Our Work

OUR WORK. ANNUAL REPORTS. Presidents of associations and their secretaries are reminded that the June conference of our associations will be held on the 29th and 30th of May and the 1st of June, in Salt take City. Blanks for the annual reports have been mailed and have been in the hands of the officers since the early part of April. It is desired that we have a report from every stake of Zion not later than the loth of May, which is the last day of grace. We desire to have a complete report, and trust that the assistance of the secretaries and officers, and their co-operation, will be given, so that this year we may hear from all the stakes of Zion. Do not delay getting right to work upon receipt of the report blank, and have the matter off your hands, so that it may be in the office by the 15th, to give ample time for the general secretary to prepare his annual report for the conference. This is an important matter, and the promptness with which it is carried out will, in a great measure, determine the life and energy of the officers. Please see to-

this matter at once.

SUMMER RECREATION. Our associations have adjourned for the summer vacation, and will meet only monthly conjointly with the young ladies. It is desired

that these conjoint meetings be made as lively and attractive as the best talent can make them; and also that the young men will take part, and not leave the exercises all to the young ladies. Throwing all intellectual and social work aside is a fault frequently committed by the young men in our settlements. But aside from these conjoint gatherings, we desire to impre.ss upon the members of the young men's organizations the value of the recreation that comes from reading, and advise them to make it a point to read one or more good books during the summer. The old excuse that there is no time to read can neither be upheld by good argument, nor is it true. In mere waiting and lingering, there are few young men who do not waste enough time, in a season, mornings, noons and evenings, for reading a half dozen good books. Many men of note in our country's history gathered a liberal education by making use of

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their spare moments for study. Reading need not and should not interfere with the more strenuous outdoor sports which are so needful and useful for boys and young men but we urgently advise them to try ;

also the pleasing mental exersice and recreation to be found in reading. The General Board suggests to presidents and officers of associa-

tions that each member of the association be urged, in a special meeting or in one of the conjoint meetings, to select a good book and read it

during vacation, and later report to the president of his association what book he selected, that he read it, and how he enjoyed its contents. We should be pleased to hear from the presidents what results were obtained from such a course. For the benefit of those who wish to carry out this suggestion, we refer to a list of books in this number of the Era, given by Dr. J. M. Tanner, superintendent of Church schools, and containing works suit- able and valuable, as well as interesting, entertaining, and instructive, for young people to read. Other books will be named hereafter. You will notice that the standard Church works are not named, because it is expected that all shall read them without being urged. It is true, however, that there are many boys over fourteen years of age, and even as old as twenty, who have not read the main text of the Old Testament^ nor perhaps the New Testament complete. This may also be said of the Book of Mormon. Such boys and young men have a pleasant task before them, and they should not neglect it a day longer. Begin now, and do not quit until you have read these books from beginning to end. But after you have once read them through, reading the Bible and Book of Mormon is the task of a lifetime, in which part of every day profitably may be spent. Great care should be exercised in the selection of books for reading. For, as the habit of reading good books is of incalculable benefit, so is the habit of reading cheap story papers, and vicious novels of infinite injury.No boy should trust entirely to himself in this matter, for he may make a mistake that will take nim years to correct. Remember a good habit is formed just as easily as a bad habit. Be sure that the habit you are about to form is good.

FRIENDS IN JAPAN. Elder Sanford W. Hedges, one of the five Utah boys, who is with Apostle aeber J. Grant in the Japanese mission, has been staying with an interpreter of English, French and Russian for the Japanese Court, in Tokyo. This accomplished Japanese gentleman, whose name is Katsutaro

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Nirayama, has become greatly interested in the young man, and particularly with the spirit of peace and good will that accompanies him. It will delight the boys to know what Mr. Nirayama has written in true oriental style to Elder Hedges' father, Mr. W. S. Hedges, in a letter dated Tokyo, Japan, March 20, 1903. Here is a selection from the letter which the Era has been permitted to print: "I will write a few lines to you. I have never met with such a dear friend as your son, who has had such a warm heart, or who has manifested such kindness as he has done. We are in love with his dis- position. My household has become a paradise since he has lived with us; and we always have a nice time in associating with and partaking of his genial spirit. I think his is a precious gift of the heaven. I

can not you how we are comforted with him. He is becoming tell

proficient in Japanese: meanwhile, I heard he will roam every country to preach gospel, so he left my home on 5th inst., but I hope he will be my friend for eternity, and I am praying every day he will accomplish his object. My wife sends kind regards to you and your family. I ana your friend, Katsutaro Nirayama."

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE. The annual conference of the Young Men's and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations will be held in Salt Lake City in €arly June. The General Board desires a full representation of the officers of the associations at this conference. Matters of great importance to the young men will be discussed, and announcements made concerning the labors of the season coming. No worker can afford to miss the instruc- tions that will be given at this conference. Every association in the Church should have at least one representative there, and as many members as possible, while the superintendents of all the stakea partic- ularly, should be in attendance. The railroads will issue the usual rates in time for the presence of all who desire to come, and the dates will be announced in the daily papers.

A

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

— — Local March 16 Col. A. B. Hayes was confirmed by the U. S. Sen- ate as Solicitor for the Internal Revenue Department and entered upon his duties — 17 The first meetin'gf of the State Irrigation Com., de- cides to concentrate attention upon the Utah Lake Reservoir Bishop George H. Maycock of Springville, died — 18 Salt Lake was visited by a heavy snowstorm — 19 Dr. Milton H. Hardy reports 341 patients in the insane asylum, and recommends Dr. Daniel H. Calder as assistant medical superintendent; the State Commissioners approved the recommendation — 20 Chairman Jas.H. Anderson returns from Washington and says no further fight will be made upon seating Senator Reed Smoot — 21 The Methodist ministers of Utah ask for the removal of Rev. J. L. Leilich on account of alleged hard treatment of them Col. H. B. Maxon arrives to arrange for the Irrigation Congress at Ogden, and announces the res- ignation of Col. E. F. Holmes as president The death of pio- neer Levi N. Kendall at Mapleton, March 10, leaves only 20 survivers of the band of 1847 Geo. W. Boyd, born Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 1826, a pioneer of 1848, died in Salt Lake; and A. F. McDonald, born Scotland, Sept. 11, 1825, an active colonizer, who came to Utah in 1854, and has resided in Mexico since 1884, died in Casa Grandes, Chihuahua — 23 George A. Sheets was nominated by the Mayor and con- firmed Chief of Police of Salt Lake, by a majority of councilmen present. Mrs. Eliza Johnson, b(7rn England, Feb. 19, 1841, died in Salt Lake — 24 George A. Sheets takes possession of the office of Chief of Police The Utah Sugar Company is about to import 100 Japs from Oxnard, Cal., to work as beet thinners 25— Southern Pacific engine sinks into the lake on the Ogden-Lucin cut off, killing Fireman Robt. W. Watson of Menan, Ida Thomas Doxey, born England,Mar. 27,1829, a pioneer and leading citizen of Weber county, died in Ogden — 26 Work begins on the Malad branch of the Oregon Short Line at Corinne — 28 Bishop Warren of Denver orders Rev. Dr. J. L. Leilich removed from the position of superintendent of the Utah mission of the M. E. Church 29— Senators Kearns and Smoot arrive from Washington The directors of the Mammoth Reservoir and Canal Co. decide to finish the building of the great stor- age reservoir Hannah M. Simmons, bom England, March 13, 1810, died yesterday in Kaysville — 30 Jane Allman, born England, March 12, 1815, joined the Church in 1843, a pioneer of 1850,