Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-10-07
CONFERENCE
WORK FINISHED.
Great Semi-Annual Gathering of
The Later-day Saints Ajourns
Until April.
WAS A PROFITABLE SESSION.
Few Changes Made in List Of Auth0ri.
ties-Names of All We're Unani.
mOusly Sustained.

When the seventy-fourth conference
of the Church adjourned yesterday af-
ternoon it was to meet again in this
city six months hence. The gathering
viii be remembered as one OF interest
and profit to all concerned. Few chang
es were made I'm the official personnel
Of the authorities and the names Of an
those presented were unanimously sus-
tanned, The proceedings of the last
session follow.
CLOSING SESSION. 2 p, NJ.
The choir and congregation sang
How firm foundation, ye Saints Of the
Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent
word
What more can lie say than to you He
hath said,
You who unto Jesus for refuge hath
fled,
opening prayer was offered by Elder
Joseph II. Taylor
The choir and congregation sang.
Now let us rejoice in The day Of saliva
ton
No longer as strangers on earth need
We roam,
Good tidlngs are sounding to us and
each nation,
And shortly the hour of redemption
viii come.
PRESIDENT JOHN r. WINDER,
was the first speaker of this session Of
the conference. He spoke Of the diff
ference between the gathering Of the
Latter-day Saints ana that of such
other bodies Of people as teach this
principle. The one is the result Of a
spiritual force the other of business
impulse He mentioned the matter Of
tithlng as the Saints believe I'm It, con-
trasting 1t with that which other sects
teach. He cared not, he declared II the
world accepted every principle Of the
Gospel. The ordinances performed in
the temples are all Of an elevating and
holy character and are calculated to
make better men and women. He spoke
of the work done in Salt Lake Temple,
and showed how important it Is that
the Saints attend to the work for the
redemption of their dead He asked
God to bless the Saints everywhere,
PRESIDENT ANTHoN II. LUND
was the next speaker. He said that
work for the dead as we believe In II,
Is peculiar to the faith of the Saints.
There are no people who perform or
dinances for the dead, though some
scots believe in praying to and for
the dead. Moreover this principle was
new to the world when the Prophet
Joseph first taught il. The dead are
very much more numerous than the
living. They are comparatively few
who have accepted Christ in this world.
Were II not for this principle Of yicari-
Gus work for the dead, the greater part
of the race would perish.
Many have held that such doctrines
are blasphemous But they are not.
They are the outburst of divine love
They are the result OF the Lords great
care for his creatures The dead have
the Gospel preached to them, and have
the opportunity of embracing the
truth. It should be remem-
bered that not the body, but
the spirit it is that exercises the func-
tions Of thinking and of willing. The
spirit uses the body for it's purposes
in the flesh, The authorized servants
of God viii therefore, in the spirit
world proclaim the truths of the Cos
pei, and the spirits viii exercise their
free agency as men do here The
Savior went to the place of the de-
parted and opened up the work of sal
walton there The Apostle Peter men
lions specifically the ante deluvians
as among those to whom Christ
preached the Gospel to those that We're
dead.
1t follows from this fact OF Chrlst's
preaching to the dead, that the dead
have the privilege of receiving or re.
jecting the truth From this also and
the words Of Jesus to Nicodemus con-
corning the law Of being born again"
IL follows that certain ordinances must
be performed by the living in behalf Of
the dead. II Is glorious expansion of |
the work Of God.
Nor is this doctrine of salvation for
the dead a new one. Il Is new only 10
this generation The Apostle Paul UNI
derstood it, which is evident from the
expression Of his in the fifteenth |
chapter of | Corinthians-"Else what |
shall they do who are baptized for the |
dead, II the dead rise not at all?' This |
Is most glorious doctrine
President Lund called attention TO |
the charge that the Saints took oaths |
In the temples that encourage them TO |
overturn the government Of the Unit |
ed States, There Is nothing true in |
this charge. on the contrary, every |
Latter-day Saint is better citizen by |
reason Of his having been In the tenn |
pie. There Is no oath at all taken in |
the temple only covenants. And |
there is nothing in them that would |
Justify those who make them to be |
other than patriots toward the govern |
ment Of this great nation.
ELDER JOHN SMITH,
presiding Patriarch of the Church, next !
addressed the conference. lie testi- |
fed that the Spirit Of God had attend !
ed those who had spoken at the confer
ence, He had lived to see great
many changes in the conditions OF the
Saints. lie rarely nowadays saw q
face that was familiar 10 him IN Kirt-
land and Nauyoo, He felt It his duty
to eXhort the people especially the
young mem for there is a great work
OF the ministry before them. lie adj
monished the young to attend to their
duties, whether these pertalned or not
to religion directly. lie prayed God
TO bless all Israel
Sister Lottic owen sang swectly the
song entitled:
"Oh Dry Those Tears
THE GENERAL AUTHORITIES
Of the Church were presented by Presl-
dent Joseph Il, Smith TO be voted upon
by the conference, as follows:
Joseph Il, Smith as Prophet, Seer and
Reyelator, and President of the Church
of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints.
John r. Winder, as first counselor In
the First Presidency.
Anthem H. Lund, as second counselor
In the First Presidency.
As President Of the Council Of the
Twelve Apostles. Francis NJ. Lyman,
AS members Of the Council OF Twelve
Apostles, Francis NJ. Lyman, JOHN
Henry Smith George Toasdale, Heber
j. Grant, John w. Taylor, Mariner w.
Merrill Matthias r. Cowey. Abraham
.. Moodrun. kudger ClaWson. Rood