From a sermon given in 1919 –

We are living in a most momentous age. We see on every hand manifestations of commotion. The world seemingly is stirred as it has never been stirred before. Political institutions are crumbling. Old forms and methods are fast giving way to new ones. Political organizations are being revolutionized, some for better and some for worse. Old fundamental principles of government are tottering. Some have even been replaced by theories that are not tenable, others not practicable, and some that are infamous.

The secret of good citizenship lies in the home. The secret of instilling faith in God, faith in his son, the Redeemer of the world, faith in the organizations of the Church, lies in the home. There it is centered. God has placed upon you, parents, the responsibility of instilling these principles into the minds of children. Church schools, Sunday schools, Mutual Improvement Associations, Primary and Religion Classes are all helps in government, established here to assist in the upbuilding of the youth, but none of these – great and important factors as they are in the lives of our youth – can supplant the permanence and the influence of the parents in the home.

– David O. McKay