Editor's Table

I have Dwelt in the Spirit of Prayer"

'I have not lived alone these five months. I have dwelt in the spirit of prayer, of supplication, of faith and of determina* tion. I have had my communication with the Spirit of the Lord continuously." These were the significant key words of Presi dent Joseph F. Smith's opening speech at the Eighty-ninth semi- annual conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which in many ways was a notable event in the history of the Church. His words found a ready lodgment in the hearts of the Saints, for they, too, have had the experience. The doctrines and instructions of the speakers were plain, powerful, and to the point. The attendance was somewhat diminished, owing to so many of the Priesthood being absent in the war, the announcement being made at one meeting of the conference that over fifteen thousand men holding the Priesthood were in the military ser- vice of our country. Others not at war, who would have at- tended conference, were detained at home to do work that many of the younger men who were in the service would have done under other circumstances, thus compelling many to forego the pleasure of attending. A cause for much rejoicing was the presence of President Joseph F. Smith who, it had been feared, might not be able to attend owing to the condition of his health, he having been quite ill for the past five months. But he was able to be present at most of trie meetings and to preside as well as to make brief but inspiring remarks to the gathered Saints. The effort did him no harm, and he seemed to feel better at each appearance. Promptly at ten o'clock on Friday morning, the 4th, and as a complete surprise to the large congregation, President Smith entered through the door at the stand. As he entered, the organ peeled forth a chord and the vast audience arose spontaneously and stood in affectionate reverence until he acknowledged with a wave of the hand the beautiful and sincere tribute of love and respect which the Church and congregation so beautifully ex- hibited towards their beloved leader. This happened time and again during the conference. He was visibly affected when he arose to make his opening speech which was listened to with profound silence. He said: "As most of you, I suppoee, are aware, I have been under-

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going a siege of very serious illness for the last five months. It would be impossible for me, on this occasion, to occupy suf- ficient time to express the desires of my heart and my feelings, as I would desire to express them to you, but I felt that it was my duty, if possible, to be present and take some little part this morning in the opening session of this Eighty-ninth semi-annual conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Clear of Mind Though Weak in Body

"For more than seventy years I have been a worker in this cause with you and your fathers and progenitors, pioneers who broke the way into these valleys of the mountains and my heart ;

is just as firmly set with you today as it ever has been. Although somewhat weakened in body, my mind is clear with reference to my duty, and with reference to the duties and responsibilities that rest upon the Latter-day Saints; and I am ever anxious for the progress of the work of the Lord, for the prosperity of the people of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world. I am as anxious as I ever have been, and as earnest in my desires that Zion shall prosper, and that the Lord shall favor his people and magnify them in his sight, and in the knowledge and understanding of the intelligent people of all the world.

Continuous Communication with the Spirit of the Lord "I will not, I dare not, attempt to enter upon many things that are resting upon my mind this morning, and I shall post- pone until some future time, the Lord being willing, my attempt tell you some of the things that are in my mind, to and that dwell in my heart. I have not lived alone these five months. I

have dwelt in the spirit of prayer, of supplication, of faith and of determination; and I have had my communication with the Spirit of the Lord continuously; and I am glad to say to you, my brethren and sisters, that it is a happy meeting this morning the opening for me to have the privilege of joining with you in of the Church. of this Eighty-ninth semi-annual conference "God Almighty bless you and those who shall address you, and President Lund, who will continue in charge of the services, in my absence, at least; and all who take part in the services ot you may have a time of rejoicing and ot this conference, that great reward. _ , .

anything "Hoping that you will pardon my effort to say I bless you in the under so unfavorable circumstances to myself, favor and blessing name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and invoke his Amen. and protection upon vou now and forever. Smith had no sooner uttered the Amen than President peeled forth the strains of "We thank thee, O the great organ

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God, for a prophet," at which the great congregation as one arose,and without announcement, sang impressively and with deep emotion, the popular and sacred song of the Latter-day Saints: "We thank thee, God, for a prophet, To guide us in these latter-days; We thank thee for sending the gospel To lighten our minds with its rays." Never was the hymn sung with greater earnestness and feeling. President Smith celebrates his eightieth anniversary, No- vember 13, 1918. Hundreds of thousands will remember him with loving well wishes and congratulations.

Some Current History "I have drawn a few items, by request, from the current events of the Church and its history, that I think will be interest- ing to be read by our people in the Deseret News, this evening, and for this reason I will submit these items to the clerk to be handed over to the Deseret News for publication." So said President Joseph F. Smith at the close of his open- ing remarks at the October conference. We think readers of the Era will also be interested in them, and hence present them here in full: Tithing We have been blessed with a most abundant harvest in all the stakes and wards of the Church. The Lord has greatly blessed the people, and it gratifying to note that our tithing records show an increase in tithing is paid for the first nine months of this year over the corresponding months of 1917. Priesthood Activities In consequence of so many of our young men being drafted into the war, the activities of our quorums of the priesthood, especially of the Elders, Priests and Teachers quorums, are very much impaired. In some wards nearly every priest and teacher of draft age is in the war. The quorums have been seriously depleted, and a corresponding effect has also been felt in the Sunday School and Y. M. M. I. A. Missionary Work The extension of the draft age has also affected our missionary work, and we are not now sending missionaries out who are within the draft age. Relief Society Wheat Our Relief Societies were called on, just prior to harvest time of this year, to supply the government with all the wheat they had stored up for years. Of course, they promptly and loyally complied with the request, and the wheat has been taken over by the government and used to help meet the demand made upon this country by our allies. The money received for this wheat is a trust fund, and should be kept in the banks, and when the proper time arrives, used to purchase wheat to be saved up against another time of need. The policy inaugurated by the leaders of the Church years ago with reference to this matter is a gound policy and should be continued.

EDITORS' TABLE 33 \ Temples The Hawaiian ttmple is now nearing completion. Substantial progress is being made with the Cardston temple. The building is enclosed, and the finishing work now in process. Military Service

We believe that our brethren who have answered the call of their Country and entered the war should have their names on record in the Church, and Bishops should enter every member of their ward who is in the military service of the United States or its allies on the tithing record, as this record is a roll of honor. Further details will be given by the Pre- siding Bishopric. (It was later said by Elder David A. Smith at the request of President Smith that fifteen thousand men holding the priesthood were in the military service of our Country.) Reorganization of the Presiding Bishopric Bishop Orrin P. Miller, first counselor to Presiding Bishop C. W. Nibley, passed away on July 7, 1918, after a long and severe illness. On July 18, Bishop David A. Smith was set apart as first counselor, and Elder John Wells ordained a Bishop and set apart as second counselor to Pre- siding Bishop C. W. Nibley. Deaths

Since our last conference Bishop William Fairbourn, of Crescent ward, Jordan stake, has passed away; and Marion A. Woolley, of Kanab stake, and George E. Giles, of Provo, Utah, laboring in the Australian and Samoan mission fields respectively, also passed away. New Wards The following new wards have been organized since our last confer-

Redcliffe* Utah, strawberry and Alterra wards, in Duchesne stake Veyo ;

stake; Lark, in and Central, in St. George stake; Wandamere, in Granite in Montpelier Jordan stake; Topaz, in Portneuf stake, and Pegram Branch, stake.

"The Shepherd of the Range" Kaysville, This beautiful poem by T. McClure Peters, of the fifth Utah published in the October number of the Era, in the fifth stanza contained editorial changes and sixth lines of vital to unauthorized by the author, and which are considered the sense of the poem. These read in the published poem: "What matters it what men say of the Christ, Or even doubt He ever walked the earth?" The lines as originally written, read "What matters it if Mary bore no Christ, Or even if He never walked the earth?" proof The suggested changes by the associate editor with the of the poem were not submitted as intended to Mr. Peters who thereforerequests a republication of the stanza to relieve him

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of a false position. He says lie never would have consented to have his name appear as the author of the verses in the shape printed. The whole stanza as written by him would then read: "I think at times on this that men have said, With troubled mind, and to myself I say, We often speak thus to our other selves, You know it is the lonely shepherd's way: What matters it if Mary bore no Christ, Or even if He never walked the earth? Since from the first I read these gospel books The Jesus of my soul has had his birth: His power as great as if in flesh and blood; The truths He told of goodness do not change; I worship Him, though that He never was, I, a poor lonely shepherd of the Range."

Sentiments from the Soldiers

Sgt. Moroni W. Smith, writing from Camp Funston, Kansas, October 5: "A friend has been sending me the Era and I so thoroughly enjoy it that I am enclosing subscription fee to have it sent my mother and two little broth- ers yet in their tender years. I am anxious that the latter shall have every possible environment conducive of the making of real, live Latter-day Saints. That is what our father, were he still living, would have us become. My sixteen months' service for Uncle Sam has opened my eyes to social condi- tions I dreamed not of. Yet it has only tended to establish more firmly in my mind how weak and puny we are without divine guidance. My testi- mony is that God is love, and that the brotherhood of man should be universal." Private David L. Basinger, U. S. General Hospital No. 3, Rahway, New Jersey, Ward No. 22, writes, September 19, to a friend: I have been back in God's country, U. S. A., since September 1. I got wounded in battle in France, July 25, by a high explosive shell which landed about twenty feet from me. One of its fragments happened to hit me, striking on the top of my right hand and going clear through it. President Monson has been to see me, accompanied by the conference president. They administered to me, and I feel I have been blessed of the Lord. They gave me several copies of the Improvement Era and several Liahcnas and The Juvenile Instructor, all of which are a source of inspiration to me. I received the Era regularly in France, until I got in the hospital. It was a welcome guest and a great help to me in France. I am pleased to have the opportunity of coming back to the United States of America, a land which is choice above all other lands. I should like to have any books sent me that any one may have of the pioneers, or the life of any of the leaders of the Latter-day Saints, in whom I am very greatly interested. Lieut. Leroy A. Wilson, writing from Oklahoma, to the folks. October S, and sending a subscription to the Improvement Era, says: "I have been wanting something for a long time without being able to determine just what it was. Today I thought of the Improvement Era and of the wonderful inspiration it used to afford me, and then I knew it was this great little magazine of the Saints which I wanted, so I am enclosing my subscription. Why don't some of the brethren start a movement to have this periodical sent to our boys in the trenches and in the cantonments? I know from con- tact with them that they are thinking of the gospel, and would gladly read every copy. At least it should be among the magazines found on the reading tables of the Y. M. C. A. I am sure they would give us space. I

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have been at several large camps and have never yet found any of our pub- lications. At Camp Jackson, which I recently left, over one hundred officers of the 'Mormon' faith were stationed, to say nothing of the enlisted men." From "Somewhere in France" Sapper F. C. Henderson writes, August 17, 1918: "I have been a member of the Church for two years on the 24th of Septemper, enlisting for overseas service on June 4, 1917, in the Canadian Engineers, at Lethbridge, Alta. I formerly resided in the Taylorsville ward, in the Cardston district. Leaving Lethbridge for Calgary, I remained there three weeks, then proceeded to St. Johns, Quebec, for training, with the 8th Batt. Canadian Engineers. On Dec. 9, 1917, our colonel called for volunteers for reconstruction work at Halifax, and I went, fixing up the barracks that were destroyed by the explosion of Dec. 6. Leaving that city for overseas, we arrived in England March 18. We were then warned for draft leave before proceeding to France, and were granted six days. I took my leave in Manchester, visiting with the elders and Saints there, staying with President Lester F. Hewlett and Elders Henry H. Parker and Evan O. Perkins. I spent a most enjoyable time there, feeling like I was among the Saints in Canada. Yesterday I received a copy of the Era from one of the sisters of the Oldham branch. There is not a better book printed than the Improvement Era, to my thinking. I have been very much inter- ested in it, and I certainly thank the sisters for sending me it. Of all books I have seen in the trenches, I like none better than the Era. I hope to write you again very soon. I still have a testimony of the gospel. I know it is a true work in which we are engaged, and I pray the Lord will bless you all, in your work."

The German Exhibit in the British Museum, on the Western Front. It is stated officially that during the month of August, 1918, British troops

British Official Photo. © Underzuood & Underwood, N. Y. in France captured 657 German guns, including over 150 heavy guns. Ma- chine guns to the amount of 5,750 have been counted, as have over a thou- sand trench mortars. During September and October the British must have trebbled their August achievements.

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