)S?f n~&i~ —-. c Tttfr SIXTY=EIGHTH nnual Conference THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, leld in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, April 6th, 7th, 8th and 10th, 1898, with a Full Report of the Discourses. ;o an Account of the General Conference of the Deseret Sunday School Union. COPYRIGHTED 1898. ALL BIGHTS RESERVED. Df.seret News Publishing < ompany. 1898. GENERAL CONFERENCE THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS. FIRST DAY. The Sixty-eighth annual Conference PRESIDENT WILFORD WOOD- of the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat- RUFF. ter-day Saints convened in the Taber- OPENING REMARKS. nacle, Salt Lake City, at 10 a. m. on I feel very thankful to have the Wednesday, April 6th, 1898, President privilege of meeting with so Wilford Woodruff presiding. many of the Latter-day Saints in this, our Of the general authorities present on Sixty-eighth Annual Conference of the the stand there were of the First Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Presidency—Wilford Woodruff, George Saints. I had my fears that I would Q. Cannon and Joseph P. Smith; of not be able to attend this Conference the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles— at all, as I have been quite unwell the Lorenzo Snow, Franklin D. Richards, last month; but the last day or two Brigham Young, Francis M. Lyman, I have been blessed with better health. John Henry Smith, George Teasdale, It is a great satisfaction to me to have Heber J. Grant, John W. Taylor, Mar- this privilege. I am satisfied myself riner W. Merrill, Matthias F. Cowley that there are many thousands in the and Abraham Owen Woodruff: Patri- spirit world, including the Prophet arch John Smith: of the First Seven Joseph Smith and other leaders of this Presidents of Seventies—Seymour B. Church, who are quite as deeply inter- Young, C. D. Fjelstead, B. H. Roberts, ested in this Conference and our work George Reynolds and Jonathan G. today as we possibly can be ourselves. Kimball; of the Presiding Bishopric— I hope, while we are together, that we William B. Preston, Robert T. Burton may enjoy the Spirit of God; that our and John R. Winder. minds may be opened, and our teach- Conference was called to order by ings and instructions be led in that President George Q. Cannon. channel which shall be unto the edifi- The choir and congregation sang the cation of the Saints and beneficial to hymn which begins: us. How firm a foundation, ye Saints of The signs of the times show that the Lord, the Lord has not forgotten His prom- Is laid for your faith in His excellent word. ises, made through the inspiration of Prophets and Apostles in generations Opening prayer by Elder John that are past and gone. There ha:5 Nicholson. been a great change in the world with All hail the glorious day, regard to "Mormonism" the last year By Prophets long foretold, of our lives, as shown in the increase When with harmonious lay, of the work and qf the labors of the The sheep of Israel's fold all the nation"-; On Zion's hill his praise proclaim, Elders of Israel among And shout Hosanna to His name, where they have been called to travel. a was sung by the choir. I hope and pray that Ove may be in GENERAL CONFERENCE. cold. he is condition to comprehend our duties to- severe attack of But here with us, and it is a cause of great satis- day and what is lying before us, that as faction and pleasure to all to see him the purposes of God concerning us to hear his voice, even if it is only Latter-day Saints may be carried out. and be for a brief period. I trust that the Spirit of God may has said, with not only those who speak and As President Woodruff the progress of the work is very gratifying. teach during this Conference, but with It is an important period in which we those also who sit and hear. My are living. A great change has taken prayer to God is that His blessing may place in relation to this work and its be over us, that our minds may be bearing upon the nations. No doubt open to comprehend our duties, our the greater portion of this congregation blessings, and those things which are will remember the promises that were required at our hands; that we may made by the servant of God during the be true and faithful in our labors dedication of the Salt Lake Temple five while we dwell in the flesh, so that years ago. Predictions were made then when we get through we may be satis- that seemed unlikely to be fulfilled, fled with our labors here, and be looking at affairs as men naturally look justified when we are called to give at them. But not a word was said an account of the deeds done in the concerning the progress of this work body. I say, God bless you. I pray and the favor that it would find from for His Holy Spirit to rest upon us that time forward that has not been as the Saints of God, and upon those literally fulfilled. who may address us; which is my de- As I have said, a great change has sire in the name of Jesus. Amen. taken place in relation to the work of the Lord. It occupies a different posi- PRESIDENT GEORGE Q. CANNON. tion, in many, respects, to that which it has ever occupied before. It was a Dawning of a brighter day—Predictions in relation cause of consolation to the Saints, in to the work of God—Guided by the Spirit of prophecy—Trials and deliverances, past, present the dark hours that we witnessed some and prospective—the missionary department- ten or twelve years ago, to hear the El- Advisability of using women as missionaries. ders predict that a better day was about to dawn upon the people, and It is gratifying this morning to see that we should emerge from the trials assemblage in this building, so large an and difficulties and sorrows of those our Confer- at the commencement of days with greater influence and more the in- ence, and it is to be hoped that power, more respected as a people than terest that is manifested today by those we ever had been. It seemed highly im- present will be maintained dur- who are probable that those predictions would ing the Conference, that through that be fulfilled, because the bitterness en- interest we may obtain a goodly decree tertained toward the Latter-day Saints the Spirit of God, and all feel, of may and their religion was so widespread this Conference closes, that it has when and deep-seated. But those predictions at- been the best Conference we ever have been fulfilled. tended. This is is the usual feeling We have often been surrounded by which those who attend the Confer- very difficult circumstances, and there ences experience. At each Conference have been many times in our history blessings of God that are re- the when it seemed as though this work of ceived appear to be greater than God would be overthrown and aJl his before, and of course this ever purposes brought to naught. Those who feeling is produced by the in- have fought against this work have in- terest that each one has in attending dulged in those anticipations. \The the meetings and in listening to the in- measures which they undertook, and into the spirit structions and drinking which they endeavored to carry out, of the Conference. It is most gratify- had for their object the destruction of ing to all of us to see President Wood- this organization and the breaking up ruff and to hear his voice. As he of this people. They supposed these has said, he scarcely expected a few measures sufficient to accomplish the days ago to be able to attend this Con- ends they had in view. If they had ference, suffering as he did from a very not felt sure of this, they would, with- PRESIDENT GEORGE Q. CANNON. out doubt, have tried other plans. and separating the people in such a That which has sustained the Lat- way that they would never again be ter-day Saints during their times of united. But the people did gather to- trial has been the spirit of prophecy. gether again. It was the power of God The Lord has given to His Elders the that did this. It -was the spirit of pro- spirit of prophecy. In the midst of the phecy that rested upon the servants ot most terrible trials, when the people God, which encouraged the people, were broken up, driven out from their which told them that the Lord had re- homes and possessions, in a state of vealed and established His Church on utter destitution, without food, without the earth, and that there was neither - proper clothing , without shelter, home- power on earth nor in hell that could less wanderers, scattered by the ruth- destroy it, or that could thwart His less hand of violence—in those dark purposes, as predicted by the mouths hours the Lord gave unto His servants of His holy prophets. As in the past, the spirit of prophecy. It rested upon so it has been of late years. That them in power, and they predicted to same spirit has rested upon the people. the people that a better day would And there is this grand peculiarity con- dawn upon them, and they would nected wth this work; it has not been emerge from their trials stronger and those men alone who have been chosen better, more firmly rooted in the faith by the Lord to lead who have had this which the Lord had revealed to them, spirit.They have not prophesied without than they were before, more than a witness on the part of the faithful once in the history of the Latter-day people themselves that that which they Saints have mobs driven them from said was the truth and from the Al- their homes—the places the Lord baa mighty.