In Honor of President Joseph F. Smith

In Honor of President Joseph F. Smith On December 17, last, the General Board of the Y. M. M. I. A., with the General Board of the Y. L. M. I. A. as their guests, met at the Beehive House, in honor of President Joseph F. Smith, their General Superintendent, commemorating his 75th anniversary, November 13, 1913. They presented him with a beautiful official badge of the Mutual Improvement Associations. The resolution deciding this action was made in November, but the badge was not completed until the date of presentation. In connection with the reception and presentation, an interesting program of addresses and music was given, followed by a social and refreshments. Elder B. H. Roberts officiated as master of ceremonies. President Francis M. Lyman offered prayer. Speeches were made by Dr. George H. Brimhall, President Martha H. Tingey of the Y. L. M. I. A., and Junius F. Wells, who is the oldest in membership of the General Board. Dr. Brimhall, speaking of character, said : "Character consists in having vision to see what ought to be done and courage to be up and at it." This definition is especially characteristic of the General Superintendent of our associations. Dr. Brimhall called attention to the mile posts in the growth and development of the Mutual Improvement idea from the time, June 10, 1875, the first association was organized, under the direction of President Brigham Young by Elder Junius F. Wells, up to the present time. During all these years of growth and advancement President Joseph F. Smith has taken an active interest in the work and membership of the associations. President Tingey expressed great admiration for President Smith, pointing out that his life has been an expression of honesty and integrity, and that we had found him feattess as a lion in the defense of the truth, yet humble, thoughtful, and considerate in all his associations with men and women. Elder Junius F. Wells spoke as follows: • It was my intention to be very brief and informal in what I should say upon this occasion. In thinking the matter over, however, it occurred to me that, as one of the oldest workers in the associations, I might say something that should be informing and of interest to the younger members of the General Boards who would be here. I therefore decided to give the subject a little careful thought, and this morning wrote out what I desire to say. You must allow me the meed of originality, as with my poor

IN HONOR OF PRESIDENT SMITH 373 ears I have not been able to hear those who have preceded me and if any of them have already said what I am about to say they must have caught the lightning and stolen my thunder : Brethren and Sisters: The strength of the foundation of this work of the Mutual Improvement Associations has been and is in the counsel and confidence and approval of the Holy Priesthood whose official representatives, standing at the head of the Church from the time of President Brigham Young down to the present, have supported it with their counsel and confidence and approval' We all believe that President Young was inspired in causing the organizations to be effected. He was interested in the future of Zion and was quick to perceive the need of that fostering care for the youth of Zion which these organizations are expected to provide. His connection with the Y. M. M. I. A., however, was brief, covering only the last two years of his life. It is true that he gave us our name and prescribed one exercise, that of bearing testimony, an exercise I am afraid that has already fallen, or if we are not careful will fall, into ''innocuous desuetude," among the varied and numerous exercises and activities that are being provided. I warn you who are responsible for the perpetuity and success of the organization against ever permitting this fundamental, vital, necessary exercise for our welfare to lapse. President Young did little more than this, for he was much occupied in the closing months of his life completing the St. George temple and commencing the general organization of the stakes of Zion. He was, however, always interested in our work to the last. I shall never forget an hour or two spent with him at Richfield, in 1877, on returning from dedicating the St. George temple. After the evening meeting, which he could not attend, he sent for me and said many encouraging things concerning our work, prophetic and otherwise. President Young, however, so far as I know never attended a meeting of the Y. M. M. I. A. His son, John W. Young, being called as his counselor in the First Presidencv, manifested a short-lived interest in the Associations, and presided at a meeting of its representative workers, held in the old Council House, December 8, 1876, at which the Central Committee was organized and given general supervision of the work. Brother John W. attended a few other meetings, but was so much interested in other labors than this, that he gave no attention to it after the death of his father. President John Taylor, upon succeeding to the presiding authority, as President of the Twelve, manifested the most lively interest in the Association, especially at first, when he directed the completion of stake organizations, and gave his approval to the publication of the Contributor as their official organ. He also gave us the General Superintendency, which had been asked for as an advisory council to stand at the head, and as long as

374 IMPROVEMENT ERA he lived President Taylor was an appreciative friend and adviser in our work. He generally attended our conferences. About the fifth volume of the Contributor, 1884, he paid me the compliment of saying that he had always read it and had been pleased to. From the creation .of the General Superintendency, April 6, 1880, with President Woodruff as General Superintendent, and Joseph F. Smith and Moses Thatcher counselors, the status of the organization as an auxiliary of the Church was established. President Woodruff took great delight in his official connection with it, while yet a memeber of the Twelve, and also after he became president of his quorum ; when the First Presidency was re-organized, October, 1880, and after he succeeded to the Presidency of the Church, until the day of his death. He attended many conferences and other meetings. He read and approved of the Contributor, and wrote for it ; authorized the establishment of a Course of Reading, which it was hoped should be continued, as a perpetual part of our work; and in every way possible in his busy life he showed his love for and interest in the young men of Zion. At about the time of the beginning of our work, I remember Brother Woodruff delivered a discourse, in which he expressd apprehension concerning the future, observing, as a good many others of the old time faithful fathers in Israel did, that the young men were careless and indifferent, and gave little hope of following in their fathers' footsteps. Later on, President Woodruff said this troubled him so much that he went into the woods, down in Arizona, fasting and praying, and the Lord comforted him and told him to cease his worrying, for that He had already chosen from among the young men of Zion those that should bear off the responsibility that should come upon them, after their fathers should pass away ; and that the time would never come when this should not be the case, until the coming again of the Lord himself. I think nothing ever gave President Woodruff greather consolation than to witness in part the fulfilment of this assurance, through the influence and work of the Mutual Improvement Associations. I should like, before leaving the reference to President Woodruff's administration, to say a word concerning the labors of Elder Moses Thatcher, his second counselor in the General Superintendency. From the time he was chosen, and as long as he continued his connection with the apostles of the Church, Brother Thatcher was an enthusiastic champion of the Mutual Improvement Associations. He wrote voluminously for the magazine in their interests. He attended general and stake conferences, speaking eloquently in their behalf, and exerted an influence and power, when animated by the spirit of his calling, that thrilled the breasts of many of our young men, and encouraged them to take the on-

IN HONOR OF PRESIDENT SMITH 375 ward and upward course in life. I think it is due from me, notwithstanding Brother Thatcher's misfortunes, to pay this' tribute of respect to his memory. I was away during most of the time of' President Lorenzo Snow's administration, and am not able to speak so confidently of his interest in our organization. I think he left its work to the other members of the General Superintendency, as his assistants, and appointed an additional number of aids— the combination finally becoming known as the General Board which has gradually grown to its present membership of about forty. I have hastily run through this history for the purpose of showing that the active workers have always had the counsel and confidence of the General Church Authorities, in a general way, and especially to emphasize the long, faithful, devoted interest! labor and love of our present General Superintendent, Joseph F.' Smith. He has been the chief, constant counselor from very nearly the beginning,— at least for thirty-six years, from the time of his return from his European mission, in 1877, three years before being called into the General Superintendency as President Woodruff's first counselor. No important step has ever been taken since that time without his knowledge and approval, so far as I know. I do know that so far as my own activities were concerned and those of Dr. Milton H. Hardy, Dr. George H. Brimhall, Edward H. Anderson, and others of the older workers, Brother Joseph has been our confidant, our patient adviser, our faithful friend. I have sometimes thought that I pestered him with my importunities concerning our work, for I sought his counsel at all hours of the day, and I might say night also; at his home, in his office, and wherever I found him. He, however, never manifested impatience, but always found time to listen and consider, and sent us away encouraged and helped on in the right way. He has seemed to be our natural counselor and adviser. I suppose more than others for the reason that he has always seemed to be one of us — a young man. We never think of Presidents Young, or Taylor, or Woodruff, or Snow as young men. And we never think of President Smith as an old man. I don't think we ever shall — certainly not until after he is eighty-seven and we celebrate our Jubilee, the 50th anniversary of the associations ; and again not until he is ninety-two and leads us in the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the organization of the Church. Should he then feel a little weary and admit the creeping claims of Old Father Time upon his vital energies, we shall, I hope, be willing by that time to let him off from some of his more arduous labors. Not hearing them, I do not know what the previous speakers have said concerning the affection that has been developed for President Smith during our long association with him. It

376 l.\ll'k< )VK.\I ENT ERA seems to me that we love him, not only because he has been one of us, but for what we may call the humanities of his nature, that are so frequently manifested in his treatment of us and sympathy for our work. His delight in any achievement of merit by any of our members, whether of physical prowess, intellectual, literary or artistic accomplishment, moral victory, or spiritual enlightenment, we are always sure of; and if any of us do wrong, we are witnesses of his sorrow in the tears that he cannot then restrain. In this quality, that I have called the humanities, I think Brother Joseph F. strongly shows a great well-known characteristic of his uncle, the Prophet Joseph. Not that he any the less resembles his sainted father, for the latter's straightforth uprightness, uncompromising integrity and untiring industry, which we recognize as so characteristic of our leader. Referring to his father, I should like to say that I believe the finest thing that has ever been said of any man, since the world began, came from the Lord Himself in these words: "Blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith. The Lord loveth him, because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loves that which is right before me — saith the Lord." What a tribute is this ! What an epitaph ! I hope sometime to see it deeply inscribed in the granite of his native state, and placed in a suitable monument to his honor, when the right time and place shall appear. Now, I believe, were we who are present this evening to search our hearts for the deep reasons of our love for our g'eneral superintendent, we should paraphrase that tribute to his father, and say, "We love and admire you, Brother Joseph, because we know of the integrity of your heart, and because we know that, above all other things, you love that which is right before the Lord." So much for our tribute of words.

IN HONOR OF PRESIDENT SMITH 377 Now, it gives me great happiness to say that your associates of the General Board have prepared a memento to commemorate your seventy-fifth birthday. We have juggled a little with the calendar for the sake of convenience, and to get away from so many thirteens — and have shoved the occasion over into the middle of December, your seventy-fifth anniversary having occurred on the 13th day of November, 1913. This occasion is also to signalize the adoption of our first decorative medal, designed as the official insignia of our organization. This being intended for the finest gentleman we know, has been made of the finest materials we could get, and by the handicraft of the most skilful artizan we could employ, Mr. Jesse Taylor, of the Boyd Park Company. It has taken the form of a medallion bearing upon its face a raised monogram of the Mutual Improvement Associations, "M. I. A." surrounded by the glorious motto of the organization, emblazoned in enameled letters of royal blue, "The Glory of God is Intelligence." • I wish to observe concerning this motto, which was adopted by the Y. M. M. I. A., at the Jubilee celebration of the Church, in July, 1880, that there is nothing to compare with it upon any coat of arms, or order, or decoration, used by the kings and potentates of the world, or its notables ; nor upon the insignia of the fraternal societies and secret organizations, all of which so general'y use the name of God in combination with various explanatory phrases, usually in untranslatable Latin. None of these have the significance of our motto. I do not believe any other six words in human language convey so comprehensive a conception of the quality that makes God God, the real Object of sensible worship in spirit and truth. Upon the reverse of the medal we have inscribed these words, "From the members of the General Board to Joseph F. Smith, General Superintendent, Y. M. M. I. A., upon his 75th birthday, 13th November, 1913." We hope you will be pleased with this medal, with its materials, design and workmanship. It may be worn as a watch fob, or badge, or pendant from the watch chain you usually wear. We trust that you will be proud to wear it upon all representative occasions of our organization and at such other times as you may see fit. It is with grateful appreciation of the honor to represent them, and with unfeigned pleasure that, in behalf of your associates the members of the General Board, I now present you this token of our love. President Joseph F. Smith was clearly affected by this speech and by the applause which followed. He responded in an interest-

378 IMPROVEMENT ERA ing talk of a reminiscent nature. He declared that his motto so far through life had been : "I will do the best I can." He continued : "It would be impossible for me to reply in an adequate manner to the eloquent remarks that have been made by my brethren, and by Sister Tingey, but I will content myself by simply saying that I have never sought an honor, nor a position in my life, nor have I, in the course of my remembrance, ever asked for a day's work, or for a job." When a boy, President Smith shouldered the responsibility of driving an ox team across the plains from Iowa, performing that task, as all others through his life, in a cheerful and able manner. In the valley, later, he became a herd-boy for different brethren, until 1854, when he was called on a mission to the Sandwich Islands. Leaving the valley for San Francisco, during his journey from time to time he received employment unsolicited, through which means he secured the necessary funds for his passage to the Islands. He said: "While in the Islands, positions and responsibilities were thrust upon me. I never thought I was the man for the president of a conference, but others seemed to think so and hence called me to that responsibility. I didn't say, 'I can't do it.' I went at it, and did the best I could, and the result was that while there I never saw a moment that I did not have plenty to do. While I never felt adequate to the responsibilities that devolved upon me, it seemed that the merciful hand of a kind Providence always overruled things for my best good." In the course of his remarks President Smith complimented a number of the brethren on their ability as speakers and writers to defend the Church and its principles, naming especially Elder Junius F. Wells, Presidents Charles W. Penrose, B. H. Roberts, Dr. George H. Brimhall, Dr. James E. Talmage, Edward H. Anderson, and others. He continued : "I think Brother Junius is one of the gifted writers of the Church. I am proud of him. I thank him for the very loving part he has taken in this matter. I expected him to do it. I wouldn't think he would do anything else, and I looked for it from him. We have been missionaries together, boys together, and I have known him all the way from childhood up, and I expect nothing from him but that which is good. When I have seen my brethren show their master minds in the defense of the principles of the gospel, I have thanked God that we had men who can speak and write with power. I admire their ability and thank God that he has given them the might to accomplish this work. I am proud of them and their work, and I pray that God will still increase in them their capabilities to defend the cause of Zion. Whenever these my brethren, or others, can proclaim the gospel or defend it better than anyone else can, my pride and my

IN HONOR OF PRESIDENT SMITH 379 gratitude will rise just that much higher. I have seen men who were jealous of other exponents of the principles of the gospel of Christ, but I never had that feeling, because my only pride is in the work. It is to me everything. There is nothing outside of it to me. I want to see it progress, and have it proclaimed to all the world." President Smith went into detail as to some of his vocations and occupations after his return from the Sandwich Islands, the whole illustrating the kindness of God to him in always supplying him with the work necessary for the maintenance of himself and those who were dependent upon him. He bore a strong testimony to the truth of the Gospel, and to the good that the Mutual Improvement organizations are performing among the young people of Zion, and thanked the company assembled, which consisted of a large number of the members of the two General Boards, for their love for, and confidence in, him, and for the beautiful official badge which the members of the General Board of the Y. M. M. I. A. had presented to him. Elder B. H. Roberts called attention to and commented upon the faithful labors of Elder Heber J. Grant in the organizations of the young men. His absence in the East prevented him from participating in the exercises on this occasion. Delicious refreshments were served ; Brother Benjamin Goddard pronounced the benediction. A portrait of President Smith, as he appeared on the occasion, taken specially for the Improvement Era, is used as a frontispiece in this number. Photo by K. N. Winnie. This picture represents River street, Nome, Alaska, on the moning of Oct. 6, 1913, after the great tidal storm had washed away and destroyed all the buildings. The fallen buildings were located on i'trst Avenue, a higher street.