Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1895-01-05
PERFECTION And OBEDIENCE
Discourse Delivered at tho Lake city, sunda,
september End 1894 csat Lake Stake Con-
ference,
ELDER ABRAHAM H. CANNON.
lREroRrED ny ARTHUR wNrrRl

hNNNNal nANN w hNNAlHe lNI us 10 lNhts
by this gradual progression, under the
blessing of God, we can reach that per-
lection which Christ admoniihed Ills
disciples to attain, But as II Is today,
even among The people OF God, where
do you find a man that IS at the head Of
bis profession aud OF his laborl Very
few indeed there are among the PEG.
pie. Hunt among this people for
men TO do ordinary work, and
how many Of them are there
that can be trusted Many will do their
work II they have an oyersccf to direct
their labors. but leave them alone and
they will neglect It or do 1t IN a slipshod
manner. Take any OF these men who
have large numbers Of workmcn under
their care, and how many do they find
among these hundreds whom they en-
ploy to whom they can en,rust work with
the full assurance that q will be done
thoroughly and without loss OF umc}
Very few indeed. II Is illustrated In the
incident told Of two boys who were
working IN a chair factory. There were
a number Of others employed, aud the
master paid them by the piece, and
every Saturday night they brought their
WORK TO him aud received credit at 50
much per piece. But alter awhile he
desired a foreman, and IN order 10 test
his worllmcn, he told them that here.
alter they could receive credit for their
work without having IL tried 10 sec II IL
was thorough, they could lust report
themselves how many chairs they had
finished and credit would be given them,
lie found that at the end Of the first
week there was q great deal more work
reported 10 the man who had charge OF
the books, and for two or three weeks
the number Of chairs daily increased.
Al the beginning Of the third week he
began to examine this work that had
been passed ~ As completed, aud when
he came 20 look over the different Jobs
he found that there was one boy out OF
the number employed that had not taken
advantage of his employer ana per-
formed his work with greater speed to
the neglect OF It's perfection; aud that
boy was chosen TO be foreman, because
he was honest though he was not
watched.
You know how 1t Is with those who
work by the piece; they almost double
the work which they would do by the
day. We say there Is an incentive to a..
Why should there be' II a man en-
cages the time Of another, the man en-
ployed should devote his whole strength
ana energy to the interest OF his EN-.
ployer. lie should be studying his well
fare, he should feel that the prosperity
Of his employer Is his own advancement,
and he should not take advantage OF his
employment as a day laborer. These
are things that we should learn. We
should Try to be at the head OF all PEG.
pie In all labors that are required at our
hands, and nothing short OF this will
satisfy our Eternal Father or will enable
Us TO live up to the full line Of the Cos
pei Of Jesus Christ which We have
yspoused.
have enjoyed beyond the power Of
words to express the meetings OF this
proofs which we have received from the
authorities Of the Church should be i'm
pressed upon our minds. We are living
IN perilous times, Ia the times mentioned
by Paul IN his cpistle to Timothy. He
says.
This know also. that In the last days per.l5us
tImr4 shall come.
For men shall be lovers Of their own selves.
c5yct1us, boosters, proud, hllsphcmcu. dis
o5sdcnt 10 parents, unihankiul, unholy,
Without natural affection, truce breakers
false acsuscu, ineonirnI fierce, dcipsen OF
those that arc good,
Traitors, hraly, hIghmiuiei, loyers Of pleas,
ure more than loyen Of God.
President Woodruff told us today that
we were living IN these perilous times;
and II we did not have the word OF the
Of the Lord TO this effect,
the signs are 80 abundant, even IN Zion,
that we cannot deny the iulhllmeut Of
this prophecy. Pculous times have in
deed come upon the earth and men are
lovers OF their own selves. Look al
the condition Of the world today. Who
does not see the spirit Of coyetousuess,
the spirit VI seIl-loye, growing up m the
hearts Of the people! Who does not
see the desire to lill ourselves up, re-.
gatdless,oi those who sullcr from our
eleyation2 IL is this spirit Of Coygtous'
ness and OF sel.loye that has placed
Of the whole property OF the
United States In the hands OF less than
two hundred aud fifty thousand people.
More than ninc-tcnths OF the property
ia these United States is owned by less
than two hundred aud fifty thousand
people IL Is not appalling 10 think OF
IN Aud then the other onc'ten,h Is
rapidly passing under their control, be-
cause Of the immense power which
they WELD on account OF their wealth
Il Is this sell-loyC and covetOusness that
that has placed IN the hands oil hliy men,
as Chaunccy Depew has announced, The
power to stop every wheel at commerce
In the United States, TO tie up every
railroad, and prevent the traffic which
now seems so necessary to the contin'
uancc OF this government and It's bust
ness, We maryeled at the power which
a few thousand men had TO tie up rail-
roads; but there are ii.ly men, So tins
man SAYS who himself stands al the head
of great railroad corporation, who
can.do this today And they can do It
under the cover Of the Law, The power
OF the government was called ia to open
the roads through this country when
these strikers stopped the railroads
from operating. But who can compel
these other men to- set these wheels m
notion II they should take II into
their heads 10 say TODAY that the rail-
roads should stop running and business
be at a stdudsull, where Is the law ~
this nation that would force them 20
again open up the avenues OF trader
/ ko not know OF any, IL Is good for
the people at large that these men are
not possessed OF the spirit to stop these
things and TO check business operations,
But II fear takes possession OF their
hearts, and II they see destruction
abroad upon the face Of the land who