CONCLUSION, P206-218 of Ch 15 of The Gathering of Israel by Ogden Kraut

If there is one thing more than another that is before the minds of the Saints continually, it is the subject of the gathering. (Mill. Star 33:72; 1871) When the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth, the principle of gathering was one of its most prominent themes. All of the Saints believed in and were activated by this spirit, as if they were being drawn into one large family. The sentiments and importance of this doctrine were best expressed by the Prophet Joseph Smith. It was through his teachings that the indispensable nature of gathering was established. The Prophet said: One of the most important points in the faith of the Church of the Latter-day Saints, through the fullness of the everlasting Gospel, is the gathering of Israel. (T.P.J.S., p. 92) * * * All that the prophets that have written, from the days of righteous Abel, down to the last man that has left any testimony on record for our consideration, in speaking of the salvation of Israel in the last days, goes directly to show that it consists in the work of the gathering. (T.P.J.S., p. 83)