--- 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: 14 number: 4 published: 1911-02 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Messages from the Missions," *Improvement Era* 14, no. 4 (February 1911): 354–359.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1404unse 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: improvementera1404unse start_page: 354 end_page: 359 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1911-02) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1404unse publication_year: 1911 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 1911, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Messages from the Missions CD .. i— 3 CD ra _ t-ts CD O K o td t— I 63 — : o ^3 t»5H re GO >* TO >-< P ^ 3 . I * 5: a g- f 2. F i-s . 3 O cr I' § ^^ rt- 3^ ►J 3-™ 3 2 CD CD gt- O ^ - Jg ^< CD P- I k| M » s 3 "^ g= §pK2. ■ B-^g-ei o bd CLi o tr J" H+ cr cd Hb" xT CD 3"1 P-1 , im W W td 3 W CD > ^ 2. 82. 3" L^ e e- » ^a 3, CD !^ /~, 63 CD CD Wcd - ? d Petri "< » rH _ ^ 05 - • CD t-1 ^ & ^ f » M • ^ 3

O 3* 1=1 sr Pj O Writing from Allegheny, Pennsylvania, December 12, 1910, Elder HeberD. Clark says: "We have eighteen elders located in seven differ- ent districts. In each of three of these centers there is a Sunday school, a regular sacrament meeting, and a Mutual Improvement Association, all well equipped with officers, and each with a good attendance. In the other four districts, where halls are not available, meetings and classes are held at the homes of the people. In all, we have three hundred and twelve members of the Church; twenty-one of these joined this year. Thirty local brethren hold the priesthood. The branch at Fairview, in Franklin county, is presided over by Elder A. E. Stanger, aided by Elder Martin Martinsen. The stone, L. D. S. meetinghouse there is the only one of its kind in the state. Nine new members were added to the branch, by baptism, this summer, which gives them a total membership of over forty. During the season, twelve branch conferences were held in different settlements of the Saints, and the local newspapers generally made favorable mention of the work. The people are very friendly and hospitable. The elders have effective conversations upon the gospel with nearly all who accept literature. The prejudice of some of the minis- ters, in localities where the elders labor, has been aroused, and in a number of cases their sentiments have been "hot against us," but in nearly every instance, for our immediate good, and ultimately for our good probably in every case." Elder H. R. Merrill gives an account of the lectures of Mr. Hans P. Freece, who recently paid Belfast, Ireland, a visit to warn the people against the dangers of "Mormonism," and to gain the co-operation of the people in placing the "Mormon" question before the Home Secre- tary, requesting him to prohibit them from preaching or distributing literature in the United Kingdom. He says that the lectures were well attended and that the ministers near Belfast gave the movement their hearty support. A number of those who attended the lectures, however, expressed themselves as being very much disappointed in them. They expected to hear something new from this man, who claims to have been born in the Church, of polygamous parents, but instead he had only the same false stories that have been retold so many times by Mr. Jarman and others. Among other things, he said that he had investigated con- ditions in Ireland, and had discovered that a number of girls, but not one man, had been shipped out to Utah by the "Mormon' ; Church. Needless to say, he produced no evidence to this effect, nor did he give any name. At the Y. M. C. A. lecture, a vote was taken as to whether or not a petition should be placed before the Home Secretary requesting him to take hold of this matter. Eighteen hundred liberty-loving British EDITOR'S TABLE. 357 subjects voted for the petition to be forwarded. Only seven voted against the measure, and four of them were "Mormons." The Belfast Evening Telegraph,of December 5, contains a correspondence from a gentleman in which he takes issue with the eighteen hundred advocates of religious ELDERS OF THE BELFAST CONFERENCE. Top row: D. P. Williams, Murray, W. S. Beatie, Salt Lake City, Utah; T. C. Jones, Byron, Wyoming; J. M. McMurdie, Paradise, Utah; V. J. Danielson, Independence, Missouri; W. H. Bolton, Paris, Idaho; L. S. Miles, Smithfield, Samuel Campbell, Salt Lake City, Utah. Second row: Jesse Crosby, Cowley, Wyoming; G. M. Bybee, Jr., Tropic, James W. Randall, Ogden, Utah; I. M. Osborn, Rexburg, Idaho; W. W. Freckleton, Eureka, Utah; L. L . Harris, Cardston, Canada; J. A. Beck, Spanish Fork, J. A. Smith, J. W. Fitches, Salt Lake City, Utah. Third row: A. A. Ellis, Salt Lake City, Utah; H. R. Merrill, Preston, Idaho, President; W. W. Osborn, Salt Lake City, Utah; Mrs. Rudger Clawson and President Rudger Clawson, S. N. Lee (Liverpool office) Brigham City, Elijah Davis, Salt Lake City, William Johnson, Randolph, Utah. Bottom row: T. F. McDonald, Salt Lake City, Utah; A. H. Powell, D. M. Powelson, Raymond, Canada; S. L. Corbridge, Preston, Idaho; J. M. Jones, Mt. Sterling, Utah. liberty (for themselves), and advises them, in this fashion, to take a bet- ter way of exposing the "Mormon'' people: Let us fight error with truth, with the word of the spirit. If we cannot overcome it by this weapon, our public resolution will not do so. If we adopt this bigoted and narrow-minded policy, how can we object or complain if Hindoos, Mohammedans and others follow our "enlightened" example and expel our missionaries from foreign lands? I am glad to find that seven friends of liberty were present, as against eighteen hundred bigots who will not allow others the same liberty they claim for themselves. Elder Merrill adds: "So much for Mr. Freece and the little ripple he made when he dropped his little vitriol into the hearts of an honest and warm-hearted but impulsive people. The reaction has already set in, and we are confident that "Mormonism'' will get a more thorough investigation than it has yet received in this country. We are all for Ireland and her people. Her ever-green fields are an object lesson in growth. There is no drying up or withering away here — it is grow, grow, grow. We have come here to plant the gospel seed among the shamrock, which has for so many years been used to illustrate the trinity— three in one — and we hope it will grow and bear fruit after its kind. God bless Ireland and her people! We elders are pushed and pulled and misrepresented by those who do not know us, but those who are acquainted with us show us the sunny side of the warm Irish char- acter. An Irish friend is one upon whom you can depend — as the old gentleman used to say at home, 'He will fight for ye at the drap of the hat, and will drap it himself.' " Elders Walter A. Hancock and George C. Rounds write from Lowell, Massachusetts, December 16, that the first conference of the Lowell branch had just been held by the elders laboring there, assisted by Con- ference President John C. Tolton, and Elder James B. McQueen, of the Lynn branch. The work in Lowell was opened by the writers on Octo- ber 11, 1909. They have now a large circle of friends and investigators* ELDERS OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS. Back row: James B. McQueen, Preston, Idaho; Conference President John C. Tolton, Beaver, Utah. Front row: Walter A. Hancock, Mor.tpelier, George C. Rounds, Iona, Idaho. EDITOR'S TABLE. 359 and five members of the Church, one of whom, Sister Reed, joined the Church sixty-four years ago, when the first branch was established there. She has remained true to the faith through all these years. A hall is engaged in which they hold meetings, and they hope to have a successful campaign during the present winter, and for the coming years. President Lewis M. Jensen, of the Fairmont, West Virginia confer- ence of the Eastern States mission, writes, December 17, 1910, that the missionaries there are meeting with good success and making many friends. A Sunday school of twenty-five members is organized, and meets every Sunday morning, on which day, also, a sacrament meeting is held. The Mutual Improvement Association meeting is held every Tuesday evening, and singing practice on Thursday evening, with great success. At each practice a short gospel address is given, and it is found that the songs of Zion preach sermons to people who could not be reached in any other way. From three to five cottage meetings are held e/ery week among Saints and friends. A larger number of Books NORTHWEST VIRGINIA CONFERENCE. Back row: Ambrose B. Kessler and wife, Salt Lake City, Utah; Front row left to right: Frank M. Johnson, Springville, Utah; Presi- dent Lewis M. Jensen, La Grand, Oregon; Abram Jones, Adamsville, Utah. of Mormon, and other smaller books, are sold weekly. In the past ten months forty-one baptisms were performed in that conference. A Sun- day school is also conducted at Churches Fork, Wetzell county, at which 360 IMPRO VEMENT ERA . seven or eight families, who are not members of the Church, but who are very much interested in the gospel, take part. All the elders are in good health, and feel that God is blessing them in their labors. In Belfast, Irland, Mr. Hans P. Freece, an anti- "Mormon" lecturer, held forth in several lectures against the Latter-day Saints, with a view to getting the Home Secretary to prevent the "Mormons" from having a right to distribute literature in the United Kingdom. Some of the native Latter-day Saints were very much put out over the lectures. Elder H. R. Merrill states that one old gentleman, who has served the royal navy, and who has been a member of the Church for years, was aroused to boil- ing point, and said, in a testimony meeting, that the past month had been the happiest month of his life, for he had had an opportunity to defend the faith before friend and foe. Another of the aged members of the Church tells of a man who came to him and asked if he had been to hea the Freece lectures. "No, I have not,'' Brother Stewart replied. "Why didn't you? Man dear, we got good value!" "I can hear lies enough about the 'Mormons' without going to hear him," Brother Stewart replied. "Are you a 'Mormon?' " the man asked surprisedly. "Indeed, and I think I am!" was the reply. "Man, you should hear the minister of the mission hall tell of them! He can tell some queer things about the 'Mormonites.' " "Indeed, an' he's been to my house," was the reply. "An' what did you say till him?" "I was out in the yard sawin' a bit of a stick, when he came to my house. My wife goes to the mothers' meetin' that's held there occasion- ally. She came to the door and says, 'John, come in; the minister is here.' 'Has he any message for me?' says I. 'Come in and hear,' says she. So I went in. When I got inside the house, the minister said, 'Where do you go to church?' 'I go to the 'Mornnns,' ' says I. 'Hell will be your portion if you continue to go there!' says he. Says I (may God forgi' me for it!) 'You're a d d liar!' Says he, 'I think I'll be goin'. 'Indeed, an' you could ha' gone long ago had ye asked me!' says I." "You shouldn't ha' said that till him," the man said. "I know I shouldn't," said Brother Stewart, "but when the de'il's in the house, 1 had to be able wi' him!"