--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Hinckley, B. S. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 12 number: 10 published: 1909-08 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'B. S. Hinckley, "Systematic and Persistent Work," *Improvement Era* 12, no. 10 (August 1909): 761–766.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera12010unse 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: improvementera12010unse start_page: 761 end_page: 766 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1909-08) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera12010unse 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. --- # Systematic and Persistent Work — Vol. XII. AUGUST, 1909. No. 10 SYSTEMATIC AND PERSISTENT WORK. BY B. S. HINCKLEY, PRESIDENT OF THE BUSINESS COLLEGE, LATTER- DAY SAINTS UNIVERSITY. [This talk, given to the officers of the Y. M. M.I. A. at the annual confer- ence, Saturday, June 5. 1909, while directed to Mutual Improvement workers, applies with equal force to every organization and person in the Church. Most ob- stacles give way to work systematically directed and persistently pursued. It is the unfailing way to success, if the spirit and purpose are noble. Editors.] My father reared eight boys varying considerably in size and age. He said pleasantly to them, one time, "You are a brave lot of boys. You are not afraid of work. You can lie down and sleep comfortably in the presence of unfinished tasks." I have been asked to speak on "Work," and have slept con- siderably in the presence of this task ; so you know what to ex- pect. Brother Brimhall said, this morning, that the lesson which he was going to give, might make some of us dizzy. There is nothing in my talk that will make anyone dizzy; the best that I could hope for is that it might make some of us busy. A young man said to Edison, "Mr Edison, genius is inspiration, isn't it?" Mr. Edison answered, "No, young man, it is perspiration." An educator, who was giving some very timely advice to a body of teachers in Utah, said this to them, "Now, you ought to do one of three things — either inspire, perspire, or expire." If this suggestion ought to be practiced anywhere it ought to be prac- ticed in Mutual Improvement work. I would like to consume a good deal of my time in giving an academic discussion on work, because I haven't much else on my mind; but you want some helpful suggestions. There is no man here who will challenge the statement that the man who works is the man who wins. Work makes the man, and the want of it, the f ellow. I have often been impressed with a statement made by General Grant during the Civil war. I think the spirit behind it made him President of the United States; so, nowjyou ambitious men note carefully in : February, 1862, Grant marched against Fort Donaldson. You remember, after three days sharp fighting he was asked by General Buckner what terms he would offer. Grant promptly answered, "No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender. I propose to move upon your works." Any man who moves upon the works con- quers. That is the thing that made him win. When Grant set his face toward Richmond, and said he would fight it out B. S. Hinckley. on those lines, if it took all summer, as brave a man as Lee knew something was coming. Carlyle says that work is the greatest discovery beneath the sun, and Carlyle was right. I think, also, he was the one who said that "labor is life," that "labor is salvation." Now, I need not say to this body of thinking men, that there has never been a machine so perfectly and delicately made that it would run with- out applied energy. You never saw a farm that would not grow weeds if it were neglected. There never was a business so well organized that it would run itself; and if there is any organization that really needs work, thoughtful systematic work, it is the Mu- tual Improvement organization. If we had here a shaded map SYSTEMATIC AND PERSISTENT WORK. 763 showing the relative standing of these organizations in the various stakes of Zion, it would be interesting. This silent witness would condemn some of us. You can tell every time where the super- intendent is working, and where he is not. There is no man who has magic enough about his name, there is no man who has victo- ries enough to his credit, to make this -organization go, unless he gives it his time, his thought, and his prayerful consideration. I was going to say —-and I guess no one will be offended if I do say it — that the difference between 3 per cent and 9.64 per cent, say in the matter of subscriptions for the Era, is not due to any dif- ference in wealth, nor any difference in the hearts or dispositions of the people, — it is due to a difference in the management of the organization; that is where the difference lies. Now, my brethren, any man here, whose organization is not up to the standard, has attached to him, somewhere, some responsibility, and he can't get away from it. No man has a right to accept the superintendency of a stake, unless he intends to discharge the duties of that posi- tion righteously. I would not, of course, presume to say that there are not, in many cases, extenuating circumstances; but there is no excuse for a man accepting this place, keeping it, and then not attempting to do the work. I haven't the temerity to ask a littleman to stand up — a man that I see in the audience, who has carried Mutual Improvement to such a splendid height, and who ought to be called the Napoleon of Mutual Improvement — I mean the pale-faced little man from Box Elder stake. Now, the reason he has succeeded is because he has gone after it, and has done his best, he has moved upon the works — a man not given to many words, but convincingly eloquent in his attention to detail, and in his careful, friendly, gentle supervision of the good men over whom he presides. He wins because he works. Is there any man who feels that he is too good, too big, too great, to work in this cause? Is there any man who has an intel- lect so ponderous that he can not find ample opportunity for its exercise in the salvation of souls?Is there any man who is above working for the cause of righteousness and humanity? Did any man ever engage in any more glorious work than making men of boys? The building of manhood is the work of the Gods, and no man is too exalted andjmighty to engage in it. Think of a man accepting the superintendency of a stake, or the presidency of a ward, and then letting the thing sink apathetically into nothing, instead of making it tell as a powerful agent for good in this com- munity. I think it is far better that one man's ambition should perish than that a whole ward should dwindle into unbelief. "In- spire, perspire, or expire" is our watch-word. We know what to do, but we are not always willing to do it. You remember the story, don't you, of the old man who went to witness one of the Olympic games? He found the place crowded, and he experienced great difficulty in finding a seat.He had been wandering about for a time, and finally fell among a band of young Spartans, who discovered his distress and immediately arose and offered him a seat. The gallant conduct called forth the applause of the whole assembly, and then the old sage made this significant remark; "All Greeks know what is right, but these Lacedonians are willing to practice it." Now, to make this work tell, what should we do? First, it seems to me, that it is necessary for the superintendent to get all of his stake aids and, possibly, his ward officers together, and make a careful survey of the work for the year. What are we going to do this year? Are we going to wander about, or are we going to have our battle lines well drawn, and give proper and de- cisive direction to our efforts? Brother Maeser used to make the comparison of the construction of a canal; he said, "Who would ever think of constructing a canal without first locating the point from which the canal was to be taken out, and the place where it should end?" In other words, survey the road carefully. It would be folly and madness for men and teams to simply scrape out the canal. Will we not get better results if we decide upon some cam- paign? For example: first, let us finish this manual; let us see that every boy of the association reads at least one of these books; let us put down swearing, and correct any other evils that may manifest themselves in our locality. Get together more frequent- ly; decide upon what you are going to do; work to some definite plan. If you have gone over your work, the next step is to organ- ize your forces. You know what you need— now put each man into his place, and hold him responsible for his work. According to a statement made here today, in the General Board they have com- SYSTEMATIC AND PERSISTENT WORK. 765 mittees. Wouldn't this be a good idea in the stakes? Have a man or a committee in charge of the ethical and Manual work another man ; responsible for the Era; and one responsible for the Fund. Have another man in charge of athletics, and so with any other divi- sions of your work. If you have divided the work in this way, then you can fix the responsibility, which is one of the fundamen- tals in all good government. Now, if you have your stake forces well organized, then the next thing is to hold the chiefs to their work. Do you know how Dr. Widtsoe manages the Agricultural College, or Dr. Brimhall manages his facultydown there at the Brigham Young University, and keeps all the intricate machinery working harmoniously and effectively? They have organizations; every man in the faculty has something to do, and at definite peri- ods he is called upon to account for the responsibility that has been given to him. If anything makes a man feel good, it is to hold him to his place. If he has a piece of work to do, see that it is finished, and that he is given something else to do. He will admire you for it, if you gently hold him to his work. Hold your officers' meetings and receive reports and make assignments. Select the weak places in your work, and correct them. You have read how Napoleon with the merest fragment of an army, beat Blucher and Schwartzenberg, in tne year 1814, by watching his opportunity and hurling his forces against the weak spots in the enemy's lines. If, as superintendent of a stake, you discover that out yonder there is a ward that isn't doing anything in the beginning of the year, wouldn't it be a good thing to go down there and put it on its feet? Get the people into action, then they will go on. Push one point at a time, and push it to a conclu- sion. Now, another thing —leaders must lead. If there is not work on hand, superintendents, you have got to make work; that is your business. What do you think of a superintendent who has two good counselors who are ambitious to do things, but he simply stands in their way? They can't work; he won't work. It is your place to lead out — leaders must lead in this work, else give way to some one who can. If you are called to this place, it means that you must provide ways and means. Get your people together; create business; make the organization go. Now, my brethren, I know that you do not get any money out of this; you don't get any applause. If you make mistakes, you get roundly and severely criticized. Who would have the temerity to get up and talk as long and hard as I have to men who are paid after that fashion, for doing this arduous work? We learn to do a great many things without pay, we have to face a great deal of ingratitude, and still keep our faces fixed toward the light, and move steadily along. When a man does this, he gets, after all, the highest compensation that ever eomes to our Father's chil- dren. Deep in his soul he has the calm assurance that God ap- proves of his work. What greater reward can any man ask for? In comparison, how fleeting and ineffective becomes the applause of men; how cheap and poor and mean is monetary compensation! The man who will unselfishly devote his time to the good of his kind walks the earth a loyal and patriotic friend to humanity, showing greater courage than he who bares his breast to the hail of war, when he is enveloped in the delirium of battle. It takes a real man to do that; will you do it? Measure yourselves, and see whether or not it will be worth while to do this work for this pay, and if so, do it well. If you do, you will grow; there is no getting away from it; you will be magnified in the eyes of the peo- ple, and be rewarded many times. On the other hand, it takes no prophet to say to you, my brethren, that if you fail to discharge this responsibility, you will experience a certain shrinkage of soul, you can't get away from it, it will take from you some of that self-confidence which makes men courageous. This is our work. The General Board do not own it. Shall we do it loyally, royally, and heroically? Some of us, however, have grown a little apathetic, instead of rounding up our shoulders and doing the work man- fully and well — we are content with less than our best. Some men can do this work far better than others, but that is no cause for discouragement. The thing that concerns each of us is to rise to the limit of our own possibilities. Let us be guilty of nothing short of our highest endeavor. Our work is a glorious one. The work of making saints and citizens of careless boys is our work. Let us do it after a grave and royal fashion. Salt Lake City, Utah.