practice by the Saints who heard them. | impetus, and already the fruits of their As usual, the Authorities were presented and unanimously sustained; a Statistical and Financial Report of the District was read by myself, which was satisfactory to all concerned. Since the commencement of the year until the present we have added by baptisms one hundred and ten persons, that being the exact number of souls that emigrated from this District the past season, and we intend, by the blessings of our Father, to still further increase before the year closes. Our finances are more healthy than usual. I think the medicines administered have had a tendency to regenerate our monetary system, and if the instructions given are carried out by the Elders and Saints we will soon be enabled to get it on its feet, and if we do we intend to keep it there, for it has been on a bed of affliction for a long time, but through mild restoratives I think it will soon entirely re cover. Throughout the day the good Spirit was with us, and it was a season of rejoicing together; the Saints returned home feeling well and rejoicing in the God of their salvation. Through the zealous labors of the Elders who are with me the Work has taken a fresh labors are being made apparent. Although Elder Wood was with us but a short time, yet his stay was productive of good, and he left us with the faith and prayers of the Saints in his behalf, and they expressed regret that his health would not permit him to tarry longer in their midst. As you signified your intention of removing brother Hill to another field where his labors are more required, I will state that since his appointment to this District he has labored with zeal and energy and has given entire satisfaction. Brothers Benson and Cunningham are still endeavoring to do all they can for the Work, and they have the faith and blessings of the Saints to assist them in the duties of the ministry; they seem to anticipate my wishes and desires, and are on hand to do the best they can. As for myself, I do not know that I ever felt better in spirit than at the present time, and I am just getting a glimpse of what is required of me to be an efficient servant in the vineyard. Remember us to the brethren in the office with kind love to all. Praying continually for the welfare of the kingdom, I remain, as ever, your brother, M. F. FARNSWORTH. SUMMARY OF NEWS. - POLAND.-News received from Warsaw announces that Dobrowolski has been shot in that city by order of the Russian authorities. The number of women lately arrested is said to be 987. Intelligence received by the Breslauer Zeitung of Nov. 27th, states that the arresis of superior officials in Warsaw continue. Six hundred persons, including ladies, and Luszczewski, the director of the Department of the Interior under the Grand Duke Constantine's administration, have been transported to Siberia. SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN.-The Vienna General Correspondenz of Dec. 1st, blames the delay of the Federal Diet in not having yet resolved to carry out coercive measures against Denmark, stating that the Austrian military representatives have been already a week in Frankfort to forward the requisite preparations for the purpose. AMERICA.-General Bragg's army is reported to have been weakened for some purpose not yet developed. Mr. Seward has made a speech asserting that there could be no peace until Mr. Lincoln was President of the whole of the United States. He anticipated the early submission of the insurgents, when there would be peace, and the angels in heaven might tune their harps to the symphony of such a peace. There was no State that had not been made stronger, and no citizen that had not been made richer, by the war. Advices from Brazos state that Banks was marching on Brownsville. It is reported VARIETIES. 799 that on the arrival of the expedition the Confederate authorities burned Fort Brown and the greater portion of Brownsville, notwithstanding strong resistance on the part of the inhabitants. Latest from Charleston by way of Richmond is to the 14th ult. The Federals were firing on Sumter all day on the 12th, from their mortar-batteries and two monitors. Sullivan's Island was also shelled for one hour by a monitor and gunboat. During the night of the 12th ult. the firing from Federal mortars and rifle-pieces averaged two shots per minute. The casualties during the night were two killed and one wounded. The firing was increasing on the morning of the 13th. At Chattanooga, on the 13th ult. the firing between the two armies continued brisk. The Federals had made a movement from right to left, with a view, it is supposed, of a diversion in order to attack Lookout Mountain or to send troops to Burnside. It was reported that General Longstreet had received orders from General Bragg to evacuate Lookout Mountain, but this report was considered as a ruse of the Confederates. The bounties offered to soldiers in New York now amount to $700. The World asserts that the Secretary of War opposes an exchange of prisoners in order that the burden may weaken the Confederate resources. The heavy firing which was heard in the direction of Stevensburg on the 16th ult. arose out of a reconnaisance of the cavalry under General Caster to ascer tain the strength of the Confederate force on the Rapidan. It is supposed that the bulk of Lee's army has gone somewhere south, and that a strong picket guard holds the station. A despatch from the head-quarters of the army of Tennessee, dated the 16th ult., states that General Sherman has effected a junction with General Thomas. VARIETIES. A LECE FOR SORE THROAT, AND CHOLIC.-Take a piece of lump sugar and saturate it well with the tincture of myrrh, use it as a gargle for the throat, about a spoonful disolved in warm wa.er, or tea, will cure the Cholic. FOR COLDS.-Get portions of each of the following herbs and make of them a decoction; sweeten with honey and Spanish juice and drink before going to bed-Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Hoarhound, Mint and Rue. CHILDREN. Teach children to love everything that is beautiful, and you will teach them to be useful and good. SELF-RESPECT.-The truest self-respect lies, not in exacting honor that is undeserved, but in striving to attain that worth which receives honor and observance as its rightful due. SILENCE. To be silent, to suffer, to pray, wher we cannot act, is acceptable to God. A disappointment, a contradiction, a harsh word received and endured as in his presence, is worth more than a long prayer. Discontent is a sin that is its own punishment, and makes men torment themselves; it makes the spirit sad-the body sick-and all the enjoyments sour; it arises not from the condition, but the mind. Paul was contented in a prison-Ahab was discontented in a palace; he had all the delights of Canaan, that pleasant land, the wealth of a kingdom, the pleasures of a court, the honors and powers of a throne; ye. all this avails him nothing without Naboth's vineyard. Inordinate desire exposes men to continual vexations, and being disposed to fret, they will always find somthing to fret about. MORMONISM.-A lecture on the doctrines and practice of Mormonism was delivered on Wednesday evening at the Town Hall. by "Elder Willes," one of the "Seventies." The hall was crowded by an assemblage, a large proportion of which were boys and very young men, who came evidently for the sake of a disturbance; but though there was a want of courtesy and fair play shown by many of those who should have known better, yet the meeting on the whole was tolerably orderly. Parties attending a lecture, and especially a lecture on sacred subjects, should remember that the lecturer is probably sincere in his belief of the doctrine he advocates, and therefore is not to be treated as a rascal or a liar. If we don't believe we ought to oppose him, if opportunity offers, by fair cool argument, showing him the same courtesy as we expect to be shown when we advocate any theory of our own in a mixed assembly. When Romanists, in other countries, treat a Protestant missionary in the manner in which Mr. Willes was treated on Wednesday, we point to their conduct as an instance of ignorant and savage bigotry, and the persecuting spirit of their church; yet where is the difference between us and them? they look on Protestants as heretics, trying to introduce damnable error amongst them, just as we look on Mr. Willes; but we claim from them a fair hearing and unprejudiced investigation let us then grant the same to a Latter-day Saint. He is in error, but thinks we are: let us try to convince him of his error-not brow-beat or hoot him. As for the lecture, Mr. Willes told us very little about his peculiar dectrines : he believes the Bible in the main, but he has in addition the pretended revelation of the Book of Mormon, to which he referred his hearers. He said his people were much maligned, and his account of their laws and habits was, we believe, correct; and we found our opinion on the account of the great traveller, Capt. Burton, who was among them for some months: this gentleman going out as a man of the world, merely to seek information and material for his book, is likely to have given a fair account, having no prejudices either for or against the Mormons. Mr. Willes offered to give a course of lectures on the subject of Mormonism, and at the close of the discussion there was a call for Friday night; but as his request for help to pay the expenses of the room was not very liberally responded to, we expect he will scarcely incur further loss, as he goes forth "without purse or scrip.”—The Kingsbridge Gazette. DIED: In Edinburgh, Nov 15. 1863. of decline, John, son of William and Janet Sim, aged 14 years, 8 months and 18 days.- Deseret News please copy. At St. George, Washington County, U. T., September 24, of cold on the lungs, Sarah Ellen, daughter of Thomas and Caroline Cottom, aged 5 months, 2 weeks and 4 days. In Mill Creek Ward, Great Salt Lake County, U. T. Oct. 12, 1863, Maria Gates, of inflammation of the lungs. POETRY. BACKBITING. A thought in rhyme I here present, Observe it all who read it; And prove its virtue by its use When circumstances need it. Yet, if 'twas understood, 'twould save CHORUS Now Mormons all, both great and small- First; Is it true? Ah, there's the rub,- Birmingham. And if 'tis false, how should you like Next, Is it kind? Remember this, You uncles, aunts and nieces, And, ere you speak, think how you'd like Chorus-Now Mormons all, &c. Last,-Is it needful? If 'tis not, Then cease your bitter railings; Al bitter feelings smother; CONTENTS. 789 Minutes of the Semi-Annual Conference....... 785 Correspondence.-England: Letters from Elders Faith in God...... Edmund F. Bird and M. F. Farnsworth...... 796 798 799 News from Conferences............................... 795 LIVERPOOL: EDITED, PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GEORGE Q. CANNON, 42, ISLINGTON. LONDON: FOR SALE AT THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS' BOOK DEPOT, 30 FLORENCE STREET, ISLINGTON; AND FROM ALL BOOKSELLERS. THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS' MILLENNIAL STAR. "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the Prophets...... The Lord God has spoken, who can but prophesy !"-AMOS. No. 51, Vol. XXV. Saturday, December 19, 1863. Price One Penny. CONFERENCE MINUTES OF THE SEMI-ANNUAL HELD IN GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, OCTOBER 6, 7, 8 AND 9, 1863. On the 9th Oct., previous to the dismissing of Conference, President Brigham Young spoke as follows: : I have in my mind a few texts which I wish to introduce and speak from, to, or upon. I have only to say, in relation to what brother John Taylor, in his remarks, has referred to, that I wish the honestin-heart to continue to be honest-to say their prayers, and especially to keep the law of God; and I would like you to observe the law of Tithing, if you wish to do so, and if you do not, proclaim that you do not wish to observe it, that we may shape our course accordingly, for no person is compelled to pay Tithing, but it is entirely a voluntary act of our own. If we pay it freely it is well; if we are not willing to pay it freely and feel a pleasure in doing so, let us say so and be consistent with ourselves. We talk a great deal about our religion. It is not now my intention to deliver a discourse on this subject, enumerating facts and producing evidences in my possession which are unanswerable, but I will merely give a text, or make a declaration, that our It is all religion is simply the truth. said in this one expression-itembraces all truth, wherever found, in all the works of God and man that are visible or invisible to mortal eye. It is the only system of religion known in heaven or on earth that can exalt a man to the Godhead, and this it will do to all those who embrace its laws and faithfully observe its precepts. This thought gives joy and delight to the reflecting mind, for, as has been observed, man possesses the germ of all the attributes and power that are possessed by God his heavenly Father. I wish you to understand that sin is not an attribute in the nature of man, but it is an inversion of the attributes God has placed in him. Righteousness tends to an eternal duration of organized intelligence, while sin bringeth to pass their dissolution. Were it our purpose, at this time, we might produce extensive, instructive and interesting arguments, of a Scriptural and philosophical character, in support of these views. I will merely say that God possesses in perfection all the attributes of his physical and mental nature, while as yet we only possess 802 SEMI-ANNUAL CONFERENCE. them in our weakness and imperfection, on the earth where the Lord_can tainted by sin and all the consequences come and dwell, if he pleases. They of the fall. God has perfect control may be found on the tops of high over sin and over death; we are sub-mountains, or in some cavern or place ject to both, which have passed upon where sinful man has never marked all things that pertain to this earth. the soil with his polluted feet. God has control over all these things; he is exalted and lives in obedience to the laws of truth. He controls the acts of all men, setting up a nation here and overthrowing a nation there, at his pleasure, to subserve his great purposes. We see man suddenly raised to power and influence, clothed in all the paraphernalia of royalty, endowed with prestige and equipage, and as quickly stripped of all his pomp and show, and laid prostrate in the dust of death. This is God's work, and the result of a power that is not possessed by us mortals, though we are seeking for it. When we talk of building a temple, let us not forget that we can add nothing to Him. "But Solomon built Him an house. Howbeit, the Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the Prophet, heaven is My throne, and earth is my footstool; what house will ye build me? saith the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these?" "If I were hungry I would not tell thee, for the world is mine and the fulness thereof." He does not ask us for bread and fruit, for He has better fruit than we can raise, and His bread is of a much finer quality than ours; He does not want our bread and meat and clothing, but He has organized all these substances for an exaltation. The earth, the Lord says, abides its creation; it has been baptized with water, and will, in the future, be baptized with fire and the Holy Ghost, to be prepared to go back into the celestial presence of God, with all things that dwell upon it which have, like the earth, abided the law of their creation. Taking this view of the matter, it may be asked why we build temples. We build temples because there is not home on the face of the whole earth that has been reared to God's name, which will in anywise compare with his earacter, and that he can consistently call his house. There are places This will also He requires his servants to build Him a house that He can come to, and where He can make known His will. This opens to my mind a fieldthat I shall not undertake to survey to-day. I will just say, when I see men at work on that Temple who nurse cursings in their hearts, I wish they would walk out of the Templeblock and never again enter within its walls, until their hearts are sanctified to God and his Work. apply to men who are dishonest. But we have to put up and bear patiently with many things that we cannot help under present circumstances, and in our present imperfect state. We would like to build a substantial house, suitably arranged and embellished-a permanent house — that shall be renowned for its beauty and excellency, to present to the Lord our God, and then lock and bar it up, unless he shall say, "Enter ye into this mine house, and there officiate in the ordinances of my Holy Priesthood, as I shall direct." We have already built two Temples: one in Kirtland, Ohio, and one in Nauvoo, Illinois. We commenced the foundation of one in Far West, Missouri. You know the history of the one which we built in Nauvoo. It was burnt, all the materials that would burn, and the walls have since been almost entirely demollished and used for building private dwellings, &c. I would rather it should thus be des troyed than remain in the hands of the wicked. If the Saints cannot so live as to inherit a Temple when it is built, I would rather never see a Tem ple built. God commanded us to build the Nauvoo Temple, and we built it, and performed our duty pretty well There are Elders, present here to-day who labored on that house with not shoe to their feet, or pantaloons that would cover their limbs, or a shirt to cover their arms. “ELAY We performed the work, and performed it within the time, which the Lord gave us to do it in. Apostates T |