The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-04-05
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
day Saints. If there is any man on the
face of the earth who ought to be
thankful, who ought to have gratitude,
who ought to be faithful to the God OF
heaven and the church and kingdom
of God. it is myself When we look
over the field in the last sixty-six years,
and see all that the Lord has done since
the organization of this church, the
number who have passed away and
the many changes which have taken
place, we ought to be thankful for the
blessings of God. Our history has been
a very peculiar one, and we have been
called to pass through many events.
We have arrived where the promises
of God in the revelations in the Bible,
Book of Mormon and Doctrine and
Covenants by the voice of the prophets
of God, are being fulfilled before our
eyes, before the heavens, and before
the earth. We stand here today with
this great and mighty responsibility
resting upon US as the holy priesthood
and the Saints c. the living God, to
labor, and to be true and faithful to
God to our covenants, to the gospel of
Jesus Christ, to those laws and prin-
ciples which God has revealed concern
ing the last dispensation and the full
ness of times. l feel thankful for these
blessings and hope that during this
conference the apostles and elders of
Israel and the people may be filled with
the inspiration of the Almighty God;
that we might comprehend and under
stand the position we occupy today in
the sight of heaven and earth; that
the spirit and power of God may be
with us; that we may know the mind
and will of God and rejoice together
and be able to perform the things re-
quired at our hands. 1 ask God to bless
the Latter-day Saints who are assem-
bled in this conference. that these
blessings may dwell with us during
these meetings, from henceforth and
forever. Amen.
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH.
He was followed by President Joseph
F. Smith, who said he felt very CRATE
full for the presence of President
Woodruff, who had been blessed and
preserved by the Lord, to minister to
the people in his name. He spoke sim
ilarly concerning Presidents George Q.
Franklin D. Richards, who had led
useful and faithful lives in the
Church of Christ for a long series of
years. In the same connection of
valor and integrity to truth he re-
ferred to the brethren of the council
of the twelve generally and to the
large number of other good, faithful
brethren who had proved themselves
worthy laborers in the work of God.
The speaker then dwelt upon the fact
of the increasing numbers of elders
who were being sent into the nations
to warn the people of the world. He
looked forward to the extension of
missionary labor to populous countries
which had never yet been reached by
the elders, and anticipated that the
missionaries would before long have
access to classes of people with whom
they had not heretofore. been able to
come in contac,. He spoke of the
wonderful change of sentiment that
had taken place regarding the Latter
day Saints. 1t had been brought about
by the Lord. This condition might not
always exist, 90 opposition must be
met in the future. but the people