Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-10-06
FIRST PRESIDENCY SPEAK
AT THE OPENING SESSION.
p,.,dent Joseph F.. Smith Aludes in Terms
To the Policy Of the Churchn Reference to the Mat
~ Is Recent Plural Marriage Attendance at
The Openng Session Of the Eighty-frst Semi Annual
Conference,

AS extremely gratltied with the large
attendance at the first session and the
presence of our beloved president.
During the singing of the beautiful
have been rejecting about the day
which the song mentioned when there
| should bc no tears and unhappiness
! among men and when the faithful.
1 those who have served the Lord, shall
dwell in'his presence But five should
enjoy this happiness we must serve
| him.
lam sure that there has been great
| progress in the Church. Judging by the
! crowds that flock every week, the
spiritual condition OF the Saints Is i'm
I proving. The prophecy OF Malachi is
being fulfilled In which he speaks of
/ the hearts OF the children and fathers
| are turned to each other. Yesterday
| 70 couples were married In the temple.
| This is a good Sign. We want young
| people who marry to marry in the prop-
| err way.
WORK IN EUROPE.
Thecwork abroad is progressing. A
couple of months ago we heard Of the
wholesale cxillng Of our elders from
| PRUSSIA. Twenty-one were sent out
OF the country. IT seemed as II, the
| government there had determined to
crush the work of the Lord In that
country. We have received since then
| many letters from prominent men In
| Germany, asking for our literature, as
| result of this opposition They could
| not believe, they said, that such Il
| thing could happen In the twentieth
1 century.
"In other places throughout the
world the same prospects are mani
| fest. In France, Holland. and Belgium
| this is true. In Norway it looked for
while as IL laws would be passed
against us. But tho committee that
| had the matter in hand reported that
there was no need for any legislation
| against the Mormon people.
| But, whatever may be the attitude
| of tho nations Of the earth, It is our
4 mission to preach the gospel to men,.
1 We must fulfil the prediction Of John
| on Patmos, who declared that the gos-
pei, which was to be restored. was
| tobe preached to every nation, kindred
and people. And $50 we are sending
4 1000 missionaries every year to the va
| rious states of the Union and the ma
! encourage their children to attend the
| organizations OF the Church, such as
| tile Improvement associations, the
Primary, and tho Religion classes.
!. GUARDING THE CHILDREN.
Il "olr children and young people
must be guarded. We are shocked md
come to us from tho juvenile courts.
These sins are among us. Let US take
1 warning at these evils that tend to
corrupt our youth. And so the Saints
should see to 1t that their children
take advantage of the opportunities to
| get practical religion. Theory alone
IHwill not save them. They must learn
1 tn I'm II, 7
| touched the other day by n story
heard from the Religion class workers
| in a certain ward. The class, hearing
that one OF their number was sick,
visited him, CARRYING flowers. and thus
showed him that he was remembered.
1t Is the practise OF religion that
counts"
President Lund admonished his
| hearers to attend their Sabbath meet
ings. There had been falling away
in this respect in some places, he said.
PRESIDENT JOHN HENRY SMITH
was the pext speaker. He was grateful,
he snid, for the fairness with which our
| friends In America had treated the
Saints. There has been much mis-
understanding" he said, "ln the minds
of q good many persons In America and
elsewhere. President Smith In his re-
| marks this morning has spoken words
that should commend themselves not
only to the I.atter-day Saints, but to
every citizen in the confines OF our ma
ton. He testified that he knew his
Redeemer lives and that lie had never.
| violated q trust imposed upon him, nor
had advised any one else to do SO.
I trust that each one OF us when we
| shall have lived as long can say the
| same thing.
president Lund spoke of the progress
of tho work in the world This mis-
sion of ours Is for all the world. When.
we were baptized into the Church we
took upon ourselves the duty to preach
the gospel to the world In the world
those who Joined the Church assumed
this same obligation. We covenanted
that to the best of our ability every
soul among men should hear the same
sound that had pricked our hearts.
Whatever might have been our call
| ings, our weaknesses, or our sprocliri-
ties, we covenanted with our Lord that
We would carry the proclamation to the.
world In accordance with this pledge
| 1t Is that we send two thousand elders
| every year.
I.It Is very pleasing day after day
to read answers to the call for elders
to go on missions. Nine out or ten
answers indicate Willingness to 20.
| Not only Is this true OF the young men,
but II Is equally true of the maidens
| who receive calls
TENDENCY TO WANDER.
President Smith spoke OF the uncasi-
ness that is manifest in some quarters
| OF the Church.. Some have a. tendency
to wander. After wandering about
rcstlessly from place to place, bcggar-
Ing themselves they finally return to
their mountain home. We are cndeav-
oring to discourage this. :..rhcs United
| Statesis good enough for me, r, he con-
tinued. Anywhere under the flag OF
i our Union is good enough for me.
Though we have endured oppression
from some OF the intolenant in our nu :
tlon, there is none of our people who
would have that flag taken down from
lits,rlace. We havesa place among men,
each OF us. And that should be a place
! of9honor. II we do not have 1T let us
not attribute our failure TO net that
place oSany3 delinquency Of the flag OF
our nation. II 5j8
PERMANENT 20 HOMES. a
But do not wish to depart from
the thought that we should provide
ourselves u permanent home. There is
" magnificent stretch for country to the
east of us. We must provide homes
such us will be homes above reproach.
Our IN sons and ouls6daughforsf should
be trained up In homes where they, will
L n n n re A,,,,k L. IA.