The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-12-15
PROFANITY OF
CHURCH TITLES
Mormon Dignitaries Should Be
Addressed As Elders.
SO SAYS PRESIDENT SMITH
WAS YESTERDAY SUSTAINED AS
HEAD OF CHURCH.
Joseph F. SMITH was sustained

JOSEPH F. SMITH was sustained
as president Of the Mormon
- church at the meeting held yes
terday afternoon in the tabernacle. He
took occasion to explain certain pas
sages in the Book of Mormon relative
TO the use of church titles. He de-
plored the fact that Saints have fall
en- into the habit of generally speak
ing of or addressing dignitaries by
titles which should be used only on
special occasions
President Smith laid special stress
upon the profanity Of using the appel
lation bishop priest, etc, in every
day life, when the title .'elder" should
be used. AS for himself. he is opposed
to being spoken of as the prophet, seer
and revelator except upon especial oc-
casions, requesting that he be adj
dressed or spoken of, under ordinary
circumstances. as either President
Smith or Elder Smith. He said a MEM
her of the priesthood should not be
addressed as apostle but as .'elder-"
President Smith then turned his at
tention to the priesthood and the less
er priesthood. He said it is a lament
able fact that the dignitaries of the
church composing those two important
bodies do not pay more attention TO
their church duties, adding that they
are negligent in making reports to the
conferences of the church. He exhorted
the members of the two priesthOOds
to be more faithful saints in the flu
ture, and to work more in the inter
ests of their religion in the future than
they have in the past. During the
past few years, he continued, there
has been growing apathy in church
and religious work, which must be
checked at once.
Lead Exemplary Lives.
He made the request that the high
and lesser priests lead more cody
lives. that their lives may be held up
as striking examples for other Saints
TO follow. In that connection Pres
ident Smith said he wants to hear re-
ports on the conduct of the priests,
whether they enter saloons and in
other ways conduct themselves in a
manner unbecoming their station in
the church.
President Smith received his inspira-
ton for his remarks from the address
made by Elder David Mackenzie, pres
ident of the high priests quorum of
the Zion stake, who made a report
upon that body. 1t is a source of hu-
initiation to him that the meetings of
the quorum are not better attended.
ne SdlQ lildL DIS TIME pTOStSSScS thCtS
seems to be a falling off in interest,
which is proving detrimental to the
| advancement of the church. In the
hope of awakening renewed interest
he had seen fit to change the date of
meeting several times, until now the
quorum holds its sessions on the sec
ond Friday night of each month.
English Language of Church.
The first sneaker was Angus NJ Can
read the list of officers of the church
and made the motion that they be
sustained as read. During the prog
ress of the sustaining, President Can
non said that where services are held
| in languages other than the English,
it should not be taken for granted that
that was done to propagate those Ian
guages, but TO better enable Saints who
are not as yet familiar with the Eng
| lish language to receive religious in
struction in their native tongue. Pres
ident Cannon said that inasmuch as
| God had made his revelations to Jo-
seph Smith in the English language,
that that language Will always be the
| tongue of the Norman church.
| President Cannon was followed by
| Elder Mackenzie, and then by Pres
| ident Smith. The concluding portion
| of the latter's remarks was on the au-
/ thority of the priesthood, saying that
| the priesthood is the authority of God
bestowed upon man and, being SC
| clothed, it is the duty of every Saint
| to hearken unto the advice of the mem
bers of the priesthood.