The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-10-08
SEMI-ANNUAL CONFER
.ENCE.
SECOND DAY.

O6OONA LA l.
! An immense congregation as
sembled, as per adjournment. in th
large Tabernacle, at 10 a. m. on Sat
urday, October 7th. Called to orde,
by President Taylor.
The choir sang the hymn,
With alI my powers Of heart and tongu
iii praise my Maker in my song.p
Prayer by President August M
Cannon. - ~
The choir sang
Jesus, mighty king in Zion,
Thou alone our guide shall be.,'
APOSTLE JOHN HENRY. SMITH
addressed the congregation He
was pleased with The opportunity of
meeting with The, assembl in a gem
eral conference lie realized that
the present position OF the Latter
day Saints was more peculiar than
at any time in Tire past, AS the
IkiRgdom of Goa spreads abroad.
feelings of hate andEenvy were.
brought to bear against it. The re-
mark had been madestbv previous
speakers that the faithful SAINT had
no cause to fear, having in the past
seen dark clouds threatening abso-
Lutte destruction pass over the heads
OF this people, often being
la blessing to them instead
of an injury. He realized
that the gospel and organization of
the church Of Christ were perfect
in their composition, but mar. was
not yet perfect, but liable to err. If
we are carried away by some fleet
lug ideas we often pursue vain OBJ
jects, but when we continue in the
performance Of our duties, which is
the path of safety, we are upon a
certain foundation and not liable to
fall into the ways of the wicked
The experience of the young among
the saints was doing them good in
causing them to seek after the faith
of their fathers. Some restrictive
measures had been passed, but while
the speaker recognized the fact as
iniqutous he believed it to be de-
stined in the providence of God.
Those who lived in the depths of
abomination were protected by acts
of Congress, while the nation
frowned down the plans suggested
for the reformation Of the inhabit-
ants of the land. He could see the
hand Of the Almighty in the perse-
cutions sought to be heaped upon
the people. 1t would act as in times
past, causing the people to be more
united. But why should the saints
be prosecuted? Were the rights or
privileges Of non-MormOns inter
fered with? No, they never had,
bat on the contrary outsiders had
been treated with all favor. The
present fight between Babylon and
this people, in which the latter was
sought to be destroyed, was waged
between God and Mammon. A
great and earnest labor is being per-
formed among the young, who
are being educated and advised of
the position in which the saints
had been placed. The speaker was
sorry. however, that there was not
a wiser and more thorough training
among the young, for he had heard
young men say they had become
infdelsl as the result of their parents
neglect in failing to teach them in
early childhood. Many children
contract evils, poisoning their
natures, tending to the destruction
Of their physical and mental facul-
ties. Let the children be properly
taught the truth concerning their
physician organizations, that they
may avoid evil and grow up to man
hood and womanhood, pure, and be
ornaments in aud benefactors to
society. But if the children go IN
thought of, unframed from their
cradles till they are thrown upon
the world, much can not be ex-
pected of them. In their children
rests the hope and JOY of the people.
Christ came to save man from his
sins, and point out the way wherein
to walk, and if the saints follow in
his path and bring up their children
therein, they will be enabled to pre-
sent to the world a race of men and
women, more noble, more godly and
pure, and create than any race that
ever inhabited the earth. In con-
clusion, the speaker eXhorted the
saints to faithfulnesS, that it might
be said of them in the hereafter,
that they had done their work well
and were worthy to enter into the
rest prepared for the righteous.
APOSTLE ERAsTUs Snow said he
believed it was in 1856 when
the political party which came into
power four years later, pledged itself
to destroy the so-called "twin-rei-
les" Notwithstanding that party
knew not the purposes of the Lord,
they were made to serve his will.
Had the "twins" been strangled yet :?
Slavery had been abolished in the
south, but it still exists, and will
continue to exist in modified form.
African slaves were not held in
bondage as they were previous to
Tue IcDOl wal UuG Vas SItftIy I'll
extinct institution 1t still existed.
The party in question looked upon
polygamy or as they call it, bigamy,
in the same light, and a measure
was adopted making the offense the
marriage ceremony and not the CO.
habitatlon. The bigamy of tie New
England states consisted in the be-
trayal and wronging of two or more
unsuspecting women, while the