--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 7 number: 7 published: 1904-05 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Editor’’s Table," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 7 (May 1904): 542–548.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0707unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera0707unse start_page: 542 end_page: 548 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-05) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0707unse publication_year: 1904 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1904, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Editor's Table EDITOR'S TABLE. SEVENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE. In point of numbers and interest, no conference of the Church has ever exceeded this year's April gathering. The first meeting being held on Sunday, April 3, was the cause of the large at- tendance at the opening services. In the afternoon there were extra meetings held in the Assembly Hall and on the Bureau of Information grounds, to accommodate the large crowds who were unable to obtain admission to the Tabernacle. The services throughout were lively and full of spirit, but three features of the conference were of unusual interest — the opening address of President Smith, giving a conservative, firm, and clear statement of the mission of the Church; his later offi- cial statement of the position of the Church in regard to polygamy, with President Lyman's resolution of endorsement, and the people's approval following; and the resolution introduced by President Winder, and approved by the Saints, looking to the erection of a building to thememory of the Prophet and Patriarch Joseph and Hyrum Smith. It being Easter Sunday, a splendid doctrinal ser- mon was delivered to the Saints by President A. H. Lund on the resurrection, which gave great comfort to the listeners in the large audience. The following extracts are taken from President Smith's opening address: I believe in God's law. I believe that it is his right to rule in the world. I believe that no man has or should have any valid objection in his mind to the government of God, and the rule of Jesus Christ, in the earth. Let us sup- EDITOR'S TABLE. 543 pose, for a moment, that Christ was here and that he was bearing rule in the world. Who would come under his condemnation? Who would be subject to his chastening word! Who would be in disharmony or unfellowship with God? Would the righteous man? the pure and virtuous woman? the pure and the hon- est in heart? the upright? the straightforward? those who do the will of heaven? Would they be in rebellion to Christ's rule, if he were to come here to rule? No. They would welcome the rule and reign of Jesus Christ in the earth. They would welcome his law and acknowledge his sovereignty, they would hasten to rally to his standard and to uphold the purpose and the perfection of his laws and of his righteousness. Who would then be recreant to the rule of Christ? The whoremonger, the adulterer, the liar, the sorcerer, he who bears false wit- ness against his neighbor, he who seeks to take advantage of his brother, and who would overcome and destroy him for his own worldly gain or profit, the murderer, the despiser of that which is good, the unbeliever in the eternities that lie before us, the atheist, perhaps, (although 1 think that they would not be so far from Christ as some that profess to be teachers of his doctrines and advocates of his laws.) It would be the rebellious, the wicked, those who would oppress their neighbors and enslave them if they could. Such as these would be the people who would not welcome the reign of Jesus Christ. Are there any who profess to be Latter-day Saints in this class, and would fear to have Christ reign and rule? Now, we do not claim that God rules in the sense that the world charge us with believing. We do not claim nor profess that Jesus reigns in the earth as the world charges us with believing. We say that we would welcome his reign. We say and we feel in our hearts that we would love to have Him come and reign and rule among men. We say and we believe in our hearts that so far as we overcome our weaknesses, or imperfections, and our rebellious nature which is against the will of the Father, so far as we are able to subdue the carnal mind and the wickedness and the weaknesses of human nature with which we are beset, so far as we are able to rise above the groveling condition of fallen man and attain a higher plane of virtue, honor, purity and righteousness, that so far, and no farther, does Christ, the Son of God, reign in our hearts. And we would to God that we were in such a condition that he would reign su- preme over our souls, and over all we possess. Who shall gainsay this? Who shall say that it is wicked to obey Christ? That wrong to follow in his it is footsteps and obey his laws? We will not say that, and we will not, if we can help it, permit ourselves to be crowded into the corner, by which we will have to confess that we would rather that hell should reign on earth than tbat heaven should reign. We would rather that God would reign, that heaven would smile, that righteousness should prevail, that truth should cover the earth as the waters cover the mighty deep. We would rather that every man and every wo- man on earth were a child of God and heir indeed and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. We prefer that. We are working for that; we pray for it; we preach the gospel for this purpose. My heart swells with gratitude to God, my heavenly Father, for his loving kindness and mercy to his people and to the people of our nation, and, indeed, to the people of the whole world; for I can see the hand-dealing of the Lord not only with us, a little handful of people in the midst of these mountains, but — also with the great nation of which we are a part 1 was going to say an insig- nificant part, but I will not qualify this remark in that way. I think also that I can discern the hand of the Lord in his dealings with other nations of the earth, and I fully believe that he, and not the wisdom of men, is shaping the ends or destinies of the nations of the earth, for the accomplishment of his purposes in the latter days. Not only are we the people of God, but all the in- habitants of the world are his children, and all men in every land and in every clime who will humble themselves before the Lord and acknowledge him are entitled to a measure of His blessing, favor, mercy and protection, and the Lord will look after them and will overrule circumstances for their good, as he has overruled, in a great measure, circumstances for the good of his people who have made a covenant with him. — Our duty is to keep steadily on on and upward in the direction that the Lord Almighty has marked out for us to pursue. Keep the faith; honor the name of God in your hearts revere and love the name of him whose blood was ; shed for the remission of sins for the world; honor and hold in the highest es- teem him whom God raised up in his childhood to lay the foundations of this great latter-day work honor that power and that authority which we call the ; Holy Priesthood, which is after the order of the Son of God, and which has been conferred upon man by God himself. Honor that Priesthood. What is that Priesthood? It is nothing more and nothing less than divine authority committed unto man from God. That is the principle that we should honor. We hold the keys of that authority and Priesthood ourselves it has been conferred ; upon the great masses of the Latter-day Saints. It has, indeed, I may say, been bestowed upon many that were not worthy to receive it, and who have not magnified it, and who have brought disgrace upon themselves and upon the Priesthood which was conferred upon them. The Priesthood of the Son of God cannot be exercised in any degree of unrighteousness neither will its power, ; its virtue and authority abide with him who is corrupt, who is treacherous in his soul toward God and toward his fellow-men. It will not abide in force and power with him who does not honor it in his life by complying with the require- ments of heaven. Some people think it is a dreadful sin for a people like the Latter-day Saints to claim that they believe with all their souls that the world would be better if only the laws of God could be enforced in the world. Some people think that if God's authority, if God's law, if God's righteousness were to be enforced among the children of men that it would deprive them of their liber- ties, it would bring them into bondage, and that it would debase and degrade them. We do not look at this in this way. We believe that God's will is to ex- alt men; that the liberty that comes through obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest measure of liberty that can come to man. There is no liberty that men enjoy or pretend to enjoy in the world that is not founded in the will and in the law of God and that does not have truth for its underlying principle and foundation. It is error that makes bondsmen. It is untruth that degrades mankind. It is error and the lack of knowledge of God's laws and God's will that leaves men in the world on a par with the brute creation; for they have no higher instincts, no higher principle, and we hope, by the blessing of the Almighty upon our efforts and labors in the world, that before this work shall have completed its mission, and the object of its existence in the world, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus i3 the Christ, to the honor and glory of God and to the redemption of the world. We are going to keep right on that line as long as God will give us our liberty and permit us to : EDITOR'S TABLE. 545 live in the flesh and when we shall have finished our mission here and go be- ; hind the veil, with the Priesthood that has been conferred upon us here and its keys, authority and power, we will continue to administer for the redemption of those that have died without a knowledge of the truth, in the world of spirits, until every son and daughter of God that has lived upon the earth shall have had the privilege of hearing the sound of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and of embracing it, that their prison doors may be opened, and that liberty may be proclaimed unto them, the liberty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, wherewith we are made free. May God bless and pour out his Spirit upon his people, and help them to be wise and prudent in their words and in their actions. We say to you, keep the laws of God, and you should honor and keep the constitutional laws of men. That is what we say. We say to you, pay yoiir debts and get out of debt. Pay your obligations and free yourselves from the bondage of obligation, if you can, and as soon as you can. We say to you, protect your own faith by Godly lives. We say to — you, do unto others as you would have them do unto you in righteousness. We say to you, keep the faith delivered to the Saints in the latter days. We say to you, honor God in your lives; honor and love Christ, the Son of God, in your hearts; uphold in honor and maintain respect for the name of Joseph Smith, the Prophet of God, who was instrumental in laying the foundation of this great latter-day work. Do not turn away at every wind of doctrine, nor be swayed bv the cunning and craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. Know the truth for yourselves. Walk in the light as Christ is in the light, and you will have fellowship with him, and then the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse you from all sin. The official statement of President Smith, unanimously accepted on the 6th, by the people, places a ban upon persons who shall assume to solemnize or enter into marriages violative of the laws of the land, and reads as follows OFFICIAL STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH. Inasmuch as there are numerous reports in circulation that plural marriages have been entered into, contrary to the official declaration of President Woodruff of September 24, 1890, commonly called the mani- festo, which was issued by President Woodruff,and adopted by the Church at its general conference, October 6, 1890, which forbade any marriages violative of the law of the land, I, Joseph F. Smith, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, hereby affirm and declare that no such marriages have been solemnized with the sanction, consent, or knowledge of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And I hereby announce that all such marriages are prohibited, and if any officer or member of the Church shall assume to solemnize or enter into any such marriage, he will be deemed in transgression against the Church, and will be liable to be dealt with according to the rules and regulations thereof and excommunicated therefrom. Joseph F. Smith, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. RESOLUTION OP ENDORSEMENT. President Francis M. Lyman introduced the following, which carried by a unanimous vote: Resolved that we, the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in general conference assembled, hereby approve and endorse the statement and declaration of President Joseph F. Smith, just made to this conference concerning plural marriages, and will sup- port the courts of the Church in the enforcement thereof. The erection of a memorial building on the old Deseret News corner received the sanction of the Saints in the following resolu- tion introduced by President John R. Winder: Whereas, nearly sixty years have passed since the martyrdom of the Prophet and Patriarch Joseph and Hyrum Smith, and no public building or monument has been erected to their memory, Therefore, be it Resolved by this general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that a suitable building or monu- ment be erected to their memory; that the Trustee-in-Trust appoint a committee to prepare plans for the same, which shall be submitted to him, and when approved he will authorize the committe to proceed with the work and will furnish the necessary means from such funds as may be available for that purpose, and that a book be opened at the Presid- ing Bishop's office to receive voluntary subscriptions from any who wish to donate. The resolution was adopted, and on motion the following committee was named to carry out the provisions of the same: President John R. Winder, President Francis M. Lyman, Bishop W. B. Preston, and Bishop George Romney. On Tuesday, there were no general conference meetings, the day being devoted to meetings of auxiliary organizations, and the evening to a Scandinavian grand concert for the benefit of the fund for the erection of a church building in Stockholm, Sweden. The various missionary organizations, the Relief Society, Young Ladies' Associations, Sunday Schools, and other organizations met, and social and business gatherings were the order of the day. On the whole, the 74th general annual conference will be re- EDITOR'S TABLE. 547 membered as among the liveliest and most important in the annals of the Church. REDEMPTION OF ZION. The announcement that the Church has come into full posses- sion of a tract of land in Independence, Mo., containing the greater part of what was originally known as "the temple lot," was received with much satisfaction by the Saints who are inter- ested in the shaping of events that shall lead to the redemption of the center stake, and the erection of a temple "in the land of promise and the place for the city of Zion." On April 15, the transfer was made by which Elder James G. Duffin, for the Church, came into possession of 25£ acres of land for the sum of $25,000. The greater portion of this amount had been donated in the past by faithful Saints, many of whom have passed away without seeing the fulfilment of the prophecies relating to the return to Jackson county, but who, nevertheless, were full of faith in the promises of the Lord in regard to this land. In the Doctrine and Covenants are revelations that pertain to the city if Zion; the building of the temple there in this genera- tion; the establishment of the city, its location, abandonment for a season and reasons therefor; and the final redemption of the land when the pure in heart shall "return and come to their inherit- ance, they and their children, with songs of everlasting joy to build up the waste places of Zion." To the young men who are liable to be favored with a call to participate in this work, the topic is an interesting one. They will find the study of the subject very edifying, and will learn that upon their faithfulness will de- pend the blessings of the Lord in fulfilling the promises concern- ing the consummation of this work. Let those who are interested study parts of sections 45, 52, 57, 84, 101, 103, 105, 109, and 136, relating to this subject. This step taken is the beginning of things close at hand that will ultimately result in the fulfilment of all the promises of the Lord in this matter. That this opening should have been found, and that the land should have remained vacant all these years, is nearly as remarkable as the things that yet remain to be achieved before the predictions concerning Zion are fulfilled. Let the young people sanctify themselves for the great work, and for the greater responsibilities associated there- with, by vigorous preparation, and holy living. PREACHING THE GOSPEL IN HIGH PLACES. Early in March, more specifically on Friday, 4th, one of our Utah girls enjoyed the real honor of singing before Queen Alexan- dra. The noted incident in the eventful life of the sweet singer is thus mentioned by the Millennial Star, of the 10th: Miss Nannie Tout, daughter of Elder Edwin F. Tout, of the London conference, had the distinguish^ honor of singing, by command, before her majesty the queen on Friday afternoon of last week, at Buckingham palace. The fact had already been announced that she was a "Mormon," and Sister Tout took a stand at which any of her people should be proud. After she was through singing, she talked with the queen for nearly twenty minutes, and then was invited to remain for "tea" at the palace. Here she had the courage of her convictions, and refused the tea that was offered her, taking warm water with milk as her beverage, thereby giving an object lesson in the keeping of the Word of Wisdom. All Sister Nan- nie's friends congratulate her and unite in wishing her continued success. WILL YOU APPLY THESE TRUTHS? Special attention is directed to the article in this number of the series "Joseph Smith as Scientist," written -by Dr. John A. Widtsoe. Very justly these writings have been highly commended, in letters received from readers of the Era, and we are convinced that among them all, so far as printed, the present article contains perhaps the most useful information. The young man who will make practical application of the valuable and precious truths therein, will not only save great sums of money, but will greatly happify and prolong his life. The whole series is very valuable to the young men of Zion, and no student of the "marvelous work and a wonder," established by the Prophet Joseph Smith, should fail to make a study of the articles. They are e-pecially valuable in mis- sionary work, and as promoters of faith among the young people, who owe a debt of gratitude to the author for his valuable research.