150 years ago today - 150 years ago - Apr 7, 1867 (Morning, Conference)

[Brigham Young]
I will take the liberty of suggesting to my brethren who address the congregation that our sermons should be short, and if they are not filled with life and spirit let them be shorter...

You go through the wards in the city, and then through the wards in the country, and ask the Bishops'"'"Do you keep the Word of Wisdom?'" The reply will be '"Yes; no, not exactly.'" '"Do you drink tea?'" '"No.'" '"Coffee?'" '"No.'" '"Do you drink whisky?'" '"No.'" '"Well, then, why do you not observe the Word of Wisdom?'" '"Well, this tobacco, I cannot give it up.'" And in this he sets an example to every man, and to every boy over ten years of age, in his ward, to nibble at and chew tobacco. You go to another ward, and perhaps the Bishop does not chew tobacco, nor drink tea nor coffee, but once in a while he takes a little spirits, and keeps whisky in his house, in which he will occasionally indulge. Go to another ward, and perhaps the Bishop does not drink whisky nor chew tobacco, but he '"cannot give up his tea and coffee.'" And so it goes through the whole church. Not that every Bishop indulges in one or more of these habits, but most of them do. I recollect being at a trial not long since where quite a number of Bishops had been called in as witnesses, but I could not learn that there was one who did not drink whisky, and I think that most of them drank tea and coffee. I think that we have some Bishops in this city who do not chew tobacco, nor drink liquor nor tea nor coffee to excess.

[Source: Journal of Discourses. Liverpool, England, 1853-86. 12:27-31; Deseret News. Also Deseret Evening News, Deseret News Weekly, Deseret News Semi- Weekly, and Deseret News Extra. Salt Lake City; 1850-current. 16:218, in The Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, Ed. Richard S. Van Wagoner, Smith-Pettit Foundation, Salt Lake City (2009), http://bit.ly/BY-discourses]

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