REMARKS
By Elder W. Woodruff, delivered in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, .
-[REPORTED BY DAVID W. EVANS.]-
I shall call the attention of that por-
tion of the House of Israel who are
present, to the text which was given us
at the beginning of this Conference,
"Be ye of one heart and of one mind."
This is a very good text, and one that is
of great importance to this people. As
was quoted this morning, Jesus said if
ye are not one ye are not mine [Doctrine and Covenants 38:27]. This
principle has been given to us by com-
mandment and revelation. "Mormon-
ism" is not a fable neither is it a Yan-
kee trick got up to deceive this genera-
tion; but it is a living fact, a truth
which God and the angels in heaven
know, and which many people on
earth understand.
The principles which have been
taught to us since the commencement
of this Conference are very important
for us to understand, and to carry out
in our lives. This is the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It
has been established by the command-
ment of God; and it is composed of the
honest-in-heart, the meek of the earth,
out of all sects, parties, denominations
and nations. This body of people, or
church, has got to build up the Zion of
God in the last days; and this work can
not be accomplished upon any other
principle than that of our being united
together as the heart of one man.
Everywhere upon the face of the
earth we can see what the effect of dis-
union is. The more that nations, com-
munities, families, or bodies of people
in any capacity under heaven, are divi-
ded, the less power they possess to carry
out any purpose or principle imagin-
able; and the more union they possess,
whether in a legislative or any other
capacity, the more power they have to
accomplish what they desire. We can
see that the people of the world are be-
coming more and more divided every
day, and the evils resulting therefrom
are everywhere apparent. We are call-
ed to build up Zion, and we can not
build it up unless we are united; and in
that union we have got to carry out the
commandments of God unto us; and we
have got to obey those who are set to
lead and guide the affairs of the King-
dom of God.
There have been principles presented
before us and counsel given during this
Conference which are of vast impor-
tance to this people. There are many
positions that we as a people, have to
occupy, and many branches of business
to which we have to attend, not only of
a spiritual, but also of a temporal ma-
ture. Jesus said to the Jews you pay
tithes of mint, anise, and cummin, but
you neglect the weightier matters of the
law, and they, as well as your tithing,
are required at your hands [Matthew 23:23]. So it is
with us. We are one of heart and mind
as it regards faith, repentance, baptism,
or the first principles of the gospel of
Jesus Christ; but the same unity must
exist in our midst in all our temporal
labors—in building temples, taberna-
cles, cities, towns, villages, canals, cul-
tivating the earth or any other labor,
if we ever accomplish the object for
which we have been raised up. No
people, unless they are united together,
can ever build up Zion and establish the
Kingdom of God on the earth.
We have been taught the Word of
Wisdom. It was given to us many
years ago, and the Lord said it was ap-
plicable to the weakest Saint. Very
few of us have kept the Word of Wis-
dom; but I have no doubt that if the
counsel of President Young were carried
out, it would save the people of this
Territory a million of dollars annually.
I feel that we ought to put these things
into practice. We ought to unite to-
gether in all matters required of us in
order to carry out the purposes of the
Lord our God. The people are able to
do it if they feel disposed. Why, Bish-
op Hardy told me here this morning
that he had laid aside his tobacco; he
has loved it almost ever since he was
born; and if he can leave it off every
man in Israel ought to be able to do it.
It was said to-day that whisky drink-
ing makes fools of men; it does. Its
effects are much worse than they used
to be, for the liquor made now-a-days
contains so much strychnine and arse-
nic that it is enough to kill anybody,
and unless those who use it do lay it
aside many will die. Lay aside whisky,
tobocco, tea and coffee, and use none of
them unless it be as a medicine. We
can all do it, and there is not a man or
woman in Israel, with any faith in this
work, but is required to do so.
This little mustard seed here around
this bowery, which has sprung up in
the valleys of the monntains, has either
got to grow and progress and become a
great tree in whose branches the fowls
of the air can lodge, or it must stop
growing altogether. We have either to
build up Zion in its beauty, power and
glory, according to the order which has
been received by the servants of God, or
else give it up. We must do one or the
other. If we do this we must advance,
and whatever God requires at our hands
we must carry out.
I know the world oppose us because
we are united; they say we are governed
by one man. I would to God that all Is-
rael would obey the voice of one man as
the heavens obey the voice of God.
Then we would have power to build up
Zion and to obtain all things necessary
for us before the Lord. We have come
to this. There is no division among us
so far as the principles of our religion
are concerned; it is in relation to some
things the world call temporal that we
are not one. How are you going to
build up Zion? In the hearts of the
people? Why you could not get Zion
into the heart of any man, not even in-
to that tabernacle; and I never saw a
man in my life as big as that; and I
hope we shall never see the day when
we will have a house big enough to hold
Israel, for I trust they will be too nu-
merous for any house we can build.
We have to build up Zion, a temporal
work here upon the face of the earth,
and we have got to establish righteous-
ness and truth. When I say a temporal
work I speak of temporal things. The
Zion of our God can not be built up in
the hearts of men alone. We have to
build temples and cities, and the earth
has to become sanctified and be made
holy by the children of God who will
dwell upon it; and to do this we must
be united together.
I do not wish to preach a long sermon,
but I feel that we ought to lay hold and
carry out the counsel that has been giv-
en to us at this Conference. If we lay
aside these things that do us no good,
as has been already said, we will be bet-
ter off, have more unity, have power to
gather and feed the poor, to send the
elders abroad and to do a great deal of
good with the means that we have saved,
instead of squandering it upon those
things that are injurious to us and dis-
pleasing in the sight of God.
Brethren and sisters, let us lay these
things to heart, and be united in doing
all the good we can in our day and gen-
eration. We have the right to do good,
but not evil. The principles of the gos-
pel of Jesus Christ which have been
revealed in our day are the power of
God unto salvation to all that believe,
both Jew and gentile, in this age of
the world as well as any other; and in-
asmuch as we will be united in carrying
out the counsel we have received, we
can overcome every evil that lies in our
path, build up the Zion of God, and
place ourselves in a position that we
may be saved therein; which may God
grant, for Christ's sake. Amen.