Editors' Table: Close of the Volume

Editors' Table

Close of the Volume

The sixteenth volume of the Improvement Era closes with this number. We are confident our readers will agree with us that in this volume not only more than the promised matter was given but that the matter provided for our readers has been fully up to the standard of former years. We think there was some im- provement.

The volume will perhaps be best remembered as containing the discussion on "Joseph Smith, Jr., as a Translator" in defense of the prophet's inspired work in giving to the world the Book of Abraham. However, there are many other features that make the present volume extremely valuable, instructive and entertain- ing. We may mention the large education number issued in honor of the National Education Association's first meeting in Utah, containing an inspiring epitome of the educational condi- tions in our commonwealth, past and present; also a concise pre- sentation of the organization and government of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, its school, missionary and finan- cial systems. Besides these, a large number of very interesting articles have been published among which one should not forget "The Prince of Peace" by William Jennings Bryan ; "Customs and Legends of Utah Indians," by Enoch Jorgensen; "The Gospel to the Lamanites," by Rey L. Pratt of the Mexican Mission; "The Utah Pioneers," by Erastus Snow ; "The Mormon Problem," by Edward Williams; "Some Obligations of Citizenship," by Dr. Ephraim G. Gowans ; "The Educator," by Orson F. Whitney, with many shorter articles and department work that not only make the volume of real permanent value but that have given current interest to the numbers as they have appeared.

For the coming volume, as the reader will see by the pros- pectus, new features will be added, and we are safe in promising a volume that will exceed in interest any that has heretofore been presented. If our plans carry, special features will be added that cannot now be mentioned.

Among the matter we have arranged to present is a series of

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articles on the discoveries of the Utah Archaeological Expedition in Arizona and southwestern Utah together with a description of the general conditions of the country explored this past summer, by a member of the expedition of the University of Utah. These articles will be accompanied by photographs and sketches in pencil by the author, and we are promised considerable material in this connection on the manners and customs and industries of the Navajos and other Indian tribes in Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.

We are thankful to the writers who have so willingly and efficiently aided us in making this volume of the Era so valuable and entertaining. We solicit further contributions from them and from all who have a message for the people of value and in- terest. To those who have aided in the circulation of our mag- azine, and there are hundreds of these in the various settlements of the inter-mountain region, who have done so freely and will- ingly without pay and out of loyalty to the cause, we extend our grateful thanks, assuring them that they are kindly remembered, and that the labor they have given in support of our magazine has enabled us to accomplish a good work that we may all point to with a great deal of satisfaction.

We solicit our readers to promptly renew their subscriptions upon receipt of this number upon the blank, yellow insert. Your promptness will aid us materially in our office work, and will also encourage us to feel that you are satisfied with our efforts and that the Era is a household companion in your family. Asking the blessings of the Lord upon all who have contributed and who will hereafter contribute to this work which is established for the purpose of aiding the great cause of God, His Church and His people upon the earth, we set out to perform the labors of the new volume with cheerful and hopeful hearts, praying that the Lord may aid us all in the proper performance of our tasks.

Messages from the Missions

Elder John W. Summerhays of the Paris Conference of the French Mission, writes September 1: "Our work among the French people is giving very encouraging results and we are most enthusiastic in the future growth and development of the mission. The Paris branch held conference on August 23 and 24, 1913. President E. Taft Benson

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of the European Mission with thirteen traveling elders of the French Mission were present. This was the first conference ever held since the organization of the Paris Conference on May 11, 1913, and the second of its kind since the organization of the French Mission in Paris, October 15, 1912, by President Rudger Clawson. The problem of presenting the gospel in such a way as would appeal to the French people was taken up and discussed thoroughly by those present. We have a somewhat difficult task before us at present and the means of spreading the gospel are somewhat limited. We are striving for a foothold and are confident we will get it. Twenty hours a week was recommended as a standard for all the missionaries to work to. Many have done this in the past. In France there are many thousands of honest in heart searching for the truth who have not even heard of our religion. The French people as a whole are not very religious. They recognize the difference between right and wrong and should therefore have the privilege of judging for themselves whether our

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religion is a system of human development or not. Approaching them from a social and moral side of the question our efforts will be more successful. Our religion should be a study and taught as a comple- ment to daily life, not simply as a theory of good conduct. There are five branches of the Church in France at the present time, two of them being opened last spring. The number of members enrolled is thirty-one with good prospects for more baptisms. Fourteen elders are working in the French Conference. The names of the elders in the picture, left to right, top row: Vern C. Woolley, Grantsville; Wm. D. Wright, Logan; J. LeRoy Wright, Ogden; Melvin C. Morris, Jr., Salt Lake City; middle row: Herschel E. Pearson. Draper; L. D. Wright, Ogden; L. LeRoy Jackson, Ogden; C. O. Anderson, Anna- bella, Utah; H. Arthur Davidson, Fort Bridger, Wyo.; Charles W. Mitchell, Hooper, Utah; Ezra Curtis, Thatcher, Ariz.; bottom row:

EDITORS' TABLE

1239

Joseph B Storrs American Fork; W. Earl Reed, Mission Secretary, Ogden; Edgar B. Brossard, Mission President, Logan; E. Taft Benson President European Mission, Ogden; John W. Summerhays, Confer- ence President, Salt Lake City; Calvin Fletcher, A C U Faculty Logan, Utah. ' ■"

Elder Robert Gardner, Baltimore, Maryland, May 3: "The elders here are laboring faithfully and have been successful in establishing m the hearts of the people esteem for the Latter-day Saints At no period heretofore has so little opposition been met with here and the future looks hopeful. Elders, back row: L. W. Singleton Hooper-

A. W. Taylor, Harrisville; G. L. Atkinson, Rexburg, Idaho; G E. Lay- cock, Ravmond, Alta., Canada; S. A. Lawrence, Shelley, Idaho; R G. Collett, Salt Lake City, Utah; front row: J. E. Child, Ogden; D. J. Thomas. Driggs, Idaho; Robert Gardner, conference president, Logan, Utah: G. C. Fullmer, St. Anthony, Idaho; George Nelson, Heber, Utah."

Supt. Richard T. Haag of the Samoan Mission schools, Apia, Samoa, July 30: "On the 24th all the elders and sisters of this con- ference including, President J. A. Nelson and several missionaries from other islands, joined in a grand celebration at Sauniatu. This is where the largest branch of the mission is located on an eight-hundred-acre plantation owned by the Church, twenty-five miles from Apia. After an excellent program in which the German and English as well as the Samoan languages were represented, a grand dinner in native fashion was served to nearly two hundred people. The national game 'Kilikiki' was played on the lawn near the meetinghouse between the natives and the missionaries, the latter coming out victorious. The islands of this mission are scattered hundreds of miles north, south and west in this great ocean. Besides the Samoan group we have belonging to this mission the Friendly or Tongan islands, about three hundred miles south of here, where a number of our schools are lo- 'cated. The Church has built good meeting and mission houses, some in Samoan styles and others as two-story frame houses with wide porches surrounding them. Preparations are now making for the erection of two more substantial buildings of concrete for Church and school purposes. The work is growing in every direction. Encourag- ing reports come to us from nearly all the schools not yet visited and

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ere long we hope to have established a system that will bring perma- nent results for the good of the mission and for the salvation of these far-away people."

Elder Joseph A. Bodily, Birmingham, England, August 27th :"We are laboring in what is called the 'black country' of England. During the past summer we tracted in the surrounding villages and owing to the distance we found it necessary to have cycles. Although we met with much opposition we find some people who are indeed searching

for the truth and who are willing to give us a hearing. The photo shows the elders returning from tracting. Left to right: Joseph A. Bodily, Fairview, Idaho; George H. Brewerton, Raymond, Canada; Harry V. Graham, Teton, Idaho; and George W. Lunt, Nephi, Utah.

Elder J. C. Siddoway, writing from Albany, New York, June 3: "We find the Era very interesting and after reading it we circulate it among our friends who are always pleased to receive it. The Era is a great help in placing the gospel before the people here in Albany. We meet new friends in our tracting every day. We have twenty good, strong members here in the branch, also a number of friends. We hold Sunday School and meeting each Sunday, both well attended. The class in Sunday School is very much interested in the Book of Mormon which we are now studying."

Elder Alfred C. Larsen, secretary Christiania Conference, April 30: "Reports at our semi-annual conference just finished show that during the past six months 63,545 tracts and 943 books were distributed; 19,280 houses visited; 3,286 gospel conversations held; 11 Star subscribers obtained; 5 children blessed; 35 baptisms, 22 ordained to the Priest- hood, and 616 meetings held. We are working diligently. Our meet- ings are well attended in all the branches, especially in Christiania, where our hall comfortably seats 470 people. On Sunday evenings we have an attendance of from 350 to 525 people, of whom a large number are strangers."