--- 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: 8 published: 1915-06 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "One Who Can Entertain," *Improvement Era* 18, no. 8 (June 1915): 735–736.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1808unse 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: improvementera1808unse start_page: 735 end_page: 736 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1915-06) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1808unse 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. --- # One Who Can Entertain One who can Entertain "So you wish a speaker for your joint meeting?" "That is what I came for. We would like a good one, —one who can entertain the people. We have four associations that meet jointly and we would like a first-class man who can enter- tain the crowd." This was a colloquy between a ward M. I. A. president and the writer, some time ago. On another occasion, reported recently, a member of the General Board was invited to speak to an association. Asked what subject would be acceptable, the answer was, "0« anything, except religion and vocations." Do these incidents imply that we have some organizations whose members are more anxious to be amused than fed the gospel bread of life, or taught truths pertaining to their temporal welfare? Who would rather be entertained than made to think? Who would rather lazily absorb something pre-digested than them- selves digest through intellectual effort? Or who are tired of — religion,- the biggest and grandest subject that can occupy the minds of men? If so, we are off on the wrong road, our every effort is vain, we are not in the line of our duty. It must be remembered that the main purpose of our organization is to impress the membership with a testimony of the gospel, and its restoration in the latter days through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Our special mission is to teach the divine nature of the great latter-day work. Our aim is to create a testimony of God, and of the saving value of his laws and moral government, in the hearts of the young people of Zion ; to help them to know for themselves that this Church was estab- lished through the revelations of God, and that the truths advocated by the Latter-day Saints are the restored principles of the gospel revealed and taught by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the spiritual, moral and temporal salvation of men. All other work and activities and studies that we engage in are merely means to this great end. How, then, can the membership of an association justify themselves in asking merely for entertainment? And how can they consistently request that a speaker shall not discuss re- ligion before them?