Zion in Her Gathering Places

(Assistant Historian.) At the present time, my brethren and sisters, Zion in her gathered condition is represented by 58 stakes, and in her scattered condition by 21 missions. Over each of these stakes, as we know, there are presidencies; and there are also presidents over each mission as they are now established throughout the world. From these presiding officers we often hear reports, as we have here today. In looking broadly upon the work of the Latter-day Saints we realize that we have indeed a great labor to perform on the earth. Our special mission is to preach the gospel in all the world, for which purpose missionaries have been sent out from the very beginning. In some countries . these missionaries have been more successful than in others ; and particularly among the Englishspeaking people have the Elders been blessed in making a greatnumber of converts. These converts, when baptized in foreign lands, or in different parts of our country, are usually organized into branches and into conferences of the Church, and these are grouped into missions. Most of the missions in the different lands where our Elders have preached have been somewhat permanent, but the conferences, and particularly the branches in these missions, have not always been continuous, because the members who constitute them usually emigrate to Zion, after the lapse of a short time, sometimes only months, sometimes years. ¶

The principle of gathering is being taught by the Elders of the Church ; and if it has not been taught much in public at times, the Spirit of God, nevertheless, whispers to the members that the dispensation of the fulness of times is a gathering dispensation, and that it is proper and profitable for the Saints to gather to Zion, as Brother Ivins remarked, to learn more of the ways of the Lord and to walk more perfectly in His paths. For that reason we have been gathering the Saints together almost from the beginning, the Lord making-known to us that he would call upon the elect from the four quarters of the earth to assemble together and be organized into Zion, or stakes of Zion. Thus the Lord, in an early day, revealed the location of the main city in Jackson county, Missouri, and from that time until the present 19 we have understood that we should, as a part of our labors for the redemption of mankind, build up stakes of Zion throughout the land until both North and South America are filled with such stakes. In fact, the Prophet Joseph, in the last conference he attended before his martyrdom in Carthage, Illinois, declared that all of North and South America was the land of Zion itself. ¶

We have been quite successful in our missionary labors abroad, and we have also been quite successful in our home enterprises. For a number of years after trie organization of the Church, say 17 or 18 years, we labored under great difficulties and trying circumstances, in our endeavors to build cities, towns and villages in the East, as persecution arose against us because of our peculiar faith, and our neighbors would not let us alone. They robbed and plundered us,, drove us from place to place, killed a number of our people, and made it very unpleasant indeed for the survivors. At last we found ourselves driven beyond the borders of civilization into these valleys of the mountains — an event that took place in fulfillment of predictions made by the Prophet Joseph Smith during his life time. Had his life been spared, he would undoubtly have led us here himself ; but as he was taken away while yet a young man, President Brigham Young became the chosen instrument in the hands of God to lead Israel to these valleys of the mountains. And I will venture to say here, my brethren and sisters, that since we settled here in these valleys, we have had the best opportunity that we ever had, as a people, or as an organized community, to demonstrate, to an unbelieving world, what the fruits of "Mormonism" are, or might be, or can be, when the people who believe in the restored gospel are let alone. Our enemies gave us a bad name in Missouri and Illinois ; they claimed that we were dishonest ; they claimed that we had blacklegs among us, who were doing all kinds of mischief; there were, they would have it, even counterfeiters in our midst, as well as horse thieves and other criminals, and on this ground they sought a pretense to drive us all away from them. But it was proven most beautifully and conclusively, after they had driven us out in the wilderness, and after we had got a foothold here in these mountains, that we were not composed of such elements as our enemies accused us of. If we had been that kind of a people we most surely would have built up a sort of a Robbers' Roost in these mountain fastnesses, as there was nothing here to prevent us from so doing. We had no laws at that time except those that we brought with us, which were practically the very laws that guided our actions in Nauvoo, when they accused us of so many crimes; and in addition to these we had, for many years, no other laws here except such as we passed ourselves. This was absolutely the case for a number of years after our arrival in these mountains, say from the year 1847 until we became the territory of Utah. That territory was, as you all know, created in the latter part of 1850, but the federal officers who were appointed to take hold of the local government here were not properly installed until the beginning of the next year, . 1851. ¶

During the past few months I have had a better opportunity, than ever before in my life, to look into the pile of letters and documents that accumulated in the hands of the historians and the Saints generally during those early years when the Saints first settled in the Great Salt Lake Valley. Many letters passed between the people of this valley and the people of other lands and climes, where we had missionaries and friends ; some of these letters were published at the time and are known to those who are familiar with the early files of the "Deseret News" and "Millennial Star." But a great many important and characteristic communications have never been published and have never been known to the public generally. Besides the communications written by our own people here, many letters were written by strangers who passed through or who sojourned temporarily "within our gates." For instance, in 1849, when the great influx to the California mines took place, and thousands of people passed through our chief city on their way from the Missouri river to the gold diggings of California, there were many liberal and fair-minded men among them — men who were not afraid to tell the truth about the "Mormons" in the Rocky Mountains. Many of these overland travelers had friends in the East to whom they would report by letters or otherwise what they had seen and experienced in these mountains as they journeyed through. Some of these were, prior to their arrival, so afraid of Salt Lake valley that they did not know whether they dared pass through or not, because they imagined, judging from what they had heard, that the "Mormons" would steal their cattle and wagons, and thus make it impossible for them to rea-.h Cahfornia, the goal of their ambition. But a number of these same writers were, according to their own statement, almost dumbfounded and utterly astonished, when, instead of outlaws, they found a Godfearing people in the Great Salt Lake Valley — a good people, a people who were, as they wrote to their friends, "friendly to us, and instead of stealing from us what we had, they were kind, honest and accommodating to us ; for they exchanged commodities with us and gave us things which we wanted for what we had and could spare; and thus they made it easier for us to reach California than it would otherwise have been. In fact, in many cases, it would have been impossible for us to reach California that year, had it not been for the assistance rendered us by the 'Mormons.' " And, speaking of our morals, these travelers said they had never known a more moral, chaste and temperate people than those they found in Salt Lake Valley. They describe these early pioneers of Utah as God-fearing, honest, and possessing all the virtues that could be expected in a Christian community; and even went so far as to say that they excelled the Christians in the eastern states in virtue, not to speak of the western states, -where the people at that time were not supposed to be as good as they were in the east. Such were the reports of these strangers who passed through the settlements of the Saints in 1849. I call your attention to these things to show you the fruits of "Mormonism," for Christ said in His great sermon upon the mount, "By their fruits ye shall know them. Men do not gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles." ¶

I am proud, as one of your historians, to refer to these facts, and to know that at the time our people could have been very wicked, they chose to be good; at the time they could have been robbers and outlaws and morally corrupt, they chose to be an honest people; at the time they could, without fear of punishment, have stolen from their neighbors who passed through their midst, they helped these in every way possible. This is a matter of record; and our nation and the world will some day acknowledge that these conditions were the natural fruits of "Mormonism," because the "Mormons" had a much better opportunity then than thev ever had before, or have Had since, to exhibit what the fruits of their religion or their own natural inclinations were. So on this ground there is no reason why we should be persecuted or be rejected as God's people. ¶

Coming down to the present day we find that conditions have somewhat changed with us. After the Lord had blessed this land, in which we dwell, others — not of our faith — came to dwell with us, the same as strangers did in the land of Palestine in days of old. When the Lord made that land in the orient a good country, strangers came to sojourn and dwell with Israel, and, in some instances, these ied away the hearts of the chosen seed from the path of duty and caused them to bow the knee to Baal, or worship strange gods. This called down the displeasure of the God of Israel and His people were made to suffer accordingly. Now, we are of Israel, just as much as the inhabitants of Palestine were in those days, only we live in a different dispensation and in a different country. We are visited continually by men and women who realize that our climate is good, that our mountain air is balmy and pleasant, and who like to live in the shades of these great Wasatch mountains and partake of the blessings that we already enjoy here. The consequence is that we today are a mixed community, and some of the evils that exist in this city now, and in other cities of Utah, are positively not the fruits of "Mormonism." On the part of the Saints they are, rather, the fruits of their contact and association with the outside world. When the Children of Israel, in the days of Elijah the Prophet, bowed the knee to Baal to such an extent that there were only a few thousand who had not worshiped idols, this condition did not exist because of the teachings of the Prophets of God. On the contrary, it was the consequence of their rejection of these holy men and their coming into contact with the people surrounding them. So it is also with us. Our wrong doings as a people and individuals today are not the fruits of "Mormonism," but we are doing wrong, in many instances, because we bow to those things which have been introduced into our midst by those who are not of us, and because of the influences that have been brought to bear upon us ; and that has caused sorrow and much grief to come upon many of our people. ¶

When we think of our success in the mission field, and hear such splendid reports as we have heard today, we grieve sometimes in contemplating that our converts, who are making their way to these valleys for the purpose of becoming identified with a ward and a stake of Zion, will naturally come in contact with the influences of wicked people in our own midst; for, in some cases, the Saints have, in the past, been drawn away to worship the "gods of the strangers," and to do things that are not acceptable in the sight of our heavenly Father. ¶

Let us try to remember,my brethren and sisters, that we are God's people, and that we live in a land that God has given us, and that we should continue to make this land a land of Zion — a pleasant abode for the pure in heart; and if our fathers and mothers did so well in the earlier days of the Church, even in troublous times, we should endeavor to the fullest extent of our powers and abilities to do as well as they did, notwithstanding the fact that we now have neighbors all around us who do not serve God, and who do not desire to keep His commandments. Remember that the redemption of Zion is yet in the future and that a great preparatory work for the second advent of Christ is expected of us. When we speak of the redemption of Zion in the sense that I now allude to it, we mean that the time will come when some of the Saints will go back to Jackson county and build up the greatest and best city that we have ever been called upon to build, and also to build a Temple to the name of the great and true God — such a one as has never before been erected by men; and it will require a people that have done well and have served God faithfully in the stakes of Zion to do this work. Zion's chief city must be built by a people who are true to their God, and true to their brethren and their religion. It will most assuredly fall to the lot of such only to go and build up that center place, and erect that greatest Temple of all. ¶

Let us try, my brethren and sisters, as we live in these mountains, with Prophets and Apostles of Almighty God among us, to worship, in spirit and in truth, the God of our fathers, the God of Israel that our fathers obeyed so zealously in years gone by, the God of our fath-' ers in New York, Ohio, Missouri and Illinois, and in the early days in these valleys of the Rockies, and the God of our fathers in days of old, even in the land of Canaan. Let us remember that the God of ancient Israel is also our God, and that He looks upon sin and iniquity in the same light that He looked upon it thousands of years ago. What was sin then, is sin now ; what was displeasing in the sight of God then, is displeasing in His sight now, for God never changes. Circumstances surrounding the people of God may change, but the eternal principles of God never do, and God accepts on common ground His people in all ages and in all lands and climes who serve Him and keep His commandments ; and He will be pleased to multiply blessings upon all that merit His blessings. It is for us to nreach the gospel in all the world, gather the elect from all lands and climes, build up Zion and perform the preparatory work which must necessarily be done before Christ will come to reign upon the earth as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. ¶

May God help us to be faithful and true in the accomplishment of this great and glorious mission entrusted to us by our heavenly Father, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶