Keynote of Mutual Improvement

PERMANENT DEPARTMENTS. 57 KEYNOTE OF MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT. In nearly every constitution of the respective states of the American union it is written: "Frequent recurrence to fundamental principles is essential to the security of individual rights and the perpetuity of free government." This rather stilted phraseology means that the legislator, in the course of the enactment of laws, shall have in mind the fundamental principles of government upon which the state is founded, and enact his legislation in harmony with those principles: that the judiciary in the interpretation of the laws shall have due regard for those same principles and interpret the laws in harmony therewith; that the executive in the administration of the laws shall enforce them in a manner consistent with those principles. And by his frequent recurrence to fundamental principles it is hoped that constitutional law will be respected and the end of government, the liberty, the security, and the happiness of the people, attained. This frequent recurrence to fundamental principles holds equally good in other spheres than that of government. Indeed it holds good in every sphere of human activity. In nearly all those activities men have some distinct object in view; and the application of the principle merely means that men take into account their present actions to ascertain if those actions give promise of achieving the object they have set before them. This doctrine so generally true in human activities is especially true in relation to Mutual Improvement. It is essentially necessary that the young men of our associations keep constantly before them the object to be achieved through the means of our improvement organization. And what that object is, what the keynote of this whole movement within the church is intended to accomplish, is admirably set forth by the founder of the societies, President Brigham Young, who, when giving instructions to the young men whom he appointed in 1875 to inaugurate the work, gave as its keynote the following: "Mutual improvement of the youth; establishment of individual testimony of the truth and magnitude of the great latter-day work; the development of the gifts within them, that have been bestowed upon them by the laying on of the hands of the servants of God; cultivating a knowledge and an applicatio?i of the eternal principles of the great science of life." Then a little later, after some progress had been made in the work: ' 'It is our desire that these institutions should flourish, that our young men may grow in a comprehension of andfaith in the holy principles of the gospel of eternal salvation; and furthermore have an opportunity to and be encouraged in bearing testimony to and speaking of the truths of our holy religion. Let the consideration of these truths andprinciples be the groundwork and leading idea of every such association; and on thisfoundation offaith in God's great latter-day work, let their members build all useful knowledge, by which they may be useful in the establishment of liis kingdom. Each member will find that S

58 IMPROVEMENT ERA happiness in this world mainly defends on the work he does and the way in which he does it." This, better than anything else that has ever been said, so far as we know, sounds the keynote of Mutual Improvement. These remarks point out the objects to be achieved by our associations. They correspond to the fundamental principles on which government is based, a frequent recurrence to which is declared to be essential to the maintenance of liberty. So a frequent recurrence to these main purposes for which Mutual Improvement Associations were established is essential to the accomplishment of those purposes; and for that reason we recur to them here in the hope that the minds of both officers and members of the associations may be refreshed, and that that class of work ma)' be undertaken that shall have reference to the attainment of these high aims. It is to be observed that the primary object of our Improvement work, as set forth by President Brigham Young, involves the establishment of faith in God in the hearts of our young men. Faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ as the power of God unto salvation. And after that faith in God's great latter-day work. Faith in the dispensation of the fulness of times, which means faith in the great truth that God has again opened the heavens and renewed his revelations to man; that he called Joseph Smith to be the prophet, seer and revelator of this great and last dispensation; that through him he gave to the world the Book of Mormon, a new volume of scripture and a new witness for God; that divine authority was bestowed upon Joseph Smith the prophet, by the power of which he established the church of Christ on earth. Faith in God's great latter-day work means faith in the gathering together of all the tribes of Israel; the re-establishment of Jerusalem; the founding of Zion. It means faith in the speedy coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory to reign on the earth; faith in the resurrection of the dead, and that the time of the first or the resurrection of the righteous is near at hand—this is what faith in God's great latter-day work means; and it is the establishment of this faith in the hearts of our youth that we especially desire to see the associations working at and accomplishing. *

• We are to attempt in part the achievement of the purpose of our associations during the present season of 1897-8, by the study of the life and character and the doctrine of Jesus Christ. In this, it seems to us, we are aiming directly at the object for which our associations were called into existence, viz: the establishment of faith in God. Paul asks the question: "How shall they believe on him of whom they have not heard?" Implying thereby, and that very reasonably, that they cannot have faith in God if they have not heard of him. And we hold that this "hearing" something about God, which the great apostle of the Gentiles considered essential to faith, involves hearing not only of his existence, but learning something of his character and his attributes. For it is true that we cannot have faith in God that includes hope and trust and love, unless we know something of him. Therefore we must have some knowledge of God before we