When This Vast Congregation...

PRESIDENT DAVID O. McKAY ¶

When this vast congregation responded to Brother Condie's baton on the first note of "Do What Is Right," I was thrilled. The strength of your voices expressed a spirit which is sublime, and strangely enough, I was reminded of a statement that a leading businessman in the United States made to me on the plane that carried us to South Africa a few years ago. There were three businessmen — one who was president of the Board of a mining company there on the Coast of Africa; another who was a member of the Board going down to a Board meeting; and this gentleman who was head of a national Drug Store chain. ¶

When he found out we are Mormons, he said, "Whenever I can find a young Mormon boy to take charge of running our drug stores, I tell my men to give him a position. I have many of them in my employ." He has found integrity in them. I thought I felt the strength and source of that integrity tonight. ¶

I thought when the gentleman made that statement, that any young member of this Church who gets a position in that chain of stores may cast a reflection upon the entire body if he failed in upholding the standard of the Church. That is what he would do. Whenever anyone, any husband in this Church, treats his wife unfairly, or stoops so low as to strike her, as I heard only recently a man did, he disgraces his Priesthood, casts reflection upon the whole Church. That would be true if he were only a member, but if he holds a prominent position in the Church, as this man does, he disgraces his Priesthood, and proves himself untrue to his fellows. He disgraces his quorum, and proves himself unworthy of membership in it. ¶

It is an inspiring sight to see this body in the Tabernacle, and to realize that assembled in 139 other houses there are members of the Priesthood, from the high priests to the deacons, meeting tonight and feeling the power of the Priesthood. ¶

One principle emphasizes itself in my mind tonight, and that is the virtue of self-control. When a man accepts the Priesthood, he accepts the obligation of controlling himself under any circumstances. That is the first lesson that the Savior gave to us after his baptism — the power of resistance. Arising from the plain through which the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea, near the spot of Christ's baptism, there is a precipitous cliff called the Mount of Temptation. People point to it and say, "It is on that Mount that Jesus went after he was baptized in the River Jordan." ¶

Those three temptations which were given to Him are given to us. The first was an appeal to his appetite after 40 days of fasting, which temptation is really an appeal to the appetite. Second, an appeal to his vanity. 'Cast thyself down. I dare you this; and I dare you that.' And third, 'the kingdoms of the world and all the wealth thereof will be yours if you follow me.' When Satan reached that point he was not challenging, he was pleading. 'All these I will give thee if thou wilt bow down and worship me.' ¶

As Christ resisted the temptation of appetite, of passion; as he resisted the appeal to his vanity and pride, he grew in power. I had better put it this way: that Satan's bombastic attitude, his challenging attitude, "If thou be the Son of God," is changed to one of pleading, and when Christ said, 'Get thee behind me Satan, for it is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve,' we glimpse what it means to be the victor over temptation, and we understand also how temptation loses its power and leaves us. As Satan slunk away, angels came and administered to Christ. ¶

Well, the temptations come to every man who holds the Priesthood. One of the bishops who spoke to us tonight referred to the relationship of self-control, self-mastery, and reverence. That is one of the great lessons in this matter of reverence. Both bishops, who gave us some excellent suggestions, and whom I thank at this time, referred to the necessity of reverence in the home, control of presiding authority in conducting meetings, controlling their own tongues. I know of no attribute, no quality, more conducive to peace in the home than self-control. If the husband sees something in the wife about which he could find fault, it would be better for him to say nothing, to control his tongue. That is an excellent thing to do, say nothing about it. And if the wife would practice that same thing, how many disputations and quarrels would be stopped, quenched at their beginning. ¶

Parents who suddenly become angered or hurt or injured at some act of a child innocently committed might hurt the child's feelings. Parents should manage to exert control of themselves, control of their hands, control their tongues particularly, then the child's feelings would not be hurt. ¶

Every Sunday when we partake of the Sacrament we covenant that we will do just this one thing at least, wherever we are. Read what James says about controlling the tongue, an unruly member, and you will see that this is one of the fundamental principles. We covenant on that Sunday that we will take upon us the name of the Son, we witness that we will do it. It takes some control to keep that promise. We witness that we will always remember him. ¶

We should be always dignified, self-possessed. When Pilate said, "Behold the man," he asked all to behold the perfect man. He was just that. We covenant that we will keep the commandments which he has given us. One reason why nonmembers, disbelievers in Christianity and in religion, so express themselves against it is because of the inconsistency between the Christian who pretends to do these things, and then in business affairs and in his home life he does just the opposite, and I apply to him that terrible title, "hypocrite," a sin condemned more vehemently by the Savior than any other excepting the great sins of adultery and murder. ¶

I plead with the members of the Priesthood throughout the Church to practice self-mastery. That applies to prospective missionaries and to missionaries who are in the field. Be master of yourselves, master of your appetites, master of your passions. Husbands, wives, be as a light set upon a hill, that men seeing your good deeds and your good lives will glorify our Father in Heaven. ¶

What was it that made the president of I suppose the greatest Drug Store chain in the United States say, "I choose the Mormon boys wherever I can get them." He has confidence in you. You will resist the temptation of taking any of his money. You will represent him in his business in giving returns for his investment. The poet has said: ¶

It is easy enough to be pleasant When life flows by like a song, But the man worth while is the one who will smile, When everything goes dead wrong. For the test of the heart is trouble, And it always comes with the years, And the smile that is worth the praises of earth Is the smile that shines through tears. ¶

It is easy enough to be virtuous, When nothing tempts you to stray, When without or within no voice of sin Is luring your soul away; But it's only a negative virtue Until it is tried by fire, And the life that is worth the honor on earth Is the life that resists desire. ¶

By the cynic, the sad, the fallen, Who had no strength for the strife, The world's highway is cumbered today; They make up the sum of life. But the virtue that conquers passion, And the sorrow that hides in a smile, It is these that are worth the homage on earth For we find them but once in a while. ¶

— "Worth While," by Ella Wheeler Wilcox ¶

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ¶

I commend Bishop Wirthlin and Bishop Richards for their excellent messages to us on reverence, and as one of them said at the base of it all is this virtue of self-control, self-mastery. There is no whispering by parents during the administration of the Sacrament when they exercise this virtue. There is no whispering after entering the House of God. There is communion between the spirit, and the Spirit of the Lord. There is no whispering on the rostrum, because all preparation is made beforehand. ¶

And children should know, though they want to play, that they have to resist it during the worshipping hour so they will not intrude upon the concentration and the spiritual communion of others. ¶

God bless us that we may be true to the responsibilities given us directly from heaven. There is no use excusing it or modifying it, that is the truth, and the body of Priesthood listening in tonight, representing the hundreds of thousands who hold the Priesthood, carry the responsibility of setting an example to the whole world. ¶

May God give us power to discharge our duties honorably and well — in our homes, in our business relationships, and especially in our association with leaders in the world who, seeing our characters, our leadership, may be influenced to lead many others of their members nationally under their control to favor acts and laws necessary that the missionaries, representatives of this Church may carry the Gospel to all the world. That is our duty — to teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever he has commanded, and he says, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." ¶

I leave my blessing with you, my dear fellow workers. Our hearts are full of pride — righteous pride — for the brotherhood exemplified last night by those young boys of the Aaronic Priesthood, and tonight by the tens of thousands of men holding the Melchizedek Priesthood. ¶

I pray God to give us power, to enlighten our minds, quicken our understandings, give us good judgment under all conditions, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶