7th, .
REPORTED BY DAVID W. EVANS.
Yesterday morning when I came into
this tabernacle it was some little time
before I could tell whether what I saw
was in vision, or whether it was real
and literal; but I soon became thorough-
ly convinced that I was in the taberna-
cle of the Lord built here in the moun-
tains, and saw before me some ten or
twelve thousand Latter-day Saints.
I have been interested in the counsels
and instructions which we have receiv-
ed here in this house, and when we, as
elders, have texts given us to preach
from I feel that we, in a measure, are
bound to confine ourselves to those
texts. In the few remarks that I may
make I wish to speak upon them.
The first text was the emigration. We
have been gathered together by the gos-
pel of Jesus Christ. We have partaken
of its blessings, and as far as lies in our
power we should extend those blessings
to our brethren and sisters abroad. It
is our duty to do all we can to assist in
emigrating the poor from the nations of
the earth, for the Lord requires it at our
hands.
The second text was the education of
our children. The subject was address-
ed to mothers; it applies also to the
fathers. This is a subject of vast im-
portance to the Latter-day Saints. If
any one were to ask me when the edu-
cation of our children begins; I will not
tell you what you believe, but I will tell
you what I believe—I believe that edu-
cation begins when the spirit of life en-
ters the tabernacle of the child. That
is the way I view it. If the mother has
the spirit of God upon her, when she
prays and calls upon the Lord for his
blessing, I believe that that power and
spirit affects her child, and will do so
until the day of its birth, and will affect
it from that time henceforth and forev-
er. While the mother lives her influ-
ence, example, and teachings will affect
her child through life. If she teaches
her child virtue, honesty and righteous
principles, if she teaches him to pray,
these teachings will have their effect
upon him through life. If parents know
the effect of their example on their chil-
dren, we should many times do very
different from what we do. When a
father gives counsel to his wives and
children about anything he desires done
about his place, his orchard, his garden
or farm, and the wife teaches her chil-
dren to obey their father, that has its
effect upon the children—they work
together. But let the mother, as soon
as the father's back is turned say to her
children "your father is gone and you
may go and pick those apples or grapes,
or you may go and gather this, that and
the other, your father will not know
anything about it, and it will be all
right," she sets a very bad example be-
fore her children, she teaches them to
steal and to take an evil course; but let
the mother carry out the counsels of the
father, and they both work together in
teaching their children righteous prin-
ciples, and their children will grow up
having learned to obey their parents.
Mothers in Israel should remember that,
unless they do their best to carry out
the counsels of the head of the family,
they set a bad example before the chil-
dren and take a course that the Lord
will not approve and bless; but let them
be one with their husbands in carrying
out his counsels and the Lord will bless
them and their children. Many a time,
when in the vision of my mind, I con-
template the great duties and responsi-
bilities that will yet rest on the rising
generation among the Latter-day
Saints, I feel that we as parents are too
slow in our duties towards our children.
No better legacy can we bestow upon
them than to teach them every truth
which we ourselves are in possession of;
then they will honor us, honor the
priesthood, magnify their callings, and
carry out the great purposes of our God.
The next subject referred to by the
President was the call for a certain
number of teams to haul rock for
the temple. I need not say much in
relation to this. The people have
built this tabernacle, and we have got
to build the temple. If the inhabitants
of Zion felt the lack, weight and bless-
ings of the most high God that are with-
in their reach, there is not a man in Is-
rael who would refuse for one moment
to do anything in his power to further
the building of the temple. God designs
to bestow the blessings of heaven upon
the Latter-day Saints. There are very
few in Israel who have received the ful-
ness of the blessings of the kingdom of
God, while there are thousands, proba-
bly, who are worthy to receive them.
We must have a temple in order to bes-
tow these blessings.
The next text was some young men
were called to go south to strengthen
the southern country. This is all right,
they may just as well go there as any-
where else. When we received this
gospel we entered into covenant to obey
the Lord. We then received a mission
that will never close as long as we
dwell in the flesh whether we go east,
west, north or south. We are fulfill-
ing that mission whether we go to Eng-
land or to Dixie; it is all the same as
long as we are under the dictation of the
holy priesthood. Then let us fulfil all
missions and comply with all calls made
upon us.
The next pleasing text given was for
the young men and maidens to marry.
I want to say a few words to the young
ladies. A great many men are called
south. They are required by the Holy
Priesthood to marry. Now, when these
young men ask you young ladies to
marry them, do not ask them how rich
they are, or how much gold and silver
they have; but let the question with you
be, are they good, are they virtuous, are
they Latter-day Saints, are they obey-
ing counsel and trying to do what is
required of them. If they are doing
this, you should not require the young
men in Israel to be worth ten thousand
dollars in gold, nor a dozen carriages;
and any father or mother who throws
obstacles in the way of the young folks
being married through such considera-
tions does not do right. Let them ful-
fil the commandments. You may ask
them if they have three straw beds all
but the ticks, and if the young men
possess them, then marry them.
The next text was to lay up your
wheat. I do not want to say much
about this. The army of our God that
has gone through this territory and
which is about to visit the nations of
the earth will soon teach us this lesson.
We certainly should begin to feel the
importance of carrying out this counsel.
It has been given to us for years and
years past and gone.
The next text presented by President
Young was upon the necessity of learn-
ing and observing the laws of health.
I may say this is of vast importance.
I do not feel that I am particularly
qualified to teach you on this principle;
but I am satisfied that if we will keep
the Word of Wisdom, be temperate in
our lives and be faithful before the Lord
that we shall have more of the Spirit of
the Lord, and may considerably pro-
long our lives. It is a maxim with
President Young—and I believe it is
true—that a man should not teach what
he does not practice. We are intempe-
rate in many things. We are intem-
perate in labor as well as many other
things. I have been intemperate in
this myself. I have seen so much to do
in the world, so much around me that
I felt ought to be done to save things
from going to waste, that many times I
have felt that I have done wrong in
laboring so hard. I do not know, how-
ever, but that it is better to wear out
than to rust out. I would far sooner see
a man labor hard than see him a lazy
vagabond depending upon the exertions
of others for his livelihood. The Word
of Wisdom covers a great deal of ground
and I am satisfied that the day will
come when we shall change in a great
many things in our manner of life, and
shall more properly appreciate teach-
ings on this subject than we do now.
The last text given was for the Elders
to preach only what they know. This
is good counsel, and as long as we keep
within the bounds of this rule, we will
always be right. I never had more of
the spirit of God in my life than when
teaching the first principles of the
gospel, and bearing testimony to the in-
habitants of the earth that Joseph
Smith was a true Prophet of God, that
the Book of Mormon was true, and that
the first principles of the gospel, as re-
vealed through him, were the plan of
life and salvation. Whenever we, the
Elders of Israel, go beyond these limits
we are in the swamp, we do not know
where we are nor where we are going;
but as long as we keep within the limits
of our knowledge—within what we
know and have been taught us by the
Holy Spirit, we are safe and we will be
saved with full salvation, even so:
Amen.
