--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Smith, Joseph F. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 14 number: 1 published: 1910-11 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Smith, Joseph F., “Editor’s Table: An Address,” *Improvement Era* 14, no. 1 (November 1910): 70–84." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1401unse 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: improvementera1401unse start_page: 70 end_page: 84 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1910-11) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1401unse publication_year: 1910 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 1910, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Editor’s Table: An Address Editor's Table. An Address. BY PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH. I feel very grateful for the privilege of being present with you this morning at the opening of our eighty-first anniversary of the semi-annual conference of the Church [October 6, 1910]. I am pleased to see so many present, and my heart is full of bless- ing for the Latter-day Saints and, indeed, for all the honest in heart throughout the world. I earnestly desire that the Spirit of the Lord may visit us and abide with us throughout all the sessions of this conference. I do not feel that I should occupy very much time this morn- ing. I have just got out of my bed, where I have lain for more than a month, with very little exercise, and I feel the effects of the inertia, the inactivity to which I have been subjected — not willingly but unwillingly — for the last thirty days or more. Never- theless, I feel in my heart to say to this congregation that I love the gospel, I love and believe the truth that has been revealed anew to the children of men in these latter days, more, if possible, today than ever I did in my life, and I think that it is possible for the reason that I believe all true Latter-day Saints are growing. They are progressing, they are absorbing more light, more intelli- gence, stronger convictions of the truth day by day; for we cannot help doing this, if we enjoy the spirit of the gospel as we should. A Pledge with God and his People Made and Kept. In the days of my childhood and early youth, I made a pledge with God and with his people that I would be true to them. In looking over the experiences of my life, I cannot now discern, and EDITOR'S TABLE. 71 do not remember a circumstance, since the beginning of my experience in the world, where I have felt, for a moment, to slacken or relax in the pledge and promise that I made to God and to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in my youth. If there is a man or a woman in the world who can point out to me an instance, in all my life, where I have been untrue to my pledge or promise or covenant, I shall be glad to receive that information from that man or woman. As an elder in Israel, I tried to be true to that calling; I tried to my utmost to honor and magnify that calling. When I became a seventy, I felt in my heart to be true to that calling, and I strove with all the intelligence and fervor of my soul to be true to it. I have no knowledge nor recollection of any act of mine, or of any circumstance in my life where I proved untrue or unfaithful to these callings in the priesthood of the Son of God. Later in my life, when I was called to act as an apostle, and was ordained an apostle and set apart to be one of the twelve, I strove to honor that calling, to be true to it, and to my brethren, to the household of faith, and to the covenants and obligations involved in receiving this holy priesthood, which is after the order of the Son of God. I am not aware that I ever violated one of my obligations or pledges in these callings to which I have been called. I have sought to be true and faithful to all these things. I have endeavored to be true to my family; and if ever I have violated one pledge or promise, or neglected one obligation that rests upon me in these relationships, I do not know it. And when I have made pledges to the people of God or to the world, if ever I have violated those pledges I do not know it. Furthermore, I do not believe there is a man living who does know it, or who can truthfully testify that I ever did violate these pledges. True to God, his People and the World in Every Promise. I stand before you today, my brethren, sisters and friends, on the ground that I have tried to be true to God to the utmost of my knowledge and ability; that I have tried to be true to my peo- ple to the utmost of my knowledge and ability; and I have been true to the world in every pledge and promise that I have made to the world. There have been men who have shown a disposition to 72 IMPROVEMENT ERA. make it appear that I was a hypocrite; that I was two-faced; that I was one thing to the world and another thing in secret. Falsehood and Vilification Must Cease. I want it distinctly understood that those who have conveyed such an idea as this to mankind have been wilfully injuring me, wronging me, and falsifying me and my character before the peo- ple; and I want it distinctly understood that those things must stop. They must stop at least among men who profess to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I can endure to be maligned and persecuted by my enemies, who are also enemies of the kingdom of God, but I do not want to be maligned and behed by men who profess to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, neither intentionally nor other- wise. Now, I trust that you understand clearly what I mean. I do not know how I can make it much plainer or clearer with the knowledge that I have of language. Then, I repeat, as the Lord has helped me in the past to be true to my covenants, that I have entered into with him and with you, with my brethren and with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so, by his help and by his blessing, 1 propose to be true throughout the future of my life, whether I am permitted to live long or short — it matters not to me. While I live, I hope to be a true man, an honest man, a man who can face all mankind and, at last, who can stand before God, the Judge of the quick and the dead, and not quail for what I have done in the world. May God bless you. May peace abide with you, my brethren and sisters. I pray you to be true to your covenants; be true to those covenants that you made in the waters of baptism; to those covenants you made in the house of the Lord; and true to every righteous obligation that devolves upon yoii. Latter-day Saints must be Thinkers and Workers. To be Latter-day Saints, men and women must be thinkers and workers; they must be men and women who weigh matters in their minds; men and women who consider carefully their course of life and the principles that they have espoused. Men cannot be faithful Latter-day Saints unless they study and understand, to some extent at least, the principles of the gospel that they have EDITOR'S TABLE. 73 received. When you hear people, who profess to be Latter-day Saints, running off on tangents, on foolish notions and one-horse, cranky ideas, things that are obviously opposed to reason and to good sense, opposed to principles of righteousness and to the word of the Lord that has been revealed to men, you should know at once that they have not studied the principles of the gospel, and do not know very much about the gospel. When people under- stand the gospel of Jesus Christ you will see them walking straightforward, according to the word of the Lord and the law of God, strictly in accordance with that which is consistent, just, righteous, and in every sense acceptable to the Lord, who only accepts of that which is right and pleasing in his sight; for only that which is right is pleasing unto him. "I Know that my Redeemer Lives." I have not time, neither have I strength this morning, to enter into details or to undertake to preach a lengthy discourse. I do not feel able to do it physically. The spirit is willing, but just now the flesh is not very strong; but I want to bear testimony to you Latter-day Saints. I know that my Redeemer lives. We have all the testimony and all the evidence of this great and glo- rious truth that the world has, that is, all that the so-called Chris- tian world possesses; and in addition to all that they have, we have the testimony of the inhabitants of this western continent, to whom the Savior appeared and delivered his gospel, the same as he delivered it to the Jews. In addition to all this new testimony, and the testimony of the holy scriptures from the Jews, we have the testimony of the modern prophet, Joseph Smith, who saw the Father and the Son, and who has borne record of them to the world, whose testimony was sealed with his blood, and is in force upon the world today. We have the testimony of others, who wit- nessed the presence of the Son of God in the Kirtland Temple, when he appeared to them there, and the testimony of Joseph, and of Sidney Rigdon, who declared that they were the last witnesses of Jesus Christ. Therefore, I say again I know that my Redeemer lives; for in the mouths of these witnesses this truth has been estabUshed in my mind. Besides these testimonies, I have received the witness of the 74 IMPROVEMENT ERA. Spirit of God in my own heart, which exceeds all other evidences, for it bears record to me, to my very soul, of the existence of my Redeemer, Jesus Christ. I know that he lives, and that in the last day he shall stand upon the earth, that he shall come to the people who shall be prepared for him, as a bride is prepared for the bridegroom when he shall come. I believe in the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and I have every evidence that I need — at least enough to convince me of the divinity of his mission. I am proud to say that I have accepted, and have tried to keep and honor, every word that has proceeded from the mouth of God through him. As it is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God," no one will dare to accuse me of side-tracking from or of refusing to obey any doctrine taught by or revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Divine Authority of the Prophet Joseph and his Successors. I bear my testimony to you and to the world that Joseph Smith was raised up by the power of God to lay the foundations of this great latter-day work, to reveal the fulness of the gospel to the world in this dispensation, to restore the priesthood of God to the world, by which men may act in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and it will be accepted of God; it will be by his authority. I bear my testimony to it; I know that it is true. I bear my testimony to the divine authority of those who have succeeded the Prophet Joseph Smith in the presidency of the Church. They were men of God; I knew them; I was intimately associated with them, and as one man may know another, through the intimate knowledge that he possesses of him, so I can bear testimony to the integrity, to the honor, to the purity of life, to the intelligence, and to the divinity of the mission and calling of Brigham, of John, of Wilford and of Lorenzo. They were inspired of God to fill the mission to which they were called, and I know it. I thank God for that testimony, and for the spirit that prompts me and impels me toward these men, toward their mission, toward this people, toward my God and my Redeemer. I thank EDITOR'S TABLE. 75 pray earnestly that it may never depart fron- id. God bless you, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen. the Lord for it, and I pray earnestly that it may never depart from me — worlds without end. Conference Sermon of President Anthon H. Lund. I am very happy this morning to be present at this conference, and to see so many of the Saints who have assembled here at this first meeting. I rejoice that we have had the pleasure of listening to our president, that his health has permitted him to leave his room and to come here and bear such a powerful testimony unto us. I know that you, with me, are happy to see him and to listen to him, and our prayers are that President Smith may regain his wonted health, and be released from all pain of the kind he has suffered so long. Spiritual Growth and Temple Work. I believe that during the last six months there has been great progress in the Church, and that the Saints are drawing nearer unto God, and are trying to perform their duties better than before. When I look upon the eagerness with which the Saints flock to the temples, I know that in spiritual matters they feel well. During the past year the temple here has been crowded, and I congratulate the Saints upon this fact, which shows that they love to go into the house of God and take part in the ordinances which are performed therein. The prophecy of Malachi is fulfiling: the hearts of the children are turned to their fathers. During the last six months we have had a great increase in the number of the members of the Genealogical Society, which proves the interest that the Saints are taking in the great work for the dead. Many are sending abroad, obtaining their records to quite an extent, and I want to encourage the Saints in this good work. Yesterday we had seventy-two couples of young people come to the temple to be married. That is a good sign. We want the young people to begin married life aright. We want them to go to the house of God and make covenants with him to serve him, and also enter into covenants wiUi one another in regard to married 76 IMPROVEMENT ERA. life, and to obtain the blessings of the sealings performed under the authority of the holy priesthood. The Mission Fields. The work abroad continues to prosper. We have the joy to learn that the work in Europe is going forward in spite of all opposition. About three months ago we heard about a wholesale exiling of our elders from Prussia. I believe there were twenty- one cast into prison, and it looked as if that government would suc- ceed in its determination to stop the progress of the work of the Lord in that kingdom. Our elders, however, did not feel dis- heartened. If they could not labor in Prussia, there were other countries where they could go and labor in the Lord's vineyard. We have had letters from prominent men in Germany and France asking us for literature. They wanted to know more about us, and gave as a reason that they had read about the persecution of the elders by the government of Prussia. They say they could hardly believe that such things could take place in the twentieth century. The report of the German mission shows that the work there has not been stopped, for the month after this occurrence was, I believe, one of the banner months in that mission, as to baptisms. in a late letter from President Thomas McKay, we learn that the branch established at Vienna last year, with three members, has now grown to thirty-five; and at a meeting he attended there were a hundred people present, and this was only a meeting by invitation. He thinks that there is one of the best openings for the proclamation of the gospel. Likewise in Hungary — our elders have not done much in that kingdom. It belongs to Austria, but is a separate nationality. We have a brother there who has studied the language, and has published tracts in it, and a consid- erable awakening is witnessed there. People are eager to know something concerning the gospel of Christ, as revealed to the Prophet Joseph, and there are good prospects that many in that nation will come and join us. The brethren are continuing their labors in the French part of Switzerland, in France and in Belgium, and are meeting with success. Likewise in Holland, and in the Netherlands mission as a whole, our missionaries are obtaining EDITOR'S TABLE. 77 gratifying results. In Norway there was some excitement, this summer, among the people. The priests and the press sought to have laws passed against the elders being allowed to preach in Norway, and it looked for awhile as if such laws would be passed. But I am happy to say that the committee having the bill in hand reported to the Storthing, or Congress, of Norway, that there was no need of any more legislation in that regard. So our Saints there feel to breathe freer. But, whatever men may do, I feel that nothing can be done to stop the progress of the work of the Lord. This is the gospel restored unto the earth, and it must be preached unto all nations. John, in describing the mission of the angel that should come with the everlasting gospel, tells us that his proclamation was to go to all nations — none should be exempt- None had the gospel, it had to be restored and preached to all.. And this has become our mission, brethren and sisters; we must dO' this work. We are sending two thousand elders abroad. They are working diligently, and they are gaining the love and confi- dence of those with whom they become acquainted. The people look upon these men as men who are what they profess to be — earnest ministers of the gospel, who seek to enlighten their fellow- men concerning their belief; and in their works and in their lives they show the fruits of the faith which God has given them. We are sending out missionaries every year, in fact, every month. Practical jReligion Should be Taught to our Children. I want to say to the Saints that our children should be taught in the principles of the gospel; they should be encouraged to attend the different organizations that have been established for the development of our children and our young people. We have several of these organizations. Our Mutuals are doing a splendid work. We like to encourage those who are engaged therein, and encourage our fathers and mothers to see to it that their sons and their daughters take the courses that are given in the Mutuals. We also want to encourage them to send their children to the Prima- ries, to the Sunday schools, and to the Religion classes. We know that this is necessary. Our children should be guarded against contaminating influ- ences. When we read reports from the juvenile courts we feel 78 IMPROVEMENT ERA. shocked, and we are thankful that these courts have been estab- lished, for we believe they do a great deal of good. We hope that our legislature will sustain them, and we must take a hand with them. We must be warned by what we hear is going on among the young people, and try to protect them against the evil influ- ences that are so demoralizing. Let us encourage our children to become members of the organizations I have mentioned, and to receive as much training as possible in religion. We do not mean thereby that they should be taught theory entirely, but we want them taught practical religion. We want them taught how to pray, how to walk uprightly before God, how to learn to exercise charity to the neighbor, to do good to those who are in need, and to remember the sick. I was touched when I heard that a cer- tain class in the Religion class organization, went and got flowers and sent them to a sick class-mate to comfort him in his sickness, and thus gave evidence to the sick boy that he was remembered by his class. We should commend such thi igs; we want to encour- age our children to think of others besides themselves. Now, brethren and sisters, do not discourage the children from attending the Primaries, the Religion classes or the Mutuals. All of these organizations are of the utmost importance, and we desire to see them well attended, so that the young peo- ple may get the benefit of the teachings given therein. Negligence of the Saints in Attending Meetings. We hope that the Saints will be alive in their duties to attend their meetings. We find there is a slackness in some places, and this I believe, to some extent, can be ascribed to those who have charge. The bishops and their assistants must study their congregations, and must seek to make their meetings inter- esting, so thac they do not have to preach to empty benches. This has not been the custom in Israel. As a rule, our meetinghouses are filled, but in some places there has arisen indifference, and where such neglect is seen, our brethren who have charge should study conditions, and the cause of this negligence, in regard to attending meetings. We are commanded by the Lord to go to his house on the Sunday. The Sunday has been declared his holy day, and he com- EDITOR'S TABLE. " ' 79 mands us to go to his house and there offer uj) our oblations, there renew our covenants in the sacrament, there listen to those who shall address us, and take part in the worship of God. This duty cannot be neglected without our sustaining a great loss. Brethren and sisters, let us be thankful that God has given us the faith and a testimony of the truth, and has given us a testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that his successors have been men appointed by the Lord. We know this. This is our testimony, when we are called upon to speak, for we feel it within our heart of hearts. Now let us carry out in our everyday life that which we know to be right, and the blessings of the Lord will attend us. May he bless the congregation of the Saints. May he bless us in this conference; bless the speakers who shall address us, that such things may be brought forth as shall be for our best good. I ask it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. (President John Henry Smith spoke on the need of faithful mis- sionaries, the tendency to scatter, the glory of our own land and nation, and home building, motherhood, and children. His practical and pertinent sermon will appear in the Era later.) Messages from the Missions. Elder Victor H. Sears, who left Chicago late in August for a mission to Germany, is the first Chicago elder to leave for a foreign mission. He is a grandson of the late Lorin Farr and a son of Dr. Heber J. Sears, and, graduated last Spring from the "Weber Stake i^cademy. Elder Reno Ferre, under date of September 10, writes the Era from Baton Rouge, La., saying that the summer work of the elders in Louisi- ana has been very successful. Their book sales were low, but they had baptized forty-six converts. Their conference was held at New Orleans, August 29, attended by all the elders except E. R. Burkley and T. N. Drinker, and by President S. 0. Bennion and two lady missionaries. A good feeling prevailed and satisfactory work in the field had been done. The elders hope to have free access to the city before the end of the year. At Pride and Glovey there are well organized Sunday schools and thirty-eight meetings have been held. A portrait of the Louisiana elders follows: ^' 1^ si^B J y ^ ^ 5^^ i ^ iff } ? - 'f ' Y LOUISIANA ELDERS. Top row, left to right: E. G. Bell, William W. Farley. William Karren (Sunday school superintendent), Reno Ferre and J. M. Barnson. Front row: T. L. Archibald, R. T. Gallagher, President A. L. Thomas, J. H. Hutchinson, Ed. Darlington. Elder John T. Barrett, of Providence, R. I., writes to the ERA,under date of September 5, that there is an average of fourteen elders labor- ing in the Rhode Island conference, and they have done a very good work in Rhode Island and Connecticut during the past six months, hav- ing held 175 meetings; distributed 19,00 0 tracts and 1,215 books; visited 19,661 new families; revisited 3.- 736; spent 3,925 hours intracting, 5,562 hours in gospel conversations and 13,429 hours in study. The elders study in organized classes during the win- ter under leaders, and great good is accom- plished in this way. In Providence there is a n excellent Sunday school and the local brethren are perfectly capable of carrying on the Sunday school and the regular meetings when the elders are absent. "We are proud of our ELDERS OF PROVIDENCE. R. I. Left to right, back row: James C. Glover, Farmington; Ross Bartlett, Vernal; and in front, John T. Barrett, Salt Lake City— all of Utah. EDITOR'S TABLE. , 81 circle of friends, who are of the best class of thrifty business people, and highly intelligent. In fact, this is the class that''fefei%ospel mostly appeals to here— the thinkers and those who are perfectly capable of standing alone, holding their ground with any one who may oppose the truth." Elder E. R, Burkley and T. Norton Brinker reported to the Cen- tral States mission office, printed in the Deseret News of September 3, a case of healing by the power of administration, that is worthy of notice: "Last Sunday, on arriving at the home of Brother Simpson, we found the family very much alarmed because of the doctors having told them that there was no chance in the world of their son's recovery. It seemed that every moment would be his last; he was unable to sp^ak, and his pulse was beating at an exceedingly rapid rate. After uniting in prayer, we administered to him and continued to do so through the night. The doctor promised to call that evening, but, believing the boy to be dead, delayed his coming, nor did he call until three o'clock the next afternoon. After an examination of the patient, the doctor pro- nounced him very much better than on the day before. He expressed surprise and astonishment at the condition, and, although being skeptically inclined, he admitted that a power higher than his had saved the life of the boy, pronouncing him practically out of danger." Elder Harold C. Kimball writes under date of August 29, that while he and three companions were preaching in Breslau on Friday, August 19, they were visited by criminal detectives and were commanded to follow them, which they did, and were taken to the courthouse and searched. Their passports were taken, and after being questiv^ned they were released and told to appear on the following Tuesday to receive their passports. The elders called and were given their passports, together with banishment papers. Besides a verbal banishment from Prussia each elder received a zwangpass, which was to ship them via Berlin and Ham- burg to America, and thence to their homes in Utah. This document provided that if the elders stopped over in any place on the way without reporting to the police, they would be fined fifty marks or imprisoned for fifty d^ys. When the elders asked why they were banished, they were told that no official reason would be given. Eight elders were recently banished from Leipzig and one from Konigsberg, and it seems as if the government means business. The recent banishment from Berlin seems to have made quite a stir, and a statement was made in one of the Ger- man papers that it is intended to banish every elder from Germany. Elder Kimball adds: "In spite of our difficulties here in Gei'many the work is progressing very rapidly. Instead of stopping our elforts they help us along, and we are not disposed to take the threats too seriously. I think something will occur before long to help us get our freedom." 82 IMPROVEMENT ERA. Elder Andrew Funk, Aarhus, Denmark, September 6, sends a photo- graph of the elderi laboring in that conference of the Scandinavian mis- sion. The portrait shows the elders at the home of one of their friends, Mr. Thomas Hermanseii, who, during a recent conference, served the elders every morning with breakfast. The photograph was taken at the breakfast table, and the names of the elders and visitors, reading from left to right, are as follows: ELDERS AND SAINTS OF THE AARHUS CONFERENCE, DENMARK. Seated: Christen Nielsen, Anthon Cramer, Martin Peterson, E. J. Chri^;- tiansen, M. D. Simonsen, Hyrum W. Hansen, Andrew Funk, President Niels J. Larsen, Mission President Andrew Jenson, Marie Hermansen. Thomas Hermansen, Hannah Nielsen, Hyrum Nielsen, Dorothy E. Little, William D. Norman, Louis M. Breinholt, N. Claudius Hoist, J. Lyman Nielsen, C. H. Johnson, Hilmar M. Nielsen. Standing: August 0. Niel- sen, A. P. Nielsen, A. A. Smith, Christian Jensen, Erastus P. Rasmus- sen, and Niels Iversen. Mr. Hermansen is a staunch defender of the Saints. His wife has been a member of the Church for sixteen years, during which time they have always had an open house to entertain the missionaries. The spirit of that home has a wide influence for good among the Saints in Aarhus. During the April conference, when the picture was taken, not an elder who attended needed to seek entertainment at hotels, but were enter- tained at the homes of the Saints, the example of Mr. Hermansen being copied by the other members of the Church, who thus pro^e their faith by their works. "As elders we are firm in the belief that those who EDITOR'S TABLE. 83 thus entertain us will not lose their reward because of their kindness to the servants of the Lord, for he has said, 'Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily, I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.' " ELDERS OF VICTORIAN CONFERENCE. Back row, left to right: J. F. Wardle, Parker; D. H. Ricks. Rexburg, Idaho; S. A. Taylor, Provo; L. M. Richards, Logan, Utah; Front row: L. M. Paul, Rexburg, Idaho. W. E. Ellison, Salt Lake City; A. E. Watkins, conference president, Provo Utah; D. C. Laker, St. Charles, Idaho; D. T. Gibbs, Alberta, Canada. These elders are laboring in two branches of the Church, one with head- quarters at 99 Somerset St., Richmond, and one at South Melbourne. At Richmond there is a graded Sunday school of three departments, a well attended Mutual Improvement association, of which Elder W. E- Ellison is president, with Elder Ricks and Maud A. Reynolds, as assist- ants. They study from the New Witnesses for God, No. 2, and enjoy the lessons. They hold well attended street meetings, and find many who listen who are earnest seekers for the truth, and who later come to the hall meetings, which are well attended. Elder S. A. Taylor, who gives us this information, further states that the South Melbourne conference is progressing rapidly under the care of Elder D. C. Laker. On the 8rd of July three new converts were baptized. They have a good Sunday school of two departments, and are studying from the Book of Mormon with great interest. A Bible class is held on Wednesday night of each week, composed of Saints and investigators, and cottage meetings are held as 84 IMPRO VEMENT ERA . often as occasion will permit. On Friday night of each week street meetings are held which create considerable interest, and there is often much questioning after the meeting, which results generally in an increased attendance and more friends for the elders. There is an aver- age of thirty who attend hall meetings on Sunday night. The elders ire laboring diligently, and the prospects for the branch are bright. Elder Emil W. Weed, conference president of Stockholm, Sweden, writes, August 26: "It is now more than four weeks since we were hon- ored by the visit of our beloved President Joseph F. Smith and Bishop Charles W. Nibley. On account of this visit, judging by the general good feeling that exists, as well as the expressions and testimonies given by those who were present to hear and see and even grasp the president by the hand, a beautiful feeling and good influence remains with us. Now and then we hear members say: 'Now, my heart is content; I have seen and heard the prophet, and know now he is a man of God.' We rejoice in this, fpr we love and honor him as a man of God, and feel that such sentiments as these are inspired by the Holy Spirit." The Stockholm choir, of which Gustave W. Teudt is leader, and a portrait of which appeared in the September number of the Era, rendered the music at the meetings during President Smith's visit, and was very highly compli- mented by him for its excellent singing. Elder Arthur Manning, of West Point, Davis Stake of Zion, and a missionary of the Southern States, died at a hospital in Knoxville, Tenn- essee, September, 22, 1910. He arrived in the mission field, June 14- 1909, and labored faithfully in Ohio, Virginia and Tennessee. He was twenty-four years old. The body was brought to Utah by President C. A- Callis and buried in the cemetery of his home town. Elder Ben E. Mason, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, writes hat mission work is being prosecuted with vigor in that district, under the leadership of President C. Alvin Orme. The missionaries under his direction seem to be enjoying their labors in that large island division of the vineyard. Elder Mason encloses a poem which he composed on the 68th anniversary of the birth of his mother, June 15, 1910. He is the baby son out of eleven children, and he sent it to her from his mis- sion field ten thousand miles away, in Sydney, Australia. The poem is full of filial love and good sentiment, which will give great comfort to the heart of his mother. A young man can do no better service than to temper the remaining days of father and mother, ease their cares and smooth their pathway, by obedience, a noble life and filial affection.