The discourses, from which this volume has been culled, were spoken extemporaneously. The state papers of Governor Brigham Young, and the epistles signed by him and his counselors in the Presidency of the Church, have not been used in this collection. The excerpts here presented came from his lips under the inspiration, at the moment, of the Power that guided his life. The corrections for the printer, as shown by existing manuscripts, were few and of minor consequence. The discourses are a remarkable self-revelation of the character and moving impulses of a man who accomplished huge tasks for his generation. It is marvelous that the enemies of Brigham Young, with this wealth of material before them, have found so little to use to his disadvantage. But, a dishonest or insincere man would not have had his public utterances reported and published all over the world. The consistency of the views presented, from the first to the last discourse, would be astounding, were it not for the fact that he clung constantly for interpretation to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as he had been taught it by the Prophet Joseph Smith. His devotion to his teacher and predecessor, the Prophet, is tenderly beautiful. The school education of Brigham Young was very limited, but his discourses show a wide knowledge of men and affairs and an excellent power to use the English language clearly and forcefully. Often, his simple eloquence rises to great heights. Those who heard him speak have declared that they were held in tense attention, however long the address might be. His vivid imagination, dramatic power and unquestioned sincerity made him a natural orator. He seldom confined himself to one subject in his discourses. The needs of the day were the themes about which he wound his teachings. No liberties have been taken, in this book, with the words of Brigham Young. In a few instances, errors in language or spelling, which should have been caught by the printer, have been corrected. All distinct sentiments, as expressed in the discourses, are represented by one or more quotations, except such as refer to conditions now no longer existing. The excerpts are confined to the principles of the Gospel. The mass of historical and autobiographical detail could not be included without making this volume too large for popular use. As it is, severe pruning and elimination have been employed to enable the inclusion of the message of each of the 363 addresses in the Journal of Discourses, and the many others printed in the Deseret News, the Millennial Star and other periodicals. The many summaries of Brigham Young's discourses, appearing in the Deseret News have not been used. The excerpts contained in this volume are from verbatim reports. The figures at the end of each excerpt indicates the volume and page of the Journal of Discourses.