My Brethren And Sisters 1 Trust I...

My brethren and sisters, I trust I may have the benefit of your faith and prayers during the few minutes I shall stand before you. ¶

First of all, I want to express my gratitude for the strength, the comfort, the consolation, and the increased confidence which have come to the members of the Church in the passing of President George Albert Smith. I think, in one way or another, he must have touched all of us more or less closely during his entire ministry. ¶

Sermons of President Smith

I remember as a boy in my teens I heard President Smith for the first time deliver a sermon in the Logan Tabernacle. The theme of his discourse was "Observance of the Sabbath Day." It was a timely message because at that time, in Logan, particularly, there was some controversy as to what extent Sunday amusements should be commercialized and carried on. President Smith's sermon was powerful. He said, among other things, "Sabbath observance is one of the great pillars of civilization." I have thought of it many times, and I am sure as I have reflected upon it that President Smith was right in his conclusions. ¶

Years later I heard him discuss before an audience in the same place the Ten Commandments. As he often did, he referred to each one of these Commandments, and after he had made his comments, he turned to the audience and said, "You may break these commandments if you want to, but if you do, they will break you." ¶

I have never forgotten those words. ¶

And so, President Smith has brought a vital message into the lives of each of us. When I was first called to the position in the Church which I now hold, one of the first assignments given me was to the St. Johns and the Snowflake stakes in Arizona. To my surprise and to my delight, President George Albert Smith was to be my companion. We journeyed together to St. Johns, where the conference was held. During the afternoon session, a telegram came to President Smith, who was at my side. He opened it and read it, folded it up, put it in his pocket, and when the session was ended, he came to me and said, "I have been called back to Salt Lake City. It will be necessary for you to fill the appointments which I have made." He thereupon handed me a little sheet of paper, and on it was a schedule of meetings which he had arranged in the little villages and settlements around St. Johns and Snowflake. I mention this fact only because it illustrates the zeal, the energy, and the diligence with which President Smith assumed his responsibilities in the ministry. ¶

"Give the Lord a Chance"

When I left for Europe to take on a great responsibility, one I felt that was altogether too great for me to assume, President Smith called me to his office. He gave me only a very brief admonition, and I suspect he has given it to many. Said he, "Remember, Brother Sonne, give the Lord a chance." I believe that admonition remained with me throughout my mission over in Europe. I'm not sure that I needed it so much, for I was very humble and prayerful in the work I had to do, but the advice was so good and so sound, that I never forgot it. .And I feel what success came from our endeavors over in Europe during a crucial time was due in large measure to the help which we received from our Heavenly Father. ¶

And so I hope and pray that the members of the Church and particularly those who bear the Holy Priesthood, will put forth the same effort which our great leader has demonstrated in his life. ¶

Devotion of Latter-day Saints

I recall at this moment a testimony which I heard from a young missionary in the French Mission. He had but recently arrived in the field. As he stood up, he said something like this: "My grandparents joined the Church in Southampton, England. Soon after being baptized, they emigrated to Nauvoo, Illinois. They bought a home and expected to live there indefinitely. But," said the missionary, "a mob burned the home, and they were left practically destitute. Then my grandparents loaded all of their earthly possessions on a handcart and pushed it over the plains to the Rocky Mountains. I thank God," said this young man, "for the faith and the integrity, the determination and the conviction, which prompted my grandparents to be thus faithful to their trust." Such devotion has been characteristic of the Latter-day Saints and their leaders from the beginning. ¶

I rejoice, brethren and sisters, in my testimony of the truth. I know God has spoken from the heavens and established his Church upon the earth. We have received a great shock during the past few days; we'll receive other shocks, in all probability, but I tell you this Church will never receive a setback. It will go forward in the future as it has in the past, and truth and righteousness will triumph in the earth. I pray that it may be so, in the name of Jesus Christ. ¶

Amen. ¶