The St. George Stake conference convened June 14 and held a two-day’s session, the Priesthood meeting being held on Friday, the 12th, at 2 p.m.
Apostle Reed Smoot and Elder V.L. Halliday of Salt Lake were in attendance. The Stake presidency and all of the High Council, nearly all of the wards and a large body of the Priesthood were represented, together with the largest attendance of the members for some years past.
One of the attractions of this conference was the concert given by Emma Lucy Gates, a girl born in this little town of St. George, and consequently everyone was anxious to see what the product of this sage brush desert could do, and it is chronicled that all were satisfied with the result and united in saying that she has a great future.
The conference was characterized by a good spirit all through, and good instructions were given by all speakers.
Apostle Smoot talked upon the follies of boys and the care required from the hands of the parents, the good done in striving to save the erring ones, and related how he had gone into a saloon and taken a man out and restrained him from continuing his carousal.
Elder Halliday taught the people in regard to marriage, domestic qualities, kindness between husband and wife, and spoke interestingly on the wonders of science and of how these things were perfectly natural and would all be brought about in God’s own due time.
The Stake presidency talked up the coming fair, which is to be held next September, and the people were asked to make every effort on their part and exhibit. Chairman Macfarlane also took up this theme and everything points to a good exhibit of Dixie’s products as the season is very favorable for the fruits and main products of this region.
In answer to questions sent out by the Stake presidency the report submitted to the conference showed that all wards with few exceptions were keeping a regular history of their ecclesiastical matters; also that their meetings were being well kept up, that the new genealogical record was being kept in nearly every instance.
In regard to the Word of Wisdom it was brought out that about 70 per cent of the members were observers and about 80 percent of the officers were also observers.
Altogether the showing was that the State is in a good health condition, and very well looked after in spite of the fact that in order to visit all of its wards a travel of 1,000 miles is required to make the trip.
The conference was interspersed with solos, duets and quartets, one of the features being the rendition of “Oh, Ye Mountains High” by Sister Gates.
Anthon F. Miles, Clerk
A memorable turn of phrase: “the product of this sage brush desert.”
Also, I’m guessing there’s an interesting backstory to Elder Smoot’s statement about his “go[ing] into a saloon and tak[ing] a man out and restrain[ing] him from continuing his carousal.”
Thanks, Ardis. It’s always great to get such an intimate glimpse into the past.
I have heard anecdotally that a central Utah high council met for coffee regularly until about the middle of the 20th century. St. George was ahead of the times, it appears.
“70 per cent of the members were observers”
Turns out my esteemed English St. George pioneer ancestors were among the 30 percent, and I know they began to regret it toward the end of their lives as the church began to emphasize the Word of Wisdom,
My Swedish grandma was part of the 30% until her little sister put a bean up her nose. The family story goes that she was dying until her older teen aged sister (my grandma) prayed and promised to give up coffee if they could get it out. They did and that was the end of coffee. And the beginning of many Postum-loving generations. I was raised with the Swedish coffee ritual, but with Postum.
I didn’t think until just now that it may have been a coffee bean. I wonder. That would add another meaning to the story.
Emma Lucy Gates would have been [quick check of Wikipedia] ~20 years old for this conference; she had gone to Germany to study music four years prior.
Another thought: When Dale G. Renlund was called as an apostle, a number of people commented one the fact that Ruth Renlund, his wife, had been a working mother. That isn’t perhaps as groundbreaking as one might think, though—Emma Lucy Gates, as the wife of Albert E. Bowen, was a working (step)mother.