--- 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: 21 number: 9 published: 1918-07 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* 21, no. 9 (July 1918): 832–836.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2109unse 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: improvementera2109unse start_page: 832 end_page: 836 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1918-07) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2109unse publication_year: 1918 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 1918, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Mutual Work 834 IMPROVEMENT ERA work. They meet regularly twice a month, and the attendance has been good during the year. It gives the new men a chance to get acquainted with the scout program. The Honor Committee connected with the asso- ciation meets regularly once a month. This committee is quite an incentive for the boys to advance through the different grades. Scout masters gen- erally are now sending their boys to this Honor Committee .for examina- tions. The Scoutmasters' Association at Ogden has been reorganized. . . . In Salt Lake the scouts are used very often by city officials in doing special work, such as holding the lines during the parades, acting as ushers for public functions, and other work that the Mayor has especially asked them to perform. The scouts did excellent work in the Liberty Loan Campaigns as well as in the Thrift Stamp Campaign and in the distribution of government literature. During these war times the scouts, throughout Utah, have been asked to take part in all the different phases of war work. It is very difficult to retain our scout masters, as the younger men are being called into the army, and it is becoming more difficult all the time to replace them. We are now making a campaign for older men to take charge of the scout work at least during the war. In the opinion of S. A. Moffat, Field Instructor of the National Organization, men of 35 to 40 years of age with boys of their own are the most successful leaders. Ward Scout organizations should be kept registered during these war times, if for no other reason than a patriotic one. The government is asking the boys through the National Organization to do very important work, but this request and the material to carry out the Government's desires come only to registered scouts. It seems to me that troops should be kept re-registered and new troops registered, even if some of the presiding brethren in the wards have to assume temporarily the position of scout master, so that there will be a line of communication from the government to the boys. These men could be readily replaced at any time by other men, or, at the end of the war, by the returning soldiers. Most of our stake presidents and bishops are in harmony with the scout work in a general way, but there is a lack of appreciation of the good that can be done through the organization by proper leadi ership. The scoutmaster comes in such close touch with the boy that unless he is a boy leader, he cannot accomplish what he should accomplish through the scout program. A man who can guide twenty or thirty boys in their play and recreation and, while doing so, impress upon them the necessity of giving service to their Church, and living in conformity with the principles of the gospel, is doing a sufficiently valuable work that should entitled him to some relief from other ward duties The general reports that we get from the stakes and wards are that scout work is proving a great benefit to the boys who become better boys because of their scout training. Very truly yours, John H. Taylor, M. I. A. Scout Commissioner. Advanced Senior Class Study, 1918-19 The General Boards have decided upon the subject, "How to Lessen Contributions to Crime," for the Advanced Senior Class for 1918-19. A list of the lessons for each month, from October, 1918, to March, 1919 inclusive are here given. The aim of the lessons, and the general plan of'procedure' tor preparing the lessons are also noted, for the benefit of officers and teachers: MUTUAL WORK 835 How to Lessen Contributions to Crime I. Aim of the Lessons: (a) The awakening of universal interest in making our communities safe for righteousness. (b) The marshaling of all our forces against the inventions of vice. (c) The recognition of our religion as the deciding factor in the con- flict. II. Plan of Procedure in Preparing and Teaching the Lessons: (a) Each lesson will be a treatment of a topic under the following heads: 1. A survey of the contribution of this evil to crime. 2. A survey of the forces marshaled by this evil. 3. A survey of the forces that may be marshaled against this evil. 4. The mobilizing and marshaling of the forces against this evil. 5. The plan of attack against the evil. III. List of Lesson Topics: 1. For October. 4. For January. 1. Public Indifference. 10. Ignorance. 2. Lack and Laxity of Law. 11. Indolence. 3. The Cigarette. 12. Unrighteous Ambition. 2. For November. 5. For February. 4. Social Clique. 13. Sentimental Sanction of Sin 5. Card Playing. 14. Extravagance. 6. Public Dance. 15. Weakness of the Public Will 3. For December. 6. For March. 7. Poverty. 16. Pleasure Worship. 8. Luxury. 17. Sabbath Breaking. 9. Greed. 18. Civic Slothfulness. Statistical Report of the Y. M. M. I. A. From General Secretary Moroni Snow's annual statistical report of the Y. M. M. I. A. which includes 75 stakes, it appears that there are 747 associations in the Church, an increase of 2 during the year. The total enrollment is 33,361, an increase of 3,006 for the year 1918. This increase is due mostly to the advanced senior classes instituted a year ago, and which have an enrollment of 3,663. There were 16,919 enrolled in the senior classes, a decrease of 1,527. When we consider that we have approximately 11,000 young men of the "Mormon" Church enlisted in the government service in the Great War, 6,164 of whom are members of the Y. M. M. I. A., our decrease really shows a large increase. In the junior classes there were 11,788 enrolled for 1918, as against 11,909 for the year before which shows a decrease of 121, the decrease being due undoubtedly, to promotion into the senior classes. The average attendance in all classes for 1918 was 17,247, as against 16,908, for 1917, or an increase of 339. There are 865 of our membership on missions, an increase of 201. The record of the scouts is given in another paragraph, but from the annual report it appears that we have 2,161 doing scout work who are not registered, aside from the nearly 4,000 who are registered with the National Organization. The total number of members of the Y. M. M. I. A. actually taking part in M. I. A. activities was 15,188. 836 IMPROVEMENT ERA Nine hundred juniors passed the first year's course; 433, the second year's course; and 500, the third year's course. In all these three there is a decrease respectively of 430, 180, 156. There were 6,189 young men who read one or more or all of the Reading Course books which shows » decrease of 1,736, a result laid also to the absence of so many of our young men in the Government service. The Era subscriptions show an increase ever 1917 of 3,499. There are 198 vocational counselors doing active service, an increase of 35 for the past year. Reports have also been received from the California, Hawaiian, New Zealand, Northern States, Samoan, and Southern States missions, showing 61 associations with a total membership of 2,508 and an average attendance of 1,555; 83 of the members are in the service of their country and 5 are on missions. The total number of meetings held in these organizations was 2,387. Four hundred and thirty actually took part in M. I. A. activities. In California and the Northern States there are 36 M. I. A. scouts registered with the National Organization, and 22 doing scout work who are not registered. The Improvement Era The stakes named have 5% or more of their Church population as subscribers for the Era, Vol. 21: 1. Kanab 9.00 15. San Juan 5.77 2. Maricopa 8.76 16. Idaho 5.71 3. Alberta 8.57 17. St. Johns 5.64 4. Big Horn 7.83 18. Shelley 5.59 5. Uintah 7.71 19. Union 5.44 6. Raft River 7.21 20. Tintic 5.38 7. Taylor 6.87 21. Ogden 5.24 8. Cassia 6.64 22. Box Elder 5.24 9. Carbon 6.57 23. Morgan 5.14 10 Snowflake 6.50 24. Bannock 5.08 11. Deseret 6.49 25. Curlew 5.05 12. St.Joseph 6.02 26. Millard 5.03 13. Bear Lake 5.92 Total 26 14. Oneida 5.82 Last Year 14 These stakes have from four per cent to five per cent for Vol. 21. 1. Moapa 4.84 8. Hyrum 4.50 2. Yellowstone 4.81 9. San Luis 4.48 3. Blackfoot 4.79 10. Star Valley 4.48 4. No. Weber 4.78 11. Granite 4.30 5. Bingham 4.71 12. No. Davis 4.01 6. Wasatch 4.71 Total 12 7. Fremont 4.69 Last Year 11 We return thanks to all the workers and sincere appreciation for their highly prized labors. Wherever all heads of families in a ward were visited by a spirited officer or member in the interest of the Era, the result was, "Over the Top." We hope all the stakes and wards will try the experiment for Vol. 22, beginning Nov. 1918. Results arei sure to follow. Start in September. MUTUAL WORK: 837 General Fund These stakes have paid one hundred per cent or more for the general fund of the Y. M. M. I. A. 1. Boise 151.9 11. Cassia 101.3 2. Ogden 118.3 12. Kanab 101.2 3. Curlew 115.9 13. Big Horn 100 4. St Joseph 114.8 14. Box Elder 100 5. Portneuf 111.4 15. Cache 100 6. Uintah 109.4 16. Deseret .. 100 7. Millard 107.2 17. North Davis 100 8. Blackfoot 106.6 18. Salt Lake 100 9. Idaho 104.8 19. Tintic 100 10. Maricopa 102.9 20. Yellowstone 100 We are sincerely thankful to the officers of these stakes and trust that others seeing their good work will add fifty more stakes to this list by the end of December, 1918. It will help the good work to thrive. Notice the large stakes that are up to and above the requirement. You can do as well. Enrollment in the Y. M. M. I. A. These stakes have ten per cent or more of their church population in the Y. M. M. I. A. 1. Big Horn 15.1 16. Box Elder 11.3 2. Maricopa 15.0 17. Deseret 11.3 "*** 3. Bear River 14.2 18. Raft River 11.3 4. Portneuf 13.8 ^ 19. Kanab 11.1 5. Shelley 13.6 20. Uintah 11.0 6. San Juan 13.5 21. Snowflake 10.9 7. Wayne 13.4 22. Teton 10.8 8. Cassia 13.3 23. Duchesne 10.6 9. St George 12.6 24. Millard 10.5 10. Morgan 12.1 25. South Sanpete 10.4 11. Curlew 12.0 26. Tintic 10.2 12. Oneida 11.8 27. Benson 10.1 13. Blackfoot 11.7 28. Cache 10.1 14. Hyrum 11.6 29. Union 10.0 15. Idaho j 11.5 The average of the church is 9 per cent. The Gold Star in the Service Flag In our service flag, a new star gleams, Woven of all our hopes and dreams, And contemplated by our tears For the boy's feet that marched away; And the eager hearts are stilled today. But Star Divine shall ever shine To tell the world that boy of mine Chose, with gallant courage bold, To win for us the Star of Gold: For he who arms at his Country's need, Though slain in battle, lives in deed. Maud Baggarley Bagtiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin t>ASSING EVENTS The first shell shock victim to return to Utah is Edward Moore, a native of Utah, who enlisted in Canada, January 8, 1915. He was born in Lehi, Utah. The Railroad administration at Washington, May 19, approved the expenditure of $937,691,318 for additions, betterments, and new equipment for the railways of the country. Major Raoul Lufbery, a famous American "Ace" who had destroyed eighteen enemy aeroplanes was killed on the western front May 19 in a fight with a German armored biplane. Marine casualties among the American marines from the day of landing overseas to June 9 totaled 717, and included 106 killed in action, 553 wounded, 58 died of wounds, one missing and one prisoner. The total subscriptions to the third Liberty Loan was reported as — $4,170,019,160 an oversubscription of 39 per cent. Utah's quota was $10,- 315,000, and the subscription in round figures was $12,500,000. An Austrian drive on the Italian front began June 17, and crucial engagements were being fought on the days following, the Italians bravely holding their positions, and inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy. Major-General Hunter L. Liggett now commands the American Forces in the field in France, standing next to General Pershing, in rank, and will doubtless command the first American field army when it is organized. An eclipse of the sun was witnessed on the Salt Lake meridian on the afternoon of June 8. The day was clear in Salt Lake City and thousands ot citizens and visitors at the M. I. A. conference were privileged to witness a phenomena of rare occurrence. The new registration of young men who have attained the age of 21 since the former registration, shows that a grand total of 2,467 were registered June 5 in the state of Utah for military service. It was stated in the press that there were 744,985 registrants in the whole country. Col. Alfred Hasbrouckwho has commanded the 20th Infantry at Fort Douglas has been relieved and will proceed to Manila soon as his orders arrive. Captain J. H. Stern became post commander at the Fort on the departure of the 20th to a concentration camp in the middle west. Information from Camp Lewis Washington, conveys the word that on June 18, Colonel Wm. H. Jordan, 362nd Infantry, had been assigned to command the Nova Aquila, 1918, is the name given the new star discovered June 8.