The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-06
Anostle Moses Thatcher.

God has revealed His mind through His
prophets in our time. He has revealed the
keys and powers of the holy priesthood,
bringing the truth as it is in Christ to
light Previous to this revelation the
world lay in darkness and in doubt. When
it was made, the youthful Prophet Joseph
Smith was in doubt, not knowing which of
the many religious paths he should pursue.
He took the injunction of the Apostle
James, and though only in his fifteenth
year, he asked God for wisdom in which he
was lacking. He bowed down in a secret
place in the woods, and the powers of dark
ness oppressed hiBl for time. In his eX-
tremity he called upon God for deliver
ance. His release came. In a bright pill
lar of light which descended upon him, he
beheld the Father and the Son, who in
structed him to go after none of the reli
gions of the day, because they were all
astray, but that
THR RIGHT PATH WOULD BE SHOWN HIM
in course of time AS soon as the youth
made known his experience he was perse-
cuted by professed followers of the Savior.
From that day until he was martyred in
Carthage jail, persecution, calumny and
falsehood followed him, eliminating in his
being murdered in cold blood. He was en-
abled in his lifetime to organize the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and
form the nucleus of that great kingdom of
which all the holy prophets have spoken.
1t is not my purpose to dwell upon the
early history of the church, further than
to show that we have received the new
light and the manifestations of the power
of God in our day, and that the holy priest
hood has been restored and its keys and
powers have again been given to men; that
under the direction of the servants of God
we have gathered to these valleys and
hT1il M q
sacred character in which ordinances for
the salvation of the living and the death
are performed. The hearts of the children
are being turned to the fathers and the
latter to the children.
NOTWITHSTANDING THE EVIDENCES
of these things and the testimonies that
have been borne by the elders, as people
we are derided scOrned and treated with
contempt. Efforts are being made to lead
our youth away from the religion of their
fathers and from the paths of virtue
These conditions should cause the saints to
be determined that the community shall
not be entirely leavened with the leaven
of the gentiles. Those who are living
humbly and faithfully are not affected by
fears as to the final triumph of this work.
This feeling only exists in the breasts of
those who are imbued with the spirit and
genius of the world
Satan at one time appeared to Moses
and requested that great and good man to
worship him. Moses detected the spirit of
the evil one, and resisted him, and he de
parted in rage. The prophet had no fear of
Satan, for he had before beheld the power
and glory of God. Some arc afraid when
they compare the paUCity of our numbers
with the multitudes of the worlds peoples,
They can see no escape for the saints.
Those who have the spirit of God are, how
ever, not dismayed by any natural appear
ances, no matter how threatening. The
speaker dWelt for some time upon the muir
derous crime of Cain against his brother
and the cause of its jealousy
and covetousness, as related in the Pearl
of Great Price" The secret oaths and
combinations and oaths entered into in
those ancient times were also explained.
Such associations of a secret character
Wapa also a,..Sokep Of in the Book of Nor
mon, the apcina.it prophets On this continent
asserting that they would prove
TnE DESTRUCTION or ALL PEOPLES
among whom they are allowed to flourish.
They have been established in this nation,
being a special feature associated with the
conflict now in progress between capital
and labor The speaker treated OF the con-
dition of the people of the nation, and then
of certain elements that were making their
appearance in the community of Saints,
saying in substance:
The great issue before the nations to
day is on the question of the combinations
of capital and the union of secret societies
of labor against it. In the midst of the
Christian nations of the earth we find the
evidences of extreme riches upon the one
hand and of extreme pOvery on the other.
Here in the United States benefcent
government has put it within the reach OF
every industrious citizen to have IN his
own common right 100 acres of land, yet
right in the youth of the nation, and while
we are boasting that our power is respected
on every sea- and that the United States is
absolutely fearless of the combined forces
of Europe the startling announce
ment was made recently by con
gressional committee that fewer people
in the United States possess their own
homes in proportion to the population OF the
nation than in France, which has just
merged into form of republican govern
ment. The reason given for this state Of
affairs is that as the frugal and industrious
pioneer takes up and cultivates the virgin
soil, he is followed by the banker, the mer-
chant, the saloon keeper, and those who
come and take mortgages. The thoughtless,
BOUND DOWN HAND AND FOOT
by these agencies and powers, yield up
their homes and become poor. The same
system has prevailed even in the new states
OF the union west OF the Mississippi river.
Take the state of Nebraska. To-day she is
under the bondage of Sl50,OOO,OOO of
Inortage; ana last year, just from one or
two of her counties, 1,S00 farmers removed
from that state leaving their farms and I'M
movements to those who had taken
mortgages upon their habitations, feeling
themselves utterly unable to meet the de-
mands of the money lenders.
a This condition of affairs has been a sub
iect OF discussion in the House of Repre-
sentatives and by the Senate. 1t has been
called up before the President and his cab
met. We have not yet discovered states
man wise enough to propose remedy that
would overcome the evil.
Here in Utah, 10 some extent, the same
ideas are gaining hold upon the minds OF
the people and as our cities become more
dense in population, our towns grow into
cities and our villages into towns, our peo-
pie are gradually yielding up their inner
ftances and becoming tenants rather than
owners of those places which God IN HIS
infinite mercy and loving kindness gave
unto them. They are learning the eXtrava,
CANT ways of the world, and the leaven OF
the gentiles is in this respect working in
the midst of the people.
A little while ago here in Salt Lake city
we had tho painful spectacle of our breth-
rem. under the influence and leadership of
one of these combinations already referred
to. striking-not for higher wa ges not be
cause they were beng oppressed by their
brethren, bat because they had turned
their back against the organization OF Cod
holy priesthood. and the inspiration of the
HOLY Ghost and had bound themselves TO
ONE oP TIE SECRET SOCIETIES
that are seeking foothold in the midst OF
this people. They did not claim that their