| 603 words, gathered in hundreds to place in its bed a stone marking a spot where Israel's wandering and waiting children propose to raise an altar whereon the sons of Jacob might "offer an offering in righteousness." The Lord had promised the men who had laid the first stone with their comrades, on Fishing River, fifty years ago, that if they would hearken to him, and do as he counseled them they should "find grace and favor with the people." The men to whom the promise was made failed in even trying to keep those last words of counsel given them on Zion's borders. Their children, taking these words as if addressed to them, have essayed to keep the counsel then given, and the Lord mindful of the words that had "gone out of his mouth" has blessed them as he had covenanted to bless their fathers, and the assembly gathered on that April day neath the skies that rise over the city "beautiful for situation," bear witness to the keeping of God's word. In peace, by the common consent of the entire community where the Saints are dwelling, with the active coöperation of many, and the outspoken sympathy of many more, the people of the church once driven from the State, in open day, with the watchful guardians of the public safety careful that they were not disturbed and the spirit of American liberty again outraged, set up the stone designed to show where the "sanctuary and the true tabernacle" had been "pitched."
During the conference the Twelve and Bishopric reëxamined their joint epistle of 1878, and after a few unimportant changes reaffirmed it, and it was published in the Herald for May 19, 1888:
TO THE CHURCH OF CHRIST, GREETING.
The quorum of the Twelve, and Bishopric, feeling that a perfect understanding should obtain between us in order to properly discharge the responsibility placed jointly upon us by the revelation of October 7, 1861, which reads as follows:
"In order to place the church in a position to carry on the promulgation of the gospel, and as a means of fulfilling the law, the Twelve will take measures in connection with the Bishop to execute the law of tithing; and let them before God see to it, that the temporal means so obtained is truly used for the purposes of the church, and not as a weapon of power in the hands of one man for the oppression of others; or for the purposes of self-aggrandizement by any one, be he whomsoever he may be.
"As I live, saith the Lord, in the manner ye execute this matter, so shall ye be judged in the day of judgment."
We met at the residence of Bro. C. A. Bishop, Independence, Missouri, April 10, 1888, to agree upon rules of action. There having been important changes in each quorum since an understanding was had, it was deemed best to reconsider the joint epistle of April, 1878, signed by William H. Kelley, Thomas W. Smith, James Caffall, John H. Lake, Alexander H. Smith, Zenos H. Gurley, and Joseph R. Lambert of the Quorum
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