2 June 1879

President E. R. Snow Smith present.

[. . .]

President E. R. S. Smith addressed the meeting as follow’s

I am always pleased to meet with the Saints of God. I do not particularly enjoy the responsibility of addressing you, but if you are really Latter Day Saints, by our faith and prayers the Lord will be with us.

If we live our religion we are dead to the world, and alive to the Lord, it requires our entire lives to gain the glory we have set out for, we, as sisters have no insignificant part of this work to perform, and we are placed in a position to prove ourselves; there is no compulsion we were all baptized into this Church of our own choice, if not, we were not accepted. We cannot serve both God and Mam[m]on, God requires all our talents and energy, and it is our duty to learn what the Lord requires of us individually. The women of the world have not confidence in each other, and they, and their male friends have separate interests. The gospel draws us together quite as naturely as the atom of the atmosphere, but if we lose the spirit we draw part as the women of the world.

Without knowledge we cannot be saved, it is the privledge of every Saint to have the comforter that Jesus promised his disciples, we cannot obtain true knowledge except we have his spirit to guide us, how impolitic [p. 290] we are to suffer the spirit of the world to enter into our midst. When the Society was first organized it was one branch, but as we are now a stake capacity, if we are united what a power we might weild; our mission to releive the poor, and another more important duty is the helping to build up Zion.

When President [Brigham] Young was alive, he expected a great deal of the sisters, and he requires no less now. It is strange that, with the light which we have we can ever sleep, our bodies naturally bear our spirits downward, and there will be a continual warfare between them while we live in the flesh if the spirit yeilds to the flesh then we are corrupted we will never get rid of this affinity, but we must cherish the spirit. Joseph [Smith] said, there would be a time when each one would be tried, and if the sacrifice laid upon the altar if it burns it is accepted if not it is rejected, this depends upon the lives we lead. No woman can make home happy without the spirit of God, it is not the abundance we have around us that brings hap[p]iness but the blessings of God and the way we receive them home duties first for the mother, our prayers songs etc. are only a small portion of our religion

If you are training your children and stamping the imprint of truth, virtue and the fear of God in their hearts you are performing the noblest work of God, when laying the foundation of society we should comprehend principle and act upon it our feelings are as changable as the wind but principle is always the same.

How consistant when we act upon principle. We sing Zion is free, but we are just as sectarian as possible. Zion will not be free till we are independant, we are varitable slaves to [p. 291] Babylon, and ask for her to fall had we not better wait awhile till we can draw from the elements our sustainance? lest we may fall too, if we had obeyed counsel we could indeed sing “Zion is free.” We have hands and the ability to manufacture now have the machenary set up in Brigham City to manufacture silk, and we can clother ourselves cheaper not, only this but employment is furnished those needing is right in our midst. What we get against God’s will we cannot expect His blessing upon; supposing you you can get a 1.00 hat for 50¢ at a gentile store? do we not go against Gods commandments. Storing grain is another mission we have to perform. I just as much know famin will come, as that the Sun will set tonight. The people in Persia and other places who are suffering, have not had a prophet to warn them as we have. Do we understand our position as political voters? let us keep the reins in our own hands. For whom should we vote? just who the priesthood directs, says one one? does this not take away our rights no. When we went into the waters of baptism, we enlisted in this cause and I think I should be committing a high crime to go in opposition.

We are proposing a new movement, viz. a Territorial Hospital, we have Sisters who have passed through all the different degrees as physicians. these sisters are of our faith, if they were not I would have nothing to do with them.

I believe those who do the most feel the best, you who sit back and think the work will be done without your [p. 292] aid, remember the reward is to the worker. Sisters we all have to stand for ourselves our husbands will have all they can do to save themselves.

Never ask God to humble you but ask him for grace to humble yourselves. Can any woman be happy in plurality? yes. I speak from experience, if we meet our trials as we should we will make blessings of them. I know there are many here whom God loves. I can feel it, that we may fulfill our mission and enter into the presence of our Father is my prayer.

[. . .]

Bp. Jno. [John] Brown

Heartily endorsed the remarks of sister Snow; we have had this counsel for years, let us treasure it up that we may become Savior’s on Mount Zion [. . .] Sister Snow is an indefatigable laborer one whom we should highly apreciate also the sisters connected with her; we will not always have them with us &c.

[. . .] [p. 293]