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77ie Improvement Era
June 1961
w*
IN THIS ISSUE
TALKS BY GENERAL AUTHORITIES
AT THE
131st GENERAL CONFERENCE
k
Get Your Education the Y's Way
Brigham Young University is one of the world's great universities. It provides top training in 57 departments of 1 1 colleges, staffed by an outstanding faculty trained in a hundred universities and colleges, and using finest facilities on a beautiful, modern campus. BYU students are in demand because of this superior training. But there is a bonus at the Church university. Its students receive balanced academic, physical, and spiritual education in an ideal social climate, with all the advantages of a big university yet all the friendliness and attention of a small college.
Plan NOW to register for:
Leadership Week — June 12 Summer School — June 19 Autumn Semester — Sept. 18
BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
Illili 11F:
iililisilll«^^
BY DR. FRANKLIN S. HARRIS, JR.
Squirrel's Heartthrob
A ground squirrel's heart normally beats six times a second, but during hibernation it slows down to a beat every 20 seconds so that it uses only about one hundredth of its normal food to survive. Dr. Albert R. Dawe points out that hibernation can oc- cur at any time of year. When a hibernator has settled down, it is very little influenced by light, sound, temperature, or radiation, but it is highly sensitive to touch.
Ocean Cores
Professor H. Pettersson, Director of the Oceanographic Institute, Goeteborg, Sweden, has called at- tention in Endeavour to the results of long deep-sea cores and air samples which show that the earth receives annually about a million tons of cosmic dust.
Twenty Miles Up
The twenty miles above the earth's surface contain 99 percent of the atmosphere's gas and virtually all of the water vapor.
Fish Voltage
There are about 500 species of fish which have electric organs for use in either hunting or direction finding. The giant electric ray puts out pulses of 50 amperes at 50 to 60 volts. Some fish produce alternating current that is stable to within about a half per- cent. The electric eel can produce 500 volts which is sufficient to stun a horse.
Purity is now..
SUPREME
Next time you shop, watch for your favorite Purity Supreme Saltines . . . pre- sented in a sparkling new package feat- uring the red Supreme diamond.
You'll find one Purity panel from the package you've bought for years ... to remind you that Purity Supreme Saltines are the same "supremely" thin, crisp, oven-fresh saltines you've always pre- ferred.
The Supreme diamond denotes the difference — Supreme quality.
SUPREME BAKERS
Purity Biscuit Company, Salt Lake City Bowman Biscuit Company, Denver, Colorado
SUPREME
JUNE 1961
361
The Improvement Era
The Voice of the Church
Contents for June 1961
Volume 64, Number 6
Official organ of the Priesthood Quorums, Mutual Improvement Associations, Ward Teachers, Music Committee, Department of Education, and other agencies of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Church Features
The Editor's Page: You Tell What You Are, President David O. McKay 374
Your Question: Is the Use of Ouija or Planchet Boards an Evil?
President Joseph Fielding Smith r 376
General Conference: The Destiny of Youth, President David O. McKay 388
The Testimony We Give of Him, President Henry D. Moyle 390
The Eternity of Temple Marriage, President Joseph Fielding Smith 392
General Conference Index 364
The Church Moves On, 366; Melchizedek Priesthood, "Let Every Man Learn His Duty," 458; Presiding Bishopric's Page, 460.
Special Features
The Unknown Paul Revere, Walter E. Klein 379
God in History, George T. Boyd 380
The Neighbor I Resented, Evelyn Witter ___. 382
I Remember Brigham Young, Leah D. Widtsoe 384
Truth is stranger than Fiction 448
THE ERA OF YOUTH 1 between pages 416-417
The Spoken Word from Temple Square, Richard L. Evans 446, 452, 454, 456
Exploring the Universe, Franklin S. Harris, Jr., 361; These Times: The Gabon Republic, G. Homer Durham, 364; Letters and Reports, 372.
ART AND PHOTO CREDITS
Church Information Service, 374
Jeanne Lindorff, art, 382
Virginia Sargent, art, 384
Lorry Rytting, 386 and all conference
photos Warren Luch, art, 455, 472 Jon Anderson, art, 462 J. Rulon Hales, art, 468
Today's Family: Florence B. Pinnock, Editor
Father's Favorite _.. 462
A Long Ago Wedding, Clarissa Young Spencer ...468
The Last Word __„ 472
Poetry 371, 378, 407, 425, 440, 448, 450, 470
The Improvement Era Offices, 50 North Main Street, Salt Lake City, 11, Utah
David O. McKay and Richard L. Evans, Editors; Doyle L. Green, Managing Editor; Marba C. Josephson, Associate Managing Editor; Albert L. Zobell, Jr., Research Editor; John G. Kinnear, Patricia Middleton, Carter E. Grant, Judith Stepiian, Editorial Associates; Florence B. Pinnock, Today's Family Editor; Marion D. Hanks, The Era of Youth Editor; Elaine Cannon, The Era of Youth Associate Editor; Ralph Reynolds and Ed Maryon, Art Directors. Archibald F Bennett, G. Homed Durham, Franklin S. Harris, Jr., Hugh Nirley, Sidney B. Sperry, Contributing Editors.
Joseph T. Bentley, General Manager; Bertha S. Rf.eder, Associate General Manager; Verl F Scott, Business Manager; A. Glen Snarr, Subscription Director; Thayer Evans, Regional Advertising Representative.
Copyright 1961 by Mutual Funds, Inc., and published by the Mutual Improvement Associations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All rights
reserved. Subscription price $3.00 a year, in advance; foreign subscriptions, $3.50 a year, in advance; 50c single copy, except for special issues.
Entered at the Post Office. Salt Lake Citv, Utah as second-class matter. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in section 1103. Act
of October 1917, authorized July 2, 1918.
The Improvement Era is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts but welcomes contributions. Manuscripts are paid for on acceptance at the rate of l^c
a word and must be accompanied by sufficient postage for delivery and return.
Thirty days' notice is required for change of address. When ordering a change, please include address slip from a recent issue of the magazine. Address
changes cannot be made unless the old address as well as the new one is included.
THE COVER:
As President David O. McKay stood at the pulpit of the Salt Lake Tabernacle presiding and conducting the sessions of the April general conference, photographers Lorry Rytting, Lorin Wiggins, and Ernst Wittke for the Church Information Service caught many facets of the venerable Church leader on color film. These photographs tell a story all their own as they form the Era cover this month.
Cover lithographed in full color by Deseret News Press.
362
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
ing Course
Reading Course book for the entire Mutual: Book of Abraham from The Pearl of Great Price
FOR MUTUAL STUDY
Adam S. Bennion 3.75
1. The Candle of the Lord
2. Book of Mormon Treasury
Compiled by The Improvement Era 3.50
3. Voice of Warning (Paper) Parley P. Pratt .40
4. Conquest of Space Willy Ley 5.75
5. Pathway to Happiness
Discourses of President David O. McKay 3.95
6. Giant of the Lord James S. Brown 3.95
7. Man — God's Greatest Miracle (Paper)
J. Reuben Clark, Jr. .35
8. One Fold and One Shepherd
Thomas Stuart Ferguson 4.95
9. The Naked Communist W. Cleon Skousen 4.95
10. Triumph and Tragedy Winston S. Churchill 6.50
11. The Lincoln Reader (Paper Pocket Edition)
Paul Angle .50
12. Look Southward, Uncle Edward Tomlinson 6.00
13. The Admiral's Log Ben E. Marwell Out of Print
M MEN -GLEANER
No reading suggestions this year
EXPLORER
14. Our Prophets and Principles (Paper Edition) 1.50 (Cloth Edition) 2.00
15. Eternal Quest Hugh B. Brown 3.50
16. If I Were In My Teens 2.00
17. Personal Problems John Geisel 3.96
18. I Saw Another Angel Fly Carter E. Grant 3.50
LAUREL
19. Portrait of a Prophet
MIA MAID
20. How to Pray and Stay Awake
21. Branches Over the Wall
22. Fifteen
Norma J. Fischer 3.00
Max Skousen 1.75
Ora Pate Stewart 1.00
Beverly Cleary 2.95
BEEHIVE
23. Invincible Louisa
24. Plain Girl
25. Blue Willow
26. Little Women
Cornelius Meigs 3.75
Virginia Sorensen 2.75
Doris Gates 3.00
Louisa May Alcott 1.95
27. True Book of Honeybees
28. Teacher: Ann Sullivan Macy
29. Lees of Arlington
SCOUT*
John Lewellen 2.00
Helen Keller 3.95
Marguerite Vance 2.95
30. Pioneer Stories Preston Nibley 2.50
31. Faith-Promoting Stories Preston Nibley 2.00
32. Sequoia Catherine Cate Coblentz 3.00
33. Waterless Mountain Laura Armer 4.50
34. Kon-Tiki (Cloth) Thor Heyerdahl 5.95 (Pocket Paper Edition) .35
35. Arabian Cow Horse John Richard Young Out of Print
36. The Youngest Soldier Mabel Harmer .98
37. Brigham Young Olive Burt 2.95
38. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain 1.95
39. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain 1.95
40. Kim Rudyard Kipling 2.95
41. A Boy Scout with Byrd Paul Siple Out of Print
42. Buffalo Bill's Life Story William F. Cody 3.00
43. The Biography of a Grizzly
Ernest Thompson Seton 1.50
44. Johnny Tremain Ester Forbes 3.50
45. Daniel Boone, Wilderness Scout
Steward Edward White 2.50
46. The Royal Road to Romance Richard Halliburton 2.49
47. The Pony Express Goes Through
Howard R. Driggs 3.95
*This is only a partial listing of the Scout Suggested Reading List. Should you desire the complete listing, please write directly to the MIA Office for it.
iniiiiTTi
'IMlllljll!
DcserGtfesBooh Coi
44 East South Temple -- Sail Lake City. Utah .,^d
Deseret Book Company 44 East South Temple Salt Lake City, Utah
Gentlemen: Enclosed you will find ( ) check ( ) money order
( ) I have an account. Please charge. Amount enclosed $
for encircled (numbered) books: 1 2345678
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Postage: Add 12c for first book; 4c for each additional book.
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Residents of Utah include 2V2% sales tax.
JUNE 1961
363
April Conference Index
SUBJECTS
Ancient America 408
Apostasy, Intellectual 438
Book of Mormon 402, 408, 432
Church Growth 388
Church Welfare 436
Communism 394, 400, 414
Converts 390, 404
Education 438
Eternal Life 416
Eternal Marriage 392
Eternal Values 394, 422
Europe 428
Faith 398
Forgiveness 418
Free Agency 400
Freedom 414
Gratitude 430
Holy Land 422
Joseph Smith 410
Jesus Christ 390, 408, 422, 432
Love 444
Loyalty 414
MissionaryWork .390, 396, 398, 412, 428, 430, 434
Moral Integrity 420
New Testament 422
Responsibility 404
Restoration 396
Service 444
South Pacific 434
Tithing 406
Word of Wisdom 406, 420
Work 436
Youth 388, 414, 422, 426
SPEAKERS
Benson, Ezra Taft 430
Buehner, Carl W 400
Burton, Theodore M 438
Christiansen, EIRay L 420
Critchlow, William J., Jr 410
Evans, Richard L 422
Hanks, Marion D. 426
Hunter, Howard W 398
Hunter, Milton R 408
Isaacson, Thorpe B 414
Ivins, Antone R 404
Kimball, Spencer W 422
Lee, Harold B 398
Longden, John 434
McConkie, Bruce R 402
McKay, David 0 388, 444
Moyle, Henry D 390
Richards, LeGrand 406
Romney, Marion G 432
Sill, Sterling W 394
Smith, Hldred G 418
Smith, Joseph Fielding 392
Sonne, Alma 412
Stapley, Delbert L 416
Tanner, Nathan Eldon 428
Taylor, Henry D 436
Wirthlin, Joseph L 396
Young, S. Dilworth 418
NOTE: President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Elder George Q. Morris, and President Levi Edgar Young were excused from speaking because of ill health. Elders Hugh B. Brown and A. Theodore Tuttle were touring mission fields. Elder Alvin R. Dyer was presiding in the Euro- pean Mission. Elder Mark E. Petersen spoke to the Church of the Air radio program early conference Sunday morning. Elders Mark E. Petersen, Gordon B. Hinckley, and Franklin D. Richards, President Henry D. Moyle, President David O. McKay spoke at the Saturday evening (priesthood) session. Their addresses will appear in the July issue of The Improvement Era.
Sir Thomas Bennett, who assisted in the de- signing of the London Temple and other Church buildings in England, addressed the Thursday morning session.
THESE TIMES
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The Gabon Republic
BY DR. G. HOMER DURHAM
PRESIDENT, ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, TEMPE
African affairs have suddenly come to the forefront. Of the many new - countries established, the Gabon Republic is among the latest. Lo- cated on the south Atlantic coast, it lies immediately north of the Republic of the Congo. Gabon was formerly a French territory whose independence became effective Au- gust 17, 1960. Admission to the United Nations with French spon- sorship followed on September 20, 1960.
Formerly part of the French Congo, the French organized it as "Gabon" in 1910. In 1946, under the French constitution, it became an overseas territory of the French Union.
It is about the size of Colorado, with a hot, equatorial climate. The people of this new state number much less than those of Colorado, some 410,000. The largest city, Libreville, has about 20,000 people. French and other Europeans num- ber 8,500. Approximately 40 Afri- can ethnic groups constitute the re- mainder of the population.
Compulsory school attendance was required in 1959 and is based on the French system. About 50,000 pupils are enrolled. There are no institutions of higher education.
The country produces timber,
petroleum, manganese, iron, and uranium. Mahogany, ebony, and materials for plywood constitute the principle exports. Cacao, coffee, pea- nuts, rice, bananas, yams, and sweet potatoes are also grown.
The following statement by Ga- bon's Prime Minister, Leon M'Ba, indicates appreciation for past asso- ciation with France:
"In 1839 an alliance was signed between France under Louis- Philippe and King Denis. A hun- dred and twenty-one years have passed since that time. Today we are negotiating a transfer which will make Gabon an independent State within the Community. I can assure you that in Gabon nothing will be done against France, there will be no racial bitterness, and we will re- main the staunch and faithful friends we have been since 1839. Gabon is a hospitable land. Those who have trod our soil have taken away with them only happy and favorable memories. We know that for you the struggle for man's freedom is a mission. You proclaimed it in 1789; you abolished slavery in 1848. In 1946 you stated, in your Constitu- tion, your intention to lead the peo- ples whom you had been guiding toward the democratic administra- ( Continued on page 457 )
364
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
Well-known construction superintendent Frank Lemperle with volunteer workers at site of new church building.
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JUNE 1961
365
"THE"
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"PREDICTOR COLORS"
Here are the new colors in home furnishings —easily yours in Bennett's Colorizer Paints! Jay Bird Blue . . . Swedish Red . . . Golden- rod .. . Wintergreen . . . Moonglow . . . Nile Blue and two dozen others! They're new as this morning, fresh as the dawn. All 36 are displayed in this handsome decora- ting guide, together with 12 complete color schemes prepared by a noted interior dec- orator. See "Predictor Colors" at Bennett's, or at your nearest Bennett's paint dealer.
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366
The Church Moves On
March 1961
ltj Leeds Stake, 327th now functioning in the Church, and the fourth to be created in England during the past year, was formed through a division of the Manchester Stake and two new wards formed from the Sheffield District of the North British Mission. Elder Dennis Livesey, formerly first counselor in the Manchester Stake, was sustained as president of the Leeds Stake, with Elders Raymond C. Bustin and Alvin I. Holton as his coun- selors. The organization was under the direction of Elder Hugh B. Brown of the Council of the Twelve and Elder Nathan Eldon Tanner, Assistant to the Council of the Twelve. -
Elder William Bates, formerly second counselor to President Robert G. Larsen of Manchester Stake, sustained as first counselor, succeeding Elder Dennis Livesey. Elder James R. Caddick sus- tained as second counselor. At this conference an area from the Preston District of the North British Mission was added to the Manchester Stake and was divided into three new wards of the Church.
Elder Milton G. Thackeray sustained as second counselor to President Lemonte Peterson of the University West (Salt Lake City) Stake, succeeding Elder Boyd C. Bronson.
Huge cranes removed the thirteen-foot high pillars which once supported the Eagle Gate. That section of State Street is being widened making the removal of the seven and a half ton columns necessary.
Ogden Twelfth Ward defeated Pioneer First of Provo, 54-50, in an overtime game to win the all-Church senior basket- ball tournament played at the George Albert Smith Field- house at Brigham Young University. Las Vegas Eighth of Nevada won over Laramie Second of Wyoming, 61-52, to place third and fifth place. Snowflake Second of Arizona won the consolation (fourth place) by winning their game with Fielding (sixth place), 84-55. Fielding was awarded the sportsmanship trophy. Those selected on the all-star team included: Harold Gardner, Laramie Second; Terry Tebbs, Las Vegas Eighth; Lynn Gleave, Pioneer First; Bob Ipsen, Orem Twentieth; Gerry Garn, Fielding; Ted Smith, Ogden Twelfth; Gary Barclay, Ogden Twelfth; Gary Crandall, Pioneer First; John Nicoll, Snowflake Second; and Jim Spencer, Escalante South. Robert W. Lees, Whittier Fourth Ward, Whittier (California) Stake, received the Improvement Era award for the prize-winning essay on "What the Church Athletic Program Means to Me." This was the thirty-ninth annual all-Church basketball tournament.
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
Anti-Mormon literature, derogatory claims against the Prophet Joseph Smith, and damning stories circulated by "Mormon Haters" are investi- gated and analyzed in this intriguing and scholarly work. Years of research and preparation have re- sulted in a very frank, fast moving historical volume that pulls no punches. Explodes as myths the most frequently heard charges. A must for missionaries and all who would be well informed.
$3.50
by Hugh Nibley
WHAT SHALL
WE DO WITH LOVE?
By Ernest Eberhard, Jr. Parents and young people alike hail this eye-opener as a remarkable guide to help them skirt the pitfalls of unhappy mar- riage. Frankly written, direct and to the point. $3.25
MIGHTY MISSIONARY
OF THE PACIFIC
By David W. Cummings Here is a vivid, rythmic, easy flowing account of the intensely in- teresting Labor Missionary program in Poly- nesia. Warm, humorous, inspiring experiences. A spiritual phenomenon. $4.50
Mfc'H'n
Order any of these books from your nearest Bookcraft dealer or write to Book- craft, 1186 South Main, Salt Lake City, Utah.
CHOSEN MISSOURI and the Question of Zion
By Kenneth W. Porter
and Herman D. Ruf
Missouri's past, present and future as
God's sacred Zion — New Jerusalem — who
will live there — inspired prophecies
relating to our present time — all
presented in this unique
book. $3.50
KNOW
YOUR RELIGION
By Glenn L. Pearson Especially written to help all members of the Church to achieve spiritual advance- ment, this vital volume presents a keen insight into the first principles of the Gospei. $3.00
THE
MORMON STORY
By Rulon S. Howells This unique pictorial account of Mormonism should be a part of every library, ideal for investigators. Children are fascinated by rare photos and paint- ings . . . adults are thrilled and inspired. fe. $3.95
JUNE 1961
367
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Utah State University Fifth Ward won the all-Church college basketball tournament at the George Albert Smith Field- house, Brigham Young University, by defeating BYU Eighth Ward, 55-44; Dixie College placed third by defeating Ricks College (sixth), 72-58; University of Utah won over Arizona State, 47-44, deciding third and fifth places.
The box placed in one of the pillars of the Eagle Gate as it was rebuilt seventy years ago was opened in the presence of the First Presidency and others. Water, believed to have come from the top of the pillars, had seeped into the box over the years. What had once been business cards and other papers were, for the most part, an unintelligible mass. The newspaper copies of the day seemed to fare best. A small copper plaque, turned dark green from age, was found in the box. Two photographs in the box which were faint but still recognizable were of the construction of the Tabernacle roof and of the original Eagle Gate. Many of the pictures, damaged beyond recognition, were by the Utah pio- neer photographer, C. R. Savage, father-in-law of President J. Reuben Clark, Jr. "This is a great shock to me," President Clark commented, and urged that in the future hermetically sealed copper boxes be used to withstand weathering and aging.
Roy Stake was formed from parts of Lake View (Utah) Stake, with Elder Henry A. Matis sustained as president, and Elders Newell R. Budge and George C. Reimschussel as counselors. The stake has a membership of approximately 5,450. Elder Floyd D. Fowers, who served as second counselor to Presi- dent Matis in the Lake View Stake, succeeds him as stake presi- dent. Counselors to President Fowers are Elders Harold R. Johnson and F. James Schoenfeld. Elder Budge had been serving as first counselor to President Matis in the Lake View Stake. Lake View Stake now has a membership of approximately 3,225. The divi- sion and reorganization were under the direction of Elders Spencer W. Kimball and LeGrand Richards of the Council of the Twelve. Roy is the 328th stake.
Elder Carl A. Mortensen sustained as president of Oneida (Idaho) Stake succeeding President Shirley M. Palmer. Elders Willis R. Burton and Reed R. Hawkes sustained as counselors. President Mortensen and Elder Burton were counselors to Presi- dent Palmer.
April 1961
The appointments of Elders Edwin C. Winder, Joseph A. Kjar, Rulon H. Bradshaw, and David Jay Wilson to the general board of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association was announced.
The 55th annual conference of the Primary Association opened today on Temple Square. Departmental sessions were held in appropriate stake buildings throughout Salt Lake City. It is a two-day meeting.
The 131st annual general conference of the Church opened in the Salt Lake Tabernacle under the direction of President David O. McKay. A new rostrum was used for the first time. Old hand-turned railings had been removed, except for the bottom row, and had been replaced by vaneer paneling trimmed with hardwood. Six of the seven sessions of the conference were broadcast and televised. Twenty-seven television stations and eigh- teen radio stations participated in broadcasting some parts of the conference. At today's afternoon session it was announced that the Church membership on (Continued on page 370)
368
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
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JUNE 196]
369
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Church Moves On
(Continued from page 368)
December 31, 1960, totaled 1,693,180. The membership was six on the day the Church was organized, April 6, 1830, although additional members were baptized that day.
An evening meeting for bish- oprics, stake presidencies, and others was held in the Salt
Lake Tabernacle under the direction
of the Presiding Bishopric.
OThe general sessions of the 131st conference of the Church convened again in the Taber- nacle. An early morning Church welfare meeting was held in the Assembly Hall. The priesthood ses- sion was not broadcast, but gather- ings of the priesthood in 288 places in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand heard this session through direct-wire facilities. The evening closed with many attending their traditional missionary reunions.
This was the tenth anniversary
of President David O. McKay's
becoming President of the
Church. It has truly been a decade
of progress in many fields for the
Church.
Speaking to the nationwide audi- ence of the Columbia Broadcasting System's radio network on the "Church of the Air," Elder Mark E. Petersen of the Council of the Twelve spoke on the subject "Need for Better Parents."
President David O. McKay an- nounced that Elder N. Eldon Tanner, Assistant to the Council of the Twelve, had been called as president of the West European Mission. This is a new administrative assignment embracing the British, Central British, Northern British, Scottish- Irish, Netherlands, French, and French East missions. Elder Alvin R. Dyer, also an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve, has been the president of the European Mission for two years. His duties will now be with the Central German, West German, North German, South German, Swiss, Austrian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish missions. Elder Tanner and his family will have their headquarters at Leatherhead, near London. Before his call as an Assistant to the Council
370
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
of the Twelve Elder Tanner was serving as president of the Calgary (Alberta) Stake.
"The Spirit of Worship" was the theme of the conference of the Deseret Sunday School Union held in the Tabernacle this evening.
Elder Thulburn R. Holt, sec- ond counselor to President Clarence Neeley, deceased, sustained as president of Benson (Utah) Stake. Elder Cliff Wiser, first counselor to President Neeley was also released. President Holt's counselors are Elders Syhner G. Jessop and Wayne P. Traveller.
The First Presidency an- nounced the appointment of Elder Carroll W. Smith as president of the Western Canadian Mission succeeding President Parley A. Arave. President Smith, whose home is Ashland, Oregon, is presi- dent of the Klamath Stake. He is a native of Usick, Idaho, and once served for two years as president of the Boise Stake mission. He has long been active in Church affairs in western Oregon. Mrs. Smith and two daughters will accompany him on this mission assignment. The couple have a married daughter, also.
SUMMER DAY
BY JEAN MERGARD
As I walked out to meet the day, It danced toward me in bright array: The columbine and mignonette Bent gracefully in minuet; The trees waltzed in their dappled
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door And hopped to hidden tunes, the
more I could not tell if summer's spree Burst more outside than inside me.
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Letters
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Reports
I CHOSE A MISSION
Pictured here is Elder Richard H. Ray of the Mesa Eighth Ward, Mesa ( Arizona ) Stake. He has earned seven individual awards— all with 100 percent seals.
He was a treasurer of the local chapter of Farmers of America in his and was president in his Last summer at the Arizona Convention he declined an offer to fill a state office in this organization so that he could go into the mission field. He is presently serving the Church in the Northwestern States Mission.
the Future junior year senior year. State FFA
NINETY-SEVEN BEEHIVE HONOR BADGES
Pictured is Belva- dean Smith, 14, of the Spanish Fork (Utah) Seventh Ward. She has earned two individual awards, is a Mia Maid, and has earned ninety-seven honor badges while in her Beehive class. Belvadean is pres- ently serving as a junior genealogy leader in her ward.
SPRINGVILLE TEEN
Pictured left is Blaine Livingston, an "A" student at Spring- ville ( Utah ) High School and holder of individual awards for Church meeting at- tendance for five years. Blaine represents the Springville High student body as a member of the Springville Safety Council, is an officer in the a capella choir, and takes an active part in all ward athletics and activities. He was recently awarded his Duty to God award.
PRESIDENT McKAY QUOTED
Elder Court D. Anderson of the Great Lakes Mission forwarded to the Im- provement Era the above picture taken while laboring in the mission field last year. He writes, "My companion and I passed by this Pres- byterian Church and noticed their sign- board. We thought it very interesting, so I snapped this pic- ture. If they only knew, they quoted the greatest man in the world."
ERA ADDICT
Dear Editors,
Graz, Austria
With great pleasure I received your letters which tell me that the Era is being sent to me. The mother of the missionary who baptized me, Mrs. Irene Johnson, of Logan, and Elder Robert W. Daynes who was instrumental in my accepting the gos- pel, and since has become a close friend of mine, were both kind enough to present me with a subscription of your admirable magazine. . . .
I cannot begin to thank you for your wonderful magazine which I think is a most effective means of applying the ideals as given to us by the Lord, to our every day life. From the very moment I recog- nized this Church as the true one, I have (and so have my wife and four children) perused every single page of every single number of the Era I could get hold of. . . . After having become an Era addict and as I know an incurable one, I am just wondering how on earth we were able to manage without it for such a long time. It was your publication in addition to the missionaries,— and what fine young men they are, really to be proud of—, way of living this life, which made me realize the fundamental importance and truth of "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Yours sincerely,
Immo Luschin Ebengreuth
372
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
On page 206 of the April Era, "Church Moves On" reporting on February 5, stated: "There are two theories of how St. George was named; in honor of Presi- dent George A. Smith, a Counselor to President Brigham Young, and grandfather of President George Albert Smith; or for P. St. George Cooke, beloved gentile leader of the Mormon Battalion."
Since that publication, the family of President George A. Smith has graciously shared with vis evidence that they have gathered over the years to prove that the southern Utah city carries the name of President Smith. Some of the references cited are the original manuscripts in the Church Historian's Office; the Contributor May 1883, page 310; Neff's History of Utah, page 906; Historical Record, volume 5, page 103; and many letters written by President George Albert Smith, who was extremely active in preserving the real story of the history of the Church, espe- cially of the pioneer times.
We apologize for printing a theory in- stead of a fact.
JYMME SCHOUBUP WRITES Dear Editors of the Era of Youth:
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and your associates for the nice story you did on me which appeared in "The Era of Youth" section of the Febru- ary Improvement Era. It had created quite a stir in as much as I have been asked to speak to the young people in nine different stakes.
Last night in San Diego I had the thrill- ing experience of speaking to over 700 young people at a special fireside for the East San Diego Stake, San Diego, and Palomar stakes. It was a humbling expe- rience.
I love the "Era of Youth" section and may God bless you in this work. |
Sincerely,
Jymme Schourup (Roberta Shore)
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NAME
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CITY STATE
(Utah residents add 2Vi% sales tax.)
JUNE 1961
373
EDITOR'S PAGE BY PRESIDENT DAVID O. McKAY
YOU TFT T
WHAT YOU ARE
The sailing vessel Amazon lay in an English port, about a century ago, chartered by the Church to take emigrants from that land to the States. A young writer who read that the vessel was about to sail took his pad and pencil and went down to the docks. He received permission from the Church authorities to go abroad, and he recorded what he and heard. The emigrants
saw
knew nothing about His presence, and this is what he published:
". . . nobody is in an ill -temper, nobody is the worse for drink, nobody swears an oath or uses a coarse word, nobody appears depressed, nobody is weeping, and down upon the deck, in every corner where it is possible to find a few feet to kneel, crouch, or lie in, people, in every unsuitable attitude, are writ- ing letters.
"Now, I have seen emigrant ships before this day in June. And these people are so strikingly different from all other people in like circumstances whom I have ever seen, that I wonder aloud, What would a stranger suppose these emigrants to be?'
"The vigilant bright face of the weather-browned captain of the Amazon is at my shoulder, and he says, 'What indeed? The most of these came aboard yesterday evening. They came from various parts of England, in small parties that had never seen one another before. Yet they had not been a couple of hours on board when they established their own police, made their own regulations, and set their own watches at all the hatchways. .
"What is in store for the poor people on the shores of the Great Salt Lake, what happy delusions they are laboring under now, on what miserable blindness their eyes may be opened then, I do not pretend to say. But I went on board their ship to bear testimony against them if they deserved it, as I fully believed they would; to my great astonishment, they did not deserve it; and my predispositions and tendencies must not affect me as an honest witness. I went over the Amazons side, feeling it impossible to deny that, so far, some remarkable influence had produced a remarkable result, which better known influences have often missed." (The Uncommercial Traveller and Pictures from Italy, Dana Estes & Company edition,
pp. 290-291; 304-305.)
That writer was Charles Dickens, and his account in its entirety appears in the book The Uncommercial Traveller.
What a different testimony that writer would have given if those new converts to the Church had not shown by their actions and by their words that some power had transformed them. Suppose they had been drinking, suppose they had been quarreling, suppose he had heard oaths and vulgar stories? What a story he would have written for the millions to read during the past century. Yes, it is truly as the Savior said:
"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
"Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
"A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." (Matt. 7:16-18.)
We preach the gospel by action. What we are in our homes will influence our neighbors. How we deal in business will cause our business associates to change, too.
We shall be judged by our actions wherever we are, not only in church, but also on the golf course, on the ball field, in a boat, or out for a summer vaca- tion. Everywhere we are the representatives of the Church.
Every member is a missionary. We cannot escape any more than Paul or Silas or Peter escaped. They, too, were transformed and became immortal because they obeyed the first principles of the gospel and bore the witness that Jesus the Christ lived, was cruci- fied for the sins of the world, and rose again on the third day, and were willing to give all they possessed for that testimony.
JUNE 1961
375
your question Answered by joseph fielding smith President of the Quorum of the Twelve IS THE USE OF OUUA OR PLANCHET BOARDS AN EVIL?
question: "\f fo^ come f0 our attention that some young people are amusing themselves with ouija and planchet boards. Our question is, Is the practice approved by the Authorities of the Church? It has always been our opinion that this was something of an evil nature in which the Spirit of the Lord had no part."
answer: Tne dictionary describes these boards as being for the purpose of "receiving answers to medi- umistic communications or questions." This being the case, the answer is clear to your question. There can be no good or wholesome purpose accomplished in this kind of entertainment, therefore it should not be indulged in by members of the Church. The Lord has pointed out very clearly the course that we should take in obtaining inspiration for our guidance. When a person is baptized and receives the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, he is promised that he will receive the necessary guidance for his spiritual and temporal good, provided he is true to his covenants. The Lord will not dwell in unclean tabernacles. Therefore in order that we may keep ourselves in harmony with the Spirit of the Lord, we must be mentally, spiritually, and bodily clean from every contaminating influence. In a revelation given to the Church in October 1830, the Lord said:
"Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and remember that they shall have faith in me or they can in no-wise be saved;
"And upon this rock I will build my church; yea, upon this rock ye are built, and if ye continue, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you.
"And ye shall remember the church articles and covenants to keep them.
"And whoso having faith you shall confirm in my church, by the laying on of the hands, and I will bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost upon them." (D&C 33:12-15.)
Shortly before Jesus departed from his apostles he gave them these instructions:
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
"Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." (John 14:16-17.)
This great gift is promised to each member of the Church who will be faithful and true, so there is no need for any member seeking inspiration or knowl- edge through any unsavory or evil source which is coming from Satan or one of his emissaries. Those who have the light of the Spirit, or Holy Ghost, will avoid any contacts from any evil source. No doubt it is true that the use of these instruments is in the spirit of fun and for amusement. Let it be remem- bered that the Spirit of the Lord does not and will not dwell in unclean or disobedient tabernacles. When a person is enlightened by the teachings of the Spirit of the Lord, his whole soul is filled with peace, and an unmistakable joy beyond the power of de- scription by mortal man. Moreover this great gift is offered to all members of the Church who consistently place their lives in harmony with the Holy Spirit.
There are some members of the Church who un- fortunately refuse to comply with the commandments of the Lord, and this attitude deprives them of the guidance coming from the Holy Ghost. Therefore they are deprived of the great joy and peace of mind which a faithful life will bring. These souls are liable to deception. They fail to have the true discernment and are thereby deceived when some cunning person or spirit filled with the influence of the adversary of righteousness beguiles them into a false security. They become confused and many fall away from the Church into the depths of spiritual darkness. The disobedient and wayward become the prey of de- ception; and as darkness enters their souls, the true light is driven out.
Our Father in heaven has from the beginning de- manded of his children that they love and obey him.
376
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
They are to worship him and unto him they are to pray and give their devotion. "He that seeketh me early shall find me, and shall not be forsaken," said the Lord. ( D&C 88 : 83. ) To seek for information through ouija boards or any way contrary to the instruction the Lord has given is a sin. The Lord gave positive instruction to Israel when they were in the land of their inheritance that they were to go to him for revelation and to avoid the devices prevalent among the heathen nations who occupied their lands. The law of the Lord to Israel is drastic because the Lord considered it vital to their salvation. In the book of Exodus, this is written:
"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." (Exodus 22:18.)
"And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?" (Isaiah 8:19.)
"There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.
"Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer." (Deut. 18:10-11.)
All through the Bible, the New Testament as well as the Old, the Lord and his prophets have expressed their displeasure when the people turned from the Lord to "familiar spirits." Even in our own day we have been given definite counsel in the following words:
"But ye are commanded in all things to ask of God, who giveth liberally, and that which the Spirit testifies unto you even so I would that you should do in all holiness of heart, walking uprightly before me, consid- ering the end of your salvation, doing all things with prayer and thanksgiving, that ye may not be seduced by evil spirits, or doctrine of devils, or the command- ments of men: for some are of men, and other of devils.
"Wherefore, beware lest ye are deceived: and that ye may not be deceived seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given;
"For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep my command- ments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a sign that they may consume it upon their lusts." (D&C 46:7-9.)
At the April conference, 1901, President Joseph F. Smith gave the following counsel to the members of the Church:
"Men and women may be deceived by the craftiness of the adversary and by the spirit of darkness that is in the world; they may be deceived . . . with hypno- tism, with animal magnetism, with mesmerism, with spiritualism and with all the other man-made and demon-stimulated isms which exist in the world; but the elect of God shall see and know the truth. They will not be blind, because they will see; they will not be deaf, because they will hear; and they will walk in the light, as God is in the light, that they may have fellowship with Jesus Christ, and that his blood may cleanse them from all^their sins. May God help us to do this. May he deliver us from secret combinations, and from the snares that are set to entrap our feet and to win our affections from the kingdom of God. I repeat what I have said scores of times, the King- dom of God is good enough for me. This organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meets all my wants, and I have no need to fly to or- ganizations that are gotten up by men for the purpose of making money. I pray God that his kingdom may be sufficient for you, that you may abide in the truth, and not be led away by these deceptive spirits that have gone forth in the world to lead men astray. Spiritualism started in the United States about the time that Joseph Smith received his visions from the heavens. What is more natural than that Lucifer should begin revealing himself to men in his cunning way, in order to deceive them and to distract their minds from the truth that God was revealing? and he has kept up pretty well ever since. May God bless Israel, and preserve us in the truth. . . ."
JUNE 1961
377
FREEDOM IS NOT FREE
BY PAMELA DAWN REBER A YOUNG WRITER
Freedom is the poppy that wavers in the breeze. Freedom is the sunshine that filters through the trees. Freedom is the water that ripples o'er the sands, Freedom is the platform on which our nation stands.
We are the lucky ones; we are the free And happy and honored; and proud we should be To know that our forefathers came from their land To nurture their children on this foreign strand.
Long were the trials, and rough was the sea, And wild was the country that conquered must be. Still upward and onward with vigor they came, Without thought of comfort or fortune or fame,
Deriving from trials a pride never shaken, For theirs was the nation of hatred forsaken. Theirs was the kingdom with blessings that doubled By working and praying with hearts never troubled.
The price of our freedom was paid by their dead, Their heartaches, their sorrows, their hands stained
in red. But remembering our justice, our freedom for all, The price that was paid for our freedom is small.
Now we have power, and now we have peace, For we have acquired the kind of lease That time cannot alter; so death cannot see The home of the brave and the land of the free.
378
The
Unknown Paul Revere
BY WALTER E. KLEIN
Left: section of engraving cut by Paul Revere shows Christ's Church, Charleston.
On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere made his famous ride to warn the countryside in Massachusetts of the advancing British Army. This ride marked the be- ginning of the Revolution and made the name of Paul Revere immortal.
However, he has a solid claim to fame based on other accomplishments not so well-known. Revere was one of those versatile geniuses with which revolutionary America seemed to be so well blessed.
He was an excellent silversmith, and his surviving pieces today are collectors' items. He was also a designer and printer and printed many cartoons in the cause of liberty. One of his most famous is a print of the Boston Massacre.
He made a set of false teeth for George Washington. They were probably hard to manage and uncomfort- able, but, judging from Revere's other work, they were also probably the best of their time.
After the Revolution he did many notable things. In 1788 he opened an iron foundry in the shipyards of North Boston. Here he manufactured many items for the home, for smiths, and for the shipyards.
The bell of the Old North Church became cracked and had to be recast. Few bells had been cast in America, for it was extremelv heavv and exacting work. Revere was chosen for the job. Thereafter he made many other bells, and his masterpiece still hangs in the tower of King's Chapel in Boston.
However, Revere still had greater ambitions. Cop- per sheathing for the ships of the new country was a necessity. At this time all of it was imported from England.
Revere decided to do something about it. He ordered rollers from England and by 1801 was pro- ducing what was reported to be the best cold rolled copper in America.
The naval frigate, Constitution, later famous as Old Ironsides, had been built at the wharf beside his foundry in North Boston. Revere had supplied most of her hardware. In 1803, after seeing action against the Barbary pirates, she returned to Boston to have the copper sheathing on her hull renewed. Revere got the commission, thus fulfilling an old ambition. Old Ironsides won a famous victory in the War of 1812 against the British ship, Guerriere.
Later Paul Revere worked with Robert Fulton on copper boilers to power steamboats.
Paul Revere not only helped lay the foundations for the American Revolution, he also helped lay the foundations for the industrial power which was so vital for the development and growth of the new nation. Although not so well-known, his contribu- tions to its peaceful development were greater and more important than his part in wartime.
JUNE 1961
579
Developments during recent years, including the release of atomic energy, the production of inter- continental missiles, space ships, and the experimenta- tion in germ and chemical warfare have brought increased sensitivity to the tragedy of human suffering and the precariousness of man's life on earth. Those who know agree that the diffusion of radioactive material from the explosion of a few hydrogen bombs would destroy much of the life on earth, and that any extensive use of such weapons would make our world uninhabitable.
Theoretical and technological developments in the physical sciences have given a new emphasis to the old problem of the extent and effect of man's free- dom. On the one hand, by the proper use of newly discovered powers man can achieve benefits in the natural world previously unimagined. On the other hand, by the misuse of those new forces he can bring a sudden and premature end to human history. The effect of man's freedom is more decisive and danger- ous than has been imagined.
In the light of these developments and the possible use to which they may be put, the optimistic world view of the first quarter of our century which dom- inated much of the religious thought of the time has been thrown into sharp contrast with a growing pessimism. This resurgent pessimism has been in- different to denominational boundaries with the result that its impact on the religious world has been almost universal. Latter-day Saints, who for the most part have been characteristically optimistic about the future, have come under its influence.
The conditions of our times, which have brought about a rather startling disclosure of the extent of man's freedom and its possible effects, raise again, for religious philosophy, the old question of a satis- factory theodicy— a vindication of the goodness and justice of God in a world of moral and natural evil. The inclusiveness and conclusiveness of a possible global annihilation brings to religious thought, with a new urgency, the question of God's relationship to man and his participation in human history.
We may well ask, in view of man's evil tendencies and the tremendous power at his command, is there any hope for a better world? Is there any justifica- tion for looking forward to a time when men, motivated
380
Michelangelo portrays Jehovah bequeathing life to Adam by the touch of his finger.
by a spirit of good will, can develop institutions under which they can live in peace? Will the time ever come when religious and moral idealism will not find resistance in established institutions? Will the time ever come when the methods by which men earn their daily bread cease to thwart their desire to treat their neighbors as themselves?
In seeking answers to such questions there seems to be little ground for optimism from the present outlook. Yet, in spite of the evidence which has led many to despair, Latter-day Saints have generally looked forward with assurance in the efficacy of constructive human effort in carrying out what they believe to be the will of God, and thev continue to build, projecting their ideals and efforts into an un- certain future with confidence.
The logic of events, doctrines of human nature, the fact of sin, and geography are given frequently as explanations of the divergence of opinion between those who have faith in the effectiveness of man's efforts to improve the world and those who hold that such a faith is futile. One of the most significant reasons why some are optimistic while others are pessimistic is the fact that they hold different views as to God's participation in the historical process.
While it may be true that there are other theological considerations, e.g., the doctrines of God, man, and salvation, which are logically prior to a doctrine of God's activity in history, this does not in any way minimize its importance. The very close relationship between concepts of God and man and their accom- panying theories of history suggests the high place that these theories hold in any religious interpretation of man in the world. And, regardless of the theoretical or logical relationship of these doctrines, the plain fact is that one of the most persistent questions that the believer in God has to face in his practical day- to-day living is the question of God's role in the drama of history. Living in a world which coddles some in the lap of wealth while thrusting others upon the rocks of poverty, a world which today offers joy and hope— tomorrow sorrow and despair, today mean- ing and happiness— tomorrow futility and tragedy, men, caught in the sequence of successes and failures, develop different ideas relative to God's interest and activity in the external (Continued on page 448)
381
0
• w
m
THE NEIGH
RESENTED
.-*:•
It was the spring when I turned eighteen when the Moores bought the house next to
ours.
I suppose I resented them unconsciously even before I met them because they had bought the house of my closest friend, thereby becoming responsible for her moving away.
My resentment became an active thing after they moved in. Neighborhood talk helped slant my re- sentfulness. Several people remarked that the Moores must be "awfully tight ... a miserly pair of Silas Marners." People said they couldn't understand why the Moores bought a simple little World-War I-vintage house when they could easily afford a luxurious home in a good neighborhood, considering the big job Mr. Moore held with a utilities company.
Besides, there was nothing especially appealing about the Moores that I could see. Unsmiling, un- bending people they both were. Quiet and self- sufficient, spending their free time reading or in do-it-yourself activities in their garage. Neighbors said that wasn't natural either for young people in their early thirties. It was the unanimous opinion around the neighborhood that the Moores were too tight-fisted to seek money-taking recreation or to entertain at home.
But my love-for-all-people, widowed mother sought out Mrs. Moore just the same, asking her in or trudging to the Moores' back door with some special delicacy she had baked.
After my first impressions of the Moores were estab- lished in my mind, I chose to think of them as little as possible. Anyway, my thoughts that summer were mostly concerned with the two jobs I was holding in order to accumulate enough money to cover my college entrance that fall.
So it was a surprise to see the last person I was thinking of on the day when I was gathering up odds and ends and packing my suitcase just before train time on the day before registration. Mrs. Moore walked into my bedroom. She was carrying a bunch of clothes over her arm.
She said simply: "These are for you."
I calculated quickly that these were clothes that Mrs. Moore had outgrown because she was now
about one size larger than I. The thoughts flashed through my mind too, that though Mrs. Moore's clothes were extremely plain, they were always of good line and quality which could be youthified with colorful belts and scarves. Anyway, I thought rue- fully, my too-limited wardrobe made any wearable hand-me-downs acceptable.
"Thank you!" I said as sincerely as I could, and allowed her to fold the clothes into the suitcase.
It wasn't until the next day, when I was getting settled at the dormitory, that I realized what a con- fusing mistake I had made. Why, the clothes from Mrs. Moore were new, with the cleaning instructions tags still dangling from them! They were not hand- me-downs, they were indisputably "what the college girl was wearing this season."
I couldn't comprehend the "why's or how come's" of Mrs. Moore's gift but I sat right down and wrote a grateful "Thank you!" just the same. In the same mail I sent a letter to my mother telling her the startling news about the clothes.
In a few days I got the never-to-be-forgotten-lesson letter from Mom. She wrote:
"Dear One,
"Not too long ago I too would have been surprised about the new clothes from Mrs. Moore even though in our visits together she was awfully interested in you, your plans, and your efforts to get a college education. She even said once that she would like to help such a worthy girl.
"Last night I learned something about the Moores that will be interesting to you. Their bishop told me that eight months ago they lost their only child in an unfortunate accident. They are saddened. That's probably why they seemed so stern to us.
"Also, he told me that the Moores have never lived up to their income because they use so much of their money to help other people.
"If you will please read Matthew 6, 1 through 3, you will at long last understand these Christian neigh- bors of ours.
"Love,
"Mom."
I read. I learned. I have never forgotten.
BY EVELYN WITTER
JUNE 1961
383
BY LEAH D. WIDTSOE
Soon after the Mormon pioneers settled in the barren wastes which were then called the "Great American Desert," they built what to them was a large com- fortable building to be used for local dramatics and socials of all sorts. It was known as the Social Hall. Among the belongings of the first companies as they came in their covered wagons with ox-teams across the plains was a good-sized bust of William Shake- speare. This was placed in the center of the proscenium arch which separated the stage from the auditorium.
Later the Saints built a larger and most creditable building— the Salt Lake Theatre— which was known
and loved by the people, next to their homes and churches, or meeting- houses, as they were called. The pioneers were fond of the drama, and it became one of the favorite amusements of the people of that day.
Soon after the settle- ment of the pioneers in these valleys, gold was discovered in California and by that time San Francisco had become a growing city on the West Coast. The "gold rush" was on, and great num- bers of companies passed through Salt Lake City on their way to the Golden Gate and the fortunes which they dreamed were awaiting them at their journey's end. Among these traveling groups, occasional troupes of dramatic performers from the East would break the long journey by staying over a few nights and playing in the great Salt Lake Theatre.
Brigham Young was especially fond of the drama and was indeed a patron of the art. He encouraged the people also in home performances, because he felt that many valuable life lessons may be learned thereby as well as from sermons and exhortations.
The "My Fair Lady" of that day, a play which was known from coast to coast and about which everybody was talking and wishing to see was a play called "Leah, the Forsaken." It was the story of a Jewish girl and her great trials and final triumphs.
I was named Leah in honor of my paternal grand- mother. One day when I was a little girl about three and one half years old, and shortly before the death of my grandfather, Brigham Young, my mother said to me:
"How would you like to go and see your grand- father? Would you like to go with mother today to see him?"
Naturally little girls like to go anywhere! So mother "dolled me up" in a sparkling white "Swiss" dress with a pale blue sash and blue ribbons in my very blond hair and took me by the hand up to the Lion House, where my grandfather lived.
384
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
As we entered the door of his room, Grandfather was sitting by a table working over some papers. He looked up and noticed his daughter and the little yellow-haired girl with the very rosy cheeks and the big blue eyes, and greeted us with these words:
"Ah, Susie, and here is my little 'Leah, the For- saken,' only she is not forsaken, for she comes with her mother who I am sure loves her and whom she loves." And with that he rose and came to where we were standing and picked me up to give me a kiss of welcome. I looked at him— an old man un- known to me— and I drew back and refused to kiss him.
"Kiss your grandfather!" said my mother; but no response came from the little girl.
Again came the command more sharply:
"Kiss your grandfather, I tell you!" but I refused flatly. With that my grandfather put me down, and Mother, who was a bit nonplussed, took me by the hand rather harshly and started out of the room where she was going to give me a lesson, as she thought, in good behavior. She said:
"I'll teach you to kiss your grandfather when he asks you!" As she started to take me out of the room to give me "what for," my grandfather said to her:
"Just a minute, Susie, just a minute! I learned a long time ago never to try to make a child do something that I know it won't do." With that remark he again rose from his chair.
Now, all that I have related above I do not re- member. My mother has told me about it. But, this I do remember!
I can still see him as he rose from his chair going to a front window in the room, pulling back the red velvet drapery and the white Nottingham lace cur- tains which hung there and taking from a little tin box on the window sill a piece of candy— a brown square which was called "horehound candy" at that time. Candy was not as plentiful in those days as it is now, and I suppose my eyes began to twinkle as I saw the piece of candy in Grandfather's hand. He held it up temptingly, put it on the table, and with his cane, which stood by his chair, pushed it slowly over to where I was standing. I took the candy as it drew near and, childlike, began to eat it.
With that he asked me: "Do you like candy?" and I nodded my head. Then a little conversation began. He was down to my level, and we were getting acquainted.
"Who made your pretty dress?" he asked.
"My mommie," I answered.
"And that lovely blue sash?" and I patted it as my eyes beamed.
Then he asked about my golden curls and the rib- bons in my hair and other things that I could under- stand. We were becoming friends. We visited, and I discovered that he was a kind grandpa who gave candy to little girls and who also took time to chat with them about things they could understand. When my mother's errand was completed and we started to go, Grandfather rose and this time took me in his arms without my objection, and I willingly kissed him, because I knew him.
That is the only memory of a little girl of her illustrious grandfather; but it is a choice memory- one that has been a lesson to me all my life and has helped me in the guidance of my own children, my grandchildren, and now of my great-grandchildren. It shows one of the traits of character which made Brigham Young a successful leader of men from many nations and conditions and backgrounds into builders of the so-called "Empire in the West." He was truly a great* leader of men as well as a great pioneer. It was his gift to understand people.
As the years went by and I grew to young woman- hood, my mother and I became friends and co-workers, as well as loved companions. She possessed, to a great degree, many of the gifts of her father, one of which was the gift of expression both of the spoken and the written word. Many of the memories she had of her father she would write down and in time decided to write a book about his life and accomplishments in building a civilization in the West.
Her busy pen was used in the founding of a maga- zine for young women called the Young Woman's Journal, which she afterward presented to the YLMIA. In time I noticed that she was no longer writing about her father. One day I said to her:
"Mother, what about the book about your father? Aren't you writing it anymore?" She replied, "No, he is too big for me. In other words, I'm not big enough to grasp his greatness and portray it as I should." She said further, "If you are standing beside a moun- tain, you can't really describe the mountain for you're too near to see it."
"Nevertheless," said I, "you have it to do. Some- day you must write that book about your father, and I'll be glad to help you with it."
The time came, when in working over her manu- script, I came across (Continued on page 44^)
JUNE 1961
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On £/ie following pages:
Talks delivered at the
131ST GENERAL CONFERENCE
0/ £/ie Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints
Salt Lake City, Utah
April 6, 8, 9, 1961
THE
DESTINY OF YOUTH
President David O. McKay
"Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judg- ment." (Eccl. 11:9.)
These words were written by The Preacher, son of David of old, approxi- mately nine hundred and seventy-seven years before Christ — admonitions to youth as applicable in this year 1961 after Christ as they were nearly three thousand years ago! ". . . but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment."
Every sixth day of April, General Au- thorities, officers, and members of the Church meet in general conference to hear reports of the progress of the Church, sustain officers, consider matters pertaining to the restored gospel, and take such action as the official repre- sentatives of the Church may deem necessary and helpful.
If the question were asked this morn- ing, "In what respect during the last year has the Church made the most commendable progress?" I would not answer: "In financial matters," although it is a fact that perhaps never before have the financial interests of the Church been more prosperous.
I would not say: "In the increase of the number of new houses of worship," although members of the Church have put forth more effort and built and paid for more chapels than in any other similar period of the past; for example, I find that during the year 1960 there were 111 Church buildings dedicated; fifty other buildings are ready to be dedicated. There are completed, but not dedicated because they are not en- tirely paid for, 233 buildings, or a total of Church buildings constructed and dedicated in 1960 of 394. We have no information compiled for the first three months of 1961, but it is estimated that buildings in the planning stage and under construction would exceed the 900 mark.
If we were to ask for the most com- mendable progress, I would not answer: "In the increased membership," although
Address delivered Thursday morning, April 6, 1961.
in the last thirteen months the growth of the Church in numbers in the stakes and in the missions has been most encouraging. There has been an in- crease of a figure approaching the 100,000 mark. This afternoon we shall find the total membership given in the statistics.*
I would not answer that the most commendable progress has been in better understanding among the leaders of municipalities, newspaper editors, and well-informed people generally regard- ing the purposes, organization, and con- tributions of the Church toward peace and the ultimate destiny of the world.
I would answer that the most encour- aging progress of the Church during the last year is seen in the increased number of young people participating in Church activity. We hear much about the de- linquency and incorrigibility of youth. I desire to say a word this morning about their corrigibility, as we have seen it and noticed it in visiting in different parts of the Church.
For example, on Sunday, March 26, 1961, I attended the dedicatory services of the Bountiful South Stake Center and Bountiful Eighth Ward Church edifice. There were in attendance over 1,700 people, the majority of whom impressed me as being young members of the Primary Association and teen- agers. That same evening I attended the Sacrament meeting of the Garden Heights Ward, Canyon Rim Stake. Here again a large proportion of the congre- gation was made up of young people.
Two weeks ago today in our regular weekly meeting, one of the brethren of the General Authorities, I think it was Brother Mark E. Petersen, reported that he learned recently while attending the Bear River Stake conference that four wards in that stake had a Sacrament meeting attendance for one month of above fifty percent of the entire mem- bership of the ward, and two of these four wards were in the sixty percent bracket. The Oneida Stake had a year- long average high in the forties, and some wards had sixty percent, and even seventy percent in attendance. In each case the young people were a conspicuous part of the audience.
For this increased attendance of young people much credit is due to the Pre- siding Bishopric, who have put forth special effort to have the deacons, teachers, and priests attend Sacrament meetings. And right here I would like to say to this vast congregation that it is a significant fact in Church organiza- tion that the bishop of the ward is not only ordained to preside over his par- ticular ecclesiastical group but is also set apart by divine appointment as president of the priests' quorum, made up of 18, 19, and 20-year-old young men who, with young women of
*Church membership as of December 31, 1960, was 1,693,180.
corresponding age, literally carve the moral atmosphere of the community.
Much of this activity of the young is due to the Mutual Improvement Asso- ciations, who have placed special emphasis upon the attendance of mem- bers of the MIA at Sacrament meetings. The Primary general presidency and board and stake and ward workers merit great credit also.
But I know and you know that mere attendance at Church and other acts of piety signify little if the person does not conform his acts and his speech to the principles of the gospel. Into three principal environments the child is daily thrown, which direct his actions, inspire his behavior in all his contacts with his fellow beings, enable him to control himself or to become a slave to his ap- petites, his passions, and desires.
These three environments are: the home, the school, the church.
Beaconsfield wisely wrote: "I have al- ways felt that the best security for civilization is the dwelling, and that upon properly appointed and becoming dwellings depends more than anything else the improvement of mankind. Such dwellings are the nursery of all domes- tic virtues, and without a becoming home, the exercise of those virtues is impossible."
It is not generally conceded by edu- cators nor by parents that the real education of a child begins early in home life. One of our best modern philosophers, referring to the value of education in childhood, says this:
"Time does not have the same value in childhood as in later years. A year is much longer, physiologically and psychologically, for a child than for a man. One year for a child of ten corresponds to two years for a man of twenty. When the child is younger, the discrepancy is still greater. The time elapsed between the third and seventh year probably represents a dura- tion equivalent to fifteen or twenty years for a grown man.
"Now, it is precisely at this age that a child builds up the framework into which all the events of his future life will fit, and in particular his moral code. This explains the considerable amount of knowledge a child can ac- cumulate during his first years. It would be highly desirable for parents and educators to take this fact into consideration.
"The moral education of a child is different from that given to a man. In- deed, for the very young it is important not to judge the gravity of a fault by its consequences. For a child a fault is serious in itself — absolutely and not relatively — because it has been decreed that it is grave. Only the absolute char- acter of a fault can impart to the child a true moral discipline without which progress is impossible.
"It is impossible to model a child
388
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
morally if this principle is not followed, for the faults are almost always venial by their consequences. It is only during the most tender age that the character can be formed." (From Human Destiny by Lecomte du Nouy, pp. 208-209.)
Parents dress their children in the best clothes when children go out in "company." They cannot so change their characters. What traits of char- acter the child develops in the home, he takes with him into society. The selfish, morose nature, or his cheerful, kind, radiant soul developing in home environment goes with him when he joins the social group. If you want your child to be courteous in society, teach him to be courteous in the home. "If you please," "thank you," "pardon me," are terms of culture more ap- plicable and more educative in the home than in social circles. Into our schools and churches come too many children from homes where the funda- mental virtues of true manhood and beautiful womanhood are seldom taught and more infrequently practised.
In schools, in this Christian land, the teaching of Church dogma is forbidden, but the teaching of true citizenship — honesty, loyalty, the keeping of a prom- ise, and other virtues that contribute to the dignity of man — is not banned.
Students reflecting these high ideals, recently made a trip to California. The Deseret News made the following com- ments about them: "Vigorous, ambitious, carefree youth bears slightly more than its share of the criticism folks pass on to each other in these critical times, but when youth acquits itself in such a way as to win the admiration and praise of many observers, the occasion should not be permitted to pass unnoticed.
"Such a favorable impression was left
with our California friends when the chosen music students of the Salt Lake area junior and senior high schools so becomingly upheld the loftly idealism of their schools, their homes, and their city when they participated recently in the Musical Educators National Conven- tion at Santa Monica, California. Choral and orchestral groups made up the Salt Lake entourage to the conclave.
"Typical of the impression our young- sters left with their hosts is this tribute by the associate manager of the hotel where the students of the Granite Dis- trict were housed: 'It is seldom that a hotel has an opportunity to have its house occupied with such delightful, well-mannered, clean-cut children as the MENC group that Mr. Moroni L. Jensen brought to Santa Monica. . . . We are writing this letter to let you know what a wonderful impression the children of Salt Lake City and Mr. Jensen made.' "
If they had been delinquents, boister- ous, unladylike, ungentlemanlike, the papers would have told us about it. We thank these hotel people for paying this tribute to our boys and girls, who are truly representative children of good homes.
Man should so conduct himself as to merit the trust of his fellows. "There is a unanimity of thought in this," writes a wise philosopher, "which is to be found nowhere else except on the subject of the ten commandments, but the effort made to impress this idea indelibly on the minds of children in the shape of automatic conditioned reflexes is so slight that one is aghast. The equilib- rium of the whole world, not only peace, but justice, commerce, industry, science, rests on the confidence in the integrity and in the word of men, and all the
moral teaching given to youth in the course of ten or fifteen years of educa- tion and instruction certainly does not represent more than a few hours, in certain cases a few days. The young are stuffed with many useless details and the essential is passed over in si- lence." (The "essential" meaning moral training, teaching them the dignity of true manhood.)
"Farmers might as well be taught to grow flowers in borders without learning how to cultivate a field; or young girls be taught the art of make-up without learning how to wash. Exam- inations deal with a quantity of facts destined to be forgotten in three months, or which are purely technical; children are trained to behave decently in public, but nobody dreams of making them repeat daily, as a prayer: 'Every promise is sacred. No one is obliged to give a pledge, but he who breaks his given word is dishonored. He commits an unpardonable crime against his dignity; he betrays; he covers himself with shame; he excludes himself from human society.'
"If this is not in reality a prayer it is a creed which, by expressing faith in the dignity of Man addresses itself, beyond him, to God from whom we have received it."
He who is purported to have been the wisest American wrote years ago: "Char- acter is higher than intellect. A great soul will be fit to live as well as to think." (Emerson.)
In the Church, increased participation in church activity indicates a desire to be a partaker of spirituality, the highest acquisition of the soul, and young people desire it. I know there are many who haven't that feeling, many who do not come, but you know, fellow workers,
JUNE 1961
389
that the young people like that which is good and true.
I am grateful for the sweet assurance that God is my Father, and I should like to have the youth of Israel feel so close to him that they will approach him daily in secret prayer. I would have them have the trust in him which the little blind girl had in her father. One day she was sitting on his lap in the train, and a friend sitting by said, "Let me rest you," and he reached over and took the little child on his lap. The father said to her, "Do you know who is holding you?" "No," she replied, "but you do."
Just so real should be the trust which our boys and girls have in their Father in heaven. If our young people will have this faith, and so approach the Lord, there are at least four great bless-
ings which will come to them here and now.
The first is Gratitude. Their souls will be filled with thanksgiving for what God has done for them. They will find themselves rich in favors bestowed. The young man who closes the door behind him, who draws the curtains, and there in silence pleads with God for help, should first pour out his soul in grati- tude for health, for friends, for loved ones, for the gospel, for the manifesta- tions of God's existence. He should first count his many blessings and name them one by one.
The second blessing of prayer is Guidance. I cannot conceive of a young man's going astray who will kneel down by his bedside in the morning and pray to God to help him keep himself un- spotted from the sins of the world.
I think that a young girl will not go far wrong who will kneel down in the morning and pray that she might be kept pure and spotless during the com- ing day. I cannot think that a Latter- day Saint will hold enmity in his heart if he will sincerely, in secret, pray God to remove from his heart all feelings of envy and malice toward any of his fellow men. Guidance? Yes, God will be there to guide and direct him who will seek him in faith with all his might and with all his soul.
The third blessing is Confidence. All over this land there are thousands and tens of thousands of students who are struggling to get an education. In the Church, let us teach these students that if they want to succeed in their lessons, they should seek their God; that the greatest Teacher known to the world
THE
TESTIMONY WE GIVE OF HIM
President Henry D. Moyle
of the First Presidency
"The earth is the Lord's, and the ful- ness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." (Psalm 24:1.)
As Latter-day Saints we believe liter- ally these words of the Psalmist. We are the Lord's as are all our fellow men. This makes us all brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of God, with his only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, our elder brother. This is a much closer relation- ship than most of us realize. It gives ample justification for "The Golden Rule" and all that Christ taught the world in his Sermon on the Mount. In fact, this relationship forms the basis for all of Christ's teachings.
Whatever the Lord has for his chil- dren here on earth, he has for all of us. He is no respecter of persons. Underly- ing all of God's dealings with his children in all generations of time is the responsibility which attaches to any gift which we receive from God.
In the lives of those of us who are the recipients of his great blessings, our duty is well understood, and we do not shirk it. Herein lies the reason for and the foundation of all of our great missionary work, both at home and
Address delivered Sunday morning, April 9, 1961.
abroad. Having received a knowledge of the restoration of the gospel, we are im- pelled by a power far greater than any earthly power or earthly influence to teach the gospel to others that they might enjoy the fulness of life in full fellowship with our Father in heaven and in communion with us.
The importance of our missionary labors is emphasized in the gospel as written by John: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3.)
We have often been asked why we do not limit our missionary labors to the heathens, why do we bother Christian nations. The answer to this important question is best found in the fact that the missionary work which we perform is the same all over the world, whether it be here at home in the United States or in some remote nation of the earth. Our responsibility is to take the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to all our fellow men. Following Christ's ministry, his gospel was carried to the great centers of culture by his apostles and their as- sociates— Jerusalem, Corinth, Ephesus, Athens, Rome, Carthage, to mention only a few.
We are not left in doubt as to what we should do. At the end of the Gospel, according to John, we read:
". . . Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, [for the third time] Feed my sheep." (Ibid., 21:17.)
Were there any doubt in our minds as to the meaning of this parable, the
doubt should be removed when we read the closing sentences of the Gospel ac- cording to Matthew.
"Go ye therefore, and teach all na- tions, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: . . ." (Matt. 28:19-20.)
With the passing of time our rela- tionship to one another and to God has not changed. We are now no less con- strained to teach others the ways of God than were his disciples of old. We are, in fact, under greater stress so to do because God has given us sufficient temporal resources and also unlimited means of transmitting to all mankind the eternal truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ which have once again been given to man through his prophets in these latter days to the convincing of the souls of men that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that a plan for the salvation and exaltation of man was given by God himself before the founda- tions of the earth were laid, which, if followed, will bring all his children back into his divine presence, there to dwell eternally in a state of eternal happiness and progression; that we through the gift and power of the Holy Ghost can know and understand and follow this way of life which was also laid down for us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, while he walked here among men upon the earth in the Meridian of Time.
Indeed, this course which God in- tends his children to follow in mortality was given to Adam and has been revealed to all the prophets of God in
390
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
stands near to guide them. Once the student feels that he can approach the Lord through prayer, he will receive confidence that he can get his lessons, that he can write his speech, that he can stand up before his fellow students and deliver his message without fear of failure. Confidence comes through sin- cere prayer.
Finally, he will get Inspiration. It is not imagination, if we approach God sincerely seeking light and guidance from him, our minds will be enlightened and our souls thrilled by his Spirit. Washington sought it; Lincoln received it; Joseph Smith knew it; and the testi- mony, the evidence of the Prophet Joseph's inspiration is manifest to all who will but open their eyes to see and their hearts to understand.
Heaven guide you, our Youth, wher-
ever you are. As long as you will keep yourselves pure and spotless and prayer- fully and earnestly keep close to your Father in heaven, his Spirit will guide you, magnify you in your youth, and make you a power on the earth for good. Your Father in heaven is ever ready to give you help in time of need and give you comfort and strength if you will approach him in purity, simplicity, and faith.
In his poem, "Anchored to the Infi- nite," Edwin Markham says:
"The builder who first bridged Niagara's
gorge, Before he swung his cable, shore to
shore, Sent out across the gulf his venturing
kite Bearing a slender cord for unseen hands
To grasp upon the further cliff, and draw A greater cord, and a greater yet; 'Til at the last across the chasm swung The cable — then a mighty bridge in air! So we may send our little timid thought Across the void, out to God's reaching
hands — Send out our love and faith to thread
the deep, Thought after thought until the little
cord Has greatened to a chain no chance can
break, And — we are anchored to the Infinite!"
I repeat, God bless you, our Youth, that you may send out your thoughts in prayer and faith and receive the as- surance that you are anchored to the Infinite, in God our Father and his Holy Son, the Redeemer of the world, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
every gospel dispensation for the en- lightenment of mankind down to the present time.
Paul said, "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; . . ." (Eph. 1:10.)
This is the Dispensation of the Ful- ness of Times of which Paul spoke to the Ephesians.
Inasmuch as the Fulness of Times has now been revealed to man, we have all that has gone before in all former dispensations of time, to now present and teach to men.
It is of course with the present time that we are immediately concerned. This again demonstrates how great is our responsibility and how wonderful our opportunity for service. It is the purpose of the Almighty that all man- kind shall sooner or later receive the message of the restoration of the gospel in its fulness.
In a general conference of the Church held in Nauvoo in October 1840, Joseph Smith said: "Now the purpose in Him- self in the winding up scene of the last dispensation is that all things pertaining to that dispensation shall be conducted precisely in accordance with the pre- ceding dispensations." (DHC, Vol. IV, p. 208.)
We see that the gospel today is the gospel of yesterday. Therefore the revelations of God to man through his prophets in the past, as found in the Holy Bible, are of immediate importance and application in our lives today. To us they are in no wise antiquated or outmoded. The revelations of the past and the present reveal God the Father
and Jesus Christ his Son to those who will read with a will to understand. God's laws are eternal. Our relation- ship to God is both unchanging and everlasting.
Parenthetically, let me say that new editions of the Bible, no matter how modern, cannot help us any unless they present to us a more accurate interpreta- tion of the original source material still available. Our attention is particularly called in this respect to the importance of the translation of the Bible. Our Eighth Article of Faith reads: "We be- lieve the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God."
Paul gave the Corinthians the spirit- ual attainment necessary to our under- standing of God, for he said: ". . . no man can say [know] that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." (1 Cor. 12:3.)
Our understanding of the scriptures and our conversion to the truth today must follow the same pattern as was set for Paul's conversion and followed by Paul in his ministry in the conversion of others. Paul once said: "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." (Ibid., 3:6.) Where there is no increase given, of such as Paul spoke, there is no conversion.
Job's declaration is all-enlightening. "But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding." (Job 32:8.)
Therefore, when we come to fulfil all righteousness by delivering the message of the gospel as it has been revealed to us, to our fellow men, we must teach by the Spirit. The Spirit must bear
witness of the truthfulness of our mes- sage to the world. No one need fear to hear our message. If we speak of ourselves, our work will come to naught. Paul declared to the Corinthians:
"And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testi- mony of God.
"For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
"And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
"And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power:
"That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." (1 Cor. 2:1-5.)
Paul wrote to the Ephesians: "For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." (Eph. 2:18.)
"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
"One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
"One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Ibid., 4:4-6.)
We bear solemn witness to the world that God has revealed himself and his Son Jesus Christ to the world through his Prophet Joseph Smith; that he has restored his priesthood, his prophets, and his apostles as of old upon this earth. They are with his people here and now. We as recipients of the Holy Priesthood are empowered and authorized to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to mankind today, and to administer in all the
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ordinances of the gospel given to man from the time of Adam to the present day. All our elders called on missions at home, and those who are in the various nations of the earth, have been ordained to the priesthood of God and set apart to teach the world the saving principles of the gospel, to call the world to repentance, to warn the world of impending dangers which can be met successfully only by living lives of righteousness, adhering to the principles cf truth which emanate from the throne of God, obedience to which results in peace on earth and in exaltation eternal- ly in the kingdom of our Heavenly Father.
The Lord once said, "For behold, this is my work and my glory — to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39.)
Every elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called into the service of the Master as a missionary goes forth to proclaim these duties, with this admonition from the Lord — to do his work, to establish his glory, to turn the hearts and spirits of men to their Maker. We have received a very posi- tive and definite commission from on high. The Lord has spoken, and these are his words:
". . . Ye are not sent forth to be taught, but to teach the children of men the things which I have put into
your hands by the power of my Spirit;
"And ye are to be taught from on high. Sanctify yourselves and ye shall be endowed with power, that ye may give even as I have spoken." (D&C 43:15-16.)
"And again, the elders, priests and teachers of this church shall teach the principles of my gospel, which are in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, in the which is the fulness of the gospel." (Ibid., 42:12.)
Now to those who hear will be given to know and to understand the teachings of our elders, if their hearts and minds are open, and they have a sincere desire to know the truth. The Lord will an- swer the prayers of those who seek to know the truth. Did not the Master admonish us all to "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" (Matt. 7:7.)
People by the thousands can be heard all over the earth to testify that the message of the missionaries of the Church is true. They do not rely upon the word of the elders of the Church alone. They receive a testimony of their own which is born of the Spirit. This is the greatest gift which comes to man from on high. He immediately sees himself in true perspective with his fel- low men and with his God. He knows what he should know. He is responsive
to the gospel plan. He seeks baptism by immersion for the remission of his sins.
Christ sought John the Baptist in the wilderness to be baptized of him in the River Jordan. Christ at once recog- nized the authority to baptize held by John. Christ declared that he was baptized to "fulfil all righteousness." Following his baptism, and as he came straightway out of the water, having been immersed therein, the heavens opened and God the Father declared: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." The Holy Ghost, the other member of the Godhead, de- scended from heaven and rested upon the Savior. Thus the Savior was bap- tized both by water and by the Spirit.
In all generations of time those who have been baptized according to the plan laid down by the Father, justified by the Son and recognized and approved by both the Father and the Holy Ghost, have, after baptism, received the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands by those who are in authority — the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, which Christ promised his disciples would be sent to them by the Father upon his ascension on high. Those who seek after the Comforter can be assured, through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel, never to be left alone, but always to have the influence, power,
THE
ETERNITY OF TEMPLE MARRIAGE
President Joseph Fielding Smith of the Council of the Twelve
I trust that I may have the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord in what I may say.
I will commence by quoting from the nineteenth chapter of Matthew:
"The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
"And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
"And said, For this cause shall a man
Address delivered Saturday morning, April 8, 1961.
leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
"Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." (Matt. 19:3-6.)
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, marriage is performed for those who love the truth and desire to belong to the family of God, as spoken of by Paul in the third chapter of Ephesians, wherein he says:
"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
"Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." (Eph. 3:14-15.)
Is there a family in heaven and in earth? Yes. That family is composed of those who go to the temple of the Lord and there are sealed or married for time and for all eternity according to the law of the Lord. Marriage is to be eternal, just as the Lord declares here in the words that I have read, and when a man and a woman go to the house of the Lord and are married for time and for all eternity, they take upon them certain covenants that they
will be true and faithful in that union. Those covenants are made in the pres- ence of God and angels at the altar in the temple of the Lord. How, then, can a man and a woman with the love of God in their hearts ever turn away from the solemn covenants that they make that they will be true and faithful all the days of their lives in mortality and that their faithfulness will continue after death? That is the covenant that they make.
Now, the Lord says further in an- swer to the Pharisees query:
"They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
"He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
"And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso mar- rieth her which is put away doth com- mit adultery.
"His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry." (Matt. 19:7-10.)
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and inspiration of a member of the Godhead ever present.
Christ says, as recorded in John: "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which pro- ceeded from the Father, he shall testify of me:
"And ye also shall bear witness, be- cause ye have been with me from the beginning." (John 15:26-27.)
For you it is left to decide whether our message is like the seed in the parable of the sower, some falling. by the wayside into stony places, or among the thorns, or into the good ground, and is heard and understood and beareth fruit and bringeth forth "some an hun- dredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirty- fold." (See Matt. 13:3-8.)
Our preaching of the gospel today is no different from the days of Pentecost in Jerusalem when Peter preached to the multitude. We read:
"And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
"And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
"And they were all filled with the Floly Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
"And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven." (Acts 2:2-5.)
Finally Peter testified unto them in the power and majesty of his priesthood:
"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have cruci- fied, both Lord and Christ.
"Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Ibid., 2:36-38.)
With President McKay to direct us in our effort to do our duty in promul- gating the gospel at home and abroad, we always know the proper course to pursue. The Lord has raised him up to be his prophet, seer, and revelator and to give to his Church a revelation per- taining to our duties as members of the Church in the world today. We are all becoming more and more aware of our responsibility, our privilege, our power, and our opportunity. On every hand we are beckoned by the world to divulge, as it were, the secret of our unity and success and happiness. No one lacks opportunity.
Some may ask the question as to how we convert others to the truth. The answer is, we do not. Conversion comes from above. Our part in this work is to plant the seeds of truth. These seeds are born of our conviction when we testify of the divine mission of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, who offered himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. We rely upon the gift and power of the Holy Ghost to carry our message into the hearts of our listeners and witness unto them the truthfulness of our stated conviction.
"And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!" declared Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon in 1832.
"For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Be- gotten of the Father —
"That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God." (D&C 76:22-24.)
God help us all as his children that we may wend our way back to him by obedience to the laws and command- ments set forth in his gospel, I humbly pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Now, evidently they did not get the full significance of the Savior's words.
In the temple of the Lord, a couple goes to be sealed or married for time and all eternity. Children born in that union will be the children of that father and mother not only in mortal life but in all eternity, and they be- come members of the family of God in heaven and on earth, as spoken of by Paul, and that family order should never be broken. The Lord tried to impress this upon his disciples that it was only because of the hardness of the hearts of the people, because they failed to keep the commandments that the Lord had given them that Moses granted the putting away of the wife. Today the laws are different, and sometimes men put away their wives, and sometimes wives put away their husbands, but a marriage in the temple of the Lord should be one that should be considered sacred and holy, never to be violated in any way whatsoever, because it means that those who enter into such a covenant shall continue after death and have eternal increase and build a kingdom.
Now, if there is ever a divorce be-
tween a man and a woman married in the temple for time and all eternity, it is because they, one or the other or both, have violated the covenants that they made at the altar of the Lord, otherwise they could not separate, and the Lord never intended that a man and a woman be separated in death, but that this marriage was one for eternity. There was no separation in death, and
one of the greatest sins that can be committed is for a man and a woman to separate after they have been sealed in the house of the Lord to become sons and daughters of God and mem- bers of his household, and to have children come to them, sent by divine approval to be in that household not only for time but for all eternity. Now how in the world a man and a
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woman can go to the temple and there be sealed and make their solemn cove- nants that they will be true and faithful, before the Lord, and then the time comes when one of them is dissatisfied, maybe both, and they want to separate! They are committing one of the great crimes that could be committed, if they have children. Those children born to them have a right to the companionship of father and mother, and father and mother are under obligations before their Eternal Father to be true to each other and raise those children in light and truth, that they may in the eterni- ties to come, be one — a family within
the great family of God, as spoken of by Paul.
It is only because of transgression on the part of the wife or of the husband, or perhaps on the part of both, when a couple has been married in the temple of the Lord, and then separate. If they were true to their covenants, to the obligations that they have made to each other at the altar in the house of the Lord, they could not separate, and if they have children, they are not only committing a crime against themselves, but they are harming those children and robbing them of blessings that they were born entitled to receive.
The Savior is very emphatic in his
answer to these Pharisees. If the law was true in the days of the Savior and his words are according to the law, then it seems to me that that law has not changed in the Dispensation of the Ful- ness of Times. It is only through sin and the transgression of the law that a separation can come that would divide father and mother and leave the chil- dren stranded and perhaps to be received into some other family by adop- tion, because parents have lost their faith and have turned away from the covenants they solemnly made before God and angels.
How members of the Church can do such a thing appears to me as a
Thursday Morning Session, April 6, 1961
LIFT UP
YOUR EYES
Sterling W. Sill
Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
I am very grateful, my brothers and sisters, for this semiannual opportunity of attending with you the general con- ference of the Church. What a great privilege it is to come here and be strengthened in our faith and have our thoughts redirected toward the pur- pose for which the Church was organ- ized in this greatest and last of all the dispensations.
The Lord's reason for bringing us to these valleys in the first place was not primarily to establish us in a condition of wealth and ease, he probably did not intend that we should ever excel as a financial community or as a seat of political influence. We were brought here to build up the kingdom, to send out the message of the restoration to the nations, and to prepare the world for the glorious second coming of Christ. In these fields we must excel.
What a sobering responsibility it is to be entrusted with the message of universal salvation. But with the ad- vantage in knowledge that we have re- ceived from our three great volumes of new scripture, supported by our own personal testimonies of the truth, what reason can we possibly give if we do not excel in faith and in education and in Godliness and in honor and in
the personal preparation we make for eternal life? To help us to get the motivation and inspiration for this ac- complishment is one of the purposes of these great semiannual meetings.
As a part of each conference, the Presidency and other General Authori- ties of the Church have an inspiring meeting in the upper room of the temple. This conference, as I sat in that historic place, I thought about our pio- neer ancestors, who out of their poverty erected the magnificent temple that stands on this block, wherein the sacred ordinances so necessary to our salvation can be performed. But the temple itself is a constant reminder to us to do our duty. It is a kind of symbol of our mission.
All of you, I am sure, have had the thrilling experience at night of looking up to the lighted spires of the temple as they point us up to God, as if to remind us of the purpose of our lives. To me, one of the most inspirational parts of any church edifice is its spire. The word, "spire" and "inspire" have a close origin and a near common meaning. And as God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts, so we need his inspiration for our accomplishment.
Jesus once explained one source of his strength when he said, "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." (John 4:34.) Do- ing God's will is also our greatest possible source of strength. To encour- age his disciples to follow him in doing the Father's will, Jesus spoke some lines that I would like to use as a text. He said, "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest." (Ibid., 4:35.)
Certainly our day is a most urgent time to re-echo that theme. We should lift up our eyes to see our duty and to understand our opportunities; to accept our responsibilities and to put truth in
force in our lives. We should lift up our eyes to worship God and to serve our fellow men as the Lord has commanded.
We are, of course, all aware that there are other powerful influences in the world inviting us to look down to the earth. From the pinnacle of the temple, Satan said to Jesus, "Cast thy- self down." Satan has been giving that same direction ever since with the most terrifying success. And the first step toward any failure is always merely to look down, to let earthly things absorb our interests. It is pretty difficult to look down and to look up at the same time.
It has been said that one may not al- ways look where he is going, but he will always go where he is looking. If we merely look down long enough, many will be sure to fall.
Back in the days of the old sailing ships, a young, inexperienced seaman was sent aloft in a storm to disentangle a broken rigging from the mainmast. Despite the raging winds he climbed up quickly, and soon his mission was ac- complished. But as he started to de- scend, he looked down, and as he looked down, he became dizzy and frightened. He saw the angry, rolling sea. He felt the quiver of the trembling ship as it was tossed about by the waves. Then he became aware that his grip was weakening, and he cried to those on the deck below that he was about to fall. The captain shouted to him to stop looking down, and heeding his superior's command, he turned his eyes upward and soon regained his balance and self-confidence. Then he was able to make his way safely back to the deck.
The moral dizziness that always comes from looking down is one of our biggest personal problems. It is one of the sig- nificant characteristics of our day that as a people we are too much occupied
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mystery. It can be explained, of course. They do it because they have lost the spirit of the gospel. That divorce comes to them because they are not keeping the commandments that the Lord gave to them, because they have permitted darkness to enter into their souls.
I think I can say here safely and truthfully that no judge in this world in any court of the land can annul a marriage for time and all eternity. He may separate the husband and wife by legal enactments so far as this world is concerned, but he cannot separate that husband and wife so far as the next world is concerned. Only the President of the Church has authority to cancel
sealings, and when the man and his wife lose their faith and go to the courts and get a separation, and then go out and marry according to the laws of the land, they are not culpable be- fore the law of the land, but they are before the kingdom of God and what the Savior says here in this revelation is absolutely true:
". . . Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adul- tery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery." (Matt. 19:9.) May the Lord bless you all, I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
with the things down. The newspapers, magazines, and our own inclinations center our attention on sin, crime, war, and material advantage. Then we get dizzy and confused, and our lives tend to lose their balance.
Here we have the communist example of where leaders of great nations have stopped looking up, and soon they have cast themselves down by centering their life's purposes in evil, including one of the greatest sins which is their attempted enslavement of other nations. When nations or individuals look down and recognize no higher authority than their own, they soon lose their sense of right and wrong. The communist leaders have deliberately destroyed many of their own people, and they would, if they thought they could, deprive every human being in the world of his God- given free agency without a moment's hesitation. They have closed up their churches by governmental decree and now make no pretense of lifting up their eyes, their thoughts, or their activities to God.
At Fulton, Missouri, on March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill said, "A shadow has fallen across the scene so recently lighted by Allied victory. From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent." The communists have erected a vertical curtain, separat- ing themselves from their fellow men and are thereby violating the second great commandment. But they have also erected a horizontal curtain over their heads, separating themselves from God, and are thereby violating the first and greatest commandment.
But we sometimes accomplish about the same thing individually by allow- ing the iron curtains of our material interests, our social affairs, and our spiritual indifference to separate us from God and draw our attention away from
the main purpose of our lives. It doesn't take very long looking down before we are incapable of doing anything else.
In his Inferno Dante gave an account of an imaginary trip through hell. And one group of hell's inmates said to him, "As our eyes intent on earthly things were never lifted up to heaven, so now doth justice fix them down upon the ground. And even as greed destroyed our love for good whereby the labors of our lives were lost, so now doth justice hold us captive here, fettered in close restraint."
We might see a reflection of our situa- tion in John Buhyon's Pilgrim's Progress story of the mjan with the muckrake. Because this m|n spent his life raking unto himself the chaff and dust of the earth, he had trained himself to look in no direction but down. There was an angel standing over his head with a celestial crown in his hand, offering to exchange the crown for the muckrake. But because this man could look in no direction but down, he disregarded the offer of the angel as he continued to rake unto himself the chaff and muck of the earth.
With a similar situation in mind, Edwin Markham entitled his poetic masterpiece, "The Man with the Hoe." It might have been entitled, "The Man with the Muckrake." It was written under the inspiration of Millet's world- famous painting of a brutalized toiler, representing one who had fallen from the high position in which he had been placed by the Creator. And about this man with an iron curtain over his head, Mr. Markham said:
"Bowed by the weight of centuries he
leans Upon his hoe and gazes on the ground, The emptiness of ages in his face, And on his back the burden of the
world.
Who made him dead to rapture and
despair, A thing that grieves not and that never
hopes, Stolid and stunned, a brother to the ox? Who loosened and let down his brutal
jaw? Whose was the hand that slanted back
this brow? Whose breath blew out the light within
this brain?
"Is this the Thing the Lord God made
and gave To have dominion over sea and land; To trace the stars and search the heavens
for power; To feel the passion of Eternity? Is this the dream He dreamed who
shaped the suns And marked their ways upon the ancient
deep? Down all the caverns of Hell to their
last gulf There is no shape more terrible than
this — More tongued with censure of the
world's blind greed — More filled with signs and portents for
the soul — More packt with danger to the universe."
And then Mr. Markham asks:
"O masters, lords and rulers in all lands, How will the future reckon with this
man? How answer his brute question in that
hour When whirlwinds of rebellion shake
all shores? How will it be with kingdoms and with
kings — With those who shaped him to the
thing he is — When this dumb Terror shall rise to
judge the world, After the silence of the centuries?"
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We always begin this downward pro- cess as soon as we separate ourselves from God in any degree. The first and greatest commandment has to do with our first and greatest need, which is for God. That is, God created us, he gives us life and breath, he enlightens our minds and quickens our understandings. At this very moment God is sending us energy, food, and vitality from the sun. We do not live on an independent earth. If the sun's rays were turned off for just a few hours, there would be no life left upon this earth. And when men turn their backs on God and obey no higher law than their own, then
truth, honor, and fairness lose their meaning. The angel's song of "Peace on earth, good will toward men" is an unintelligible concept to communist philosophy. Their wisest strategy and the point of their greatest excellence is to cause confusion, hatred, and strife among their fellow men. Mr. Mao, the communist dictator in China, recently said that he would welcome an atomic war, and we have every reason to be- lieve that he was being entirely truthful in his declaration.
But as the captain in the storm called to the inexperienced seaman to look up, so the captain of our salvation is calling
through the storms of our troubled lives saying that if we would avoid falling, we must look up to God. We sing a song in which we say:
"Look up, my soul, be not cast down, Cast not thine eyes upon the ground. Break off the shackles of the earth, Receive, my soul, a spirit's birth."
We are not likely to receive the spirit's birth while we are competing with each other in evil. We are born again only when we follow the direction given to our lives by the temple spires and look up to our Heavenly Father. We need
"BE THOU AN EXAMPLE OF THE BELIEVERS"
Joseph L. Wirthlin Presiding Bishop
My beloved brethren and sisters, it is a great source of inspiration to be present this morning. Week after week as I visit the stakes in the Church, I always feel I am with my brethren and sisters. That is the way I feel this morning. I know you as my brethren and sisters, but I also know of our older brother, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In all of our endeavors, we must give consideration to him.
This morning, as President McKay was giving us information about the Aaronic Priesthood and its achievements, I thought of another young man. His name was Timothy. Timothy became a wonderful missionary in his work with the Apostle Paul. Paul said to him, "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12.)
Paul's words, "Let no man despise thy youth . . ." can be directed to the thousands of our young missionaries who are out in the world preaching the gospel to those not of our faith. Any young man who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ and is endeavoring to build up the king-
dom may come in contact with people who say, "Well, after all, young man, what do you know about the gospel?" Then, they can remember, if they will, what Paul said, "Let no man despise thy youth. . . ."
Paul also said to Timothy, which is most important, when he mentioned "the believers." That would indicate that all these young men should understand the gospel and believe it and teach it to the extent that they can bear testimony that they are rep- resenting the true Church.
Paul said to Timothy, "in word," by which he should learn the gospel and all the information that was essential to teach it to those not of the true faith. Paul not only declared to Timothy, "in word," but also, "in conversation," which means to preach and teach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to those who came in contact with him. He also said, "in charity," which would be kindness and helpfulness in all of his teachings. He then said, "in spirit." The spirit comes through prayer, being close to the Lord where individual prob- lems can be solved — the spirit of loyalty and devotion to the Lord and his Son Jesus Christ, and also with this comes the gift of the Holy Ghost. I am sure, my brethren and sisters, that no individual can render the right service in preaching the gospel to those not of our faith unless he has the Holy Ghost. It is so important in our homes that we instruct our sons and daughters about the Holy Ghost. Paul also said to Timothy, "in faith." Faith indicates activity. The youth of the Church and these young missionaries who go out into the world have faith so strong in their souls that they will be successful in their assign- ments. He also mentioned "in purity"
to the young missionary, Timothy; purity of mind and body and soul.
The Apostle Matthew recorded these words of the Christ: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all na- tions; and then shall the end come." (Matt. 24:14.)
President McKay said in the meeting of the General Authorities in the temple two weeks ago that Satan has more power over the world than ever before in history. I accept this without a question. Therefore, it is very important for all of us to give thought that sooner or later the end is going to come — the end of all of this difficulty that we have at the present time and that we will prepare the world for the second com- ing of Christ.
The Apostle John said in Revelation 14:6-7:
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
"Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."
When the Church was upon the earth two thousand years ago, and thereafter was disorganized, the apostles and all who had labored in building up the kingdom at that time were gone. There were individuals who desired to organize churches of their own. During that period of time of darkness in the world when the sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father were not receiving the divine guidance they had received dur- ing the time of the apostles and those who followed them, the power of Satan
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to trade in our muckrakes. There is an angel over our heads offering us the celestial kingdom if we will lift up our eyes and our hearts and our voices and our souls unto God. We need to take down our iron curtains and do away with our idleness and indifference. We need to remember the purpose of our lives and give a more enthusiastic re- sponse to the Master's invitation so ap- propriate to our day, wherein he had said, "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest." (John 4:35.)
That God will help us so to do, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
was dominant. There were wars, wars that came about because of the differ- ences in religion and the true gospel itself which was lost. The priesthood was gone. The people were in darkness.
Proverbs 6:16-19 states:
"These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
"A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
"An heart that deviseth wicked im- aginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,"
"A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."
This statement applies to us today as well as it did to the people almost three thousand years ago.
A great event was to take place, as I have already indicated to you, when that marvelous apostle made it very clear that in the last days as he said, "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth. . . ." (Rev. 14:6.)
A young man who was desirous to find the true Church made it a matter of prayer, and there appeared to him the Father and the Son. The Father said to Joseph, "This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" Thereafter, the Prophet Joseph received the direction and the authority to organize the Church. Yes, he received the priesthood when John the Baptist appeared to him. He also received the Melchizedek Priesthood from Peter, James, and John, the apos- tles at the time of Christ. The golden plates were given to him, which gave the history of America, and most im- portant, they contained the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in its fulness. The Lord intended his Church should
be organized again. On April 6, 1830, the Church was organized. Since that time, many other important events have taken place. There was the erection of the temple in Kirtland, Ohio, and many other temples since then. With these wonderful events, you can come to but one conclusion, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was again made available for all of the sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father who now live upon the earth and those who come after us.
There are now eight thousand young men preaching the gospel as Timothy taught it, that those who are seeking the truth can find it through these young missionaries who give them the inspira- tion and the knowledge that the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is again on the earth.
Our American Prophet Joseph Smith
made a statement in the thirteenth Arti- cle of Faith quite comparable to what Paul said to Timothy:
"We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in do- ing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul — We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praise- worthy, we seek after these things."
And as the Apostle Paul said to Timothy, "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity," (1 Tim. 4:12) which I pray will be a guide to all the sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. This I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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PUT YOUR HAND TO THE PLOW
Howard W. Hunter
of the Council of the Twelve
Not long ago we were traveling through the air so high above the white clouds that they looked like a blanket of snow beneath us. The sky was blue, and the sun was shining, and then we com- menced our descent for landing. As we came down through the clouds, a new scene came into view. The earth had been plowed for planting, and the sun was shining on the fields, some plowed in one direction and some in another. It made the earth appear as a great giant checkerboard. We came down and down and then, when within a few hundred feet of the ground, I saw a man laboring in the field, his hands fixed to a plow drawn by a horse. My thoughts turned to that closing verse in the ninth chapter of Luke in which the Master said:
"No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62.)
Christ made this statement as he traveled to Jerusalem. Three men had expressed their willingness to follow him and become his disciples. The first of these said to him: "Lord, I will fol- low thee whithersoever thou goest.
"And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." (Ibid., 9:57-58.)
Jesus had no definite place of resi- dence. He went from place to place teaching and doing good. It was necessary that the men who were called and set apart for the work should devote their time and attention and forego worldly affairs. The work of the Master set the great example. The second man was also willing to follow. "But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
"Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God." (Ibid., 9:59-60.)
Does this statement sound severe? The Master made it clear that the work of the kingdom was to take precedence over all other things. Then the third man stepped forward and said: "Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house." (Ibid., 9:61.)
Not one of the three was willing to follow him without first returning to their worldly affairs. The answer of Jesus is one of the great aphorisms of biblical literature. "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Ibid., 9:62.)
In his teachings the Master used homely figures of speech, those having familiar, everyday character. The words, "his hand to the plough," unfolds a picture before us with which we are all familiar — a strong man with sinewy arms and a firm step, guiding the blade stra'ght and true, his eyes intent upon the plough, looking ahead to the furrow to be cut. Hour after hour he toils, never looking backward except to see that the furrow is straight.
In addition to "ploughing" the Lord often mentioned the words, "sowing" and "reaping." He made mention of "reap- ing the harvest," and when that comes
to our minds we think of a happy time and a time of rejoicing. The Lord said: "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
"And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together." (John 4:35-36.)
Before there can be a reaping of the harvest, there must have been a sowing of the seed. When we think of sowing, our minds turn to the parable spoken by the Savior:
"Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
"And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
"Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
"And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
"And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
"But others fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundred- fold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold." (Matthew 13:3-8.)
Sowing of seed is important; other- wise, there would be no harvest, and as stated in the parable, there must be good ground to bring forth a good harvest. Plowing must have been done before the sowing or there would have been no seedbed.
Of all the work of the field, plow- work is the heaviest labor. It is primary and fundamental — it is pioneer toil. A seed may be dropped anywhere, and there is no resistance, but put the blade of the plow into the ground and a thousand forces join to oppose the
Thursday Afternoon Session, April 6, 1961
THAT THE WORLD THROUGH HIM MIGHT BE SAVED"
Harold B. Lee
of the Council of the Twelve
My soul is subdued as I face this vast conference audience, and I seek, there- fore, for an interest in your faith and
prayers during these next few minutes.
Several weeks ago I had a telephone call from an anxious father about his nineteen-year-old son, who, having read certain scriptures, was resisting the idea of going on a mission lest he would do an injustice to those who would reject his message, thus placing them under condemnation as he had construed cer- tain scriptures, which he had read, to mean.
As I sat with this young man, at the request of the father, I found that he had two particular scriptures in mind. The first was the injunction of the Master to his disciples when he said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:15-16.)
And then in our day one somewhat similar: "Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor.
"Therefore, they are left without excuse, and their sins are upon their own heads." (D&C 88:81-82.)
So this young man asked, "Why send the missionaries out to preach the gospel, if to do so would put people under condemnation who would not accept? Would it not be better for people to be kept in ignorance than to be taught and then not to accept?"
Of course, these questions opened up
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change. To disturb the conventional, to overturn the traditional, or to attempt to make changes in the deep-rooted way of doing things in the lives of indi- viduals, requires toil and sweat. The heaviest work in the kingdom of God is to turn the hard surface of the earth which has been baked in the sun or covered by the growth of nature. What a great change comes over land which has been cleared and plowed, — row after row of evenly spaced furrows, the sub- surface loosened and exposed to the sun and air and the rains from heaven, ready to be broken up and planted to seed. The wilderness is conquered and subdued.
Those who become disciples of the Master and put their hands to the plow without turning back prove themselves to be worthy plowmen. By turning over the old surfaces of tradition, they pre- pared the fields for the introduction and the spread of Christianity into the world.
We do not need to go back to the time of Christ, however, to find fields to plow. F.'elds exist today all over the world, and missionaries have been called and have put their hands to the plow. Nearly 15,000 stake and full-time missionaries are now in the fields. Furrows are being cut and seeds planted, and every day we see the results of the harvest.
And there is the field of education. Hundreds of plowmen are preparing the field for the harvest. They are teaching the principles of truth to our young men and young women in the Church educational system. About 63,000 high school students are presently enrolled in sem'nary classes, 9,500 college students are participating in the institute program of religious education, and approxi- mately 17,000 students are enrolled in
Church schools. In all, about 90,000 young people are being given direction in life by those who have put their hands to the plow.
Not many years ago we entered into the field of assisting those in need by the great welfare program. The plow- shares were driven in and the soil turned over, disclosing the hidden possi- bilities of our arising to full stature in being our brothers' keeper. Men and women have joined in the labor of the field, and thousands have been helped and aided in the Lord's way, when in need.
We have in Church leadership great plowmen with firm hands and stout hearts— stake presidents and mission presidents — determined men who work in the fields. Bishops, branch presi- dents, heads of priesthood quorums and auxiliary organizations are toiling in their assigned fields. Close at home and in distant countries new lands are being broken up by these plowmen, and the subsurface exposed to the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Is it hard work? Of course, but that which is worthwhile is seldom easy. As individuals we have a responsibility to plow. Some accept the opportunity, but some shrink from the responsibility. Some of those who commence cut only a short furrow and then leave the field for what appears to be escape from the toil to follow the false illusion of the ease which they had left behind. Their plowshares are left to rust in the furrow.
Whatever the past may have been in our individual lives, it is gone. The future lies ahead, and we must face it with resolution. There is always a point from which we can begin. Even though we may have been faithful in the past, if we turn away, that faithfulness will profit us nothing. "No man, having put
his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
There is danger in looking backward. One must keep his eyes ahead in order to cut a straight furrow. When the plowman commences to look backward, he cuts a crooked furrow, and his work is spoiled. We cannot continue to walk forward when at the same time we are looking backward. It makes no difference what object or occasion causes us to look backward, the back- ward glance commences the backward turning, and may be the beginning of our disendowment in the kingdom of God.
As plowing requires an eye intent on the furrow to be made and is marred when one looks backward, so will they come short of exaltation who prosecute the work of God with a distracted at- tention or a divided heart. We may not see clearly the end of the furrow, but we dare not look back. Eternity stretches on ahead, challenging us to be faithful.
"And thus, if ye are faithful ye shall be laden with many sheaves, and crowned with honor, and glory, and immortality, and eternal life." (D&C 75:5.)
God lives. I witness that Jesus is the Christ; that the gospel has been re- turned to the earth; that Joseph Smith was the servant and prophet raised up for the purpose of the restoration; that there lives today a prophet to reveal to us God's will in all things, and with all my heart I sustain President David O. McKay as that prophet, seer, and revel ator.
May we put our hands to the plow and not look backward, that we may be fit for a place in the kingdom of God, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
a subject which would require far more time than is at my disposal this after- noon, but with the thought that these same questions may be in the minds of others, particularly our young men who do not understand, I shall this after- noon make a few observations relative to the point raised by this young man. Some of these thoughts were expressed in my interview with him.
The Master commanded his disciples: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost": (Matthew 28:19.)
"Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained." (John 20:23.)
And so the scriptures record, the dis- ciples preached, "Repent, and be bap- tized . . . for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38.)
The Master's admonition to Nico- demus, who came confessing Jesus as a teacher come of God, and undoubtedly seeking to know, like so many others who are true seekers after truth, just what he must do to be saved. He was told that he must be born again if he would see the kingdom of God. This statement, the Master clarified, when he explained, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5.)
This new birth, then, was to be accomplished through the medium of
baptism by immersion and by the laying on of hands for the conferring of the Holy Ghost, as the disciples, thereafter as they went out among the people, administered these sacred ordinances.
Then Nicodemus asked: "How can these things be?" And in answer, the Master declared the profound truth re- garding the atonement, which explains to all who would understand the reason why the gospel must be preached by authorized servants to all people. Said he:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that who- soever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (Ibid., 3:16.)
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And then he emphasized, "For God sent not his Son into the world to con- demn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (Ibid., 3:17.)
I then paraphrased to my young mis- sionary friend: "So our missionaries go not out into the world to condemn the world, but that the world, through their teachings, might be saved."
Being saved from everlasting condem- nation through the atonement of the only Begotten Son becomes a new birth, or a redemption from spiritual death, the meaning of which is explained by revelation as the Lord has revealed it.
From the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, they and their posterity suffered a spiritual death, or a separation from direct communication with Deity. This is what the revelations have taught us:
"And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto them- selves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet —
"Wherefore, it came to pass that the devil tempted Adam, and he partook of the forbidden fruit and transgressed the commandment, wherein he became sub- ject to the will of the devil, because he yielded unto temptation.
"Wherefore, I, the Lord God, caused that he should be cast out from the Garden of Eden, from my presence, because of his transgression, wherein he became spiritually dead, which is the first death, even that same death which is the last death, which is spiritual, which shall be pronounced upon the wicked when I shall say: "Depart, ye cursed." (D&C 29:39-41.)
Man through the baptism of the water
and of the Spirit is redeemed from this spiritual death and by the power of the Holy Ghost, brought back into direct communion with God, and these are "born again." To those who keep the commandments ". . . he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you." (Mosiah 18:10.)
Those who suffered this first "spiritual death" were cast out from the presence of God from the Garden of Eden, as the Lord had said to the spirits in the pre- mortal world, that they might "prove themselves to see if they would do all things whatsoever the Lord their God should command them," and there was granted unto all men, therefore a "pro- bationary" period as the Prophet Amulek explained: "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God," (Alma 34:32) or in other words, a time for all men to work out their salvation and to prepare to come back into the presence of God.
It was this plan of salvation to which the Resurrected Lord made reference when he said to the Nephites: "And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repent- ance of all their sins, and their faith- fulness unto the end." (3 Nephi 27:19.)
Baptism of water and of the Spirit by those having authority are the neces- sary ordinances for this cleansing, for as the Lord told Adam, ". . . by the water ye keep the commandment, by the Spirit are ye justified, and by the blood are ye sanctified." (Moses 6:60.)
It was undoubtedly this same prin- ciple that the apostle Paul had in mind when he taught the Galatians: "For as
many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Gal. 3:27.)
Involved in this question of the uni- versal proclamation of the gospel is an- other principle implied in the Master's instruction to Peter. The Master, hav- ing declared the fundamental principle upon which his kingdom would be built, conferred upon Peter the "keys of the kingdom," which have been conferred upon all prophet-leaders in every dis- pensation and held today by our own President David O. McKay in our time. He said the purpose of so establishing his kingdom with that authority was that the "gates of hell" should not prevail against it.
The broad implication of that state- ment, having in mind the periods of apostasy which have followed each dis- pensation, is that even during such periods of apostasy when there was no one on earth to administer these saving ordinances, the devil would not prevail against the plan of salvation of all of our Father's children.
This further provision in his plan con- templated the preaching of the gospel then, not only to his children who were upon the earth, but also to the spirits of mortals who had lived upon the earth. The Master prophesied of the time when that would take place when he said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." (John 5:25.)
Not long after this prophecy was ut- tered, it was fulfilled when the Cruci- fied Lord, as Peter tells us, ". . . quick- ened by the Spirit, went and preached unto the spirits in prison." (1 Peter 3:18-21.) And thus, although temporar-
WHO'S ON THE LORD'S SIDE?
Carl W. Buehner
of the Presiding Bishopric
The message contained in the words of an old song suggest a few thoughts worthy of consideration:
"Who's on the Lord's side? Who?
Now is the time to show;
We ask it fearlessly;
Who's on the Lord's side? Who?"
Ever since the great council was con- ducted in heaven for the purpose of pro- viding a plan of salvation, the right of choice has become most important. The Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, through the writings of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price, some of the things which took place on this occa- sion. He told how Satan went before the Father saying:
" — Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all man- kind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor." (Moses 4:1.)
Then the Father's Beloved Son came
forth with another plan described by the Father as follows:
"But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me — Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever." (Ibid., 4:2.)
Satan's proposal was rejected. He re- belled, and as a result of this rebellion, he and his followers were cast out of heaven. Since that day, he has been trying to destroy man.
The primary purpose of our Father in heaven and his only Begotten Son is to exalt mankind. Satan's desire is to take away our free agency and reduce every- one to his level.
We are here today because of the choices we have made.
One verse of another song we
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ily, the powers of the devil drove the Church into the wilderness of apostasy after the apostolic period, the gates of hell did not prevail against the plan of salvation, either for the dead, who did not have ample opportunity to receive the gospel on earth, as well as for those then living when authorized serv- ants were on the earth to perform the essential saving ordinances.
The missionary work in the spirit world was thus introduced by the Master and has continued from that time down to the present ". . . that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, and yet live according to God in the Spirit," to attain which, is to gain eternal life. (1 Peter 4:6.)
So, surely with the preaching of the gospel made thus vital to the eternal blessing of all who will hear and ac- cept, no one should hesitate when called by proper authority to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. Among the Nephites there was an exam- ple of how men of this kind of devotion and dedication applied themselves to their teaching. Jacob writes:
"For I, Jacob, and my brother Joseph had been consecrated priests and teachers of this people, by the hand of Nephi.
"And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsi- bility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day." (Jacob 1:18-19.)
There is no more welcome voice to the honest in heart than the voice of the true messenger preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have a classic example of inspired teachings and how they come. The sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him, and when he saw them returning from their missionary journeys, the record says, he rejoiced exceedingly "to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding, and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.
"But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God." (Alma 17:2-3.)
When I read that word "diligently" which the Lord has repeated again and again, as when he said: "And I give unto you as commandment that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom," and then added, "Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you" (D&C 88:77-78), I have tried to define those words "diligently" and "grace." Diligently, the dictionary says, is "perseveringly attentive, prose- cuted with careful attention," which is opposite laziness, or carelessness, or in- difference. And when I looked for the definition of "grace," I found it defined as a "state of being pleasing to God because of responsiveness."
But I do not think that is what the Lord meant by "grace" when he said,
"My grace shall attend you." I believe the definition of "grace" is implied in the fourth section of the Doctrine and Covenants where the Lord promised to those who would engage vigorously in missionary work: ". . . and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul." (Ibid., 4:4.) The saving "grace" of the Lord's atoning power would extend to the giver as well as to those who would receive the saving ordinances of the gospel.
Surely, therefore, no one with that understanding of these fundamental principles would think he were doing our Heavenly Father's mortal children a disservice by giving them these price- less gifts.
May God bless us all and all our Father's children, that they may be responsive to the call of the mission- aries. May this young man and all others like him, may they realize that this is a responsibility which the Lord has given to his Church in every dis- pensation, and to his authorized servants in the world of spirits, to teach the gospel to every creature in order that each be left without excuse in the day of judgment, and that all might be re- deemed from the Fall and brought back into the presence of the Lord. We who have the command to preach and teach must, like the Apostle Paul declared, "not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. . . ." (Rom. 1:16.)
I pray humbly we may all understand and so teach with the power and au- thority of God, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
frequently sing expresses a thought along this line:
"Choose the right! there is peace in
righteous doing; Choose the right! there's safety for the
soul; Choose the right in all labors you're
pursuing; Let God and heaven be your goal."
History is replete with examples of blessings and adversity that came to nations and individuals as a result of choice. Israel, as a nation, was set free from oppressive bondage by the Lord. Time after time, her enemies were sub- dued, yet she persisted in idolatry.
In speaking to Israel, Joshua reviewed the many blessings he had received at the hand of the Lord. He concluded
his exhortation by challenging Israel as follows:
". . . choose you this day whom ye will serve; . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15.)
Israel failed to give heed to repeated warnings, and you know her fate. She chose evil rather than good.
We are presently feeling the pressure of another great nation whose desire it is to rob man of his free agency and to force all mankind to accept the plan proposed by Lucifer in the beginning.
Look about you and observe those who have made the wrong choice. Evil seems to be prevalent everywhere. The influence of the destroyer has lured men to become thieves, liars, gamblers, adulterers, addicts, and into backbiting,
evil-speaking, and the destruction of the home and all that pertains thereto.
Contrast these things with those who choose the right — happy people, happy homes, those filled with faith and hope for the future. These families make for themselves a heaven on earth.
Is there anything more beautiful than a young couple on their way to the temple to be married for time and eter- nity? This means preparation and choosing the Lord's way of marriage. We will probably never be closer to heaven while we live in this life than when we are in the temple of the Lord.
It is the desire of the Lord to lift us up, to be prepared one day to live again with him. It is Satan's desire to reduce us to his level, to live with him in his kingdom.
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Our whole life involves the principle of choice. The Lord commands us to live close to him and to keep his com- mandments, and Satan seems to offer a counter proposal. Let us analyze a few of the things which bring a conflict between the forces of good and evil:
1. The Lord says, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy might, mind and strength." (See Mark 12:30.)
Satan, in substance, suggests, "Why love God? Why not disregard him?" Or he might even indicate there is no god at all but himself.
2. The Lord says, "Love thy neigh- bour as thyself." (Mark 12:31.)
Satan might say, "Hate your neighbor and treat him with contempt."
3. The Lord says, "Keep the Sabbath day holy." (See Exodus 20:8.)
Satan would say, "Use the Sabbath day as a recreation day. What value is there in attending Church and in re- fraining from your labors on this day?"
4. The Lord says, "Honour thy father and thy mother." (Exodus 20:12.)
Satan craftily puts into our minds the idea of disobeying our parents; your life is your own to choose as you wish. Take all your parents will give you. They will soon be old, and someone else can take care of them.
5. The Lord says, "Sustain and up- hold the Lord's anointed."
Satan would say, "Find fault with and weaken the position of the general and local authorities of the Church."
6. The Lord says, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread," (Gen. 3:19.) and he also said, "Cease to be idle." (D&C 88:124.)
Satan might say, "Get as much as you can for nothing. It is undignified to work for what you receive." He would encourage indolence, laziness, and even the thought that the government owes you a living.
7. The Lord says, "Thou shalt not steal." (Exodus 20:15.)
Satan might say, "Why not steal and be dishonest? Give short measure and short weight. Do not give an honest day's work for an honest day's pay."
8. The Lord says, "Thou shalt not bear false witness." (Exodus 20:16.)
Satan would say, "Dig a pit for your neighbors; lie about them; cause them personal injury; subject them to em- barrassment."
9. The Lord says, "Pay one tenth of your interest annually as tithing. For this, I shall give you a great reward." (D&C 119:4.)
Lucifer would say, "Why pay your tithing? You need the money more than the Church needs it. The great- est blessing is to spend your own money."
10. The Lord says, "Observe the Word of Wisdom, my law of health." (D&C 89.)
:^$!«liyilik
THE
BOOK OF MORMON
Bruce R. McConkie
of the First Council of the Seventy
We are laying the foundation for, and have already actually commenced, the greatest missionary undertaking ever destined to occur in any age of the earth's history. We are going forth by command of Deity to carry the knowledge of God and of his saving truths to all nations, to preach the gos- pel to every creature, and to give in due course, in this life or in the next, every living soul the opportunity to hear and obey these saving principles. The ultimate end of this missionary work will be to see the knowledge of God and his saving truths cover the earth ". . . as the waters cover the sea." (Isa. 11:9.) The ultimate end of this missionary work will be reached when the day arrives in which it will no longer be necessary for every man to say to his brother or neighbor, "Know the Lord," for all shall know him from
the greatest to the least. (See Jer. 31:31-34.)
Now, since we are engaged in the greatest missionary undertaking that has ever been planned as part of Deity's program, he has also placed in our hands the most effective, compelling, and persuasive missionary tool ever given to any people in any age. The name of this tool is the Book of Mormon.
It goes without saying that conversion in all ages, for all peoples, is dependent upon their receipt of the Spirit. No one gets a testimony of the divinity of the Lord's work unless he gains it from the Spirit — that is, unless it comes by the power of the Holy Ghost. But the Book of Mormon is the means, the tool, the way which has been ordained and given so that men can get their hearts and souls in a frame of mind, in a con- dition where they can hearken to the testimony of the Spirit.
It was of this book that the Prophet said: "I told the Brethren [meaning the Twelve, with whom he had that day met] that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abid- ing its precepts, than by any other book." (History of the Church, vol. 4, p. 461.)
This is precisely what we want people to do. We want them to get so near to the Lord that they will come down in the depths of humility, repent of their sins, and accept Christ for what he is, the Son of God. We want them
to come to the truth, join the kingdom of God on earth, and have performed for them the ordinances of salvation and exaltation under the hands of those legal administrators whom the Lord has appointed in this day and generation.
Shortly before the Church was organ- ized, April 6, 1830, writing by the spirit of prophecy and revelation, Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon, which he had translated by the gift and power of God, was "... a record of a fallen people, . . ."; that it contained ". . . the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles and to the Jews . . ."; that it was ". . . given by inspira- tion, . . ."; that it had been ". . . con- firmed to others by the ministering of angels, . . ."; that it had been ". . . de- clared unto the world by them — " all for this purpose — and note the purpose: To prove ". . . to the world that the holy scriptures are true, and that God does inspire men and call them to his holy work in this age and generation, as well as in generations of old;
"Thereby showing that he is the same God yesterday, today, and forever. . . ." (D&C 20:6-12.)
In other words, the Lord has given the Book of Mormon in this day as the absolute, sure, positive witness of the divinity of his work. We go out in the missionary cause, and we bear testimony in soberness and in truth, knowing the verity of what we say, that the heavens have been opened and that God has spoken again; that angels have min- istered to men; that the gifts, powers, and graces had anciently have been
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Lucifer contends that no harm will come from indulging in tobacco, liquor, tea, coffee, and other harmful abuses to the body such as overeating and over- indulgences. He would say, "Go along with the crowd and be a good sport. To acquire these contrary habits will make one popular."
11. The Lord says, "Parents, teach your children to pray and walk uprightly before the Lord." (See D&C 68:28.)
Satan would say, "Why teach your children to pray? There is no value in prayer. It is not necessary to discipline them."
12. The Lord says, "Seek the genealogy of your ancestors and complete the temple work for them."
Satan would say, "Postpone doing this work or, better still, don't do it at all."
In many other things the Lord has counseled us to prepare ourselves to live with him. In each instance, Satan's influence would attempt to destroy this
faith and the desire of doing the Lord's work. He would enslave us and per- suade us to join his forces.
We cannot cover up evil. Our sins are known to God. Neither can we serve two masters. The Lord has said, "He that is not with me is against me; . . ." (Matt. 12:30.) It is impera- tive that we choose the right.
John Oxenham wrote these few lines, entitled "A High Way and A Low":
"To every man there openeth
A way, and ways, and a way,
And the high soul climbs the high way,
And the low soul gropes the low;
And in between on the misty flats,
The rest drift to and fro;
But to every man there openeth
A high way and a low,
And every man dccideth
The way his soul shall go."
Happiness here is dependent upon
moral decisions and obedience to the principles of truth. Our most important decision and obligation is to live the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This period is characterized by trial, suffering, sacrifice, and disappointment, as well as joy. All these experiences are dedicated to our progress and growth. During this life, we are our own judges. We judge ourselves continuously. We sentence ourselves to happiness through service or misery through sin.
In conclusion, I should like to repeat again:
"Who's on the Lord's side? Who?
Now is the time to show;
We ask it fearlessly;
Who's on the Lord's side? Who?"
May our decisions lift us to celestial glory and eternal life, I humbly pray, and leave my test'mony, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
restored anew; that the gospel and the plan of salvation are again on earth in all their ancient beauty and glory.
But this witness which we bear is not left to stand alone. The Lord sends with us a written record, a means, a missionary tool, which can be used by any person to gain a knowledge of the divinity of the work. The Prophet's expression that "the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion" means pre- cisely what it says. The keystone is the central stone in the top of the arch. If that stone is removed, then the arch
crumbles, which, in effect, means that Mormonism so-called — which actually is the gospel of Christ, restored anew in this day — stands or falls with the truth or the falsity of the Book of Mormon. Thus our program and our purpose, as witnesses of the Lord in this day, ought to be to devise ways and means and to create inducements that will persuade those who are not of us to read the Book of Mormon and to read it accord- ing to the revealed pattern.
Moroni has left us in the Book of Mormon itself the recorded promise
that if anyone will read it ". . . with real intent, having faith in Christ, . . ." and will ask ". . . God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, . . ." whether it is true, he shall get a knowl- edge of its truth and divinity by personal revelation. (See Moroni 10:3-4.) This promise is true. It has been tested by thousands and tens of thousands of people in the world, and they have re- ceived this personal revelation. Further, by his own voice, the Lord himself testifies of the truth of the Book of Mormon in these words: ". . . as your
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Lord and your God liveth it is true.5' (D&C 17:6.)
Now, our message to the world centers around three great truths. The first, the divine Sonship of Christ; the second, that in this day the knowledge of Christ and his saving truths have been restored through the instrumentality of Joseph Smith; and the third, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God on earth, the organization through which salva- tion, hope, and peace are offered to all men.
Before any person is prepared to join the Church, he must believe that Jesus Christ is literally the Son of God; that as such he worked out the infinite and eternal atonement whereby all men are raised in immortality, and those who
believe and obey his laws gain the addi- tional reward of eternal life; and that he has ordained and revealed a plan of salvation which enables men so to live as to gain peace here and the fulness of salvation hereafter.
Before joining the Church a person must believe that Joseph Smith was called of God to open this gospel dis- pensation; that he was indeed a prophet who received keys, powers, authority, and revelation from heaven; that he was the revealer of the gospel and the knowledge of God, of Christ, and of salvation for this age; and that he was commanded by Deity to set up his Church and kingdom again on earth.
Before baptism a person must believe that this Church is true; that it is in fact the Lord's earthly kingdom; that
the priesthood and keys are here; that those who now officer it are legal ad- ministrators sent of God to preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
The Book of Mormon — which has come forth to prove that God inspires men and calls them to his holy work in this age and generation — establishes the verity of these great truths which comprise the message of the restoration. If the Book of Mormon is true, our message to the world is truth; the truth of this message is established in and through this book.
The Book of Mormon is a new, living, modern witness of the divine Sonship of Christ. It testifies of him and of the doctrines of his gospel. It teaches of his atoning sacrifice; it proclaims that
THE
REDEEMING POWER OF GOD'S SPIRIT
Antoine R. Ivins
of the First Council of the Seventy
My brethren and sisters, I am happy again to have the privilege of bearing my testimony to you in the general conference of the Church. I realize I will be able to say nothing that will help you or me unless you give me your faith and prayers that I may enjoy the Spirit of the Lord.
Much has been said during the con- ference thus far of the missionary re- sponsibility under which we as members of the Church rest. I stand before you, as many of you know, as the grandson of a member of the Twelve who went to introduce the gospel to Europe, starting in Denmark. I am the son of one of eight men who carried the work to the Mexican people, traveling on horseback, carrying their beds on pack horses.
I have lived practically all of my life, all my life in fact, in an atmosphere of Church service, and I trust that to the end of my days, I may be able to acquit myself in some reasonable way of the responsibility under which I labor.
We are getting reports from many sections and many missions of the great influx of new members into the Church.
When I began this service, if a mission- ary performed a baptism a year in a foreign mission he was considered suc- cessful. The harvest is tremendously greater now. It is very, very interesting to contemplate it, and one wonders why, and I cannot quite figure it out except it be that the Lord has seen fit to pour out his Spirit upon a greater number of people than formerly was the case. I cannot believe that anybody has a stronger testimony of the gospel than my grandfather and my father had. I can- not believe that anybody is more susceptible, as a missionary for the Church, to the inspiration and the Spirit of God than the missionaries who went out in the very early days of the Church. But we see the fact that many people, more people perhaps than ever before, are coming into the Church. It means to us, or it means to me, an additional responsibility when that happens.
Not very long ago, a few large trees that stood on the corner of South Temple and State Street were picked up and transplanted. In the transplanting of them it was necessary to give them auxiliary support with guy wires from several sides to hold them until they could become established in their new environment. In a sense, every new con- vert to the Church is a transplanted being in that he needs the support of the established members of the Church. If that support is given, he becomes a full-fledged, faithful member of the Church. If that support is not given, he may do, as far as his faith is concerned, as a transplanted tree that is not properly nourished.
I would like to tell you a story, if you will let me, to illustrate what I mean.
Sixty years or more ago, a young man walking down a street, I believe, in Memphis, Tennessee, heard some mis- sionaries speaking in a street meeting. He had been very unfriendly up to that time, but something impelled him to stop and listen. He listened throughout that meeting. After the meeting he walked up to the elders and asked to be baptized. He got a testimony from it, not, I think, from what the elders said, but because some way or another he was ready for the Spirit of God, and God did bear that testimony to him. He asked for baptism. In due course he was baptized, and when he became a member of the Church he was an out- cast from his family. So he looked around, and one day he appeared in Colonia Juarez, a new member, inexpe- rienced in Church operations and all that, and of course he got into the right kind of an environment because the people in Colonia Juarez were friendly people; they were interested people, and they gave him every aid possible.
But only this week I had the privilege of reading two letters that told of the interest they had in that man, one was a letter from his bishop and the other was a letter from his stake president, and in both we discovered that there was not only interest in the man's spiritual well-being, but in his physical well- being, also, and both his bishop and his stake president stood ready to assist to any possible extent in that. Well, do you want to know the result? All right. He married for time and eternity one of the finest young women we had in the colony. He had three sons and three daughters. One of those sons was a missionary in the area that is now the
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through him men are redeemed from the spiritual and temporal death hrought into the world by the fall of Adam. It outlines the course men must follow to gain eternal life.
The Book of Mormon stands as a wit- ness of the divine Sonship of Christ; it has come forth for ". . . the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations — . . ." (Preface to the Book of Mormon.)
This book also is a witness of the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith and of the divinity of the Church set up under his instrumentality. It establishes and proves to the world that Joseph Smith is a prophet, for he received the book from a resurrected personage and translated it by the gift
and power of God. And since the Book of Mormon came by revelation, which included the ministering of angels, then obviously Joseph Smith also received other revelations and was ministered to by other heavenly beings. Among those revelations was the command to organ- ize the Church. The Church is thus the one true Church because it was set up by a prophet acting under command of God. Thus the truth of the message of the restoration is established in and through and by means of the Book of Mormon.
No person can read this book, accord- ing to the prescribed pattern, and not know that it is true. No person can read this book, in the way Moroni di- rected, without getting in his heart the absolute, certain, sure knowledge that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. No person can read this book and learn of its divinity ". . . by the power of the Holy Ghost . . ." (Moroni 10:5), with- out knowing that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God and that this Church, as now constituted, organized, and set up is God's kingdom on earth.
As one voice among thousands of others, I certify that I know by the promptings of the Spirit that the Book of Mormon is true. As a consequence I have in addition a personal knowledge, also born of the Spirit, of the divinity of Christ, of the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and of all things incident to this great latter-day work which are essential for the salvation and exaltation of men.
In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Central Atlantic States Mission. A daughter became the wife of a mission- ary who served in France. He went there before he was married, I believe, but later was the president of the Central American Mission, faithful and true. And their mother, to this day, while not being strong , in health, is a firm, faithful member of the Church. He died in full fellowship, of course, with the love and with the esteem and confi- dence of the people of that area. Why? Well, he had the qualities in the first place for inspiration, but he had the support and the aid of the officers of Colonia Juarez.
Now, you will pardon me if I have a little extra enthusiasm for Juarez, be- cause that is where I grew up and got my foundation. But in every mission in the Church these new converts come into branches. In some places, of course, they come into stakes, as we have here in the United States, and what happens? Whose responsibility is it to nurse them? I think it is the responsibility of the bishops, and even stake presidents cannot ignore the influx and the re- sponsibility of giving aid and support.
Now, I wonder whether we do it, brethren. Our campaign throughout the stakes is to impress the local ward and stake authorities with the responsi- bility of assimilating all these new members who come in by baptism or who come in on recommend from other areas of the Church, to stimulate them in their faith and in their endeavor to live the way they should after accept- ing the responsibilities of membership in the Church.
There is another phase of responsi- bility, too, that we have, brethren and
sisters. I wish that all of you could have been with Sister Ivins and me last Sunday and heard a talk by a teen-age young woman setting forth her plan for qualifying for celestial marriage. I think I have never heard a better state- ment from a young person than that young woman made, and when she talked, I formed a picture of the family from which she likely came; of the household where she had been reared; of the life of her father and mother and the example that they had set for her to stimulate her in this great endeavor. And if she carries through the program that she set forth, the man who happens to marry her will be a wonderfully fortu- nate man.
Now, we bring these people into the Church through birth, but that does not in any sense relieve us of as great or greater responsibility for them as we have for these newly-baptized and trans- planted members of the Church. So, after' all, there resides in the body of the Church the greatest imaginable re- sponsibility— responsibility to the young lives whom we bring into the Church, responsibility to the more mature people whom we bring in through the ministry of the missionary service, and it is very unfortunate when either of these is lost because of the neglect of the people who form the body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Brethren and sisters, if we can just get out of my testimony a feeling that we do have a responsibility to these people and that the fathers and mothers have a real responsibility to love each other and love their children into cor- rect and proper living and service in the Church, I will be happy that the
President called me to bear my testi- mony to you.
I testify that the gospel is true. I know it. A man came to me the other day and he said, "How do you know it?" I sa'd, "I have just as great an assurance that the gospel is true as of anything else I experience." I do not know, I never have claimed that I know everything that could be known about the gospel, but I have lived among enough people of varying nationalities to know that it is a regenerating force which tends to exaltation in the king- dom of God when it is accepted by baptism and when one makes a rea- sonable effort to live the teachings of God our Heavenly Father.
I hope that I may be able to do it. I am a little like my wife's grandfather — I sat up with him when he was in his nineties and on his deathbed, and he said, "Antoine, I hope I can endure to the end." So I hope that I may enjoy the Spirit of the Lord, the spirit of serv- ice, for my life is dedicated to the service of the Church and to each other.
May God bless you, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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• • •
"PROVE ME NOW HEREWITH
LeGrand Richards
of the Council of the Twelve
My brothers and sisters, in occupying this position today for a few moments, I have no greater desire and prayer in my heart than that I might say some- thing that will help to increase our love for the truth and our desire to serve the Lord, to be an example to the world and to our families, and to all men, that we may show forth the gifts and graces of the gospel through the lives we live.
In thinking of what I might say today, I want to make reference to a statement I read in an article in the Reader's Digest about six months ago that gave seven reasons why a scientist believed in God. This was by A. Cressy Morrison, former president of the New York Acad- emy of Sciences. I am not going to take time to read the article, but I want to read these statements.
For the first reason, he said: "By un- wavering mathematical law, we can prove that our universe was designed and executed by a great engineering intelligence." And then after he had given the seven reasons why he believed there was a God, he made this state- ment: "It is apparent from these and a host of other examples that there is not one chance in billions that life on our planet is an accident," and then he concluded with these words: "It is scientifically, as well as imaginatively true, as the Psalmist said, 'The heavens declare the glory of God; and the fir- mament sheweth his handwork.' ' (Psalm 19:1.)
This is the thought I had as I read that article, which I appreciated so much, as I did a talk that Brother Clark gave to seminary and institute teachers called, "Man, God's Greatest Miracle." The scientists and this scientist give wonderful reasons why there was an intelligence — a major intelligence — that brought forth this universe, but the scientists cannot go beyond that. They cannot tell us why it was brought forth, and wherever you see an intelligent or- ganization, you know that there was a reason for it. This building did not just happen here. You do not go into the wilderness and find a forty-story office building. Everything in this world that shows intelligence back of it had a reason for its coming into exist- ence.
So, when he says it is apparent from these and a host of other examples that there is not one chance in billions that life on our planet is an accident, I could just as well believe that my watch made itself as to believe that we made our- selves or that this universe made itself. There is a master intelligence back of it.
Then the question is, if the scientists cannot tell us why this organization, where do we go to get this information? Then I remind you of the words of the Prophet Amos when he said:
"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7.)
So we have to turn to the prophets to find the secret of why the Lord created this earth, why we are here, and all the marvelous things that evi- dence the fact that he does exist.
I like the statement in the first chap- ter of John:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . .
"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." (John 1:1, 3.) Then it goes on to say that the Word ". . . was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." (Ibid., 1:9.) And then it adds that ". . . the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (Ibid., 1:14.)
No wonder we love to testify of the divinity of the Son of God when we realize that he was the instrument in the hands of the Lord in bringing about all this marvelous creation, and this scientist said, "there is not one chance in billions that life on our planet is an accident." And you know in the Pearl of Great Price, we read where the Lord said to Moses that he had created worlds without number,
". . . but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine . . . (Moses 1:35.) "And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Be- gotten Son " (Ibid., 1:32.)
Just think of who it is we serve, and the power that God gave to him. No wonder when he was upon the earth he said to Peter that he could call down legions of angels to protect him, when Peter drew his sword and smote off the ear of the guard. No wonder he said, "No man taketh my life from me. The Father hath given me power to lay it down and take it up again." (See John 10:18.)
We have had reference made here today to the council in heaven, and after the Lord had stood in the midst of the spirits, and many of them the noble and great ones, he said:
". . . These I will make my rulers;
. . . Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born." (Abraham 3:23.) Then he said:
"And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;
"And we will prove them herewith, to see