The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-06-12
MEET IN CONFERENCE
The Salt Lake Stake In Quarterly
Session.
MORE MEETINGS TODAY
YESTERDAYS GATHERINGS
WERE WELL ATTENDED.
Glass. of Young Men Ordained as FL
ders By the Church Authorities
Speakers Talk of the Pre-existence
of Man, Basing Their Arguments
On Scriptural Quotations.

On Scriptural Quotations.
The quarterly conference for Salt
Lake stake convened in assembly hall
at 10 a. m. yesterday, President Angus
NJ Cannon presiding. The choir sang
'Redeemer OF Israel and Elder Joseph
McMurrin offered prayer. After the
hymn, Come, Come, Ye Saints, Stake
Clerk James D Sterling called the roll
of the priesthood and read the minutes
of a priesthood meeting held a month
ago. 4 long list of names was pre-
scented to be ordained elders and acted
upon favorably.
Apostle John Henry Smith expressed
his pleasure at seeing so many present
and took occasion to give some good
advice to the young men who had been
called to be ordained elders. He spoke
to them of their duties and hoped that
they would be able to appreciate the
responsibility of the call and perform
all of their duties faithfully.
Means Increased Powers.
Apostle Smith quoted the words of
the savior. BY their fruits shall We
know Them and said that it is i'm
possible to show good fruits without
having the spirit of God. The ordina-
greatly adds to his responsibility and
also increases his powers. 1t opens the
temples Of Almighty God to him and
gives him the privilege of hearing
testimony of the gospel to the nations
of the earth and administering in all
the church ordinances.
He urged the heads of households to
teach their boys the principles of
truth and to impress on the minds of
their daughters the necessity of proper
living. Apostle Smith spoke of the
different steps of the priesthood and of
the glory of climbing the ladder round
by round. He urged all present and
especially the young men who were TO
be ordained elders to live their religion
and obey all the laws of God.
Apostle Owen Woodruff occupied the
remainder of the time. His remarks
We're directed mainly to young men
who had recently returned from mis-
sions. He said that he sorrowed eX-
ceedinsly when he saw young men who
had filled honorable missions return
home and get back into their old habits.
He urged upon these young men the
necessity of cultivating the spirit of
God as the need of teachers here is just
as great as in the world. He COM
pared the condition of the young man
in the country with that of the one
who is reared in the city. and said that
one needed as much sympathy in time
Of temptation as the other.
The Afternoon Session.
The conference was continued at .
p. m. in the Tabernacle. The choir
sang
Tho deep'ning trials throng your way,
Press on, ye saints of God.
There was a prayer by Elder Alex
ander F. Mcdonald, after which the
choir sang
From afar, gracious Lord,
Thou hast gathered thy flock.
the church were presented by Coun-
selor Penrose and unanimously sus-
tanned.
Elder John Nicholson was called to
address the congregation. Mr. Nichol-
son referred TO the feelings of preJu-
dice that had been abroad in the land
against the Mormon people since the
organization of the church, and said
that 1t was matter of congratulation
that these thoughts were being dissi-
pated. After speaking about the work
accomplished by Joseph Smith in gen
eral, he said that one great truth had
been revealed anew in this age, and
that was concerning the nature Of
man. He declared that there is some
is beyond the limits of mans wisdom.
Mans knowledge cannot extend be-
yond the limits of his existence on this
globe, except as he is aided by reveId-
ton from God.
Elder Nicholson then preached on
the pre-existence of men. He quoted
the words of Christ to Mary to prove
that he had an existence before COM
ing here. jeremiah i, 4 was read to
show that that prophet had an exist
ence before he was formed in the body.
That existence was spiritual
He spoke of the wonderful powers Of
man and his mighty achievements. The
leading object of mans coming here,
he said, was to secure a body, so that
the spirit might take upon it physical
elements and pass through this proba-
ton, working out its salvation. There
can be no joy nor perfection while the
spirit is separated from the body. The
Almighty has provided a way for man
to guide him through this vale of tears,
but the time Will come when the spirit
of God will not always strive with
men.
Organization of Church.