--- 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: 9 number: 8 published: 1906-06 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* 9, no. 8 (June 1906): 657–658.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0908unse 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: improvementera0908unse start_page: 657 end_page: 658 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1906-06) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0908unse publication_year: 1906 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 1906, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Our Work OUR WORK. The stake superintendency of the Y. M. M. I. A. of the Jordan stake of Zion, was reorganized on Sunday, April 22. The Stake Presidency, and the Stake Boards of the Young Men's and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations, met and reorganized, by selecting Joshua,P. Terry, of Draper, superintendent of theY. M. M. I. A. of that stake, with M. B. Andrus, first assistant. Elder Louis A. Kelsch represented the General Board. Elder Soren Rasmussen, who has efficiently acted as superintendent for some time past, was released on account of having been called to fill a mission to Scandinavia, upon which he left on the 2nd of May. Elder Terry, who was chosen as stake superintendent, was formerly first assistant to Superintendent Rasmussen. President J. H. Grant and his associates, of the Davis Stake of Zion, have accepted the resignation of Joseph Wells Hess, who has acted as superintendent of the Y. M. M. L A. of the South Davis Stake, and Elder Joseph Tingey, of Centerville, has been selected to fill the position, the nomination being approved by the General Board at its meeting on May 2, 1906. Thomas Allsop, of Thatcher, Idaho, who has acted as superintendent of the Y. M. M. I. A, of Bannock stake for some years, has been released. His former first assistant, Harry Horsley, of Soda Springs, Idaho, has been sustained in his position. Both of these brethren have been faithful laborers in the M. I. A. and while the work has prospered under their administration, we hope that it will still continue to advance under the new organization. In a letter from James P. Olsen, of Brigham City, dated April 26, and enclosing four new subscriptions for the Improvement Era, we are made aware of the fact that through the efforts of Supt. E. Horsley and associates, the Box Elder stake of Zion has reached 400 subscribeps for Volume IX of this magazine. The brethren who have worked in this matter deserve great credit for their labors for the Era, as well as for the Manual. The management of the Era, and the General Board extend to them sincere congratulations and thanks upon having obtained this number, which is some seven or eight subscribers more than five per cent of the total Church population in Box Elder stake. President J. Wilford Booth, of the Turkish mission, Aintab, Turkey, forwards the annual report of the Y. M. M. I. A. of that mission, from which it appears that there are two associations, and forty-four members, with an average attendance of forty. The Era has one subscriber in that mission. Three officers' meetings were held, and there were forty-three weekly meetings, and ten pub- 658 IMPROVEMENT ERA. lie lectures. There were 115 miscellaneous exercises, and 40 questions answered. There is one library of twenty-five books. "One of the associations," writes Prest. Booth, "has been in operation for seven years, and has accomplished much good among the Saints, and many of our friends iff Aintab. The other association is new here in Aleppo, the first meeting being held Monday evening, February 26, 1906. The officers were sustained on March 4, and took their places at the second meeting, held on Tuesday evening, March 6. Their names are as follows: President Hogop Bezjian; counselors. Honhames Orulluian, James W. Booth; secretary, Dikran Demirjian; treasurer, John T. Woodbury. The name* of the first officers of the Aintab association were published in the Era in the spring of 1899. It is almost impossible to follow the Manual in our lessons here. A different language, a lack of books, etc., make it difficult, so we select subjects more suited to our condition, and I have in the report classed them all as miscellaneous. In the matter of finance we are 'poor as church mice.' One other association was organized in Zara, where there are some Saints, some four years ago, but only continued one year, as the officers went to Zion, and the elders have not been there to remain permanently since; but we did splendid work during that one winter, 1901-2. We have a good attendance, usually more present than we have on the roll, as we most always have a number of visitors, and the members attend well, also. "Wishing the M.I. A. work success, and with fervent prayer for all our officers, I remain your fellow laborer, "J. WiLPORD Booth." It is the desire of the General Board that the meeting of the conference of the Y. M. M. I. A. on Saturday morning, June 9, be devoted to a discussion of timely subjects by the officers present as representatives of the stakes of Zion. The suggestion is made that the following points be covered: What is the spiritual status of our boys? How do they occupy their spare time? In what parts, if any, does the work need strengthening? How may the M. I. A. work be made more productive of strong, noble char- • acters? How can we best advance the high standard of M. I. A.? It will be conducive to a successful meeting if you will be prepared to advance your ideas of these subjects, in case you should be called upon; qr have your representative prepared to treat these topics. From the report of Prest. Jacob H. Trayner, and Le Grand Richards, secretary, of the Y. M. M. I. Associations of the Netherlands mission, it appears that there are eight associations in that mission with a membership of 215, and an average attendance of 149. There have been 125 regular weekly meetings held; 69 exercises rendered from the Manual, and 63 miscellaneous exercises. The report is for the year ending April 30, 1906. In this connection we learn from De Ster that Alexander Nibley succeeded Elder Trayner as president of the Netherlands- Belgium mission on May 1, 1906, and the latter's farewell address and the greeting of President Nibley are found in that number.