Elder George A. Smith.

Selfishness, a principal cause of war--Peace and salvation result of heeding teaching of God's servants--The Gospel should be taught in our households, and to our neighbors--God's message to the world against liquor and tobacco.

My brethren and sisters, I trust that the few words I speak this morning may be indited by our Heavenly Father, for I have no desire to talk unless He inspires me. The good things we have listened to during this conference will be food for reflection for me for many weeks to come, and I am grateful to be here, where all is peace. The world is in confusion, men running hither and thither, not thirsting for the word of God, but seeking to gratify their selfish desires and destroy each other's lives: and in Europe it has resulted in bringing about the greatest war this world has ever seen. In Mexico the spirit of murder, due to selfishness, has brought the people to a very unfortunate condition, all of which would not exist if the warring people understood and lived the Gospel. It is gratifying to hear President Bentley say that the charity and patience of the Latter-day Saints south of the Rio Grande is bearing fruit among their Mexican neighbors. It is quite difficult, usually, when we are smitten upon one cheek, to turn the other, but that is the Lord's way to overcome the world. That is the commandment that has been given to the Latter-day Saints, it is the Gospel of the Redeemer.

Since our first parents lived in the Garden of Eden, the Lord has revealed Himself to the human family from time to time, and sought to safeguard them from the sorrow that overtakes men on account of selfishness. At intervals He has sent His prophets upon the earth, and they have repeated the kind advice of a loving Father to His children. The Old and New Testament scriptures are filled with counsel of the Lord, through His faithful servants in the old world. The Book of Mormon consists largely of the teachings of the prophets who, from age to age, taught the Gospel to the people of ancient America: and now, in our day, the Lord has raised up a prophet, revealed Himself to him, inspired him and illumined his mind to teach what is necessary for this generation to know. The thing that appeals to me is that the people, from father Adam until the present time, who have had the greatest joy and happiness in life have been those who have followed the teachings of the prophets of the Lord; those who have ignored them have paid the penalty in many cases by sorrow and destruction, missing the great blessings that our Father has placed within their reach:

The Gospel that our Heavenly Father desires all to understand is being promulgated in our day and those who accept and live it will reap the happiness that follows. Fortunate are we who are assembled here today, that we understand and have accepted the truth and that we are striving to make it a part of our lives. We send missionaries to the nations of the earth to proclaim the Gospel as revealed in this latter-day. But that is not all our duty. Right at our doors, by the hundreds and thousands, are choice sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. They live among us, we become friends, but we fail to teach them to the extent we should, concerning the Gospel that we know is the power of God unto salvation. The Presidency of the Church are doing all that lies in their power; they devote their time during the day, and often into the late hours of the night, in the interest of the Church. The brethren who are associated with them give liberally of their time, traveling and teaching the Latter-day Saints and carrying the Gospel to our Father's children. The presidents of stakes, high counselors, bishops of wards, and their assistants, labor unceasingly to bless the people, and their reward is sure. But are we doing all we ought, so that when we stand before the bar of our Heavenly Father He will say we have done our full duty by our fellows, His children? Are we setting our own houses in order? Are we teaching our children faith in God that when sickness invades our homes they will call for the elders of the Church and have faith that our Father, the Great Physician, will heal them of their infirmities? Are we teaching those of our own household to repent of their shortcomings, teaching them not to follow after the fashions of the world, that are calculated to destroy faith in God and detract from the glorious opportunities within our reach? Are we teaching our children the necessity of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, calling their attention to the fact that it is the law of the Lord, who required His Only Begotten Son to go down into the waters of baptism in order to fulfill all righteousness? Are we teaching our children the necessity of having the hands of the servants of God laid upon their heads, that they may receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, which we are told will bring things past to our remembrance and teach us things that are yet to come?

These are the first principles of the Gospel. They have been revealed anew in the day in which we live and fortunate, I say, are we that we have understood, them and that we are partakers of the blessings that follow their observance, for there is no other way. The Latter-day Saints are the only ones who bear the authority of our Heavenly Father to administer in the ordinances of the Gospel. The world has need of us. Throughout the earth are men and women who, if they understood, as we understand, would receive the Gospel of our Lord. I feel sometimes that we do not sufficiently sense the importance of it, that we do not teach it with the earnestness it demands. Speaking of faith, something that I read recently comes to my mind. It is the teachings of the Prophet referred to by Moroni in the 7th chapter of the Book of Mormon, and reads as follows:

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, hath miracles ceased, because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath set down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father His right of mercy which He hath upon the children of men?

"For He hath answered the ends of the law, and He claimeth all those who have faith in Him, and they who have faith in Him, will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore He advocateth the cause of the children of men, and He dwelleth eternally in the heavens."

This is the point, all those who have faith in Him will cleave unto every good thing. If we can but implant a knowledge of the Gospel of our Lord and faith in His ministry, in the hearts of the rising generation, we have gone a long way towards neutralizing the temptations and power of the adversary in this world.

Quoting Moroni again,

"Behold, I say unto you, it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased, woe be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain."

"For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man that he may know good from evil; wherefore I shew unto you the way to judge; for everything which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore you may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.

"But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny Him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil, for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one: neither doth his angels, neither do they who subject themselves unto him.

"And now, my brethren, see that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with the same judgment, ye shall also be judged.

"Wherefore I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ, that ye may know good from evil: and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ."

Our temporal welfare is of great importance. I endorse the teachings of this conference, to avoid the things that are so totally unnecessary and so terribly destructive of our lives. Our dear President in his opening address announced that we even now may be in the presence of our faithful leaders who have gone before. I am grateful for that suggestion and that testimony, What a happy influence it ought to have on our lives, if day by day, we could live so that our departed dear ones would desire to be near us. What a splendid thing it would be to live so that we could feel their presence and enjoy their companionship, even though they have passed to the other side. What joy will be ours if, day by day, we labor to radiate sunshine and inspire faith in the souls of man, that they may work righteousness, keep the commandments of our Father and look forward to a reunion with those who have gone before.

I rejoice this day in a testimony of the divinity of the mission of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world. I know, as I know that I live, that He is what we believe Him to be. I know that there is no other name under heaven whereby we may hope to gain exaltation, but the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. There is no other Gospel of salvation, and we, my brethren who bear the holy priesthood, have the responsibility of carrying that message, not only to the nations of the earth, but of exemplifying it in our lives and teaching it to those who are our neighbors, not of our faith. I warn you this day that the Lord holds us responsible to call His children to repentance and for the promulgation of His truth. If we fail to take advantage of our opportunities to teach the sons and daughters of God, who are not of our faith, who dwell in our midst, this Gospel of our Lord, He will require at our hands on the other side of the veil what we have failed to do, so let us not be recreant.

I rejoice that a wave of prohibition is spreading over the land--another evidence of the Spirit of the Lord. I desire to read a testimony that is of the utmost importance with reference to the use of liquor and of tobacco. Wise men have testified that these things are not good, but I want to read to you the testimony of the Father of our spirits, the God who created us and who has placed us here that we might gain an exaltation. He says with reference to these things:

"And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies."

And again, "Tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly and is not good for man."

What greater evidence should the Latter-day Saints require of the futility and the unwisdom of using those things, than the word of our Creator who gave us life? I am grateful that in the world men are beginning to understand. If they will not comprehend the scriptures, then by experience they are learning the lessons that our Father would have us know, that if we will keep His commandments, we will enjoy life here and farther than that, it will prepare us for the life beyond the veil. Oh, how grateful I am for the knowledge that my Heavenly Father has given me. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the living God and that the revelations given by our Father through him are for our uplift and our exaltation if we will only obey them.

Brethren and sisters, let us do our part, let us this day make up our minds that from henceforth we will use our influence to drive from our midst every evil thing, by beginning at home, setting our own houses in order and then radiating our influence in love and kindness and by good works wherever possible. It is only a question of time until the liquor interests of this country will he banished and I hope and pray that the Latter-day Saints will see to it that when they choose men to represent them in the State or Nation, that they will exercise their franchise as our Father in Heaven would have them do, and see to it that honorable men and good men are placed in positions who will remove from us, so far as possible, the temptations of the adversary, that our boys and girls may grow up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and gain eternal life. May the Lord add His blessings, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

The choir sang the anthem, "Jerusalem, my Glorious Home."

Elder Theodore Brandley pronounced the benediction.

Conference adjourned until 2p.m.

Afternoon Session

Conference was resumed at 2 p.m., President Joseph F. Smith presiding.

The choir and congregation sang the hymn. "Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear."

Elder German E. Ellsworth, offered the invocation.

The choir sang the hymn, "Lo! the mighty God appearing."