--- 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: 18 number: 7 published: 1915-05 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," *Improvement Era* 18, no. 7 (May 1915): 654–655.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1807unse 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: improvementera1807unse start_page: 654 end_page: 655 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1915-05) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1807unse publication_year: 1915 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 1915, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Mutual Work Mutual Work Athletic and Scout Work What Some Scouts are Doing George A. Christensen, Scout master, Bear River City, tells an interesting story of his scouts: "We hold our meeting? regularly each Saturday night at 7:o'clock. In the fall, before it became too cold, we took trips out into the most natural territory that we have. We have given skating trips, camping trips, and have tried to make all of our theory practical. We have organized a scout orchestra, and are trying to arrange to start a brass band. "Last Saturday all the boys turned out with teams, wagons, shovels, and each a pair of willing hands, and hauled gravel, cinders, and sand on all the sidewalks where they were muddy enough to make it disagreeable. About twenty scouts and myself worked hard all forenoon. The boys keep close watch on the poor, aged, and widows, of our town, and always keep their wood sheds filled with good wood. The work has taken such a root that many boys, almost every meet- ing, are asking to be admitted as scouts. Our boys even take trips through the town looking for something they can do for those in need. "Each meeting we open with prayer. This has taught many of our boys to pray. Some could not pray when they joined the work, but now they can do it very readily. We then have a short preliminary program of songs, speeches, etc., and then we have a report on 'good turns.' (By the way, every scout gives from one up to five or six each week.) We then take up some new topic or subject connected with the scout work. After this has been illustrated, tested, tried, etc., we feel that the boys are ready for a game, so we start one going, in which all take part. We then discuss the needs of our community and our organization and other matters that might come up, and then dismiss with prayer." Known by Their Good Behavior "We are very much encouraged in our work. We now have one hundred per cent of boys of scout age enrolled, besides two over that age. More than half are second class scouts, and some have applied for first class tests. Our work is also being felt in the schools. One principal told me that he could pick out boys engaged in scout work — by their marks and behavior." J. Karl Wood, Logan, Utah. March 10, 1915. Vocations and Industries To Ward Presidents and Vocation Counselors: Through your Stake Superintendent or Vocation Supervisor, entry blanks, rules and report blanks covering the M. I. A. Boys' Half-Acre contests have been sent you. Upon receipt of these blanks, we suggest that the following things be done immediately as the season has already arrived when the boys who are to be successful must begin their work. 1. — Read the rules over carefully so you will be familiar with their contents and can explain them to the boys. 2. — Make a careful canvass of the boys of your ward, and interest as many as possible in this movement. Often you will find it ad- vantageous to go to the boy's home, talk with his father, and have the father designate the plot of ground that the boy may have. Get the boy to go on the land with you, step it off with him, and offer any suggestions that will be helpful in getting him started in the work. 3. — Explain in detail the rules of the contest to each boy, and show him how to keep a record, so he can fill out his report at the end of the season. The report is simple, and any boy who keeps a note book to record what he does will have no difficulty to render it completely and accurately, as per our blank. 4. — Before you leave the boy, have him fill out the entry blank, and sign it, and after all the boys have been visited, send the entry blanks promptly to us. 5.— Get up a local contest. Call on a few of the leading men of the ward and interest them in offering prizes for the best records made by the boys of your ward. The prizes offered need not be expensive, but thev should be of a nature to please the boys. 6 —Enroll all the boys in vour ward in this contest, and if you arc interested you can do much "to stimulate their efforts, and most of affairs them will continue to the end. Take a live interest in their Your personal influence will be a big and visit them occasionally. factor in their success, and the success of this movement. 7_Let the boys feel the pleasure of the contest. whether Keep it from they being looked upon as a drudgery. Teach them that secure a prize or not they cannot lose _ t„. v, u\^ him through and f rt 1