To Subscribers of the “Era”

To Subscribers of the Era As Business Manager of the Era, I wish to thank one and all of its subscribers for their loyal support. Some of you have been subscribers from the time the first number was issued, and I am certain that all of you are loyally attached to our magazine, and rejoice in the good it has been able to accomplish. Not only have many of you been loyal subscribers to the Era from the first, but you have gone out of your way to do much missionary work in trying to induce others to enjoy the contents of the magazine, even as you have enjoyed them. The Era gives pleasure and profit to every faithful member of the Church who reads it ; and it has a tendency to inspire every reader with a desire to have his friends share the same pleasure, and partake of the spirit of the gospel breathed from every page— a spirit and feeling akin to that enjoyed by Alma after his conversion. The Era commenced business with not a single dollar of capital, but with the pledge of loyal support from the youngmen. I remember the occasion in the old Thirteenth ward meetinghouse when this pledge of support was first made, and I rejoice that "our boys" have "made good." I rejoice that the General Superintendency and Board made no mistake in accepting the pledge given on that occasion, but began the publication of our magazine which has been a financial success from the start — besides being a power for good at home and abroad. Its pages are always crowded with good things — not a single issue which has not had some articles of great value to faithful members of the Church, as well as to investigators and to all lovers of good reading. The mission of the Era is also to encourage those having a desire, and ability, to write. We are receiving many interesting

EDITOR'S TABLE 649 contributions from leaders in education, industry, social life, missionaries and others, who take pleasure in exercising this talent. All should be made to feel that we are trying to develop home literature of real worth, and we invite every earnest and worthy effort to write, in whatever department of literature fancy may direct. Contributions of our old, as well as from new, writers, will be appreciated by the Era, and those who respond will find that a splendid field is open to them in which to do good, to exercise their talent, and to qualify and improve themselves as writers. From the beginning the Era has done especially valuable service in supplying free copies to the missionaries. This was done partially by our magazine for volumes one and two, and we were aided by generous friends in response to an appeal, signed by the Editor and Manager, asking for means to pay for what the Era was not then able entirely to do. I shall ever remember with deep gratitude the general and prompt response to this appeal by which we received the needed $1,600 for volume one to do this work. In fact, we received more than was necessary for the first year. This surplus amount was invested at interest, and the second year we needed only something over $500, which came to hand upon a second appeal., Only. very little was needed for this purpose for volume three, since which time the Era has been successful enough, without appeals for additional funds, to supply all the elders on missions with the magazine free of charge. The cost of sending these magazines to the missionaries in the past years in actual cash would figure to exceed $25,000, and at the selling price, a very much larger amount. All of our subscribers must feel a justifiable pride in the fact that they have been doing their full share in the accomplishment of this great work by subscribing for the magazine, while at the same time receiving the full value in reading matter for themselves. The magazine has been a powerful instrument for good in the hands of the missionaries, not only in preaching the gospel truths, but in providing openings for the elders themselves to deliver their message to people to whom otherwise, perhaps, they would not have gained access. By this means every subscriber to the Era is doing good missionary work. The Lord stated in a revelation to the Prophet Joseph and Oliver Cowdery:

650 IMPROVEMENT ERA "And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great will be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father?" — Doc. & Cov. 18:15. Every subscriber to the Era has done something in this line. I have no doubt whatever but that many souls have been brought to a knowledge of the gospel in a large measure through the instrumentality of the Era, because its contents have always been of a missionary character. It might interest our readers to know that the General Superintendency and all the members of the General Board have taken a deep interest in its success, and one and all are especially interested in wishing to see the sphere of the magazine enlarged. The shareholders, too, are all on a par — no large ones and no small ones. Every subscriber has an equal interest with every other subscriber. All the profits go to advance the cause and to the betterment of our magazine. We call attention to the fact that within the last year or two sixteen additional pages have been added to each number, and also that at a great cost the magazine has been richly illustrated which has added greatly to its interest. The Era has no excuse for living only as it shall be able to go as an instrument to preach, sustain and uphold the truths of the Gospel of the Master as revealed to us through the Prophet Joseph Smith. It has been true to this calling. Many libraries in this country and others are being supplied with the Era, and we hope to supply hundreds and finally thousands of libraries in this and other lands with the magazine. Nothing but an increased subscription will aid us in this and to enlarge it and better its literary merit. We thank you all for what you have done in the past and earnestly appeal to you to continue to aid the good work so that we may make additional strides in advance for the cause of truth. We need more subscribers to meet the demands for improvement. We appeal to you to interest your friends who are not reading the Era, and to do so at once. The second part of volume fifteen begins with this number, and we shall be pleased to receive subscribers either ior the whole volume, beginning with last November, or for the six months ending with the next October

EDITOR'S TABLE 651 number. The whole volume costs $2, with senior or junior manual free, or $1 for the next six numbers. It is the duty of the Y. M. M. I. A. officers to do the work of canvassing-, for it is their magazine, and we ask the Priesthood authorities to aid and sustain them, since it is their advocate, too. I now appeal to you, dear reader, to say a good word to or to call on your neighbors with the Mutual workers who are out trying to increase our subscription list. If every one of our subscribers would resolve that he would get at least one other subscriber, the task would be an easy one, and the good that would come to the new readers of the Era, and the betterment of the magazine on account of enlarged patronage, could scarcely be estimated. Will you do your share? I have signed many hundreds of letters soliciting subscribers — one year as high as 8,000. This on my part has been a labor of love. It would not be necessary for me to do this, and my time could be occupied in something else for the good of the cause, if all our subscribers would do a little, say secure one subscriber each. From my heart I thank every one who shall act upon this appeal. Heber J. Grant.