Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-09-16

Penrose presiding.
The choir sang:
Glorious thiags OF ihee are spoken,
ZION. city Of our God
Prayer was offered by Eide
David F. Davis.
The choir sang;
4 Jcsas. once OF humble birih,
NOW In glory comes 70 earih.
The Priesthood of the Seventeenth
Ward OBLIGATED in the administration
Of the Sacrament.
ELDER J, n, sJODAHb
was then called to address the con
gregGtion. He said: II seems {,
have fallen TO my lot this Afternoon
to occupy a portion Of the tim,
allotted to cur service. While at
tempting . speak 10 you / mos
earnestly desire 20 have an Interest
in your faith and prayers so that
may BE- able 10 say something that
viii DC Of interest and possibly bene
fit Us. l realize that il is iIn0Ossibl,
to speak 10 advantage without the
aid OF the Holy Spirit.
have had the privilege, not very
long ago, OF visiting the Holy Land,
Palest ne. aud the pu.iiing breth-
rem here have suggested that relate
some OF my experience and Observa-
tions while there.
First Of ali / desire to bear nv
testimony 10 the truth Of toe
gospel revealed through Joseph
Smith. | received great and adj
diiional testimony OF this truth
while travelling In that far OF
country. Most Of you, no doubt.
VIII remember that many yea Is ago.
one OF the Apostles Of the Church OF
I Jesus Christ OF Latter-day Saints.
vas sent on a mission TO the Holy
Ian :. He went there TO dedicate
that land for the gathering Of the
Jews: that it might again become
fruitful, and be fit to receive the
ancient people OF God. At that
time, 1870, when Apostle Onon
Hyde went on this mission TO
I Palestine there were not many
I divines in the Christian vorld
who even thought that Palestine
could be a gathering place for the
Jews II they read the Scriptures
about a gathering that WAS b. take
place in the last days, they said 4,
was TO he understood Of a s.sTiritual',
gathering. 50 with the building Of
the Temple. IL was 10 be spirit
ual" building. No one ventured
b look upon these events in any
ether light. At such a time the
Apostle OrsOn Hyde was sent out
b dedicate that lasd for the gather
ing % the Jews, and As I walkei
ab-ut through the land from the
north a. the sJ"th I had many op-
portuni;!es 10 notice the effect Of
this dedication. The Jews are now
gathering 70 their land in great
numbers. Handy a steamer AZ
rivcs in Jafia, that does no;
o-ing some Jewi-h families
who come 20 settle in the
beloved land OF their fathers.
The God Of heaven has indeed heard
the prayers OF Apostle Orson HYDE
In reEarl 70 that land. IL is 4 stand-
ing witness and testimony TO the
nations that God Himself has set
His seal upon what vas done by His
servant, who went tither by the
direction Of His Spirit Brother
Hyde did moi go there led by human
VISION: the divines Of the worlI
gave him no clue TO that work. The
learned men Of the wurli never
dreamed OF defeating the chosen
land for the gathering Of scattered
Israel, OF contemplated the magni-
iuie anu grandeur OF the work that
was shortly 10 take place.
Il required = revelation aud COM
mand from God 10 perform the work
tia; was Necessary for the return Of
;hc despises! people. The Lord OF
Hosts directed what was 70 be done
aud He has now proved that Apostl.
Hyde went forth as an Apostle Of
God 10y the fact that from that yery
time the gathering spoken Of by
ancient and modern prophets took |
place.
The physical aspect Of the country
has also changed since then. For
iasEly there W5s a noted scarcity Of !
rain, - much 50 that the country
could sustain but few inhabitants.
This has nov all been changed.
Tie early au! late rains spoken Of
by the authors Of the Bible "a one
u the blessings Of the land now
,ome regularly. Every year. about
the middle Of September, it COM
nences TO rain. At first il is mild.
gentle showers, but il Increases
sratulily, anu in December and
January auI part OF February IL
'ains almost incessan;ly. In April
" the beginning OF May the crops
ave been brought to perfection ON
he ground sna are ready for har-
-estiug. the land Is very fertile
arelsh the blessings OF God.
Where there i only a handful OF
OIL between the rocks il Yields
humanity. l have no doubt.
Though The country Is very small
"A sizs, that through the blessings
: the Lord, which are being made a
manifest 20 large degree, il would {
E able 70 sustain the same amount
I pOIulaiiOn which il sustained AT
ne time Of David and Solomon. Z
1msthing like five million Of peo- /
le. /
The prevailing religion at the |
resent time Is Of course the Mo- v
The Turks and most
In { Arabs believe in ths!doctrines
.ught by MOhammed. They are
,emingly a very religi0usly in
ined people. They devote a large :,
lrtion Ct their time TO worship u
II Is not an uncommon thing 10
= them praying in tile streets.
I've times OF prayfr every day il
Ie rule FOR those who want 10 OBJ.
rye their religion. They will a
read their garments on the
ound, fall down on their knees p
ID repeat the formulas prescribed II
! the Koran. They wash them ]
Ives regularly, and are very par II
'ulsr about their ablutions- They II
I've a very gOOI code Of morals a e.
: a they CO. But there is one es
culiariiy about il. The Koran 81
- to enumerate a specified set Of p
1rals instead Of stating the prin- ID
plies that underiie morality. II
:. fo- slstance, want 10 know
lat Is right or wrong in any par -
uiar Instance, where one man
5 10 deal with another, the bible
~ not have any passage meet pc
: the requirements of that -
case, but il gives a prin- u'
,le: Love thy neighbor as thy CO
=" covering in that one passage IL
possible cases The Islam not is
In the Koran We find the tn
tues and the vices specified. IIu- re
tice, pride, lying, avarice, etc.
set down ~ sins, and kindness,
tee. honesty, etc., given a. Bs
tue. But thea there Is also this bu
ut it, that the Mohammedaus do in
consider themselves under any a
igatiOns 20 those that do not be- pIi
& 70 their faith. They, them rel