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 Fourteenth 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 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th, 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 Association.

Program General M. I. A. Conference The program, as far as completed, is as follows: THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 1916, M. I. A. SCOUT PROGRAM 10 a. m. — Bishop's Building. Good speakers will discuss the following topics: (1) The Tenderfoot Scout. (II) The Second Class Scout (III) The First Class Scout (IV) Additional Programs. (V) The ,

Daily Good Turn. 2 p. m. — Bishop's Building. (I) Hikes. (II) Summer Camps. (Ill) Scout Songs, Yells and Signals. (IV) Scout Problems. (V) Training of Leaders. (VI) Discipline and Management of Boys. 8 p. m— Deseret Gymnasium.— Council Fire Meeting. This meeting will be devoted to a demonstration of a campfire gathering including a program of scout songs, exercises, stories and talks. FRIDAY, JUNE 9 10 a. m.—Joint Officers' Meeting.—Assembly Hall. (I) Opening Exercises. (II) Reading of the Slogan: "We stand for state- and nation-wide prohibition," Elder Heber J. Grant. "Special Activities, 1916-17," Clarissa A. Beesley, 20 minutes. (III) "Annual Fall (IV) "The Reading Course," Jane B. Anderson. (V) Conventions," Bryant S. Hinckley. (VI) "Demonstration of an M.

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756 IMPROVEMENT ERA I. A. Ward Association Meeting," Oscar A. Kirkham, directing, (a) Preliminary Officers' Meeting, (b) Preliminary Program. (1) Talk on Shakespeare, Harold Gofif. (2) Reading from Shakespeare, Edith R. Lovesy. (3) Music, (c) Class Work, Dr. George H. Brimhall. (d) Stake Officers and their Relation to the Ward Association. — 2 p. m. Try-Outs in Music and Public Speaking. —Assembly Hall and Bishop's Building. Music, in charge of Oscar A. Kirkham and Mabel Cooper. As- sembly Hall. Public Speaking in charge of John F. Bowman and Emily C. Adams, Bishop's Building. — 8 p. m. Reception and Social for Visiting Stake Officers, in Hotel Utah, Tendered by the General Boards.

SATURDAY, JUNE 10 10 a. m. — Separate Y. M. M. I. A. Officers' Meetings (I)Roll Call of Stakes. (II) "Membership and Organization," 10 minutes. (Ill) "Vocations and Industries," 15 minutes. (IV) "Class Study, Manuals, 1916," 20 minutes. (V) Reports Era and Fund, 15 minutes. (VI) "Efficiency in Y. M. M. I. A. Work," 25 minutes. (VII) "Summary," Heber J. Grant. 12 Noon. At12 o'clock the Social Committee will provide luncheon for General Board and Stake Superintendents only. "Problems in Stake Supervision and Work," will be discussed by stake superintendents and General Board members. 3:30 p. m. — Meeting of all Officers and Members of the Y. M. M. I. A. "Overcoming Difficulties in M. I. A. Work," introduced by B. S. Hinckley, to be followed by two-minute speeches from stake superin- tendents who are requested to come prepared. 7:30 p. m. Grand — Finals, in Senior Speaking and Male and Ladies' Quartets. Music and public speaking, and the rendition of the "Daughter of Jairus" by the combined mixed double quartets of Pioneer Stake M. I. A., Tracy Y. Cannon conducting. Presentation of medals to winners in contests, awarding of Church pennant, Assembly Hall, 8 p. m.

SUNDAY, JUNE 11 8:30 a. m. —A Fast and Testimony Meeting will be held in the Assembly Hall. All M. I. A. Workers are Welcome. 10:30 a. m. —Joint M. I. A Officers' Meeting in Tabernacle. (I)M. I. A. Slogan, Dr. George H. Brimhall. (II) "Social Work," Lucy W. Smith. (Ill) Address, President Joseph F. Smith. (IV) Music, Junior Boys' Chorus of Granite Stake, and Junior Girls' Chorus of Liberty Stake. 2:00 p. M.General Sessions, Tabernacle. (I) Address, "How the Gospel can be Taught Through Pioneer Experiences," President Nephi L. Morris, for the Primary Associa- tion. (II) Address, General President Y. L. M. I. A. (Ill) Ad-

MUTUAL WORK 757

dress, General Superintendent Y. M. M. I. A. (IV) Music, Taber- nacle Choir.

7:00 p. m. — General Session, Tabernacle. (I) Address, Marian Belnap Kerr, Primary Association. (II) Address, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people," Elder B. H. Roberts. (Ill) Music, Ladies' Chorus, Ogden Stake, and Male Chorus, Ensign Stake. The General Boards request that all delegates, from all the stakes, wear stake badges which each stake is expected to provide. The usual annual conference rates will be in effect.

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The boys took an overnight hike April 1, 1916, up Indian canyon. Jay C. Jensen, scout master. The picture shows them ready for travel

M. I. A. Day

Special Activities— Scoring for Pennant

As a sample of what one ward can do in the matter of obtaining points for the special activities in the Mutual Improvement Associa- tion work, the Ninth ward of the Liberty stake of Zion has perhaps been reached the greatest efficiency. The result which follows has achieved through hard work and honest effeort on the part of nearly every member of the entire organization. The officers wish it under- stood that their object has not been to score points alone. The was merely an incentive to work towards their great object— scoring the personal development of every member. They recognized the

758 IMPROVEMENT ERA possibility that members in their eagerness to score points might neglect preparation. To avoid this the officers adopted a set of rigid rules which demanded better preparation than either the rules of the stake or of the Church. They "cut out" many of the points, because of lack of preparation, which were perfectly legitimate according to the rules of both stake and Church. The officers consider that much of the benefit derived from speech-making, story-telling, chorus and quartet work, comes as a result of previous preparation, and they therefore put forth every effort to obtain preparation from the mem- bers and, as far, say the officers, as the report which follows is con- cerned, every point is a result of hours of precious preparation. An- other thought, they did not allow activity work to interfere in any way with the regular class and other Mutual work. Both the Young Men and the Young Ladies, so the officers report, fully covered their respective courses of study, and only on one or two unavoidable occa- sions did they allow the preliminary program to run over time. Herbert B. Maw, president of the Young Men's association, closes his report to the Era with these words: "Besides what we have done in general activity work, we have organized one boys' band and one orchestra, and since Mutual closed a second orchestra. recom- We mend to the General Board that band and orchestra work be made a part of the general activity work next season. The score for the season's work, 1915-16, in the Ninth ward follows:

Books Read Heard Read No. Points "Joseph Smith, the Prophet-Teacher" 50 44 "Study of Greatness in Men" 20 "The Play-House" 82 42 "Daughter of the North" 50 6 "Little Sir Galahad" 80 1

"Lance of Kanana" 73 32 "Twenty-fourth of Tune" 50 2 "Rolf in the Woods" 38 1

Total 443 128 1,014

Number No. Points Senior Public Speaking 78 234 Extemporaneous Address 43 129 Retold Story 101 303

Total 222 666

Second First Number Music Number Appearance Appearance Points Ladies' Chorus 7 7 59 247 Male Chorus 5 5 6 68 Ladies' Quartet 1 1 1 7 Male Quartet 2 2 8 26 Double Mixed Quartet 2 2 20

Total 17 • 17 74 368

Drama 1 1 15

Total points for season 2,063

Total Church population of ward 698 Total enrollment in Mutuals 132

Officers of the Ninth ward M. I. A., Liberty stake: Y. M. M. I. A.— Herbert B. Maw, president; Robert W. Divett, first councilor; Edwin Blomquist, second councilor. — Y. L. M. I. A. Daisy Booth, president; Vica Marler, first coun- selor; Nora Jackman, second counselor. W. A. Jackman, score master.