Priesthood Quorums’ Table

PRIESTHOOD QUORUMS' TABLE 917

The fight is on. The evil one has sworn in his wrath to win. His plan is to overthrow men and women by leading them into sin through their love of pleasure, greed of wealth, and the glitter and vanity of the — world. It's the old, old story men are tempted to partake of "forbidden fruit." Let no one be deceived. Sin is sin, no matter in what guise it is practiced. Is it a sinful act to disregard the Sabbath day? We answer: Most assuredly it is. "Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it as the Lord thy God hath com- manded thee" (Deut. 5:12). Such was the law to ancient Israel. "And the inhabitants of Zion, also, shall observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy" (Doc. and Cov. 68:29). And such today is the law of modern Israel. Here, then, is the direct command of God. To wilfully disobey him to — — break his law is sin. There is no escape from this fact, or its consequences. Does it pay to break the Sabbath? If we may judge by their acts, some people say it does, because you may see them in their fields on the Sabbath cultivating and harvesting their crops as upon any of the six days of the week. They doubtless reason thus: "Beets are worth ten dollars a ton, wheat two dollars a bushel, hay twenty dollars a ton, apples one — dollar and fifty cents a bushel" and so with other products. The merchant, — the manufacturer, the clerk, the day laborer, the busy man each also has his argument: "I need a change from this constant grind and toil; my health and physical well being demand it; and I can find rest in the woods, by the stream, at the pleasure resort, motoring on the highway, or driving in the canyons." The Sabbath day is thus broken to get gain, health or — pleasure things which, in themselves, are desirable and proper, but which should be sought after on the six days of the week. It does not pay to break the Sabbath. "For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt. 16:26). Yet Satan will tell us in a thousand different ways that wealth procured by unlawful means brings happiness, that pleasure obtained by wrong doing brings happiness, or that following the lead of fashion or striving for the show of tinsel of a wicked world brings happiness. But Alma, a prophet of olden time, to this gives the only answer: "Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness" (Alma 41:10). Latter-day Saints know, or should know, that it does not pay to engage in that which is unlawful on the Sabbath day. God knows what is good, wholesome, and proper for his children, and he has in his mercy and kindness given them counsel for their guidance; therefore any conduct on their part contrary to his word will surely bring loss and unhappiness. Read what lie Lord counsels the Saints to do on the Sabbath, in Doc. and Cov. 59:9 to 22. Some other activities may be mentioned besides those set forth in the quotation, and which would conform to the observance of a sacred Sabbath. In verse 12 God says: "On this, the Lord's day. thou shalt offer thine oblations." An "oblation" is a sacrifice, or a gift of means or of labor, to the Lord in the Church. Therefore, the Saints may make gifts to the needy on the Lord's day. In this stake the evening of the second Wednesdav of each month is formally set apart for "home evening," a stated time when the familv mav unite for instruction, for the fostering of family union, for the cementing of parental and filial love, and for the cultivating of the Christian graces in the home. But when the week night for some reason is not suitable for such gatherings, then some hour on the Sabbath day may be fittingly set apart for this purpose. District or block teachers who cannot make visits at any other time

918 IMPROVEMENT ERA

might profitably perform this duty on the Sabbath,when it does not interfere with regular service. The Apostle James (1:27) points out another oblation or activity in harmony with Sabbath day observance: "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this: To visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction." In the light of the gospel teachings, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath to one's self and to our fellowmen. Therefore, let us be consistent members of the Church, living so that we shall have a conscience void of offense before God and man. Very sincerely your brethren, Joseph B. Keeler, J. Wm. Knight, Amos N. Merrill, Stake Presidency.

Annual High-Priests' Gathering The fourth annual gathering of the high priests of the Utah stake of Zion, was held at Timpanogos ward, on Sunday, June 29. The gathering met in a grove of ash and locust trees just outside of the church, where two meetings were held, one at 10:30 a. m., and another at 2 p. m. There were probably one hundred and fifty or two hundred people present. Brief reports were given relating to the work of the high priests' quorum, Judge J. E. Booth presiding. Speeches were made by local and by visiting brethren from Salt Lake City, President Levi Edgar Young of the First Council of Seventy, and Edward H. Anderson, of the General Committee on Studies for the Priesthood Quorums. In the afternoon, President Joseph B. Keeler and Amos N. Merrill of the Stake Presidency, spoke. There are three hundred and ninety-four high priests in the Utah stake of Zion; fifty-eight of these were present on this occasion. There were thirty-six people present who had crossed the Provo Bench when there was no house nor a tree on the whole bench. Jeanette Jones, of Provo was present, she being one of the four only survivors who first settled Provo. Free cherries, ice water, and a substantial luncheon, conversation and greetings between old friends, and a real good time in general, of a social nature, were enjoyed between meetings. The people appear to be prosperous and happy, and at least the working members of the quorum are full of faith, and doing their part, both spiritually and temporarily in the great work of the Lord. Judge Booth is a splendid presiding officer, and the meetings were lively and spirited. Besides the talks in the morning and afternoon of President Young and Elder Anderson, there were reports from members or officers representing the Relief Society, Presidency of the stake, the bishops, and the high council and brief reports on high priest work. The social and religious character of the gathering must have tended to bind in closer union and fraternity the members of this important quorum in the Utah stake of Zion.

A Message with a Few Suggestions to the Seventies Shall we be dead timber, or shall we make our quorum organizations brim full of life, energy and activity? Shall we make it an organization, which will be a decided benefit to members in a social, material, and spiritual way, as well as being a wonderful help to the bishop in keeping unity, harmony, and love among the people, thereby lessening some of his burdens? Shall we make it a powerful agency for cultivating, developing, and ce-

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PRIESTHOOD QUORUMS' TABLE 919

menting an enduring and lasting friendship toward one another? Friendship which says to the brother in financial distress, "Here is my purse help yourself." Or, when burdens of sickness and disappointment come — thick and fast when faith and hope are losing ground, and our brother is somewhat slipping, we all shall come to his rescue, and with counsel, encouragement and good cheer, support him and uphold him by our faith and works, until he obtains new life, new hope, and gains new strength? We have a marvelous power and a force in this direction within our organization. Shall we use it? There can be but one answer from a Seventy (a special witness of the Lord Jesus Christ), who has the spirit of his calling: Yes. Let us then co-operate with one another and with the Lord through his Holy Spirit, and by the power of the priesthood bring our quorums to the front, making them a-breast of the times, and finding a place in this great Church, as doers and preachers of righteousness, at home and abroad. Let us see to it that our Seventies attend to their priesthood meetings as well as their sacrament and fast meetings, and that they are active in the good work of the Church. We can, with propriety, urge them to keep the great commandment of the Lord: "bring your tithes to the store-house of the Lord." We can look after the sick and the afflicted in our quorums, and administer comfort and blessings to the poor. Just the other day, a cry of distress came from one of the members of the quorum to which I belong. What a grand response! What a noble spirit was manifest! For within a few hours, from a few members, $50 was secured, and that from men in general who have to earn their bread by the sweat of their brow. It was given to the wife of our sick brother who was nigh unto death. Oh! what gratitude came from that little woman when the purse was given to her! She didn't need to say it. She chocked with tears. We all felt the spirit. We administered to her husband, left our blessing with them, and bade them good-night. The joy and satisfaction that came into our souls was never before surpassed. There's the spirit! Our Seventies have it. Let us utilize it, gather our funds, be prepared to take care of our needy members, and if needs be, supply a brother member with the necessary money to keep him in the missionary field, if he requires it. If he is willing to preach the gospel of the kingdom, without hire, while you and I are home making money, and enjoying the companionship of our loved ones, we should be willing to do our part for him. We can with propriety provide our Seventies with an insurance that will materially help them in case of sickness, and be of some benefit to needy relatives in case of death. We can hold social, wholesome entertainments, have music, light refreshments, and the best of lectures. We can provide our Seventies with a most beautiful place to meet in, with books which specially suggest Seventies' work. A place contributing to the spirit of reverence, neat, clean, decorated appropriately with flowers now and then — sentiments from the prophets, the poets, the philosophers, and where we can learn to sing the songs of Zion, in the midst of poetry, music and flowers ; where the Spirit of the Lord dwells, and where we may study the gospel of Jesus Christ and receive a testimony, and where we may better prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually, to declare the glad tidings of great joy to the children of men. These few suggestions, would turn our quorums into a fraternal organization of beauty and benefit, resulting to all in decided benefit, iocially, materially, and spiritually. Yours for a good, live, active, up-to-the-front, and up-to-date quorum. A Seventy Liberty Stake, Salt Lake City.

Suggestive Program for a Weekly Half-Holiday Summary of recommendations adopted at a special conference of Local Workers, held at Salt Lake City, Utah, June 2, 1919

"We stand for a sacred Sabbath and a weekly half-holiday." In order to establish a weekly half-holiday, there must be, first of all, a strong community interest in favor of the movement. This can be created by the Churches, the Schools, the Clubs, and the Social Agencies. If these organizations would come to a unity of the faith on the matter its success would be assured. When a community decides to establish a weekly half-holiday the next thing in order is the appointing of a Community Director, to have general supervision of the proceedings, with sub-leaders to have charge of the work in the different groups. In almost all our communities there are young men who have returned from military training camps at home and from service abroad. These young men have had a great deal of experience in athletic sports, and from their ranks, no doubt, suitable leaders could be secured. Others well adapted for this work are the principals and teachers of the public schools, and leaders in M. I. A. work. "With respect to a program, we suggest as one of the features community singing. A foreign traveler in our country said he was deeply impressed with our silences. He heard no reapers singing in the field. He heard many a bird carol, but no human song. We want a singing nation. For the entertainment of children between the ages of 6 and 12 years we suggest swings, see-saws, and, where possible, wading pools. The little ones can be kept thoroughly interested for hours with games taken from the book, Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium, by Jessie H. Bancroft. For boys, especially scouts, we recommend antelope races, relay races, dodge ball, basket ball, hikes, bonfires, suppers and stories. For girls of 12 years and upward we recommend tennis, basket ball, volley ball, folk dancing, etc. With respect to older people. "Let them deny as they may, in every worth while man or woman there survives the spirit of the spelling bee, the straw ride, the barn dance, the husking bee, the neighborhood basket picnic, an old home week in the old home town." One of the best means of entertaining these people is to have them engage in the games of their childhood and youth. These games are very simple, and do not require much physical exertion. We have seen mature men and women spend the greater part of au evening in playing "Little Tom Tinker," "Farmer in the Dell," "Jolly is the Miller," and other similar games, and thoroughly enjoy them. These people also like old-time dances, such as quadrills, Virginia reels, etc. They can also entertain themselves with riddles, jokes, stories and experiences. We — also suggest that there be evening home-gatherings that is, gatherings on lawns at homes, and on chapel grounds, at which there could be singing, story -telling, picture shows and light refreshments. School buildings, churches, amusement halls and gymnasiums should be used as social centres, the activities in them being under the supervision of competent leaders.

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Y. M. M. I. A. Annual Reports for the Year 1918-19 Owing to the unusual conditions which prevailed during the greatest part of the war, caused by the world-wide, devastating scourge of Spanish Influenza, and the final drafts made upon our membership in the closing scenes of the great war, the work of the Y. M. M. I. A. was greatly handicapped. We have not been able to secure anything like satisfactory information from the stakes on any department of our work; and, while the general report was held open for stake reports until the June conference was in session, only fifty-eight stakes out of the seventy-five in the Church, sent in reports. Most of these are very incomplete, some stakes reporting only two or three wards. The following stakes made no report: Bingham, Ensign, Malad, Morgan, Nebo, Panguitch, Parowan, Pioneer, San Juan, Snowflake, South Davis, Star Valley, Summit, Wayne, Woodruff. Snowflake sent in a partial report which was received in July. Owing to these unfavorable conditions, the General Fund receipts for this year fell short of last year $1,835.46, and lacked $2,017.89 of being sufficient to pay our general expenses. Owing to the same cause, the usual canvass for the Improvement Era was very generally suspended, and most of the really large number of subscriptions for volume 22 were received from individuals who sent in their own subscriptions. We wish to thank all these, our friends, for their loyal support of our magazine. We have received from the following stakes five per cent and over of the Church population as subscribers: Stakes having over 5% of Church Population as Improvement Era subscribers.

Juarez 9.90 Maricopa _ 5.43 Kanab 7.15 Montpelier 5.23 Taylor _.6.97 Box Elder _ 5.00 Alberta 5.62

Stakes having between 4% and 5%. Wasatch 4.65 Bear Lake _ .*_.._ 4.39 Tintic „ 4.60 Pocatello 4.24 Uintah 4.51 Snowflake 4.18 Blackfoot j 4.49 San Juan 4.14 Raft River 4.49 Hyrum „ 4.05

Stakes which have paid 100% General Fund. Uintah 102.5 Deseret 100 Pocatello _ 100.7 Salt Lake 100 North Davis 100.2 Box Elder 100 Blackfoot _ 100 Yellowstone 100

M. I. A. Activities, for 1919-20 The Activity Work for the season of 1919-20 is greatly simplified. I. Contests. There will be contests in three events : viz., Senior Public Speaking, Junior Declamations,and Junior Boys' and Girls' Choruses (six or more members). These contests are limited to wards and stakes. There will be no Church District contests nor grand final contests, at the June conference, 1920.