Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1915-04-09
PRESIDENT BRINGS
MESSAGE OF PEACE
HEAD OF CHURCH DECLARES
CHURCH is AT PEACE WITH
ALL THE WORLD.
Opening Session Of Annual Confer
ence OF Church OF Jesus Christ Of
Latterday Saints Is Held on
Easter Sunday.

0dib A<oht AlLgs--WllD lnt VitStuCt
OF nearly all the general authorities
of the church, and large and en-
thusiastic crowd, the opening session
of the eighty-fifth annual conference
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat
ter-day Saints was held on Easter
Sunday the first time In twenty
eight years that the opening day of
conference has fell on Easter Sunday
President Joseph f. Smith, although
he has not been entirely well for
some time, presided and made the
opening address. His message was
one of peace. Everything seems to
point out" he said, that the church
is pursuing its way peacefully. II is
at peace with itself and with all the
world, for 1t carries a message of life,
from sin. Our work is to make peace
and to establish goodwill"
Following the principal part of his
address, President Smith announced
that he would take a liberty that, he
said, was rather unusual because of
the many false, wicked things that
had been charged against him and his
brethren. He then gave a summary
OF the tithes received during the
year of 1914 and of the uses to which
this money had been put. The total
amount received from tithes during
the year he said was $1,SS7,920.
In addition to the amount paid out
of the tithes to the poor, $116,23S,
there has been collected and paid to
the poor by the relief society S74,290,
and there has been paid to the poor
by bishops from the fast offerings and
other ward charity funds $4,000,
making a total paid to the poor for
1914 of $266,52S.
There has been collected for the
war sufferers, which is being ex-
pended under the direction of Presi-
dent Hyrum NJ. Smith of the Euro
pean mission, $4,000.
Our records show that 20 per cent
of all the Latter-day Saint families
-esiding in all the stakes of Zion own
heir own homes.
The birth rate of the church for
the year 1914 is 1875 to the thousand
The death rate for the year 1914 il
S.3 to the thousand.
Marriage rate for the year 1914 Is
IL to the thousand
During the year there were 14,717
children blessed.
There are 1876 elders and 115 wo
men laboring in the missions as mis-
sionaries.
OF the membership of the church
residing in the stakes of Zion, 319,
600 were born in the United States.
There has been a net increase In
the membership of the church In the
stakes OF Zion from the year 1901 to
1914 of 129,943 souls.
There are now 73y wards and thirty
three independent branches. There
are sixty-eight stakes of Zion and
twenty-one missions. During the year
1914 twenty-one new wards have been
organized and two stakes of Zion.
There have been performed in the
temples during the past year 166,
500 baptisms for the living and dead
and 1882 endowments tor the living
and dead. Altogether 326,264 ordi
nances have been performed in the
four temples. This is very consid
cradle increase over any previou:
year
The speakers at the opening SEES
sion were President Joseph f. Smith
and his counselors Anton ii. Lunt
and Charles w. Penrose.
At the afternoon session $4,000 PEG
pie attended the three meetings held
the speakers at the tabernacle being
Elder Charles w. Penrose and Eide
francis M. Lyman.
The great organ was not used, be
cause 1t is undergoing repairs. Thu
floor of the tabernacle has been en-
tirely replaced; the seats have beer
repainted and revarnished. and thu
building put in excellent condition.
Nine thousand persons sat or stoot
In the tabernacle Sunday night in at
tendance at what the program demon
mated the biggest Sunday school IL
the world" the meeting being undo
the auspices OF the Deseret Sunda.
School union and part of the sprini
conference OF the Mormon church
Speakers included President JOSEPH
F. Smith. who by virtue of his offic
as head of the church is also genera
superintendent of the Sunday Schoo
union, and other workers prominent Il
Sunday school activities.
feature OF the services was sing
ing by a chorus of 1000 voices, mos
of them children from the Salt LAX
stake OF the church. The report o
George ID. Piper, general secretary o
the Sunday School association
showed a total Sunday school enrol
ment of l95,4l6, gain of S,465 owe
last year.
Meetings of different societies wer
held during the three days confer
a ence. and the many visitors fror
y every section of the Union will r.
turn 10 their homes feeling that muc
good has been accomplished by tn
members of the church during tn
past year,