Seventy's Council Table

SEVENTY'S COUNCIL TABLE. BY B. H. ROBERTS, MEMBER OF THE FIRST COUNCIL. "Let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence. 1 'He that is slothful shall not be counted worthy to stand, and he that learns not his duty and shows himself not approved, shall not be counted worthy to stand." (Doc. and Cov., Sec. 107.) Under the New Working Conditions.— Since sitting last at the Coun- cil Table with you, dear brethren, the new working conditions for our quorums have been inaugurated. On the first Sunday in November, if instructions were carried out, one hundred and fifty-one quorums of Seventy, approximately a body of ten thousand men, began the first year's work in The Seventy's Course in Theology; and by the time the December Era reaches you, all the quorums will have completed their consideration of the Introduction, which is a preview of the year's work, and the first three lessons in the body of the course on the history, organization and duties of the Seventies. If these lessons have been well digested, we have reason to believe that the Seventies of the Church today have a greater appreciation and a profounder regard for their calling than they ever have before entertained. We trust such is the case; for a right appreciation of the position assigned one is essential to the proper incentive to faithfulness in the performance of his duty. Surely, no one can contemplate the high and holy ap- ostolic calling of a Seventy, as set forth in the three lessons devoted to the sub- ject, and then think lightly of his obligations or fail to discharge faithfully and well his duty in relation to that calling. The dignity and honor of the calling of a Seventy is here referred to, and is also set forth in the lessons in our Year Book, not to flatter those who have received it, nor to please their vanity, nor to foster their egotism, but merely to press home the conviction, that Seventies, in their ordination to their high office, have accepted a sacred trust, a grave responsibity that may not be neglected without incurring serious consequences "Wherefore now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence. " Stricter Discipline.- It has already been noted at this Council Table that our new working conditions — arising from the advantage of meeting on Sunday forenoon — has swept away all excuses for protracted absence from quorum meetings, and made it possible for every member of our quorums to do his duty. Under these cir- cumstances, a stricter discipline may reasonably be insisted upon, especially in the matter of regularity of attendance upon the quorum meetings, and diligence in the preparation of lessons. We therefore urge upon the presidents of quorums to

148 IMPROVEMENT ERA. tighten the reins of discipline, and insist upon the members of their respective quorums regularly attending quorum meetings. The absence of members should be carefully noted and inquiry promptly instituted as to the reasons for it. The presidents must not allow protracted absence from quorum meetings, nor be satis- fied with flimsy excuses. For many years, one of the stereotyped questions sub- mitted to members of the First Council on the occasion of their visits to quorums has been, "What shall be done with members who absent themselves from quo- rum meetings year after year, notwithstanding all our labors and admonitions in trying to get them to attend?" And always the question has been answered: "If you have met the requirements of patience and mercy, drop such members from the quorum for general neplect of duty, and report your action to the High Coun- cil having jurisdiction in the matter." (See Year Book, p. 10, last paragraph but one of Presidency's Letter.) With increased emphasis we repeat that an- swer, at this Table, and insist that it shall be more rigidly enforced now, since all excuses, except sickness and unavoidable absence from the quorum district, are swept away by the fact of the quorums meeting on Sunday forenoon. And this leads to the repetition of the second part of the text at the head of this il table: He that is slothful shall not be counted worthy to stand, and he that learns not his duty and shows himself not approved, shall not be counted worthy to stand." Regular Official Quorum Meetings. —Where quorums are so situated as to make it necessary to divide them into two or more classes in their theological work, it should be remembered that the quorum must meet at regularly appointed times for the transaction of official business, and also for the preservation of the solidarity of the quorum. How frequent these appointments shall be the First Council is not able now to determine ; and at present, at least, it will be left for each quorum to decide for itself. It will perhaps be out of the question to estab- lish uniformity in such a matter, as the circumstances of the quorums are so va- ried. We go no further at this time than to suggest that the quorums which are divided into several classes shall make such arrangements that at certain reg- ular intervals the whole quorum will meet together, and that all members be required to be in attendance at that appointment. There should be, however, no abandonment of the lesson of that day. The quorum can doubtless attend to what- ever administrative business is necessary in a few minutes, and then take up the lesson. These special meetings will, in time, come to be looked upon as a reunion of the quorum and an occasion of increased interest in the lesson to be treated, by reason of having a more varied discussion of its topics made possible by the pres- ence of all the members. Answering the question of some quorums as to whether it would not be well to hold this quorum meeting at some time other than on Sunday morning, with a view of not interrupting the class exercises, we answer, No; let all our meetings be held on the Sunday forenoon. We do not desire to encourage the holding of meetings for quorum work at any other time than on our regular Sunday appointments. We have been given a very choice part of the sacred day in which to do our work, let us therewith be content, and by promptness in dis- patching administrative business, there will be no occasion for abandoning the

; SEVENTY'S COUNCIL TABLE. 149 lesson on the day of full quorum meetings, or materially encroaching upon the lime that should be devoted to it. Labors of the First Council.— Between the 30th of September and the 3rd of November, when the new working conditions for our quorums went into effect, members of the First Council met with one hundred and one quorums, out of one hundred and fifty-one in existence. Many of the quorums not visited are in the stakes of Zion remote from Salt Lake City. It is the intention of the First Council, at as early a date and as rapidly as possible, to meet with the remainder of the quorums and set them in order in whatsoever may be necessary. Meantime it is a source of satisfaction to the First Council that its members were able to meet with so many of their organiza'ions on the eve of the inauguration of the new working conditions. It was a regular campaign in the interests of the Seventies. Keep up the Pace.— It is rather a rapid pace at which the quorums have been started in "The New Movement;" but it is one that must be kept up. Let there be no slacking down; no halting; no weariness; no looking back, now that the hand is put to the plow. There is to be no movement except that which is for- ward and upward. No lesson must be missed; nor must there be any failure on the part of the quorums to keep abreast of each other in the work. With the Intro- duction there are forty-four lessons outlined in the Year Book, leaving a margin of only eight Sundays in the year when no lessons are assigned ;and as the quorums will adjourn their class and quorum meetings for the quarterly conferences of the respective stakes where they are located, and for the annual ward conferences of the wards where classes and quorums are located, and in some stakes for the two General Conferences of the Church, it will readily be seen that there is no allow- ance made for falling into arrears with the lessons prescribed. A lesson should be completed every Sunday; and if some part of a given lesson for any reason should fail of treatment in the class, the members should be admonished to com- plete it in their private study, and the next lesson be taken up as if the class treat- ment of the former one had been perfect. Only in this way can the course be finished by the close of next year. However, we are persuaded that if proper energy is only exercised a lesson can be completed every Sunday, and the whole course by the end of tin year. But there is no room for dallying with our tasks class-w>rk must be taken up vigorously and earnestly. Thorough home prepara- tion must be insisted upon, and the class exercises should be regarded as merely opportunities for exchanging ideas upon the themes in hand, and for the training afforded in class exercises. Remember, to become a Seventy means mental ac- tivity, intellectual development, and the attainment of spiritual power. The Yearly Report tor 1£ 07.— Printed yearly report blanks for the year 1907 will be mailed to the quorums about December 1st. Ihej will call for a statement under appropriate headirgsfor all changes that have taken place in the respective quorums from January 1st, 1907, to December 31st of the same year. It should be remembered that these blanks should be carefully and correctly filled out and promptly returned to the General Secretary, 313 Templeton Building, Salt Lake City. The councils of the respective quorums are hereby asked to co-operat

150 IMPROVEMENT ERA. with the secretaries in the accomplishment of this duty. The presidents, indeed, are held responsible for these reports; that is to say, they are expected to see to it that the secretaries perform their duty in this as in all other respects. The time has come also when the "General Seventies Fund" should be collected. The General Secretary will close his books for the current year, as to the "Fund" account, by December 31st, 1©07. It is expected, therefore, that all funds for the current year will be promptly forwarded to the General Secretary together with any balance that may be due for 1906; as also all funds collected for the "Year Book." Promptness, accuracy, and completeness in all these matters should characterize the administration of all the quorums. Let no quorum fail to make its report. All correspondence for the First Council should be sent to the General Secretary, and every letter should have the number of the quorum placed below the signature, as doing so will save much trouble and inconvenience at the general office. Use the Era. — Many presidents and members of the quorums are now taking the Era, but it is expected that many more will subscribe for it and read it, now that it has become the "Organ of the Seventies;" and especially should sub- scribers increase among the presidents, since much that concerns administrative affairs in the quorums will be considered at our ' 'Council Table. " When anything of importance in relation to administrative affairs appears, it would be well for the presidents to call attention to it, and perhaps have the paragraph or article read to the quorum. By doing so it will help to impress the members with an idea of the importance of the Era as an adjunct in Seventies work. The Failure of Some Quoiums.— Some of our quorums, we regret to say, failed to begin the year's work on the first Sunday in November. Although they had more than four and a half month's notice of the inauguration of the new working conditions (the circular letter of the First Council, making announce- ment of the inauguration of the movement on the first Sunday in November, bears date of June 12), and therefore had all that time in which to make their pre- parations; and yet it seems that some few quorums failed to be ready to partici- pate in the grand opening of this important work. Brethren, presidents and members of those few quorums, what is the matter? Where is your quorum pride? Your Seventy's loyalty? Your regard for the instructions of the First Council? Your interest in your quorum and your desire to keep it abreast of the , other quorums in this new movement? You can't afford to be out of line. You can't afford to fail. You are not children, to be overcome by little perplexities and earnest men master Have you forgotten, or have you not yet difficulties. seen, in the Introduction to the Year Book (p. xi) our allusion to Napoleon's famous answer to some of his generals who said it was impossible to cross the Alps with an Army? He answered fiercely — "There shall be no Alps!" So we Seventies are agreed that there shall be no difficulties ; at least none that we will not overcome. It is hoped that those quorums which failed to start on the first Sunday in November are now well under way, and that they will find some means by which they will catch up with the work before the year closes.

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