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 VOL. 1.

Beloved Sisters of the Relief Society Throughout the World:

For years we have toiled and joyed together in this glorious work of love and amelioration of suffering which we call Relief Society work. We have seen the church glorified with the presence of its Prophet and Seer, and we have witnessed the awful scenes which took him from this earth. We have made a part of that historic exodus from inhospitable Missouri into the Valleys of the Mountains. We have watched, nay, we have participated, in the pioneer toils which have made this desert blossom as the rose, and we have followed in the line of colonization which has planted the feet of this people from the soft snowy hills of Canada to the red desert wilds of Mexico. Wherever our people have gone there have been Relief Society workers gathering up their means from each other's scanty stores to minister to those who were sick or in want, giving encouragement to the weary and heartsick, while warning the wayward and thoughtless. We have nursed the sick of our people, robed the dying for their last resting-place, fed the hungry, visited the orphan and succored the needy. This, sisters, is, has been, and ever will be the true spirit and genius of this whole organization. It was inculcated by the Prophet in its beginning and has been reiterated again and again by the leaders of this church who have succeeded him and by the leaders of this organization. We charge you to keep this spirit burning bright in your bosoms.

The fact that the lessons which are now to be presented to your consideration dwell more upon the temporal things of the Kingdom than on the spiritual, is not meant to emphasize the temporal side of our work in this Society. For all the gifts and learning of the world are valueless when placed in the scale with the pure things of this Gospel. But, sisters, let us seek to make a portion of our meetings sufficiently attractive to call in the bright and eager minds amongst the younger portion of the community, so that when we leave this sphere of action, the younger women will be trained in both the spiritual and practical things of this work.