---
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: 12
number: 6
published: 1909-04
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: "Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, \"Priesthood Quorums' Table,\" *Improvement Era* 12, no. 6 (April 1909): 498–500."
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1206unse
  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: improvementera1206unse
start_page: 498
end_page: 500
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1909-04)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1206unse
  publication_year: 1909
  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 1909, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# Priesthood Quorums' Table

<!-- page:498 -->

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,

<!-- page:499 -->

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

<!-- page:500 -->

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.