"And since our feeble words cannot express the love we bear you nor the joy we feel in your presence, we have brought these beauteous messengers of love, ninety roses, whose hearts are laden with the exquisite fragrance from our heavenly home where all is love.
"They are the roses Reverence and Regard,
That know no change,
But bloom forever, though the storm be hard
And ways grow strange."They are the roses that I bring to you,
Your gaze to greet;
To scent the way you take with fragrance true.
And make life sweet."Roses to greet you, with a wish from me,
Though skies are drear,
Still may the path you take all fragrant be
Through all the year."Though roses born of sunlight and June showers
Fade fast away,
There are sweet roses grown in wintrier hours,
That ne'er decay!"
President Woodruff then addressed the congregation. He said: "I want to say to my young brethren and sisters and friends in the Sabbath schools established here in the Rocky Mountains, God bless you, and I feel to bless you, as far as I have the power. I want to say that this is a scene before me today that has overpowered me—it has overpowered my speech. I would rather not say anything, still I feel I want to make a few remarks to my friends.
"I never in my life have been in a similar position to that of today. The scene before me has been a fulfillment of all my prayers from my boyhood up to early manhood. Eighty years ago I was a little boy ten years of age attending school the same as you are here in the mountains of Israel. I read the New Testament. I read of Jacob; I read of the Apostles and the Prophets. I could not find a man on the face of the earth who taught these principles or believed in them. I prayed to the God of heaven that I might live to see a prophet; that I might live to see an apostle who would say something that would satisfy me like the principles I read of in the New Testament.
"Today I stand in the midst of ten thousand young men and women of Israel—sons and daughters of prophets, patriarchs and men of Israel. Men who hold the holy priesthood appointed by the God of Israel; appointed in the last days to set up and carry these laws and principles of God into effect. It is these principles that we were to look at in the last days. Now I want to say to you as the rising generation, I never expected to see a day of this kind in my life, in my early days. I did expect, as it was promised to me, to see a prophet. I have lived to see him. I have traveled with prophets and patriarchs and sons of God. I have lived to see this body of intelligence of the sons of the living God, who come here to the meetings of Israel.
"I rejoice in this, for I see before me the nature of the Latter-day Saints. We cannot say the Bible is a novel—the Bible that contains revelation. I have passed through the periods of boyhood, early manhood and old age. I cannot expect to tarry a great while longer with you, but I want to give to you a few words of counsel. You occupy a position in the Church and Kingdom of God and have received the power of the holy priesthood. The God of heaven has appointed you and called you forth in this day and generation. I want you to look at this. Young men listen to the counsel of your brethren. Live near to God; pray while young; learn to pray; learn to cultivate the Holy Spirit of God; link it to you and it will become a spirit of revelation unto you, inasmuch as you nourish it. I feel thankful myself that I have lived to see this day. I declare unto you that there are many in the flesh who will remain so until the coming of the Son of Man.
"This is about all I have to say. I feel thankful to my heavenly Father that I see this scene before us this afternoon; that I see the gospel manifestations on the earth. There has been, as it was stated by our brother, two powers, one to destroy me and the other to save me And God in heaven has willed to spare me to see this day. He has given me power to reject every testimony and reject every example that leads to evil. I say to you children, do not use tobacco, liquor, or any of these things that destroy the body and mind, but honor Him and you will have a mission upon your heads that the world know not of. May God bless you. Amen."
Quartette, "We Ever Pray for Thee," specially written for the occasion by Professor Evan Stephens, was nicely rendered by the little Misses Olga Peterson, Mamie Mills, Annie Peterson, and Gertrude Kelly, with a refrain by Brother E. K. Bassett's choir.
President George Q. Cannon was the next speaker. He said that this was a most memorable occasion and one that would live long in the hearts of those assembled. Ninety years, said the speaker, was a long space of time for mankind to live upon the earth. It was gratifying to know that President Woodruff had held the Apostleship in this Church longer than any man that had lived in this dispensation. The Lord had blessed President Woodruff and had spared him to do a mighty work in helping to roll forth the Church and Kingdom of God.
President Cannon called the attention of the children to the good work which had been done by President Woodruff. He had lived a righteous life upon the earth and had been miraculously spared to see the desires of his heart made manifest. The speaker exhorted the young to emulate the example set them by President Woodruff, as in their declining years they would rejoice in keeping themselves pure and unspotted from the sins of the world. They should keep the Word of Wisdom and God would add His blessings.