The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-04-07
FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL CON-
FERENCE.
FOURTH DAY.

II HE OF my delight.
Prayer by Elder w. B. Preston.
Choir sang the hymn on page 40
I Come follow me, the Savior said;
q Then let US in bis footsteps tread,
By this alone can We be one
}; With Gods own loved, begotten son
: ELDER WIN. bulge said: I +,
joice very much in being permitte
TO speak to you for short time. bu
| have a considerable degree of en-
r barrassment in addressing Sc large
congregation, and trust that yoI
VIII assist me by giving your faitl
and prayers. rejoice in meetin,
once more in general conference
and have listened with pleasure t,
the instructions we have received
L have been absent for about three
years preaching the Gospel in Eu
rope, and l have returned witt
more abundant combinations of the
divinity Of this work than l evel
had before. But my experience has
confirmed the greatness and power
as well as the divinity of the work
we are engaged in. A great change
has taken place in the last twenty
years in the religious people of Eu-
rope. They had then considerable
faith in the churches to which they
| belonged. There is less confidence
in their hearts now. They have as
much faith perhaps, but they con-
slider now that spiritual blessings
come to other churches as well as
their own. Some have gone from
one church to another till they eX-
claim that there is no trust TO be
! placed in any of them. Some say
there is no God at all, for their con-
fidence is entirely gone. Their OBJ
lservanceS are but empty forms
which bring no joy to the worship
pers. l have thought of the adj
vantages we possess. From out of
the darkness the light has shone out
upon us. We have seen it and en-
braced it. The troubles of the peo-
pie do not end here. The numbers
of the poor are rapidly increasing.
Poverty is increasing, also, by put
ting the riches in the hands of few.
There is no prospect of those who
are poor helping themselves; there
is no escape for them from that
abject slavery which is increasing
among the people. We have
reason to rejoice that through US
these things may be changed.
My heart rejolces greatly. 1 look
upon the present times as encourag-
ing to missionary labor, and l look
for the time being near at hand
when greater numbers of the elders
will be called to declare to the ma
lions the great work God has set up
on the earth. | have been grateful
to the presidency for sending out so
many faithful elders to labor who
have put their whole time in bearing
testimony to the truth. l rejoice to
be with you. l thank God for his |
continued mercy to us, and | rejoice |
at the progress [ see has been made. |
l know that this is the work of God
and that his servants teach the |
truth, and that this work will in |
crease upon the earth until every |
has been fulfilled. l pray
that God may bless us in the name |
Of Jesus Christ. Amen.
President George Q. Cannon read |
the report of the primary aSsOcia-
lions, the report of the disburSe-
mentS of the amounts given to the |
poor at a previous conference, to-
Tether with the amounts given by |
5he several stakes. Some of the |
stakes not having complied with
.he obligations they incurred in
making similar donations a vote was
AIKEN that the stakes not having
donated to their poor should imme-
lately do so. The reports of the
,emittances of delinquent tithing,
md of debts due to the Perpetual
Emigr alton Fund Company, were
cad.
PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR said,
N the subject of delinquent tithing,
/ good many had been prevented by
diverse circumstances from paying
heir tithing, and it was to assist the
worthy poor who could not pay that
he remittance of delinquencies had
Deen made. But this must not re-
ieve people from paying it in flu
ure. Tithing was voluntary, and
lot compulsory, but those who did
lot pay it would not find their
James on the books. People also
Who were indebted to the Perpetual
1migrating Fund Company should
trive to pay up for it would be fifty
ears before another jubilee came
ound.
APOSTLE F. d. RICHARDS said
hat the amount due to the Perpe-
ual Emigration Fund of $780,
90 was a great deal of it owing by
worthy poor, and the remittance of
100000 to such individuals who
oulG not well pay, would renew
he courage of the others, and cause
he other 100000 to be collected,
nd enable us to send for and emf
rate a number of people from the
Id countries who are there in power
V and well deserved to be helped
The bishops of the several wards
hould urge upon those who are in
ebted the necessity of paying up
he amounts that they owe. There
nay be once in a while one who
will say, Ny note is outlawed and
don't intend to pay it." Let me
ay to such, that you will find your
elves Outlawed directly. The
means for this fund were first raised
" those who were little able to do
o, and it was intended to gather
he poor, and a debt owing to this
und should be paid without any re-
ard to human law.
APOSTLE ERAsTUs SNOW said:
these are matters in which we
hould feel a great deal of interest,
nd especially the bishops of the
-arious wards. We should have a
borough awakening in regard to
his, and the local officers should at
end to it, and not leave all the work
0 be done by the presidency of this
und. l am well aware that we
must not Judge of the different
takes from the reports read, from
be fact that they do not keep their
ooks III a uniform manner; some
eport non-tithing payers and some
o not, and l would say that IN some
takes nearly one-third of the mem
erS whose names are on the books
o not appear as 1.-THE payers. We
must teach the people the way of
he Lord in all kindness, and try to
make them understand the necessity
f Obeying these laws and of the
blessings that will follow their OBJ
ervance. And when these things
re properly brought home to the
,eODle and they do not accent it. |