Editor’s Table

EDITOR'S TABLE. ANNUAL CONFERENCE. (Held in Salt Lake City, April 4, 5, 6, 1908.) In the opening address of President Joseph F. Smith at the 78th annual conference of the Church, many important and timely topics were touched upon. A perusal of this address will give a good insight into the subjects treated and the business transacted at the conference, which was without doubt the most largely at- tended gathering of any heretofore held. In his opening remarks President Smith expressed himself delighted with the large attend- ance, and the interest manifested by the people; and thankful and grateful to our Heavenly Father for his mercy and kindness to the Saints during the past year. He said: The hand of the Lord is over his people, and his eye is upon his work —never was it more so than is visible at the present' time It is true that we owe to him our deliverance from our enemies, from those who have sought our hurt and who are still seeking our hurt. We acknowledge the hand of him who overrules all things, for we do not claim to possess the wisdom, the knowledge, or the power, in and of ourselves, to accomplish that which has been ac- complished, or to effect the deliverance that has been wrought out for the people of God since the incipiency of this work. We real- ize that it has been by the favor and mercy and protecting care of Almighty God that his people and his work of redemption, es- tablished in the latter days through the Prophet Joseph Smith, have been preserved and brought to their present standing, power and influence in the midst of the earth. We thank God for his

EDITOR'S TABLE. 545 mercies and blessings; and I do not know but what we owe in some small degree gratitude to those who have bitterly opposed the work of the Lord; for in all their opposings and bitter strife against our people, the Lord has developed his power and wisdom, and has brought his people more fully into the knowledge and favor of the intelligent people of the earth. Through the very means used by those who have opposed the work of God, He has brought out good for Zion. Yet, it is written, and I believe it is true, that although it must needs be that offenses come, woe unto them by whom they come but they are in the hands of the Lord ; as we are. We bring no railing accusation against them. We are willing to leave them in the hands of the Almighty to deal with them as seemeth him good. Our business is to work right- eousness in the earth, to seek for the development of a knowledge of God's will and of God's ways, and of his great and glorious truths which he has revealed through the instrumentality of Joseph the Prophet, not only for the salvation of the living but for the re- demption and salvation of the dead I rejoice as much today — and more, if I am capable of rejoic- ing more — in the work of the Lord than I ever did before. I feel today as confident and as sure in the continued providences of the Lord, in his continued mercy toward his people, and in the glori- ous fact that it is his work, that he is directing it and will con- tinue to do so, as I ever felt in my life. Indeed, there is not the shadow of a doubt in my mind in regard to these things. I feel confident of the truth of God's work, of the mission of the Prophet Joseph, of the truth and divinity of the precious ordinances of the gospel that have been restored to man in the latter day, and I be- lieve that this gospel is the power of God unto salvation. I feel sure of it TEMPERANCE. I will say to my brethren and sisters who are present that I believe, in all candor and truth, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, now organized m the midst of these eternal hills, was never in a better condition, spiritual or temporal, than

546 IMPROVEMENT ERA. today. The people never were more united than they are now. They never observed the laws of God more faithfully, or more truly and honestly than they are doing today, not only upon gen- eral principles, or in a general way, but specifically they are be- coming more careful in their observance of the words that the Lord has spoken for their good. I believe that we are coming nearer to the point where we shall be able to observe that great and glorious law of temperance which the Lord Almighty has given to us, wherein he has said that strong drink is not good, that to- bacco is not for the habitual use of man, not for the stomach, but for sick cattle. We are coming to the conclusion that the Lord knew best, when he delivered to the Church, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, that "Word of Wisdom," contained in the book of revelations from the Lord. Although we see a few, professing to be Latter-day Saints, who are still slaves to the debased appetite for tobacco, and perhaps some with an appetite for strong drink, yet the great majority of the people of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are coming nearer and nearer to a proper ob- servance of the law which the Lord has given to us for our health, for the preservation of our lives that we may be in harmony with ; may be clean and undefiled, that his Spirit and his will, that we we may be nearer like unto him who was without sin. Who was indeed pure and holy as God is pure and holy. When I see a man professing to be a Latter-day Saint, or even professing to be a member of the Church, though not making any great professions of being a Latter-day Saint, befouling his breath with intoxicating drink, with the fumes of tobacco, or by the use of any un- necessary stimulants, it grieves my spirit, my soul goes out for him in pity and in sorrowful regret, and I wonder why it is that we, individually, cannot realize our own folly, our own degradation in yielding to these pernicious habits that are neither useful nor ornamental, nor in the least degree beneficial, but indeed are harm- ful. Why cannot we rise to that degree of intelligence that would enable us to say to the tempter, "Get behind me," and to turn our backs upon the practice of evil. How humihating it must be to a thoughtful man to feel that he is a slave to his appetites, or to an over- weening and pernicious habit, desire, or passion! We

EDITOR'S TABLE. 547 believe in strict temperance. We believe in abstinence from all injurious practices and from the use of all hurtful things. Poison, in the judgment of the physician, may be beneficial, under some conditions in life, as a momentary relief; but poison, under any circumstance, should only be used as a temporary expedient, neces- sary, perhaps, in our best judgment, for the time being, for the instant — for sudden and certain desired reliefs— but the continued use of that poison will fasten its fangs upon us, so to speak, in such a way that by and by we will find that we are over-powered by it, and we become slaves of the pernicious habit that becomes a tyrannical master over us. There is a general movement throughout the land looking to- wards local option and temperance among the people of our state, and of the adjoining states. I sincerely hope that every Latter- day Saint will co-operate with this movement, in order that we may curtail the monstrous evils which exist, especially in our cities. I wish to say that I am in sympathy with this movement, and I know that my brethren are united with me and in harmony with the efforts that are being made to establish temperance throughout the land. We want nothing drastic, nothing that would be illiberal or oppressive, but we do think that the people ought to have their choice as to whether they will permit or have in their midst drunkenness, rioting, and murder which is too— often the result of drunkenness — or whether they will insist on ab- stinence from these things, that the people might have peace in- sured among them, and that their children might not be subjected to the temptations into which they are thrown because of the presence of these evils. WORK OF THE PRIESTHOOD QUORUMS. Several very important movements have been inaugurated of late among us for the advantage of the Saints, and especially for the benefit and advancement of those who are associated with the various quorums of the Priesthood. I desire to mention the effort that is being made by our Seventies in their organization of classes and schools for the instruction of the members of their quorums.

548 IMPROVEMENT ERA. » that they might be qualified for the great work of the ministry to which they are dedicated. Efforts are also being made to organ- ize and put to usefulness the quorums of the Lesser Priethood. In my judgment we are progressing rapidly in these directions. It is also understood that those of the Melchizedek Priesthood, the presidents of High Priests' quorums, and the High Priests through- out the Church are instituting methods by which those who are members of these quorums may learn their duty and become famil- iar with the laws of the Church, which should govern their actions, that they may be, indeed, fathers among the people, exer- cising the functions that belong to their calling as High Priests in Zion or in the Church. They should be examplars; they should be teachers. They should understand, above all other men, the prin- ciples of government and the order of the Church. They should move forward solidly in the exercise of their influence, individually and collectively, against all evil, against the spirit of indifference, the spirit of neglect and unbelief. Every man who holds the office of High Priest in the Church or has been ordained a High Priest, whether he is called to active position in the Church or not inasmuch as he has been ordained a High Priest, should feel that — he is obliged that it is his bounden duty, to set an example before the old and young worthy of emulation, and to place himself in a position to be a teacher of righteousness, not only by precept, but more particularly by example —giving to the younger ones the benefitof experience of age, and thus becoming individually a power in the midst of the communities in which they dwell. Every man who has light should let that light shine that those who see itmay glorify their Father which is in heaven, and honor him who possesses the light and who causes it to shine forth for the benefit of others. In a local capacity there is no body of Priesthood in the Church who should excel, or who are expected to excel, those who are called to bear the office of High Priests in the Church. From among those who hold this office are chosen the presidents of stakes and their counselors, and the High Councils of the fifty-six stakes of Zion which are now organized ; and from this office are chosen the bishops, and the bishop's counselors in every ward in Zion; and heretofore, of this office are those who have been called

EDITOR'S TABLE. -,49 to take charge of our stake Mutual Improvement organizations. Those holding this office are, as a rule, men of advanced years, and varied experience, men who have filled missions abroad, who have preached the gospel to the nations of the earth and who have had experience not only abroad but at home. Their experience and wisdom is the ripened fruit of years of labor in the Church, and they should exercise that wisdom for the benefit of all with whom they are associated The Seventies are laboring for the purpose of (}ualifying themselves for the work of the ministry abroad among the nations of the earth, which is their legitimate calling. I commend the eflforts of our brethren of the Seven Presidents of Seventies in their endeavor to bring about the good results they have in view in this direction. The Elders' quorums should also be looked after, and those who preside in them should be active in season and out of season. They should be vigilant and faithful in looking after those intrusted to their care, and who are subject to their direction and counsel. The Bishops and the Lesser Priesthood should be very active and energetic. We should look after our boys who have been ordained Deacons and Teachers and Priests in the Church. We should find something for them to do in their callings . Let them be appointed to active labors in their several spheres. Put for- ward those who have not had experience to accompany those who have, and give them something to do. Let the Deacons not only assist to keep the meeting houses in repair, and their grounds in proper condition, but let them be set to work to look after the widows and fatherless, the aged and the poor. Many of our young men who are idle, languishing for the want of something to do, could be made useful in helping the poor to clean up about their homes and make them comfortable, and helping to live in such a way that life would be pleasant to them. There is no reason why the members of the Lesser Priesthood should not be engaged in missions and labors of this kind, instead of calling upon the Trustee-in-trust for the tithing to pay for planting trees to orna- ment the grounds of the meeting houses, or to paint the wood-

550 IMPROVEMENT ERA. work, or to renovate and cleanse the houses of worship, to make them suitable for the worship of God— call the Lesser Priesthood to the work. Give them something to do that will make them interested in the work of the Lord; and above all things direct their energies in such a way that they will be helpful to the needy, helpful to the poor, helpful to themselves and to the Church. It will benefit them not only as regards their standing in the Church, and their faith in the Priesthood which they bear, but it will help them to become better boys at home. They will be more dutiful to their parents, more respectful to their brothers and sisters and others. They will become more mindful of their duties at home and abroad. This is in the line of discipline, of instruction and of gaining practical experience. Instead of leaving these young people, who are full of energy, to roam the streets, to congre- gate upon the corners, or to idle away their time in folly and in contracting, perhaps, foolish and practices, give them habits something to do that will be uplifting, something that will be enlarging to their souls, and that will be an instruction to them that they will remember all their days. OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. want to say also that so far as I know, and I think that we I have the opportunity of knowing pretty well,— the condition of our auxiliary organizations is satisfactory. As a general thing they are in good condition. We may lack in some things, but as a whole our auxiliary organizations are active and energetic and are working constantly for individual and general good. I believe that there is a feeling of harmony existing between all these asso- ciations one with another. There is no strife existing among them, there is no contention. Indeed the spirit of contention is a thing not known among the Latter-day Saints. You find the spirit of contention only among apostates and those who have denied the faith, tho^e who have turned away from the truth and have be- come enemies to God and his work. There you will find the spirit of contention, the spirit of strife. There you will find them want- ing to "argue the question," and to dispute with you all the time. Their food, their meat and their drink is contention which is

EDITOR'S TABLE. 55 abominable in the sight of the Lord. We do not contend. We are not cententious, for if we were, we would grieve the Spirit of the Lord from us, just as apostates do and have always done. MISSIONARY STATISTICS. I have some data here that I thought I would mention in a general way. One item is the number of missionaries laboring in the world —that is, elders sent out from Zion into the mission field: On the 31st of last December we had 1 ,810 missionaries from Zion out in the various mission fields in the world. There were also forty-four sisters who have accompanied their husbands upon their missions. Besides these, th<^re are a number of local elders work- ing in the ministry. We sent out, during the year 1907, into the various mission- ary fields 927 elders, who will spend from two to four years on their missions. There have returned from the various mission fields, during the year 1907, 707 elders. In this connection I wish to mention the fact that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, through their Trustee-in- Trust, has paid the returning fares of all these elders. They go out into the world at their own expense. They maintain them- selves in their missions, at their own expense, or by the assistance of their parents or kindred at home, and the little assistance that they may receive from time to time from the people among whom they labor. I have another list, which is too long to be given here today, showing the number of elders in the mission field from each stake of Zion. We can tell you in a moment just how many elders each stake has in the mission field; but I feel that to continue longer would be to trespass upon your time. I pray God to bless you. I feel joyous and happy in the min- istry, in the work of the Lord. We will hear, during the conference, reports from other quar- ters. A very careful and exhaustive auditation of the accounts and books, the receipts and expenditures of the tithing, for the

552 IMPROVEMENT ERA. last year, has been made by the Auditing Committee of the Church. A NEW AUDITOR. It just comes to my mind that Elder Charles W. Nibley, hav- ing been called to the Presiding Bishopric, has been released from the Auditing Committee, and Brother Henry H. Rolapp, of Ogden, has been appointed to act in his stead. I would like to submit the name of Brother Henry H. Rolapp before this meeting for your approval and acceptance to act upon this committee. (Vote unanimous) WE SEEK FOR AND BELIEVE IN TRUTH. The general authorities of the Church will be presented pos- sibly tomorrow, and if not then, the next day. We desire the brethren and sisters who come to the conference to come with their hearts full of the spirit of wisdom and of truth and if you , discern in us any lack of wisdom, or of judgment, any failure in the performance of our duty, we desire that those who have sup- erior experience and knowledge and greater intelligence will do us the honor and favor of coming to us individually and letting us know wherein we come short. We will give a thousand errors, if — we can find them or if they exist in us, any moment for one truth; and we will swap oflf a hundred mistakes, aye thousands of mistakes if they can be found, for one accurate, consistent and proper action. We are seeking for the truth. We love the truth, and we know when we learn the truth that it is the truth. We believe in the divine mission of Christ and in his great plan of re- demption for the living and the dead. We believe in the divine mission of Joseph Smith the Prophet. We believe in every word that he spoke by the inspiration of Almighty God, and not one word that he ever uttered or gave as a revelation from God will fall to the ground as error, but it will stand upon its own merit as truth, God's truth, eternal truth, — ''while life and thought and being last or immortality endures." This is our testimony to the divinity of the mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and to the divine revelations that the Lord made, through him, to the world.

EDITOR'S TABLE. 553 God help u"> to receive the truth and abide by it, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen. SELF-CONTROL, ITS KINGSHIP AND MAJESTY. We are pleased to announce to our readers that arrangements have been made for the right to print in the Improvement Era, beginning in June, sixteen chapters under the above caption, by William George Jordan, the author of Great Truths. One of the following subjects will appear in each number of the Era , and we are confident our readers will be delighted with these essays which contain in epigrammatic form such counsel on the right attitude toward life as is universally needed. The essays are very helpful to all, and are each worth the price of our magazine to any young man, and especially to him who is just starting out in. life for himself: "The Kingship of Self -Control," "The Crimes of the Tongue," "The Red Tape of Duty," "The Supreme Charity of the World," "Worry, the Great American Disease," "The Greatness of Sim- plicity," "Living Life Over Again," "Syndicating Our Sorrows," "The Revelations of Reserve Power," "The Majesty of Calmness," "Hurry the Scourge of America," "The Power of Personal Influence," ''The Dignity of Self -Reliance," "Failure as a Suc- cess," "Doing our Best at All Times," The Royal Road to Happi- ness.'' We hope through these and other first class articles in store for our readers, to retain every subscriber we have for this volume for Vol. 12, which begins in November, and to add many new ones to our list. MESSAGES FROM THE MISSIONS. Germany, March 12, says: Elder C. Elmer Barrett writing from Darmstadt, blessing us abundantly here in "I am enjoying my work well, and the Lord is although we have opposition now and then from the police; yet the Germany, at the helm. The work goes on, and it will continue to go on, for the Lord is Era is a great help to us in our work."

554 IMPROVEMENT ERA. Elder John A. Southwick died in the Thames Hospital, Thames, New Zealand, March 12, 1908. He was born in Lehi, Utah, February 20, 1883, but spent most of his life in Springville. He had been in the mission field since November 7, 1904, and had been released to return home when he took sick. His body was brought to Utah for burial, by Elder George B. Andrus. Funeral was held in Lehi, April 13. His companions loved him and declared him to be a humble, up- right, and persevering man whose whole soul was enwrapped in his labors. Elder F. N. Parkinson, writing under date of March 6, says: "I write from Berlin, one of the world's largest cities, renowed for its cleanliness and grandeur. Let me say a word of encouragement to my young brothers and sisters. In the early days of the Church, advantages which we now have were not given to our elders. There were no Brigham Young Colleges, universities, or stake academies, or Church publications as we now have. It is different now, God has blessed us with the gift of opportunity, and George H. Lorimer says: 'The only favor that a good man needs is an opportunity to do the best work that is in him.' If you wish to do the best work, and defend the truth, and do it intelligently, use the many helps now afforded you. Pray to God for thoughts, free speech and the Spirit, and forget not that he has already done much to prepare your way . Do as Presi- dent Penrose says: 'Work, work, work, and then you may pray, Heavenly Father make us proficient servants in thy sight. ' Spring is here, and it inspires our hearts to work, and we feel that God is showering his blessings down upon us, be- cause friends are inviting us to explain the gospel in their homes, and many attend ' our meetings. Elder Nephi Otteson, writing from Idaho Falls, Idaho, March 1, says: "I was very much interested in the article in the March Era, 'Fragments of Church History;' interested doubly from the fact that I had a long talk with Benjamin Winchester a few months before his death. In the early part of 1900, Elder Fred Crook and I were laboring as elders in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and learning that Winchester was living in that city, we determined to call on him. We found a feeble old man, and while his mental faculties and memory were remarkably clear, especially concerning the Prophet and early scenes of Church history, he seemed nervous and reluctant concerning his reason for leaving the Church. He was now a spiritualist and had the haunted look peculiar to those of that profession. We learned many things of interest from the old gentleman, but the most important of these, because of its significance, was the fact that the Prophet Joseph married one of his sisters; and as Josephites are numerous in Council Bluffs, they had little to say in Benjamin Winchester's presence concerning Brigham Young being the originator of plural marriage. "Knowing that he had preached 'Mormonism' for years, and had traveled thousands of miles to teach the world that an angel had given into the hands of Joseph Smith the metallic record of the Book of Mormon, and had testified that it had been translated by the power of God also that he had suffered persecution ; had been driven with the Saints; had been a close associate of Joseph and Hyrum, Oliver and Rigdon, I asked him, 'In view of your present attitude toward the

'EDITOR'S TABLE. 555 'Mormon' Church, how do you explain its origin?' He was thougntful for a few moments and then he answered, 'I do not know unless the spirit of Moroni or some other leading person who had taken part in the history of America's past came and told Joseph about it. In other words, his apparent explanation was ' that possibly Joseph was a medium. Benjamin Winchester had left the Church and now professed to believe that its teachings were not the true Gospel to which he had been instrumental in converting so many souls. Yet his explanation was significant for, though an apostate, he did not attribute the authorship to Joseph, nor Oliver, nor to Sidney Rigdon, nor Spaulding, nor did he even deny its truth- fulness. Elder G. N. Curtis, president of the Minnesota conference writes from Min- neapolis, April 15, 1908: "One day last week I went to the public library to secure some statistics. While there I was greatly pleased to find our valuable magazine, the Improvement Era on the library shelves. The March number had the cover torn off and many thumb prints and marks, and the general appearance showed that many people had read it. Although the April number had been there but a short time, yet it shows that many readers have used it. Our own people take the Era, so all the readers have been strangers or investigators. In this way the Era is doing a great missionary work, for people will read the excellent articles contained therein and calmly consider each part, and a much better or greater impression might be made than if an elder should tell the same things. I rejoice in the work the Era does, and I always anxiously look for its arrival. "The Minnesota conference is in a very prosperous condition. The Lord has greatly blessed the people of Minnesota. The finest people in the world live in Minnesota, and Minneapolis is an ideal home. No other city offers greater oppor- tunity to become wealthy and happy. During the past few winter months all the professional men, business men, and nearly all the ministers, have been visited by the elders, and very few will be left with the excuse, 'I never heard of 'Mormon- ism. 'Many souls have been warned of the coming judgments and all we have ' met have been called to repentance. There is no better way to show growth than to compare figures, for 'they cannot lie.' We shall use the Book of Mormon sales for comparison during the first three months of 1907 and 1908 in the Minne- sota conference: During January, 1907, twenty-two elders sold twelve Books of Mormon; during January, 1908, twenty-two elders sold seventy-six Books of Mor- mon; during February, 1907, twenty-two elders sold seventeen Books of Mor- mon; during February, 1908, twenty-four elders sold one hundred eighty Books of Mormon ; during March, 1907, twenty elders sold twenty-three Books of Mor- mon: during March, 1908, twenty-four elders sold two hundred four Books of Mormon. "Every other branch of missionary work shows the same great increase, but lack of space forbids a detailed comparison. Our records show that when the Book of Mormon sales increase all other branches of the work increase, which fact is an additional incentive to place the divine Book of Mormon in the hands of every honest person. God is surely blessing us, and we thank him for it."