M. I. A. Conference: First Day
Improvement Era, vol. 18, no. 10, August 1915, pp. 888 to 900
Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
Conference
First Day, June 11, 1915
The General Annual Conference of the Young Men's and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations was held in Salt Lake City, June 11, 12 and 13, 1915. Many important items for officers were considered at the first session, on Friday morning, June 11. The meeting was held at 9:30, in the Assem- bly Hall, and was a joint officers' meeting. Elder Heber J. Grant presided. The congregation sang, "Come, Come, Ye Saints," and prayer was offered by Elder Junius F. Wells, after which the Granite stake Girls' Chorus, under the direction of Marion Cannon, sang. STAKE SUPERVISION Sister Clarissa A. Beesley spoke upon stake supervision, strongly urging the stakes to organize their boards of the best material to be found, as the wards look to the stake board members to lead out and properly direct the work. She also called attention to the necessity of stake boards keeping in touch constantly with the ward officers, by personal visit where possible, or by correspondence, where the wards are scattered. Important also is the need of co-operation between the young men and young ladies, for a great deal of the work now being taken up is joint work and cannot be handled successfully unless both organiza- tions co-operate. CONTEST ACTIVITIES Elder Oscar A. Kirkham spoke upon special activities and contest work. He named the following events which are to be taken up at the general June conference of 1916 In order to make clear to the officers what will be done in contest work at the M. I. A. Annual June Conference, and to aid them in the selection and preparation of this work, the following activities have been outlined by the General Boards. While other events may be used in wards and stakes for contest purposes, the three following are the only events outlined by the General Boards to be taken up, first in the ward, then in the stake district, the stake, the Church district, and in the grand finals
I. Senior Public Speaking — 10 minutes. Open to all Seniors. Points of Judgment:
— The idea 20 per cent. 2. — The development 50 per cent. a. Introduction. (1) Simple, direct, earnest, suggestive of material to follow. b. Body. (1) Develop theme, which should be persuasive rather than merely matter-of-fact. c. Summary. (1) General conclusion taken from the body of ad- dress. d. Original. (1) No long quotations should be given. (2) Sincerity. 3. Delivery —30 per cent.
II. Male Quartet. Open to all members of Y. M. M. I. A. Selection to be made. Points of Judgment: 1. Interpretation as per musical markings and text — 15 per cent. 2. Expression and phrasing 15 per cent. — 3. — Tone quality 15 per cent. — 4. Blending and balance -10 per cent. 5. Reading (nroducing proper notes) 10 per cent. — 6. — Tempo 10 per cent. 7. Pitch — 10 per cent. 8. Enunciation and pronunciation 10 per cent. — 9. — Attack and release 5 per cent.
III. Ladies' Quartet. Open to all members of Y. L. M. I. A. Selection to be made. Points of Judgment: (Same as for male quartet.)
Church Districts (See Y. M. M. I. A. Hand Book, second edition, p. 92). In order to obviate the over-crowding of time at the general Church finals in June, the stakes of the Church have been grouped in seventeen districts for try-outs. Stake superintendents and presidents of Y. M. M. I. A. and Y. L. M. I. A. of the stakes starred will take the initiative in ar- ranging for the finals in their districts, including dates and place of meetings, etc., following the same general plan given for the grand finals. In the holding of Church district meets, any vari- ance from the general plan should be agreed upon by the super- intendents and presidents of the different stakes, and a copy placed in the hands of all the contestants in that district.
RULES AND REGULATIONS
See pages 90-91, in the second edition of the Y. M. M. I. A. Hand Book. These rules and regulations will govern the contest work of 1915-16. We give here only the four new rules. These are also found with the others in the Hand Book:
- Contests, that is, try-outs or exercises calling for adjudication,
must not be held on Sundays. Adjudications made on Sundays will
not be recognized.
- In order to become eligible for contest work a member must
have been in attendance at regular class meetings at least five times
prior to April 1.
- In group work in wards, individuals doing the best work may be re-grouped to meet those of other wards. This rule applies to wards only.
- All stake officers are barred from participating in contests, in- cluding stake pennant contest.
- In order to become eligible for contest work a member must
have been in attendance at regular class meetings at least five times
prior to April 1.
SPECIAL ACTIVITIES STAKE PENNANT We suggest that a stake pennant be given for the ward scor- ing the greatest number of points in proportion to its enrollment, for participation in special activities as per the following score card:
— Mixed Double Quartet 10 points initial group appearance, 3
points for each additional appearance, 10 points for complete rendition of "Daughter of Jairus." 2. — Boys' Chorus (six or more members) 10 points initial group appearance, 3 points for each additional appearance. 3. Chorus). Girls' Chorus (six or more members) — (Score same as Boys'
— points Male Quartet 5 group appearance, 2 points each initial
additional appearance. 5. Ladies' Quartet— (Score same as Male Quartet). Advanced Seniors — Extemporaneous Public Speaking— 3 points 6. for appearance. initial Senior Public Speaking— 3 points for 7. appearance. initial Retold Story (open to 8. — 3 points for all) appearance. initial Drama — 15 points for 9. group appearance. initial Note. — These appearances, scoring for points the above events in must be made in M. A. gatherings. I. Reading Course — 2 points for reading of each book of this 10. year's reading course, making a possible score of 16 points for each individual. NOTES The following list of subjects are for Advanced Senior Ex- temporaneous Public Speaking: "Faith," "Repentance," "Baptism," "Gift of the Holy Ghost," "Tithing," "Word of Wisdom," "America the Promised Land," "The Second Coming of Christ," "Modern Revelation," "Divine Authority," "Resurrection," "Prayer," "The Sabbath Day," "The Mission of the M. I. A." It is suggested that stakes make a selection for ward use from the above subjects. These subjects have been suggested with the thought that every Latter-day Saint should be able to speak intel- ligently, for at least ten minutes, on anv one of them. It is suggested that the mixed double quartet develop the festival idea, using The Daughter of Jairus, a sacred cantata by John Stainer, published by Schirmer, New York price 60c. This ;
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may be obtained through any music dealer. This work to be de- veloped through preliminary programs, special activity nights, finally culminating in all ward mixed double quartets uniting and giving the production, on M. I. A. Day, under the direction of the stake musical directors of the Y. M. and Y. L. M. I. A. A pennant will be given at the Grand Finals, held at the June Conference of 1916, to the stake scoring the greatest number of points in proportion to its enrollment, as per the foregoing score card for stake use. Stakes entering for this Church pennant must report to the General Secretary, Moroni Snow, not later than May 25, 1916. THE READING COURSE Elder B. S. Hinckley of the Young Men's Board spoke upon the Reading Course. The General Boards present for 1915-16 one joint M. I. A. Reading Course, instead of two separate courses as heretofore. The eight books in the list have been se- lected with care, and it is believed will be read with great profit and enjoyment by our young people. They have been divided into two groups, and both Seniors and Juniors are encouraged to read the entire list. Five additional good books are also suggested, for the use of those who may desire to read more than the regular course
Senior List :
— The Prophet-Teacher B. H. Roberts. — A Study of Greatness in Men Larned. — The Play-House Alfred Lambourne. — A Daughter of the North Nephi Anderson. Junior List: Little Sir — Galahad Gray. — Twenty-fourth of June Grace Richmond. — Lance of Kanana Abd El Ardavan. A nature book will be selected later. Additional Books: Cities of the Sun— Elizabeth Cannon Porter.
p e ter— F. Hopkinson Smith. The Rosary— Florence L. Barclay. Mother Carey's Chickens--Wiggins. Problems of Boyhood, for teachers in the Y. M. M. 1. A.
classes. "Our organi- Among other things, Brother Hinckley said: zation is making an earnest and systematic endeavor to promote It is taking advantage of the great the reading of good books. reading to educate and elevate the entire community. agency of
It requires no argument to convince you that the reading habit is the key that unlocks the treasure-house of the world's knowledge. It is the source of more happiness, more information and more inspiration than any other habit. I am bold to say that without books, civilization would perish from the earth. I am reminded of a statement contained in one of our sacred books. You will remember when Nephi with his brothers went for the plates, he was very much in doubt as to whether, in order to secure the plates, he would be justified in destroying their keeper. The Spirit of the Lord whispered to him and said : "It is better that one man should die than that a whole nation should perish in un- belief." It is said inA Study of Greatness in Men that the invention of the printing press was the greatest invention ever made, if measured by its effects upon civilization. We can do no young man or young lady greater service than to lead them into the com- panionship of sages and seers, put them in touch with the great- est and best spirits of the world. I remember reading in the Era a statement which I also heard a good man tell personally. He said about thirty years ago, when he was keeping a little book store down on Main street, a young fellow with a strong face sauntered into his shop, and the book man said to him : "Have you ever read this book?" He said, "No." "Well," said the keeper of the shop, "I wish you would take it and read it, and tell me what you think of it." And the young man did read it. It touched his heart and stirred his soul. He was transformed from an indifferent sort of ruffian to a scholar and a thinker, and he stands today better than most men. I heard Elder Roberts say — on one occasion that the same man (James Dwyer peace to his memory) was the man who induced him to read the Book of Mor- mon, and I feel in my heart that B. H. Roberts has given us more original work on the Book of Mormon than any other man living. We ask for officers to do two things. First, read these books. If you will devote ten minutes a day from now until the first of October, you can read them all. Let this fire be kindled in your own heart, then you will kindle it in the hearts of others. Second, select as supervisors men and women who not only love books but who have a knowledge of them, and who will be active in this work. Our counsel is this, that in every stake there shall be two supervisors, one young lady and one young man. There shall also be supervisors of the reading course in the wards, one for the young ladies and one for the young men. It is the business of the stake supervisors to see that all the wards have their supervisors, and that they work. Whether these books are read depends very largely on the supervisors, whose first qualifi- cation is love for the work.
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I remind you of a story, printed for a long time on an envelope. This is the substance of it, the words of Dr. Channing
"God be thanked for books. They give us the spiritual com- panionship of the good and great of all ages. No matter how poor I am, no matter though the prosperous of my own day will not enter my humble dwelling; if the sacred writings will cross my threshold and take up their abode under my roof; if Milton will sing of Para- dise, and Shakespeare reveal to me the world of imagination and the workings of the human heart; if Franklin will honor my home with his practical wisdom, I shall not pine for the want of intellectual companionship, and may be a well-read man, though denied the best society in the place where I live."
FALL CONVENTIONS
Sister Emma Goddard, of the Young Ladies' Board, spoke on fall conventions. The method of conducting the 1915 conven- tions will be somewhat changed from that of previous years. The General Board members will present the subjects and direct the discussion. Important lines of M. I. A. activity, and detail work of the organizations will be considered. Stake and local officers are expected to be prepared to take part in the discussion. Pro- vision will be made for local representatives to carry on the pro- gram, in the event that no member of the General Boards is pres- ent. Since, to a great extent, stake officers will be relieved from presenting special subjects at the convention, it is urged that they devote their efforts to the securing of the 100 per cent attendance. In a stake of ten wards there should be present twenty presidents, forty counselors, twenty secretaries, etc. The convention program will provide for one joint officers' meeting, one separate officers' meeting, one public meeting, and one sociable. Complete outline of work will be given in the con- vention circular for 1915, soon to be distributed to stake officers. The congregation sang, "O Ye Mountains High," and the ben- eduction was pronounced by Sister Rose W. Bennett.
DEMONSTRATIONS OF SOCIAL WORK
The congregation adjourned to the Deseret Gymnasium, where from 11 a. m. to 12:30 p. m., a demonstration of social work was given, including two divisions. The first was a "Home Evening," by the Granite stake, showing how this evening in a conducted. The program included instrumental family should be music, songs, story telling, recitation, conversation and the serv- explanations of when prayer should ing of refreshments, with and how the evening should be generally conducted, be offered,
by Vice-Chairman Thomas Hull of the Social Committee. This demonstration was under the direction of Superintendent Charles H. Norberg, of the Y. M. M. I. A., and President May Green of the Y. L. M. I. A. of the Granite stake. The demonstration of the ward dance showed how it should not be conducted, and how it should be conducted, the lines of demarcation being very clearly
drawn, and was given by the Pioneer stake, under the supervision of Superintendent Datus Hammond and President Sasie Heath, who had selected young people from different wards of the stake to make the demonstration.
SPECIAL SUPERINTENDENTS' MEETING
Aspecial meeting of stake superintendents and officers of the Y. M. M. I. A. was held at 1 p. m., in the assembly room of the Bishop's building. A general discussion of the subject, "Effi- ciency in Stake Work" was taken up, the subject being introduced by Elder John F. Bowman, who called attention to the necessity of a complete organization, to systematic and energetic work, and to appointing persons to work in departments to which they are best adapted. Ageneral discussion followed, in which methods of gettitng the right man in the right place, and weeding out un- interested officers were taken up. The use of the Hand Book was emphasized. Every officer should have this guide.
TRY-OUTS IN CONTEST WORK
On Friday afternoon at 2 p. m., preliminary try-outs in the three divisions of contest work were held. The music section, under the supervision of Oscar A. Kirkham and Mabel Cooper, met in the Assembly Hall the Public Speaking section, under the ;
supervision of Preston D. Richards and Emily C. Adams, in the assembly room of the Bishop's building; and the Re-told Story section, under the direction of Nicholas G. Morgan and Edith R. Lovesy, in the Fourteenth ward chapel. The following were representatives at the preliminary try- outs: MIXED DOUBLE QUARTETS
District No. 4, Bingham Stake, Idaho Falls, G. W. Charlesworth, conductor; District No. 10, Utah stake, Provo, Utah, C, W. Reid, conductor; District No. 7, Oneida Stake, Preston, Idaho, Margaret Merrill, conductor; District No. 8, Ogden Stake, Ogden, Utah, Mrs. W. C. Parker, conductor; District No. 9, Pioneer stake, Salt Lake City, William Cook, conductor; District No. 12, Parowan stake, Ce- dar City, Sadie Thornley, conductor; District No. 17, Deseret stake, Hinckley, Utah, Mrs. C. A. Broaddus conductor. The quartets from District No. 4, Idaho Falls, and District No. 10, Provo, were chosen to compete in the grand finals.
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WINNERS OF THE MIXED DOUBLE QUARTET District No. 4, Bingham stake, Idaho Falls. Personnel: G. W. Charlesworth, con- ductor; Joseph Morley, C. E. Dinwoodey, J. E. Pike, Mrs. Reuel Packard, Mrs. Leroy Farr, Miss Lucile Pike, Miss Zula Boomer, Alvin Beesley, accompanist.
ladies' quartet The winners in the Ladies' Quartet, in the above mentioned dis- tricts were: First place won by District No. 12, Parowan stake, Cedar City, under the direction of Mrs. Sadie Thornley. The quartet was composed of the following: Flora Urie, Pearl Urie, Zelma Jones, and Mrs. Zazel Granger. The second place was won by District No. 7, Oneida stake, Preston, Idaho, Margaret Merrill, conductor. The fol- lowing composed the quartet: Margaret Merrill, Lucile Rogers, Hattie Peterson and Agnes Nuffer. MALE QUARTET
WINNERS OF THE MALE QUARTET Taken from the personnels of the two Mixed Double Quartets contesting at the Grand Finals. They are Clinton Luke, Gordon Reese, Warren Allred, Albert J South- wick, and C. W. Reid, conductor. This quartet is from District No. 10, Utah Stake, Provo, Utah.
The winners of first place in the Male Quartet were from District No. 10, Utah stake, Provo. The conductor was C. W. Reid. Personnel of the quartet, Clinton Luke, Gordon Reese, Warren Allred and Albert J. Southwick. The second place was tied by District No. 4, Bingham Stake, Idaho Palls, G. W. Charlesworth, conductor, with Joseph Mor- ley, C. E. Dinwoodey, J. E. Pike and G. W. Charlesworth composing the quartet; and District No. 12, Parowan stake, Cedar City, Sadie Thornlcy, conductor, and Gordon Matheson, Lehi Jones, Randall Jones, and Robert S. Gardner, making up the quartet.
BOYS CHORUS
District No. 17, Deseret stake, Hinckley, Utah, Mrs. C. A. Broad dus, conductor; District No. 12, Parowan stake, Parowan, Utah, L. J. Adams, conductor; District No. 7, Hyrum stake, Mendon, Utah, C. C. Watkins, conductor; District No. 8, Ogden, Utah, Mrs. Saville, con- ductor; District No. 11, Sevier stake, Richfield, Utah, S. H. Chidester,
WINNERS IN THE BOYS' CHORUS District No. 12, Parowan stake, Parowan, Utah. Personnel: L. J. Adams, con- ductor; Clifford Benson, Alfred Morris, Lucius Benson, Glen Clark, Edward Dalton, Clifton Halterman, Albert Marsden, Rex Ward, and Charles Wood. "
conductor; South Sanpete stake, Manti, Utah, Lars Peterson, con- ductor. ""The choruses from District No. 17, Hinckley, Utah, and District No. 12, Parowan, Utah, were chosen to compete in the grand finals.
GIRLS' CHORUS District No. 10, Utah stake, Timpanogos, C. W. Reid, conductor; District No. 9, Ensign stake, Eighteenth ward, Edna Edwards, con- ductor; District No. 4, Teton stake, Driggs, Idaho, James Driggs, con- ductor; District No. 7, Oneida stake, Preston, Idaho, Margaret Mer- rill, conductor; District No. 8, Ogden stake, Ogden, Utah, Beatrice Brewer, conductor; District No. 11, Sevier stake, Richfield, Utah, Eleanor Heppler, conductor; District No. 12, Parowan stake, Cedar
City, Utah, G. W. Foster, conductor; District Mo. 17, Deseret stake, Hinckley, Utah, Mrs. C. A. Broaddus, conductor. The choruses from District No. 10, Timpano^os ward, Utah stake,
WINNERS OF THE GIRLS' CHORUS Utah Stake, Timpanogos ward. Personnel: Emma Peck, Diantha District No. 10, Patten, Temple Evans, Lorna Booth, Ethel Hills, Lapriel Gappmeyer, Minnie Farley, Sylvia Draper, Bessie Cook. C. W. Reid, conductor.
and District No. 9, Eighteenth ward, Ensign stake, were chosen to compete in the grand finals.
SENIOR PUBLIC SPEAKING
John F. Miller, District No. 4, Yellowstone stake, St. Anthony, Idaho, "Will the Golden Age of Peace Ever Come?" Samuel Clawson, District No. 9, Ensign stake, Eighteenth ward, Salt Lake City, "Choosing a Vocation." Florella Love, District No. 1, Taylor stake, Raymond, Canada, "The Gospel of Love." Pearl Christensen, District 'No. 11, Richfield, Utah, "Our Birth- right." Edwin Baird, District No. 10, Provo, Utah, "Margins. Moroni W. Smith, District No. 12, Parowan, Utah, "Service." Harvey Taylor, District No. 8, Ogden, Utah, "The Unused Dy- namo." _ _ , , ,
.Urs. R. D. Holt, District No. 7, Oneida stake, Preston, Idaho, "Trust and Believe in God." Henry Maxfield, District No. 3, Union stake, Cove, Oregon, I he
Builder and His Dream." . .
John F. Miller, of District No. 4, and Samuel Clawson of District No. 9, were chosen to compete in the grand finals, and John F. Miller was given first place.
ADVANCED SENIOR PUBLIC SPEAKING
Mrs. Gertrude Smith, District No. 10, Wasatch stake, Heber City, Utah, "Woman's Work."
Bertha Eccles Wright, District No. 8, Weber stake, Ogden, Utah, "The Lord's Prayer." Newell K. Young, District No. 9, North Davis stake, Kaysville, Utah. "A Man Sent of God." Georgia Hoagland Forsythe, District No. 12, Parowan stake, New- castle, Utah, "Woman and Vocational Training." Mrs. Edward P. Horsfall, District No. 4, Pocatello stake, Poca- tello, Idaho, "Christianity in the Balance." J. B. Bearnson, District No. 7, Cache stake, Logan, Utah, "Speak Ye the Truth." Mrs. Bertha Eccles Wright of District No. 8, and Newell K. Young of District No. 9, were chosen to compete in the grand finals, and Mrs. Wright was given first place.
JUNIOR RE-TOLD STORY Grace Valentine, District No. 8, Box Elder stake, Brigham City, Utah. Leatha Anderson, District No. 7, Benson stake, Lewsiton, Utah. Marion Burton, District No. 12, Parowan stake, Parowan, Utah. Sadie Stubler, District No. 10, Alpine stake, American Fork, Utah. Reva Riddle, District No. 11, South Sanpete stake, Manti, Utah. Lyle Cropper, District No. 17, Deseret stake, Hinckley, Utah. Fannie Harris, District No. 4, Fremont stake, Salem, Idaho. Donnett Shumway, District No. 15, Snowflake stake, Snowflake, Arizona. Florence Cramer, District No. 5, Cassia stake, Marion, Idaho. Mattie Schofield, District No. 3, Union stake, La Grande, Oregon. Helen Root, District No. 6, Bannock stake, Soda Springs, Idaho.
MISS LEATHA ANDERSON District No. 7, Lewiston, Utah, winner in the Junior Re-told Story. Miss Anderson is L.teen years of age.
Julius Madsen, District No. 9, Liberty stake, Salt Lake City, Utah. Grace Valentine of District No. 8, whose story was "The Other Wise Man," and Miss Leatha Anderson, of District No. 7, who re-told the story of "Laddie," were chosen to compete in the grand finals, and Leatha Anderson was given first place.
JUDGES In the preliminary try-outs in the music section the judges were: Miss Nora Gleason, Edw. P. Kimball and Joseph J. Daynes, Sr. in the public-speaking section, Ardella Bitner Tibby, ;
Frank Nebeker and Charles H. Hart; in the junior re-told story section, Miss Angie Holbrook, Alfred Reese, and Nicholas G. Morgan. In the grand finals, held on Saturday evening, June 12, in the Assembly Hall, Prof. A. H. Peabody adjudicated in the musical numbers; Adam Bennion, Margaret Caldwell and John Henry Evans judged the re-told story contests; and Adam Bennion, Mary Connelly and Carl Badger judged the public speaking. EVENING ENTERTAINMENT At eight o'clock on Friday evening, the General Boards of the Y. M. and Y. L. M. I. A. tendered to the visiting officers of the M. I. A. free admission to the grand concert in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, given under the auspices of the Commercial Club for the benefit of the Ogden Tabernacle Choir, to aid them in their trip to the Panama Exposition. Leading musicians also took part with the choir, including Emma Lucy Gates, John J. McClellan, Roumania Hyde, and Horace Ensign.
A SAMPLE OF CONTEST ACTIVITY
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The Deseret stake is a sample of the splendid activity the M. I. A. contest work has aroused throughout the Church, and in which at least fifteen thousand young people participated during the past season. The above picture represents the contingent that came to Salt Lake City to represent the Deseret stake in the final try-outs. There is the mixed double quartet at the back, the junior girls' chorus in the center, and the boy scout chorus in front, and with them the chaperones and accompanist and the leader, all of Hinckley, Utah. Mrs. C. A. Broaddus, of Hincklev. who was the efficient instructor in the singing, is the wife of Dr. C. A. Broaddus. Mrs. M. E. Damron is the Deseret stake chor- ister. The names of the young people and their associates are as follows StellaWn>ht, Hugh Hilton, Richard Terry, Ruby Stout, Golden Webb, Eugene Hilton, Utah Terry, Virgil Hilton, Blyne Moody, Manton Moody, Grace Robinson, F.lfic! Virtor Terry, Leatha Wright, Asahel Wright, Dr. and Mrs. C. A. T?i c hards,
Rroaddus. Edna Home, Frances Stout, Clara Stewart, Rena Reeve, Fontella Cahoon, Clement Hilton, Leroy Cahoon, Aaron Home, Eureka Robinson, Marion Slaughter, ,
P.oy Hilton, Carrie Langston, Norma Damron, accompanist; Rose Terry, absent.