1923-11-29—Millennial Star—The Ninety-Fourth Semi-Annual General Conference
The Ninety-Fourth Semi-Annual General Conference
- Millennial Star, November 29, 1923, p. 757
The Ninety-Fourth Semi-Annual General Conference
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President Brigham H. Roberts of the Eastern States Mission, the second speaker, began his remarks with a few words of praise for England, his native land. Recalling the previous remarks of Elder Reed Smoot on the sacrifices and burdens of England, he declared he was proud of England as a nation, because it was determined that international treaties and obligations mean more to the world than "mere scraps of paper." " When England went to the aid of Belgium and France it was in the interest of world freedom and against autocracy which was endangering the freedom of the world," he said. "Our own burden in the war was made comparatively light by reason of England's being so heavy. My heart is moved with sympathy until I pray God that that nation be relieved of the great burden assumed in the interest of freedom versus autocracy," he declared. Elder Roberts was impressed to speak in this manner, he said, because the prime minister of England during the war, David Lloyd George, was at that moment on American shores.
Speaking of mission work in the Eastern states he said there have been 130 to 140 missionaries in the field during the past year, constituting more or less a broken line in viewT of the vastness of the field of labor, which, he said, contains almost as many people as the entire United States at the time of the organization of the Church.
One motto of the missionaries, he said, is, "A mission in the Eastern States means absolute consecration to the service of God and fellowmen with all sin and folly eliminated." "We say to each other 'God With Us.' If God is with us we cannot fail. Our faith and trust is in God. We realize He is the foundation of faith and power. If He does not give us His spirit we can do nothing."
Recousecration to the work of the Lord on the part of the missionaries took place on May 15, the 95th anniversary of the restoration of the Aaronic priesthood, when a summer campaign began, he said. The missionaries left their lodgings and, without extra clothes or food, went out trusting in God. They found God themselves and many of His disciples. The campaign which culminated with the recent conference at Cuinorah met with exceptional success, he said.
President Roberts quoted from the Rochester Herald which gave favorable comment on the celebration of the anniversary of the first visit of the Angel Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith. " We sought to live again the great epic events that resulted in the restoration of the Gospel," President Roberts said.
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