My beloved brethren and sisters, this has been a very interesting and a very important meeting. It has dealt essentially with the work of the auxiliary organizations led by the women. As has been indicated, there are, of course, two other auxiliary organizations the Young Men and the Sunday School. These will be dealt with at another time.

But this present emphasis on the work of the Relief Society, the Young Women, and the Primary is timely and very much needed.

No one need tell you that we are living in a very difficult season in the history of the world. Standards are dropping everywhere. Nothing seems to be sacred any more.

As President Faust has indicated, the family appears to be falling apart. The traditional family is under heavy attack. I do not know that things were worse in the times of Sodom and Gomorrah. At that season, Abraham bargained with the Lord to save these cities for the sake of the righteous. Notwithstanding his pleas, things were so bad that Jehovah decreed their destruction. They and their wicked inhabitants were annihi-. We see similar conditions today.  They prevail all across the world.

I think our Father must weep as He looks down upon His wayward sons and daughters.

In the Church we are working very hard to stem the tide of this evil. But it is an uphill battle, and we some times wonder whether we are making any headway  But we are succeeding in a substantial way  We see so many of our youth who are faithful and true and who look to us for encouragement and direction.

We must not give up. We must not become discouraged. We must never surrender to the forces of evil. We can and must maintain the standards or which this Church has stood since it was organized. There is a better way than the way of the world. If it means standing alone, we must do it. 

But we shall not be alone. I am confident that there are millions of people throughout the world who grieve over the evil they see about them. They love the virtuous, the good, and the uplifting. They too will raise their voices and give of their strength to the preservation of those values which are worthy of maintenance and cultivation.

A Bright Hope

It is so tremendously important that the women of the Church stand strong and immovable for that which is correct and proper under the plan of the Lord. I am convinced there is no other organization anywhere to match the Relief Society of this Church. It has a membership of more than five million women across the earth. If they will be united and speak with one voice, their strength will be incalculable.

We call upon the women of the Church to stand together for righteousness. They must begin in their own homes. They can teach it in their classes. They can voice it in their communities.

They must be the teachers and the guardians of their daughters. Those daughters must be taught in the Primary and in the classes of the Young Women of the values of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When you save a girl, you save generations. She will grow in strength and righteousness. She will marry in the house of the Lord. She will teach her children the ways of truth. They will walk in her paths and will similarly teach their children. Wonderful grandmothers will be there to lend encouragement.

I see this as the one bright shining hope in a world that is marching toward self-destruction.

To you stake presidents and bishops, we plead with you to give encouragement and help in every possible way to the women and the girls of your stakes and wards. They need your priesthood backing. They need your leadership and counsel. Help them in every way that you can, and while doing so you will help yourselves.

For instance, it is imperative that bishops work closely with Relief Society presidents in administering Church welfare. This is normally accomplished in the monthly ward welfare committee meeting or, on occasion, in the ward council meeting. But emergencies arise, or there may be circumstances where greater confidentiality is required, in which case the bishop and the Relief Society president should consult together. Wherever there is material need in a family' the Relief Society president is best qualified to go into the home and assess the family's needs.

We frequently speak of the strength of the priesthood, and properly so. But we must never lose sight of the strength of the women. It is mothers who set the tone of the home. It is mothers who most directly affect the lives of their children. It is mothers who teach infants to pray, who read to them choice and beautiful literature from the scriptures and other sources. It is mothers who nurture them and bring them up in the ways of the Lord. Their influence is paramount.

President Heber J. Grant went so far as to say; "Without the devotion and absolute testimony of the living God in the hearts of our mothers this Church would die." 

The writer of Proverbs said, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).

It is a true saying that ''as the twig is bent, so the tree is inclined."

We frequently speak of our wives as the better half. It is essentially true. They are the creators of life. They are the nurturers of children. They are the teachers of young women. They are our indispensable companions. They are our co-workers in building the kingdom of God. How great is their role, how marvelous their contribution. How they add to the luster of life.

We have a greater challenge than we realize. As Paul declared, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12).

Never lose sight of the great reassuring power of the Atonement of the Savior to lift and save. Through that Atonement comes forgiveness for past offenses and strength for righteous living.

I have been quoted as saying, "Do the best you can." But I want to emphasize that it be the very best. We are too prone to be satisfied with mediocre performance. We are capable of doing so much better.

Brethren and sisters, we must get on our knees and plead with the Lord for help and strength and direction. We must then stand on our feet and move forward.

I am absolutely confident that heaven will smile upon us. The Lord will hear and answer our prayers if we will commit ourselves, giving our very best to this work.

I pray for you. I plead with heaven in your behalf I thank you one and all for all you are doing and pray that you may have the strength to do more as we face the great, almost overwhelming challenge that comes with life in our time.

God bless you is my humble prayer as I express my love, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.