I sincerely pray that I may enjoy the blessings of the Lord as I speak to you.

GEORGE Q. MORRIS

For years I labored at the side of Brother George Q. Morris, the absent member of the newly sustained brethren, Assistants to the Twelve. He truly is a noble man, a devoted man.

I would like to pay a tribute to Brother Morris. Some time ago I visited a university in the South. In the great rotunda of that university was the statue of a man, but at the base of it no name was carved. All that was said was, "A Southern Gentleman," and on the wall on a bronze plaque were these words: "Robert E. Lee, on leaving the battlefield lighted from his horse and gave help to a Union soldier." I think of George Q. Morris as a Latter-day Saint gentleman, one of the very finest men that I have ever met. Thank God for the contribution of his fineness, his sturdy testimony, and his helpfulness.

In the Thirteenth Article of Faith we find, "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things"  A of F 1:13 Where you find truth, there you find part of Mormonism: we seek after it.

WORLD JAMBOREE OF BOY SCOUTS

I am humbly grateful for a great privilege that came to me during this last summer, when the First Presidency of the Church allowed me to fill an assignment and sustained me in it with their blessing. I attended the World Jamboree of Boy Scouts. I want to say a few words about it, for I sincerely feel that it has in it hope; it has in it great purpose.

Seventeen thousand youth of the world came to camp at Bad Ischl, Osterreich, far away in a lovely valley in the heart of the Austrian mountains. They came from forty-seven nations of the world—seventeen thousand of them. It was truly a world gathering of youth.

Men are looking everywhere—serious and thoughtful men—to see if there isn't something positive to tie to, and as has been the history of youth through the ages, men of great responsibility have always looked to them for help. Yes, I love to think that it was a twelve-year-old boy who was in the temple, challenging the wise men. I love to think that it was a boy, kneeling at the sacred Grove, whom God heard and through whom he brought in this dispensation of his glorious gospel.

It was wonderful to see these chaps come from all over the world with their color, their enthusiasm, their desire to meet their fellows from everywhere. The leadership of this gathering had put into it very serious purpose. They tried to fasten the ideals that they wanted to establish around three great words—friendship, brotherhood, spirituality.

FRIENDSHIP AND BROTHERHOOD

For an expression of friendship Austria lighted on seven of her highest peaks fires of friendship. No meals were eaten without boys of other lands being present. Somewhere in the group at their campfires were lads that had been invited from other countries.

When the closing exercises of this great gathering of youth came, we were invited not to go with our own but to find a new friend. That night I took to the campfire a dark-skinned man from Pakistan and a man from Denmark. We watched the dying embers of a great campfire fade away, then from a high tower we heard a voice saying, "Soon you will be back to your homes again. Do not forget you have made new friends, you have found new brothers."

Then, when bands were playing, and finally when prayers were offered, out from that high tower there flew four hundred homing pigeons, and all of them circled the tower and then flew back again to their homelands. Austria tried to say, "So you must go back with love in your heart from this camp to those dear to you, and may God help you to take the message to all of friendship, brotherhood, and spirituality."

SPIRITUALITY

Spirituality came in the great religious services of the churches of the world. The cardinal of Vienna came and gave mass to thousands of boys. The archbishop of Austria came and gave his blessing to Protestant boys. A Jewish rabbi from Jerusalem stimulated the hearts of the children of Israel. These boys had, just a few days prior, been to a sacred spot where sixty thousand Jews had been killed during the recent war.

LATTER-DAY SAINT GATHERING

May I humbly say that the small band of Latter-day Saint youth and friends rallied, after these larger gatherings to a quiet spot in the forest. We heard the story from two Vienna mothers who said, "When you get home, tell your brothers that we are so grateful they brought us the gospel of Jesus Christ, for when the trials were very difficult, then the gospel gave us strength." These mothers lived only a few miles away from the Iron Curtain. A brother from West Germany said, "We are building twelve new meetinghouses. Do not forget us in your prayers. We have not lost our faith." A new building place for a Latter-day Saint chapel has been purchased near Vienna in the American quarters.

A man one day said to me, on the ship going over, "Kirkham, I want to know something. Today, I was deeply impressed. I saw two of your boys kneeling when you had your sacrament service, and they blessed the sacrament, and asked the Lord, as they renewed their covenants, to help them to keep his commandments. Won't you sit down and tell me more about this? These youth have definitely stimulated me." A thousand doors are open. Brethren and sisters, everywhere the world is hungry for the word of God. The call has gone forth. Rally to that call. I love the testimony of Heber C. Kimball. When the Prophet went down the aisle in the Kirtland Temple and said to him, "Heber, the Lord wants you to open up the mission in England," he replied: "Oh, but my tongue is stammering. My family is in want." But he went, and fifteen hundred were baptized in the first eight months by Heber C. Kimball.

Brethren and sisters, in all humility, and with a deep prayer in my heart because of this lovely experience, I know the world is now awaiting the word of God—Answer the call.

God be with us as we bring this glorious message to the children of the earth, that the blessings we enjoy may be theirs also, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.