--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 5 number: 1 published: 1901-11 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Our Work," *Improvement Era* 5, no. 1 (November 1901): 72–75.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0501unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera0501unse start_page: 72 end_page: 75 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1901-11) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0501unse publication_year: 1901 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1901, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Our Work NOTES. Here is some good advice which came in a letter from a father, who is one of the leaders in the Church, to his son who was attending the Brigham Young Academy. It applies to other sons and other schools: "I want you, my son, to remember all your duties, first among which is remembrance of the Lord. Don't forget your prayers, morning or even- ing; and do not associate with any who have not sufficient self-respect to behave like good Latter-day Saints and good citizens. Every person who can consistently be called a good Latter-day Saint, can as consistently be called a good citizen. A faithful member of the Church could not be a bad citizen, a bad associate, a bad neighbor, or an unwholesome associ- ate; and, on the other hand, a bad citizen cannot be a good Latter-day Saint. I desire that you will remember that 'Mormonism,' as it is called, is of more value to me, and should be to you and to all men, than all the wealth of the world or the honors of men, for it is the gospel of Jesus Christ." Of the possibilities for advancement and useful careers for the youth of this country, who are honest, determined and not afraid to work, the life of J. G. Nicolay, author and private secretary to President Abraham Lincoln, is a striking example. He died at Washington, September 26, 1901, a venerable man of seventy years. He was born in Essingen, Bavaria, on February 26, 1832, and came to the United States with his father in 1838. For some time he lived in Cincinnati, where he attended the public schools. Mr. Nicolay went to Springfield, 111., in 1857, as an assistant to the secretary of state, and when Abraham Lincoln was nominated for the presidency he became his secretary. After the elec- tion he was appointed private secretary of the President, and served in that capacity until the assassination of Lincoln. From 1865 until 1869, he was United States consul at Paris, and on his return edited for a time the Chicago Republican. He was marshal of the United States Supreme Court from 1872 until 1887. Mr. Nicolay was the author of a "Life of Abraham Lincoln," which he wrote in collaboration with John Hay. "The Outbreak of Rebellion" is another of his works. He also contributed to the Encyclopedia Britannica the biographical sketch of Abraham Lincoln. IN LIGHTER MOOD. Mrs. Manifold: The children will all want new boots this winter. Mr. Manifold: New boots! They're always having new boots! I'll be hanged if I don't think that I'm the father of centipedes! A minister was one day walking along a road, and to his astonish- ment he saw a crowd of little boys sitting in a ring with a small dog in the center. When he came up to them, he put the following question: "What are you doing to the dog?" One little boy said: "Whoever tells the biggest lie wins it." "Oh," said the minister, "I am surprised at you little boys, for when I was like you I never told lies." There was silence for a while until one of the boys shouted out: "Hand him up the dog." * * * The Chicago Record tells a story which reads like a queer negation of the good old injunction, "Honor to whom honor is due." A peculiar telegraphic correspondence was carried on between the capitals of Saxony, Bohemia and Russia. Some one in Dresden had a maiden aunt who was taken sick and died in a hospital at Prague while on her way to Vienna. The nephew was notified, and he telegraphed to the Prague hospital authorities to send the body to Dresden, for intombment in the family vault. When the coffin arrived and was opened, it was found to contain* not the body of the aunt, but that of a uniformed and bedizened Russian general. Immediately the nephew telegraphed to Prague: "No dead aunt, but Russian general. Where dead aunt?" From Prague came the reply: "If dead aunt not arrived, then Peters- burg." The next telegram went to the railway authorities at St. Petersburg, and read: "What do with Russian general? Where is dead aunt?" And from St. Petersburg was received the reply: "Bury general in all silence. Aunt just buried here with military honors." OUR WORK. GRADING. The matter of grading —or dividing the associations into senior and junior classes, — is of great importance, and wherever it can be done to advantage should be attended to promptly, and with that care and wis- dom that should govern in a subject so important. The conditions should be carefully studied, and the needs of grading should be empha- sized by officers who comprehend its necessity. A few suggestions named at the late conventions are in place: In the matter of age, do not draw too strict a line. But quickness of mind is not sufficient reason for placing a boy in the senior class. Some may be quick-minded, but are not mature, and it should be remembered that maturity of mind is the chief qualification for the senior class. If a boy or young man has completed previous manuals, he should belong to the senior class. In making the division, it is well to allow the boys themselves to select their grade, after fully explaining the course of study. After this, how- ever, the class leaders must exercise their judgment, and no young man whose self-respect is what it should be will oppose them in making such changes as they may think necessary. The preliminary program should be rendered conjointly by the two classes, where this is practicable.In case the young ladies meet with the young men for opening exercises, privilege should be given them to take part in the program, should they so desire. In such case, a con- joint committee should prepare the program. It must be distinctly understood, however, that these preliminary programs are prepared for the young men's associations only, and are in no sense obligatory upon the young ladies, unless it is agreeable and desirable on their part to join in them. In case an association remains ungraded, the current Manual No. 5 should be used; but where grading is adopted, the junior class should OUR WORK. 73 use Manual No. 1, "The Life of Christ," and the senior class Manual No. 5 on "The Principles of the Gospel." It is the belief of the General Board that much good will result from the grading of the associations. Many men of maturer years will join, when it is discovered that they may belong to a class specially adapted to their capacities of reasoning and research; and it will like- wise increase the interest and attendance of the younger members who may in such case have the lessons explained to them in a way that will impress their youthful minds. The necessity of grading, even in smaller associations, should be emphasized, and classification encouraged. GENERAL M. I. A. MISSIONARIES. Fifty-eight general mutual improvement missionaries responded to the call made of them to go out into the stakes of Zion on a mission covering five or six months, to labor in the interest of the young people, as messengers of salvation. They met with the missionary committee, who instructed them in their duties and labors, in four meetings, held in the assembly hall of the Latter-day Saints University, at Salt Lake City, on October 7th and 8th. On the evening of the 8th there was an enjoy- able social attended by the committee, the missionaries and members of the General Board, at which refreshments were served interspersed with songs, and some excellent violin solos by Prof. Wm. C. Clive, accompanied on the piano by his son. Several short speeches were given. The object of the gathering was to cultivate brotherly sociability, bid the mission- aries a pleasant good-by, and send them to their fields of labor in a joy- ful mood. Following are their names, their home stakes, and the stakes in which they were appointed to labor: NAMES. FROM. APPOINTED TO. Joseph Payne Alberta Beaver Henry Larsen Bannock Jos. S. Robison Bear Lake Wayne John H. Grimmett Bear Lake Teton Joseph Facer Box Elder Snowflake David N. White Box Elder Parowan Anthon Ed. Anderson Cache Tooele Lewis D. King Cassia Alberta Ezra C. Robinson Davis Maricopa Joseph N. Ford Davis Benson Newell K. Beal Emery Morgan