---
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: 8
published: 1916-06
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. 8 (June 1916): 755–758.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1908unse
  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: improvementera1908unse
start_page: 755
end_page: 758
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1916-06)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1908unse
  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

<!-- page:755 -->

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.

<!-- page:756 -->

—                                                     —

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-

<!-- page:757 -->

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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                                                                           £96
                         TROOP NO. 1., DUCHESNE

    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

<!-- page:758 -->

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.
