Improvement Era, 1951 by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Religion

Tributes Paid President George Albert

PRESIDENT GEORGE ALBERT SMITH

By Doyle L. Green

MANAGING EDITOR

"WHEN the spirit of George Albert Smith left his earthly remains on April 4, 1951, there went home one of our Father's children who was the very personification of the two great commandments:

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength" ...and "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (See Mark 12:30-31.)

Developing this theme at the funeral of President Smith, held April 7 in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Elder Spencer W. Kimball of the Council of the Twelve said that whenever he has thought of "our beloved President" he has always felt that he was very, very near the kingdom of God. Then he added:

"It seemed to me that every act, every thought of our President would indicate that with all of his heart and soul he loved the Lord and he loved his fellow men. Is there a mortal being who could have loved them more?"

Indeed, George Albert Smith's love for God is evidenced by a long lifetime of diligent service in an unselfish, untiring, and unfaltering effort to further his work and build up his kingdom here upon the earth.

And how he loved his neighbor! All his life he was a friend and helper of the poor and the weak, the handicapped and the downtrodden. And at the same time, there was no one in too high a place, or too busy, or too important for George Albert Smith to befriend.

When he passed on, countless tributes of love and appreciation, of honor and respect poured in from many parts of the world to his family and the Church. On the floor of the Senate of the United States, time was taken from the stress of world affairs for tributes to be paid by five senators. Tributes were also given in the House of Representatives.

By the hundreds the tributes came-by telegram, letter, and word of mouth. The great and the humble forgot him not. In and out of the Church he was remembered. Leaders in religion, government, education, industry, and commerce, as well as Church groups, patriotic, and humanitarian organizations expressed their sympathy and paid him homage.

And whether the messages came from the pen or the lips of the most humble Saint, or whether they were delivered by seasoned oratory on the floor of Congress, almost without exception they had the same ring: George Albert Smith, man of God, great American, friend; loved and respected by all.

The Lord knew the worth of George Albert Smith. A patriarchal blessing given to him by Zebedee Coltrin on January 16, 1884, when he was but fourteen years of age, and which was found in President Smith's papers after his death, indicates the high position in the Church to which he would be called. Because of its length, only excerpts from the blessing are given here:

... the choice blessings of the heavens

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.