Mutual Work

Mutual Work

M. I. A. Mid-Season Conferences, 1913 To the Stake and Ward Officers, Y. M. and Y. L. M. I. A.: Dear Brethren and Sisters : — The stake superintendents and presidents of the Y. M. and Y. L. M. I. A. are instructed to make arrangements for holding the annual mid-season conferences of their stakes for our organizations, in conformity with the dates given below. Heretofore the dates have been set by the officers of the stakes; but a large proportion of the stakes have neglected holding these conferences, so the General Boards have decided that this year they would set the dates. DATES FOR THE M. I. A. ANNUAL CONFERENCE February 9— Yellowstone, Wayne. — February 16 Fremont, Rigby, Bear River. — February 23 Snowflake, South Sanpete, North Weber, St. Johns, North Davis, Emery, Liberty, Hyrum, Duchesne, Granite, Weber, Parowan, Young. — March 2 Pioneer, Panguitch, San Juan. — March 9 St. George, San Luis, Big Horn, Blackfoot, Summit, Millard, Bannock, Juab, Bingham, Carbon, Salt Lake, Nebo, Malad, Uintah, Kanab. — March 16 Oneida, Union, Benson, Cache, Star Valley, Teton, South Davis, Tooele, Deseret, Ensign, Ogden. — March 23 Box Elder, North Sanpete, Wasatch, Beaver, Jordan, Alpine, Utah, Morgan, Woodruff, Cassia, Alberta, Pocatello. — March 30 St. Joseph, Maricopa, Sevier, Moapa. In case any of the dates are not satisfactory for any reason, the stake superintendents will please notify the General Secretaries of the General Boards immediately, and state the date desired for their conference, after consultation with their stake presidency. The stake officers are expected to conduct these conferences, and not depend on representatives of the General Boards being present. The stake secretaries are requested to send a report to the General Secretaries of the proceedings of the conference and the general condition of the work. PURPOSE OF THE CONFERENCE. The main purposes of these conferences are: First— To check up the work of the associations in the stake to date, enabling the stake officers to have a definite understanding of the condition of the associations in their stake, with a view to suggesting remedies for such organizations as may have fallen down in any line of our work. Second— To discuss and devise plans for an M. I. A. Day and for the summer work of the associations.

520 IMPROVEMENT ERA INSTRUCTIONS FOR PRELIMINARY WORK These circulars should be immediately distributed to the ward and stake officers; and conjoint meetings of the stake boards should be held to make arrangements for the details of the conference. Suitable halls should be secured where both the young men and the young ladies may be accommodated without interfering with the Sunday School or ward meetings. It is very important that the president of each organization should be present and ready to report, either verbally or in writing, the work of his or her association, so far, in every department. MEETINGS — There should be three meetings held, one of them jointly between the young men and the young ladies, at ten o'clock in the morning; one, separately, at two o'clock in the afternoon, and one general public meeting in the evening.

PROGRAM Conjoint Meeting, 10 a. m. 1. Presentation and discussion of program for stake M. I. A. day. 2. Suggestions for summer work. 3. Suggestive program for Sunday conjoint meeting. 4. A plan for the betterment of your open-night programs. 5. A better way of getting joint transportation for stake visiting. Y. M. M. I. A. Meeting, 2 p. m. I. — A letter should be sent out to every president of an association immediately, requiring him to answer the following questions in writing: 1. How have you succeeded with the manual classes? 2. What have you done to obtain a larger enrollment and awaken increased interest in the association? 3. How have you succeeded with your preliminary programs, and of what have they consisted? (Enclose copy of one.) 4. How did you conduct your open night programs? (Enclose copy of one.) 5. What are the number of Eras taken in your ward? 6. What have you collected on the Fund? 7. Have you a Committee on Vocations, and what have they done? 8. How many reading course books have you in your ward? 9. Name the drama, cantata or opera you have presented. When these questions are sent in from the ward officers the stake board should meet and discuss them, and as the first exercise of the conference, the superintendent should give a summary of the answers which should then be discussed by the officers present. Where any ward has best succeeded in any line of activity, let the president of that ward state in a very short talk how this has been accomplished. Where any ward has fallen down, let the president state what he considers to be the difficulty. Then let officers present who have a remedy

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for the trouble be called upon to name it. In this way we believe much good can be accomplished in awakening a renewed interest in the activities of our organization.Please note that the board of the stake should meet before the date of holding the conference to compile these reports, discuss them, and be prepared to suggest remedies where needed, and to give commendation where merited. At conclusion of conference please mail these questions and answers to General Secretary Moroni Snow, so that your findings may be placed on file and made helpful to others. II. — Plans for the Boy Scout work and athletic movement in this stake for the summer of 1913. Your committee on athletics and Boy Scouts should be advised to prepare a plan for the summer work which should be presented to the officers on this occasion, discussed, and adopted, as far as thought profitable and advisable. See instructions in Era for March, 1912, and January, 1913.

Y. L. M. I. A. Meeting, 2 />. m.

All members as well as officers should be invited. A letter should be sent immediately to each Young Ladies' president requesting her to answer the following questions in writing, sending same to her stake president. I. — Questions: 1. Do you prefer separate outlines for juniors and seniors? Why? 2. Do you continue during the summer? 3. Do you pay 100% dime fund? 4. Does the association subscribe for the Journal and have it bound at end of year? 5. How many Journals are taken in your ward? 6. What is your enrollment? 7. How many of your members have access to the Journal? 8. What are you doing to increase your enrollment and attendance? 9. On what night do you hold meetings? 10. How many Young Ladies' socials have you held? How many conjoint socials? 11. Have you the books of the reading course? 12. How do you interest your girls in these books? 13. How many successful testimony meetings have you held? 14. Do you use the stake traveling library? 15. Have the subjects, "Our Organization," and "Prophetic Counsel," presented at our last convention, been presented in your ward? Follow the same plan in regard to compiling and presenting the answers to these questions as outlined for Y. M. M. I. A. officers above, sending the questions and compiled answers to General Secretary Joan M. Campbell, Room 34, Bishop's Building, Salt Lake City, Utah. II.— Discuss the topic, "What Effect Has the Study of the Restoration Of the Gospel Had Upon Your Life?"

522 IMPROVEMENT ERA Conjoint Evening Meeting. Everybody should be invited to attend this meeting. 1. Have at least one congregational song, and special musical exercises. 2. Address: "Remember the Sabbath Day to Keep it Holy." 3. Address: "Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother." IMPORTANCE OF THE CONFERENCE We believe that this mid-season conference, if properly conducted on the lines set forth above, will result in much good in awakening a renewed interest in our organizations, and that where societies have been neglectful an interest may be revived and work accomplished still during this season. It will also aid in creating a renewed interest for the summer work of our organizations, and help the officers to obtain better results for the season coming. We ask that the general stake officers of the organizations be up and doing in advertising this conference properly and in presenting to the officers gathered such suggestions and commendations as will give them renewed strength for their work. To this end we pray that the Lord will give you influence and bless you. Yours truly, Joseph F. Smith, General Superintendent Y. M. M. I. A. Martha H. Tingey, President Y. L. M. T. A.

Stake Oratorical Contest

On February 3, the Utah Stake M. I. A. oratorical contest finally closed, in the stake tabernacle at Provo, where a large and interested audience heard the contest between the three successful district contestants of the stake. What we specially wish to call the attention of the young men to is that in every district contest in that stake, though many young men tried, the young ladies won. The contest between the three young ladies resulted in giving the first place to Mrs. Sebrina Reynolds, of Springville Third ward, who spoke on "Religious Freedom," and the second place to Miss Ola Sward of Provo Sixth ward, whose subject was "God in Nature;" and the third place to Miss Louie Farley, who spoke on "The Mormon Missionary's Mother." Mrs. Reynolds, of Springville, Third ward, who spoke on "Religious Freeners of contests on the association trophy cup and in addition received as a prize three volumes of Ella Wheeler Wilcox's poems. Miss Sward was presented with two volumes of James Whitcomb Riley's poems, and Miss Farley with a copy of "Mother," by Katherine Norris. We trust that in the next contest the boys will make, some showing. How say you, brethren?

Passing Events

The Equal Suffrage Amendment Resolution was finally adopted by the Nevada Legislature on January 30, and by Missouri, Feb. 20. The Montana Legislature, on January 23, finally passed a woman suffrage resolution; and in Minnesota the lower house, early in February, decided to submit the question to the voters.

King Menelik of Abyssinia Died, about February 3, and Prince Lidj Jeassu, one of his grandsons, entered the capitol as his successor. The kingdom of Abyssinia has a population of about 8,000,000 with a powerful army, and its political institutions are feudal in character. Menelik became the supreme ruler in 1889, and has been reported dead many times before. The new emperor is only seventeen years old, and was elected some years ago by Menelik as his successor.

The Parcels Post System has been an eminent success in the United States. Even if there should be no increase over the packages handled in January, approximately 40,000,000, about 500,000,000 parcels will be handled this year. Some postmasters estimate 1,000,- 000,000 packages. At the fifty largest postoffices, in January, 19,- 365,433 parcels were handled the first four weeks, the last two weeks exceeding the first by 5,000,000 packages.

An attempt on the life of Lord and Lady Hardinge by a bombthrower in Delhi, December 23 last, and the murder of a native official January 14, at Bengal, has had the unexpected effect, it is reported, of cementing Anglo-Indian solidarity. Representative public meetings have been held to resent the outrage against the viceroy and to denounce the crime. The people are said to be doing all they can to help in the discovery of the criminals and to cry down the symptoms of anarchy which have so suddenly invaded that country.

Job Smith, valiant member of the Church and veteran citizen of Utah, died January 2, at Sugar. He was born in England, December 2, 1828, and joined the Church May 18, 1840, being confirmed by Brig-

ham Young, Willard Richards and Wilford Woodruff. He came to America in 1843, and arrived in Nauvoo May 31, of that year. He was ordained a Seventy and taught school there, and was quite familiar with the Prophet Joseph Smith. He started for the west in 1846, and arrived in Utah September 25, 1848. He later filled a mission to England, returning home in 1854, leading a company across the plains. He filled a short mission to California in 1877.

The Pioneer Trail Bill was presented to the Senate of the Utah