I'd be very happy to have that flowery introduction stand for this talk, then have the benediction. I'm tempted to try to get away with that. It is a
great opportunity and a great privilege to be with you this beautiful morning. I appreciate the effort you have made to gather
here. It has been the custom, reaching back many
years, for a member of the First Presidency to speak to you at the beginning of a new
school year. I would very much like to say something that
will be helpful to all, and to this end I have prayed for the direction of the Holy
Spirit. I bring you the love and greetings of President
Kimball and President Romney. President Kimball serves not only as president
of the Church but also as chairman of the board of trustees of this university, and
President Romney serves as a vice chairman. I am confident they would have enjoyed being
with you this morning, had circumstances permitted. As you are aware, President Kimball is now
in his ninetieth year and, because of the infirmities of age, he is unable to get out
and speak as he once did with such vigor. President Romney is similarly handicapped. I wish to share with you some of my concerns
in the responsibility that has been thrust upon me. I want you to bear some of that responsibility. If you are a member of the Church, you too
have a challenge to be concerned with its strength and growth. I remember many years ago when a man, both
prominent and well-to-do, came to see Stephen L Richards, who was then a member of the First
Presidency. The man had a son who was denied a missionary
call because of his moral misbehavior. The man was very forceful, almost demanding,
in his request that the son be permitted to go. At the time I had responsibility for the missionary
program of the Church and was in the room when the conversation took place. After the man had finished his lengthy and
demanding argument, President Richards said, “Brother, I have some responsibility for
the affairs of this Church. You do also. If you were seated where I sit, knowing the
circumstances that I know, you would feel exactly as I do. Now, in your position as a member of this
Church, as one who holds the priesthood, you too have responsibility for its growth and
program, and for its discipline. My heart goes out to you, for I know that
what you say comes of love for your son. However, I am asking you, as a man with a
responsibility for the progress of the Church, to look at the larger affairs of the kingdom. Then you make the decision in that light.” After a thoughtful silence, it was the father
who made the decision that his son should not go. It has now been more than four years since
I was called into the Presidency. For two and a half of those four years, not
of my own wish, I have had thrust upon me the burden of the day-to-day work of the office
of the Presidency. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not complaining. I have been blessed by the Lord in a marvelous
and wonderful way. I have been blessed with the confidence of
his chosen servants, Presidents Kimball and Romney. I have been blessed with the loyalty, the
unflagging devotion, and the help of the Council of the Twelve, of each member of the First
Quorum of the Seventy, of the Presiding Bishopric, and of the membership of the Church across
the world. I have been remembered in many prayers, and
I am grateful beyond power of expression. Incident to the responsibility that I have,
I have chaired the meetings of the board of trustees of this university. For many years I have served as chairman of
the executive committee of the board. I also chair the meetings of the Budget and
Appropriations Committee of the Church. This is a very serious responsibility. As you are aware, on July 8, 1838, the Lord
revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith the law of tithing as it applies to the members of
the Church in this dispensation. On that same day, he gave a revelation in
which he said that the tithing funds of the Church should be “disposed of by a council,
composed of the First Presidency of my Church, and of the bishop and his council, and by
my high council.” Based on that revelation, we have in the Church
what we call the Council on the Disposition of the Tithes. This council is composed of the First Presidency,
the Council of the Twelve, and the Presiding Bishopric. Theirs is the ultimate responsibility for
all Church expenditures. Serving, in effect, as an executive committee
of that council, we have what we designate the Budget and Appropriations Committee. This committee meets weekly to consider for
approval all items of Church expenditure. These might include a score or more of new
chapels in various places throughout the world, or a building or renovation project on the
BYU campus, a new temple somewhere, or any number of things. I need not tell you that with hundreds of
buildings under construction (more than 900 at this time), the number of dollars involved
is enormous. Again, it is my responsibility to chair these
meetings and to sign the approvals for the expenditures. It is a worrisome responsibility. Where does the money come from? There are many who look upon the Church as
an organization of great wealth. We have been classified as being equal to
many institutions of the Fortune 500. Our assets are spoken of glibly by those who
either do not know the facts, or with gross distortion for purposes of sensationalism. The fact, of course, is that we do have tremendous
assets when the value of all Church buildings and facilities is included. But these assets are not income producing. They are consumers. They consist of thousands of meetinghouses
across the world, many temples, seminaries and institutes, and, of course, Brigham Young
University. They have cost millions in investments, and
they produce scarcely anything in the way of a direct dollar return on those investments. There is only one reason for their existence,
and that is to serve the needs of people as sons and daughters of God who have a peculiar
and important relationship with him. I repeat that the Church is frequently spoken
of as an institution of great wealth. When all is said and done, the Church is wealthy
only in the faith of its people. One of the expressions of that faith is the
payment of tithing. The Church is spoken of as an institution
with great business interests. The income from those business properties
would keep the Church going for only a very short time. The fact is that tithing is the Lord’s law
of finance. It came of revelation from him. It is a divine law with a great and beautiful
promise. It is applicable to every member of the Church
who has income. It is applicable to the widow in her poverty
as well as to the wealthy man in his riches. It is simple of understanding. One need only compare it with the income tax
to recognize the simplicity that comes of the wisdom of God in contrast with the complexity
that comes of the wisdom of men. I hold in my hand a widow’s mite. It is about the size of a penny. It was given me in Jerusalem many years ago,
and I was told that it is genuine. I have it framed, and I keep it in my office
as a constant reminder of the fearsome responsibility of spending that which comes of the consecrations
of the members of the Church. Most of the wonderful, faithful Latter-day
Saints who pay their tithing are men and women of modest means. They not only pay their tithing, but they
also make many other contributions for the strengthening of this work. Some time back a small, bent, elderly woman
came to my office. For the purpose of this talk I shall call
her Mary Olsen, although that is not her name and she would not wish her identity disclosed. She said she had just come over from the temple. She took from her purse her checkbook. She said that she had been a widow for many
years, that life had not been easy for her. She had a great love for the Lord and his
Church. She had faithfully paid her tithing all her
life. She felt she would not live much longer. Now, she said, she felt she ought to be doing
more to help than she had done. In a hand shaky with age, she wrote a check
for $5,000. She handed it to me. I noted the address where she lived. It was in a poor neighborhood. I confess that as I looked at that check tears came into my eyes. I have held many larger checks than that in
my hands. But as I held the check of this widow woman,
I was almost overcome by her faith and the seriousness of the trust that was mine in
the expenditure of her consecrated contribution. My dear young friends, we—you and I—are
trustees of that which has been given to the Lord by Mary Olsen and thousands like her
whose devotion is as great and whose sacrifice is as certain. This beautiful campus, with its many programs,
is a consumer of a very substantial portion of the widow’s contribution. She gives her offering to the Lord, and she
is then released from responsibility. The responsibility then becomes mine—and
yours! What might she expect of you? I am going to talk quickly of four or five
things that I think she might appropriately expect. First, I think she might expect on your part
a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation. I recognize that the fees you spend to attend
BYU are high and sometimes difficult to pay. But you should know that several times the
amount you pay comes from the sacred funds of the Church to cover the actual cost of
your presence on this campus. That applies to every one of you who is here. You are truly privileged. There are approximately 26,000 of you. There are literally legions of other worthy
young men and women who are members of the Church who would do almost anything to be
here. Why should you be so treated when a beautiful
and brilliant girl in the British Isles, or that qualified young man in Argentina, or
that able and faithful girl in Japan, are just as worthy and just as eligible as you? Gratitude is among the greatest of virtues. I hope there is not a day that passes that
you do not get on your knees and thank the Lord for the marvelous privileges you have
in attending this university. Where in the world is there a more beautiful
campus than this? Where are there better facilities? Where is there a better-qualified faculty
of men and women not only of learning, but also of faith? Where will you find better associations than
here? (I might add, parenthetically, where will
you find a football team more worthy of cheering about?) I know the academic grind is hard. I know you sometimes get discouraged as you
face it. I know that for many of you there is acute
loneliness even with so many around you. I may say, however, that you would have these
problems and more at any other university. Be thankful. Be appreciative of the marvelous opportunity
you have to study at this magnificent university. Second, the widow who brought to me her offering,
which has become a portion of the funding of this university, would expect you to save,
protect, and do all you can to preserve these remarkable facilities that have cost so much. We constantly receive requests from people
across the world to establish another university in one place or another. It would be a wonderful thing if we could
do so. However, we must face the fact that it would
be too expensive, more than we could afford, to build and maintain such a plant and faculty. It is your home while you are here. Take good care of it. I am appalled when I see property defaced,
or vandalized, or damaged through carelessness, or resources wasted. There must never be such on this campus. It was built to its present state in large
measure by money from the tithes of the Church. It is maintained in large measure by such
funds. Take care of it. A sacred trust is placed in you to do so. Third, the widow of whom I speak expects that
while you are here you will experience an increase in faith and a strengthened knowledge
of the things of God, and, more particularly, of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Each of you is expected to take courses in
religion. Some may resent that. I hope not. These courses, taught by qualified instructors,
represent one of the major differences between this and other universities. You have opportunities here that you would
not have in any other school in quite the same measure. Do not resent these studies. Dig in and drink up that which is offered
for your enlightenment and the strengthening of your testimony. Most of you will never again have such an
opportunity as you will have here to learn the gospel in an environment of scholarship. Drink deeply of eternal truths. Fourth, another great expectation is that
many of you will find your companions here. Generally speaking there is no better place
to find one of your own kind, with the same standards, the same ambitions, the same desire
and willingness to serve the Lord as you go forward with your lives. It is expected that a marriage arising out
of associations on this campus will be a marriage based on love, appreciation, and mutual respect,
with an understanding of the heavy responsibilities as well as the potential for happiness in
time and throughout eternity, through the exercise of the priesthood in the house of
the Lord. In anticipation of that, you can never be
immoral. You cannot be dishonest in courting or in
marriage without violating the great trust that is placed in you as a student of Brigham
Young University. Fifth, the final great expectation in terms
of your presence here is that you will better qualify yourselves to fill positions of responsibility
in the world of which you will become a part. All of us are tremendously proud of BYU’s
great football accomplishments. They redound to the honor of the school. They reflect good to the Church. We are proud of the team and wish for them
continued success. However, the primary purpose of BYU is not
football. The primary purpose of BYU is to provide a
first-class education in the disciplines and skills that will qualify you for productive
lives while at the same time inculcating within you a solid foundation of spiritual values. You will violate a sacred trust with the widow
woman I mentioned, and with all of us, if you fail to take advantage of the great opportunity
that is yours here to learn in order that you might go forth to serve. That service must be given with integrity. There can be no cheating in the halls of learning
without consequent impact on one’s fitness to serve in the world of work. If we turn out lawyers with smart techniques
and shallow honesty, then we have broken a trust. If we turn out teachers whose only objective
is to get a job rather than to serve the needs of boys and girls, then again we have failed. If we turn out business graduates whose only
objective is to grow rich regardless of principle, again the sacrifices of our people to maintain
this school have been in vain. Yours must be a higher vision and a higher
mission. Yours is the responsibility to study and learn,
to qualify yourselves in an exceptional way for positions of responsibility in the professions,
in the business world, and for life in general. And over and beyond this, yours is a most
sacred and binding responsibility to do so while observing every element of moral behavior
and while employing the principle of the Golden Rule as taught by the Son of God. We have great expectations for you. We are entitled to those expectations. The widow of whom I spoke, and the hundreds
of thousands like her who bring their tithes to the storehouse of the Lord, count on you
to do something in a very exceptional and worthy way. Let the beginning of this new school year
be marked with the resolution to stand a little taller, to work a little harder, to keep your
lives square with the principles of morality and integrity that are of the very essence
of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Be humble. Be prayerful. Be studious. Have a wonderful time. Enjoy life. But know also that it is serious and that
there will flow from your time and efforts marvelous results both temporal and eternal
if you will live the gospel of Jesus Christ while here, and prepare to live it when you
leave here. If you do this, we who have a sacred trusteeship
will know that that which is provided here will not have been in vain, but that the funds
to build and maintain this institution will bear marvelous and rewarding dividends for
the present as well as for generations yet to come. We pray for you. We hope that you will pray for yourselves. We ask the Lord to bless you and sustain you,
to give you strength and the capacity to understand and assimilate that which you are taught so
that, when you have completed your work here, you may go forward into the world as men and
women of faith, of great learning, and of tremendous integrity. God bless you so to do, I humbly pray in the
name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
