--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Richards, Preston D. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 7 number: 12 published: 1904-10 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Preston D. Richards, "Our Work," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 12 (October 1904): 961–965.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0712unse 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: improvementera0712unse start_page: 961 end_page: 965 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-10) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0712unse publication_year: 1904 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 1904, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Our Work work demands. The superintendent comes in contact with the ward presidents, and should have the power to enthuse them. In order to have this power, he must be enthusiastic himself; and then, when the ward meetings are called, he will have the ability, through contact, by what he says and does, so to impart the spirit of this work unto the ward presidents that they will carry this spirit to their respective wards, and the members of the associations will partake of this spirit of enthusiasm. The result will be that the presi- 962 IMPROVEMENT ERA. dents will be energetic workers, and they will be anxious to make their association one of the leading associations, or, at least, see to it that it shall not be the last; also, through their enthusiasm, they will make their association popular. Young minds hunger after what is popular; and it is just as natural for them to rally around anything that is popular, as it is for them to be repulsed by anything that is dry, unpopular and uninteresting. Under this heading of power to enthuse, I have always considered that at least the superintendent must possess this power to the extent of being thoroughly alive to his duties. If he is, I believe, then, that original thought will find root in his mind, and these original thoughts, plans and schemes, which are absolutely essential to successful mutual work, will be imparted to the ward presidents, thereby making the work more interesting and attractive to the workers in the associations. There is no need of a man's enthusiasm getting away with his judgment. Of course, we will have to see that he has good judgment with his enthusiasm. Furthermore, he must have enthusiasm combined with good leadership, that his officers will be pleased to rally around him, and anxious to accomplish the plans that he dictates and suggests. Without this faculty of leadership, it will be difficult, indeed, for the superintendent to successfully accomplish his work. The second essential that I have chosen for a superintendent, as expressed in the language of Emerson, with the substitution- of a few words of my own, is: "The chief want of a superintendent is someone to make him do the best he can." Of course, I grant that we ward presidents are the most perfect men on earth, and that we spend time lying awake nights trying to think up schemes to interest the young people,and to build up the association; but, for the benefit of superintendents, I would suggest that there is still room for improvement, even in us ward presidents. I have just finished reading a book, and the text which manufactured the hero of this book is this: "When bull once takes hold, all heaven and earth can't make him let go." I am not desirous of introducing bulldogism into the mutual work, but I consider that this characteristic is an essential for the stake superintendent. This comes right in line with the ability to make us do the best we can. When a plan is suggested by the superintendent, and when it is adopted at an officers' meeting, by all the ward presidents assembled, the superintendent should not be satisfied with that alone, but he should hold on to that plan or scheme, until he has seen it established in every association in his stake, not because that one plan is so absolutely necessary to the welfare of the associations of the stake, but for the moral effect. OUR WORK. 963 Let the ward presidents get the idea, at the outset, so thoroughly that they will never forget that whenever the superintendent once takes hold of a proposition that is good, all heaven and earth cannot make him let go until he has seen that scheme established in every organization in the stake; and let them not treat the plans of the superintendent with indifference, and feel that they can carry them out or not, as they please; because, I want to tell you, with all our perfections, we are a pretty lazy lot of fellows, we ward presidents. But the laziest of us may be the best material that the superintendent has to work with. We are all acquainted with the fact that sometimes the horse on the turf that is the laziest, and that, if he is permitted to have his own way, would never get farther than the half-mile, when the other horse has completed the race, if he is kept under the lash of the rider, and made to do the best he can, in many cases he will win the race; and not only that, but he is the best material among the competitors, and so are some of us. Some of the best horseflesh you have in the associations are men who, if kept in the line of duty, may be made to come out a neck, at least, ahead of all the rest of the associations in your stake, if you, as the driver, only keep them under the lash. The third point that I have selected is the faculty of suggesting without discouraging. The driver of that horse, to which I referred, must be a man full of tact, or, perhaps, with all his horse's good traits and qualities, he will balk. If the superintendent has not the tact of suggesting to the ward presidents the things they should adopt, without discouraging them, without antagonizing, the very thing they are going to do is to show the superintendent that they do not have to, nor are they obliged to, comply with his requests. I say that is an absolute essential, and if the superintendent has not the ability, then he is decidedly deficient. He must not only have the power to suggest without discouraging, but also the power to suggest, and at the same time enthuse with the spirit of the work, and make the president of the association feel in such a way, that his greatest desire will be to try that scheme, and prove if it be all right. The fourth essential that I have chosen is the spirit of discernment, and I have subdivided that: 1st. The superintendent must be a man who is able, to use a common but expressive saying, to size up a man. One of our stake presidents has said that it is a very easy matter to get a man into a position, but a mighty hard thing to get him out. The superintendent, then, should be a man who is able to discern, in the prospective officers under his jurisdiction, their good traits; what they are good for, their ability; 964 IMPROVEMENT ERA. in short, he must be a man who is able to "size them up," and know what they are good for, before getting them into a position, because if he once gets them into position, it is going to be hard to get them out, if they are trying to do their duty. And if they are defective in some of the things I mentioned, and yet seek to perform their duty, under these circumstances it will take all the superintendent's time to see that they properly perform their duties. Therefore, it is necessary to see that the superintendent has this faculty, in order that he may be able to select his aids. The superintendent alone is not able to visit all the associations in his stake, and see that each one is properly carrying out the plans adopted, and that they are all working, at least. That work is left to his aids, and that is why this office of aid was created. The superintendent's duty is to do as the name of his office implies, to supervise — to supervise the aids, and see that they are attending to their duties, and the aids will see that the ward presidents are doing their duty. Therefore, the aids also must be of good material, and the superintendent must be a man who is able to see which of his prospective aids are of good material. 2nd. He must be a man who is able to discern, in an association, its weaknesses, and also its strong points. Right here, let me suggest, that if you want to approach us ward presidents effectively, so that we will carry out your propositions, you must be a man who is able to discern in our associations our strong points, and also our weaknesses. Spend about five minutes bragging us up for our strong points, and about half an hour pointing out oar weaknesses, and we will feel better towards you for it. That is generally the case. I do not say that it is a principle that should exist, but it does exist, and you have to deal with it as superintendents. I do not consider that a superintendent is justified in coming to our ward associations and commending us on our good points without, whenever he does so, he points out our weaknesses; and it is a duty of the president to keep before his mind this question — perhaps paramount to all other questions — Where are our weaknesses? If we are hunting for our weaknesses, there is a chance for progression; but if, as presidents, we become drunken with the idea that our associations are perfect, we are almost sure to fall into the rut of retrogression. 3rd. The third point, or subdivision of the "spirit of discernment:" The superintendent must be a man who is able to discern within himself, through the process of retrospection, when he becomes a clog in the Mutual Improvement Association machinery. It is an easy matter to get a man into position, but it is a hard matter to get him out. There TALK ABOUT THE ERA. 965 is no more effective way for this important thing to be accomplished than for the superintendent himself, when he proves to the satisfaction of himself, and has proved to the satisfaction of the stake presidency, that he is not capable of a thorough discharge of the duties of his office, to take the initiative. A man may possess all these attributes, all these essentials that I have mentioned, and yet if he does not possess this las 4 , 1 consider, as a ward president, that he is hardly fit to be a svperirtendent. I consider that there are a very few things among us as a people that are more deplorable than our tardiness. It is becoming almost traditional that our meetings do not commence until half or three-quarters of an hour after the time set. THs was beautifully illustrated in the example given yesterday, in which it was stated that the ward president said the session commenced at half-past seven, but that he did not need to be there until a quarter after eight. By the way, I might call your attention to the fact 4 ,hat the stake superintendent, who was there upon that occasion, did not tell us at what time he called together his last officers' meeting, when he presided. The brethren will pardon this apparent reflection; it is not a reflection. I only mentioned it to illustrate a point. If our officers' meetings are not commenced on time, every ward association represented will partake of the spirit of tardiness, and will carry that spirit to the different organizations of their stake, and in this way, to an extent, the stake superintendent himself will be directly responsible for the tardiness. I consider that any superintendent who approaches a meeting-house fifteen minutes after a meeting has been called (M. I. A. meeting) will do that association much more good by turning around and going home, rather than go to his association meeting fifteen minutes late, because of the bad example he would set to that association, which would do more harm than anything that he could say or do to accomplish good. TALK ABOUT THE ERA. This number ends volume seven of the Era. Both the publishers and subscribers who have upheld them by loyal support, have cause for congratulation over the successful work of the past. The prospects for volume eight are bright. We invite our subscribers to read the prospectus in this number, and to forward their subscription for volume eight on the blank provided. Please attend to this now, without delay. It will facilitate the work of the office, and prevent the subscriber experiencing any failure to receive future numbers.