The Past of Mutual Improvement, II

THE PAST OF MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT.

BY EDWARD H. ANDERSON, FORMERLY GENERAL SECRETARY OF MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATIONS.

II. METHODS.

A consideration of the methods that have been adopted to carry out the purposes of the associations naturally follows. The exercises at first were simple and in many places were of an entertaining character only. The young people had not been accustomed to study. The very circumstances and conditions surrounding them for the first quarter of a century after the arrival of the Pioneers, naturally tended to a species of wildness, so that horse-racing, trading, ranching, indifference to schools and religious exercises were more the custom than were intellectual pursuits or devotion to the study of theology. As it is a fact that interest must first be secured and attention riveted before the mind can be impressed, it becomes necessary to have such programs in the associations as will enlist the attention and interest of the young who, though having rough exteriors, were men of integrity and virtue at heart. Music, songs, recitations, literary entertainments, intermingled with testimonies and religious references were employed, until the young became more thoroughly interested in intellectual pleasures, when it became an easy task to lead them on into heavier studies. Hence the lighter character of the programs of the earlier societies. But as early as 1876, upon the conclusion of the first movement towards organization, methods were adopted looking to the better accomplishment of the aims and purposes of the society. Elder M. H. Hardy writes as follows:

"District organizations of the young men were effected and the plainest character of exercises presented and recommended. Centers for collections of cabinets were established in five prominent districts; tracts on the first principles of the gospel were left with the various associations, and the subject of 'Acquiring individual testimony of the divinity of Joseph Smith;' 'Why we have gathered from the nations to these valleys;' 'The works and hardships of our fathers;' 'Our citizenship in the government and kingdom of God;' 'The privileges we enjoy by reason of the faithful, sacrificing, heroic acts of our parents;' and 'The establishment of libraries' were made prominent. Weekly class work, monthly conjoint sessions, and serial lectures were begun."

In the second general tour in 1878, a suggestive program was presented and its details explained. These programs consisted of an outline of Bible, New Testament, Book of Mormon and Church History subjects, which were conveniently divided into periods, and embraced, in connection with the historical narrative, some of the leading principles of the gospel. This method was further continued in October, 1 880, by dividing the associations into seven districts, and by the calling of the following missionaries to visit and introduce systematic exercises among them: Wm. S. Burton, Heber J. Grant, Milton H. Hardy, Rodney C. Badger, Jos. A. West, Edward H. Anderson, Anson V. Call, Junius F. Wells, Geo. C. Lambert, B. F. Cummings, Jr., John T. Caine, Jr., John W. Taylor. These missionaries were "to aid the Stake Superintendents, whose co-operation was requested, in perfecting the organization wherever necessary, in introducing systematic exercises, encouraging the establishment of libraries and reading rooms, extending the circulation of the Contributor, and to preach, exhort, and labor with the youth as they may be led by the spirit of their mission."

At the conference in October, 1880, some important instructions were also given by the General Superintendency, from which the following is culled:

The associations should be composed of young men, running to neither extreme as to their age. Young ladies should not be admitted as members of these associations; they

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have an organization of their own to which they should belong.

Each association should, so far as practicable, commence to hold regular weekly meetings in the month of October in each year, when the officers should be chosen and sustained, and continue them until May, when a vacation may be taken until the following October.

Once a month the association should hold a conjoint meeting with the Young Ladies' Association, at which a varied order of exercises may be rendered for the amusement and entertainment of the people invited to attend.

Regular quarterly conferences should be held in each stake at such time as the stake authorities of the priesthood may appoint.

Whenever a change occurs in the office of the president of any association, the stake superintendent should be notified, and whenever a vacancy occurs in stake superintendencies, word should be sent to the general officers, that proper steps may be taken to preserve our organization with effective officers at work in all its branches.

The inter-missionary labor of the associations should be continued as in the past; visitors from one association attending the meeting of another each alternate week; not to occupy all the time in preaching, but to observe the exercises of the meeting, and to speak during the time usually alloted to testimony bearing, as they may be requested by the presidents.

We recommend the associations to assume, wherever agreeable to the local authorites, the management of entertainments, the giving of concerts, dancing parties, etc. All of these should be of a character in harmony with our work of mutual improvement and to reflect the progress of our organization. Public lectures upon timely and appropriate subjects should be arranged for and given under the auspices of the associations, at such times as may be convenient and agreeable.

Further instructions were given by the authorities at the April conference in 1883, in answer to certain questions:

Vacancies when occuring should be filled permanently.

Conferences should be held regularly. Systematic scrip

tural exercises should be insisted upon, but the system should not be too straight laced.

Non-members of the church may be admitted to the associations.

Ladies should not preside where mixed meetings are held, and men holding authority are present.

Officers of associations should not be set apart. No one is especially authorized to perform that labor.

At this conference, also, the study of the Preceptor was introduced. The adoption of this little work was a step in advance in the system of teaching, and its study by the members was productive of much interest. A large number of classes were formed for the consideration of the gospel, and hundreds of young men received their first idea of the plainness, strength, and simplicity, as well as the grouping and defense of its first principles, from this work of Elder John Nicholson.

A second edition of the Preceptor, greatly enlarged and improved, was published in the summer of 1885, and continued to be the text book in the associations. The necessity for a manual that should enter into a broader field became apparent, however, and at the October conference of the associations, held in Logan, 1885, the general officers, with E. H. Anderson, Geo. C. Lambert, B. H. Roberts, Benj. Cluff, Jr. and Geo. H. Brimhall, were sustained as a special committee on manual of instruction. No progress, however, was made in the matter of a more systematic study for some length of time. Elder Milton H. Hardy continued to supply outlined programs for the Contributor, which were in general use in the associations.

In 1888, when the reading course was introduced, a series of outlined lectures, published in the Contributor, were arranged by Elders M. H. Hardy and Geo. H. Brimhall, covering subjects from the Bible, Book of Mormon, New Testament, theology, history and science. The course of reading was intended to interest the young people in the first principles of the gospel, in history and science; and the first year's books comprised the following: Theology, The Gospel, by Elder B. H. Roberts; History, History of England, by

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Charles Dickens; Science, First Book of Nature, by James E. Talmage; Biography, Life of Nephi, by Geo. Q. Cannon; General Literature, Select Readings from Washington Irving. The design of this course was to assist the young men in forming habits of thoughtful, methodical home reading, and the outlines were to aid in its illustration. The five volumes were sold for $2.50 per set, and were distributed extensively among the young people, there being three thousand sets published.

The long-looked-for Latter-day Saints' Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations Manual appeared in 1891. This work was designed as an aid to the young men in pursuing the studies of theology, history, science and literature. The lessons were outlined in each branch in such a manner as to guide the student to the completion of a course of instruction akin to that of an academic education in the special lines of learning therein prescribed. The first manual contained, besides a variety of excellent instructions by the authorities on the conduct of meetings and societies, a series of twenty-five lessons for the first year's course, outlined for use in the weekly meetings. It was arranged that each lecturer should occupy about ten minutes, and that six of these lectures should be given by as many speakers during one meeting. There were questions upon each lesson treated, which served as a review. The introduction of this manual was the beginning of a systematic course in all the associations, which it was expected should cover a period of four years. The first and second parts only were issued, covering thirty-seven lessons on each subject. Nearly all the associations have gone over the outline prescribed therein, and no one will deny much good has been the result.

This manual will be followed in 1897, by the adoption of a new one covering in outline the life of Christ, which is now being introduced into the associations, and which has the additional advantage of not covering so much ground, a fault, perhaps, with the former one, and about the only objection that could be raised to its usefulness.

In order to properly introduce the first manual to the associations, Elder Milton H. Hardy who, with Elder Geo. H.

Brimhall, under the general superintendency, had been instrumental in compiling it, was called on a special mission for this purpose, in November, 1890. He began this work in Utah county, December 6th of that year, and continued his labors in 1891 until all the stakes of Zion had been visited. His efforts were of great importance, and resulted in the first real introduction of a systematic program among the societies.

He was assisted in this work by the following special missionaries, called at the June, 1891, conference, whose duty it was to place the associations upon a proper foundation in accordance with the manual. Aside from this, they were to arouse enthusiasm for the winter's work, labor with the doubting, and do all the good they could among the young of Zion. The stakes were divided into eleven districts, and the missionaries appointed two or three for each division:

Richard W. Young, George M. Cannon, Heber M. Wells,

D. L. Murdoch, George F. Felt, Ezra T. Stevenson, Willard Young, G. Albert Smith, J. H. Moyle, W. J. Beatie, George

E. Blair, A. S. Geddes, D. F. Davis, Frank Y. Taylor, Joseph Christenson, Charles S. Burton, Thomas W. Sloan, Thomas Hull, Nephi L. Morris, W. B. Dougall Jr., Ernest Romney, Charles C. Richards, Thomas Y. Stanford, James E. Ballantyne, Haskel I. Shurtliff, Josiah Cluff, W. H. King, George W. Thatcher, Jr., Seth Langton.

At the June conference there was a special musical contest, at which $500.00 in premiums was distributed among competing associations; this event greatly encouraged music among the young people.

At the conference in October, 1887, it was decided to hold annual conferences thereafter about the first of June each year. Heretofore the associations had held their conferences at the time of the general conference of the church. From the instructions given by President Woodruff and his associates, the following is taken:

Be not satisfied, rest not content until every young man professing the name of saint in Zion is enrolled in the cause of mutual improvement.

Half-yearly conferences of the associations may be held in the stakes throughout Zion at such times and places, as

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may be determined by the Stake Presidency, and the Superintendency of the associations.

The Primary, Sunday Schools, Improvement Associations and Relief Societies, each has a special field of usefulness, not occupied by the others; and no man in this church filled with the Holy Ghost will lay a straw in the way of either of them. Neither will he find occasion for the manifestation of petty jealously, by which to foster one at the expense of the other. What, indeed, is of more vital importance to us than the proper religious training of our children? What the Primary Associations begin, let the Sunday Schools and the Mutual Improvement Associations continue. Each has its mission and special field, upon which no servant of God, humbly trying to do his duty, will seek to encroach.

Libraries and reading rooms should be established throughout Zion, and lectures on various subjects should be encouraged. It will be well in all the stakes for the associations to take the initiative in establishing libraries and reading rooms. We deprecate any disposition on the part of the young men, especially those who have had superior opportunities for acquiring an education, to draw away from the Improvement Associations and to form among themselves separate societies of an exclusive nature.

In compliance with these instructions the first annual conference of the associations was held on June 2nd and 3rd, 1888. There were nearly six hundred officers present, and twenty-six stakes were represented.

In some instructions from the General Superintendency, dated March 20th, 1889, it is impressed upon the associations that during summer vacation it is well to arrange for occasional meetings once a month or oftener, and where circumstances are favorable and it is desired by the associations, there is no objection to continuing the regular meetings throughout the year.

It should be distinctly understood that taking the summer vacation in no sense disorganizes the associations. They remain, once organized, as permanent institutions, and the officers are not released from responsibility because meetings are adjourned for the summer.

In 1893, the First Presidency of the Church, in a circular letter to the stake presidencies and to the stake superintendences of the young men's associations, asked that one young man from each ward of the stake and one representative from the superintendency of the stake, be sent to Provo to take a course of instruction in the academy there, which would enable them to present and teach the lessons of the associations more thoroughly and effectively. This call was generally responded to in the southern and central parts of the state, and resulted in giving the associations better teachers — then, as now, greatly needed. It was about this time, also, that the Improvement Fund was established, one of its purposes being to defray the expenses of such tuition.

To prove that the general growth of the work has been steady and onward, it will only be necessary to quote from the statistical reports. We have already seen that in 1878, the membership approached nine thousand. In 1883, there were 272 associations with a membership of 10,675, and T^3 members on foreign missions; in 1893, there were 413 associations with a membership of 14,269, and 315 members on missions; while in 1897, there were 491 associations with a membership of 16,546, and 654 members on missions.

It will not be amiss to refer to the publications of the associations, since these are a necessary and vital means for mental development and progress. As far as is known, the first paper printed in the interest of mutual improvement was published by the Ogden City society, Jos. A. West, president and editor, and was called the Amateur, the first number of which was issued on the 7th of November, 1877. All the work was done free by members of the association. Two volumes of this were published, it being issued semimonthly, and it was pronounced a literary success, and became the forerunner of a general publication for all the associations. In October, 1879, the first number of the Contributor was issued by Elder Junius F. Wells, editor and publisher, which continued through seventeen volumes, ending in September, 1896. In January, 1886, it became the property of the Contributor company. Of this excellent publication, it may be said that it did a noble work for the cause of mutual

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improvement, and was instrumental in preserving history which it would be difficult to obtain but for its pages. Many young men, too, owe their ability to write from the encouragement which their first productions received in this magazine. What more shall be said of the past of this noble cause? A broad foundation has been laid, and a manly struggle has been successfully carried on for its permanent strength. Now it behooves us to look to the future that the superstructure reared shall in no sense be inferior. While much good has been accomplished there are still unconquered difficulties to surmount. It is true that we have grown from a very small membership to nearly twenty thousand, but it is equally a fact that there are yet ten thousand young men in the church who have not identified themselves with this cause; and further, it is a fact that among the numbers that have associated themselves with mutual improvement and are now engaged therein, many perform their labors in a half-hearted manner. To further increase our numbers, until every young man in Zion shall be associated with us, and to interest those already of our membership until all shall comprehend the magnitude and greatness of the gospel and the work of the Lord in the latter days, is the mission of today — a mission requiring our best efforts, our most earnest prayers, and the zeal and diligent labor of the best teachers among us. The field is ripe, thrust in the sickles. The past has been fruitful of results, the future is bright with promise.