--- 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: 16 number: 11 published: 1913-09 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Mutual Work: Joint Convention Meeting," *Improvement Era* 16, no. 11 (September 1913): 1159–1164.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera16011unse 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: improvementera16011unse start_page: 1159 end_page: 1164 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1913-09) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera16011unse publication_year: 1913 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 1913, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Mutual Work: Joint Convention Meeting Mutual Work Joint Convention Meeting, Y. M. and Y. L. M. I. A. Tc Consider the Program for Contests Leading up to M. I. A. Day — 9:00 a. m. The stake boards should have met jointly prior to this meet- ing and prepared a suggestive list of activities for contests leading up to M. I. A. Day, and rules governing same. The first business is to consider their report and to decide defi- nitely upon the work to be taken up in your stake. ACTIVITIES TO BE TAKEN UP AT THE GENERAL JUNE CONFERENCE. In order to make clear to the officers what will be done in contest work at the June Conference, and so aid them in the selection of their own work, the following activities have been outlined by the General Board, and will be taken up at the annual conference of the M. I. A., June, 1914: I Re-told Story— 10 Minutes. Points for judgment: 1. Selection. 2. Delivery. a. Simple, earnest, direct. b. Pronunciation and enunciation. 3. Get author's message and tell it in your own words. 4. Give proper value to the part's. Note. See suggestive list of stories in Era and Journal. II. Mixed Double Quartet. (See Era and Journal for title.) a. Attack and release. b. Reading and interpretation. c. Phrasing and expression. d. Blending and balance. e. Tempo and pitch. f. Tone quality. g. Enunciation. III. Orations. 10 minutes. Points for judgment: 1. The idea. 2. The development. a. Introduction. 1. Simple, direct, earnest, suggestive of material to follow. b. Body. 1. Develop theme which should be persuasive rather than merely matter-of-fact. c. Summary. 1. General conclusion taken from the body of ora- tion. d. Original. 1160 IMPROVEMENT ERA 1. No long quotations should he given. 2. Sincerity. 3. Delivery. Note. See suggestive list of subjects in Era and Journal. Note. Consult as models, orators such as Demosthenes, Lin- coln, W>ebster, Woodrow Wilson, Sumner, Wendell Phillips, Nicholas Murray Butler. IV. Junior Boys' Chorus. (Six to eight members.) 1. "The Morning Breaks the Shadows Flee." — E. Stephens. Music will be printed in the Era for the use of contestants. V. Junior Girls' Chorus. (Six to eight members.) 1. "My Soul is Full of Peace and Love." — Jos. J. Daynes. Music will be printedin the Young Woman's Journal. Note. For points for judgment in IV and V, see regulations governing mixed quartet, number II. REGULATIONS FOR GENERAL CONTEST WORK. 1. The Church Districted. In order to obviate over-crowded time at the general Church finals in June, the stakes of the Church have been grouped in sixteen dis- tricts for try-outs as follows: District 1. — Taylor, Alberta.* District 2.- — Big Horn.* District 3. — Union.* District 4. — Yellowstone, Teton, Fremont, Rigby, Blackfoot, Pocatello, Bingham.* District 5. — Cassia.* District 6. — Star Valley, Bear Lake,* Bannock, Woodruff. District 7. — Oneida, Cache,* Hyrum, Benson. District 8.— Malad, Box Elder, Bear River, Ogden,* No. Weber, Weber, Morgan, Summit. District 9.— Salt Lake,* No. Davis, So. Davis, Moapa, Pioneer, Ensign, Liberty, Granite, Jordan, Tooele. District 10. — Utah,* Alpine, Nebo, Wasatch, Emery, Carbon. District 11. — So. Sanpete, No. Sanpete, Wayne, Sevier,* Juab. District 12. — Beaver, Parowan,* Panguitch, Kanab, St. George, Millard, Deseret. District 13. — San Luis, Young,* San Juan. District 14.— Maricopa,* St. Joseph. District 15. — St. John,* Snowflake. District 16. — Uintah,* Duchesne. *Note. The stake superintendents of the Y. M. and Y. L. M. I. A. of the stakes starred will take the initiative in arranging for the dis- trict finals, by correspondence or otherwise, in their districts, follow- ing the same general plan governing the grand finals. 2. Rules for Entry. Only winners in stake try-outs can enter for Church district try- outs. Only winners in Church districts will be eligible for entry for finals in Salt Lake City, in June, 1914. All contestants must be active members of the Mutual Improvement Associations. 3. Additional Contest Work. The stakes that desire to add activities other than those named to be taken up in the June Conference, may engage in debates, decla- mations, instrumental music, vocal solos, duets, trios, etc., in tkeir various stake contests, but the above outlines will be used in the general Church finals to be held in Salt Lake City, and will be judged according to the points suggested. MUTUAL WORK 1161 Convention Program, Y. M. M. I. A. Morning Session — 10 o'clock. I. How to Get 100% Efficiency Out of Stake and Ward Officers. An address of not more than 15 minutes, covering the following points: 1. Weekly stake board meetings should be held at which there should be a regular order of business. This order should include reports of committees, consideration of instructions from the General Board, and other items. Definite instructions and suggestions for monthly stake and ward officers' meetings should be prepared. 2. A stake and ward officers' meeting should be held monthly, and in this meeting a definite order of business should be followed. Here also the work which was planned for the ward officers for the previous month, should be checked up, and where new ideas have been developed by the ward officers, these officers should receive com- mendation and encouragement. If there have been failures, the rea- sons for such failures should be stated; and if the officers have suc- ceeded, they should be encouraged to tell how they succeeded. The speaker is referred to Nephi Anderson's address on "Follow-Up" in the August Era, for a further development of this subject. The stake superintendency should also report and give their in- structions for the following month. Each month has its specific duties, and the duties that should be performed for the following month should be taken up. Stake officers are referred to Nicholas G. Morgan's address in the August number of the Era for suggestions. 3. Ward officers' meetings should be held weekly. In these meetings there should also be a regular order of business, and a checking up of the instructions decided upon at the previous meeting. At this meeting also the instructions received from the stake officers should be reviewed and preparations made for their application. At this meeting also preparation in every detail should be made for the next association meeting. When necessary the officers of the Young Ladies' Association, and the bishop, should be consulted relative to important matters. II. Something New for Junior Classes. An address of not more than 15 minutes, to be given by the visit- ing member of the General Board, covering the following points: 1. A three-years' course on the Development of Character in three Manuals, entitled, "Courage," "Conduct," and "Success." 2. First year's entrance open to boys fourteen years of age. Recognition will be based on attendance (30 points), knowledge of the text (40 points), conduct (30 points). Passing mark, 75%. 3. At the successful completion of the first year each member will be given an official pin. and at the close of the third year, a diploma signed by a general officer on recommendation of the ward class leader and the president who will also sign. III. The Y. M. M. I. A. Hand Book. What it is and how to use it. Specific illustrations will be given in an address of not more than ten minutes, by the visiting member of the General Board. IV. Discussion and Questions. All the topics should be treated before any discussion is held. Afternoon Session — 2 o'clock. Membership Slogan. The average enrollment of the Church population in the Y. M. 1162 IMPROVEMENT ERA M. I. A. is eight out of every hundred. In order to increase this average, the officers of the Y. M. M. I. A. should take for their slogan, "Get 12% of the Church ward population into the Association.' ' The above topic wil be presented by the representative of the General Board. I. Winning the Boy. An address of not more than 20 minutes, covering the following points: 1. To win the boy, plan well the program for the grand opening of the year's work. 1. There is need of good class leaders who should possess the spirit of the work and ability to lead and who must always be pre- pared and present'. 2. Keep the social spirit awake among the young people during the entire year by providing folk dances, excursions, picnics, proper games, balls, dramatic, musical and other entertainments. 3. Prepare good preliminary and open night programs. For suggestions see the outlines for the conjoint sessions and open nights in the Manual. The association should follow these suggestions unless they have locally something better. 4. In all your activities and amusements co-operate with the ward bishopric and the Young Ladies' Association. 5. Keep the public informed of your association activities by advertising them in the newspapers, by bulletins, and by Sunday an- nouncements. 6. Interest the boys in scout work and athletics. For sugges- tions in these activities see the Y. M. M. I. A. Hand Book. 7. Interest your committee on Vocations and Industries in the activities of the boys. 8. Engage as many as possible in special intellectual activities, such as debates, story-telling, instrumental and vocal music, readings, recitations and orations. 9. Appoint an energetic membership committee and set them to work to interest the boys in attendance and active work in the asso- ciations. II. Developing the Boy. An address of not more than 20 minutes, covering the following 2. Every member of the class should have a copy of the Manual and be encouraged to prepare his lesson. 3. The meeting place of the organization should be clean, well- lighted, heated and ventilated. The young people should be taught proper reverence for their places of meeting. 4. The officers should be prompt and punctual in attendance, and in opening and closing the meetings. 5. The officers should give special attention to safe-guarding the class period, so that the time allotted to study shall not be inter- fered with by the preliminary program or by exercises to follow. 6. The president and his officers should be first in all the require- ments of the organization, including the payment of the fund, sub- scription to the Era, the Manual, etc. Finally, the officers should "Get the spirit of the Lord and work hard under its influence." — Joseph F. Smith. III. Questions and Discussion. JOINT EVENING SESSION. This meeting is desirable; the time and place of meeting to be fixed by the stake boards. A short introductory talk should be MUTUAL WORK 1163 given by the stake superintendent of the Young Men's and the Young Ladies' Associations. There should be a suitable musical program for the occasion. The general public should be invited to attend. How to Organize Junior Classes In organizing Y. M. M. I. A. junior classes in the wards this sea- son the following suggestions should be noted: 1. The president of the association should secure a good class leader who has a love for the boys and a spirit for the work and who will be prompt and punctual in attendance and always prepared. 2. The class leader should list the number of boys in his ward between fourteen and sixteen years of age, inclusive, who are eligible for enrollment, and then visit the boys, explain the three-year junior course to them, and get them to join his class. Where more than fifteen to twenty are enrolled a second class may be organized. 3. On the opening evening the leader should choose a secretary from his class whose duty shall be to aid the class leader in keeping a correct record of the attendance, and the preparation of the lesson. The conduct of each and every member in the class should be marked weekly by the teacher. He should see that each member of the class shall purchase a manual, keeping a strict record of fhe sales. When the General Fund for the season is paid, credit should be strictly recorded. 4. The Y. M. M. I. A. offers a three-year's course on the Develop- ment of Character. This course will begin with the present year's manual, entitled "Courage," and will be followed by two other manuals, entitled "Conduct" and "Success." 5. At the successful completion of the first year's course, each member of the class will receive an official Y. M. M. I. A. pin and at the completion of the third year's course a diploma signed by a general officer on the recommendation of the ward class leader and the presi- dent. 6. Recognition will be based on, attendance 30 points, knowledge of the text, 40 points, conduct, 30 points. The passing mark will be 75%, so that if in these three requirements the student shall obtain 75% or over for each of three years he will be entitled to the pin at the close of the first and a diploma at the close of the third year. 7. The details of how to obtain the pin, its distribution, cost, etc., will be made known in the Era later. 8. The object of offering this definite course is to get a larger and more regular attendance, a more diligent application to the study of the manuals, and to encourage meritorious conduct among the boys. 9 Presidents of associations and class leaders are urged to make special missionary effort to organize a large class in every ward of the Church, and more than one class, if the number of boys shall allow. There are any number of boys waiting for this opportunity Seek the spirit of this work, and win them into your classes. 10. The Manual course is attractive, and this season s manual is sure to interest the boys. , 1ft 11 The course will be open to boys of the ages 14, 15 and 10. There need be only one class in each association. It matters not which year the student completes first. All who enter this year will study ''Courage" for their first year; those who enter next year will take 1164 IMPROVEMENT ERA the second subject first, in company with the first year class; and those who enter three years hence, the third year's subject with the first and second years' classes, and so on. After the first three years, there will be a part of the class graduate into the senior class each year, while, of course, new students will join each year. Supplemental Reading for the Senior Manual The following books are. recommended as supplementary reading on subjects related to the manual to those who desire to enter into the subject in greater detail than the manual gives: "Choosing a Vocation," Parsons; "The Young Man and the World," Albert J. Beveridge; "Home Training Bulletins," William A. McKeever; "Farm Boys and Girls," William A. McKeever; "Pushing to the Front," Orison Swett Marden; "Education for Efficiency," Eu- gene Davenport; "Education for Efficiency," Charles W. Eliot; "Effi- ciency," Emerson] "The Call of the Twentieth Century," David Starr Jordan; "The Principles of Scientific Management," F. W. Taylor; "Character," chapter four on "Work," Samuel Smiles; "Self Help," also "Thrift," Samuel Smiles; "The Strenuous Life," Theodore Roose- velt; "Crown of Wild Olives," John Ruskin. Reading Course, 1913-14 Seniors— 1. "The Reign of Anti-Christ," Sjodahl; 2. "The House of the Lord," Talmage; 3. "The American Government," Haskin; 4. "Corporal Cameron," Connor; 5. "Joseph and the Land of Egypt," Sayce; 6. "Making the Farm Pay," Bowsfield. Juniors — 1. "The Courage of the Commonplace," Andrews; 2. "Stories of Inventors," Russel; 3. "Heroes of Every Day Life," Coe; 4. "The Pioneer Trail," Lambourne; 5. "The Southerner," Dixon. Elder C. R. Hart, Ala- mosa, Colo., May 24: "The j San Luis conference of the I Western States Mission was held in Alamosa, Col- orado, at the Seventh Day Adventist Church which was given free of charge for this purpose. There were a fair number of peo- ple at the meetings includ- ing friends, Saints and in- vestigators who expressed themselves as enjoying our meetings. Elders in the photo: D. C. Allen, Huntsville, Utah; H. L. McDermott, Clifton, Idaho; C. R. Hart, Raymond, Idaho; front row: H. P. Murray, Wells- ville, Utah; Amos Keller. Mink Creek, Idaho; J. C. Willden released and returned home, having spent 29 months in the mission field, Man- cos, Colo."