Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-02-12
DISCOURSE
. si.,yFiahthth ser,lAnnuai Conference In the Tab
uNersa ' ~ ke cty UTAH Wednesday Morning October
erna' 9th. 1897. by
PRESIDENT GEORGE Q. CANNON.

nameless crime. And Is this common
| If we may believe that which is told
| to US, without going into researches
ourselves, II and other kindred wicked
| ness. is far too common. The same
| sin that caused the utter destruction
| of Sodom and Gomorrah! This and
other abOminable crimes are being
practiced. How will these be stopped?
| Only by the destruction of those who
| practice them. Why, IL little nest of
| them We're left that were guilty OF
| these things. they would soon corrupt
others, as some are being corrupted
among us. In coming to these noun
| tains we hoped to find a place where
we could live secluded from the
| denominations of Babylon. But here
| in this secluded place wlckedness in
| trudes itself, and is practiced in this
land which we have dedicated to the
Lord as land of Zionl How can this
be stopped? Not while those who
have knowledge of these filthy crimes
exist. The only way, according to all
| that / can understand as the word
of God, is for the Lord to wipe them
out, that there will be none left to
perpetuate the knowledge of these
dreadful practices among the children
of men. And God will do it, as sure
as He has spoken by the mouths OF
His prophets. He viii destroy the
wicked, and those who will be left
will be like the Nephites after the
wicked were all killed off; they We're
righteous men and women who lived
for over two hundred years according
to the law Of heaven.
The duty that devolves upon us Is
to live pure ourselves, and to have
our children live lives of purity. There
is too much looseness among us.
Much as we are taught concernins
virtue, we occasionally hear of acts
that cause us the greatest pain
young people INDUCING in unvirtuous
actions; children born two, three, and
four months earlier than they should
be. 1t is an extraordinary condition
that the first children of some mar
riages are born sometimes five months
and even less after marriage. This
is an evidence of something very
wrong. And this is not ALL We can
not tell what is done in secret. This
is made public, because the evidence
of sin comes to light and cannot be
concealed without the commission OF
more hideous crime. And this among
a people such as we are! 1t is dis
grace to us. Yet much of it is due to
our neglect. Fathers and mothers do
not pay that attention to their chill
dren, to their habits and their associa-
tions, that they should do. II
hey watched them with care,
and enquired of them where
they went and with whom they
associated. and threw safeguards
happen. There are conditions OF
society. even among other nations,
where such things are very uncommon,
because of the habits of the people.
Fathers and mothers guard their
daughters with the greatest clrcum-
spection and vigilance. France is one
of those nations. Although France Is
said to be "A corrupt nation, the daugh-
tiers of the people are watched and
their association with the other sex
10 4. tVa.F ~
kind scarcely ever happens. But with
us there is too much familiarity be-
tween the sexes. 1t is wrong, 1t leads
to bad results. The commission of
sin makes lives of unhappiness. No
woman can forget the trespass of her
husband. and no man can ever forget
his own sin. 1t is painful through
life for them to think about We
should. as people, guard against
these things. All sorts of evils are
introducing themselves. We have
men here with whom woman can no
more be trusted than she could be in
the den of wolf-and men of res
peotable appearance, and who act as
though they might be gentlemen.
Parents would be as safe in trusting
a daughter to n wild beast as 10 one
of them. This class of men prey upon
the other sex, and have brought
themselves to think that 1t is neither
sinful nor wrong. They destroy
virtue wherever they can, and take
pride in 1t. They do not believe there
need be any virtue among men, and
all women whom they can induce to
comply with their wishes they view
as their lawful prey. And these peo-
pie come among us, and consort with
us, Our young men, too, consort with
them, and some of them take lessons
from them. We have heard lately OF
an occurrence of this character that
n
ter.
When will these things end? When
God visits the wicked with His judg-
monts. as He will do. Then these
practices and the wicked and the
knowledge of their wickedness. will be
destroyed Then, hope, the filthy
details and the exact forms and
methods of these denominations will
be kept secret, as the Prophet Alma
counseled his son hoiaman concern
Ing the secret oaths and covenants
of the Jaredites, that had come down
from the days of Master Mahan, of
whom we read in the new transla-
ton, and who was the head OF that
secret organization that banded
themselves together to commit muir
ders and works of darkness. Alma said
to Helaman:
Therefore We shall keep these secret
plans If their oaths and their cove
wickedness, and their murders, and
their denominations, shall we make
known unto them; and we. shall teach
them TO abhor such wickedness, and
abominatiors, and murders; and ye
snail also teach them. that these peo-
pie were destroyed on account of their
wickedness. and denominations, and
their murders"
So, trust, 1t will. be with us. The
knowledge of the wicked and their |
destruction win be preserved In our
midst; but the abomination and the |
wickedness itself will be concealed |
from human knowledge, 20 that wick |
edness may be abolished in the earth, |
ana the reign of righteousness be
ushercd In.
My brethren and sisters. in talking |
IN this strain ] am not INDUCING in |
any theory. / do not wish to deal In |
the least exagGeration concerning |
conditions that exist. My duties have |
called me to mingle with the world |
considerably; but I have avoided |
knowledge of things that were open |
10 me II had chosen to look ut them |
or 70 enquire about them. Notwith- |
standing this, II has been impossible |
Ior me to avoid knowing considerable |
about many wicked practices, and how |
lttle OF sin is attached to them by the |
people OF the world. 1t is this that IL |
tne fearful feature in society. Men
may seducc; men may be guilty of |
Nhehess; men may get disreputable