The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-04-06

thronged In the afternoon the people
crowded into the galleries, and over
1000 Saints we're then present. IT was
probably the largest attendance there
has ever been at the first day sessions
of the conference.
With the singing of the hymn,
''Guide Us, Thou Great jehovah, - the
proceedings opened. Elder David NJ.
Mckenzie offered prayer and then fol
lowed the rendition of the hymn Re
dcemer of Israel"
Congratulatory Words.
President Smith then stepped TO the
front, and after thoughtful pause
commenced his ongratulatory address.
The large attendance, he assumed in
dicated an interest On the part of the
authorities and leading members Of the
church IN the occasion. He desired to
represent the present condition of the
church, he said, and would only speak
briefly of the first presidency aud the
apostles because they would have OPP
portunlty to hear them speak for them
selves He was happy to say the pres
idency were Just as united in their
spirit, their faith and their works as
they had ever been since their organi-
zation. The presidency and the apos-
ties were united, and there was not
thought or act that would not meet
witt approval Of the Great Father and
Judge. The same good feeling and
unity which existed between these two
bodies also extended to the relations be-
tween them and the seventies. He re
gretted that the health and vigor Of
some Of the members Of the presiding
bishopric was not that which they
could desire il to he. but they were
united also in the work
President Smith declared that the
same unity prevailed among the presig
dents of stakes and their high counsel
lors and other priestly bodies.
Speaking Of the bishops. who are both
"temporal and spiritual fathers" the
prophet said: ''Our bishops are faith
ful men. They are chosen by inspira-
tion. There is no oHicer in the church
who is chosen by the body. The Lord
gives us His way by which these things
may be done, and who Is revealed to MS
it is the duty of the presiding authori-
ties TO choose and appoint under call.
and then those of whom they make
choice for any official position in the
church shall be presented to the body,
and then if the body reject they are
responsible for that rejection But they
have the right to reject if they will,
and they obey their faith. That is
strictly in accordance with tho plan
of God, -
Priestly Duties
The speaker urged presidents of
stakes to induce the councils of the
priesthood to attend to their prestly
duties. AS to the Relief societies, he
regretted that the young, vigorous and
intelligent women felt that only the
aged should be connected with the Re
lief societies. That was a mistake.
They wanted the Young women to be
come associated with the Relief socie-
ties.
The Mutual societies. he said. were
dong a good work, notwithstanding
the work had been hampered because
of the prejudice Of some people and be
cause some Of them hedged up the way
as far as lay in their power
The members of the church are liv
ing better lives today and they are more
faithful. owe have ways of knowing
this said the Prophet There is the
tithing law. This law is more observed
than ii ever has been in the history of
the church [ do not believe that this
law of titbing was ever observed more
universally and more honestly than 1T
has been observed by the Latter-day
Saints of late The tithcs of the past
year (1906) has surpassed the tithing
OF any other year of the church. !
think / can safely say that the Latter
dav Sainst are doing their duty.
. Because the Saints have paid their
tthcs we have been able to pay OIL
our bonded indebtedness and today the
| Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter.day
| Sainst owes nobody dollar that they
cannot DIV at once. We arc in posi-
ton, at last In our history that we can
pay down-pay as VIC go-and we don Z
want to borrow any more and we won
| have 10 borrow any more If the Saints
continue to live their religion and to
do their duty, and TO observe this one
law of tithing, And furthermore, we
| expect TO see tho day when we won
have 10 nsk for ono dollar of donation
| for any purpose except that which you
| Voluntarily give of your own accord.
| We vii have sufficient IN the House ol
! tbe Lord IS to pay everything, ana !
want to live to see that day, II the
Lord will spare my life,
Use of Tithes.
The prophet now began to warm to
| HIS subject. II want to make ono
! other statement" he said. ''Our ere.
mics have been publishing to the world
that the presidency OF the church ana
! thc leading members or officers OF the
! church arc consuming the tithes of the
| people. Now, I am going TO give You
| a little secret. and it is this: ihat
there is not a general authority ol The
church, there isn't one quorum ol 'hc
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