Love at Home

I am very grateful, my brethren and sisters, for this wonderful opportunity again to bear you my testimony to the divinity of this work. I have thoroughly enjoyed the testimonies that have been borne this morning and now the testimony of President Clark. ¶

I was very pleased to hear our German brethren and sisters furnishing the music this morning. I thought at one time that perhaps there might be some in the choir to whom I taught in English my favorite song, "Love At Home"; but after hearing their voices, they all sounded so young and fresh I got to thinking of how long ago that was—over fifty years—so I decided that none of them were born at the time I taught that English class. I am grateful for the great missionary work that is being done in the Church. I am grateful especially for the gospel, and as I say, this opportunity of again bearing my testimony of its divinity. ¶

I am thankful, especially for my parentage and for my brothers and sisters. About a week or ten days ago, Sister McKay and I were up at the old home; we had some visitors. They came in. We knew them, not too well; I had met them before. We were delighted to say some things about the old home, about our childhood experiences there, especially those with President McKay, and when we got through and were saying good-bye, the brother there held my hand a while. Then he said, "You have been blessed with understanding parents." I had not heard it described just that way before, not in so many words, and I told him so. I said, "Yes, not only have I been blessed with understanding parents, but with a kind, black-eyed, beautiful, understanding wife." ¶

I am very happy for this opportunity to bear testimony to the goodness of my parents, my wife, our family, my brothers and sisters, and children and grandchildren, for their kindness to me. I can truthfully say that there has been love in the home, there in the old Huntsville home. My favorite song, as some of you already know, is "Love at Home." ¶

There is beauty all around / When there's love at home; / There is joy in every sound / When there's love at home. / Peace and plenty here abide, / Smiling sweet on every side. / Time doth softly, sweetly glide / When there's love at home. ¶

In the cottage there is joy / When there's love at home; / Hate and envy ne'er annoy / When there's love at home. / Roses bloom beneath our feet; / All the earth's a garden sweet, / Making life a bliss complete / When there's love at home. ¶

Kindly heaven smiles above / When there's love at home; / All the world is filled with love / When there's love at home. / Sweeter sings the brooklet by; / Brighter beams the azure sky; / Oh, there's One who smiles on high / When there's love at home. ¶

Yes, I am grateful for my parents, my wife, and my children. God bless our mothers, our wives, not only in the Church but throughout the world. Whenever you find a leader among the men, you will find that there is a good wife at his side. She may not be mentioned; she may not be very well-known; the man gets the credit, the plaudits of the people, but I tell you when the final score is made up, perhaps the wife will receive greater mention, greater blessings than the husband. So do not forget these wives and our mothers, you brethren. ¶

I was so happy to hear all about the movements of the Tabernacle Choir in Europe. Sister McKay read to me all we could get out of the newspapers, and I listened to the radio very carefully. I received a thrill, brothers and sisters, when they were in Berlin, and I do not know who had charge of the broadcast, but there came over the radio the singing of our members in Berlin. They burst forth in song to express their appreciation for this great event in their district. I was especially overcome when I heard the choir had been able to sing to those refugees. God bless them. There are thousands and thousands of them there that need such music now, and that need the gospel. I know what kind of people some of them are. ¶

On my second mission over there I had the privilege of visiting the members up in Koenigsberg, where they had, I think I may say, one of the finest choirs in the Church. To hear those brothers and sisters sing, you would know they are of the house of Israel. We went on up farther north and had the privilege of crossing the boundary line from the Memel Branch into Russia. The people there were so kind. They are ready for the gospel, so do not be hard on them (the people are not responsible for what the leaders do), but pray for them. ¶

I am so happy and thankful that our Church school, Brigham Young University, has a class in Russian. I hope more of the young men will prepare. I am not saying that anything might happen, but so many things are happening and are happening so fast that we cannot tell. It is a good thing to be prepared. I often thought, while in the mission field, of some of the prophecies that have been made with reference to the conclusion here on this earth, "when the end shall come"; for example, the gospel, it says, of the kingdom shall be preached to all nations, "and then shall the end come." ¶

Well, I visited in Europe, Germany, Austria, Hungary, France, Switzerland; all included in the then Swiss-German Mission. There are millions of people there. I thought, "Well, if the end does not come before all of these people receive the gospel, I guess it will be a long while." But judging from events that have recently happened, especially with my brother, President David O. McKay, visiting so many countries of the world in such a short time, the broadcasts of our choir and their wonderful visit over there, the gospel may be preached to all people before we realize it. ¶

I am so thankful for the temple that has been established in Bern, the beautiful capital of Switzerland, beautiful Switzerland. It is a great little country. If I had been consulted on the location, (I am so thankful now I was not) I believe I would not have thought of Bern. The larger branches and most of the members are outside of that city. But Bern is the capital where are located the beautiful government buildings. There is one of the finest genealogical libraries that I have ever had the privilege of visiting located in Bern. I visited there and met the head man. We visited so long we could not get away. The telephone rang, and his wife asked why he did not come home to lunch. She was not very happy about it, but he told her to never mind waiting any longer, that he would get his lunch down near the building that day. They are anxious and ready to explain the work that they have done there already in genealogical work. ¶

I believe from all I have heard and studied that the records in Switzerland that have been kept in the various churches are the most complete or as complete as any others in the world, and in Germany, also. Now we have the modern inventions that are able to film these records. Before it was so difficult for our members to decipher them; the churches are not heated and dimly lighted. Our members had great difficulty going down in the archives and getting the names. But it has been changed. The records have been filmed, and thousands of names are ready to be taken to the temple. ¶

And may I say this, many of the members are already here, and I suppose over eighty per cent of them have come here with hundreds of names to work for in the temple. I love these members; they are temple workers; they are temple-minded; and I am so happy and thankful for the completion of this temple in Bern. God bless the brethren for their inspiration in building it there. I am thankful that I have had the privilege of bearing my testimony to so many people over in Europe. I was there on three different missions. ¶

I remember very well the last testimony I bore in Berlin, at the time of World War II in 1939. At the conclusion of the meeting, a stranger spoke to me. He appeared to be a very intelligent man. He said, "You ought not to talk to people that way; they will believe you." I told him of the goodness of the gospel, and that all mankind would be happier if they followed the plan of salvation, as it had been revealed in the gospel and added, "I do hope they follow my testimony." I asked him his name, and he said, "Never mind." ¶

Scores of people since have arrived here in Zion and are living examples of the testimony that I bore in Berlin. I could mention many names, but time will not permit. However, I have lived to see the benefits realized by those who have accepted the gospel. The gospel is true and given to us for our happiness in this life. God lives; Jesus is the Christ and head of this Church. I bear you this testimony, and I do it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶