Remarks

REMARKS BY ELDER THOMAS HULL My brethren and sisters: I am not in the habit of saying, when called upon to speak, that the call was not expected. I have had some little experience in talking to the Saints, and therefore have overcome that thing. But this morning I must say that I am taKen completely by surprise. I had no idea that I should be called upon to address you, and yet I may say that if the Lord will give me his Spirit, it will afford me the greatest pleasure to add my testimony to those borne to you today.

CONJOINT SESSIONS M. I. A. CONFERENCE. 917 My heart at this moment is very full for the beautiful song ["The King of Eternity," solo by David Smith, Teton Stake] to which we have just listened. It impressed me more than any song I have heard for many a long day. Not so much the song, either, but the rich, beautiful voice of Brother Smith, accompanied by the sweet influence there was in it, and the fact that every word he sang could be distinctly heard and understood. And it peculiarly affected me, perhaps because, from that excellent enunciation of his, there came to my mind another voice, now silenced, which once was very dear to me, the chief characteristic of which, perhaps, were the soul and spirit and the enunciation. Referring now to the spirit of the song, I want to say to my brethren and sisters here today, that during this conference 1 have had quite a lesson in the judging of meetings. We are apt to say at the close of a meting, "What a splendid meeting we had," or, perhaps, sometimes we may feel that the meeting was not as successful. as it might be. But I want to give you one key by which you may judge as to whether a meeting has accomplished what it should have accomplished for you. If your heart is filled with joy and tenderness ; if your heart, if I might use the expression, is filled with tears, and there is softness and gentleness throughout all your being, you can know that the Spirit of God has been in the meeting, that you have enjoyed it; and that spirit, that feeling has certainly attended all the meetings of this conference. On Friday morning, who could have been in the meeting in the Assembly hall and not felt the sweet influence attendant there ; and, the same was true, so far as the young men have been concerned, of their officers' meetings ; and today surely the spirit of peace and love and of joy is in the midst of us. It is indeed a blessed thing to be associated with the work of the Lord. It is a joy for you young people to have the privilege of associating in this great work, organized and established for the training of the youth of Israel in the testimony of Jesus, the spirit of prophecy, that you may obtain that power which will overcome all evil, enable you to withstand all temptation, and fill you with the Spirit of the Lord. I was impressed at our last general conference with a thought while listening to Elder Ben E. Rich. He quoted the old familiar passage and incident in the life of Jesus, when he called his disciples together and asked them, "Whom do men say that I am?" And, as you remember, one said that he was this prophet, and another that he was that. And finally Jesus said, "But whom say ye that I am?" Peter, in his impetuous way, spoke up and said: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." We often quote the answer of Jesus to Peter and often it is remarked that when Jesus said. "Upon this rock will 1 build mv Church," he meant the rock of revelation. But a new thought came to my mind at that time, in fact I think it was expressed by the speaker. Jesus said: "Blessed art thou. Simon Bar Jona for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. Thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it"— upon the rock ot testimony will he build his Church, the testimony of Jesus, the spirit ot prophecy. And, indeed, in this clay and age of the world, the Lord has

918 IMPROVEMENT ERA. built his Church upon the testimony of the Saints of God, for they have gone forth, as Brother Brimhall has voiced — they have gone forth fearlessly into the world and testified of the truth. They have told the world, we know that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ ; we know that God has spoken in the day in which we live through his humble prophet, Joseph Smith, and the testimony of Jesus, the spirit of prophecy, has gone forth in the world today, emanating from the humble servants of God, the testimony that Jesus is the Christ, and upon this testimony God has established his work, and made a strong and mighty people by the spirit of prophecy, the testimony of Jesus. That is the work, my clear young brethren and sisters, in which we are engaged, that the youth of Israel may be established in the testimony of Jesus, that they may fearlessly go forth amongst their fellow men and testify of the things of God, filled with an understanding of the principles of truth and of knowledge and of light and of revelation which God has given to his people; and then, if we will labor in this cause, God will bless us and strengthen us and give us joy. Go forth, then, my dear young brethren and sisters, from this conference filled with that spirit and with this determination. God has indeed blessed you. He has been good to the children of his people, and he has brought into their midst everything which shall be for their advancement and improvement and for their increase of power. We have listened today to things, the effects of which introduced into our Mutual Improvement Associations, will be to refine, to uplift and strengthen in all the things of life, and if we put into practice the teachings we receive in our Mutual Improvement Associations, we shall become strong and useful members of society. I am told that in our midst today, in this city, is a lady who came for the purpose of establishing libraries amongst the people, and that when she went into the office of one of the auxiliary organizations, the Primary, yesterday, she was surprised to find the work that was being done. She said : "I have come into your midst to introduce a library system, and I find that you are at least six years ahead of us in that work." Now this is the condition. I believe there is no community in the world today where there are the advantages offered to the young people, that are offered to the children of Zion, and I want, if I can. to impress upon vour minds this thought, in the words of Brother Brimhall again, "What hath God wrought!" I want to impress upon vou the thought that this is the blessing of God to you, that God has inspired his servants to give to you these aids, to encourage vou in every good work ; I want you to go home into your communities full of the Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord, and carrv into those communities purity, virtue, truth, and courage, and loyaltv, and a determination to shield and sustain the work of the Lord', and to fight to the utmost of your strength the evils that are found in the midst of the people — those evils that are being introduced bv men and women who would draw away the vouth of Israel from the path marked out bv their fathers. | ' ^|VH I pray that God will bless us in this our work, that he will fill us with the spirit of Mutual Improvement, that we may go forth from this conference determined that we will stand for Mutual Improvement,

CONJOINT SESSIONS M. I. A. CONFERENCE. 919 stand for this organization, and sec to it that it is made an absolute necessity in the wards in which we live; that it shall be found to be a factor for the upbuilding of the community, for the sustaining of the local authorities, the furtherance of "the work of God, and for the accomplishment of his purposes, which is my prayer, through Jesus Christ. Amen. At the afternoon session, before the sermon by President Joseph F. Smith, there were three short speeches on' the subjects physical, intellectual and spiritual development.