--- 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: 19 number: 7 published: 1916-05 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* 19, no. 7 (May 1916): 659–664.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1907unse 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: improvementera1907unse start_page: 659 end_page: 664 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1916-05) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1907unse publication_year: 1916 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 1916, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Mutual Work Mutual Work ANNUAL M. I. A. AND PRIMARY CONFERENCE The Twenty-first General Annual Conference of the Young Men's and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations, and the Four- teenth Annual Conference of the Primary Associations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be held in Salt Lake City, on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 8, 9, 10 and 11, 1916. All members are invited, and all officers are particularly requested to be present at all of the meetings of the conference, and a cordial invitation is extended to the Saints generally to attend the meetings to be held in the Tabernacle at 2 and 7 p. m. on Sunday, June 11. Joseph F. Smith, Martha H. Tingey, Heber J. Grant, Ruth May Fox, B. H. Roberts, Mae T. Nystrom. General Superintendency Presidency Y. L. M. I. A. Y. M. M. I. A. Louie B. Felt, May Anderson, Clara W. Beebe, Presidency Primary Asociation. Scout Work At the Tabernacle Grounds During Conference During conference week M. I. A. scouts of Salt Lake City did efficient service on the Tabernacle grounds. On Tuesday, five scouts reported at the Bureau of Information for service. Visitors to the city were shown suitable boarding places in various parts by the scouts. 660 IMPROVEMENT ERA On Sunday about sixty scouts reported for duty and assisted as ushers in the Tabernacle and Assembly Hall. Trained, first aid scouts were placed throughout the buildings to assist in cases of emergency. On the south side of the Tabernacle, between two of the arches, first aid headquarters were maintained. Here several emergency cases were attended to. This was also the headquarters for lost children. The scouts also assisted in keeping the immediate vicinity as quiet as pos- sible, so that people walking and talking on the outside, might not disturb the worshipers. At the close of the services, the scouts were lined up around the gates, and kept the people moving in definite directions, that they might not block the way for those who were anxious to leave the grounds as soon as possible to catch trains or cars. It is suggested that at stake conferences, M. I. A. scouts could be of considerable service along these lines. In a number of our stakes the scouts have already done work of this kind. They have aided in caring for teams, for ladies and aged people, patroling the grounds where automobiles are standing, and generally supervising and looking after the premises. Stake Work Closing Meeting and Summer Work for M. I. A. In order to create an interest in the matter of summer work, and to have the business of the closing meeting of the Y. M. M. I. A. (see "Hand Book," p. 17) properly attended to, in the matter of appointing and sustaining permanent officers for the associations, the General Superintendency of the Y. M. M. I. A. have forwarded the following letter to the stake presidents, a copy of which has also been sent to the superintendents of the Y. M. M. I. A. This letter is dated March 27. We call the special attention of M. I. A. officers to its contents: Dear Brother : One of the important Church activities in the stakes and wards is the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associa- tion. At the head of this organization we have a General Superin- tendency with some thirty or forty members of the General Board who are devising plans continually for the progress and advancement of these associations. The Superintendency and Board are very much interested in the welfare of the young men of Zion, as we know that you are. We are making efforts to continue Mutual Improvement work during the summer by having the officers in some way or other con- tinue their activities, at least to a limited extent. To this end we have made arrangements for a closing meeting in each ward to conclude the regular season's meetings and to prepare for the summer. At this closing meeting the annual statistical and financial reports of the ward association should be presented and ap- proved, and a report made of the various activities carried out in the association for the past year. The officers for the ensuing year, as far as possible, should be presented and voted upon by the association at this meeting, so that they will be prepared to carry on the summer's work and be ready to take up the convention and regular work when the season opens in the fall. We urge that you impress the bishops of your wards with the necessity of retaining Y. M. M. I. A. officers and workers permanently in Mutual work, and where vacancies occur that they may be filled immediately. We wish to make the work permanent as far as possible, and have the officers feel that they are to work for the whole year. We ask that a thorough search be made in every ward and stake for MUTUAL WORK 661 men who love boys and who can wield a strong influence for good among them, and that such men be made officers of our Mutual Im- provement Associations. We think that when such men are found they might well be released from their other duties and urged to specialize on M. I. A. work, and as leaders in our Mutual Improve- ment Associations. Will you emphasize these requests to the bishoprics of the various wards of your stake? We feel that it is very important for the young men of Zion, and trust that we may depend upon your co-operation and assistance in getting this matter before the bishops of your wards, so that our associations may have officers that can be depended upon the year round. Sincerely your brethren, THE GENERAL SUPERINTENDENCY OF Y. M. M. I. A. By Heber J. Grant. Vocations and Industries THE 1916 INDUSTRIAL CONTEST The Committee on Vocations and Industries of the General Board of the Y. M. M. I. A. has decided to hold only one contest for boys during the season of 1916. It will be broad enough to include all the boys who are members of the Y. M. M. I. A. The city boys will have a good chance to win, but the boys in the country will have an equal opportunity to secure the prizes offered. This applies not only to the boys who do work for other people, but also to the boys who are far- tunate enugh to work for themselves or for their parents, on the farm or in the factory, or in any other kind of occupation. Last year the committee received a large number of entry appli- cations, at the beginning of the season, but, when the final reports were called for, many failed to respond. To make it easier to send in the reports this year, it has been decided to make the ward the unit of the contest. A local committee under the direction of the ward vocational counselor, will pass on all contests in the respective wards and determine the best three which they will promptly forward direct to the committee on vocations and industries, Moroni Snow, Secretary, Bishop's Building, Salt Lake City, Utah. The stake supervisors will continue to have a general supervision of the work and the contests, but will not be given the additional work of collecting and forwarding the reports. Every boy who enters should see to it that his report reaches the ward vocational counselor immediately after August 31. The report of Lewis Ashton, the winning record for 1915, follows, and is intended to serve as a guide in making up the reports for the 1916 contest: M. I. A. Boys' Industrial Contest Report Blank This report is to be filled in at the close of the contest, and when properly certified to is to be handed by the contestant to the Ward Vo- cation Counselor, who will forward it to the General Committee, 20 Bishop's Building, Salt Lake City. 1 Name— Lewis Ashton Age— 13 years 11 months 2 Ward— Le Grand Stake— Liberty 3 Kind of work— Ploughing, digging ditch, piling wheat. 4 By whom employed— J. B. Harris and Wilford Ashton. 5' What was the principal reason that you accepted this particular work?— Wished to learn to farm, to earn some money, and to avoid being idle. — 9 — 662 IMPROVEMENT ERA 6. How many days did you work? — 60 How many hours each day? — 7. What was the total amount earned? — $83.00 8. How much did you spend? —$2.75 A. Gave to parents— $27.50 E. Clothing—$2.25 B. Board $47.00 F. Amusements —Out in open, C. Donations— $ .50 riding, swimming, etc. D. Books and magazines— G. Other things (List in full) Furnished Tithing—$3.00 9. How much did you save?— $27.50. Where did you place it? — Gave to my widowed mother for taxes it 10. — Write a fifty-word essay on your season's work. Cut lawns to pay transportation to Southern Utah. Did farm work and re- ceived much experience with horses and machinery. Built a strong body and received a good appetite. Evenings and holidays I read and practiced on violin and sometimes played at dances with sis- ter. Happy that I can help mother. I hereby certify that the above report is correct: Lewis Ashton, Contestant. I hereby certify that the above report is cor- rect to the best of my knowledge and belief. Edward M. Ashton, Bishop The committee awarded to Brother Ashton a prize of $15 and also an M. I. A. gold pin ,and give him this honorable mention in the Era, printing his report in full. Boys' Half-Acre Contest, 1915 The first in the Boys' Half-Acre contest, for 1915, was prize awarded to Charles Lester Hartle, age 15, of the Winder ward, Cot- tonwood stake. He planted table and stock carrots in one-eighth of an acre of clay loam. His report shows that he did not irrigate. He cultivated them with a hand cultivator, counted every item of actual cost, and certifies to the correctness of his report. His crop yield of carrots was 256^4 bushels, which he sold at current market prices — 25c and 40c per bushel realizing $74.60, leaving a net profit on the season's work of $65.65. The report is certified to by Bishop Joseph A Cornwall, and W. D. Campbell, ward vocaitonal counselor. An M. I. A. pin and $15 is awarded to Brother Hartle, and this honorable mention. Honorable mention in the Boys' Half-Acre Contest, is given to Joy Davis, age 14, of Ramah, New Mexico, St. Johns stake. He planted one acre and realized $51, and after deducting the costs, the net profit of his season's work was $28.85. His bishop, Duane Hamblin, and his president of the M. I. A., G. E. Nielsen, certify to his report. We are glad to give him honorable mention in the Improvement Era. Honorable mention is also given by the committee to Harvey M. Bloomfield, Ramah, New Mexico, St. Johns stake, who planted pota- toes in one acre, and raised a crop valued at $53.10 from which he re- alized a net profit of $44.65. The signature of the same officers is given to his report. These two young men who have received the above honorable mention in our magazine will also receive $10.00 each. M. I. A. Boys' Industrial Contest (School Vacation, June 1 to August 31, 1916) RULES For the purpose of encouraging industry during the school vaca- MUTUAL WORK 663 tion season, to impress our boys with the value and use of money, and the worth of time, and to give them experience in seeking and fol- lowing useful employment, the committee on vocations and industries of the General Board of the Y. M. M. I. A. make the following recom- mendations: 1. That a contest be held for the members of the Y. M. M. I. A. to be known as the M. I. A. Boys' Industrial Contest. 2. That all Y. M. M. I. A. members from the age of 12 to 18 in- clusive, be eligible to enter the contest. 3. That the ward vocation counselors be requested to encourage all boys between the ages of 12 and 18 years, inclusive, to engage in some profitable form of work during the summer vacation. 4. That an accurate weekly record shall be kept of the kind and hours of labor performed and the compensation received. 5. That a record be kept of all money expended from the earn- ings during the vacation, stating the amount expended, the things for which it was spent and the net savings. 6. For the purpose of this contest the ward is recognized as the unit. The ward associations are urged to give some suitable recogni- tion for the best three records made in the ward. The records ad- judged to be the first, second, and third best in each ward, by a com- mittee selected under the initiative of the ward vocational counselor, are to be sent direct to the committee on vocations and industries, 22 Bishop's Building, Salt Lake City, Utah, and arrangements will be made for a committee to select the best ten records submitted. Hon- orable mention of these will be made in the Improvement Era, and the following prizes will also be awarded: For the best record, $25 cash; second best, $20 cash; third best, $15 cash; fourth best, $10 cash; fifth best, $5 cash; and for the next ten best records $2.50 cash to each. 7. The basis of judging the merits of the various records will be the character of the employment, the amount of money received for the work, the judgment shown in expending or saving the amount earned, and the net results of the season's work, from the standpoint of the development of the boy's character and health, the purpose or motive in taking up the employment. 8. As a guide in making up a report of the season's work, en- trants are referred to the Improvement Era for May, 1916, where the actual report of the winner of the 1915 contest is given— Lewis Ashton. 9. The following kinds of work are sugegstive of the employ- ments which may be profitably engaged in. The list is not complete, and may be added to in the different communities to suit local condi- tions. Gardening, cultivation of flowers for sale, watering and cutting lawns, canvassing, cabinet work, helpers to mechanics in the trades, farm work, poultry raising, beet hoeing and thinning, fruit picking, berry gathering, choring or any other common labor, caring for prem- ises while families are away from home, working in factories, stores, offices, banks, etc. To Boys Working for Parents Many of our M. I. A. boys work on the farm or at some other occupation for their parents. Boys in this class will keep a careful record of all their work, and fill in as much of the report blank as pos- sible, and their record will receive careful and fair consideration with the others. It is understood, however, that such boys who become contestants, should receive nothing from favor, and the valuation of their work should be at current prices for the class of work in the vicinity. The committee suggests, however, that, when possible, boys be permitted to cultivate a half acre of ground on their own account, or care for a pen of chickens or pigs, or that they have some other 664 IMPROVEMENT ERA special tiling to do from which they can reap the result and com- pensation of their labors, by receiving in a direct way the money earned. Vocational Guidance At the Summer School of the University of Utah, a course has been organized in vocational guidance, under the direction of Pro- fessor C. D. Steiner. Considerable interest has been aroused in this subject among Mutual Improvement workers. The vocation coun- selors of the Y. M. M. I. A., and others interested in this subject, will find this summer school a great help, if they can make it convenient to attend. The main object of the course is not to train vocational guidance experts, but to help teachers in grade and high schools to get the work under way in accordance with the ideas of the best workers today on this important subject. The services of J. Adams Puffer, director of the Beacon Vocation Bureau, Boston, author of "Vocational Guidance," and popular lecturer on the subject, have been secured for a conference and lecture. William A. McKeever, Professor of Child Welfare, University of Kansas, will be present as authority on this subject. His concern in the course will be to help teachers and vocation guidance workers to aid boys and girls to de- — velop power to do their contemplated work, not to find jobs for them. He will also point out the danger threatening Vocational Guid- ance work now, that of scattering effort in a multiplicity of incoherent details. We think the course will prove to be of very practical help to persons who are concerned with directing the very vigorous move- ments now under way in the state. Members and vocational counselors of the Mutual Improvement Associations who are school teachers are urged to make a special effort to attend this course. Any Mutual officers may obtain summer school excursion rates for this work, and where our officers contem- plate attending summer school, they are urged to take advantage of this course in vocational guidance. M. I. A. Day Play Production The University of Utah Summer School has arranged this year to give a popular non-professional course in practical amateur stage technique. The course will not pretend to train actors for the pro- fessional stage but will endeavor to assist those who wish to coach, manage or take part in amateur dramatics in the community in which they live. This will especially be serviceable to our M. I. A. workers. Those who register in this school will be given experience in the or- ganization of local dramatic clubs, the casting of parts, stage direction, stage management, and all details in the actual production of plays; besides, fundamentals of stage settings, stage light, make-up, and cos- tuming will be discussed and executed as far as possible. The course is so arranged that the student may devote his entire time or give only the equivalent of one class recitation a day to the subject. All plays will be produced, managed, and directed by the students, and will be staged before the summer school population. Two to four high school credit hours may be earned by taking the course. The General Boards desire to make known that where officers of the M. I. A. are school teachers or contemplate attending summer school they be encouraged tc take advantage of this course. Officers who attend these courses can obtain summer school excursion rates the same as teachers who attend.