---
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: 17
number: 4
published: 1914-02
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: "Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations, \"In Honor of President Joseph F. Smith,\" *Improvement Era* 17, no. 4 (February 1914): 372–379."
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1704unse
  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: improvementera1704unse
start_page: 372
end_page: 379
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1914-02)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1704unse
  publication_year: 1914
  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 1914, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# In Honor of President Joseph F. Smith

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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

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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

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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-

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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

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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.

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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-

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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

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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.