--- 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: 20 number: 11 published: 1917-09 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* 20, no. 11 (September 1917): 1022–1032." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera20011unse 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: improvementera20011unse start_page: 1022 end_page: 1032 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1917-09) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera20011unse publication_year: 1917 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 1917, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Mutual Work IMPROVEMENT ERA ^MUTUAL WORK The Ethics of the Doctrine and Covenants For Advanced Senior Class, Joint Y. M. and Y. L. M. I. A. Lesson One — Introduction ETHICS AND RELIGION "The Doctrine and Covenants is the greatest system of ethics that was ever given to the human family."—President George Q. Cannon. This thesis is to be maintained from three points of view: First. That divinely-revealed ethics is of a more perfect type than any that can be produced by the finite mind. Second. That the Doctrine and Covenants is a system of revealed ethics for society and to society in a higher state of development and experience than at any previous period in the historv of the race. Third. That the doctrines of good and evil, right and wrong, contained in this book are producing, and will continue to produce, the nearest ap- proach to the highest form of human happiness. Ethics deals with duty. It is the science of the rules of right and wronj. One eminent author on ethics says: "Sound ethics must be based on sound metaphysics. Sound ethics, therefore, must start by recognizing especially: "(1) The existence of one God, omnipotent, creator, infinitely wise and just; "(2) The finite nature of man, composed of animal body and rational soul, which form one person "(3) The veracity of the faculties; "(4) The immortality of the human soul; "(5) The liberty of the human will." From the point of view that religion deals with duty, with good and evil, with right and wrong, religion is ethics. From the point of view that all good is harmony with God and that all duty is approved by him, ethics is religion. The line of difference between ethics and religion, however, is the difference between man's duty to his fellow man, and man's duty to his God. The person who sacrifices his fellow being to his God regardless of the effects of that sacrifice on the one sacrificed, is religious, but not ethical. If. however, in the mind of the sacrificer there was a belief that the sacri- fice would benefit the being sacrificed, he is both religious and ethical from his point of view. He has done his conscientious duty to God and his fellow man. Of course, if this individual's standards of good and evil, of right and wrong, are low, his spirituality or religion may be fanaticism, and his ethics a manifestation of lamentable ignorance or misinformation. Hence the ne- cessity of accurate and elevated standards in both religion and ethics. Jephthah's vow is a good illustration of religion minus ethics. Abra- MUTUAL WORK 1023 ham's offering up his son Isaac is an illustration of the spiritual-ethical type. The Hebrew prince said to the Egyptian tempter: "Behold my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hands; there is none greater in this house than I. Neither hath he kept back anything from me, but thee, because thou art his wife; how then can I do this great wickedness" (that is, be untrue to his master) "and sin against God" (that is, be untrue to his religion). Here is ethics and religion reinforced and held firm by each other. Had Joseph stopped with the thought of duty to his master, his defense would have been purely ethical. Had he omitted deference to his master, and referred only to duty to his God, his defense would have been purely religious. The following poem has in it the very essence of pure ethics: Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase) Awoke one night from a sweet dream of peace, And saw, within the moonlight in his room, Making it white, like a lily in bloom, An angel, writing in a book of gold. Exceeding peace made Ben Adhem bold, And to the presence in the room, He said: "Wh?t writest thou?" The vision raised its head and with a look made all of sweet accord. Answered: "The names of those who love the Lord." "And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so," replied the angel; Abou spoke more low. but cheerily still, and said: "I pray thee, then, write me as one who loves his fellow men." The angel wrote and vanished. The next night he came again, with a great awakening light, And showed the names of those whom love of God had blessed And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest! "The Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" illustrates the man climbing through the ethical to the spiritual. In the story of "Abram and Zimri," one is religious and ethical, the other is purely ethical. (See Y. M. M. I. A. Manual, 1915-16, page 54.) Our task in this course will be to discover wherein the Doctrine and Covenants furnishes rules of conduct of the highest type. Problems 1. What is ethics? 2. What is religion? 3. Wherein is religion ethics, and wherein is ethics religion? 4. What is the line of demarcation between religion and ethics? 5. When is an act both ethical and religious? Illustrate. 6. Explain and illustrate a purely religious act. 7. How did the angel of the Lord make the slaying of Laban ethical to Nephi? 8. Wherein was Joseph's defense of his honor purely ethical, wherein was it purely spiritual? 9. In the light of the following conditions, was the offering of Tsaac purely religious, or ethical and religious? God taught Abraham the doctrine of the atonement wherein the Father gave, for a sacrifice, his Son, and the Son willingly accepted the sacrificial mission. Abraham's greatest desire was to become like God. Through Abraham, Isaac knew of the mission of Christ, his heroism, and his lovaltv to his Father: the Christ to come was Isaac's highest ideal. IMPROVEMENT ERA 1"24 IMPROVEMENT ERA and an opportunity to be like the Son would be courageously grasped by Isaac. Abraham was an aged man, stricken in years; Isaac was a buoyant youth, fleet and strong. They two alone climbed the mountain. Isaac was voluntarily bound to the altar. 10. Wherein was Abou Ben Adhem a purely ethical character? 11. Which character in the story of Abram and Zimri was purely ethical,and why was the other one ethical and religious? 12. Which part of "The Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief is ethical and which part religious? 13. What are we to search out from the Doctrine and Covenants in this course of lessons? Lesson Two ETHICS AND RELIGION (Continued) The Inadequacy of Ethics The circle of a perfect life is made up of four arcs, the omission or the elimination of either of which would be to life what the absence of a section of a chariot wheel would be, making the fall of the driver and the losing of the race certain. Every soul possesses four potentialities or innate powers, the physical, intellectual, ethical,and spiritual. These potentialities are dependent upon two things; first, an opportunity to act; second, the embracing of the oppor- tunity to act by responding to the external stimuli. Without light, air, and food there would be no physical growth. With- out objects of study the capacity to know would remain forever inert. The highest form of stimuli for intellectual advancement is an educational insti- tution or system. Without society, with its social needs, the innate power to be humanly good or evil, and to know human right and wrong would be without the opportunity of development. This potentiality responds to ethics. Without God, the spiritual potentiality, as an innate power in man, would forever remain as if it were not. The only form of stimulus to which this spiritual potentiality or innate power can respond and grow is religion, culminating in the institution called the Church. The human race has preserved these four potentialities and in one form or another developed each and everyone of them. To be a normal indi- vidual means to preserve and develop in one's self those innate powers that have been preserved and developed in the race. Ethics convinces; religion convinces and converts. Ethics illuminates; religion illuminates and warms. Ethics seeks a way for salvation; religion makes the path. True ethics is religion in part; true religion is all of ethics and more. In obedience to the first law or commandment we grow to love our fellow men through love of God, the great exemplar of love; in obedience to the second great law we prepare for love of God, through love of our fellow men. These two laws are complements of each other. The first of these laws is the subject, the second the complement; these two form the sentence of salvation. There is a class of thinkers who say all religions which tend to make society better, are good and desirable. To such persons religions are social or ethical systems. Thinkers of this class acknowledge religions as forms of Godliness, but deny any power of Godliness. They seem not to recog- nize the fact that it is the God idea that makes religion possible, and gives the form from which it derives its creative and sustaining power. Ethics is inadequate to the highest happiness of man, whether it is the product of social evolution, or even a revelation from God, without the superhuman in it. accepted as good, but its divine source denied. MUTUAL WORK 1025 Problems: 1. Why is an irreligious man not a normal individual? 2. Discuss the proposition: Possibility consists of potentiality plus opportunity. 3. Illustrate the truth, that without something beside the self there is no growth. 4. What are the four principal innate potentialities of a normal indi- vidual? 5. Why can there be no development of a moral capacity without society? 6. Why is it impossible for the spiritual capacity to develop without a God? 7. Explain and illustrate the difference between being convinced and converted. 8. Why did Jesus, the greatest authority on ethics and religion, give as the first great law, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God," and as the second great law, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." 9.What sustaining power does religion possess that ethics does not? 10.Show by illustration the truth of the following, "Religion lights the lamp of hope and beckons us onward when the torch of logic is smoking in the pit of despair." (Other lessons will fellow in succeeding numbers of the Era.) Outlines for the Sub-Junior Class Y. M. M. I. A. Designed for Teachers Introduction There being no designated text book to be placed in the hands of the sub-junior boys, it will be necessary for the teacher to have a copy of the book, Men Who Made Good, and to study carefully the chapters designated as lessons in these outlines. He should read the Foreword to the book, and note what the author says, that "the lives of many men of comparatively little note are full of what is helpful and stimulating." It should be the aim of the teacher to select what is helpful and stimulating from these life stories, then to present and apply it to the boys under his tuition. As the text itself is not always suited to the capacity of the sub-junior boy, it should be used sparingly in the class recitation. The teacher's knowledge obtained from the text might well be enlarged and enriched by a further reading about the characters under consideration from some bio- graphical work or encyclopedia. As there are twenty-six chapters in the teachers' text, and only sixteen lessons planned, it follows that ten are omitted in the treatment. If the teacher finds that he can use some of those not here selected to better advantage, he should do so. These outlines are suggestive only. The teacher, on his own initiative, should plan much that is not here given. Lesson One Text: Chapter I, in Men Who Made Good. Subject "From Peasant : Home to King's Palace" — Ole Bull, the vio- linist. Notes, Suggestions, and Problems: Ole Bull was born at Bergen, Nor- way, in 1810. As a setting to his musical development, describe the wild scenery of the Norwegian coast. He was a "born musician." What does that mean? Explain the principle of pre-existence. What, however, must be done with talents brought with one into the world? At the height of his success, Ole Bull was called to play before kings. Did that make him vain? Though he attained to the company of the high- IMPROVEMENT ERA est,he also freely associated with the lowliest. He made a lot of money, hut he gave much to the poor, and he spent it in useful ways. Tell the incidents of the interview with the king of Sweden, and with Ingebret Soot. Repeat Ole Bull's reply to his critics. In what way should you use the talents the Lord has given you? Discuss. Lesson Two Text: Chapter II, Men Who Made Good. Subject: "A Man Who Was True to His Ideals" — Farncois Millet, the Painter. Notes, Suggestions and Problems: Why is France a country of great interest to us now? Paris is a city of art and artists. Millet was born and reared in France. What is an ideal? By skilful questioning, bring out what ideals the boys have. Millet had an ideal. What was it? He wanted to paint the simple scenes of country life with which he was familiar. What influences diverted him for a time from his ideal? How did he return to it? What efforts should one make to stick to one's ideals? Discuss: Bring to the class some samples of Millet's paintings, such as "The Angelus" and "The Gleaners," and point out their beauties. Lesson Three Text: Chapter III, Men Who Made Good. — Subject: "How Perseverance Won" Bernard Palissy, the Potter. Notes, Suggestions and Problems: This is one of the most marvelous stories of perseverance, and it gives to a teacher a splendid opportunity to tell a good story. Beginning with the early life of Palissy and his search for the secret of the white enamel, tell how he worked and sacrificed, de- veloping the story to the climax when he fed the oven with fences, flooring, and even furniture, until success came! Boys who give up easily seldom attain to anything worth while. Were the sacrifices which Palissy made worth while. Discuss. Lesson Four Text: Chapter V, in Men Who Made Good. — Subject: "From Prison to Abbey" Charles Dickens, the Novelist. Notes, Suggestions and Problems: The boyhood of Charles Dickens was full of hardships: lack of schooling; long, hard working hours; asso- ciating with all sorts of people in the big city of London; his father in prison for debt; and yet he emerged from this school of hard knocks with a tender heart and with great sympathy for the poor and down-trodden and unfortunate. To what use did Dickens, the writer, put his boyhood experiences? How is it possible to turn seeming misfortune to good, even in our day? Give concrete illustrations. Talk to the boys on some of the books and characters of Dickens, and encourage them to read some of his best stories. Lesson Five Text: "Chapter VI, in Men Who Made Good." — Subject: "The Apostle of Freedom" William Lloyd Garrison. Notes, Suggestions, and Problems: Describe the conditions of our country under the system of slavery. Most of the boys will have read Uncle Tom's Cabin. In the beginning of the agitation against slavery, it was not popular and sometimes unsafe to be against slavery. What was Garrison's vow? MUTUAL WORK 1027 How did he carry it out? How did Garrison show that he was sincere in his convictions? Read to the class the closing paragraph in this chapter, discuss, and make present-day application of the principles therein expressed. Lesson Six Text: Chapter IX, in Men Who Made Good. — Subject: "From Errand Boy to Publisher" William Chambers. Notes, Comments, Problems: William Chambers lived one hundred years ago in Scotland. He was poor and he had an ardent longing for books. This was before the days of free schools and free libraries. How could such a boy get an education and gratify his desire for reading? He became errand boy in a book shop. Not being permitted to read in the shop, he took books home, and read mornings. (Why not evenings?) Then he began in a very small way to sell books for himself. To add to his profits, he bound his own books, then he purchased a small second- hand press and printed some. This led to his writing what he printed, bound, and sold. Gradually he became a large publisher, his ambition being to publish and to sell books so cheaply that the poor could have access to them. This he accomplished. Tell the story of his reading to the bakers. Why should a boy be willing to sacrifice some of his time usually devoted to play or sleep, if necessary, to read? Discuss. Lesson Seven Text: Chapter X, in Men Who Made Good." — Subject: "Working His Way to the Editor's Chair" Horace Greely. Notes, Comments and Problems: Some boys like to do manual work, but do not like to study; some boys like to read, but do not like to work — with their hands; some boys like to work for themselves exclusively. Apply each of these traits to Horace Greely. They will explain largely the secret of his success. Horace was not so particular about his personal appearance, but he was particular about how he spent his time and his money. Discuss. What did Horace Greeley sav about debt? Lesson Eight Text: Chapter XII, in Men Who Made Gooi. Subject "The Man Who Made India Rubber Valuable" : — Charles Good- year. Notes, Suggestions and Problems: What would we do without rubber! Think of its many uses, from the small band about a package of letters to the automobile tire. Describe the rubber gum in its native or raw state, and why it was of little value. The process of making rubber an article of great commer- cial and economic value is the story of Charles Goodyear. Tell the story. Comment on Goodyear's saying that he was God's missionary, even as they are missionaries who go to preach the gospel. Problem for discussion: Goodyear's refusal of the Paris firm's offer. (The remaining lessons will appear in the October Era.) Suggestive Preliminary Programs Thomas A. Edison Three five-minute talks. (Reading Course, Thomas A. Edison.) a. The Boyhood of Edison. IMPROVEMENT ERA h. Edison and the Incandescent Light, c. Edison and the Phonograph. Selection from the Phonograph. Handel Talk, "The Inspiration and Beauty of Handel's Life." Explanation of the Oratorio, Messiah. Violin Solo, "Largo." Heber C. Kimball Talk, "Anecdotes from the Life of Heber C. Kimball." Sketch, "The First English Mission." Duet, "The Morning Breaks, the Shadows Flee." Quartet, "Ye Elders of Israel." Town or Ward History Talk, "First Settlers." Talk, "Prominent Characters" (Bishops, Pioneers, School Teachers, Mu- sicians, etc.) Music, "Auld Lang Syne," "Hard Times, Come Again No More." The Red Cross Talk, "Sarah Barton, and Her Connection with the American Red Cross." Sketch, "Florence Nightingale" (Reading Course, Florence Nightingale.) Hymn, "Battle Hymn of the Republic." Patriotic Music Talk, "Patriotism Expressed in Music." Instrumental Group, "Stars and Stripes Forever," by Sousa. Cornet Solo, introducing Bugle Calls. Patriotic Selections, Vocal Groups. National Loyalty- Talk, "When Our Country Calls." Mixed Double Quartet, "Loyal to the Truth and the Right," by Stephens. Junior Boys' Chorus, "The Truth, Boys, the Truth," Stephens, Improve- ment Era, January, 1917. Achievement in the Face of Difficulty Story, "Ole Bull." (Reading Course, Men Who Made Good.) Story, "Palissy the Potter." (Reading Course, Men Who Made Good.) The First Christian Church in America. Talk, "Alma the Elder." Talk, "The Forest, Land, and Waters of Mormon." Sentiment, "Four Fundamental Requirements of Members of the First Mormon Church in America: "We are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light: to mourn with those who mourn; to comfort those who stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God' at all times, in all things, and in all places,even until death." Reference, Book of Mormon, Mosiah 17, 18. Hymns 198, 199, L. D. S. Hymns. Trees Talk, "The Influence of Trees." Talk, "Historic Trees;" or, "Famous Forests." Declamation, "Forest Hymn," by Bryant; or, "Woodman, Spare that Thee," b- George P. Morris. Hymn, "There is Bpjin!\ >r the Forest." MUTUAL WORK 10*y Birds. Talk, "Our Feathered Songsters." Story, "The Birds of Killingworth," from Tales of a Wayside Inn, by Longfellow. Mixed Double Quartet, "The Whippoorwill's Song." Solo, "The Swallows." Suggestive List of Debates Resolved 1. That labor-saving machinery is a benefit to the working class. 2. That public libraries be closed on Sundays. 3. That the wages of men and women should be the same for the same work performed. 4. That no prizes should be offered in public schools. 5. That the state of is better adapted to agriculture than to manufacturing. 6. That woman suffrage should be adopted in all the states of the Union. 7. That the study of the Bible should be made a part of the curriculum in all taxable high schools of the state. 8. That will power is more essential to success than opportunity. That there is more happiness in pursuit than in possession. 9. 10. That more knowledge can be obtained by reading than by traveling. 11. That education increases happiness. 12. That the commission form of municipal government is preferable to government by political parties. 13. That barbarous tribes are benefitted by contact with civilized men. 14. That the president of the United States should be elected directly by the people for a term of six years and should not be eligible for a second term. 15. That a two years' mission is of more value to a high school graduate than a two years' college course. 16. That the tractor is of more benefit to man than the horse. 17. That the platform is more powerful than the press. 18. That heredity is stronger than environment. 19. That the ownership of railways should be vested in the Government. 20. That an educational standard is a necessary qualification for suf- frage. 21. That all first class cities should maintain free hospitals. Awards for Scoring It is intended this season that the awards given to associations for credits made in the activities shall be simple and inexpensive; that they shall serve merely to check on standards reached. The colors, red, white, and blue, are selected as fitting for this purpose. These awards are to be provided and designed by the stake boards. Suggestions: 1. Large letters —M I A — — cut from felt or heavy cloth- a red M, a white I, a blue A. 2. Small triangular pennants, red, white, and blue, the number of each color to be determined by the number of wards reaching the different stand- ards. 3. Small rectangular or oblong pennants; some of plain red; some of the two colors, red and white; some of the three colors, red, white, and blue; the number of each kind to be determined by the number of wards reaching the different standards. Letters M. I. A. in neutral tints, might be placed upon the pennants. IMPROVEMENT ERA These awards may be CUt ami made by members of ll»e association, if desired. The Public Library and the Heading Course With commendable forethought, Mis.- Sprague, the Librarian of the SaltLake City Public Library, has placed ten complete sets of the Mutual Improvement Association Reading Course for 1917-18, in the Salt Lake City Public Library, besides one set each for the two branch libraries in Salt Lake City. One of the ten sets in the main library will always be kept on hand for reference work. This will leave the other copies for circulating purposes. The library has also put in stock six copies of Moullons Short Introduction to the Literature of the Hible for distribution purposes. One cop) of this book will be kept on hand for reference work only. This action of the public library will enable the Mutual Improvement members of the vity wards to obtain free access to the reading course books in the library Workers who are not in a position to purchase the books for their own use may thus have the privilege of obtaining them free. In behalf of the Mutual Improvement organization, the Era expresses to Miss Sprague, the Librarian, and to the directors of the Salt Lake City Public Library the thanks of our membership for placing this number of books on the library shelves, and making them available for the Mutual Improvement workers of the city wards of Salt Lake City. We trust that other public libraries in the State of Utah, as well as in other surrounding states in which our or- ganizations are established, may follow the example set in Salt Lake City. We shall be pleased to make mention of it, if the librarians will let us know in regard to the installation of the books. The Y. M. M. I. A. in the Missions The Era has received annual reports for 1916-17 from the Australian, Cal- ifornian, Eastern States, Hawaiian, Japanese, Northwestern States, Scandina- vian, Southern States, Swedish and the Western States missions. In the Australian mission there are 174 permanent members enrolled, most of whom are seniors. The average attendance is 113, and 320 regular weekly meetings have been held in the seven branches of the mission. The California mission has 213 members, 81 seniors and 33 juniors, with an average attendance of 85, and 139 meetings held in the five branches of the mission. The Eastern States mission has 133 enrolled, 112 seniors, 17 juniors, an average attendance of 111 and 192 meetings held in the nine branches of the mission. The Hawaiian mission has 882 members enrolled, 438 senior and 418 junior. They have an average attendance of 603 and have held 561 meetings. The Japan mission has 23 members enrolled in Tokio, and have held 36 meetings with an average attendance of 23. The Northwestern States mission has 118 members enrolled in six branches, with an average attendance of 80, and 132 meetings held. The Scandinavian mission has 378 enrolled in nine branches with an average attendance of 175 and 305 weekly meetings held. The Southern States mission has 94 enrolled in eight branches, and have held 192 weekly meetings, with an average attendance of 65. The Swedish mission has 211 enrolled in five branches, and has held 202 weekly meetitngs with an average attendance of 140. The Western States mission has 22 enrolled in Denver with an average attendance of 21. and have held 21 weekly meetings. MUTUAL WORK 1031 In four branches reported the meetings are hehl jointly with the Y. L. M. I. A. In the above missions, $1,249.06 were collected and §827.73 were dis- bursed for association purposes Instructions on Social Work and Dress Several months ago the general boards of all the auxiliary organiza- tions of the Church were requested by the First Presidency to give consider- ation to the matter of improvement in the dancing and dress of our young people. A committee representing all of the general boards, after spending a long period of time in study and investigation of the subjects, has ren- dered its report and recommendation to the First Presidency. This report has been approved by the First Presidency and all of the general boards, in joint meeting recently assembled, and has been distributed in the form of a small pocket pamphlet convenient for use and preservation. In addi- tion to the pamphlet, which concerns chiefly dancing, there has been pre- pared by the joint commitee a communication on the subject of dress, par- ticularly for the benefit of women officers and teachers of the Church. Copies of the pamphlet have been sent to stake superintendents for delivery by them to every member of their stake boards. It is intended that every officer and teacher shall receive the pamphlet on dancing and every woman officer and teacher a copy of the letter on dress as well. This distribution is being made by the ward priesthood authorities. The General Board of the Y. M. M. I. A. heartily endorses the recom- mendations contained in the report, and feel that the Y. M. M. I. A. organ- izations should bend every effort to be of service in this great movement for reform among our young people. Our stake and ward officers should set a good example along the lines indicated, and should give encouragement to the work wherever they go. Caution should be observed not to give of- fense in urging the adoption of the suggestions. We should attempt to con- vert and persuade our young people to the propriety of the recommenda- tions. A complete copy of the pamphlet and the communication on dress appears in the Improvement Era for April and in the new edition of the Y. M. M. I. A. Hand Book, now ready for distribution. Organization In March a letter was sent to stake presidents uring them to assist the officers of the Y. M. M. I. A. in obtaining thorough organization of their associations so that the officers could go on with the work for the summer and be prepared to take hold of their labors after the fall conventions. A copy of this letter was sent to the stake superintendents of Y. M. M. I. A. also, for their information. What has been the result? Is each association in your stake thoroughly organized with officers who have taken part in the summer's work, and who will be on hand at the opening of the season, after the fall conventions, to take charge of the associations and the activities thereof in good time? Kelsh Wheeler who won the first prize in the Y. M. M. I. A. industrial contest, for 1916, has written as follows to President Heber J. Grant in acknowledgment of the check which was sent him for the prize: "I have received your letter and check for $25. I wish to thank you for it. The contest did me a great deal of good, not only in winning the prize offered but taught me to keep a record of every day's income and expenditure. It was an eye opener to me. I wish to tell you my motto for IMPROVEMENT ERA everything I do, and this contest has proved that it holds true. It is 'Stick to everything you do; Don't be a quitter.' "I thank you again for what your association has don for me. Wishing you success, and hoping that you will continue your industrial contest with boys, so that others may receive the good I have, "I remain your brother, "Kelsh Wheeler." In answer to the question, "What was the principal reason that you accepted this particular work, the following characteristic answers were given by those who received prizes for 1916, as noted in the April Era. 1. Because it offered the best opportunity for learning road and bridge construction from a parctical basis. 2. To earn money to get an education and help sister on a mission. 3. Because I wished to help my father and develop a strong, healthy body. (Farming.) 4. I thought I would like to work, and that it (peddling) would be more steady than some other job. 5. I expect to be a farmer and wanted the training. 6. Father has a farm, and Mr. W. S. Burton encouraged me to work for the boys' contest. 7. Because I could not get any other, and thought this work better than doing nothing. (Water boy, at the Utah Light and Traction Co.) 8. Because farming is work that brings in the most money for a boy of my age. 9. Father needed help in the postoffice and on the farm, and I had lo earn my way to high school. 10. My father needed my help on the farm, and I needed the money to help me through school. Class Work Scoring a Y. M. M. I. A. Class Exercise As a suggestion on how to score class exercises, the following from a district committee appointed at Provo will prove interesting to officers, a number of whom have written requesting some ideas on the subject. Many officers recognize the necessity of checking up the class exercises more care- fully than heretofore. We believe that a system of scoring the class exer- cises would be very helpful, not only to the teachers but to the students also. It would prove an impetus for better class work and create more interest: 1. When the class leader attends the monthly stake and ward officers' meeting, score 10. 2. When the class leader has studied the lesson before attempting to teach it, score 10. 3. When the class attendance is three-fourths or more of the class en- rollment, score 10. 4. When one-third of the class members present have either asked a question, answered a question, or taken part in discussing lesson problems, score 10. 5. When at the close of a class exercise three-fourths of the class mem- bers will vote that the subject discussed is of real earth-life value here and now, score 10. Those who vote should be able to tell why. Any class that would score perfect as above in three out of four lessons might score efficient.