PRESIDENT WILFORD WOODRUFF spoke very briefly. He said he did not believe there ever was a time in the history of the world when there existed so little faith among the people with regard to God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the gospel as was the case today. Just as soon as the Lord or- ganized this Church, with the same principles which belonged to it in ancient days, it seemed as though the whole world was stirred up against them as a people. They were therefore led to ask the cause of all the opposition and persecu- tion which had attended the Latter- day Saints throughout the whole Christian world; and the answer came "Because you differ from us in religion. You preach the gifts, graces, and revelations of Jesus Christ today as taught in ancient days, and we do not believe in them. Those things were taught in the dark ages to convince the children of men of the work of God. We now live in the glorious Gospel light, and we do not need them." That was the kind of teaching by ministers in the present day; but he (the speak- er) would say in answer to this: "Then, for God's sake, give me the dark ages of the world." He did not believe there ever lived a people either in this or any other generation, who had been more lied about than the Latter-day Saints. It was astonishing how little these "Mormons," as they were called, were known in the world. Strangers who came into this city would sometimes enquire of a man whom they saw standing in the street—and who had probab- ly made up his mind enough to lie about them—something about the "Mormons," and they learned from him in five minutes all about "Mormonism." These people re- turned home and told what they had learned, and the story spread until the truth was hardly ever heard. It had been asserted here in years gone by, as a reproach against the Latter-day Saints, that not a man or woman could send a letter anywhere out of the Territory without the Presidency of the Church first reading it. Such state- ments were of course false. Why, he had scarcely time to read his own letters when written, much less those of the many thousands of people who dwell here. There was just as much truth in that as in the statement that the Presidency told every Latter-day Saint how to vote. He had resided in this valley some forty-four years, and he could safely say that during the whole of that time, so far as he could recollect, he had never told any man or woman how to vote. If he had told anyone, it had only been some of his own boys who might have asked his advice; but he did not re- member even that. Falsehood had been spread over the whole world to such an extent that the people hardly knew what to believe in regard to the Latter day Saints. Some persons had ac- tually entertained the idea that the "Mormons" had horns! The speaker recited an incident bearing on this absurd fallacy. On one occasion, he said, a few Gentile gentlemen got into the company of a young "Mor- mon" Elder for the first time. He was a good-looking, bright, and in- telligent young fellow, and they were somewhat surprised to find that he was like other men. They all wore their hats at the time, and one of the company de- sired the Elder to remove his from his head. He at once complied with the request, remarking, however, as he did so, "You see I am young and my horns have not begun to grow yet." President Woodruff related an- other circumstance within his ex- perience. Some years ago he traveled from Ogden with a party of clergy- men. Upon their arival here, and on passing the Sixteenth Ward schoolhouse, one of the number inquired what that building was used for. On being informed, the ques- tioner expressed his astonishment, remarking that he had no idea the "Mormons" had schools! The world was opposed to the Latter-day Saints on almost every ground; and as to revelation, it was one of the worst things a man could believe in if he wished to be popular with the multitude outside. He urged the Latter-day Saints to exercise faith in God, to believe in Him and in His Son Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. If they were not united they were not the people of God. Let them live true to their religion, looking forward to the promises which God had made unto them, and which He would assuredly fulfil if they walked in the ways of righteousness.