■#$':
The Improvement Era Dec
WINTER CAN BE FRUITFUL
Make winter and spring profitable by advancing your education. Returning servicemen, released missionaries, mid-year high school graduates and students who have interrupted studies all will find Second Semester an ideal time to resume or begin college careers.
And while obtaining an education, get the advantages of a great church university. BYU students are in demand because of superior education of mind, body, and spirit together in an ideal social climate.
The big school offers a beautiful, well-equipped campus with ample classrooms and laboratories, faculty trained in a hundred universities and colleges, and "that certain spirit" — the advantages of a large university yet all the friendliness of a small college, where student, religious, and cultural activities thrive and are open to all in true Christian and democratic spirit.
PLAN NOW TO ATTEND Second semester registration Feb. 4-5
-CLIP AND MAIL-
TO:
Public Relations Division
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
Please send me more information about BYU. I am
especially interested in
NAME
ADDRESS
CITY STATE.
MORE FOR YOU AT BYU
* Accredited by highest professional agen- cies.
* Offers doctor's, master's, bachelor's degrees and two-year certificate.
* High academic standards with special ac- celerated program for gifted students, semester system, excellent scholarship pro- gram. Scholarship recognized.
* Successful, democratic student activities program. Club and church activities not exclusive but open to all.
* Comfortable, pleasant, attractive housing.
* The nation's top lecture, concert, and as- sembly series.
* Religious activity for all, with 33 LDS wards and three stakes on campus, devotional sermons by General Authorities of the Church. Every student takes a religion class.
* One of the nation's most beautiful cam- puses. Further expansion is under way.
Brigham Young UNIVERSITY
PROVO - UTAH
Exploring
the
Universe
By Dr. Franklin S. Harris Jr.
REMOTE CONTROL SLIDE PROJECTOR
A new remote control slide projector uses ultrasonic sound waves to focus and change slides by remote control. Bell and Howell Company has de- signed a pocket device which uses waves of 36,500 cycles per second for focusing and 40,000 cycles per second for changing slides, too high to be heard, which are created by button pushing, without batteries, to operate the projector from distances up to forty feet away.
CARBON DIOXIDE IN AIR
Recent studies by scientists on car- bon dioxide have some interesting varied conclusions. Contributions as a memorial volume to C. G. Rossby included the following conclusions by various authors: That there has been an increase in the carbon diox- ide in the atmosphere of ten percent since the turn of the century due to burning of fossil fuel; that the measurement of Carbon 14 content of tree rings over many years leads to only a few percent increase, in- stead of ten; that carbon dioxide stays in the air for about 5 years before dissolving in the sea; that only the upper layer of the sea can absorb carbon dioxide and this layer takes about 500 years to mix with the lower, so that by the year 2000 the increase in carbon dioxide con- tent in the air should be between 25 and 40 percent. A doubling of the carbon dioxide content has been es- timated to mean a rise in the average temperature of 6.5°F. More careful work is needed to reconcile these numbers.
It
For
INSTANT HOSPITALITY
serve
Supreme s Perfect Pair
Stock up on Supreme's perfect pair for holiday enter- taining . . . Supreme Club Crackers, the dainty snack cracker with the buttery-good flavor . . . Supreme Pecan Crisp, the delightful sugary wafer with toasted pecans.
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DECEMBER 1962
873
The Improvement Era
The Voice of the Church
Official organ of the Priesthood Quorums, Mutual Improvement Associations, Ward Teachers, Music Committee, Department of Education, and other agencies of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Contents for December 1962
Volume 65, Number 12
The Editor's Page: Some Notes on Christmas, President David O. McKay 886
General Confeeence:
The Gospel and the Individual, President David O. McKay 900
Obey the Gospel of God, President Henry D. Moyle 902
A Quest for Truth, President Hugh B. Brown 904
Book of Mormon Critics Refuted, President Joseph Fielding Smith 906
General Conference Index .879
The Church Moves On, 973, Melchizedek Priesthood, 976; Presiding Bishopric's Page, 978.
ART AND PHOTO CREDITS:
Art
890 Henrich Hofman painting
892-93 Virginia Sargent
969 Ed Maryon
980 Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Era of Youth— Mae Gerhard, Mel Owen
Photos
898-899 and remainder of Conference
section Ralph Clark, Ralph Reynolds, Church
Information Service All other art and photos, Ralph Reynolds
Studio.
Special Features
Mediation and Atonement, President John Taylor 888
The Efficacious Prayer, William W. Stevens 890
The Habit of Improvement, Neil J. Flinders 896
The Spoken Word from Temple Square, Richard L. Evans 959, 968
THE ERA OF YOUTH 989
Exploring the Universe, Franklin S. Harris, Jr., 873; Letters and Reports, 972; These Times: The President and the Monroe Doctrine, G. Homer Durham. 884.
Today's Family: Florence B. Pinnock, Editor
Accentuate the Beautiful .-. _ 980
Creative Family Living, Beverly Romney Cutler 986
Stories, Poetry
Christmas Party, Doris S. Peet 892
Poetry 889, 895, 907, 917, 918, 919, 948, 949, 958, 960, 962, 969, 988
The Improvement Era Offices, 135 South State Street, Salt Lake City, 11, Utah cover note
Davtd O. McKay and Richard L. Evans, Editors; Doyle L. Green, Managing Editor; Marba C. Josefhson, Associate Managing Editor; Albert L. Zobell, Jr.,
Research Editor; Patricia Meudleton, Carter E. Grant, Judith Stefhan, Reed H. Blake, Editorial Associates; Florence B. Pinnock, Todays Family
Editor; Marion D. Hanks, The Era of Youth Editor; Elaine Cannon, The Era of Youth Associate Editor; Art Direction: Ralph Reynolds Studio.
Sidney B. Sperry, Franklin S. Harris, Jr., Hugh Nibley, G. Homer Durham, Junius M. Jackson, Alma A. Gardiner, Contributing Editors.
Joseph T. Bentley, General Manager; Florence S. Jacobsen, Associate General Manager; Verl F. Scott, Business Manager; A. Glen Snarr, Subscription
Director; Thayer Evans, Advertising Director.
Copyright 1962 by Mutual Funds, Inc., and published by the Mutual Improvement Associations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. AH rights
reserved. Subscription price $3.00 a year, in advance; foreign subscriptions, $3.50 a year, in advance; 35c single copy, except for special issues.
Entered at the Post Office, Salt Lake City, Utah as second-class matter. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in section 1103. Act
of October 1917, authorized July 2, 1918.
The Improvement Era is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts but welcomes contributions. Manuscripts are paid for on acceptance at the rate of 2c
a word and must be accompanied by sufficient postage for delivery and return,
Thirty days' notice is required for change of address- When ordering a change, please include address slip from a recent issue of the magazine. Address
changes cannot be made unless the old address as well as the new one is included.
"Angel Unaware," an award-winning photograph by Homer Jones, who for many years has been owner-manager of the Zion Photo in Cedar City, Utah, sets the scene for Christmas as it becomes the Era cover.
Cover Lithographed in full color by Deseret News Press.
874
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
GYViNG
> TREASURES OF LIFE
by President David 0. McKay
An inspiring compilation of wisdom and counsel from the pen of the President, David O. McKay. Here are words of inspiration, stories, lessons, and the gospel message as presented by the Lord's living mouth- piece. Here is a book that will add rich hours of spiritual food at Christ- mas and the whole year through. ^ m qj-
list
2 NEW ILLUSTRATED EDITION OF THE BOOK OF MORMON
Christmas giving that will touch the soul of every reader. The new, illus- trated edition of the Book of Mormon is a handsome 7" x \W\" volume with new, easy-to-read, large type. Thirty-four pages of full color illus- trations include twelve popular Book of Mormon paintings by Arnold Friberg plus beautiful color pictures of Ancient American ruins and artifacts. ^ %
DECEMBER 1S62
USE
HANDY
ORDER
COUPON
2 PAGES
OVER
875
o „0
SRRfltiRL
3. BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD by the late President J. Reuben Clark Jr. President Clark's challenge to Latter-day Saints to pattern lives after Christ comes forcefully to life in this new compilation of his addresses. After a lifetime of study and in bearing testimony of the divinity of the Son of the Living God, President Clark's book brings the thrill of his knowledge and example to every reader.
4. HYRUM SMITH — PATRIARCH by Pearson H. Corbett. A profound biography of the brother of the Prophet Joseph Smith that will endear this great Patriarch to every reader. Surpassed in great- ness onLy by his Prophet-brother Joseph, Hyrum has an image that looms mightily in the restora- tion of the gospel. This book provides deep insight into many of the sterling qualities which made Hyrum stand beside the Prophet — even unto death. $3.95
5. ONE LORD — ONE FAITH! by Mark E. Petersen. New! A profound analysis of salient doctrines of the Church that has difinitive answers to many questions that arise in the minds of both Church members as well as friends. Here is gripping spiritual reading that makes a perfect Christmas gift! $2.95
6. THE CHALLENGE by Alvin R. Dyer. Just in time for Christmas giving! Here is inspiration for all who will do or have done missionary work. The author, a former mission president in both Europe and the United States, and Assistant to the Council of the Twelve, fires the reader with enthusi- asm for spreading the gospel. $2.75
7. THE NAUVOO TEMPLE by E. Cecil McGavin. Now available! Unusual facts about the Nauvoo Temple come to light in this study of the early settlement of one of the most beautiful cities of 19th century America. Here is an ideal volume to read and have at hand in this period when the restoration of the Nauvoo Temple is underway. $2.50
8. DYNAMIC LEADERSHIP by W. Lynn Fluckiger. New! Potent reading for all Latter-day Saints who are at one and the same time both leaders and students. This "how-to"' volume provides new ideas and techniques that everyone involved in leadership and teaching will want to put into practice. $2.00
9. WHILE OF THESE EMBLEMS by Carl Jacob. Timely! The author makes his readers startlingly aware of their shortcomings as he participates in the sacramental service. Here is a book that every teen should read and which every parent should use as a basis for studying during home evenings. $2.75
10. MAN TO MAN by Albert R. Lyman. In time for Christmas giving! One of the great adventure stories to come out of the West, Man to Man will inspire courage, manliness, and integrity. This is the story of a warm, deep, and genuine father and son relationship where the testing ground of union is hard work, danger, and spiritual challenge. $2.50
11. STAND FAST BY OUR CONSTITUTION by President J. Reuben Clark, Jr. Drawing from years of ex- perience asAmbassador to Mexico, Solicitor for the Department of State, and Under-Secretary of State, and from a lifetime of dedication as a servant of his God and Church, the late President J. Reuben Clark Jr's eloquent addresses on American patriotism provide powerful food for thought in a rapidly changing world. $2.95
12. I LIKE TO SING! by Rita S. Robinson. Another new Deseret Book release! A delightful collection of songs for children that teach safety, obedience, cheerfulness, patriotism, thankfulness, and whole- some attitudes. These fun-to-sing songs are easy to learn and have simple piano accompaniment. The volume includes songs for every occasion from Christmas and Mother's Day to Easter and Halloween. $1.95
13. THE GLORIOUS PURPOSE by Albert L. Zobell,Jr. For those who have thrilled to previous pocket- size works of this author, The Glorious Purpose will add even further inspiration. Here is a compila- tion of wisdom from Church presidents and other leaders. A valuable reference for that short talk or inspirational thought. $1.00
FROM
t c
ChRisTmTC GiViNG
DESERET BOOK
■l!;'r*
HYRUM
SMITH
DYNAMIC LEADERSHIP
Wi,yNN FIOCKI6ES
LIKE
TO SING!
12
13
ALBERT R- &***
USE
HANDY
ORDER
COUPON
NEXT
PAGE
ONE FOLD-ONE SHEPHERD
by Thomas Stuart Ferguson
A scholarly and authoritative analysis of evidence relating arch- aeological discoveries in Central America to the cultures, customs, and civilizations of the Middle East. This stimulating book pub- lished by The Olympus Publishing Co. will completely satisfy the serious student of Book of Mormon
4£
THE CASE OF THE BOOK OF MORMON WITNESS
by Eldin Ricks
In a courtroom atmosphere, the author analyzes the testimony of those person- ally acquainted with David Whitmer, Martin Harris, and Oliver Cowdery — three witnesses of the Book of Mormon who viewed the golden plates. An excellent little volume, published by Olympus Publishing Co., that will increase testimony.
$1 .50 r***^— **
The Exciting Sound of Truth:
r
All the dignity and grandeur of the words and counsel of the Ancient American Prophets beautifully and reverently spoken by two of the finest voices in the Church. 36 completely new Hi-Fidelity 33.1/3 L.P. records in a magnificent 2 volume case-en- closed album! A dynamically spiritual addition to your record library — or a treasured gift that will give sincere and lasting pleasure.
16 THE BOOK OF MORMON
IN LIVING SOUND
$49.95
WMMMJ
DeseretBiBooh Co.
44 East South Temple -. Salt Lake City. Utah
DESERET BOOK COMPANY, 44 East South Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah
Gentlemen: Enclosed you will find Q check Q money order [[] I have an account,
please charge. Amount enclosed $ for encircled numbered
books:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
NAME
ADDRESS .....
CITY ZONE STATE
Residents of Utah include 3% sales tax.
Conference Index
SPEAKERS
Benson, Ezra Taft 910
Brockbank, Bernard P 950
Brown, Hugh B 904, 942
Brown, Victor L 916
Burton, Theodore M 932
Christiansen, EIRay L. 956
Critchlow, William J., Jr 954
Dyer, Alvin R. 908
Evans, Richard L. 937
Hanks, Marion D 948
Hinckley, Gordon B. 936
Hunter, Howard W 914
Isaacson, Thorpe B 918
Kimball, Spencer W 926
Lee, Harold B 936, 939
Longden, John 914
McKay, David 0 900, 942, 958
McConkie, Bruce R 908
Moyle, Henry D. 902, 942
Packer, Boyd K 924
Petersen, Mark E 922
Richards, Franklin D 920
Richards, LeGrand 950
Romney, Marion G. 938, 944
Sill, Sterling W 920
Simpson, Robert L 946
Smith, Eldred G 930
Smith, Joseph Fielding 906
Sonne, Alma 956
Tanner, Nathan Eldon 934
Taylor, Henry D 952
Tuttle, A. Theodore 946
Vandenber^, John H 932
SUBJECTS
America 910, 918
Book of Mormon 906
Building Missionaries 932
Church History 956
Communism 910
Correlation Report 936-939
Courage 916, 948
Education 942
Faith 914
Fellow man 900
First Principles 902
Forgiveness 952
Genealogy 908, 956
Gospel Dispensations 922
Heritage 918
Jesus Christ 941, 954
Joseph Smith 908
Leadership 920, 942, 948
Liberty 910
Marriage 926
Missionary Work 908, 920, 932, 934, 946, 950, 956
Morality 926
Peace 914, 920, 944, 946
Prayer 918
Priesthood 946, 942, 958
Progression 932
Repentance 926, 932, 952
Restoration 904, 922, 942, 944
Revelation 942, 922
Service 900, 946
South America 946
Steadfastness 942
Temple Work 956
Temptation 930
Testimony 924, 932, 934
Truth 904, 908, 950
Youth 916, 948
Note: Elder Delbert L. Stapley of the Council of the Twelve who was ill and Presidents Levi Edgar Young, Antoine R. Ivins, S. Dilworth Young, and Milton R. Hunter were not called upon to speak at this general conference. The addresses of the other General Authorities are reported here.
SPECIAL
Jesus the Christ
James E. Talmage
MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD 1963 Course of Study will utilize this special hard cover edition of Tal- mage's "Jesus The Christ." One of the greatest, most
authoritative books ever written on the life of the Savior. Get your copy free by joining the LDS Books Club this month. This offer will not be re- peated.
CHOOSE YOUR FIRST SELECTION FROM THESE CHOICE BOOKS:
1. The House of the Lord
By James E. Talmage $3.50
2. Patterns For Living
By Mark E. Petersen $3.50
3. Prophecy, Key to the Future
By Duane Crowther $3.95
4. The Red Carpet
By Ezra Taft Benson. ...... .$3.50
5. So You Want to Raise a Boy
W. Cleon Skousen $4.50
6
7
8
The Upward Reach
Sterling W. Sill $3.50
Oliver Cowdery, 2nd Elder & Scribe
Stanley R. Gunn $3.50
The Myth Makers
By Hugh Nibley $3.50
9. Leadership. Vol. I
By Sterling W. Sill $3.50
10. Leadership, Vol. II
By Sterling W. Sill $3.50
Send your check or money order for your first selection checked below. Your book, plus your free book, "Jesus The Christ" will be sent postpaid. Each month you will receive reviews of several books. To get the top book, you do nothing ... it will be sent to you postpaid with a statement.
If you do not want the book, re- turn the postcard always pro- vided for an alternate (or none at all). Buy as few as one book every three months to keep your membership active. With every four books you accept, you re- ceive a fifth book of your choice free ... a savings of 20%.
LDS Books Club, Inc.
P.O. Box 400 • 1188 South Main • Salt Lake City 10, Utah
12-62 Please enroll me as a member of the LDS Books Club, Inc. Enclosed is my
check or money order for $ for my first selection checked here.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 I understand I will receive "Jesus The Christ" absolutely free for joining this month.
LDS BOOKS CLUB, INC. Box 400. Salt Lake City 10. Utah
Name
Address
City State
I
DECEMBER 1962
879
I. The Upward Keaci
By Sterling W. Sill A sparkling volume based on the author's
Irilliant and enlightening radio messages, rinted by popular demand, this book covers wide variety of topics aimed at enriching 10 roader's understanding and appreciation gospel. $3.50
Future
By Duane S. Crowther A knowledge of the future as revealed by ancient and modern prophets. An intensely fascinating book which goes into great de- tail, interpreting and explaining each facet of prophecy by drawing on a vast reservoir of statements by various prophets. $3.95
.■■, .
m "■■' •
f}0 PjljJl: "'(
*#^A,,
. Young Bngham Young
By S. Dilworth Young fascinating book for young people in which a master story-teller has recreated the setting of Brigham's youth. Vivid illus- trations reveal secrets of the flintlock gun, >:"l animal traps and other woods lore eat colonizer learned as a lad. $2.00
TEAOi
7. You Too Can Teach
By Paul H. Dunn and Cherie B. Parker „.er has the need been greater for clear, effective teaching. Here is a tremendous teaching aid for teachers in Auxiliaries and Priesthood Quorums and in teacher train- ing. Useful for every Bishop, parent. Priest- hood leader, and all who need to be better teachers. $3.00
By Ezra Taft Benson From a keen vantage point, the former Secretary of Agriculture discloses the internal threat to the American way of life, and speaks out sharply against the direction our natinn is headed, warning that socialism is al road to communism. $3.50
]z Minute Talk Treasury
By Dr. Lindsay R. Curtis Designed especially for those who must give 21? minute talks, here is a remarkable col- lection of nearly 100 stimulating, stirring, and impressive stories that can be applied to hundreds of different talks. $1.75
a very
way to say
#^IVIerry
Christmas
ESS**"*
4. Crossfire
By Ezra Taft Benson I'ars with Eisenhower ... A contro- iccount of crisis and trial by a aunch conservative and an unrelenting iponent of Big Government and "little" sponsibility - by a man of deep spi
Jliver Cowdery
By Stanley R. Gunn loving drama giving a ke if into
the eventful s ond elder and
e — his intimate feelings, his associa- tion with the Prophet, his own account of the translating of the Book of Mormon, his nd how he rejoined. $3.50
5. Patterns For Living
By Mark E. Petersen \ collection of articles which pinpoint prob- ems of the day in such a way that they become vital, moving appeals for better living. Inspires proper home life, morality, happy parent and child relationships and a r" to keep God's commandments. $3.50
The House of the Lord
By James E. Talmage of print for years, this much sought after volume is available once again. Few out-of-print books of our time are so sought after or so much quoted as this authorita- tive volume on modern temple ordinances.
$3.50
880
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
3*i
raphy
dventure \f?
11. 40 Years Among the Indians
By Daniel W. Jone A fast-paced narrative of the au trior's exciting experiences in th old West. A true and faith promot mg volume reflecting the zeal of stalwart of the Church as he carriei the gospel to the Indians. $3.7
:. inaians and Outlaws
By Albert R. Lymai Exciti ; of famou
men'' of the old West. Read ers will thrill to the daring of th men who faced these Indians am outlaws %2.%
. Giant of the Lord
By James S. Brown ramatic, gripping epic of giant portions for those who like ef- fortless reading. This tremendous story tells the thrilling biography of a mighty missionary. Stimulating, aith promoting, inspiring. $3.95
Jacob Hamblin
By Paul Bailey .iting, faith-promoting, fascinat- all describe this unt of Jacob Hamblin, a jnt in frontier history.
15. So You Want to Raise a Boy?
By W. Cleon Skousen $4.50
16. Just to Illustrate
By LeGrand Richards $3.25
17. The Glory of the Sun
By Sterling W. Sill $3.50
8. Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. I
By Bruce R. McConkie $3.50
19. Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. II
By Bruce R. McConkie $3.50
20. Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. Ill
By Bruce R. McConkie. .. $3.50
21. Evidences & Reconciliations 3 Volumes in One
By John A. Widtsoe $3.95
22. First 2000 Years
By W. Cleon Skousen $3.95
23. Gospel Ideals By David 0. McKay $4.00
24. Leadership, Vol. I
By Sterling W. Sill $3.50
E
25. Leadership, Vol. II
By Sterling W. Sill $3.50
26. L.D.S. Reference Encyclopedia
By Melvin R. Brooks $5.00
27. Mormon Story (The)
By Rulon S. Howells $3.95
28. Myth Makers (The)
By Hugh Nibley $3.50
29. Naked Communist
By W. Cleon Skousen $4.95
30. Science and Your Faith in God
By Paul R. Green $3.50
31. You and Your Marriage
By Hugh B. Brown $2.75
32. Book of Mormon Stories for Young L.D.S.
By Emma Marr Petersen. . $3.25
33. Bible Stories for Young L.D.S.
By Emma Marr Petersen. . $3.25
34. Story of Our Church for Young L.D.S.
By Emma Marr Petersen. . $3.25
BOOKCRAFT 12-62
1186 South Main, Salt Lake City, Utah
Please send me the books circled below, for which I enclose my check or
money order for $
1 2 3 4 5 .6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34
Address.
DECEMBER 1965
881
IF
YOU WANT
FOLDING CHAIRS
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Samsonite All-Steel Folding Chair is the "original" standard construction for in- stitutional seating.
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FIRST SERVICES ON BASE
Standing in front of a onetime Shinto Shrine are members of the newly created servicemen's branch at the Long Beach Naval Station. The branch established regular LDS services for the first time on the base, the third largest in the US Navy.
THIRTEEN EAGLES
Pictured are 13 Eagle Scouts of the Denver Third Ward, Denver (Colorado) Stake, eleven of whom received their Eagle rank this year. Twelve of the boys also earned an individual award during the year. Scout- master is Forest Jensen with assistant scout- master Keith Lafleur in charge of troop advancement.
ALL GOLDEN GLEANERS
When Donna Brinton LeBaron received her Golden Gleaner award ( at the same time her husband received his Master M Man), she joined her other sisters, sisters-in-law, and mother as holder of the honor.
All the Golden Gleaners have been mar- ried in the temple and are active church workers. They are (1-r): seated, Virginia Brinton Whipple, El Paso (Texas) Stake; Vida Driggs Brinton, and Donna, East Mesa (Arizona) Stake; back, Rula Brinton Flake, East Phoenix (Arizona) Stake; Ruth Brinton Hiatt, Maricopa (Arizona) Stake; Pearl Randall Brinton, and Ruth Freestone Brinton, East Mesa Stake.
Letters
and
Reports
HIGH PRIESTS' DINNER
A most successful dinner was held by the high priests of the Hamilton (New Zea- land) Stake. Out of 61 high priests in this scattered stake, 42 with their wives sat down to dinner. The evening was organ- ized by the quorum presidency and their wives, and the cooking was done by the wives of the quorum members living in the Temple View area.
This is the first high priests quorum dinner and social ever held by high priests in New Zealand. Many of the wives had never met before, and even the high priests themselves have only rare opportunities to see each other. It will be a long-remem- bered event.
Sincerely,
Jacob Z. Richardson Quorum President Temple View, New Zealand
WANTS PERSONAL SUBSCRIPTION
I am in the South German Mission. I will be here for 26 more months, and I find it necessary to have my own subscription to The Improvement Era. Every month when the Era arrives, my companion and I almost have a quarrel over who is to get this or that article or picture.
A few missionaries, including myself, are making scrapbooks. The Era has so many valuable pictures and articles that I don't want to miss having them in my book. We use our scrapbooks in firesides, group meetings, and at parties.
Please send the September issue as the first one in my subscription. The picture of President McKay is a treasure in itself. Sincerely yours, Elder Kent M. Aland South German Mission
FIRST IN WARD
A. J. Balukoff, San Diego Tenth Ward, San Diego ( Calif. ) Stake, is the ward's first Eagle Scout and the first to re- ceive the Duty to God award. A priest, A. J. was president of his deacons quorum and in the presidency of his teachers quorum. He is also a member of the Order of the Arrow, Ashie Lodge.
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
OifCkMkM...
m
Centerville 2nd and 4th Ward Chapel, Davis Stake
For many new church buildings in the Mountain West, this will be the First Christmas . . . where reverent devotion to the Christ Child and the message of "Peace on Earth" will be told . . . Many of these new chapels were built of enduring Interstate BRICK . . . built to serve for innumerable Christmases to come . . . adaptable to every modern architectural trend, not only in churches, but in homes, schools and commercial buildings. . . . Brick is a durable prod- uct low in cost with practically no maintenance.
Yes, BRICK builds Better for Less Every Time.
3100 SOUTH 1100 EAST
COMPANY
SALT LAKE CITY
DECEMBER 1962
883
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The President and the Monroe Doctrine
THESE TIMES
By Dr. G. Homer Durham
President, Arizona State University, Tempe
ADVERTISEMENT
Dr. Durham' a column was written before President Kennedy's blockade and subse- quent action in the Cuban crisis. ( Era copy is prepared well in advance of publication. ) The column attests to the insight with which Dr. Durham evaluates "These Times" in ivhich we live, and the Era is happy to present it to its readers in this light.— The Editors.
One year ago this column expressed the view that "perhaps it is time for another President of the United States to revive the historic position of the United States with respect to the Monroe Doctrine and 'any at- tempt' by a European power— or any other power— to 'extend its po- litical system to any portion of this hemisphere.' ":
Whatever may have developed since Mr. Monroe's original state- ment in 1823, American public opin- ion looks upon the Monroe Doctrine as a basic policy.
In 1928, Undersecretary of State J. Reuben Clark, Jr., wrote, "The fact should never be lost to view that in applying this Doctrine . . . since it was announced, our Government has over and over again driven it in as a shield between Europe and the Amer- icas to protect Latin America from the political and territorial thrusts of Europe."
^'The Clark Memorandum on the Monroe Doctrine," "These Times," December 1961.
On August 31, 1962, Senator Keat- ing of New York told the United States Senate that 1,200 Soviet troops arrived in Cuba between August 3 and August 15. By mid-September, 5,000 Russian troops were estimated to be in Cuba, plus missiles, tanks, jet aircraft, artillery, and other weapons.
At his news conference, Septem- ber 13, President John F. Kennedy stated that "these new shipments do not constitute a serious threat to any other part of this hemisphere." He also went on to state that "If at any time the communist buildup in Cuba were to endanger or interfere with our security in any way, including our base at Guantanamo, our pas- sage to the Panama Canal, our mis- sile and space activities at Cape Canaveral, or the lives of American citizens in this country— or if Cuba should ever attempt to export its aggressive purposes by force or the threat of force against any nation in this hemisphere, or become a mili- tary base of significant capacity for the Soviet Union— then this country will do whatever must be done to protect its own security and that of its allies." The President's statement mentioned the "threat of force" from a Cuban military base. But the cur- rent issue was political, not military.
884
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
The best available weapon in our political arsenal for such circum- stances, the Monroe Doctrine, ap- plied to the latest subversion from abroad, was not recalled nor re- activated.
News sources reported that in 1960, Nikita Khrushchev announced in Moscow his view that the Mon- roe Doctrine was "dead." It is by no means dead in the thinking and the processes of American public opin- ion.
In 1895, Secretary of State Olney stated, "The people of the United States have a vital interest in the cause of popular self-government." That interest remains.
Missing in recent diplomacy have been forceful reminders to the Soviet Union and to the present Cuban government of the historic American position in this regard. Undersecre- tary Clark's words dated December 17, 1928, assert the underlying prin- ciple. This principle respects the right of the Cuban people to self- government. But where such nations "become involved with European governments in arrangements which threaten the security of the United States, . . . the Doctrine runs against the European country, not the Amer- ican nation, and the United States would primarily deal thereunder with the European country and not with the American nation con- cerned."
On December 6, 1904, Theodore Roosevelt did not hesitate to claim for the United States the function of exercising "an international police power" in the western hemisphere. Today this responsibility has been shared with the members of the Or- ganization of American States [Rio Pact]. The pages of history are filled with other aspects of the Doctrine.
What, practically, can be done to (Continued on page 960)
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DECEMBER 1962
885
Of all festivals throughout Christendom, Christmas comes most nearly being uni- versally accepted and celebrated. There is something intrinsic about it that ap- peals to -everyone from the stripling youth and the little toddling infant to the old philosopher, walking in the sun- set of life. It is the one season of the year when selfishness is subordinated, when the desire to get is supplanted by kindness, forgiveness, forbearance, love. These are among the simple virtues which make this holiday season so delightful.
In my youth, as a farm lad, I dreamed of visiting Bethlehem, especially as I filled the mangers with fresh, clean hay for our animals at Christmas time. That dream came true for me when forty-one years ago last month Brother Hugh J. Cannon, at one time one of the editors of The Improvement Era, and I drove through those same hills that Mary and Joseph traversed that evening when they hoped to find lodgings, but "there was no room ... in the inn." (Luke 2:7.) They had to go, not to a stable as we think of it, but to a cave where there were cattle, and where their keepers stayed at night.
In 1921 we left the gates of Jerusalem late in the afternoon and drove in a Ford car about five miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. We had just left Rachel's tomb, by the side of the road, with all its historic memories of Rachel's passing as she gave birth to her second son Benjamin, when we saw a flock of sheep before us. The driver of the Ford hit his Klaxon horn, and those sheep started
to run, following the man who ran first off the road. He did not drive the sheep. He ran off the road, and the sheep ran with him. As we passed him, the leaders of the sheep were gathered around their shepherd, eating something out of his hand, as we now give our horses, when they come to us. I thought it was a piece of sugar.
At that moment we remembered the words of the""Savior uttered hundreds of years ago, "My sheep hear my voice . . . and a stranger they will not follow." (John 10:27, 5.) The sheep gathered around the herdsman and knew that they were safe as long as they stood near him. As we passed them, they came back to the road, and we continued on our way to Bethlehem, and pictured in our minds Joseph and Mary trudging along over nineteen hundred years ago. This is the picture as we saw it in our minds:
Then the town was dark. The sun had gone behind the clouds, Joseph was weary. Mary was more weary, when they knocked at the door of the inn, only to be told, "There is no room." The inn- keeper might have said: "You had better go down in the town, where the cattle are. There you will find room with those who keep the donkeys and per- haps a camel."
That night a babe was born, and there were shepherds in the fields. You can see the shepherds as you drive from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, now, but prob- ably not at the season that the world calls Christmas, because the shepherds are not watching over their flocks at this
886
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
Some Notes on Christmas
THE EDITOR'S PAGE / PRESIDENT DAVID O. McKAY
season of the year, but that does not matter. It is the event that interests us.
Shepherds watched over their flocks by night.
"And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:8-11.)
That announcement of the first Christ- mas is the sweetest story ever told— the sweetest story because the eternal prin- ciples enunciated— the "good tidings of great joy" were to be "to all people." {Ibid., 2:10.) The light of the world was to shine in every heart.
Humble shepherds informed by revela- tion "found Mary, and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger." (Ibid., 10.) Wise men from the east were guided to him through the channel of learning. When after forty days, Mary, in con- formity with the Mosaic Law, (Levit. 12:1-8) took her child to the temple, Simeon recognized the Babe as ". . . the Lord's Christ." (Luke 2:26; Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p. 95. )
Thus was it shown even on the first Christmas that all people— the humble, the learned, the rich, the great— who sin- cerely seek the Christ will find him and become one mind in a divine brother- hood. All barriers are overcome in the presence of Christ.
Since that time all events in history
are dated by that great event in the stable. "BC": before Christ, all that happened before him, and "AD"— every- thing that has happened since his birth.
The true spirit of Christmas is the Spirit of Christ. Radiating through the centuries comes the heavenly announce- ment of the birth of the Babe of Bethle- hem, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." (Luke 2:14.)
It is fitting at Christmas to renew our desires and to strengthen our determina- tion to do all that lies within our power to make real the message heralded by the angels. Let us glorify God by seek- ing the good, the true, the beautiful; let us strive to establish peace on earth by exercising that same good will toward one another which God has shown toward us.
He lived for us, that we might live. He came to give us life eternal. Let us accept his gift with gratitude.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace, but he will not bring peace to the world in any magical way. As he has always done, he will grant it only according to the law upon which it, like all blessings, is predicated. Hate breeds hate; love begets love, kindness invites more kind- ness, and kindness and love beget peace. When mankind learns this simple lesson, peace will come to them as a natural result.
Christmas is for families always— and Sister McKay joins me and my family circle in sending the warmest greetings of the season to each of you and to your family circle.
DECEMBER 1962
887
Mediation
and
Alonemen
BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR
FROM HIS BOOK MEDIATION AND ATONEMENT
It may here be asked, what difference is there between the Son of God, as the Son of God, the Redeemer, and those [persons] who believe in him and partake of the blessings of the gospel?
One thing, as we read, is that the Father gave him power to have life in himself: "For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;" and further, he had power, when all mankind had lost their life, to restore life to them again; and hence he is the Resurrection and the Life, which power no other man possesses.
Another distinction is, that having this life in himself, he had power, as he said, to lay down his life and to take it up again, which power was also given him by the Father. This is also a power which no other being associated with this earth possesses.
Again, he is the brightness of his Father's glory and the express image of his person. Also, he doeth what he seeth the Father do, while we only do that which we are permitted and empowered to do by him.
He is the Elect, the Chosen, and one of the Presidency in the heavens, and in him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, which could not be said of us in any of these particulars.
Another thing is, that all power is given to him in heaven and upon earth, which 'no earthly being could say.
It is also stated that Lucifer was before Adam; so was Jesus. And Adam, as well as all other believers, was commanded to do all that he did in the name of the Son, and to call upon God in his name for ever more; which honor was not applicable to any earthly being.
He, in the nearness of his relationship to the Father, seems to occupy a position that no other person occupies. He is spoken of as his well-beloved Son, as the Only Begotten of the Father— does not this mean the only begotten after the flesh? If he was the firstborn and obedient to the laws of his Father, did he not inherit the position by right to be the representative of God, the Savior and Redeemer of the world? And was it not his peculiar right and privilege as the firstborn, the legitimate heir of God, the Eternal Father, to step forth, accomplish, and carry put the designs of his Heavenly Father pertaining to the redemption, salvation, and exaltation of man? And being himself without sin (which no other mortal was), he took the position of Savior and Redeemer, which by right belonged to him as the firstborn. And does it not seem that in having a body specially prepared, and being the offspring of God, both in body and spirit, he stood pre-eminently in the position of the Son of God, or in the place of God, and was God, and was thus the fit and only Personage capable of making an infinite atonement? Hence we read:
"Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
"In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
"Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
"Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
888
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
I MM
"Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the sec- ond." (Heb. 10:5-9.)
We are told in the Pearl of Great Price that when Satan proposed a plan of his own, promising to redeem every soul of man, but wherein the free agency of man would be destroyed, and said, "Where- fore give me thine honor," the Only Begotten said, "Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine for ever. ... I am prepared to carry out thy plan." (See Moses 4:1-2.) The apostle above quote's states, "A body hast thou prepared me: . . . Then said I, Lo, I come ... to do thy will, O God." Hence from the above we learn that though others might be the sons of God through him, yet it needed his body, his ful- filment of the law, the sacrifice or offering up of that body in the atonement, before any of these others, who were also sons of God by birth in the spirit world, could attain to the position of sons of God as he was; and that only through his mediation and atonement. So that in him, and of him, and through him, through the principle of adoption, could we alone obtain that position which is spoken of by John: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2.) Thus his atonement made it possible for us to obtain an exaltation, which we could not have possessed without it.
"His name shall be called Immanuel," which being interpreted is, God with us. Hence he is not only called the Son of God, the First Begotten of the Father, the Well Beloved, the Head, and Ruler, and Dictator of all things, Jehovah, the I Am, the Alpha and Omega, but he is also called the Very Eternal Father. Does not this mean that in him were the attributes and power of the Very Eternal Father? For the angel to Adam said that all things should be done in his name. A voice was heard from the heavens, when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," and when the Father and the Son appeared together to the Prophet Joseph Smith they were exactly alike in form, in appearance, (DHC, Vol. IV, p. 536) in glory; and the Father said, pointing to his Son, "This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" There the Father had his apparent tabernacle, and the Son had his apparent tabernacle; but the Son was the agency through which the Father would communicate to man; as it is else- where said, "Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forever- more." (Moses 5:8.)
FULFILMENT
I'm going back home With a right glad will, To the little rock house On Windrush Hill.
Where the heather bloivs sweet, And the blackbird calls, And silver and slanting The fine rain falls.
Where the fair loch mirrors The snow cawed ben, And the sound of the pipes Floats up from the glen.
Where a dear lass ivaits To become my bride, The bonniest lass In the countryside!
We'll light the peat fire, The kettle will hum (And let the winds bloiv, And let the rains come!)
Joy will bide with us, Contentment will fill The little rock house On Windrush Hill.
BY BETH ROBERTSON
DECEMBER 1962
889
Prayer, both public and private, is often a new experi- ence for converts to the Church, and when it is not an entirely new experience, it surely takes on new meaning. What is prayer? How do we pray? Why should we pray? How does one become a prayerful person? These are perplexing questions to converts, and frequently are equally as perplexing to our peo- ple who have been born in the Church.
One of our beautiful hymns ( the words by a British poet, the melody we use by an LDS elder) describes prayer as "the soul's sincere desire, uttered or unex- pressed." Prayer may either be verbal or silent, but it must come from the heart, and it should not just come when we are in trouble. Another well-loved hymn admonishes us, "Ere you left your room this morning, did you think to pray?" Certainly all of us should feel the necessity of prayer to begin a day. Can we ever, upon arising, know what will befall us before the day is over, what tests and trials we will be asked to endure? Prayer is the foundation upon which we may build our faith and strength to endure the trials of the day, but we must be vigilant lest our regular prayer becomes a wordy monologue repeated each day at the same time like a station identification. Our words and our hearts must be united.
We should not sit down at a meal without blessing the food, and at the meals when the whole family can be together each member should take his turn at being voice for the group. Family prayer, when the whole family kneels together, should become a custdmary binding influence.
But praying vocally is an experience fraught with trepidation for many people. "What if I make a mistake?" seems uppermost in our minds during our first public prayers, whether it is simply a blessing on
THE EFFIGAG
890
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
the food in the presence of our family or the invocation at a church meeting. We should hearken back to the words of our song which defines prayer for us, and realize this: It is just about impossible to make a mistake in a prayer if that prayer is sincere!
A common problem is simply what to say and how to say it. We all know that we open a prayer by addressing our Father in heaven, and we close by praying in the name of Jesus Christ, but what goes on in between?
Prayers consist, basically, of two things: We give thanks for what we have, and we ask for what we need. Many people devote the first part of their prayer to giving thanks, and the second part to asking for the blessings for which they feel a need, but the order in which this is done is really not important. Brigham Young teaches us: "If you do not know what to ask for, let me tell you how to pray. . . . Submit yourselves to your Father in Heaven and beseech Him to guide you by the inspirations of the Holy Ghost, and to guide this people, and dictate the affairs of His Kingdom on the earth, and there leave it. Ask Him to put you just where He wants you, and to tell you what He wants you to do, and feel that you are on hand to do it."1
In all of our prayers we should ask for his Spirit or the Holy Ghost to guide us. The Spirit of God is of such a nature that all people, everywhere, can receive of its fulness at all times. It is like the personality of a great man which so fills a room that everyone feels the same awe from his presence, and the number of people in the room does not diminish the amount of personality available to each.
The youngster who was saying his evening prayers with his mother's help and who, when she prodded
him with, "I can't hear you," replied, "I'm not praying to you!" may have had a point, under those circum- stances, but when we pray for a group we must realize that we have been asked to be the spokesman for that group to God, and the group deserves to hear the prayer that, after all, they are offering. Therefore, if a person is physically able to do so, he should speak loudly enough to be heard— not only by God, but by the congregation.
Some Saints have said, "Oh, he knows what I need better than I do. Why bother him with requests?" Our Father in heaven can be most influential in our lives only when we give him permission to enter in and be a guide— otherwise he would be violating our free agency. No matter how well he knows our needs, he will not force his will upon us. A request must initiate the gift.
To become a prayerful person, then, be sincere in your prayers; schedule them, at least in the beginning, and the time will come when prayer will be an inte- gral part of your life. "Every breath," says Brigham Young, "should virtually be a prayer."2
Prayer is one of the greatest privileges granted to us. It is the solemn duty of the head of every Latter- day Saint home to see to it that each family member exercises his faith by taking advantage of this privi- lege. It is a privilege that is not likely to be abused by over-use, but has too often been allowed to atrophy from neglect. There is no place like the privacy of your own home to first put these principles of prayer into effect. And there is no better time, than the present. Through your prayers, both public and private, a testimony of the gospel will be yours. You and your Father in heaven will become one.
^Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 46. mid., p. 44.
IOUS PRAYER
BY WILLIAM W. STEVENS
DECEMBER 1962
891
BY DORIS S. PEET
Lynn pushed the towel slowly around in the cup. Quietly, but effectively, she shut her mother and her aunt out, and the house became hers. These were her cups with the narrow gold band around the rim. Hers and Tony's.
But sometimes her Aunt Martha's voice wouldn't stay shut out. This evening it was a little more shrill and caustic than usual, and it intruded against her ears with a sharp reiteration. Eventually it forced her to abandon Tony and listen.
"Look at her, Ada," her aunt said crossly to her mother. "Just look at her. Dawdling. Always dawdling." She moved over to- ward Lynn. "Why don't you hustle a little?" she demanded.
Lynn glanced at her sideways, then she turned her attention back to the dishes without answering, and quickly let her mind escape to Tony.
Within minutes her aunt's voice broke in again, forcing her back to the situation in the kitchen. "You don't have to spend the whole night washing dishes," she ground out irritably. "Why, I could do three sets of dishes while you're doing one."
Lynn looked at her with a sudden, hot flash of fury. All of the resentment of the past months burst from her like an explod- ing firecracker.
"Why don't you do them yourself then?" she cried, and thrust the damp, rumpled towel into her aunt's startled fingers.
892
As she fled, she heard her mother's little cry of dismay and footsteps starting across the kitchen. Then her aunt's voice, heavy and dominating, drowned out all lesser sounds. "Oh, no, Ada," she said with flat authority, "children shouldn't be sassy with their elders. Don't you dare go up there and pamper her."
In her room, Lynn sat on her bed and let the angry tears stream down her cheeks. It hardly seemed like Christmastime. Outside her window the snow fell in great white flakes that covered her father's garden and made the hedges and shrubs into objects strange and different.
"Things inside are strange and different too," she whispered miserably to Sambo, her black stuffed dog with the floppy, velvety ears. If only her father were alive to comfort her, with Aunt Martha still a shadowy figure who taught school in some far away mountain town!
Aunt Martha was her mother's oldest sister by ten years. When Lynn's father died, she came at once to take over the household and straighten things out for "poor Ada."
Lynn had not realized that things needed straighten- ing. She was sixteen and very well satisfied with her world, but Aunt Martha in the few weeks she had been with them found many flaws in it.
"Ada," she complained, "you are far too easy. These modern teenagers are not like we were. We listened the first time Mama spoke. They don't listen to anybody."
Lynn's mother came to her defense. "Now, Martha," she said with the simplicity that made her so charm- ing, "not all teenagers are troublesome. Lynn has always been a great joy to us."
Aunt Martha looked at her sister with lightly veiled scorn, but she said nothing.
Lynn ate her breakfast the next morning in rebel- lious silence, her eyes on her plate. Her mother, she realized with growing disappointment, had decided to let sleeping dogs lie. Aunt Martha, still indignant, sat aloof and stony-eyed, even her posture demand- ing an apology.
Lynn didn't feel apologetic. She finished eating and left the table with a perfunctory, "Excuse me, please," and without a glance in her aunt's direction.
As she gathered her books together, she heard Aunt Martha listing her father's defects. "And Lynn's just like him," she concluded, "stubborn and hot tempered!" She glared at her sister quietly watering her house plants in the window. "Well, 'Spare the rod. . . .' " her voice tapered off ominously.
"I think," said Lynn's mother, "the poinsettia will bloom for Christmas."
Lynn grinned. Apparently nothing her aunt had said had penetrated into the pleasant world her mother inhabited. The poinsettia would bloom, too. Flowers always did things for her mother that they didn't do for other people. The neighbors said she had a green thumb, but Lynn's father always said they recognized a kindred spirit.
Patty and Joan came up as she went down the steps. "Guess what?" Patty said, her eyes bright with excitement, "My brother went skating last night. All the ponds are frozen solid, and lots of kids were out."
"Wonderful," cried Joan. "It's Friday. Why don't we go tonight?"
"We'll let you try the ice first," Patty giggled. "If you fall in, you'll float."
"I'm not fat," Joan countered, kicking at her with a chubby foot and almost losing a loafer. "I'm just sturdy. My father says so!" They all burst into laughter and pushed onto the bus.
The chain of ponds called the Five Sisters stretched for nearly a mile of good skating. Joan and Patty followed Lynn onto the ice. Seemingly oblivious to everything except the perfection of their strokes, the trio were actually hawk-eyed as they searched the crowds secretly, each watching for a particular boy.
But even as she scanned them, Lynn knew that it was useless. Tony would not be there to watch. She turned and skated away from her two friends. It was a clear, cold night. There were millions of stars, but like the moon riding high in the heavens, they looked lonely and far away from earth. Lynn stared up at them and sighed. She felt equally far away from Tony and his world. He would be home for Christmas in just two short weeks, but he was nineteen years old and a sophomore at college, and he'd forgotten she existed, even if they had always lived on the same block.
A new group of boys and girls came down to the pond, laughing and calling loudly to each other. Lynn listened to their easy conversation and eyed their clothes, so casual, so right according to kid stand- ards. . . . She wondered what Aunt Martha would have to say about them and wrinkled her nose in derision.
Her quick eye caught a face that seemed familiar to her, and she skated close in to check. She was right. It was Michelle! The girl was in the center of the group, as always, and she was with Dennis Meade. Lynn stared in surprise. . . .
"Isn't she supposed to be waiting for Tony?" she said to Patty who had just skated up.
Patty followed Lynn's gaze and gasped. :"A woman's a two-faced, a worrisome thing, . . .'" she
894
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
sang. "Come on down to the other pond."
They skated over to the second pond which was smaller and almost deserted and pulled up to discuss the treachery. "If I were Tony's girl," Lynn told Patty haughtily, "I'd never be untrue."
"She doesn't deserve him," said Patty.
"I'd never be untrue," Lynn repeated. She saw herself grown older, waiting in loneliness for Tony's return.
Somebody organized a game of crack- the- whip, and almost everyone on the pond joined. Around and around they went, in a long writhing line, faster and faster, until someone near the middle let go, scattering the skaters across the ice, laughing and shouting. They avoided each other when they could, tumbling into snowbanks or colliding when they were not nimble enough to miss.
Lynn bumped hard into a girl and grabbed fran- tically at her middle to keep from falling. The skater turned to steady herself, and Lynn looked directly into the eyes of Michelle. The shock made her lose her precarious balance, and she sat flat down on the ice. Michelle burst out laughing and gave her a hand up.
"Come on," she said, "let's go over and get warm." She pointed toward the bonfire lighting one corner of the pond. She took Lynn's arm, and they helped each other up the bank.
Pulling off their gloves, they extended their fingers to the fire. "Feels good," Michelle said. "You don't realize how cold it is, do you?"
"No," Lynn answered, "not when you're having so much fun." Suddenly she remembered Aunt Martha. Michelle had a questionable reputation. Lynn knew only too well what the busybodies would be whispering to her aunt in the morning. . . . "Your niece, . . . talking with that girl last night. They were laughing and being real chummy by the fire. . . ."
She felt hemmed in on all sides by Aunt Martha. Sighing, she started to move away, following her mother's gentle premise that it was best not to upset her aunt. But she wasn't really a peacemaker like her mother.
From out of nowhere some lines they had had to memorize from Patrick Henry floated into her mind . . . "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?" Her aunt was a tyrant just as much as George III.
She turned deliberately back to Michelle. "I no- ticed you skating awhile ago," she said shyly. "You did a fantastic turn."
"Thanks," Michelle replied. "My brothers taught me to skate when I was (Continued on page 962)
. . . IS A DIFFERENCE
Christmas is
Hello,
sometimes Hello from far away,
sometimes Hello from one
not seen, not heard
for years or days-and-days;
a bright red and green Hello,
a quiet blue and white
in cards
with no-matter rhymes
that mean
I remember
and that matters
because all that this day once was
is lost sometimes
by the singers of jingles
and the sellers of goods.
We, too, forget
in this nervous jingle-bell hurry
because it is
a difference
from the other days.
But remembering is hope, and we need this peace in all the hours of all our days.
BY JEAN KAY STOCKSETH
DECEMBER 1962
895
J
BY NEIL J. FLINDERS, seminary instructor, brigham young high (brigham young university laboratory school)
CONDUCTED
BY THE
UNIFIED
CHURCH
SCHOOL
SYSTEM
There is no textbook available which will train one to be a teacher. This is true because many variables constitute an ideal teacher. Many of these are inherent within the personality while others are to be acquired. Be this as it may, all attributes must be exercised, refined, and polished if excellence is to be achieved. And the lathe that shapes these characteristics into the master teacher is the habit of improvement.
Improvement, in one sense, is everyone's responsibility. Every person carries a four- fold debt of obligation: first to his Creator, second to his progenitors, third to his pos- terity, and fourth to himself as an eternal entity. Continuous improvement is the only hope for meeting these innate and incurred responsibilities. Self-preparation and service are the means of man's salvation. But improvement be- comes a specific obligation for those who assume the task of teaching because they are engaged in encouraging and guiding others to improve. The Prophet Joseph Smith provided the philosophical chalkline to be followed. In the statement below he indicates that all have the capacity to improve.
"We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in propor- tion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer man ap- proaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives at that point of faith where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker, and is caught up to dwell with Him. But toe consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment;
he must have been instructed in the government and laws of that kingdom by proper degrees, until his mind is capable in some measure of comprehending the propriety, justice, equality, and consistency of the same. . . ." (DHC Vol. II, p. 8. Italics added.)
The desire to improve is a priceless attribute, and the intensity of this desire is closely associated with the philosophy which we build from our experiences in life. Looking forward, life is a series of problems viewed with anticipation and perhaps some appre- hension. Looking back, life is a series of solutions viewed through appreciation and perhaps a twinge of regret. The habit of improvement is the factor that increases the appreciation and diminishes the appre- hension. It helps develop faith.
The fruits of improvement are many, among them wisdom and understanding. A teacher needs wisdom and the capacity to understand. He is expected to leaven the rashness of youth without injuring creative response. Perhaps this is depicted in the following verse which was provoked by our first man-in- space flight.
Canaveral Conversation
Two young men stood straight and tall by a graying head beside the wall.
"He'll make it sure," the one exclaimed, "He's a crazy fool," the other claimed.
"From where I stand," the old sage said, "it's hardly one or t'other."
Yes, a teacher needs wisdom, not only to enhance his own life, but to provide growth, development, and protection for his students. Moreover, he needs breadth and depth in subject matter so that he can make it a valuable part of each student's life. The pathway to such accomplishment is the habit of improvement.
It appears that in order to inspire students, a teacher must accomplish four things with his material. First, he must begin with a point of interest that provides a mental picture and arouses attention and, hence, directs the thinking mechanism of each class member.
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
Second, he must move from this initial "motivator" in a methodical, logical manner and, while doing so, create a setting and background for the principle which he is attempting to implant in the mind of the student. Third, he should explore this principle as the con- clusion of the logical scheme. To do this it is necessary to deeply examine and evaluate the principle in ques- tion. The teacher should demonstrate or illustrate, with meaningful examples, the workings of the prin- ciple and the way it operates in the lives of his class members. Fourth, he should conclude with a well- planned student experience based upon the application of the principle under discussion and utilizing the accumulated experiences of the listener. Simultane- ously the teacher delivers his own conviction con- cerning the necessity of each student's action towards or the acceptance of the principle.
Such a process indicates the value of wide experi- ences and deep insights required of those who would be teachers. A teacher needs the habit of improvement in order to meet such a challenge. This habit enables him to develop the capacity to choose "motivators" or "kickers" for his lessons— items that will incite attention and stimulate emotional response in students such as poems, dramatic stories, personal experiences, incisive statements, and various audio and visual teaching aids. This capacity comes from extensive reading, enthusiastic thinking, and methodical planning, along with the accumulation of materials. Reading and thinking with a purpose will increase the ability to draw human interest stories out of literature, history, and current events. It will lead one to read and observe analytical and critical source materials. Planning will lead to good preparation and enriched lessons.
The habit of improvement will sharpen one's ability to advance in logical steps towards a predetermined goal. It will expand one's understanding of the principles within a given subject so they can be explained in the language of class members. This habit will aid in the analysis of the principles pre- sented. It will enable the presentation to be made in such a way as to display the mechanics of their opera- tion—the way they apply in the life of a student on the basis of both the past and the future. A teacher
needs practice in analyzing the subject matter and the principles involved so as to be able to synthesize these principles with the accumulated experiences of the student. He needs to pretest the ideas he teaches by making applications in his own life; without such a pretest he will lack the conviction and sincerity that inspires. Obviously, such a scope of accomplishment can only be achieved by a continuous effort. This is what the habit of improvement will accomplish.
To say what must be done is one thing; to say why it should be done is another; to say how it can be done is still another and by far the most difficult. The factors involved in the functioning of a worthwhile habit are numerous, and, certainly, the suggestions below do not include all that may be involved in the habit of improvement. It is intended, however, that these suggestions serve to stimulate the teacher and help him find greater success in developing his habit of improvement. Suggestions:
Read! Read! Read! Read with a pencil or a pair of scissors. Read with a purpose in mind. Associate the ideas encountered with your personal attitudes and strive to develop new patterns of thought or expand old ones.
Observe and analyze experiences— your own and others. Look for causes. Endeavor to answer the questions: "Why?" and "So What?" in relation to these experiences. This practice of evaluating helps one to avoid mistakes in the future by profiting from the experiences of the past and serves as the illumination which makes it possible for a person to discover the reason for the many interesting facets of life and living.
Look for meaningful lessons in the daily events of life. In order to communicate with other people it is necessary to speak in terms of their experiences. The utilization of a mutual experience is probably the most effective method yet devised for explaining an abstract principle or concept.
Really exercise your imagination when you are in- spired by an experience or idea. Although the phenomena of imagination remains a mystery to man there are few that would deny its powerful function as a major element in the genius of creativity.
Plan experiences to ( Continued on page 972 )
DECEMBER 1962
897
Addresses given by General Authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the 132nd semiannual
GENERAL CONFERENCE
convened in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah October fifth, sixth, and seventh, nineteen sixty-two
Friday Morning Session, October 5, 1962
THE GOSPEL AND THE
President David 0. McKay
INDIVIDUAL
"What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
"For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour."
(Psalm 8:4-5.)
Since the dawn of civilization, leaders in organized society have sought the an- swer to the age-old question: "What is the chief end of man?" Carlyle an- swered it by saying, "To glorify God and enjoy him forever."
The Prophet Joseph Smith gave through revelation from the Lord the following: "That mine everlasting cove- nant might be established;
"That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world, . . ." (D&C 1:22-23.)
He further brought to light the great truth that God's work and glory is: "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39.)
Throughout the centuries there have been leaders and socially minded men who have desired the better way of living than that which was theirs. The good life, so important to man's happi- ness, has been the quest of the ages. To sense the need of reform has been easy, but to achieve it has been difficult and well nigh impossible. Ideas suggested by the wisest of men have often been impractical, sometimes fantastic, yet in many cases the world in general has been made better by the dissemination of new ideas even though the experi-
ments proved failures at the time.
In this respect the first half of the nineteenth century was particularly marked by the feeling of social unrest, and many observing people became dis- satisfied with social and economic con- ditions, and thinking men sought for remedial changes. In France, for ex- ample, the fanciful theories of Francois Marie Charles Fourier were circulated. He attempted to outline the future his- tory of our globe and of the human race for eighty thousand years. Today, his books are seldom, if ever, read.
Later, Robert Owen, a man of excep- tional ability and insight, when about nineteen years of age, became dissatis- fied with the churches of his day. He decried their departure from the simple teachings of Jesus and was disturbed also by economic conditions. With a for- tune back of him, and with the confidence of the Duke of Kent, Queen Victoria's father, Owen came to the New World in America about 1823. He pur- chased twenty thousand acres of land in what later became New Harmony, Indiana. He established what he hoped to be an ideal society. Within three years he lost two hundred thousand dollars of his fortune, and his experi- ment failed.
A few years later, George Ripley, a Unitarian minister, conceived a plan of plain living and high thinking. He and his associates became the founders of what is known now as "The Great Ex- periment." He h^d as his associates such able men as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Charles A. Dana, who afterwards
became Assistant Secretary of War in the Cabinet of the President of the United States. This "Great Experi- ment" came to an end in 1846.
I believe with others that government, institutions, and organizations exist primarily for the purpose of securing to the individual his rights, his happiness, and proper development of his char- acter. When organizations fail to ac- complish this purpose, their usefulness ends. "So act," says Kant, "as to treat humanity, whether in your own person or that of another, in every case as an end, never as a means only."
In all ages of the world men have been prone to ignore the personality of others, to disregard men's rights by clos- ing against them the opportunity to develop. The worth of man is a good measuring rod by which we may fudge the rightfulness or the wrongfulness of a policy or principle, whether in gov- ernment, in business, or in social activities.
Theories and ideologies exploited dur- ing the last half century present chal- lenges more critical and dangerous than mankind has ever before faced.
This present world conflict, affecting the minds and souls of men today, is set forth by a prominent statesman of our country in the following succinct summary:
"On one side are those who, believing in the dignity and worth of the indi- vidual, proclaim his right to be free to achieve his full destiny — spiritually, in- tellectually, and materially. And — on the other side — there are arrayed those
900
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
who, denying and disdaining the worth of the individual, subject him to the will of an authoritarian state, the dictates of a rigid ideology, and the ruthless disciplines of a party apparatus.
"This basic conflict — so deeply divid- ing the world — comes at a time when the surge of other changes and up- heavals staggers the mind and senses. Whole nations are trying to vault from the Stone Age to the twentieth century." (The Future of Federalism, pp. 60-61.)
Thus, today, brethren, we are in dan- ger of actually surrendering our personal and property rights. This development, if it does occur in full form, will be a sad tragedy for our people. We must recognize that property rights are essen- tial to human liberty.
Former United States Supreme Court Justice George Sutherland, from our own State [Utah], carefully stated it as follows: "It is not the right of property which is protected, but the right to property. Property, per se, has no rights; but the individual — the man — has three great rights, equally sacred from arbitrary interference: the right to his life, the right to his liberty, and the right to his property. The three rights are so bound together as to be essen- tially one right. To give a man his life, but deny him his liberty, is to take from him all that makes life worth living. To give him liberty, but take from him the property which is the fruit and badge of his liberty, is to still leave him a slave." (From George Sutherland's speech before the New York State Bar Association, January 21, 1921.)
The bond of our secular covenant is the principle of constitutional govern- ment. That principle is, in itself, eternal and everlasting, despite the pre- tensions of temporary tyrannies. The principle of tyranny maintains that human beings are incurably selfish and therefore cannot govern themselves. This concept flies in the face of the wonder- ful declaration of the Prophet Joseph Smith that the people are to be taught correct principles, and then they are to govern themselves. Dictatorship, how- ever, argues that the people should be governed by the individual or a clique who can seize power through subversion or outright bloodshed. Further, the people are declared to be without guarantees or rights, and the regime is claimed to exist beholden only to the plans and whims of the ruling tyrant.
Our founding fathers, despite some natural fears, clearly regarded the pro- mulgation of the Constitution of the United States as their greatest triumph.
On June 12, 1955, Sir Percy Spender, Australian Ambassador to the United States, delivered a speech at the Union University at Schenectady, New York, at the time they conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Laws upon him. I agree with what he said in that speech, relating to present-day efforts, and I quote part of it as follows:
"Today, freedom — political, economic, and individual freedom — lies destroyed or is in the course of being destroyed over great areas of the globe. And it has been destroyed and is being de- stroyed in the name of freedom. A vast
struggle for the mind of man is now being waged — a struggle in which I hope each of you with all your heart will take part. In this struggle truth is distorted by those who have not the slightest regard for truth. All the words which mean so much to us — like Liberty, Freedom, Democracy — are being de- spoiled and prostituted by the enemies of Liberty, Freedom, and Democracy. A ruthless dialectical battle is being waged against the Christian way of life, against political liberty, against indi- vidual freedom, and it is being waged in the name of Freedom. Black be- comes White; Tyranny becomes Free- dom; The Forced Labor Camp stands for Liberty; The Slave State is repre- sented as Democracy. This is the deadly challenge of Communism. And in this challenge those who put their empha- sis upon man as an economic being — and there are plenty in every so-called free country in the world today who do just that — those who explain man in terms of scientific and chemical facts and the accident of circumstance, those who treat human beings as so many 'bodies,' those who deny man's spiritual and individual existence — each of them aids and hastens the destruction of the political institutions on which our free society rests, and whether he knows it or not, supports the dialectics and the aims of International Communism."
Jesus always sought the welfare of the individual; and individuals, grouped and laboring for the mutual welfare of the whole in conformity with the principles of the gospel, constitute the kingdom of
DECEMBER 1962
901
God. Many of the choicest truths of the gospel were given in conversations with individuals when Jesus was on the earth. It was while Jesus talked with Nicodemus that he gave us the message relative to baptism and of being "born again." From the conversation with the woman of Samaria, we have disclosed the truth that they who worship God must worship him "in spirit and in truth." From Jesus' conversation with Mary and Martha, we hear the divine declaration, "I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: . . ." (John 11:25.)
Jesus' regard for the personality was supreme!
To the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the worth of the individual has special
meaning. Quorums, auxiliaries, wards, stakes, even the Church itself, are all organized to further the welfare of man. All are but a means to an end, and that end is the happiness and eternal value of every child of God.
With wards, quorums, organizations, and auxiliaries in mind, I suggest three major means of winning souls to Christ. These three conditions are: one — enrolment in the Church of every individual; two — personal contact; three — group service.
These three plans, or conditions, are already operating in the Church, but unless they function, they will be inef- fective in accomplishing the purposes for which they have been established.
It is the duty of each of these organ- izations to enroll every individual who belongs to it, not only to enroll, but to
know by personal contact the conditions under which each person lives. It is not enough to know, and it is not suffi- cient to visit, for no person can become enthusiastic with the principles and doctrines of the gospel unless he or she lives them. "If ye will do the will, ye shall know" is a fundamental law of spiritual growth. (See John 7:17.)
If each of the thousands of officers and teachers in the ward, stake, and auxiliary organizations; if each of the many thousands of priesthood mem- bers were to influence for better living one individual, and should labor all his days "and bring save it be but one soul unto me," says the Lord, "how great shall be his joy with him in the king- dom of my Father!" (See D&C 18:15.)
Today, many nations have lost their independence; men, defeated, have been
OBEY THE GOSPEL OF GOD
President Henry D. Moyle
of the First Presidency
"For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:17.)
Peter thus characterizes the church as the house of God and classifies the occupants of his house as those who obey the gospel of God, which is the gospel of Christ.
In this prophetic declaration by Peter there is no ambiguity. "Obey the gos- pel of God" must be our ensign. There is no other real approach to the ful- filment of life's highest purpose. It is satisfying to know that we need not wander through life aimlessly with in- security, uncertainty; finding doubt, fear, apprehension on every side. We have a certain definite plan given us. We need only understand, accept, and obey. We are then at once at peace and can make ourselves secure in the house- hold of God. We know the gospel is ". . . the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; . . ." as Paul so forceably declared to the Romans. (See Rom. 1:16.)
Now the first principles and ord- inances of the gospel are:
First — Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Second — Repentance.
Third — Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins.
Fourth — Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The gospel is simple, unambiguous, and understandable by all who desire to know. It is natural, reasonable, and agreeable, and conducive to independ- ence, peace, happiness, and security. It is appreciated by all who accept and conform their lives to its teaching. Its rewards to the faithful are numerous and
*Address delivered Sunday morning, October 7.
obvious. Like the acquisition of any- thing worthwhile, it takes desire and consistent effort. It is different from the acquisition of earthly, perishable things. They come and go. Their enjoyment is temporary and superficial. The benefits and blessings of faith and obedience are everlasting. The products of the Spirit are priceless. Indeed with the blessings of obedience we live closer to God and our neighbor, and appreciate more our earthly heritage in every way. In the words of Peter we are told: "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, . . ." (2 Peter 1:4.)
Thus our obedience to the gospel carries its own reward here and now. We do not need to wait with expecta- tion or anticipation for the eternal blessings awaiting us in immortality to justify our obedience in this life to the principles of the gospel. We can be- come partakers of the divine nature progressively from the beginning of our conversion throughout the remainder of our faithful lives. The Lord never leaves us in doubt as to his nearness to us so long as we adhere to the faith. The price we pay by lending obedience to the laws of the gospel sinks into in- significance when compared with our incomparable receipts. No real joy ex- ceeds our feelings when we have re- ceived and thanked God for his heavenly blessings. Jesus said to the rich young ruler:
". . . If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." (Matt. 19:21.)
Even his all was not too much.
A favorite passage of scripture to which we cling and oft repeat is found in John:
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3.)
As we disseminate knowledge of God among our fellow men, we accomplish the high purpose ascribed to us by modern scripture.
"For behold, this is my work and my glory — to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39.)
Our work, therefore, is to promulgate knowledge of God that all who listen may come to know God and thereby put themselves in the way of immortal- ity and eternal life.
As we truly come to understand God and his ways, we can say as did David of old:
"But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation." (Psalm 13:5.)
Our work is cut out for us once we accept membership in God's Church and kingdom and obey the command- ments of God. We become conscious of the reality and the actual existence of God- — the Holy Ghost becomes our comforter and guide.
Our conversion may not be as sudden as that of the eunuch whom Philip was inspired to baptize:
"And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
"And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
"And he commanded the chariot tr stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and thr eunuch; and he baptized him." (Acts 8:36-38.)
Neither need our conversion be as
902
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
compelled to labor for their conquerors, property has been seized without recom- pense, and millions of people have sur- rendered all guarantees of personal liberty.
Force and compulsion will never establish the ideal society. This can come only by a transformation within the individual soul — a life redeemed from sin and brought in harmony with the divine will. Instead of selfishness, men must be willing to dedicate their ability, their possessions, their lives, if necessary, their fortunes, and their sacred honor for the alleviation of the ills of mankind. Hate must be sup- planted by sympathy and forbearance. Peace and true prosperity can come only by conforming our lives to the law of love, the law of the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A mere appre-
ciation of the social ethics of Jesus is not sufficient — men's hearts must be changed!
In these days of uncertainty and un- rest, liberty-loving people's greatest responsibility and paramount duty is to preserve and proclaim the freedom of the individual, his relationship to Deity, and the necessity of obedience to the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Only thus will mankind find peace and happiness.
We find ourselves now immersed in a great political campaign in America for the purpose of selecting candidates for office in local, state, and national posi- tions. We urge you as citizens to partici- pate in this great democratic process, in accordance with your honest political convictions.
However, above all else, strive to sup- port good and conscientious candidates of either party who are aware of the great dangers inherent in communism, and who are truly dedicated to the Con- stitution in the tradition of our found- ing fathers. They should also pledge their sincere fealty to our way of liberty — a liberty which aims at the preserva- tion of both personal and property rights. Study the issues, analyze the candidates on these grounds, and then exercise your franchise as free men and women. Never be found guilty of exchanging your birthright for a mess of pottage!
God enlighten our minds to compre- hend our responsibility, to proclaim the truth and maintain freedom throughout the world, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
miraculous as was Paul's. Nonetheless each person's conversion is bound to be peculiarly personal. Every investigator seeking the truth in his own way can obtain the testimony of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ. Finally, each real conversion, no matter how wrought, brings to all the same testi- mony of the divine mission of our Lord and Savior. When we receive this testi- mony, we can all proclaim as is written of Paul, ". . . straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God." (Ibid., 9:20.)
This is the pursuit of every Mormon missionary throughout his mission, wherever in the world he may be sent. And this is the testimony of every convert to the Church. When this knowledge that Jesus is the Christ be- comes ours, we desire to give others the opportunity which has come to us to gain the witness of the Holy Ghost.
It is not only easy, but natural for every member of the Church, with the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, to be a missionary. In 1829 the Lord declared through the Prophet Joseph Smith:
"Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the chil- dren of men.
"Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day." (D&C 4:1-2.)
We embark in the service of God through faith, repentance, baptism, and the reception of the Holy Ghost — every member of the Church becomes a member of the household of God through his faith and faithfulness.
We are told on all sides today that we need only confess that "Jesus is the Christ" to be saved. But we must know
Christ to become part of his household and prepare for the day of judgment, which will start at his house. Members of a household generally know the master of the house. We cannot know God or be saved by grace alone. The grace of God is all-important to our redemption from sin. His atoning sac- rifice is the very foundation of our sal- vation, both from the effects of the fall of Adam as well as from our personal transgressions. It is by virtue of his life and suffering and crucifixion and resur- rection that we become the beneficiaries of his atoning sacrifice. He performed for us a task we could not do for our- selves. All mankind are thereby as- sured of their resurrection from the dead.
Our resurrection brings us to the judgment bar of God. There John the Revelator tells us:
"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." (Rev. 20:12.)
The gospel plan, when followed, brings us a remission of our sins in mortality. We must act for ourselves and can depend or rely on no one else to be absolved from our own transgressions.
The answer Peter gave the multitude on the day of Pentecost is our answer to the world today.
"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have cruci- fied, both Lord and Christ.
"Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apos- tles, Men and brethren, what shall
we do?
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:36-38.)
How instructive in this respect are the words of Paul:
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Heb. 11:6.)
We should now know what to do. It is upon the remission of sins through baptism that we gain our exaltation in our Father's mansions. We know how to prepare for the day of judgment of which Peter prophesied.
From the Book of Mormon we read: ". . . therefore this life became a pro- bationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; . . ." (Alma 12:24.)
Whatever we do effectively must be founded on faith and repentance and good works. Our sins need not dis- courage us if we have the will to over- come them. Isaiah wrote:
"Come now, and let us reason to- gether, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18.)
All must be accomplished with the gift of the Holy Ghost, our Comforter, and inspiration. Now the gift of the Holy Ghost comes to us through a very definite, clear channel, as we have pointed out. Our testimony of God is confirmed. We learn the truth. Faith is the motivating force in our lives. We are comforted in our righteousness.
We gain encouragement from the words of the psalmist:
"Yea, though I walk through the val- ley of the shadow of death, I will fear
DECEMBER 1962
903
no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4.)
"The Lord is my light and my salva- tion; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Ibid., 27:1.)
In our journey through life we need help, strength, and assurance. Joseph Smith in his youth, as he read the Bible, took seriously the promise of James:
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5.)
In answer to his humble prayer came the visitation of the Father and the Son to him which led to the re-establishment of the Church and kingdom of God on the earth in these latter-days. God con- tinues to hear and answer the prayers of his people.
Now when our repentance is sincere, we shun evil and seek the better things of life; we pray; we read the scriptures; we look to the earth life and ministry of Jesus Christ for our guide; we know the scriptures are true and throw essential
light upon our search for a knowledge of God and upon our responsibility to God and to ourselves. By prayer and the reading of scriptures we soon find our true relationship to God. We accept the invitation of Jesus Christ:
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
"For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matt. 11:28-30.)
The Lord told Joseph Smith in these words:
"And by your hands I will work a marvelous work among the children of men, unto the convincing of many of their sins, that they may come unto repentance, and that they may come unto the kingdom of my Father.
"Wherefore, the blessings which J give unto you are above all things." (D&C 18:44-45.)
Before this day of judgment comes, which is to start at the house of God,
according to Peter, the New Testament tells of many grand and glorious events which must occur in the latter days.
John the Revelator gives us the final biblical assurance of the restoration of the gospel on earth before the day of final judgment.
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.
"Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of water." (Rev. 14:6-7.)
We proclaim in all seriousness that the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth as prophe- sied by John the Revelator, through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith. We invite all mankind to investigate our proclamations to the world that the gospel has been restored to the earth in these latter days in its fulness by angels from heaven, whr
THE QUEST FOR TRUTH
President Hugh B. Brown
of the First Presidency
It is a very great honor but a sobering responsibility to undertake to address this vast audience, seen and unseen; the kind of responsibility that causes a man humbly to seek divine guidance and assistance, especially if he would talk of God and of truth.
Let us read the words of the Savior as recorded in the eighth chapter of the Gospel according to St. John:
". . . If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32.)
And again in the 17th chapter of John, he said:
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (Ibid., 17:3.)
The first scripture quoted is a promise that if we continue in his word we shall know the truth and gain freedom; and the second, that it is life eternal to know God. Each of these scriptures envisions and requires an eternal quest; because gaining a complete knowledge of truth, or of God, is an infinite undertaking.
It has been repeatedly stated in the conference thus far by the speakers, that we live in tremendous times — we live in the most significant period in the records of the human race. This is confirmed by our best scholars throughout the world, as they review for us the historic evolutions, revolu- tions, and reformations of the past.
* Address delivered Saturday morning, October 6.
Civilized people everywhere are becom- ing aware of the ever-expanding com- plexity of our civilization and of the almost miraculous advancement and improvement in the fields of travel and communication, not only on an inter- national but on an interplanetary basis. This knowledge causes us to refer to our time and our accomplishments as, in modern vernacular, "out of this world." That phrase becomes almost literal.
In the midst of the rapid and un- precedented advance and discovery in many branches of science, we ask you, is it not reasonable to expect some new activity, some new thought, some new revelation in the most important dimen- sion of human life, the spiritual dimension?
A. Paul Davis tells us, "The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but brother- hood." There must be social, moral, and spiritual solidarity in a world which is in hourly danger of extinction by bombs, missiles, and atomic fallout.
Many people, including some students and scholars, are unaware of the fact that also in the fields of theology and religion there have been revolution- ary changes of thought, and they are of even greater consequence — greater because this area embraces all other fields of interest and activity.
The most intriguing and significant aspect of a man's search for truth is his continuing and compelling attempt to explain himself and his relation to the universe which envelops him, to find the
cause behind the phenomena of life. The questions of whence and why and whither have persisted through the ages. Any open-minded search for truth re- quires courage, constancy, and humility. To quote an ancient prayer:
"From the cowardice that shrinks from
new truth, From the laziness that is content with
half truth, From the arrogance that thinks it knows
all truth, O God of truth, deliver us."
Any thoughtful, prayerful search for truth reveals that God is our Father, and that he is a person, that his glory is intelligence, and that he has a will, a purpose, and a plan in creating the uni- verse and providing for man's earth life.
God is more than personality as we know it; he is that in perfect degree which our best is in imperfect degree. To have faith in a personal God, who can be referred to as "Father" gives man a sense of dignity and holds before him an ideal toward which to strive. Continuing in that faith one gets pro- gressive answers to the disturbing questions of source, purpose, and destiny.
In Bible times, the prophets were the leaders of thought. In a sense they were the spiritual scientists who tapped the inexhaustible reservoirs of truth through the simple media of direct revelation from God.
True religion is a vital function in
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THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
appeared to the Prophet and instructed him in the details of the restoration of God's Church and kingdom here on earth and gave to him for the world the saving principles and ordinances of the gospel in their purity.
After the angelic visitation, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were visited by Peter, James, and John — resurrected beings — who laid their hands upon the heads of Joseph and Oliver and con- ferred upon them the priesthood of God.
In keeping with the commission Joseph Smith had previously received from the visitation of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ, he organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints on April 6, 1830, in the state of New York. Since then it has steadily grown for a hundred thirty-two years from six members to two million, scat- tered throughout the world. Our mes- sage is in fulfilment of prophecy of old.
All who have complied faithfully with the saving ordinances of the gospel bear witness as do we here today, that God has once again conferred his priest- hood upon man to preach the gospel
and administer in the ordinances there- of. By virtue of the priesthood thus conferred upon us, we call all mankind to repentance, and testify that through faith in God, repentance of our sins, and baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and reception of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, we can bring ourselves back into the presence of God, there to enjoy exaltation eternally in his kingdom.
Our missionaries throughout the world hold the priesthood thus restored to the earth and are prepared to assist you in your search for truth. Our mis- sionaries bear solemn witness to the world that Jesus Christ lives and that he is the Son of God. We are all en- gaged in carrying out the mandate which Christ gave to his apostles:
"Go ye therefore, and teach all na- tions, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matt.
28:19-20.)
In our earnest endeavor today to fulfil this commission which Jesus Christ gave to his apostles of old, we seek through our missionary labors at home and abroad to prepare ourselves and our neighbors, all who will heed our message, for the day of judgment. We wish it could be said of all of our fellow men as Paul wrote of the Ephesians:
"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow- citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
"And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; . . ." (Eph. 2:19-20.)
I bear my solemn witness to the world that Jesus lives, that his mission upon the earth was divine, that he is the Only Begotten Son of the Father, and we hold his commission to carry his gospel to the world today, that he is the cornerstone upon which we build — the head of the Church.
human living, and its teachers and disciples should seek, understand, and advocate revealed truth. This truth demands our allegiance and will lead men to the promised freedom.
If religion is to keep pace with other human interests and refute the false charges of communism that there is no God, that Christ is a myth, that religion is an opiate, we must re-examine our prescribed beliefs as set forth in formu- lated creeds; we must compare our organizations and procedures and our theology with the teachings of the Holy Bible. Let us seek to find a church with an organization that is identical with that set up in the New Testament.
And in our search for truth, we must purge ourselves of prejudice, for that closes the mind. Prejudice has been defined as "a vagrant opinion without visible means of support." Let us re- turn then to a prayerful study of the Old and the New Testament, and have faith in the God of the Holy Bible who was known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as Jehovah, and to Peter, John, and Paul as the Messiah. Such a study will reveal that God is not a sovereign autocrat, but a loving, personal Father. This belief in the universal Fatherhood of God forms the basis for our faith in the universal brotherhood of man.
You, our friends who are listening to or attending the proceedings of this con- ference, no doubt ask what is the Mormon creed. Although we announce no formal creed, the founder and first president of the Church did set forth as
an epitome of the tenets of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, thirteen concise statements known as the Articles of Faith. These include funda- mental and characteristic gospel doc- trine as taught by the Church of Jesus Christ in former days. The first of these articles declares:
"We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost."
That statement should reassure some of our friends who have wondered whether or not the Mormons are Christians.
That these articles are not, and were not intended to be, a complete and final exposition of beliefs is evidenced by the fact that we receive and expect con- tinued revelation. In fact, we say in another Article of Faith:
"We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God." — Ninth Article of Faith.
These articles are authoritative; how- ever, they form but an outline for the study of the theology of the Church.
Theology as a science has been de- fined as that branch of classified knowl- edge which deals with God and man, their relationship and their co-operative purpose. While theology may appeal primarily to the intellect, religion touches the heart, and it inspires men to live in accordance with the knowledge gained. Theology may be only diction,
but religion requires action. Religion is man's endeavor to adapt himself to the facts of existence as revealed by the Author and Creator of all that is. It differs from other such endeavors in that it seeks the adaptation of the whole of life to ultimate facts.
Now, as God is the fountain of truth and knowledge, the source of wisdom, and as theology and religion are pri- marily concerned with the existence of and our relationship to Deity, does it not seem obvious that this combined subject, theology and religion, when ac- curately defined and understood, is the queen of all the sciences? It embraces all truth and therefore includes all other sciences.
It deals with man's origin, purpose, and destiny, with the principles govern- ing the creation of worlds, with God's eternal laws which are often called the laws of nature. God himself has from the beginning been the Great Scientist, and he has taught men by personal manifestations as well as by ministra- tions of his appointed servants.
But here as elsewhere, when the stu- dent comes to the edge of knowledge, he must lean on faith and continue his quest. He must "trust the soul's in- vincible surmise," as did Columbus. If science is built upon facts, its architect is faith.
As Dr. Talmage has eloquently said, "Though the veil of mortality with all its obscurity may shut the light of the divine presence from the sinful heart, that separating curtain may be drawn
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905
aside and a heavenly light may shine into the righteous soul. By the listening ear attuned to the celestial music, the voice of God has been heard declaring his personality and will; to the eye that is freed from the moats and beams of sin, single in its search after truth, the hand of God has been made visible; within the soul properly purified by devotion and humility, the mind of God has been revealed."
The honest investigator must be pre- pared to follow wherever the search of truth may lead. Truth is often found in the most unexpected places. He must, with fearless and open mind "insist that facts are far more important than any cherished, mistaken beliefs, no matter how unpleasant the facts or how delightful the beliefs."
Quoting Lowell:
"New occasions teach new duties; Time makes ancient good uncouth;
They must upward still, and onward, who would keep abreast of Truth:"
As God is our Father and the source of all truth, as we are all primarily in- terested in attaining eternal life and as it is eternal life to know him, surely an open-minded and courageous study of him and his divine plan with respect
to our salvation will be the most inter- esting and permanently rewarding of all ventures into the vast realms which invite man's questing spirit. It was doubtless a contemplation of this majes- tic theme that gave us the rhapsody re- corded in John. He said:
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2.)
The restored gospel of Jesus Christ which we proclaim, when understood and accepted, will unite all men in a common cause, and then only will all new scientific discoveries be utilized for the benefit of mankind. Then we shall have peace. A knowledge of truth will help men to be free, whether it come by direct revelation as in the case of the prophets, from the written word of God as recorded in the scrip- tures, revealed as a result of research in the laboratory, in the flight of the astronaut as he circles the globe, or as revealed to a prayerful youth upon his knees in the sanctuary of a grove.
Religion has to do not only with the internal life of man, but with his eternal life, which will be a continuation of identity and personality into the spiritual
realm of immortality. Religion gives meaning, purpose, and direction to man's insatiable quest, his instinctive curiosity, and inspires in him a desire for greater awareness of himself, of his universe, and of God. The prayerful searcher after truth will, as Shakespeare said,
"Find tongues in trees, books in running brooks,
"Sermons in stones and good in every- thing." (As You Like It.)
Man is ever wrestling with the prob- lems of how to organize his reactions and find peace amidst the diverse and confusing experiences which crowd in upon the daily activities of his body, mind, and spirit. Religion is the means by which a man may achieve tranquility of spirit without internal anguish or external disaster.
The basic and fundamental doctrine of the primitive Church came through revelation from God the Father through Jesus Christ his Son. His life among men on earth, his crucifixion, resurrec- tion, and ascension into heaven, all proclaim the eternal fact that he was and is personal and material, and to that we humbly bear witness. He was a babe born of woman, he matured through childhood and youth, and, as the Apostle Paul said:
BOOK OF MORMON CRITICS REFUTED
President Joseph Fielding Smith of the Council of the Twelve
My beloved brethren and sisters, I trust I may have the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord in what I shall say. I want to make a plea to the brethren holding the priesthood and to the sisters of the Church to spend a little more time in the study and the research that they might give to the standard works of the Church, and particularly to the Book of Mormon.
We had a campaign a short time ago in which we asked the members of the priesthood to read the Book of Mor- mon. It seems to me when we know the history whence the Book of Mormon came and how it came, no member of this Church could rest satisfied until he or she had read it from cover to cover — not once, but many times.
Now, there are some religious organ- izations who have centered their attack largely upon the Book of Mormon. They go into the homes of members of the Church and point out to them what they consider to be errors or changes or additions to what was given in the first publication. If anybody has pub- lished a book he knows that the first thing that stares him in the face the moment it comes off the press is some glaring error. We have never claimed
*Address delivered Friday afternoon, October 5.
that in the beginning there were not some errors which the Prophet corrected, but they were very, very few. But some of these complaints or charges are against certain writings that appear, and in the limited time that I have I wish to refer to two of these accusations.
I have a letter on my table now from a man who seems to be very much dis- turbed because he, in conversation with some of these people, was told that the Book of Mormon did not tell the truth in regard to the birth of the Son of God, and that the Book of Mormon declared that the Savior would be born in Jeru- salem, the land of their fathers. Now the Book of Mormon makes no such statement. I am going to read it to you.
Alma, in speaking about the coming of the Son of God, said: "And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, . . ." (Alma 7:10.) Now, if he had said the city of our forefathers it would have made a difference, would it not? Well, wasn't Jesus born in the land of Jeru- salem, Jerusalem being the capital? Alma did not say he would be born in the city of Jerusalem, but in the land over which Jerusalem was the capital. But they make a great deal out of this,
and some of our people seem to be unable to defend themselves. Now, at does not mean necessarily in. You might read in the newspaper, if you were in Great Britain, that a certain vessel arrived at London, but it did not — it landed at Southampton, the port for London, which is many miles away. There is no mistake in this state- ment whatever. Jesus was born at the land of Jerusalem, the land of their forefathers. So much for that.
The other charge that is made that I wish to mention is the statement of Abinadi, and a similar statement occurs in some other places, that Jesus Christ is both Father and Son to us.
"And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.
"And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son —
"The Father, because he was con- ceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becom- ing the Father and Son — " (Mosiah 15:1-3.)
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THE IMPROVEMENT ERA
". . . being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; . . ." (Hebrews 5:9.)
He was and is Jehovah, God the Son, a separate identity working in complete oneness with Elohim, God the Father, in whose likeness man was created.
The announcement of new and con- tinued revelation from God is more momentous, more reassuring and chal- lenging in national and international affairs today than any of the discoveries of atomic energy or the amazing achieve- ments of scientists.
We must seek to know God's word and will concerning us individually and collectively, and to this end we need not rely wholly on the written word given to people of another age. Each succeeding prophet added something to the revelations of the past. While much of that word is applicable to our time and condition, we announce to you, our friends, humbly but with a sincerity born of the witness of the Spirit, that God's word is revealed to men today, as anciently, through his own appointed servants. We proclaim a new revelation from the heavens, a new vision and understanding of God and of Jesus Christ his Son, a new interpretation of truth, and also a new delegation of
authority from God to man. Continued revelation places religion in the van- guard of human progress. We proclaim the opening, under divine guidance, of the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times, that which was mentioned by the Apostle Peter:
"That jn the dispensation of the ful- ness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: . . ." (Eph. 1:10.)
A poet of this dispensation said, hopefully:
"The morning breaks; the shadows flee; Lo, Zion's standard is unfurled! The dawning of a brighter day, Majestic rises on the world."
—Parley P. Pratt
The vital and dynamic message of Mormonism is that there is a personal God in the heavens. He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He has not abated his power; he has not sur- rendered his sovereignty; he has not diluted his love; he changes not; and his plans never fail. We bear witness that his chief executive officer in the creation and direction of the affairs of this and other worlds is Jesus Christ the Lord, the Redeemer of the World,
the Son of the Father.
The foundation of this Church rests upon the bedrock of revelation. The character, personality, and purposes of God have been again revealed to the world. The kingdom of God has been set up as predicted by Daniel and other prophets. An angel has flown in the midst of heaven in the latter days in confirmation of John's vision recorded in the fourteenth chapter of Revelation, where he said:
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.
"Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." (Rev. 14:6-7.)
Our friends, either this solemn state- ment is true or it is false. If it is true, it is the most important announcement since the resurrection and ascension of Jesus the Christ. If it is false it will, of course, with all other falsehood, come to naught. That it is true we humbly testify, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
What's wrong with that scripture? What is a father? One who begets or gives life. What did our Savior do? He begot us, or gave us life from death, as clearly set forth by Jacob, the brother of Nephi. If it had not been for the death of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the spirit and body would never have been united again. Death would have been inevitable and, as Jacob states — I won't take time to turn to read it — if there had been no redemption from death our spirits would have been taken cap- tive by Satan, and we would have become subject to Satan's will forever.
What did our Savior do? He begot us in that sense. He became a father to us because he gave us immortality or eternal life through his death and sacrifice upon the cross. I think we have a perfect right to speak of him as Father.
King Mosiah put his people under covenant to take upon them the name of Christ. And this was 124 years before the birth of Christ. I want to read a verse or two from this pledge. "And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye
say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters [spiritually]." (Mosiah 5:7.) Is there anything wrong in us
THE SHINING ONES
BY LEE AVERY
Bless those, to whom the passing
years Bring larger faith and lesser fears; Who, ageless, joy in every day, Catch beauty's gleam along each
way; Who love their friends, forgive their
foes- God grant that I be one of those!
calling Jesus Christ our spiritual Father? "And under this head," this wonderful king said, "ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have
entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.
"And it shall come to pass that who- soever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ.
"And now it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall not take upon him the name of Christ must be called by some other name; therefore, he findeth him- self on the left hand of God." (Ibid., 5:8-10.)
The Son of God has a perfect right to call us his children, spiritually be- gotten, and we have a perfect right to look on him as our father who spir- itually begot us.
Now if these critics would read care- fully the Book of Mormon, they would find that when the Savior came and visited the Nephites, he told them that he had been sent by his Father. He knelt before them, and he prayed to his Father. He taught them to pray to his Father, but that did not lessen in the least our duty and responsibility of look- ing upon the Son of God as a father to us because he spiritually begot us.
The Lord bless you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
DECEMBER 1962
907
THE DIVINE MISSION OF JOSEPH SMITH
Bruce R. McConkie
of the First Council of the Seventy
When the time drew near for the ushering in of this great latter-day dis- pensation— the dispensation in which the Lord designed to restore again the truths of everlasting salvation to men — he placed Joseph Smith in circum- stances where the future prophet was confronted with a wave of religious revivalism. "In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions," Joseph heard various ministers proclaim conflicting systems of salvation. Some cried, "Lo, here is Christ," others, "Lo, there." Confronted with this confu- sion, this young man, who had been prepared for his coming mission from all eternity; who had sat with Abra- ham and Adam in the councils in pre- existence; who had the spiritual stature and was the one foreordained to usher in this great work — this young man read in the book of James: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5.)
Joseph Smith said that never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did to his heart at this time. The Spirit of the Lord was working with him and preparing him to receive the great vision that was ahead. Having listened to the ministers, he concluded that there was no real prospect of resolving the ques- tion as to which of all the churches was right by reference to the scriptures, "for the teachers of religion of the dif- ferent sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible." In due course, being led by the Spirit, he re- tired to a secluded and appropriate place to ask God which of all the churches was right and which he should join. In his language, this is what occurred:
"... I saw a pillar of light exactly
over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually un- til it fell upon me.
". . . When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other — This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
"My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the lignt, which of all the sects was right — and which I should join.
"I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: 'they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.'
"He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time. . . ." (See Joseph Smith 2:13-20.)
But on another occasion the Prophet was permitted to write one of these other things. He was told, in effect, that if he remained faithful and true, he would be the instrument in the hands of the Lord to restore the everlasting gospel. In process of time he became that instrument; he received revelation upon revelation; heavenly ministers visited him; keys and powers, rights and prerogatives were restored, until the gospel in its fulness had been given
again, which means that everything had been restored that was needed to enable men to gain a fulness of exaltation here- after. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was set up, and the power of God was again manifest to men on the earth.
Now, I suggest that the greatest ques- tion in the spiritual realm today is this: Was Joseph Smith called of God? Did he in fact receive the revelations which we certify were given to him? If he was called of God, if the Father and the Son appeared to him, if the heavens have been opened and the Church and kingdom of God has been set up again on earth through his instrumentality, then all men everywhere can find sal- vation by coming to this kingdom, by learning for themselves of the divinity of the work, and by hearkening to the precepts that are taught here.
But if Joseph Smith was not called of God, then this cause that we have espoused, and these proclamations that we make, are the greatest imposition and fraud that have been promulgated in the name of religion in the course of the history of the world. We are worse than the declining churches of the world if this cause is not true, because our proclamation is that the kingdom of God has been set up on the earth, and that this very kingdom is destined to grow and increase and break in pieces all other kingdoms until it fills the whole earth.
So I would suppose that every honest truth seeker in the world, every spirit- ually inclined person ought to desire to know whether Joseph Smith was called of God and whether the Lord's hand is in this work. I suggest that we have a pattern before us which shows the way whereby men can know of the divinity of this work. In the dispensa- tion which preceded this one, in the
THREE CHALLENGES
Alvin R. Dyer
Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
We learn from past history the harsh lessons that have come to those that lack faith and obedience which have brought disaster upon themselves and their people. At the end of Israel's sojourn in the desert, where because of disobedience and lack of faith, wherein all of the aged, except three who had been delivered through Godly inter- vention from Egypt, had virtually been wasted, making way for a new genera- tion to fulfil the covenant of the Lord in occupying the land of their inherit- ance, Moses, the great lawgiver and
prophet, called all of the new hosts of Israel together at the gateway to the Promised Land, in a place known as Kadesh-barnea the southerly entrance to Canaan, and there he recounted unto the children of Israel all the experiences that had happened to their parents and the great things which the Lord God had done for them. Here he repeated that which had been given their faith- less forebears and the reason for their downfall. I call your attention to his initial words as he spoke to them: "And it came to pass in the fortieth
year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the Lord had given him in commandment unto them; . . .
"These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side of Jordan in the wilderness, . . .
"(There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.)" (Deut. 1:3, 1-2.)
Horeb, also known as Mount Sinai, is where Moses communicated person- ally with God. Mount Seir is the range
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day when our Lord himself ministered among men, he called apostles and prophets; he sent missionaries forth; they laid the foundation of a great Christian religion for their day; and the great message, the question then was: Has the Lord Jesus risen from the dead? Is this man, this lowly Nazarene, in fact and in literal reality, the Almighty Jehovah?
Now, this message that Christ had risen from the dead, that he had abol- ished death and "brought life and im- mortality to light through the gospel" (2 Tim. 1:10), was carried by the mis- sionaries of old. They did it by declar- ing in simplicity and in plainness the gospel doctrines that he had given them. They did it by citing the an- cient scriptures. They did it by point- ing to the works which the Lord had done there in the flesh, he having said that the very works that he did bore record of him; and then they climaxed their message by bearing testimony oi what God had revealed to them as to the divinity of the work. Some of them were able to stand up and say that thev had seen with their eyes and felt with their hands, and that they knew of the Risen Lord's reality; and all of them were able to testify that they knew by- revelation from the Holy Ghost that the gospel was there and that Jesus was the Lord.
This is the same system that exists in this day. We have in the world now some 12,000 missionaries in the various nations, preaching what we call the message of the restoration; announcing the opening of the heavens, that God has spoken; preaching the divine Son- ship of Christ; proclaiming that there are living apostles and prophets on earth. And they go forth carrying the message of salvation in precisely the same way that the apostles and prophets
and missionaries of old did it. They go forth and announce the doctrines of salvation; they preach them in simplicity and in plainness; they cite the ancient revelations; they reason with the people and show that these things have been predicted; they point to the fruits of the prophet, the work that he did, for a man's fruits bear record of him. Then when all this has been done, they clinch the testimony, they climax the evidence they give, by bearing testimony of what God has revealed to them of the di- vinity of the work.
So though they may be, as the scrip- ture read by President McKay states, though they may be the weak and the simple and the humble of the earth, yet with the Spirit of God as their companion, they fear not the face of man, but go forth boldly, proclaiming Christ as the Divine Son of God and Joseph Smith as his prophet for this age. As a result, the honest in heart, the upright, the spiritually inclined, the righteous, the good, the best people among all the nations of the earth, hear the testimony which they bear and are gathered into the kingdom of God.
You can argue or debate about the scriptures; you can explain away the works that are performed by prophets and say they were done by this power or that. But you cannot argue with a testimony; there is no issue to debate; there is no defense against the testi- mony that rests in the hearts of livinp witnesses who go out and certify of the divinity of this work.
I can stand in the congregations of the earth and can reason with the peo- ple out of the revelations. I can cite the scriptures of old. I can recite the proofs and the evidences, the fruits, such as the Book of Mormon, which have flown from the ministry of Joseph Smith. When I do this, if people are
not spiritually inclined, they can argue and contend and attempt to explain these things away. But, having done all this, having set the stage, having laid a foundation, if I then say to the people: "In addition to all these evi- dences, I have received revelation that has come to me by the power of the Holy Ghost, telling me that this latter- day work is true, and I bear record to you that God has spoken in this day; now, if you will heed my warning voice and come and investigate and learn for yourselves, you also can know of the divinity of the work" — if I bear such a witness, that witness stands against them at the judgment bar of the Almighty.
Every investigator, in due course, stands exactly where Joseph Smith stood. He hears the cry, "Lo, here is Christ," and "Lo, there." He must de- cide for himself which of all the churches is right and which he should join. At his peril, he must find where the truth lies. And so, learning of the doctrine, and hearing the testimony, the obligation rests with him to do what the ancients did, to ask God for wisdom. As surely as he asks in faith, the Al- mighty will reveal to him that this great latter-day work is true. When he comes to know in his heart that the work is true, then if he has the spiritual integrity, fortitude, and courage to live in harmony with the standards of gos- pel righteousness, he forsakes the world, as thousands are doing; he comes into the Church; he finds peace and joy and satisfaction and happiness in this life; and he charts a course which will lead eventually to eternal exaltation in the mansions on high, which I pray may be the lot of all of us and honest truth seekers the world over. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
of mountains bordering the desert which the camel trains followed along to avoid the heat of the desert. At Kadesh-barnea, the gateway to the Promised Land, Moses reminded the children of Israel that the distance from Sinai to the fulfilment of their cove- nant was but an eleven-day journey. I read in the paper recently where this same distance was covered in three hours by automobile, yet it took Israel forty years to travel that distance.
Carlyle has said this, "For a man to have lived and died, who might have
been wise and was not — this I call a tragedy."
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands poised on the threshold of its greatest hour. Regard- less of the many accomplishments of the past, and there have been many, its greatest challenge is ahead. We must believe this and adjust to it.
In one of the more often referred to parables of Jesus, concerning the rich young ruler who came to him in- quiring as to how he could find favor and stand approved, the Master told
him to keep all the laws. This meant keeping the Sabbath day holy, the pay- ment of offerings in the temple, the honoring of parents, and strict obedi- ence to the laws as were imposed at that time. "But all these," said the young man, "have I kept from my youth. What lack I yet?"
From this incident we may strike a parallel of some in the Church today who keep the commandments, and who, like this rich young man, feel to stand approved. But in the true sense of Christian endeavor, when we have
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schooled ourselves to obey the will of God, we will have but reached the door- way of greatness. To this young ruler, who thought that he had done all that was needed, Jesus said,
". . . go . . . sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, . . . and follow me." (Mark 10:21.)
The young man erroneously thought that Jesus referred to the distribution of his earthly riches only; this would soon be used up in following the divine injunction. Actually he was being given the challenge of service. It is not enough to keep the commandments of commission only, as Jesus clarified, for if one is to find the real meaning of a successful life and to understand fully the message of Jesus Christ, there must be service given unto others.
The Apostle James, the apostle of realism, has said this: "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." (James 4:17.)
My associations and contacts within the Church, having served seven of my last eight years in the mission fields, and now again in the stakes of the Church, confirm to me the great faith and devo- tion that exists among our people. It is true, nevertheless, that many do not respond to the challenge of service. Unto these primarily and unto all mem- bers generally, I refer to the divine obligations placed upon us as members of the true Church of Jesus Christ re- stored in these latter-days. There are three principal areas of challenge by which every member may test his own
faith and conviction. These are given in the revelations as contained in section 45 and section 128 of the Doctrine and Covenants, and perhaps never before, my brothers and sisters, in God's deal- ings with his children, is there so much expected of so few!
First: As members, by our conduct and by obedience to the commandments of God, we should endeavor to serve the Lord that we may make the Church strong from within, that it can be a standard unto God's children and a light unto the world.
There can be no greater aspect to right- eous living than to feel the regenerative force of striving to do better. There is no member listening here this morning, or over the air waves, who has come any- where near in accomplishing what he actually is capable of; none have reached their full potential of leadership in the Church. This means that throughout the Church in all of the facets of its organization, members, teachers, officers, bishoprics, high councils, stake presi- dencies, and others, the challenge is before us today to step up to leadership, to step up to real membership in God's kingdom. Two great revelations from the Lord emphasize this to us.
"Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence." (D&C 107:99.)
And the second, which is compan- ionable: "Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will,
and bring to pass much righteousness;
"For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And in- asmuch as men do good they shall in no- wise lose their reward. {Ibid., 58:27-28.)
The second area of divine commit- ment is that of missionary work, to listen to the voice of a prophet of God, that every member be a missionary, and as the children of God, there can be no apathy toward this great chal- lenge. Many there are who say, "We want to help, but we just don't know how to do it." Let me tell you of an experience that might indicate how through friendliness, through being a good neighbor, through being honest in our dealings with our fellow men, and simply by being a Latter-day Saint in harmony with its teachings, we can bear an influence on the minds of peo- ple in this sense as well as in many other ways be a missionary.
Under the instruction of President McKay, during my term in Europe, I had the experience of going to Iceland and there, after meeting all of the lead- ing civic authorities that we thought it important to meet, I went into the office of the mayor of Reykjavik, Mayor Hallgrimmson, and he treated us with such courtesy and with such friendliness that I wondered why a man that far off would be so friendly to us in our desire to find out if it would be possible that missionaries could be sent into that land. He said, "We shall welcome your missionaries," and offered personally to locate a place for us to hold meetings
'IT CANNOT HAPPEN HERE"
Ezra Taft Benson
of the Council of the Twelve
In keeping with the spirit of the master- ful address given by our great leader, President David O. McKay at the be- ginning of this conference, I declare to you this morning that human liberty is the mainspring of human progress.
The one great revolution in the world is the revolution for human liberty. This was the paramount issue in the great council in heaven before this earth life. It has been the issue throughout the ages. It is the issue today.
It is difficult for Americans to under- stand the danger to our liberty. "It is generally outside the range of our ex- perience." But we live today in an age of peril. We are threatened with the loss not only of material wealth but of something far more precious — our liberty itself.
Never before in the history of our country has there been a greater need for all of our people to take time to dis- cover what is happening in the world. Every day decisions are being made af- fecting the lives of millions of human beings.
We as a people have never known
bondage. Liberty has always been our blessed lot. Few of us have ever seen people who have lost their freedom — their liberty. And when reminded of the danger of losing our liberty and independence our attitude has usually been: It cannot happen here.
We must never forget that nations may, and usually do, sow the seeds of their own destruction while enjoying unprecedented prosperity.
The children of Israel, willing to sac- rifice liberty, wanted Moses to be their king. Generations later their decendants begged Samuel the prophet to give them a king. He pointed out the fallacy of their reasoning. Samuel, like other great spiritual leaders, ancient and modern, saw the results that would follow the surrender of liberty.
In that sacred volume of scripture, the Book of Mormon, we note the great and prolonged struggle for liberty. We also note the complacency of the people and their frequent willingness to give up their liberty for the promises of a would-be provider.
The record reveals that a man "of
cunning device . . . and . . . many flattering words," . . . sought . . . "to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them, . . ." (Alma 46:10.)
Then Moroni, the chief commander of the armies, dramatically ". . . rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it — In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children — and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.
". . . (and he qalled it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, . . ." (See ibid., 46:12-13.)
This great general, Moroni, like the prophets whose words are recorded in the Book of Mormon, spoke of the Americas as a chosen land — the land of liberty. He led the people in battle who were willing to fight to "maintain their liberty."
And the record states: ". . . that he caused the title of liberty to be hoisted upon every tower which was in all the
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should we come. I finally asked him why he was so friendly. He said, "The story is simple. Years ago my uncle went to America. He had been con- verted by two missionaries on the old Western Island, 150 kilometers off the mainland of Iceland" — which is now referred to by many as "Mormon Is- land," where some 150 Icelandic people were baptized into the Church, and many of whom emigrated to America; some settled in Spanish Fork and in Springville. Mayor Hallgrimmson came to America, unannounced, not as a mayor but as an individual, primarily to visit an uncle who was among those converted. He met and lived with the Mormon people in that area. He ob- served their manner and way of life, and he told of finally coming to Salt Lake City where he met a man who managed a motel, and he said that this man went out of his way to help him. He recalled of him that he was a high priest in one of the quorums and said, "If these are Latter-day Saints, who so befriended me, why would I not be friendly to you?" And I have often wondered if that man who owned this motel really knew the good that he did that day when he befriended Mayor Hallgrimmson of Reykjavik, Iceland.
Now there are people coming into our midst constantly; men of the priesthood go away on business trips, and if they are concerned with the responsibility of projecting the message of the gospel that we have and assist in establishing a true image in the eyes of the people
of the world of the Latter-day Saint, here is the simple way to be a mission- ary, by the downright effort of being a Latter-day Saint no matter where we are or in whose presence we find ourselves.
The third area in which we can as- sist is in seeking after our kindred dead by establishing the family genealogical organization for this purpose. As I go throughout the stakes of Zion, I see the need of a greater number of marriages in the temple of our young people. Probably because the family failed to have this kind of organization to seek after their kindred dead, the image has not been made in the minds of their sons and daughters of the necessity for temple marriage. If, on the other hand, there were frequent evidence in the home of the importance of temple work through genealogical research and at- tendance at the temple, when the time comes for marriage of young people in the home, their hearts and minds would be focused on temple marriage.
In conclusion I want to tell of a re- markable personal experience that hap- pened just recently. I learned indirectly of a young girl in Massachusetts who had been keeping a very remarkable genealogical record. I learned that this record was on the Dyer family. By con- tacting her I learned that she was not a member of the Dyer family, she was not a member of our Church, and yet she has done an excellent research on more than 20,000 members of the Dyer family. I have written to her and ob- tained this record which is in three
volumes and which has been micro- filmed by our Genealogical Association and is available to all in the Church who are interested in this family line. I endeavored to learn why she did this. In a letter in reply to my inquiry, these are her words:
"The Dyer family is far more than a hobby. Please don't think it foolish, Mr. Dyer, but I feel that somehow it was God's will that I do this work. My whole life belongs to these people." This girl is seventeen years old. She began researching at the age of fourteen. She is not a member of the Church, and she is not a member of our family, but the spirit of Elijah has been upon her. We have learned where similar experiences have been had in many of the families of the Church, which indi- cates the power that is in the work of seeking for our kindred dead.
I bear testimony of the opportunity that is ours as members of the Church to answer the challenge in working through these three areas of activity within the Church. First, to build the Church and make it strong so that when those who are converted come into it, they feel the power and the strength of it; and secondly, that as missionaries we shall assist in every way to proclaim the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ unto the world; and thirdly, in fulfilling the commandments of God, that we seek after our kindred dead. I bear this record and urge that as a people we meet these great challenges, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
land, . . . and thus Moroni planted the standard of liberty among the Nephites." (Ibid., 46:36.)
This is our need today — to plant the standard of liberty among our people throughout the Americas.
While this incident occurred some seventy years BC, the struggle went on through one thousand years covered by this sacred Book of Mormon record. In fact, the struggle for liberty is a con- tinuing one — it is with us in a very real sense today right here on this choice land of the Americas. Yes, on an island strategically situated only ninety miles from our shores.
Just a short time ago Fidel Castro broadcast to the world his boastful con- fession that he had been a hard-core communist all of his adult life. He gloried in the fact that he had been able to confuse and deceive many peo- ple simply by saying he was not a com- munist. And because there were gullible people in this and other countries who believed his false assertions, he was able to establish a Soviet beachhead — "A communist satellite under active Rus-
sian control."
Americans must face the cold hard fact that Fidel Castro was encouraged and supported in his seizure of Cuba. Why? Simply because many Americans were led to believe the falsehood that he would resist Soviet influence and restore the full basic liberty of the Cuban people. A few of us issued early warn- ings based on unimpeachable evidence. Two United States ambassadors re- peatedly warned that Castro was part of the communist conspiracy and that he was working for the communist con- quest of Cuba. These voices went unheeded.
This is merely a repetition of the same deceitful pattern which was used after World War II to have us tolerate revolu- tionary communists in China — to accept them as "agrarian reformers" and allow them to seize and enslave some 450,000,- 000 people on the Chinese mainland.
This is the same deceitful pattern which we have been asked to accept in the Congo, in Laos, in British Guiana, etc. In fact, everywhere the communist conspiratorial machinery is preparing for
a seizure of power, we are assured there is no immediate danger from com- munism.
In less than half a century this evil system has gained control over one- third of mankind, and it is steadily pur- suing its vicious goal of control over all the rest of the world. It is time, and past time, for us to be alarmed.
I raised a voice of warning two years ago following my return from South America. And now, today, Cuba is being used as a base to spread subver- sion and armed revolution throughout Latin America. Cuba is being used as a funnel through which communists are infiltrating other American Repub- lics. There can be no stability in Latin America so long as "The shadow of the hammer and sickle is darkening the Western Hemisphere." The communist objective is to isolate North America.
Less than fifteen years ago com- munism was not a powerful force in Latin America. Today it is not only strongly present there as an enemy to be reckoned with — it is openly allied with a government located on an island
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only about 90 miles south of Key West, Florida.
The only political party now func- tioning in Cuba is the popular Socialist Party — the Communist Party under another name.
It is authoritatively reported that by the end of 1958 there were 316 known communist or pro-communist publica- tions in Latin America, the largest num- ber being 55 in Mexico. About one half are newspapers and other periodicals. There were more than 150 communist publishing houses and bookstores. These activities have increased sharply since 1958. (South Wind Red, by Ray, p. 17.)
True to communist and dictator tradi- tion, the Cuban government has de- prived its people of the rights of a free press, free elections, and the protection of other fundamental human rights.
How did this situation come about? How is it possible for communism to be here and now moving into Africa, pressing upon all of Asia, threatening the Middle East and increasingly be- coming a danger in the Western Hemisphere?
There are, of course, many reasons. Our apathy — our complacent indiffer- ence is a major cause. We have per- mitted ourselves to be pacified and lulled away into carnal security as Book of Mormon prophets predicted. (See 2 Nephi 28:21.)
As emphasized from this pulpit two years ago, we have a rich history to guide us. Think back with me a moment to the year 1823. In that year, James Monroe of Virginia was President. John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts was Secretary of State. These two men formed and announced a policy — the Monroe Doctrine — which has profound- ly influenced the development of our entire hemisphere. (Here was the situa- tion that called forth this policy — known as the Monroe Doctrine — in 1823.)
Several of what are now the Latin American republics had by force of arms newly won their independence from Spain and Portugal. Among them were Columbia, Mexico, Chile, and Brazil.
Meantime a number of the sovereigns of Europe were seeking to enforce the "divine right of kings" with the express purpose of putting "an end to the system of representative government. . . ."
This our government refused to per- mit. It said so plainly in the celebrated Monroe Doctrine. The heart of the Mon- roe Doctrine consisted of these words ". . . the American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as sub- jects for future colonization by any European powers. . . ." The Monroe Doctrine, which should be and is an enduring cornerstone and living prin- ciple of national policy, stated further: "The political system of the allied powers is essentially different . . . from that of America. . . ."
Surely if it were true a century and a half ago that European monarchy was essentially different from our American system of representative government, it is even more true today that the com- munist system is totally different, totally incompatible, totally inimical to our free way of life.
This is a time of decision. Further vacillation will serve only to drive all of Latin America straight into com- munist hands. If action is not taken against the power-drunken bandit and his cohorts, the day will soon come when it cannot be done at all.
The Monroe Doctrine was first in- voked against the Russian Czar Alex- ander. The Cuban menace represents the first time in one hundred years that a hostile foreign power has established a firm beachhead in the Americas.
The American people are deeply upset, frustrated, and angry at what they fear is a retreat from the time-honored Mon- roe Doctrine — a retreat which could now end in war.
President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., whose scholarly work on the Monroe Doctrine, as Under Secretary of State, is well known, in tracing our destiny said this:
"Then came our GREAT Monroe Doctrine which placed us of the United States squarely behind efforts of Latin America to gain freedom and against those European states who would thwart it.
"God again moved us forward towards the destiny He has planned for us. He was preserving the blessings He had given to us." (Memorandum on the Monroe Doctrine, Dept. of State Publica- tion #37, December 17, 1928.)
President Joseph Fielding Smith in his ever timely volume, The Progess of Man, in discussing America's fortifica- tion against other nations makes this significant statement.
"The greatest and most powerful forti- fication in America is the 'Monroe Doc- trine.' ... It appears to the casual observer that this doctrine came by chance . . . but this is not so. It was the inspiration of the Almighty which rested upon John Quincy Adams, Thomas Jefferson and other statesmen, and which finally found authoritative expression in the message of President James Monroe to Congress in the year 1823. . . .
"It is generally understood ... in the Church that the greatest and most significant principle by which this land is fortified against the encroachments and invasions of European and Asiatic powers is found in the Monroe Doc- trine. . . ." (Joseph Fielding Smith, pp. 357, 466-467.)
This Monroe Doctrine widely ac- cepted by the republics of the south, has been the continuing policy of our nation for almost a century and a half. It has been reaffirmed by many Ameri- can presidents. We are on solid tradi- tional American ground in demanding
that the communists should not attempt to extend their political system to this side of the Atlantic Ocean.
If time permitted, we could show that in recent years, the principles of the Monroe Doctrine have been strength- ened by various joint agreements among the American nations: These should be invoked. The longer we wait the more difficult will be the job.
It is almost unthinkable that any peo- ple would knowingly and wilfully take on themselves the yoke of communist oppression. No nation has ever done so yet. If large masses of the Cuban people have done so, it is because they have been duped or coerced.
As a people who have known only liberty, we are inclined to feel, it can- not happen here. We have become lulled away into a false security.
A most brilliant discussion of the Latin American problem, which ap- peared in the May 1961 issue of American Opinion, concluded with these words:
". . . history gives us one more chance. If the American people are too blind or too cowardly to take that chance, then, whether or not we as individuals de- serve it, you and I and all that we hold dear . . . must suffer the doom that history mercilessly imposes on fools."
Why are we so timid in standing up to a Godless communist police state which can't even feed its own people, and whose economy, they know, will not support a major war. They "lead from weak- ness and we retreat from strength."
I say to you it can happen here. It is happening here. We have retreated from the Monroe Doctrine. Our liberty is in danger. But we go blithely and gullibly on our way. Some of us fall for the Kremlin line as planned by the mass murderer Khrushchev and call patriots "extremists" and accuse cour- ageous liberty-loving citizens of "divid- ing our people."
As President McKay said at the close of the April general conference, quoting J. Edgar Hoover, "There is no place here in America for part-time patriots. This nation is face to face with the greatest danger ever to confront it, a sinister and deadly conspiracy which can be conquered only by an alert, in- formed citizenry. It is indeed appalling that some members of our society con- tinue to deplore and criticize those who stress the communist danger. Public indifference to this threat is tantamount to national suicide. Lethargy leads only to disaster. . . ."
We must be vigilant. Let us unite. Let us join in our fight against the forces of anti-Christ.
Forgive me for being so blunt, but I feel most deeply on these matters. Pos- sibly it is because I've seen at close range so much of this godless, treacher- ous conspiracy in the past few years in more than forty nations.
I realize that the bearer of bad news
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is always unpopular. As a people we love sweetness and light — especially sweetness. Ralph Waldo Emerson said that every mind must make a choice between truth and repose. Those who will learn nothing from history are con- demned to repeat it. This we are doing in the Americas today.
As a Church we have a world mes- sage of salvation to deliver to our Father's children. The restored gospel can only thrive in an atmosphere of liberty. We are in a worldwide con- flict. It is the first of its kind in history. It is between light and darkness; between liberty and slavery. It is a struggle for the souls of men. We must win this war.
In 1946 I stood in Czechoslovakia. The deadening socialist-communist phi- losophies were even then infiltrating that lovely country. Our church mission was thriving among these liberty-loving people. They too said it could not happen there. Only two years later it had happened. They had lost their liberty.
At the close of World War II while serving as European Mission President, I visited Stanislaw M. Mikolajczyk in Warsaw, the leader of the liberty-loving Polish people and former premier of the Polish Government-in-Exile. I had hoped we might do missionary work in Poland. Though Mikolajczyk was the leader of the indisputable majority of the electorate, he had to flee from Poland to save his life from the insidious encroaching communist police state.
I also talked to our Polish Ambassa- dor, Arthur Bliss Lane. He told me of the tragic course of appeasement our government was pursuing in selling out the Polish people to the communists. Finally, unable to endure it any longer, Lane voluntarily resigned so he could tell the story. He titled his book, I Saw Poland Betrayed.
And so the pattern has been repeated in country after country.
Rather than impede communism our policies in their total effect have ap- parently helped promote it. And so the honest in heart, many of whom have probably already been murdered, are deprived of the message of the restored gospel — good people who would have responded to the words of truth from our missionaries.
Who then is to blame? What then can be done?
To some extent we Latter-day Saints and Americans everywhere must share some blame for we have not been awake to the warnings of the prophets. We have not exerted our righteous in- fluence as citizens to stop this disastrous course. Our skirts are not entirely clean. Many of us have been asleep in Zion — the Western Hemisphere.
"But," say some, "why should we be so concerned. After all if the Lord wants them to get the gospel message, they'll get it."
Of course, if the Lord desired, he could this instant preach the gospel to every soul and do all our genealogical work. He could also right every wrong, feed the famished, plant our crops, train our children, etc. But his doctrine requires us to do our best ourselves in these areas and ask the Lord's help in our endeavors. After we've done all we can, then the Lord will cover for us.
Now what can be done? We have missionaries and Saints in South Amer- ica. Those countries fall within the scope of the Monroe Doctrine. These countries are now being pushed in the direction of bondage — the loss of liberty.
What can we do to help meet this grave challenge from a godless, atheistic, cruelly materialistic system — to preserve our God-given Liberty?
We can encourage our government wherever we live, to stand firm at all costs against any further expansion of despotic communism.
We can support our government in keeping the flame of liberty burning in the souls of the oppressed — wherever they may be throughout the world.
We can heed the words of men like Edward Hunter who for twenty years has been reporting communist con- spiracy and brain-washing from abroad and who recently wrote this:
"In Washington these days one hears a great deal of the word escalation but never the word honor.
"Escalation was the reason Americans had to stand by and watch with folded hands as a young man bled to death a hundred feet from them at the Berlin wall of shame, although we had every right to go in and stem his bleeding under wartime agreement.
"Imagine anyone telling an American, only a few years back, that we would stand by idly, witnessing a man die needlessly because he wanted to be free! . . .
"Escalation is why we stood by wring- ing our hands when the East Germans
started building the wall, whereas is now known, their orders were to stop if we showed any serious resistance.
"Escalation, if continued, will com- plete our softening-up, until we 'bury ourselves,' as Khrushchev predicts. . . .
"This soft escalation policy in Cuba, starting in 1958, permitted 'a small band of hoodlums, under the leadership of Fidel Castro' to conduct 'open warfare against the established government of Cuba, which was friendly towards the United States. . . .' We have, thus passed the time for soft and easy action to protect ourselves," says Mr. Hunter. "We have only one course of action left: to destroy Communist power in Cuba by force of arms."
As I visited among the good people of Cuba in 1955, I had a secret hope we would soon be able to bring to them the truths of the restored gospel. What are our prospects now? People said in Cuba in 1955: It cannot happen here. We love liberty.
The insidious but rapid take-over of Latin America is drawing ever closer to the final showdown.
Unless godless communism is stamped out of Cuba, it is only a matter of time until like Czechoslovakia, other missions will likely close and more of our Father's children will be deprived of their liberty and the fulness of the everlasting gospel.
The message of salvation must move forward. God grant that every effort to stay its growth will be frustrated.
Courage and statesmanship are im- peratively needed today. We must take chances for liberty. May God bless our national leaders in this time of crisis.
Yes, the effective preaching of the gospel can only thrive in an atmosphere of liberty. Yes, we all say, we love liberty. But that is not enough. We must protect and safeguard that which we love. We must save liberty.
God grant us the wisdom and the cour- age so to do, before it is too late, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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Friday Afternoon Session, October 5, 1962
TO BELIEVE IS TO SEE
Howard W. Hunter
of the Council of the Twelve
On the evening of the day of the resur- rection, Jesus appeared and stood in the midst of his disciples in the closed room. He showed them his hands through which had been driven the nails and his side which had been pierced by the spear. Thomas, one of the twelve, was not present when this happened, but the others told him they had seen the Lord and that he had spoken to them.
No doubt Thomas had been deeply shaken by the events of the past days. His love and devotion to the Master cannot be questioned, but the flame of faith had burned low and had grown cold. The tomb was empty, this he knew. Mary Magdalene and the other women and Peter and John had been there. Jesus later appeared to Mary in the garden, and she told the disciples of this event as she had been commanded. That very day the Risen Master had walked with Cleopas and his companion down the road to Emmaus and had also ap- peared to Simon Peter in Jerusalem. In spite of these evidences, Thomas was skeptical, and he said to the disciples:
". . . Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe." (John 20:25.)
This statement of Thomas has caused him to be remembered down through the ages and his name placed with the skeptics, the doubters, and the faint- hearted; with those who will not believe until they see. In a sense, Thomas rep- resents the spirit of our age. He would not be satisfied with anything he could not see, even though he had been with the Master and knew his teachings con- cerning faith and doubt. Jesus had said:
". . . O thou of little faith, where- fore didst thou doubt?" (Matt. 14:31.)
". . . Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?" (Mark 4:40.)
". . . If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."
(Ibid., 9:23.)
". . . According to your faith be it unto you." (Matt. 9:29.)
All of these things Thomas well knew, but his personal faith had been dimmed by a great disappointment. Faith does not take precedence over doubt when one must feel or see in order to believe.
Thomas was not willing to stand on faith. He wanted positive evidence of the facts. He wanted knowledge, not faith. Knowledge is related to the past because our experiences of the past are those things which give us knowledge, but faith is related to the future — to the unknown where we have not yet walked.
We think of Thomas as one who had traveled and talked with the Master, and who had been chosen by him. In- wardly we wish that Thomas could have turned toward the future with con- fidence in the things which were not then visible, instead of saying in effect, "To see is to believe."
It must have saddened the heart of the Savior, but this had happened be- fore. Within the past few days Judas had betrayed him, Peter had denied him, and now Thomas doubted him.
A week later, the disciples were again together in the same house in Jeru- salem. This time Thomas was with them. The door was closed, but Jesus came and stood in the midst of them and said, ". . . Peace be unto you.
"Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing." (John 20:26-27.)
The record does not indicate that Thomas accepted this invitation — -this loving rebuke by the Lord. Thomas could see the print of the nails and the wound of the spear. He only answered: ". . . My Lord and my God." (Ibid., 20:28.) Now he believed, but Thomas had missed the highest form of faith.
"Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, be- cause thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (Ibid., 20:29.)
This occurrence stands as one of the great lessons of all times. Thomas had said, "To see is to believe," but Christ answered: "To believe is to see."
Faith has always been a necessary condition of a righteous life. As we read through the books of the Old Testament, we are impressed by the faith that motivated the prophets and righteous men, the saints of old, to endure the trials which came to them. The books of the New Testament are replete with the teachings of the Savior concerning faith and examples of the effect of faith in the lives of individuals. These writings also set forth the disappointment and tragedy that come where faith is lacking.
There are many things which are invisible to our senses and not subject to positive proof. The scientific ap- proach to proof is by experimentation in the laboratory. The result of this scien- tific method has a greater influence upon our thinking than we realize, be- cause it produces positive proof resulting in knowledge. We cannot overlook the great good this approach by science has upon the lives of persons, but how about those things which lie outside of the realm of positive, tangible proof? This question brings us to the higher law. It is through the assurance that comes from faith.
The classic example of faith is ascribed to the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrews: "Now faith is the sub- stance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Heb. 11:1.)
This statement does not presuppose a perfect knowledge, but describes faith as that which gives to one an assur- ance or a confidence in things which are yet in the future. These things may be in existence, but it is through
'BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS"
John Longden
Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." (Matthew 5:9.)
From this scripture, which is a part of the Sermon on the Mount, I gather there is a peace to be had. It is avail- able for all mankind if we desire it. Peace can be had. We must study and learn of God's desires for us. We must pray about it. Indeed, we must live the law; then we have a peace in our
hearts and will truly be peacemakers, the children of God.
I believe in the scriptures as they have been restored. I believe that we can have peace in a troubled world. I be- lieve we can have peace in a troubled home. I believe we can have peace in a troubled life. It can be had for the price which I have stated; not for money nor for any material amount.
I said we must study and do the
things which will make for peace. Paul, the apostle, in his epistle to the Romans said: "Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
"For the kingdom of God is . . . right- eousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Romans 14:17, 19.)
Paul had an evidence of peace. Here was a man, yes, who had fought the Christ, who had fought the principles
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faith they are realized. Faith gives a feeling of confidence in that which is not visible or susceptible of positive proof.
It would appear that Thomas had lost his confidence in the future. He looked to the past. He wanted proof of that which was not then visible. Those who lose or lack faith, live in the past — there is loss of hope for the future. What a great change comes into the life of one who finds an abiding faith to give assurance and confidence.
If we turn back to the ninth chapter of John, we read of another incident that took place in Jerusalem in which a man who had been born blind received his sight. It was the Sabbath day, and Jesus was apparently in the vicinity of the temple when he saw the blind man, and his disciples asked him:
". . . Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
"Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made mani- fest in him.
"I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (John 9:2-5.)
Jesus then spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle mixed with the dust of the earth. He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. If this had been Thomas, would he have gone as he had been com- manded or would he have asked the question: "What good can come from washing in the stagnant waters of that dirty pool?" or "What medicinal proper- ties are there in saliva mixed with the dust of the earth?" These would seem to be reasonable questions, but if the blind man had doubted and questioned, he would still be blind. Having faith, he believed and did as he was directed. He went and washed in the pool and
came back seeing. To believe is to see.
A miracle had taken place. A man who had been blind from the day of his birth was caused to see. The neighbors and the Pharisees were aston- ished and asked how it happened.
"He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight." (Ibid., 9:11.)
It was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened the eyes of the blind man. Some of the Pharisees said he could not be a man of God because he did not keep the Sabbath day. Others asked how a man who was such a sinner could perform a miracle. Even though they could see, they would not believe. The blind man was asked: "What sayest thou of him?" He answered: "He is a prophet." Still they did not believe and called the par- ents of the blind man and asked them: "Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? How then doth he now see?" His parents were afraid to answer for fear of being put out of the synagogue if they should confess that the one who performed the miracle was Christ, so they said, "He is of age; ask him." And the blind man said, "Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see." They said to him, "Thou art his disciple," and they shut the door of the synagogue against him. (See Ibid., 9:14-34.)
When Jesus heard that the blind man had been cast out, he found him and said:
". . . Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
"He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
"And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
"And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
"And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind." (Ibid., 9:35-39.)
The blind man believed and was permitted to see. Thomas refused to believe until after he could see. The world is full of Thomases, but there are many like the blind man of Jerusalem. Missionaries of the Church meet both of these every day as they carry their message to the world, the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. They bear witness to the fact that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that God has spoken to his children in these latter days, that there is a prophet of God on the earth today, that the gospel has been restored in its fulness. Some believe, have faith, and are baptized. Some will not accept because they cannot see or feel.
There is no positive, concrete, tangible evidence that God lives, yet millions have a knowledge that he does through that faith which constitutes the evidence of things unseen. Many say to the mis- sionaries, "I would accept of baptism if I could believe that Joseph Smith was visited by the Father and the Son." For this fact there is no positive, con- crete, tangible evidence, but to those who are touched by the Spirit, faith will stand in the place of such evidence of things unseen. Remember the words of the crucified Master as he stood before Thomas:
". . . blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (Ibid., 20:29.)
To believe is to see.
I add my witness to the testimonies of the thousands of missionaries that God does live, that Jesus is the Savior of the world, that those who will be- lieve through faith will be caused to see, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
which will bring peace. Yet after he had received conviction of the truthful- ness of the Savior's message and of his divinity as the Son of God, he received a peace in his heart, and he could not be swayed from righteousness but used his energies, his talents, in going for- ward to teach this great message of which he received a conviction. Yes, Paul did the things which will bring peace into the hearts of all mankind.
Peace can only come to individuals, communities, states, nations, and the world by the acceptance of the greatest story ever told, by acceptance of the greatest life that was ever lived, by acceptance of the greatest example that was ever shown, by acceptance of the greatest Teacher who ever taught, the author of salvation and exalta- tion, the Prince of Peace, Jesus the Christ, the Divine Son of God. This
I know in every fiber of my being.
The gospel of Jesus Christ has always been the gospel of peace, regardless of when there has been a dispensation of the gospel upon the earth. I recall the words of the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith which indicated that there is no change in the gospel of Jesus Christ, even in this dispensation.
In the midst of great persecution when the Saints were being persecuted
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in June of 1834 at Zion's Camp on Fishing River, the Prophet Joseph re- ceived a revelation from the Lord which is recorded in the Doctrine and Cove- nants, ". . . lift up an ensign of peace, and make a proclamation of peace unto the ends of the earth; . . ." (D&C 105:39.)
We, here today, one hundred and twenty-eight years after this revelation was received, can visualize what has been accomplished towards establishing peace in the earth. Think of it! We see, as we look back over the span of time today, the thousands of missionaries who have been out in the world to carry this message of peace to all man- kind, unselfishly postponing their school- ing, leaving their homes and loved ones to deliver this message which will bring peace into the hearts of men. We vis- ualize the erection of fourteen temples. We visualize 356 stakes organized and over 3,000 wards and many branches, sixty-eight missions, approxi- mately 12,000 missionaries out at the present time, delivering this message of peace, literally to the ends of the earth.
From study and from prayer, there comes great faith which motivates all who have a firm and solid conviction of the truth. There is born a desire
truly to be publishers of peace. I think of a rdiother writing to a son in one of the missions which I have visited in the South Pacific. He had indicated to her, knowing her circumstances, a widowed mother, the possibility that she was having financial difficulties, and he earnestly wanted to stay to fill the two and one half years required in a foreign mission where a language has to be learned. He let me read the letter she wrote him in return: "Son, you will stay out on your mission even if I have to scrub floors to earn money sufficient to keep you there."
Then I think of a husband and wife who had five sons go out into the mis- sion field; the sixth son had reached the required age to go. Not having suffi- cient funds, they went to the bank and placed a mortgage on their home to assure him finances to fill his mission that he might carry this message of peace to mankind. I am grateful for that kind of faith.
In May we had a missionary confer- ence on the island of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. All the missionaries had arrived but two. These two were nine days on the water, coming over 640 miles in a small craft, being buffeted about the Pacific, and I want to tell you,
you can be buffeted about the Pacific in those small boats, inter-island boats. One of these young men had been made the counselor in the mission presidency at the conference, and it would be un- necessary for him to return to the island from which he came, but he said, "The work has just begun there, and we can see real fruits of our labors, and I would like to go back," though he was going to be bounced about in the same type of craft for another eight or nine days. This he did that he might deliver his message of peace to the island peo- ple. Faith-promoting stories like these could be multiplied thousands of times if time permitted. When peace comes into our souls, we have a desire to share it with others as Paul of old.
I am grateful for all the mission presi- dents of the South Pacific. I spent ten months down there in the last year and three quarters. All the mission presi- dents of the South Pacific are opening up their homes, entertaining and teach- ing men of state, leaders of government, husiness and civic groups, teaching this message of peace. It has been my privi- lege to attend many such occasions.
While on one of the large ocean liners in the South Pacific recently, I visited with the captain. He related that he
THE COURAGE OF YOUTH
Victor L. Brown
of the Presiding Bishopric
On a Friday afternoon just one year ago, President McKay called me to be a counselor in the Presiding Bishopric of the Church. The day prior, I was at home in Chicago quite secure in the feeling that we had moved for the last time. I was happy with my work and the opportunities that lay ahead. I was completing my twenty-first year with a wonderful organization. We had moved to Chicago from Denver eleven months earlier and had just completed our new home.
It was about 9 pm that Thursday evening when I received a long distance telephone call from Salt Lake City. The caller asked if I planned to attend gen- eral conference the next morning. I told him no. He said, "Could you?" And I said, "I suppose I can if you would like," whereupon he said, "The President of the Church would like to see you at eight o'clock tomorrow morn- ing in his office. Now get a good night's sleep because it is probably the last one you will ever have."
As I sat in President McKay's private office the following day, and he looked into my eyes, I am sure my entire life lay before him as an open book. I ex- pected him to thank me for coming and wish me a pleasant journey home, but he didn't. Rather, he asked me to serve
as a counselor in the Presiding Bishop- ric, notwithstanding all of my human failings.
I testify to you with all my heart that a prophet of God asked me to serve. As far as I know, that is the only qualifica- tion I have, but this is enough for me.
These past twelve months have been filled with the most wonderful experi- ences of my life. I am so grateful to the young people of the Church for the inspiration they are to me. They give me courage to carry on in my responsi- bilities. It thrills me to learn of their faith and devotion to the Lord. I am confident they have the kind of courage our pioneer forefathers had. They have the kind of courage that Carlyle referred to when he said: "The courage we desire and prize is not the courage to die de- cently, but to live manfully."
The same kind Whitehead had in mind when he said: "True courage is not the brutal force of vulgar heroes but the firm resolve of virtue and reason."
Let me illustrate what I mean by telling you of three young people who have been an inspiration to me. The first one is a young man nineteen years of age. We will call him Bill. All through high school Bill was a black sheep, using his own words. He hung around the pool hall with the gang. Bill
did what the gang wanted to do, even though sometimes he knew it wasn't the right thing. Bill followed the line of least resistance. You couldn't really say that Bill was an individual. He didn't do much thinking for himself. He let the gang do his thinking for him.
Bill said to me, "Bishop Brown, I have just wasted nineteen years of my life. I have at last come to the realization that there is something in life worth more than being just one of the gang. I want to make something of myself. I want to be an individual."
Something or somebody had touched Bill and given him the courage to think for himself, the courage to break away from the gang and the activities and habits that generally go along with a pool hall environment. Bill decided that he wanted to stand on his own two feet, to be a man. He now has the courage to live manfully.
Nancy is a lovely young lady about fifteen years of age. When she was a little girl, she used to visit her aunt on the farm. One day while she was visiting her aunt, she overheard a neigh- bor lady comment on how poor Nancy's family was. This comment made a deep impression on her, and as she told us the story she said:
"My brothers and sisters, I am not
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had had many of our young missionaries on his ship over the years, and he said he had been deeply impressed with young men of such fine caliber. He had observed they didn't drink tea, coffee, liquor, or use tobacco. Their language and conversation was clean and above- board. They appeared to be morally clean. They did not take the name o^ the Lord in vain. He admired their integrity. He said, "You have the great- est peace corps in the world." I sincerely thanked him for this truthful statement. Then I reflected, as I thought of this experience; not only are the full-time missionaries a peace corps, but this peace corps extends, including all members of the Church: truly the greatest peace corps in the world with the full and true message of the Lord Jesus Christ if all members, individually, accept the re- sponsibility to teach this message of peace by example as well as by precept. In contemplating this responsibility for the entire membership of the Church, I quote from a talk given by President David O. McKay: "The Gospel of Peace should find its most fruitful effects in the homes of Church members. Chil- dren to be healthy and happy should have a favorable mental, emotional and