The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-03-02
at the Tabernacle.

afternoon.
Elder Bartlett said he had just re-
! turned from the New Zealand mission,
where he had spent three years in
work among the natives, but the work
being done there had been outlined by
so many of the returned elders before
him that he would use the brief time
| in bearing his testimony to the truth
of the gospel. He had labored three
years among the natives and had never
| been in doubt of the truth of the doc
trines of the church. There were tes-
timonies coming up continually that
strengthened his belief in the church,
and the longer and deeper he studied
/ the teachings as taught by the prophet
/ Joseph Smith, the more positive he be-
came of their truth.
I Elder Christian Peterson spoke of the
missionary work in New Zealand, from
which field of labor he had just re-
turned after three years sojourn. He
said ne iabored among the Maories, a
/ very hospitable and interesting people,
and was greatly pleased with the re-
suits of his work among them, as they
seemed to feel the spirit Of God to be
with them, and assisted him in every
effort to extend the gospel of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
have been led astray by the false
teachings and hopes held out to them
by other denominations, and were thus
more inclined to receive the Mormon
missionaries, whose laborS among them
have been productive of splendid re-
suits. These converts live righteous
lives, which is more than most denom-
nations can say for its converts.
Elder Louis G. Hoagland, a returned
missionary from New Zealand, said he
realized that without the spirit of God
! the Church Of Jesus Christ could not
accomplish such wonderful results, and
said he could bear testimony that the
spirit of God was with him while he
labored in Maoriland, and he was soon
able to preach to them in their own
tongue, as they could not understand
English well enough to grasp their
meaning. He said that while he was in
New Zealand they made over 500 con-
verts, and that the people remain true
to the teachings. His three and half
years he considers we'll spent and of
great Importance to himself. as wen as
to the church which sent him there.
/ Harry Kessler, a young elder who has
been connected with the Mormon con-
ference of London, and has recently re-
/ turned to this city, spoke elOquently
of the work being done throughout En-
gland by the Mormon missionaries; he
had been assigned to the district of
Canterbury, a district in which oppo-
sftfon was greater than in any other
( part of England, owing to the city be-
! ing the seat of the predominant
/ Church of Great Britain. There, under
| the shadow of the colossal cathedral of
| Canterbury, they preached the doc
trine of Joseph Smith; he says the mis-
/ sionaries are looked upon as something
/ strange, but often they were called up
on to hold meetings in cottages, and
regularly spoke upon the street cor
ners. He said the greatest barrier to
successful conversion in England was
! the repulsive wall of prejudice. How
! ever, this was not any fault of the
masses. but because of false teachings.
( He was glad to have been a servant of
: God in this glorious work, and trusted
/ that the spirit of God would permeate
! the civilized world, and bring all ma
! lions together under the one true ban
ner of the cross Of Jesus Christ
! Elder Heber J, Grant said it must Of
! necessity be a source of great salts
! faction to all the assembled Saints to
| listen to the testimony of the young
/ elders just heard. He had never found,
with but one single exception, a re-
| turning elder who was not able to bear
| testimony that Joseph Smith was a
! true prophet of God, and he would
like to say if there was any young man
! or maiden among the assembly who
, doubted the divinity of Joseph Smith
that they would have to apply them
selves to but little study to convince
| themselves of its truth. The last time
he had had the privilege of standing
| where he was, he had also been list
ening to the testimony of returned
missionaries, and had then given his
testimony and he would do so again.
! He knew that Joseph Smith was a
! prophet of God, not only from his rea-
soning powers, but from revelations
that had been given. He also knew
| that John Taylor, Brigham Young and
! MILFORD Woodruff were prophets of
! God, and that the Latter-day Saints
are a chosen people is shown contin-
ually and was shown directly when
| one of the elders, who had Just spoken.
| had testified that the prejudice against
! the Mormon people that had ALWAYS
existed to such a large extent was
fast disappearing since the completion
of the temple, as President Woodruff
had predicted at the time of the dedi-
cation. The young men who stood be-
| fore them today were not paid a dol
| lar for their services. They had la
| bored gratuitously for the church, and
they all testified upon returning home
! that the time spent in Gods work was
the happiest period of their lives. There
was nothing that will give greater hap
piness to a man than to be engaged in
| saving the souls of other men