Events of the Month

OUR WORK. 315

Your motto should be, have order, gently if you can, but have order.

To obtain this, everybody should be employed, and the teacher should have the knack of directing others to profitable doing. The teacher would gain respect through masterly management. Children respect a teacher who manages them, but disrespects one who does not. Special care should Programs be given the careless members. should be carried out, and the meeting should close on time. Each lesson should be pre-viewed as well as reviewed. Exercises from the Era may be used to create an interest. Ask questions from the last number, or assign them for answer at the next meeting. Provide occasion also for testimonies and miscellaneous exercises; and, in assigning your lesson for next meeting, let each member who is assigned a part, be made responsible for that part by requesting him to accept the lesson assigned. "What would you do with a boy, who, during the exercise, is principally interested in sticking pins into his neighbor?" was asked of the lecturer. "Give him a talk on pins, or let him talk to you and the class on the subject," was the reply. An interesting talk could be made on j)ins. Make it an indirect way to interest in the Manual.

HOW TO CONDUCT RECITATIONS.

There are three methods frequently used in calling upon students to recite. These should be alternated, in order to obtain the best results. First, there is the consecutive, or turn method, which has these advantages: It is rapid, there is no time lost in designating the pupils to

recite. It gives all the pupils an opportunity to recite. Its disadvant- It even universal attention. ages are: It fails to necessitate close and permits a partial preparation of the lesson, which, however, may be or roll, avoided by beginning in the center, or other parts of the class instead of at the head. It prevents a most thorough testing of the

class. The second is the promiscuous method whose advantages are that it

of the entire class, which is secured by secures and holds the attention

316 IMPROVEMENT ERA. introducing the question or topic before designating the pupil to recite^ It necessitates the preparation of the entire lesson by each pupil, and permits a most effective distribution of the tests. The recitation is thusmade a thorough mental drill — a mental gymnasium. Its disadvantages may be named as follows: It is less rapid than the consecutive; not so easy for the teacher, and the pupils have not an equal- opportunity for reciting, many being often omitted, which, however, may be avoided by having numbers, or cards, in the hands of the teacher. It permits an; improper distribution of the tests. The third is the simultaneous, or concert, method of answering questions, which may be occasionally introduced into the association with much profit, creating great interest, but only to be used occasionally. Now, the three methods may be effectively combined, and the teacher who can train himself to the careful combination of the three will not fail to awaken an interest in his students. In this connection, it should be said that other questions than the review questions which are given in the Manual should be carefully selected by the teacher to bring out the full force of the lesson in hand.

DO COUNSELORS GO OUT OF OFFICE WITH PRESIDENTSr

When a superintendent or president of Y. M. M. I. A. is released or removed for any cause, do his counselors remain in oflBce and become the counselors of his successor, or do they go out of oflSce with the president? This question, having been submitted by several persons, was considered at the meeting of the General Board on Wednesday, January 9^ and the Board unanimously decided that: When a superintendent or president is released or removed for any cause, the assistants or counselors continue to preside over the organization until a new presiding, officer is appointed, and then he chooses his own counselors with the approval of the stake presidency in the case of a stake superintendent, and of the Bishop of the ward, in the case of a ward president. In this respect, these officers are exactly similar to the counselors to officers in: the regular Church organization.

EVENTS OF THE MONTH. BY THOMAS HULL, GENERAL SECRETARY OF Y. M. M. L A.

— — Local December 18 Nat M. Brigham delivered an eloquent lecture in the Assembly Hall on the "Grand Canyon of Arizona" A telegram from Cheyenne announces that the U, P. Ry. has let a contract for a railroad from Echo to Salt Lake through the Wasatch at a cost of six million dollars There is a general movement throughout the State to vaccinate the inhabitants owing to the spread of small pox — 21 President Joseph F.Smith returns from a long visit in Mexico and Arizona Ira Allen, age 86 years, the founder of Hyrum, Cache Co., died 22 —Mrs. Sarah E. Anderson, a member of Utah's first state legislature, born Kaysville, 1853, died in Ogden —The birthday anniversary of the Prophet 23 Joseph Smith was observed by appropriate exercises many of the in Sabbath Schools of The Church 26 —The seventh annual meeting of the State Teachers' Association opened in the Assembly Hall Oscar Van Cott, president The trustees of Salt Lake County school districts refuse to obey the vaccination order of the Board of Health Jane Ballantyne Taylor, born April 11, 1813, wife of the late President John Taylor, died — 27 President McKinley promises Congressman W. H. King that on his visit west next summer, he will come to Salt Lake — 28 Frank B. Cooper,superintendent schools. Salt Lake City, was elected president of the State Teachers' Association — 29 Reed Smoot withdrew from the Senatorial contest Salt Lake City sold $500,000 refunding bonds to Farson, Leach & Co The mine dividends for December amounted to $278,500 — 31 There is talk of forming a new company to establish an additional telephone system in Salt Lake City The year closed with a heavy frost. Many water pipes were damaged Several of the churches held new century services, and at midnight the bells and whistles over the state announced the new year and the twentieth century. — January 1, 1901 At services in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, attended

318 IMPROVEMENT ERA. is read by 5,000 people, President Lorenzo Snow's greeting to the world, by his son LeRoi C. Snow The contract for the Cache County sugar factory is closed by Hon. David Eccles 2—The city council committee of Salt Lake report favorably on the petition of the Rio Grande for closing certain streets for the railway shops 3— During 1900, Utah produced $4,237,726 in gold and 9.500,000 fine ounces of silver, and stands 6th among the mineral producing states 4 — w. J, Newman was elected president of the Salt Lake Board of Education and Thomas D. Dee, of the Ogden Board 5— Judge Ogden Hiles retires from the equity division of the Third District court Joseph R. Walker, born England, August 29, 1836, prominent in business and mining, died in Salt Lake Governor Wells and all other state officers, as well as county officers in all parts of the state, wereswornin, and continued or began their duties Apostle F. M. Lyman returned from an extended trip through the eastern states ..." 8 —Shure Olsen, who came to Utah in 1849, died in Salt

Lake City, in his 83d year 10— C. K. Bannister, the engineer of the great Ogden Canyon power works, died in Ogden, aged about 54 years — II Oliver Hodgson was made bishop of the 3d Salt Lake Ward instead of Samuel Browning removed to Ogden President John M. Springer of the Live Stock Association, arrives in Salt Lake — 12 The Republican legislative caucus nominates Wm. Glasmann for speaker of the House; and the Democratic caucus names A. J. Evans for President of the Senate The Republicans appoint a senatorial caucus committee — 13 The miners employed at the Pleasant Valley Coal Company's mines at Winter Quarters go out on a strike A Great landslide in Ogden Canyon destroys one of the canyon bridges The Utah Stake of Zion was divided in. to three stakes Parowan celebrates the 50th anniversary of its founding with appropriate ceremonies — 14 Over 4000 live stock people are in Salt Lake. The first meeting will be held in the Assembly Hall The fourth Utah State Legislature convened, and chose its officers — 15 The Utah and Wyoming legislatures met in joint session and listened to the biennial message of Governor Heber M. Wells The National Live Stock Convention held its opening meeting addressed by Gov. Wells, Acting Mayor Buckle, and by President Springer,who gave his annual address 16 The — cattlemen were entertained at receptions and concerts Speaker Glasmann introduced a plural marriage bill in the House, legalizing present plural marriages under certain conditions and punishing future marriages.