Our Work

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that will instruct, inspire and entertain both old and young the world over. We cannot close without congratulating the officers of our associations, and the young men everywhere in our Church, upon the splendid loyalty which they have manifested towards our en- terprise, and assure them that it is highly appreciated. In this connection we ask them to rally to the assistance of Volume VII with such strong efforts as shall insure an increased subscription list, which means the continued improvement and success of our magazine. The Era is not a private enterprise, but belongs en- tirely to the young men, and for that reason every young man should take pride in adding his efforts to assist in its publication and circulation. In expressing our gratitude to the officers and to the young men for their past assistance, and in asking their loyal support for the future, we cannot but feel grateful to the Lord for the prosperity that has attended the efforts of the Mutual Improve- ment Associations in the publication of this work. We are con- fident that the Era has been an instrument for good, a benefit to the Church, and a means for the religious, moral, and educational advancement of the youth of Zion, as well as a staunch exponent of the truth in all the world. We ask your assistance for the future, and when you consider the thousands that we have upon our lists as subscribers, you can readily see how you may aid the work by immediately forwarding your subscription without waiting for further solicitation from anyone.

THE MANUAL FOR 1903-1904.

A review of the contents of the M. I. A. Manual for 1903- 1904 has already appeared in the Era, but a few additional re- marks concerning it will not be out of place. It consists, this season, of over two hundred pages of reading matter, and makes a book which under ordinary circumstances would sell for a very much higher price than 50 cents. The General Board, desiring to be as liberal as possible to the members of our Improvement

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Associations, and to subscribers of the Era, have decided to sell the manual, as usual, to members for 25 cents, and to give it free to subscribers to the Era. To all others who are not members of the associations, the price will be 50 cents. The members, therefore, get the Manual at a very low figure: in fact, it would be impossible to furnish it at such a price without printing a great number, and it is even now furnished below cost. The author's companion volume "A New Witness for God," costs $1.50. The brethren should appreciate this extremely low price, and seek to obtain as wide a circulation for the book as possible, not only on account of its cheapness but because of the intrinsic value of its contents. It should be the aim of our officers this season to create enthusiasm in the young men upon the subject of which the manual treats; namelv, the Book of Mormon. At the close of our season, let it be said that thousands of young men have received a testimony of the divinity of the Book of Mormon, as well as a knowledge that its origin and coming forth was by divine inspiration. One other word in regard to the ordering of the manual. Its great bulk makes the postage very high, each number costing 6 cents by mail. The officers will therefore see the necessity of ordering only as many as they think they can conveniently dispose of, so as to avoid postage in sending and returning, which would amount to half the price of the manual. We think that the officers and members of our assciations should appreciate the efforts of the General Board in providing them with a treatise of this class. It is the first time that anything of the kind upon the Book of Mormon has been presented, in the Church, it deals entirely in a new and interesting way and with the subject. The student of the Book of Mormon will find deep interest in the treatise, and we hope to record, at the end of the year, that an increased interest in the Book of Mormon is noticible among the young people.

THE SPIRIT OF RELIGION. You have noticed how indifferent some young men are about attending meetings. You have observed, too, how careless

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about the same matter some of the middle-aged are; and last, you have experienced a personal apathy on this subject that has often convinced you that it was. better to go to the meadows or the woods than to endure two hours of dry church services as they seem to you. There are reasons for this apathetic feeling about attending meetings. The first cause is, perhaps, a breakdown of the tradi- tional obligation to attend, which earlier in the Church was rightly set down and considered as a duty. In fact, not many years ago, a member who failed to attend his meetings was often severely criticised by his teachers and bishop, and even considered to be a backslider. This feeling, which is a true one and which it were well could be perpetuated among the Saints, does not now as strongly exist, but rather in its stead are creeping in the thoughts and feelings that if certain other duties are performed, one may well stay away from religious services without losing caste with the Church or its Of course, this means that those who officers.

go to meeting are those who want to go, and they are there in spite of temptations and influences to go elsewhere. A second cause, closely connected with the first mentioned, is the great increase in the number and variety of Sunday amuse- ments: the lake, the canyons, the music halls, country buggy or car- riage drives and visits, in the summer; and in winter, parties, socials, entertainments, which, while perhaps not held on Sunday among us, are yet a source of detraction from church because of the time and pleasure which they occupy and provide. In this connection, you have noticed how time for diversion and amusement can always be found by people who can find no time for religious worship. I have before mentioned in these pages that men and

women find sufficient time for card playing in which valuable days are spent in fostering a serious evil, — an evil in the sight of God,

and with which he is greatly displeased. It is evil for one reason

because young people who indulge in it will likely be led to places — where card playing culminates, in the saloon and gambling hall. We find time for what we love and are interested in, which is an ex- planation of the whole matter, and so when people do not attend religious services we may confidently conclude they are not interested.

946 IMPROVEMENT ERA.

The remedy, then, is to become interested. It is a duty to become interested. Why? Because it is a commandment of God. The saints anciently on this continent were commanded: "Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed. And behold, ye shall meet to- gether oft, and ye shall not forbid any man from coming unto you when ye shall meet together, but suffer them that they may come unto you, and forbid them not * * and whosoever breaketh this commandment, (to meet together oft) suffereth him- self to be led into temptation." It is further commanded to the saints in our day: "It is ex- pedient that the Church meet together often to partake of bread and wine in remembrance of the Lord Jesus." (Doctrine and Covenants 20 : 75.) It is a pleasure, too, to become interested, for experience teaches that no joy can equal that which comes from a possession of the Spirit of the Lord. This can not be retained outside of frequent association with the saints in their places of worship. In fact it is plainly stated in the quotation from the Book of Mormon, that they who fail to 'meet together often suffer themselves "to be led into temptation." Some assign as a reason for not being interested in meetings that what is said and done is not attractive. It does not appeal

to them.The unprepared sermon is dry, and the music is not always the best. If, however, we were to analyze this reason, the fault could be traced to the uninterested person himself, who has perhaps had the spirit of worship swallowed up in the spirit of pleasure which has tempted him. Again, he may have come to meeting with the sole idea of being entertained, so completely has he been led into temptation by that spirit. But a person who goes with the spirit of worship in his heart, and a desire to render true devotion to God, entertains himself, and in so doing, aids the spirit of the worshiping assembly, and finds abundant

and surpassing happiness in his own soul. In meeting as in life, the secret of true happiness is to impart comfort and joy to others. A serious time will come in every life. There is a parting of the ways. What you indulge in will lead you up or down. I

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have no hesitancy in declaring in the name of the Lord that the spirit which leadsyou to complain that you are bored in attending the worshiping assemblies of the Saints has led or will lead you as- tray; and, on the other hand, that the young people who cultivate the true spirit of worship, and find happiness and pleasure in the associations of the Saints, and who care enough for God and religion to support the Church and attend the meetings, are the people whose moral and spiritual influence will control public senti- ment and govern the state and nation. In any conflict with indifference and the spirit of worldly pleasure, moral influence and religious earnestness will always conquer and rule. Joseph P. Smith.

NOTES. If you ever expect to amount to anything in the world, you should resist an inclination to loll or lounge around as you would a temptation to any other evil tendency. You can never make the most of yourself, if you succumb to the lounging habit. It is so insidious that, almost before you are aware of it, it will sap your ambition and lessen your chances of success. Compel yourself to get up, to brace up, and to keep up to your proper standard whether you feel to like it or not. 0. S. Marden.

Ten thousand selfish things will man regret —a thousand evil thoughts will cause shame to mantle the cheek; but the thing that abides, and lends hope forever, is the hour of faithfulness, when the soul is true. Supremacy does not come by doing great things. The great ones of earth, whom we remember, climbed to place by their great fidelity to little things. Are you an artist, and do you wish to have your canvas hung in the metropolitan museum? Young Raphael saw the bounty of God's beauty in the face of a poor flower girl and her babe, as he stood on the corner of the street. In that hour he tore a board from a fence, went into a wagon maker's shop and begged a few colors, and on a rough board, with a rude brush, he turned the poor flower girl into a madonna, and the babe into a divine child. With a handful of wet clay, young Michael Angelo proved his ability to carve the tombs of the de Medici family. An inferior thing, handled in a supe- rior way, proves the true artist. And it is the common, homely duties of life, handled by an obedient spirit, that creates a beautiful character. —Newell Dwight Hillis.

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IN LIGHTER MOOD.

"Tommy! stop that noise, and come here to me," said Mrs. Phamley, "Do you know whose day this is?" "Yes, ma'am," replied Tommy, promptly. "Whose is it?" "Bridget's. Mary Ann was out last Sunday." Philadelphia Press.

She stuttered. He stood in the doorway, hat in hand, and the stut- tering young lady was inviting him to call again. "Come around S-s-s-s-s," she said, trying to say Sunday, but the sentence was never finished. The dog thought she meant "sic 'em," and he did. Kansas City Independent.

Mrs. Long (who recommended a servant) — "Yes, she was an excel- lent girl in every way, except she would imitate me in dress, and things like that." Miss Short —"Oh, noticed she began doing yes; I when she cameit

to me; but given she's up now." it — Mrs. Long "I'm glad hear to expect she saw she was making it. I

herself ridiculous." Punch.

The following story is credited to a New Orleans lawyer, who was asked to address the boys of a business school. He commenced: "My young friends, as I approached the entrance to this room I

noticed on the panel of the door a word appropriate to an institution of this kind. It expresses the one thing most useful to the average man when he steps into the arena of life. It was — "Pull," shouted the boys, in a roar of laughter, and the lawyer felt that he had taken his text from the wrong side of the door.

When Boston school teachers come to Utah they are not infrequently annoyed by the use of "rock" for "stone," and fruit "bottles" for fruit "jars," and many other provincialisms. One nice school miss in Salt Lake not long ago saw one of her little boys "throwing rocks" at a neighbor's chickens. She stopped and chided him gently: "Vernon, Vernon," she said, "do not cast stones at the chickens." No heed was paid to the injunction, and it was repeated, whereupon young Vernon looked up in disgust and said: "I ain't castin' stones I'm a lammin' — rocks."

OUR WORK. LEAVES OF ABSENCE OF PRESIDING OFFICERS.

At a meeting of the General Board, which was held on Wednesday evening, September 9, a resolution was introduced to which we call the attention of every stake superintendent of our Improvement Asso- ciations. In the past, much annoyance has been occasioned in the office by a failure on the part of superintendents of stakes who have had occasion to leave their posts, in reporting to the office. Important letters, which have been sent from the General Board, and which needed action, have been left to lie unattended for weeks, at the address of the super- intendent. Through a business call, or through some other necessity, the superintendents have left their posts of duty, and have gone off, perhaps to other states, or to other fields of labor, without notifying the office, or without appointing a substitute to act in their stead and to

attend to their mail in their absence.The result has been, that very important matters have failed to receive consideration, and especially has this been the case in some of the convention matters this fall, no preparations having been made in some of the stakes because the super- intendent has been absent, and his counselors have not felt that it was their duty to lead out and take charge .of the affairs of the superintend- ent. The following resolution, which was adopted by the Board, will explain how the superintendents are expected to act in cases of this ind in the future: "Resolved, that the General Secretary notify all the stake superin- tendents of the Y. M. M. I. A. that hereafter, whenever, through neces- sity, they are compelled to leave their posts of duty, that they appoint one of their counselors to act in their stead until their return to si ch post, and that they notify the General Secretary to that effect, giving the name and the address of the officer who is to so act in their absence." The resolution was unanimously passed, and it was further suggested that counselors be requested to take charge and act, when so notified of the

950 IMPROVEMENT ERA.

absence of the superintendent, as if they themselves were at the head of the M. I .A. affairs of their stake. This will avoid all the trouble we have experienced in this regard in the past, and will enable us to con- tinue the work notwithstanding the absence of any officer. A rule of this kind would also be a splendid thing for the stake offi- cers to adopt, that their ward presidents may also act in a similar manner, so that the trouble, which is not uncommon in the wards, of having the president away, shall not hinder the progress and advancement of the Mutual Improvement cause in any ward, but that there shall always be some person, who is responsible and whose address is known to the gen- eral officers, who can carry on the work.

IS YOUR ASSOCIATION GRADED ?

If not, urge the adoption of grading. It will improve your attend-

ance, and give you new life. Why? Because it offers opportunity for all classes of young men to participate in exercises with those of their

own age and ability. While about seventeen years has been mentioned as the age at which young men should go into the senior class, it cannot be decided upon the basis of age alone, but the boys should be assigned to the grade to which their mental abilities most adapt them. After the first division is made, the teacher must carefully weed out those from the junior class who ought to be in the senior, and vice versa. The Board has decided to make the rule strict, that no boys under fourteen years of age shall be admitted to the Mutual Improvement Associations, and their attendance at the meetings is to be discouraged. Between the ages of fifteen and eighteen is the time when the most lasting religious impressions can be made upon the minds of the youth; in other words, it is the age of conversion, and no effort should be spared to influence the young men between these ages to become active in the gospel.

START RIGHT. The season's work is now about to begin, and all the M. I. A. officers should be in readiness to do their duty in all respects. Too much can- not be said on the importance of making a good start. A bright, lively commencement means enthusiastic work all through the season, while