Priesthood Quorums’ Table

Priesthood Quorums' Table. The Power of Habit. — On Saturday morning, May 28, last, at the priesthood meeting of the Granite stake, there were some one hundred and sixty-five members of the Lesser Priesthood quorums present. Elder George M. Cannon was given five minutes to talk to the boys, and he made the following interesting remarks on the power of habit : "I must say it is a very pleasing sight to see so many boys here this morning. I feel that great good will come to these boys from the privilege they have of attending meetings of this kind. When a little boy, I belonged to a ward in which the bishop took a good deal of pains with the boys of that ward — the fourteenth ward, Salt Lake City. We were early ordained deacons, and then gradually promoted to the various orders of the priesthood, and, personally, I received great benefit from the work assigned to us in that way. It is a good thing for the boys to learn that which is required of them as deacons, so that when they grow up they may understand the office and duty of a deacon. It is a good thing to be able, then, to do that which is required of a teacher; and, later, the work of a priest; and, finally, to receive a promotion such as is offered to many of the young men here today — to become elders. All of these offices were conferred upon me, and I was always thankful that I belonged to a ward where the bishop took pains in using the boys from the time of their youth until they became young men. "I deem it a blessing, also, that the boys may come together this morning, to a place where they meet the prophet of the Lord, for we have with us, on this occasion, President Joseph F.- Smith and both of his counselors. The time may come when the boys here present will be glad to testify to their children, and to those whom they meet, that they came, on this day in May, 1910, to this building, and were privileged to see the prophet of the Lord. I remember, myself, an experience that I had similar to this, by the permission of the bishopric of our ward, prior to the death of President Brigham Young. It was the custom in those days to hold priesthood meetings in the old Council House, which

PRIESTHOOD QUORUMS' TABLE. 849 was located at the place where the large Deseret News building now stands. I remember going to one of those meetings— the last public meeting, as I recall it, that was ever attended by President Brigham Young. I remember the remarks he made on that occasion, and I have always felt glad in my heart that I was invited to go to those meetings. I had frequently been to the Tabernacle, where we could see President Young from a distance, but in this particular meeting I was sitting a very few benches from where he sat, and I could hear every word he said, even in a quiet, conversational tone. I believe you boys who are present here will, in after life, appreciate the privilege you have of meeting the presiding authorities here today, and it will be a source of strength to you. ' 'I remember one of the lessons President Young sought to enforce at that time, and that was the necessity of our people being true to each other and the necessity of forming good habits. He told a story about a little boy away back in New England. He lived in a frame house, and when he was a little child he slept in the attic in that house. There happened to be a knot-hole in one of the boards, and it was his custom, on arising in the morning, to go to this place and put his finger into the knot-hole. The sun would stream onto it, and it would show the blood and bones in his hand. If any of you have ever put your finger into a knot-hole, where the sun was shining, you have seen a similar result to what we call an X-Ray; you can see the bone, the flesh and the blood. This little boy did that every morning when he got up. After awhile he grew to be a young man, and he entered business. In a short time, because of his faithfulness, he was promoted and became the junior partner. One morning he was called from his room in haste. He still slept in the attic, and he was called suddenly downstairs, so that he forgot his little custom. When he got downstairs he attended to that for which they had called him; then he had breakfast, and went off to his work. All the time he was eating his breakfast, he was wondering what he had forgotten. After awhile he went off to his office, and still he wondered what he had forgotten or neglected. He attended to his correspondence and his business duties, but still he could not think what it was. It worried him very much, and he asked the other members of the firm if they knew of any appointment he had made. He also asked the clerks if they knew of anything he had promised to do. Finally, he went back to his desk and commenced to look through his papers. Then he remembered what it was; he picked up his hat, rushed home, up to his room, and he stuck his finger into the knot-hole. (Laughter.) "That was told by President Young to illustrate the power of habit.

850 IMPROVEMENT ERA. If you form good habits, those things will stay with you through life, and help you to do right. If you form bad habits, they will make you their slaves. "You can be bound by your habits, just like the boy was who was called up by his teacher. She told him she was going to tie him up with a spool of thread, and the boy laughed at the idea of a little, weak woman tying him with a spool of thread. She had him put his thumbs up; they were crossed at the joints; and she began to wind the thread around them. She twisted the thread around, and around, and around again, until the thread had formed a band so strong he could not move his thumbs; he was bound by this little string of thread. After awhile she said, "Let's see you break loose." He was powerless, he could not move his thumbs; he was fastened as securely as if with iron bands. So it is with habit: if we form good habits, they will help us in life; if we form bad habits, they will enslave us. So President Frank Y. Taylor asks the young men to keep themselves pure and sweet, so that the Spirit of God may dwell in their tabernacles, which I pray may be the lot of all of us, in the name of Jesus. Amen. A Word to the Youth of Zion. — How can the young people of Zion best help the missionary cause? Upon whom does the responsibility of the spiritual growth of Zion depend? Upon those who have fought most of life's battle, or those who have the fight before them? Let all the youth of Zion strive for the advancement of the cause at home. There is just as bright a crown for those who do their duty at home as for those who work abroad. To do his duty is all that is required of any one. Though we may not at present be able to preach the gospel in the world, we can preach it at home by our every act, and in our everyday life. "Actions speak louder than words.-' I hope we may start the fight right and carry our banners to the front, thus following the paths of the noble ones who have gone before, and left us to finish the great work they have begun. You start right when you do your duty in your priesthood quorum. — W. J. Died in the Mission Field. — Elder Thaddeus Walker, of Inkom, Idaho, died in the Southern States Mission, on April 15, 1910, age twenty- one years. He had been on his mission twenty-four months. He labored for twenty-three months in the Florida conference, and died at Atlanta, Georgia, of typhoid fever. His companions speak of him as being pure, true and faithful. His body was embalmed and sent home for burial.

Mutual Work. M. I. A. Track Meet. The second annual track meet of the Millard Stake Mutual Improvement Associations was held at Holden, April 21, 22 and 23. The weather conditions were ideal, and the good people of Holden royally entertained the hosts of visitors. Stake Secretary Albert E. Gull, of Meadow, reports that Joseph E. Maddock, the pleasant and affable coach of the University of Utah, conducted the event without a hitch. Professor Plumb's band, of Hinckley, discoursed sweet music. The success of the meet, he says, was due, in a large measure, to the efficient services of the Athletic and Oratorical committees. Eight out of tJie eleven wards in KARL H. DAY, Fillmore, winner in 100, 220 and 440 yard dashes. ALONZO HUNTSMAN, Fillmore, winner in standing and running high jumps, running broad jumps, and 220 yards hurdle race.

ALBERT J. ASHMAN, Fillmore, winner in Oratory. FRED NEILSEN, Leamington, Shot-put hero, distance, 32 feet 1 inch. HINCKLEY JUNIOR BASKET BALL TEAM. Standing: F. L. Hickman, coach. Top row: Arthur Reeve, Lucin Whitehead, Johnny Wright, Clarence Bishop. Bottom row: William Blake, Moroni Moody, Johnny Greener.

MUTUAL WORK. 853 the stake entered contestants, and there were more than one hundred entries, besides those who entered for story telling and oratory, — a material increase over last year's entries. All the officers and those immediately interested were greatly pleased with the way the young people conducted themselves, and feel that much good will come from these annual gatherings. Each victor on the field will receive a signet pin, while the winners in oratory will receive rewards of a literary character. Events, and those who won out: 100, 220 and 440 yard dashes— Karl H. Day, M. I. A. president of Fillmore, time 10 1-5, 23|, 53f sec, respectively. 880-yard run— John Lundahl, of Oak City, time: 2.04 minutes. One-mile run— Charles C. Roper, of Oak City, time: 4.48 minutes. 880-yard relay race — John Lundahl, Winslow Walker, Charles G. Roper and Ray Finlinson, all of Oak City. SOME OF THE CHAMPIONS AND THEIR COACHES. Back row: Soren J. Rawlinson, coach; Willard Christensen, LeRoy Walker, Alonzo Christensen, of the Oak City senior basket ball team; George E. Finlinson, president Y. M. M. I. A., chairman stake athletic committee and manager Oak City athletics. Second row: Winslow Walker, Oak City basket ball team; Joseph H. Maddock, coach U. ol U. ; John Lundahl, Oak City basket ball team and winner in halt-mile run; Stanley Lovell, winner in hammer throw. Bottom row: Clarence Nielsen, Oak City basket ball team; Roy Finlinson, Fred S. Lyman, winner in pole vault; Charles G. Roper, winner in one-mile run.

OASIS BASKET BALL TEAM, WINNERS AT THE M. I. A. CONTEST. Top row, left to right: Hulda Hansen, Inga Christensen, Carrie Jensen, Leila Langston, Dora Henry. Bottom row: Lillie Hansen, Ava Bennett. 220-yard hurdle race— Alonzo Huntsman, of Fillmore, time: 27 seconds. The standing high jump, height not given; the running high jump, five feet, nine inches; and the broad jump, twenty feet, six inches, were also won by Huntsman. Shot put -Fred Nielson, of Leamington, distance 32 feet, 1 inch. Hammer throw— Stanley Lovell of Oak City, 95 feet 8 inches. Pole vault — Fred S. Lyman, of Oak City, 8 feet. Senior basket ball— Oak City. Junior basket ball— Hinckley. Ladies' basket ball— Oasis. Oral stories — first prize, Edith Cooper, of Deseret, subject: ''Queen Esther;" second prize, Ada Brunson, of Fillmore, subject: "Miriam.'' Orations — A.J. Ashman, of Fillmore, and Richard Nixon, of Holden, subjects: "The Peace Movement," and "Abraham Lincoln." Thus ended the three days' contest, and one of the largest gatherings ever held in Millard stake. Oak City carried off sixty- seven points, and won the silver cup from Deseret. The officers of the association express

MUTUAL WORK. 855 their hope that the movement will still grow, and that it may be the means of improving the condition of the young people along all lines. Following are the Y. L. M. I. A. officers: Maggie Hatch, Albertina Fisher, Rose Jensen, Addie Hansen. The Y. M. M. I. A. officers: Jesse J. Bennett, Heber N. Beckstrand Arthur Stott, Albert E. Gull. Annual Conference. The Fifteenth General Annual Conference of the Young Men's and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was held June 3, 4, and 5, 1910, at Salt Lake City, Utah. The officers of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations assembled at Barratt Hall, June 4, 10 a. m., some five hundred being present, and Assistant Superintendent Heber J. Grant presiding. Singing, "0 ye mountains high" — Congregation. Prayer by Elder Joseph W. McMurrin. Singing, "The Sweetest Story Ever Told"— Provo quartet. Big Horn and Morgan were the only stakes unrepresented. The other sixty stakes were represented by three hundred and nineteen officers. Elder Douglas M. Todd spoke on EFFICIENT STAKE SUPERVISION. He referred to the organization of committees, to monthly officers' meetings, weekly stake officers' meetings and efficient clase teachers. Elder Todd emphasized the necessity of having a well organized stake board and of meeting regularly and planning the work. He said: "We have many enquiries coming in from superintendents as to work regulation, and we find that the best results accrue where there is a strong stake board regulating their work according to their peculiar conditions. The stake board should be reasonably compact, and the weekly meetings must be held regularly. There should be a regular organization of committees A good class leader is not always a good superintendent, and vice versa. When we find a young man well qualified for any particular position, it is well to keep him there. We believe in distributing the work among the young men. We have a great deal of work to perform, and our plan is based on the supposition that we have a great many workers. Nothing develops a young man faster than the placing of duties upon his shoulders commensurate with his capacities. Unless we can get more young men into the work, there will be a burden on the

856 IMPROVEMENT ERA. shoulders of the few. Not getting together and organizing right, not working to system, and lack of diligence, is- where we fail. The duty of the man in charge is to &ee that the others carry out the work under him. If he does that well, he will have his hands full. We must have a reasonably large stake board, with the best obtainable material, and there must be efficient work. When a young man comes home from college or a mission, there is a rivalry among the various Church organizations to secure his services, and we must be up and doing. But in the selection of a young man, a great deal depends on the spirit he manifests. If he does not show the proper spirit, with humility, his plans and work will amount to very little. Every man is entitled to the inspiration of his calling, and this inspiration should make him a leader in his work. Superintendent Heber J. Grant sang, "The Flag Without a Stain," the congregation joining in the chorus. Elder Oscar A. Kirkham, musical director of the association, read a very able paper on the subject of MUSIC IN THE ASSOCIATIONS. He told of the good effect of an inspiring song-program at the opening of religious exercises, and emphasized the necessity of having energetic young men to look after the musical talent and musical features, and it need not necessarily be the choir leader, who may be overburdened with work. He stated that under careful supervision, quartets and choruses might be formed, and these combined would make an excellent male chorus for stake occasions. He advised that all the singers learn the melody of our hymns before taking up part singing. While he did not wish to discourage part singing, he thought that all our people ought to be able to sing the melody of our hymns. Dr. John A. Widtsoe gave an interesting talk on DEBATES. This was a practically new feature of our work, but a number of associations had taken it up during the past winter and had met with success. Prospects are that next year many more of the organizations will take up debating, as the young ladies have decided to join in this feature. One additional conjoint meeting a month will be provided in their program, at which time the young ladies may take part in the debating work of the associations. A number of people had questioned the propriety of debating, as it led to differences of opinion, and in some cases to wrangling, so that no good result had come from them. He explained

MUTUAL WORK. 857 the modern methods, and stated that there is no relationship between the old and the modern methods of debating. In debates there must first be a good selection of subject; then comes the thorough searching out of matter pertaining to the subject, the presentation in clear, concise, logical form, and, finally, the public deli?ery; but that is of little consequence as compared to the first-mentioned, more important features. At the conclusion of his address Dr. Widtsoe gave a forcible illustration of modern debates by introducing two bright young men of the Granite stake board, John E. Pixton for the negative and Hugo B. Anderson for the affirmative, their subject being, "Resolved, that a system of bank deposit guarantee similar to that of Oklahoma is desirable.'' Charles H. Hart, W. H. Smart, and Joseph F. Smith, Jr., were appointed judges, with Superintendent David H. Morris, of St. George, and Superintendent A. E. Cranney, of Logan, as time-keepers. The judges, after the spirited contest, rendered a mixed verdict, two in favor of the affirmative, and one for the negative. The decision was greeted with applause, as were the young men after each of their meritorious speeches. Elder B. H. Roberts spoke briefly on the cause of the feeling that once existed among our communities against debating, saying it came from the old religious debates once extant in the Church, which often developed into wrangling among the audiences, as well as among the debaters, the meeting often running on till midnight. The speaker was not in favor of debating on religious subjects, but thought debating as carried on at present, with suitable subjects and proper regulations, would be productive of much good. Some few minutes were then devoted to explaining the different departments of the work, and the asking of pertinent questions. Adjourned. Singing, "Praise to God, immortal praise"— Provo quartet. Benediction by Elder Frank Y. Taylor. Meeting again convened in Barratt Hall at 2 o'clock, Assistant Superintendent Heber J. Grant presiding. Singing, "We thank thee, 0 God, for a prophet"— Congregation. Prayer by Elder Nephi L. Morris. Violin solo— Professor W. C. Clive. Elder Lyman R. Martineau, on ATHLETICS, was the first speaker in the afternoon session. Elder Martineau stated that as far as he could learn from the different organizations, athletics

858 IMPROVEMENT ERA. had been a success, and had been the means of bringing a number of boys into the associations, who had not previously attended. He stated that the Juvenile Court had handled some three thousand, five hundred juvenile delinquents last year, and ninety-five per cent of these boys and girls had no official home, no place where they could go to have a social time in their own community, so they went out to seek friends. He thought that if our organizations would take up athletics and make it one of the prominent features of their work, and invite the boys that were inclined to be wayward, that in due course of time these very boys would become enrolled members in the organizations. He recommended that wherever practicable, the organization purchase some two or three acres for a campus of their own, and that they induce the boys to take care of it and become interested in it. It is not necessary to have an extensively equipped campus, but a few things at a time should be secured, until they have a well equipped campus. He also recommended that where a community was erecting a gymnasium or library, or were pushing any municipal movement, that the M. I. A. organizations co-operate with them and help to make it a success; but where there are no movements of this kind, that our organizations take the first steps. Elder Martineau argued that athletics, carried on in a proper manner, will do much to increase our attendance and bring about a general moral uplift. Elder John Henry Evans then gave a talk on GETTING MANUAL LESSONS. He stated that the manuals for this coming year would be "The Making of the Citizen," for the senior classes; and "Lessons in Conduct" for the junior classes, abounding in concrete narrative material, presented in a new and attractive way. The manuals for the senior class will take up economics and the general business affairs of life. There will be fifteen lessons in each manual. To begin with Elder Evans emphasized the necessity of getting the best man in the ward to teach the class, not necessarily a professional teacher, but one who is willing to work. The work in the mutual widely differs from that in the public schools, where the pupils prepare their lessons at home, to a great extent. Elder Evans recommended that where necessary, and when home preparation had been neglected, the teacher actually study the lesson with the students in class, and make the lesson as informal as possible. To do this successfully each member must have a text book in his hands. Where home preparation could be obtained, it was the ideal way, and by far the best means, but where circumstances were such that home preparation could not be obtained, he recommended the above methods.

MUTUAL WORK. 859 Solo, "The Earth is the Lord's" — Oscar A. Kirkham. Dr. George H Brimhall spoke on the READING COURSE. The Committee on Reading Course had recommended the following books for 1910-11: For the Seniors: Lorna Boone, by Blackmore; Brewer's American Citizenship; Captain Bonneville, by Washington Irving; and Emerson's Essays: Friendship, Prudence and Heroism, in one book. For the Juniors: Timothy TitcomVs Letters, by J. G. Holland; The Widow 0' Callaghan' s Boys, by Zollinger; The Bishop's Shadow, by I. T. Thurston. Brother Brimhall stated that all these books had good points in them, but like most other books, none of them were all good. Time was devoted to PERTINENT QUESTIONS, during which the subjects of debates was again brought up. A number of officers stated that they held their regular meetings on Sunday evening, and asked the propriety of holding debates on that evening. Elder B. H. Roberts stated that in view of some of the Church members feeling some.vhat opposed to debating at all, on account of trouble that had arisen through debating in the past, and because of regard for the Sabbath day, that we do not hold debates on Sunday evening, since such action would tend to prejudice against them. After some discussion, a motion carried unanimously that debates be not held on Sunday evenings. General Secretary Moroni Snow read the statistical and financial reports, which will appear in these columns later. (The minutes, containing the other proceedings of Saturday and Sunday, will be concluded in the August Era which will also contain some Df the speeches made at the convention, and other important matter relating to our work. The fall convention dates have been set, and forwarded to the stake superintendents, who are requested to verify them, and if any changes are desired, to notify the General Secretary. The corrected dates will appear in the August number of the Era.)