The Defense of Freedom

830 IMPROVEMENT ERA In Defense of Freedom* By President Anthon H. Lund It is an inspiring sight to see so many here this afternoon belonging to the organizations of the Young Men's and Young Ladies" Mutuals, and the Primaries. I have enjoyed the remarks of President Penrose, and I know that the counsel he has given will be for the good of our young people. War in Nearly All Nations We live in a time that is very rich in events, and we see the signs of the times fulfiling. It was said that war should be poured out on all na- tions. The other day I looked at a globe representing the earth, and turning it around I found that the spirit of war had been poured out upon almost all nations. We do not know how soon it will be ended. The Latter-day Saints a Peaceful People We are a people who love peace. We love not war, but we know there are times when even war may bring blessings unto the people. In olden time when Joshua led the Israelites into the Holy or Promised Land, the Lord had seen the wickedness of the inhabitants. Hundreds of years before Johsua's time this land had been promised to Abraham for his descendants, but it was necessary, in order to obtain the inheritance promised them, to carry on war,' and we find that where they did not do this to the extent that the Lord had commanded, but spared some of the cities peopled by the Ca naanites, it proved a curse unto them. A Wonderful Instance of Protection In the Book of Mormon we read of a certain people who were so dis- gusted with war that they made a covenant that they would not again go to war. When their enemies came upon them, they did not want to break their covenant, and yet before them was the prospect of annihilation. There were two thousand young men among them who had grown up since the covenant was made, and these felt that they were doing the right thing to go in defense of their fathers and mothers and their land. The Lord blessed them in a remarkable manner, so that they did their duty fearlessly and attacked and defeated the enemy. On their return it was found that none of their num- bers was missing. This was a wonderful instance of the protection of the Lord. The Spirit of Freedom W orking in the Nations We have never thought that the time would come when this land would engage in war in Europe, but the time has come. We have seen whole na- tions laid prostrate before their enemies, and have seen some of these people taken from their homes into slavery, their beautiful palaces destroyed, and heavy taxes laid upon them, though innocent of any offense against the power that attacked them. When you see two men fighting, you want to separate them, and if the one be smaller than the other, you are likely to take his side against the larger; and likewise, as nations are entities, the United States cannot stand impassive and see the abuse, the oppression and *Remarks made at the M. I. A. and Primary Conference, June 10, 1917.