--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Tanner, H. S. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 6 number: 2 published: 1902-12 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'H. S. Tanner, "Are You at Work?," *Improvement Era* 6, no. 2 (December 1902): 154–156.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0602unse 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: improvementera0602unse start_page: 154 end_page: 156 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1902-12) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0602unse publication_year: 1902 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 1902, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Are You at Work? ARE YOU AT WORK? The Association as a Missionary Agency Among Unbelievers was the subject upon which Elder H. S. Tanner spoke to the officers of the Y. M. M. I. A. at the June conference. Our labors are now in full swing, and these instructions are timely, and well worth a review: OUR WORK. 156 "We all understand that every individual is subject to the influence of somebody else. Boys naturally fall under the influence of other boys. They naturally partake of he influence by which thsy are surrounded. The spirit that prevails in a neighborhood will be the spirit that most of the boys have there. If the saloon element prevails, there is where most of the boys will be. If it is a religious element, you will find the majority of the boys inclined that way. "The Spirit is what is going to do the work. If we go out as dead soldiers, so to speak, and passive in our faith, \ we are not going to ac- complish much. Boys have to be infused — to be inspired; and they are Bot inspired by passive faith." Elder Tanner illustrated this point by referring to an experiene* of his in the California Mission, where they had succeeded in getting several young ladies and gentlemen to attend their improvement meet- ings, who would not go to their regular meetings. These young people were attracted by the social side of the improvement work; and though for months no impression was apparently made upon them, they took part in the exercises, and were finally brought into the Church. "The only way you are going to reach these young men and these young women is by your influence. You must have the Spirit of God in laboring among the young people. You do not want to be overbearing, but labor patiently and faithfully with them. You can go into most any community of the Latter-day Saints, and you will find young men who are not members of the Church, and many who are mem- bers of the Church have nothing to do with our improvement work. There is ample opportunity, therefore, for you brethren to exercise your faith and works among these. Get the confidence of the young men, and then you will be able to teach them. The trouble is, there is an estrangement between us and many of the young men of our communi- ties. We know the boys are inclined to be a little tough, and we are too quick to condemn them. We say they do not amount to anything, and we let them go. It is wrong, it seems to me, not to labor with them. When I was a boy, they regarded me as a nut too tough to crack; but the time came when I was cracked, and I cracked a number of others. "We want you to get converted to this work. You may find the boys uncouth and rough, but you will find they have hearts as large as yours, and we want to reach those boys' hearts. These boys are just as dear to their fathers and mothers as we are to ours. If you are not converted, you cannot go out and convert the young men; but if you are Latter-day Saints, and have a knowledge that the gospel is true, you will be able to sow the seeds of repentance in the hearts of the young men, and bring them into the Church. If you get the spirit of your work, you will have influence with them. The trouble is, too many of our workers are simply passive; they have not active faith. They sim- ply go out and say, 'Boys, be good;' they do not convert. What we want is the spirit of prophecy engendered in our young men. They must have a testimony, somethiag to stand on; and we must overcome the barriers which stand between us and the young men who are not members of our associations. I have seen scores of young men converted to the gospel of Christ, and much of it has been done by the influence of our associations. We should see to it that each one of us is able to convert one or more. I would hate for a winter to go by with- out my being able to say I had been the means of converting some young man. "It is our duty to get the spirit of the work, and if we have that spirit, our associations will then wield some influence among those who are unbelievers. Do not let us think we are so tied up in our business that we cannot do anything. You can do something every time you meet a young man. Put your arms around him, let him know you are his friend, and you will find that you will gain his confidence and love; and when he partakes of your influence and spirit, it will be easy to teach him the gospel of Christ."