More on Sociability

MORE ON SOCIABILITY. 977 My dear brethren and sisters, let me plead with you to be true to your friends; be true to yourselves; be true to God; keep the covenants you have made with Him, and life, light, grace, power, glory and immortality, will crown your efforts; to which end I ask God to bless us all, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. La Grande, Oregon. MORE ON SOCIABILITY. BY JAMES DUNN, EDITOR OF THE "tOOELE TRANSCRIPT. I wasvery much impressed with the remarks on "Sociability" by an Australian sister, in the September number of the Improve- ment Era. There is not the sociability amongst us that should be; and still in many ways we are the most sociable of mortals, and it only needs a little organization to bring out that sociability to perfection. At work on the Temple grounds, at Salt Lake City, is really — the most sociable organization to be found in any land I refer to the Church Bureau of Information, so successfully carried on in your city. The very business of the members of this bureau is to that be sociable and friendly with the strangers and travelers In fact, come in such great multitudes to visit our lovely state. the part of a reception committee to the thousands that they act come from afar to visit us, and none of these strangers can being go away without being impressed with the efforts that are taken to especially entertain and inform them. an Of course, it is not possible that every ward could conduct benefits of information bureau; but why not extend a few of the this organization to every ward in the Church? appointed Say that a reception committee of two or more was inevery ward in the Church to look after the stranger who might by extending a welcome, and securing a seat visit our meetings, stranger in our for them— which I notice is seldom done for the Not only that, but the committee could still public meetings. continue their sociability and make inquiries about their welfare.

— 978 IMPROVEMENT ERA. and invite them to come again. And if the stranger is from a distance, an invitation to dinner might be very acceptable; or have him introduced to some member of the ward who may have expressed his willingness to entertain a stranger who might visit the meeting. Nor would I confine this reception committee to the ward organization alone, but would extend its usefulness to the Improve- ment Associations, Sunday Schools, the quorums and other organ- izations of the Church. And in time, no person could tell the amount of missionary labor such a committee would perform. And thus the treatment we so much desire for our elders on missions would in a measure be followed up by us. Nor do I mean that this kindness should be given alone to those not of our faith, but that it should apply to the members of the Church, like our Australian sister, and others who are fainting by the way just for one kind word of encouragement from some thoughtful brother or sister, that the president of our Church has so earnestly urged us to utter. I am aware that in some wards there would not be much to do, but the work would grow; and these suggestions are based on the undisputed fact that what is everybody's business is nobody's business; and also on another fact, that the person who seems to be too officious without some appointment to that work, is always sure to incur the unfovorable criticism of his brothers and sisters; and for this, many a kind act has been left undone, because of the sensitive abhorrence to criticism that many people inherit. Tooele, Utah.