Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-07-09
DISCOURSE
the sls,elsh,h Annual Conference Of the Church. In
'" ,ns rabernaele Salt Lake city. Utah "Wednesday
Morning. April 9th 1898. by
ppFsIDENT GEORGE Q. CANNON.

IL Is astonishing. when We reflect
upon II, what has been done IN this
respect We have seen people driven
out from their homes IN utter dcati-
tuition, crossing the plains, with i'm.
provlFcd wagons made In the rudest
manner. out OF the greenest material.
with COWS. or oxen. or ponies, or any
thing that could be hltchod up
e. draw them; few personal
effects thrown into the wagon,
with small amount or food,
many Of the men, and the women too
almost harCfootcd. and the children In
the same coudition--all inspired by one
spirit. and that the Spirit of God. There
was nothing In their circumstance,
that could be seen by the natural eye
70 cheer or TO sustain them. hut they
were full OF hope, buoyant In their feel
lngs. travelling with ~ much confidence
and certainly as though they know
every step they had to take and that
there was a good place ahead OF thcm
which they would reach and In the
pleasures of which they could partakc.
We have seen this. 7 say. and n has
been an astonishing Illustration of
what God con do for n people; Of how
lie can sustain them, and inspire them
to do the work that He requires ut their
hands
when the Saints were In Iowa (thcn
n territory, travelling through and NJ
forwards az Winter Qunrtcrr. the wo-
men. In many instances, took their
feather beds. and sent them down TO
Missouri 10 rcll, In order 10 get little
provision. All sorts ~ cNpediontH were
rcsoftod 10 IN order 90 Fct a little food.
There was Missouri on the left, inviting
the pcopis-n good land. food In plenty.
"a land whore they could live with COM
pnrutlyc ease. Hut ala the Saints
rwcrvo7 Did they, during the dreadful
days % Winter Quarters, think they
must desert that place where 30 many
died through exposure and the want
Of suitable food. and 80 whore they
could gct some u the comforts ana con-
venicncos Of iife7 Were such thoughts
IN the honrts ~ the pcoplc7 No; no
such feeling was manifested. n any de-
serted then. they we're ~ few ~ not TO
be- remembered The people had mis-.
sion. Each man. woman and child
'ht wis old enough felt that dod had
entrusted 90 him ana 10 her mission.
and with answering Integrity, with
unfniterlng courage, they maintained
their foothold there until the time when
they could start further west
II was that same spirit ana Intensity
OF devotion that inspired them Ia CONE
ing 90 this land. And what was Il
that kept the people hefci What
influence was There operating upon
them7 Was there anything Inviting
In this innd3 To look at lt now, and
20 Imagine that this was Ia condition
when the brethren and sisters came
hero In the fIrt place. YOU would say,
this II an inviting country, "a de-
lirhtful place 20 stop" But no such
sigh mo- we now witness wan beheld
by them. Everything waH fotbiddlnf,
II looked "a though the people might
atarve to death. aud after the
crlcketH came II certainly looked Tor
al a. a
atnrvc 90 death. DID the Latter day
Saints fnlter then3 No. they did not.
what was Il that sustained thcm2 n
was this same spirit ~ prophecy that I
have alluded to-tho Spirit OF God which
lh the Spirit ~ prophecy the
Elders testified that this was the place
which God had chosen, ana which lie
for His Saints and they themselves
had the same testimony the same
spirit, A peculiar love Fprurf up IN
the hearts OF the people for this land,
oven In those days. There WAS some
thing most attractive about itH noun
,nina ana Nalleyn and these clear
streams Of water that flowed from the
mountains. one thing that added 10
IT, charm was, u was land OF liberty.
a land ~ freedom, land where mobs
could not come and attack uh. nH they
had done In IN. past. n place where
the families o. the aAinta and the lead
Ing men among them, could 30 90 bed
In peace and quiotncsa, undiHturbed by
the fear that they would be- attacked
during the night. This brought
strange and delightful feeling OF relief.
II they only had bread 10 eat or sum
cient to sustain life; N they had only
water 90 drink. believe that the great
bulk OF the peoplc-wlth scarcely an
exception. l may nay-would have been
20
circumstances The idea OF having fruit
such as we now have, and In
such abundance, was scarcely an
tioipated. II anticipated al All.
II was by but very few, be-.
cause the seeds that were sown
and the little trees that grew up were
frozen down the FIRST two or three
years. But there was a contented ana
a happy people here. They went 10
bed with their doors unlocked. There
was no fear among them. They mad
been relieved from terrible fear.
I'hore VINO came under those circum-
stances could recall the nights and the
hours they had spent watching and
rearing Tor mob 10 come upon them
10 drive them out OF their homes. 10
burn their houses, perhaps 10 lnfiict
upon thom personal violence. They re-
membered, too, that not one OF their
lcnulhg men could 80 10 sleep In his
mouse WITHOUT having guard To watch
MIN. The relief from that condition Of
anahh was such ms 10 bring happiness
In ana OF Itself, but / say neaIn A.
was the spirit OF prophecy that rested
upon the Elders and upon the peonIe
that sustained them. God revealed H.
HIS Holy Spirit the future that awaited
the people The people knew, as they
knew that they lived, that this work
was bound 10 triumph, that IL was
bound 10 be successful. that those who
chung 10 4 would be suocossfui with n
ana That there was great and rlorio,,s
triumph awaiting them, MOI oniv In
this life, but In the realms on hiss IL,
the life TO come. "a
II has been that same splrlt that has
rested down OF late years unon the
people They have been comforted ma
sustained by the Spirit OF God and the
predictions OF the sorvnnta az CnI II
II q wonderful blessing, my bretbra,,
and sisters. II II well for ia 10 tp,nn
OF II today as the members ~ ~
church Of Jesus Christ OF Iatter Az.
Saints think that we are in this 10y
condition; that the heavena ara Il, "aplg
mnnlcatlon with us, because Il H. s,n,,
heaven that we receive these biessi',u,,,.,.''
inst are 20 DELIGHTFUL ana tbot hn,.a
such an enect upon us and mon IN,
movements. II is n blessed thin, ~
think That the heavens are win 10 w.
ms that we are guided BY Inc re,,o,,"
tons OF the Lord Jesus. thai ~ w ~.
OF prophecy has boan rrpt,..a - M