Priesthood Quorums' Table

PRIESTHOOD QUORUMS' TABLE. Class Leaders. — Very important is the selection of class leaders. Unless the bishops exercise great care in this matter, the Lesser Priesthood classes will not be successful. Young men these days are so accustomed to good teachers in the schools that they will not long retain interest in a class where they have an indifferent or ill-informed man to teach them. It is a positive injury to the cause for a teacher to come unprepared. Bad as it is for the students to neglect their lesson preparations, it is still more reprehensible on the part of the class leader. He above all should be full of resource, and have a plan for every phase of circumstance that may arise. If his class is unprepared, he should know, on the moment, what to do, and do it. He is the counselor, the adviser, the leader, the general; and when he encounters unlooked for circumstances or conditions, it is his business to mark out a course then and there, so that the precious hour will not be wasted to his class. It is not well, perhaps, to teach by negative, but an example comes to mind of a class which was visited recently where the whole evening was worse than wasted. The teacher began by asking how many were prepared. Not a hand was raised; not one student had studied the lesson. Then, to the great chagrin and surprise, as well as disgust of everybody, the teacher said, "Well, I hain't got none the best of you, 'cause I don't know nothing about the lesson neither." He then proceeded to talk, and occupied the whole lesson period with a desultory rigmarole that had no reference whatever to the subject outlined, and precious little of either sense or substance. Now what could he have done, under the condition, if he had been prepared? He could have stated the lesson to the class, if that had been the best thing to do— of which there may be some doubt. But he was not prepared. Then, if he had been a good general, he could have found a way out bv suggesting that under the regretable condition, the class take up the time in study. The notes could have been read, the references looked up and read, the main points discussed and emphasized. There might have been a modest student who knew some point in the lesson. He could have been called upon to do his best in stating his point. Or a heart to heart talk could have been made, and the students led to determine that next week no such condition would arise in that class, nor ever thereafter. The teacher should exercise ingenuity, and study to meet every emergency; and, it is needless to say, should come prepared to teach, which means to guide,

PRIESTHOOD QUORUMS' TABLE. 499 to direct, to impart iostruction. A person who will not put forth effort in this direction, is not suitable to be a teacher. Even a poorly educated person who will try to become a teacher will succeed, where a well-informed man who is indifferent and negligent will score a failure. In selecting teachers these points should be remembered, and only such men chosen as class leaders as will go about their business in earnest, full of faith, prayer and determination to succeed. Labors of the Priesthood.— As early as 1832, the Lord commanded the first elders of the Church to organize themselves, to prepare themselves and to sanctify themselves; to purify their hearts, and to cleanse themselves before the Lord, that they might be clean from the blood of the wicked generation in which they lived. He also told them to continue in fasting and prayer from this time forth; and laid particular stress upon the commandment that they were to teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom: "Teach ye diligently, and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, inprinciple, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, and in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand; of things both in heaven and in earth and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass: things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the ju^g ments which are on the land, and a knowledge also of countries and kingdoms that ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you." This labor is still incumbent on the elders of the Church; and, in fact, upon all who hold the priesthood. We want the Church to be mighty in power to win men. We want it to be a source of light in the darkness; and a "source of everlasting light in the wilderness." To this end our duty is to show men the way to true happiness, for men are that they may have joy. Our religion i.- a practical one and is very closely related to human happiness. It is very precious because it answers our questions, and reveals to us things we must know in. order to be happy. Happines in life is based upon two important considerations and these were expressed by Christ, when he washed the feet of his disciples, and exhorted them to follow him in humility and love: "If ye know these things, happy are ye if jedo them." Therein lies the whole secret of happiness — knowing and doing, understanding and acting; to gain knowledge, to act upon the truth obtained ; here we have the pillars upon which to build our palace of joy. It is our f;iith and our works, our religion and our lives so intertwined that out of the resulting harmony is bred the soul of happiness. The new priesthood movement has this object in view. It seeks not only to inculcate the wisdom and necessity of learning all the instructions and principles given in the revelations of God in good books and in nature, but summons the priesthood with persuasive voice to act upon the truths learned and believed. If the grand army of men who hold the priesthood may be impressed with these facts in the studies now presented, the

500 IMPR 0 VEMENT ERA . lessons will not have been considered in vain. It will make them happy. Let not the practical, the work division of the lessons, be neglected. Work and Play. — It was Ruskin who defined work and play in these words: 'Play is an exertion of body or mind made to please ourselves, and with no determined end; and work is a thing done because it ought to be done, and with a determined end." How do you class the duties of your calling in the priesthood? After thinking it over for a moment you will doubtless come to the conclusion that they are work. Then you would naturally enquire, "In my priesthood work whdt is the end in view?" The life of Christ would answer that, and this should be our example as far as our weakness shall permit us to follow it. To learn and to do the will of the Father; to overcome temptation; to teach and preach the gospel without price, and to call men to repentance; to administer to the sick; to reprove the wicked; to devote of our days and means to the welfare of our fellows, and to unselfishly do good to all men; — these are some of our practical labors, and they demand the earnestness of work and the joy of play. What High Priests are Doing.— Elder N. V. Jones, president of the High Priests of the Granite stake of Zion.has reported on the division of the priest, hood under his care, and states to President Frank Y. Taylor that there are 313 High Priests in the stake, 83 of whom are over 70 years of age. This is how they are engaged: 43 are stake officers; 53 are members of bishoprics; 105 are doing duty in the auxiliary organizations; 9 are patriarchs; 36 are infirm, and 88 are not engaged in any Church work. That is not a bad showing for a quorum, sometimes accused of being inactive. How to Win the Boys. — Associate with the boys.andyour influence will help them rise. Away from them, with the same virtue and power, it will not reach them. Finally, "Only what thou art in thyself, determines thy value." Artificial trappings are of no real worth, remember that. If we work upon marble, it will perish. If we work upon brass, time will efface it. If we rear temples, they will crumble into dust. But if we work upon immortal minds, imbue them with a just fear of God, and their fellow men, we inscribe upon those tablets that which brightens throughout all eternity, and when we meet beyond the veil, where our true relationship will be understood, the helped will be our helpers; and the movement tor good which was started upon earth shall vibrate ettrnally throughout the immensity of space. — H. E. Iverson, Bear River. Want to be Counted In.— One of the bishops in the Oneida Stake of Zion excused a number of the High Priests on account of their age from attending the Monday night meetings. They demurred at this, and some of them are now traveling seven or eight miles in order to be present at the class. Another bishop reported that the Monday night meetings are more of a success than any priesthood gathering ever before held in the ward.