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meeting was composed of the Deseret Sunday School Union board, the superintendents of stakes and their assistants and aids.

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Before the close of the meeting, a question came up as to the advisability of buying out the Juvenile Instructor, that the Sunday School Union board might own it. Of course you understand that George Q. Cannon & Sons have sold out their publishing business to the Deseret News. Some of the brethren at this meeting in question, thought the time opportune to buy out the Juvenile Instructor, that it might be owned by the Union. The question was discussed, and we had already bought it without asking President Cannon anything about it. But finally he talked to the meeting, and he said that he thought, too, that the time was ripe for the Sunday School Union to own the Juvenile Instructor. And upon the motion of one of the brethren, a committee was appointed to confer with President Cannon, and see if terms could be made looking to its purchase. This committee desire me to say tonight that since that meeting on Friday evening, they have been working looking to the end that the Juvenile Instructor might become the property of the Union. We cannot report in full tonight as to the outcome of our labors; but we are quite sure that the deal will be consummated, and we hope to have all our plans matured so that we can report to you at the coming convention, and perhaps the deal will be consummated then. President George Q. Cannon has met us more than half way as far as we have gone, and he has told us he is not a hard man to deal with, and I think we will be able to consummate this arrangement. If we do, then I want to say to you, my brethren and sisters, that we want you to support that paper as loyally in the future as you have in the past. We would have you bear in mind that the Deseret Sunday School board is not the Sunday School Union. If this paper is bought and we continue to publish it, it will be published by the Deseret Sunday School Union, and every superintendent and every teacher and every boy and every girl conected with the Sunday schools of the Church belong

your support. Also, while we haven't got President Cannon's consent yet, we expect he will consent to remain the editor of the paper. We will report further on this at the coming convention.

The committee on convention also desire me to report that everything is working along harmoniously, and we believe that we will have a good time. We expect to welcome you just as heartily, we expect to feed you just as well, we expect to have just as good a program, and I want to say to you, if you will each come with as much of the Spirit of God with you this time as you did last-and I am quite sure you will-you will enjoy yourselves individually and collectively, and the convention will be a great success. We feel on behalf of the committee to say this to you.

Elder John Robinson sang in his usual sweet style, "Grant us Thy peace."

PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH.

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Here is a question: "We have but one baptizing day in each year in Stake. Thus we nearly always have children over eight years old in our schools that are not baptized." This I think to be a very great mistake. I believe in this Stake of Zion there is a baptizing day in each month, and all the children that reach the age of eight years, and all others who desire it, may be baptized, without waiting any longer than one month. We think it is all wrong that children should be kept for nearly a year after they are eight years of age before they are permitted to be baptized, and we would recommend to all the Bishops and to the presidents of all the Stakes, to institute the practice of baptizing once in each month in all the Stakes, and as far as possible in all the wards, so that all the children may be baptized, when they are eight years old, according to the commandment that is given to us in the revela tion. We think that the parents as well as the Bishops should take very great pains in carrying out the instructions that are given us in the revelations respecting the proper teaching of their children in the first principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and in faith in

to that union, and therefore we expect God, and in His Son, so that they may

be prepared for baptism when they are eight years old. Amen.

APOSTLE JOHN W. TAYLOR.

My brethren and sisters, I am requested to speak for a moment or two upon the question of Sunday school concerts, that is, having Sunday evening concerts under the auspices of the Sunday school for the purpose of raising funds for defraying expenses of various kinds. I would say that it is the desire of the First Presidency of the Church and of President Cannon, who presides over this organization, that you do not hold what are called sacred concerts upon the Sabbath day and make a charge for the same.

There is a custom in several of the Stakes of Zion for members of the brass band to get together upon the Sabbath day for the purpose of practicing, claiming that it is the only time when they can get together; but this is not approved of by the brethren. We, therefore, recommend to you-to the musical fraternity-that you do not get together and practice brass bands upon the Sabbath day. I may say the same as to secular songs in the Sunday schools. The idea is, brethren and sisters, that they do not wish you to get up schemes to make merchandise out of the people on the Sabbath day, in any way, shape or form.

May the Lord bless us, that we may understand our duties in these and all other respects, and comply with them. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

APOSTLE FRANCIS M. LYMAN.

has always been the organ of the Sunday schools, and it has always seemed to me as though it was ours; and whatever it lacks of being ours, it will come to be fully ours in the future, under the same management or control, so far as its editorial department is concerned, as it has been in the past. We are well agreed, I believe, all that have heard the subject mooted, that it is very desirable that the organ should belong to us, that we should own it, if we are able to make the terms to suit President Cannon, and I have no doubt we can. There are 120,000 people who are workers, teachers or pupils, in this organization; that is, about one-third of all the Latter-day Saints are included in this great movement. It has its branches and departments in every ward and in every mission everywhere-except the cottages, and now the proposition is to take it into the cottages, that is, to the homes of the people-some of their homes-so that the Sunday school is so accommodating that if you cannot go to the Sunday school, we'll take the Sunday school to you, just as has been done with conferences. The general conferences, stake conferences, ward conferences, and all other kinds of conferences among the people

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are taken that order may be benefited. the Sunday school is emall mutual improvement

work, all the primary classes, all the religion class members, everybody is included. That is the reason the house is full here tonight. It takes everybody in. And those that it has not already taken in, it is willing to take in in the future. We are determined

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everybody have it so arranged that shall be interested: that parents shall be interested in their children, by their own attendance also, and the benefits school cause will be of the Sunday found on every hand. We bespeak, as we have done in the past, for the Sunday schools the right of way (if that is the proper term), for the Sunday morning, that all Sunday mornings shall be devoted to the Sunday school cause, and that nothing shall interfere, or at least as rarely as can be

It is delightful to meet with so many people who are interested in the Sunday school cause. I do not know of a better cause in connection with the work of the Lord, and it embraces, directly or indirectly, all the Latter-day Saints. There are none so aged, nor hardly any so young, but they are interested in the Sunday school cause. It has become popular, because everybody favors the work, and everybody seems willing to do their part. This cause has been very materially benefited by the organ spoken of here by our brother, the Juvenile Instructor, and I don't know arranged. President Cannon has been

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as jealous for the Sunday School Union, and more so, than he ever has

for the Juvenile Instructor. He has always stood up and guarded the cause, and he has been listened to, and the Presidency of the Church, the general authorities, have always been willing that the Sunday schools should have the Sunday morning, and then other times for conferences, such as are needed, so that every encouragement is given that can be given by the general authorities. I believe, too, that the Bishops are very attentive as a rule to the Sunday schools. We hear of nothing hardly placed in the way of the Sunday school cause at the present time. Since the schools have been graded and departments established, we do not need quite as many teachers as we used to, and we find the schools well supplied with able men and women. The Sunday school is taken care of very much by the single sisters in the Church. They are very devoted and faithful. I do not know of any class of people that can possibly be more attentive and faithful than the young ladies have been throughout the Church. And the young men are laboring, and the Sunday school cause is popular because everybody takes hold of it and gives it encouragement.

I pray the Lord to bless you, my brethren and sisters. There is no one that needs to feel that the work is not great enough, good enough and important enough for his missionary service; and we want to see the cause advocated until every child in Zion that belongs to Latter-day Saint parents, and every child that is not otherwise occupied by other people, in other Sunday schools is welcomed as a scholar to our schools, And our schools are converting. They are converting and they are baptizing, not without the consent of the parents at all, but they are baptizing and bringing members into this Church, and they have been doing it for twenty-five years. When I was in England, I remember, quite a number of people were baptized in the Nottingham branch, through the Sunday schools; and this cause is accomplishing a wonderful work in Zion. It is accomplishing a wonderful work throughout the world; and there is no people, I think I may safely say, that has made the start,

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President Smith wants to know if I want to say something in regard to secular songs in the Sunday school. I have never heard of them, brethren; I have never heard of them in the Sunday school. They do not have them in the Sunday school; and I believe I never heard of but one sacred concert for the benefit of Sunday schools. And that was the last one; there will never be another. I did hear a sacred concert proposed for Sunday evening, in order to raise means for the missionaries who were in the field abroad. But when it was suggested that it would be better to hold it on another night, the brethren and sisters all took to it in a moment, and it was well advertised and made a very great success, and made money; but it was on Monday night instead of Sunday night. We cannot be too careful to instil into the minds of the young people the sacredness of the Sabbath day, that it should be kept holy, and that they may appreciate the sacrament that the Lord has commanded to be administered on the Sabbath day; that they may appreciate it and enjoy it, and realize the value of partaking of it, and keep the Sabbath day holy. That is one of the very important parts of our Sunday school work, and I believe it is accomplishing its purpose in that regard. The Lord bless you, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Sister Lizzie Thomas-Edwards sang beautifully the solo, "The Angel's Call," violin obligato by Bro. Geo. E. Skelton and accompaniment by Prof. John J. McClellan.

ELDER GEORGE REYNOLDS.

At the meeting to which Brother Summerhays referred, a decision was reached with regard to the publication of the Sunday school leaflets next year. It was found by the reports of the

brethren, that the leaflets that we have published of late have been so lengthy, so important, containing so much matter, that most of the schools are a long way behind, and are not prepared to take up new ones; and consequently it was decided that at the end of the present year, when the forty numbers promised on the of Articles Faith are published, we would cease for a time to publish any more leaflets. But we have on hand a large number of those already published, and it was suggested that they be bound together according to their subjects; that is, those on the Life of Christ be bound together, those on Old Testament history be bound together, those on the Book of Mormon be bound together, those on the Articles of Faith be bound together, so that they can be advantageously used in the various departments where most suitable to the intellectual advancement of the pupils. I would add we have numbers still on hand for sale of nearly all the leaflets that have been published since the commencement.

Another subject of which, as treasurer of the Union, I wish to remind the brethren, is that of the nickel donation. You all know that we ask but one nickel once a year for the Sunday school cause, and the day the collection is taken up, is the last Sunday in this month-the last Sunday of each October. What I wish to ask this evening is, that treasurers and superintendents who forward moneys to me will please do so promptly. Last year's donation I have had dribbling in until two or three weeks ago, when I received another remittance on last year's account. As you are aware, the Sunday schools are increasing in numbers, and the total number of teachers and pupils is also increasing at a rapid rate. means that our expenses are increasing. Therefore, it is very desirable that the funds collected should not be scattered all over the country, but be in the hands of the treasurer for the necessary expenses for which the nickel fund is used. Those brethren who do not send in all they have collected before the Convention-which, I take it, will be the greater portion-may bring or send it in at the time of our convention at the middle of November.

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PRESIDENT GEORGE Q. CANNON.

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I would not like to let this subject of the leaflets pass without making some remarks upon them. I consider the leaflets the finest kind of literature for our children. The only objectionif it can be called an objection-that I have heard mentioned in connection with them, is that they are not graded, and that they are too long for one Sunday's exercises. But I have been greatly impressed with their value. contain an amount of information in a condensed space that must be of exceeding value to everyone who is a student. When speaking of students, I may include all who are pupils in our Sunday schools up to the mature man. I consider them excellent, and they should be read, and they should be taught to our children. We have concluded to suspend the further publication of them for the time being in order that the schools may catch up, that we may not have a mass of literature on our hands that is not used and waste our means in that way. I think this is a subject that ought to receive the attention of all the superintendents; and if there are leaflets on hand in any Sunday school they should be used, and the classes given the instructions that are contained in the leaflets. There is a great deal of information to be gained from them, and I am sure they will be valuable not only to the children of the Sunday school but to all who will devote time to their perusal.

Now in regard to the "Nickel" fund I may say that I have been, from the very beginning, opposed to levying any serious burden on Sunday schools, and it was a long time before my consent could be obtained to even making a nickel donation, for I hoped that we would be able to sustain our Sunday schools without anything of that kind. But the necessity for some funds to do work that we thought necessary for the schools and for their advancement compelled us to take into consideration the idea of making a small collection such as a nickel once a year, and I do hope that all the superintendents will appreciate the spirit of the Sunday School Union board in this respect, and will at least do their part in bringing about and this in collecting small

You may depend upon it that every cent is used in the most economical and careful manner.

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amount at the time that is appointed. identified with the Sunday school cause; and at the commencement of its publication I felt (I had just returned from long missions I had filled) that there was a great field in our State for the improvement of our little children in the organization of Sunday schools among them, and the Juvenile Instructor has done its part, no doubt, in maintaining this idea and contributing to the success of the Sunday schools, and I feel that there is a great mission yet for it to perform. I am willing, under the circumstances, that it should go as the brethren desire. It has been remarked, so I have been told, that it is a private institution. Well, it has been. Fortunately it has been so. It could not have lived if it had not been sustained by private funds. There have been many times during the thirty-five years that have passed that its publication could not have continued without such aid. Other magazines have tried and have failed because of causes which, if they had operated upon it, would have caused it to be suspended. I was very glad, indeed, to feel the spirit that was manifested the other evening in relation to this before I expressed myself in that meeting expressed my willingness to have the publication transferred. I thought these few words from me were due this assembly this evening.

A question has been presented to us, sent up to the stand, of this character: "There are children who attend our Sunday schools whose parents are opposed to the children being baptized although the children desire to be baptized. They have refused their consent to the present time, and the question is asked, What shall be done with those children in administering the Sacrament? Shall they be deprived of the Sacrament because of their nonbaptism. We have considered this question, and President Smith and Brother Lyman and myself being now on the stand here, have decided that children who are desirous to be baptized and who are prevented by those who have them in charge, their parents or guardians, from complying with this ordinance, that they should have the sacrament administered them; and this will apply to all cases of this kind in our Sunday schools. Where the children-mark you, I want you to mark this-where the children are desirous to obey this law and are prevented from doing so, that they shall receive the Sacrament or have it administered to them.

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Now I would like to make a few remarks upon another subject that has been mentioned here, the "Juvenile Instructor." You have heard from Brother Summerhays concerning it. When I was spoken to the other evening in relation to this, I expressed myself, after I had heard a good many remarks, as favorable to the sale to the Sunday School Union. I have felt for some time that this would probably be a better arrangement. I have, I may say, looked upon the Juvenile Instructor as a pet. It is the only publication that has existed for the long time in the Church that it has, that has not received support outside of its subscription. The means it has required sustain it have come out of my private funds. I have published it now for thirty-five years. It is the oldest publication now existing in the Church excepting the Millennial Star and the Deseret News It has been a labor of love with me, because I have felt that it was

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Before sitting down, there is another subject that I think has been touched upon by Brother Lyman and others in relation to the Sabbath day, that I wish to say a word upon. Brethren and sisters, we ought, with all our energies, with all the powers we have, to endeavor to have our children, and the rising generation among us, respect the Sabbath day. I was greatly pleased in Canada to find how strict they were in enforcing the law against violators of the Sabbath. I feel that there ought to be some ordinance, or some rule or law put in force that will stop these public and private violations of the Sabbath day. Its desecration is shocking to the sense of those who believe in the sacredness of that day, and who believe that God has actually commanded us to meet together and make our offerings on that day, to keep it holy and to avoid,

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