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to us anew the promises of God, inasmuch as we will do our Father's bidding and keep His commandments. If we will do this God will fight our battles; we shall not be compelled to shed blood, but, by the means prescribed by the Master, we shall establish His Latter-day Zion upon the basis of the legitimate possession of the soil and in the improvements that shall be made thereon, the result of that industry and determination which successfully builds empires and ennobles the people who live within those empires.

One subject upon which I desire to speak to you for a short period of time is the question of the finishing of the Brigham Young monument. About onehalf of that which we contracted to pay through our committee has been paid for the construction of that monument. The part that has been paid for, according to the claim of the artist, is the work of modelling, and not the work of casting the statue of President Young and the other figures that are to adorn the monument. We would have you remember that the monument is only about half completed at the present time. There are other figures to be placed upon it. I believe that the brethren and sisters have not recognized their responsibility in connection with this matter as fully as they should. Many have done their full duty in connection with it. On the other hand, hundreds and perhaps thousands of the people have not given that aid which they should do towards the completion of that structure. take the view that it was the will of the Presidency of the Church that that work should be done, or it would not have been attempted. It has proceeded thus far. It now needs completion. The gentleman who did the work has been extremely modest in his demands so far, but now he begins to feel that he should have some consideration for the work done. I believe that he should. The statue was placed in position really without his consent, as he believed that it would result in a stoppage upon the part of the people, contributing the necessary funds. But the committee felt that the people within our borders who admire the character of the sturdy men who laid the foundation of these western commonwealths, would readily

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pond to the obligations that at

tached to the construction of that monument. I fully believe myself that such will be the case when the people shall fully understand the situation. I trust, my brothers and sisters, that we will show the same loyalty, devotion and earnestness in connection with this work that has characterized some of the men, who in their lives have fought President Young's work in this intermountain region, but who recognize the worth of his great character and the sturdy strength and undying will of the noble band who, in connection with him, laid the foundation of these commonwealths and put us in the exalted station that we occupy today in the world's history, especially in the history of the western part of the United States. There remains unpaid about one-half of the means that was originally deemed necessary to complete that work. It has been distributed among the Stakes, and to the credit of a few Stakes, let it be said they have fulfilled their full part in regard to this matter. Such has been the case with Maricopa Stake, Snowflake Stake, and Tooele Stake; and some of the other Stakes have nearly paid the proportion that was allotted to them. I realize that there exists in the minds of quite a number of people a feeling that the scriptures forbid the construction of monuments, from the fact that it is said somewhere in the Bible that we should not make any graven images to worship them. Because of this, prejudice has been aroused in the minds of some people, and has without doubt restrained a few from the fulfillment of their part in connection with this work. It seems to me that this is not proper on the part of any one. There is not one of us, I presume, that would for a moment, as we pass the structure upon which stands the statue of President Young, bow our heads in any sense to worship that image, which represents this heroic character of the past. But, when reading the names that are inscribed upon that stone, each one should recognize the efforts made by that noble band, the sufferings they endured and their determination to give to their people and the down-trodden of every section of the world that might desire it, the opportunities and privileges presented in the development of this western country, and acknowledge

that they fulfilled their mission in honor and with credit to the cause which they represented. I am one of those who believe that nations can do no more good in developing the patriotism of their sons and daughters than in the recording of the heroic deeds of valor in war, in statesmanship, in the laying of the foundations of commonwealths, and in the development of the temporal and spiritual interests of the people. As I pass among the cities of the world, I note with pride the evidences of the worth in which scholars have been held by the people among whom they have lived, or by the people who, after their death have discovered their merits in the things they have written, in the laws they have sought to enact and in the spirit that has been impressed upon the hearts of people who have become imbued with their thoughts and actions. The Latter-day Saints desire to have stamped upon the souls of their sons and daughters the same heroic aspirations, the same undying devotion to the principles of justice, mercy and true religion that characterized that band of men who laid the foundations of our commonwealth and opened the door for the successes that have come to the homes of the people of Utah, of Idaho, of Wyoming, of Colorado, of Arizona, of Nevada, California, of Oregon and of Washington. They laid the foundation of the village system, which put us in possession of the enjoyment of privileges that few other sections of the world have. Other peoples have separated the city from the country, but with us it is a combination of the city and country. I trust that no man will raise his voice against the completion of that work, and fail in any sense to perform his whole part in seeing that the men who did this work shall be held in memory, and that our sons and daughters, as they look upon the one who acted the chief part in connection with the development of this work, shall see in that figure and form that which is emblematic of the hero, who exhibited the powers of the statesman, the leader, the guide, the pioneer, and who did all upon the basis of his love for God and in harmony with His divine law. Wherever we may go in the world and study the conditions of

civilization, we shall find written the deeds of their heroic and capable sons. While I am not one of those who are given to man-worship, nor do I have any inclination to bow down before any being, except my God, I recognize the inspiration of the heroic deeds done in the interest of country, in the interest of religion, in the interest of science, in the interest of civil government in its best forms, and in the extension of the principles of liberty and the opening of the doors by which the unfortunate can enjoy privileges that under other conditions would be denied them. The people of Utah are among the best and brightest of the world. Her educational system came from the experience of men schooled in adversity, developed and prepared for the mission they had to perform under the direction of Almighty God, and their names will be written on high by that Master whom they serve. We, their sons and daughters, and they who have received the benefits of their ministrations and labors, can do no more kindly or thoughtful act than to present to our children, in the form of a monument such as this, the evidence of the esteem in which they were held and the work they accomplished for the interest and wellbeing of the human race. I rejoice when I see the names of the Father of our country and that grand body of men who developed the inter

ests of our nation lauded and held in high esteem. I rejoice when I see the nation respect and honor those who have maintained the integrity and honor of the nation in other lands, and whose heroic deeds have been for the blessing and not for the hurt of their fellows. I trust that the same spirit and feeling shall guide the Latter-day Saints in this mountain region, in obeying the law of God, loving the principles of righteousness, determined to be just and generous to their fellowmen, and remembering in every walk of life the rights and privileges that are theirs in common with their fellows, without fear of the frowns or of the favors of any. It is our right to believe in God; it is our right to honor Brigham Young and the pioneers who laid the foundations of this commonwealth. It is our right to fulfill the obligations and duties that rest upon us as men, in honor

before our maker. It is our duty to obey the laws of our country, and follow the rules of public policy that govern the best interests and wellbeing of the nation in which we live. It is our duty to be just, to be generous, to be upright and consistent in all our ways. Perhaps this is enough from me upon this question. I believe you will sustain your Presidents of Stakes and Bishops by seeing to it that the district in which you reside fulfills its part, and that there should be no question in the minds of any man or woman but that they have done their part in seeking to sustain the good names of the heroic band whose hearts were in accord with the Spirit of God and whose guiding and directing wish was the betterment of the human race and the salvation of the Latter-day Saints.

There is another little item upon which I wish to speak to you for a brief time, and that is upon the question of the amusements of the Latterday Saints. I am one of those who believe that legitimate and proper amusement should always be provided for the young, for the middle-aged and for the aged among the Saints. I endorse the action with all my heart of the Prophet Joseph, in permitting to be utilized the mimic stage as a means of education among the people. I endorse with all my heart the continued effort of President Brigham Young and his associates in seeking to put within the reach of all classes legitimate and proper amusements, and to have the play house under proper control. I rejoice in the establishment of proper places where the young and the aged can mingle together and the former be under the restraining influence of the more mature. But I see that there is a tendency in relation to amusements that forbodes evil to the moral wellbeing of our community, and it is based, in my judgment, upon the action of the older persons in our communities withdrawing themselves from association with the young. This should not be. The young should have their amusements under the eye of the more mature. And their thoughtful judgment should be exercised to restrain them from the perpetration of evil.

I remember that among the very latest days of the life of President Young

he was found with us in the Social Hall. When I was a boy, he was found with us in the Fourteenth Ward hall, in the Thirteenth Ward hall, and in the various halls of the city, as much as it was possible for him to be. But I discover as I mingle with the young and enter their places of amusement, a tendency in the direction of neglect in this respect. This is working an injury that many of us will regret later in life, if we do not guard more carefully the wellbeing of our sons and daughters until they shall reach that period of life when they shall more wisely consider and more fully weigh the possibilities of temptation and evil that lie in the way of the thoughtless and imprudent. I trust that the spirit to guard and direct our sons and daughters in wisdom and prudence will characterize the lives of fathers and mothers and the presiding authorities in the Church, always striving to maintain that degree of decorum and that consistency and prudence that should govern the lives of those who are building not alone for the present, but also for the future, that in time to come their children may stand accepted in the presence of God.

I bear my testimony to the truth of the law of God directing the collection of means for establishing His work. Possibly no man has been so extreme in his judgment upon this matter as myself, under some circumstances; for in one of the Stakes of Zion some months ago, I presumed to say to the authorities of that Stake that if there was an officer there who was not prepared to accept the law of tithing, so far as I was concerned as a representative of the Presidency of this Church, I was there to accept his resignation. I believe upon this question that if there are presiding authorities in the Church of Christ who will not obey that law and fulfill its obligations, their place is among the ranks, where they may be taught and instructed by some one willing to fulfill the law-a law which opens the doorway to the companionship of the just and the good in time to

come.

I bear my witness to the truth of this work, to the truth of every principle God has revealed, and to the truth of that law which He has established by

which the borders of Zion are to be lengthened, her cords strengthened, her temples completed, and her Presiding authorities to have the means to fulfill the mission and responsibility placed upon them by the Divine One. Amen. The choir sang:

"Captain of Israel's host and guide." Benediction by Elder Seymour B.

Young.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

2 p. m.

The choir sang the hymn which begins:

"Glorious things are sung of Zion, Enoch's city seen of old,

Where the righteous, being perfect, Walked with God in streets of gold." Prayer by Elder Louis A. Kelsch. Singing by the choir:

"Glory to God on high;
Let heaven and earth reply,
Praise ye His name."

ELDER F. M. LYMAN.

Nature of the Law of Tithing-Its Requirememts have been Widely Ignored-Effect of Obedience to It-Forgiveness comes Through Repentance-Offerings of the Saints - The Obligation of Obedience - That which is Temporal and Spiritual Inseparable-How Eternal Inheritances are Obtained.

My brethren and sisters: I pray that the Spirit of the Lord may be with us this afternoon, as it has been so abundantly with our brethren, and that we may have the liberty of that Spirit in speaking and in listening, and profit by what the Lord may please to give us. Time is very precious, and this is a very large congregation, and without the help of the Lord, it is not possible for an Elder to edify this intelligent audience.

We have been listening to the instruction of President Snow and his brethren in the various Stakes of Zion, particularly upon the law of tithing, in such a way, possibly, as it has not been brought before the people in the past. There is a time for all things, and it appears as though the time has come when the Latter-day Saints should give particular attention to this important law. The condition of the people individually, as well as the condition of the Church, has made it necessary for the Lord to announce through

His servants that we must put ourselves right with regard to this principle. Like all the other principles of the Gospel, it is vital and very important, and it is not alone that the foundations of Zion may be laid and the obligations of the Church be met, as they needed to be met in 1838, when the Lord was besought by the Prophet Joseph to know how much was necessary of the property of the people for a tithing. It is not an unusual thing for the Prophet to approach the Lord in times of necessity and when it appears plain to the mind of the Prophet that something needs to be done. We could not tell without the inspiration of the Lord what resources there were for the Church to rely upon, but how simple and plain it is when the Lord announces that if Israel will bring in all their tithes and offerings, that there may be meat in the storehouse of the Lord, He will open the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing that we shall hardly be able to contain. The necessities of the people today in these valleys, the things that we are suffering, the early frosts that have destroyed quite a percentage of the crops of the people in the higher valleys, the loss in the fruit crop, all admonish us that we need a blessing from the Lord.

It has been discovered. as the records of the Church abundantly show, that quite a percentage of the Latter-day Saints have entirely ignored this law of tithing. Twenty-five per cent have neglected it altogether. What right have we in the Church if we are not willing to obey the laws of the Church? As well might we think of being members in good standing and fellowship, if we had failed to receive baptism of the water and of the Spirit, or if we refused to gather together or to preach the Gospel. Without the law of tithing, as we heard from the President this morning, these temples could not have been built. What has been done towards the laying of the foundations of Zion could not have been accomplished without the revenue law of the Church. And it is a most reasonable law. I believe that I have discovered, as well as my brethren, why the Lord has determined that one-tenth of our interest annually should be required for a tith

ing. I understand it to be for the reason that that amount is just exactly what is necessary to accomplish the Less than that purposes of the Lord. is insufficient. Tithing has been known among the people of Israel from the early ages. It has been proven not only among the people that have occupied this earth, but among people who have occupied other earths than this. It is a law that has been demonstrated in the experience of the children of God through all past ages, and it is understood that one-tenth is just the amount necessary to meet the requirements of the Lord. How much allowance the Lord has made, in His reckoning, for those who, being without faith, will be negligent and will not have the strength and power of character to endure, I am not able to say. But He has no doubt established it as the very amount that is absolutely necessary for the purposes of the Lord. It is also just exactly the amount that is necessary to try the souls of the children of men and to prove them. Men who can observe that law and live it properly will be prepared to graduate unto a higher plane, which they must do before the redemption of Zion. Before we enter upon the law of consecration, which is the celestial law of God in finance, it is necessary that we should take the training that we are now having under the law of tithing.

You may be certain, my brethren and sisters, that any person who is not able to observe this law faithfully and well will never, worlds without end, be able to observe the law of consecration. The law of tithing is a stepping stone, and it is a law that will abide forever, because a great majority possibly of the children of God will not be able to reach the higher law.

Since President Snow has been talkIng so plainly upon this subject, there have been a class of people who have undertaken to take advantage of his promise to the Latter-day Saints in regard to this law, that if for the future they would observe this law faithfully the past should be forgiven. There have been men guilty of breaches of the laws of morality and honesty who have claimed that if they now pay eir tithing all their sins will be for

nor

given them. President Snow never announced any such doctrine as that. He could not announce such a doctrine as that. But the Lord is perfectly able to say to us that if we will observe this law of finance, which we have been under now for over sixty years, for the future and keep this commandment our past negligence of the law of tithing will be forgiven. He is competent also to say that if we will repent of our sins and serve God with all our hearts for the future, our sins will be forgiven us; but not otherwise. The forgiveness of sins is predicated upon faith in God, repentance and reformation and baptism. Sins are not forgiven through the payment of tithing, through the partaking of the sacrament, nor observing the Word of Wisdom, or prayer. There are blessings attached to each of these important requirements of the Gospel; but if a man would have his sins forgiven, and be allowed to enter into the Church, he must have faith in God, and in His Son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost, he must repent of all his sins, turn unto the Lord with full purpose of heart and sin no more. Then God will forgive him and redeem him from his sins; but not by paying tithing. By the payment of tithing the foundations of Zion are laid, and up to the present time our tithing has been paid to accomplish what we now see done in a temporal way. The offerings also have been generous enough to perform a great work, for we have paid offerings as well as tithing. We have made offerings of our time, in preaching the Gospel to the world without purse or scrip. We have made offerings for the building of temples, for the erection of meeting houses and for other public works that have been accomplished among the Latterday Saints. By our offerings the poor have been reasonably cared for, and if our offerings were as generous as they ought to be no poor person among the Latter-day Saints would ever have to cry for relief without receiving it freely. But we want our names recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life, and it is not done by the observance of a one principle alone, but to every principle there are special blessings promised. There are, in the records of the Church today, the

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