Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-11-20


you n desire to leaHe your old homes
to gather with the people Of God at
the place of gathering. wherever that
might be. In the first place, the gather
ing place was In Ohio. Afterwards
Missouri was the place. From there the
Saints took their flight into Illinois
and from Illinois they came TO these
valleys. Afobs would not permit them
to dwell In peace in those louds and
those who retained the faith moved
as body to this land; and the eyes
and the hearts Of the thousands who
have embraced the Gospel in foreign
lands have been directed here.
Some Of our enemies have said that
our Elders in going forth have
preached TO the people that they would
have great advantages in coming here,
and that they told 0ntterinG tales and
offered Inducements Of such n Ch1Tuc-
ter as TO dcluue them In TO coming
here. You know how utterly untrue
this charge IS. ] have done consider
able missionary work in my life; but
I have under all circumstances en-
deavorcd to describe to those with
whom I conversed. and especially
where branches Of the Church werc
raised up, the difficulties, the hard
ships, the trials that the people would
have to meet If they should leave their
homes and gather with the Saints In
Zion. What would be the use Of our
inducing men and women to gather
from the nations Of the earth who
would turn around and deny the faith
when they got here? We have Mt the
present time to urge upon our Elders
I'm the United States and Europe and
other places, to not encourage the peo-
ple to come here Mt the present time,
but TO keep the branches organized,
and not have the people come here
when they are not grounded in the faith
aud 1aus - Ia .Yf.a
there is danger Of their being over
come by the trials they have to meet
when they come TO this land This Is
the policy for the present. There are
many reasons for this; hut one CON
trolling reason is that we do not want
people to go to the expense and trouble
Of emigration to these val
leys when they are unpre-
pared for that which they
may have to meet here. and II thew are
going to nnOstatizc. we would rather
they would do so where they live than
TO come here and turn away from the
truth.
But there is this remarkable feature
about the Gospel: wherever it is
preached this intense desire to gather
with the people of God Immediately
takes possession of the majority of
those who embrace It, They are filed
with a desire to be with their brethren
X.
This spirit is from God. 1t accom-
panies obedience to the Gospel. and
| 1t is conflrmatory Of the statements
that the Elders make concerning the
| message they have received from the
Lord. II this spirit We're not poured
| out, how would It be possible to
| gather this people from the remotest
| parts of the earth? 1t could not be
| effected by the power of man; IT re-
| quires the power of God moving upon
| the inhabitants Of the different nations
| and impelling them to obey that COM
| mandmcnt
Now, 1t was remarkable thing that
| Joseph Smith, whom God raised up to
| lay the foundation of this work under
the direction of the Son Of God, had n
| revelation some five months after the
! organization Of this Church, in which
! 1t was set forth that there would be 4
| gathering Of the people together. The
| same was stated previously In the Bool,
! of Mormon, which he translated. 1t
was set forth there with great plain
ness that there would be a gathering
| together of the people. Joseph Smith
| had never seen such thing, or heard
! of any such event. Who had ever
| seen people coming from remote
! lands and gathering together, crossing
seas and continents. encountering all
kinds of hardships, for the sake of be-
| ing together as the Latter-day Saints
have? Is there anything like 1t record
ed either in profane or sacred history?
There is not, The only event that
| bears any comparison to It is the eNO-
dus of the children of Israel from
| Egypt. But they were one nation. and
| they were going to the land which they
had been taught to look upon as thc
land of their inheritance. There are
similar features in each movement
and they We're both the works of God
| b,t ,pthinp inst like this has ever O.
Cured.
This Prophet OF God was inspired by
the Lord to say that this should occur
| and II has occurred according to his
predictions. The people have beer
gathering from all the various lands
where the Elders have gone. They
have come willingly and gladly, anC
where they lacked means themselves
they have asked help from their friends
to enable them to come and Join then
in these valleys It is a new move
ment. 1t is something unheard of
something that was never known
| among mankind before. And It has
REQUIRED the power of God to effect II
1t has required the outpouring Of His
| Holy Spirit upon the people themselves
to prompt them to do this. No human
power, no human agency, could have
accomplished this work That must b,
/ conceded Then, II II he charged tha
| cnces brought to bear upon the peopl,
to do this. how soon those influences
| would disappear when brought in con
tact with the hardships of the life en-
tailed upon those who come In the way
| the Lntter-daY Saints have come q
these mountains Who could have held
| them here and kept them together
No human power or agency could hav,
done II. And the people have had thai
union and love which the Savior pray
| ed for. They do love one another. Not
withstandlng our many defects Of chal
| acter, our dispbedicnce, our failure e
do az we should do, what the Lord re.
quires Of us, we still are n united peo'
| ple. speaking generally; and there is 6
love begotten In our hearts for one an.
other such as exemplifies to the fullest
| extent, considering our human frail-
| ties, the words OF the prayer Of oui
| Lord and Savior. The love of kin,
dred Is overshndowed by the love that
we have for our brethren and sisters
in the Church; so Is every other love
In fact, in comparison with the 10y,
that the Lord has becotton in thl
hearts Of those who Keep His com
| mendments and do his will.
/ have said Il might be thought pre-
| sumptous In many circles for MS 10 say
| that we were TO he the prosecutors Of
n new world: hut when we consider All
that God is doing IN this direction for
| us: when we soc the miraculous power
! that Is manifested by Him In the gath
| crinr Of tho people together. and in the
| uniting Of the people Of so many mn
| tiouniitios after they have gathered Is
| not the statement consistent, and ig II