The Church was barely 20 years old when Apostle Parley P. Pratt spoke those words in general conference on Friday, Sept. 6, 1850. Elder Pratt spoke in the shade of the Bowery, a sturdy, open structure of tall poles supporting a roof of brush, boughs and dirt that offered some shelter from the elements.

Also attending was Thomas Bullock, clerk of the conference, who was about to make a little history himself by becoming the first conference reporter for the newly founded Deseret News, which commemorates its 140th anniversary this year. A few days later, the instructions from conference were published throughout the valley as the newspaper began its long tradition of conference reporting.Reading that first newspaper account of a conference in Utah is oddly reassuring. The concerns then seem to be largely the concerns now. And while the Church's circumstances since have changed vastly, the message of the gospel proves timeless, adapting readily from words spoken before a shaded pulpit to today's satellite-beamed signals.

There was President Brigham Young, addressing the problem of golddiggers leaving for California, saying that, "If men only knew how to control what they have, and were satisfied, they would do much better."

And then Elder George A. Smith, perhaps thinking of the other apostles abroad, said, "To preach the word of life to man is a very high and holy calling, and an important trust committed to any people."

To Elder Orson Hyde came the assignment of speaking directly to the chancellor and Board of Regents of the new University of the State of Deseret, founded six months earlier. "Every person is under a responsibility to impart the intelligence that he enjoys unto others," he said.

And that included especially parents. "Great honor has been conferred on parents, to mould and fashion that mind, which is put into the tabernacle by the Almighty himself, that they may be qualified to fill the stations they are destined to fill."

And he gave sound advice for today's parents who are equally concerned with educating their children: "A certain portion of your property ought to be devoted to the education of your children, in order to qualify them to be good representatives."

On Sunday, President Young returned to the pulpit to talk about tithing, saying he had done so before - often - but would explain it again. "In the first place, we are in duty bound to pay our tithing; the tenth of all we possess, that is what is required of this people."

Using a hypothetical member of the Church, Mr. A., he said, "I walk up to him and say, Mr. A., tithing is required of you, to help build Temples, feed the poor, the widow and the fatherless, and anything that the Law requires; you give one tenth of all you have for the building up the Kingdom of God upon the Earth."

That work still goes forward with increasing urgency today.

Elder Heber C. Kimball spoke about the Sabbath Day. "Let us prove to the Lord, Angels and Saints that we will observe it, and then our blessings will be increased in proportion."

He spoke of repentance: "Many persons having the Priesthood become careless and sin, and then they are cut off from the vine, and cannot regain the ground they have lost in not cleaving to the vine. Although the branch withers and dies, the life remains in the vine the same as before - then let us take warning and be kind and gentle, subject our passions to ourselves, and be in subjection to the will of God."

Elder Pratt complained about people who took the name of the Lord in vain. "If a man is even an Atheist, he shows bad manners and disrespect to his superiors, and it is a sin against the neighbor who hears him - any man who suffers his children, or servants to do it, is neglectful of his duty."

He "gave a lecture to young men on cleanliness, and the abstaining from the use of tobacco and ardent spirits" that is a summation for our desires for conference today:

"It will be written of you, `that they were perfect in their generation, clean in their houses and their persons; good hearted, gentle, kind, happy and everything that is agreeable; their houses were filled with the spirit of good men, sanctified by the Holy Ghost.' "