our souls with beautiful music, and I am sure we are grateful to this organization. ¶

Tabernacle Choir

A year ago I had occasion to go to Mexico City with a businessman of the East. We discussed religion pro and con, and then I asked him what faith he belonged to, and he answered me humbly that he belonged to the religion of the Salt Lake Tabernacle Choir. That was his religion. Well, I am sure they touch the hearts of men each week, and I am sure they mellow their souls. As you probably know, they leave this coming week for San Bernardino to participate in a centennial pageant there. They will broadcast next Sunday to the world from San Bernardino. ¶

One cannot teach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ without the Spirit of the Lord. I am convinced of that. One cannot be taught the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ without the Spirit of the Lord. I am convinced of that. One cannot teach, nor one cannot be taught, without that sweet Spirit. ¶

I am grateful for my membership in the Lord's Church. I have learned to love men as I did not think I ever knew how to love men. ¶

These men that I have become associated with, and particularly the Presiding Bishopric and the other brethren, are the finest men in all the world. I humbly pray to God that he will bless me that I may measure up to the responsibility and the confidence of these men and of you, my brethren and sisters. ¶

A Tribute to Church Officials

As I go from stake conference to stake conference and meet new stake presidents every week, I meet equally fine men, men who are devoted to the Church, men who would give their all in the service of the Lord, if they were asked to. We come to you as strangers, and you take care of us, see that we are properly housed, and your wives are so good to feed us and look after us. You extend to us your kindness and your courtesies, and as we kneel down with you in your family prayers, our hearts are touched, and we are inspired by the great devotion of you men holding those responsible positions. ¶

A Visit to the Sacred Grove

Brother [Albert E.] Bowen and others have referred to the Prophet Joseph as one of the most important influences in the lives of all of us. A week ago I had an opportunity to walk into the Sacred Grove, the place where that young man, Joseph, walked and prayed to the Lord to help him. One cannot walk into that grove without feeling that spirit of reverence, that spirit of sacredness, the only spot, if my memory serves me right, where God and his son Jesus Christ both appeared at the same time, at the same place, and they spoke to that boy. Oh, that is a fact! You cannot go into the grove but what you feel that influence. It is different from any other wooded grove in all the world, because it is a sacred place and a hallowed spot. That grove is right behind the house where his father and mother lived and where Joseph lived as a boy; and right down the road a little way — you who have not been there — is that other sacred spot, the Hill Cumorah, where the angel of the Lord appeared to that boy, not once, but in four consecutive years, before he delivered to him the golden plates, and from them came the Book of Mormon. That boy did not write that book. Then he sealed that testimony by giving his life. How much more evidence do we need? Surely the world must accept that as truth. And it would be well if we would stimulate that belief in the hearts and souls of our young people. If they can only feel that influence, that one feels when he is there, they would need never to doubt nor would they need ever to worry. ¶

Before I left the grove, I asked those that were with me if I could remain a little while. Then I knelt down before my Father in heaven by that big tree, and I tried to pour out my heart to him as I had never tried before. I bear you my testimony that the in- ¶

fluence of the Lord is there, that all of that is true. I did not intend to say that, but the Sacred Grove and the recent memory of it were fresh in my mind. ¶

The Youth of the Church

I would like to say just a word more with reference to the young people of the Church. We your fathers and mothers and your elders, love you deeply. I do not know whether the young people of the Church can understand that we love them so much, or whether they will be able to understand it or not until they have children of their own, but at least we want them to know that our entire love goes out to them. We are concerned about them because we know some of the pitfalls of life, and we know some of the experiences of the social trends. We know some of the teachings that are contrary to the teachings of the Church. We know some of the articles that they read, and we know the speeded highway and the high-powered automobiles, and that is why we are worried about them, because we love our children so much. And I would say to the young people of the Church, stay close to your parents. You boys of the Church, if I could only touch your hearts to urge you to tell your dads everything that goes on in your lives. I feel sorry for a young man who cannot tell his dad everything. And I feel sorry for a young girl who cannot tell her mother everything. We know you will make mistakes, sometimes, but we will love you just the same, and we hope that we can instil confidence in you, that you will come and confide in us. If we expect to share your joys, we must expect to share your sorrows and your mistakes and your problems. ¶

Recently there appeared an article in a popular magazine on the subject of Mormonism, and one of the references in that magazine was to the effect that the young people of the Church are sliding back or slipping away. That I do not believe. And in behalf of the young people of the Church, I feel that I can deny that statement. When I hear young people in the conferences bear their testimonies, they are brilliant; they are serious; and they want to live close to the Lord. ¶

I heard a great man say a few years ago when he placed his hands upon the head of a bishop to bless him, that some of the choicest spirits that had ever been born into the world were the young people of the Church today. I am sure the writer of that article would not understand that we have four thousand choice young men and women out in the world today, paying their own expenses, gladly, to proclaim the gospel and share their testimony and their faith with those who are less fortunate. And if it need be and the Church would call upon volunteers from young men and women, it could possibly raise hundreds of thousands of missionaries to go into the world on twenty-four hours' notice. ¶

Oh, we realize that the young people may make mistakes. Most ¶

of us have made mistakes in our lives. But may we also realize that those same young people, if they will only stay close to the Lord, the Lord will forgive his people for mistakes. I think if a father and a mother are so far away from their young people that their young people will not come to them and tell them* about their problems, then there is something wrong between father and son and mother and daughter. ¶

May the young people of this Church stay close to their Father in heaven and may time prove that the writer of that article, stating that the young people are sliding back, will be disproved without question. ¶

Stay Close to the Lord

I can bear testimony to the young people of the Church that the Lord will help you in all of your problems, in all of your mistakes, in all of your joys and satisfactions if you will only let him. May we humbly pray to the Lord and be so diligent that we may stay in close communion with the Spirit of the Lord and so live that the Lord can easily manifest himself unto us, so that he can feel our humility and so that we can feel his Spirit, then we can humbly say, "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth." ¶

May that be our happy lot. May we truly love one another, realizing that there are thousands of men who are less fortunate than we, that we may give of ourselves and our means and our energy for those who are less fortunate. May God bless us that we may stay close to him under all conditions, I humbly pray, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶