--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - First Presidency collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 23 number: 8 published: 1920-06 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'First Presidency, "Editor’s Table: Special Notice," *Improvement Era* 23, no. 8 (June 1920): 743.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera238unse 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: improvementera238unse start_page: 743 end_page: 743 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1920-06) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera238unse publication_year: 1920 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 1920, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Editor’s Table: Special Notice TfHfmjr Special Notice During the progress of the recent war in Europe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came to the aid of this Na- tion in its efforts with the Allies to free the world from the domination of monarchical despotism. The "Mormon" people demonstrated their devotion to country and the cause of free- dom by sending their brave sons to the front and by contribut- ing liberally to the calls for funds to meet the financial re- quirements of the gigantic struggle. The Church, through its splendid organization, was a mighty force in the fray, gathering the means in demand and sending their soldiers over the sea. It proved to the world that loyalty to the government and devotion to the welfare of humanity formed part of the "Mormon" creed and entered into the re- ligious life of its followers. The world witnessed and won- dered at this unanswerable refutation of popular slanders. Thank God, the awful strife is over, and the need for such organized help is greatly modified. There are still loud cries from various sources for money in large sums to swell the nu- merous "drives" that are in vogue. What is the position of the "Mormon" Church as to these movements? is a frequent question. It is this, and let all the Latter-day Saints and reasonable people everywhere understand it: While members of the Church are fre to donate, as they desire and are able, to any charitable and worthy cause, the Church as an organization is not in a financial position to re- spond to the demands and requests that are made upon it, and it is not required of its stakes, wards, quorums or associations to use their ecclesiastical activities or influence in those direc- tions. There are persons and institutions in need of relief and support within our own ranks, and applications for appropria- tions to an immense amount which cannot be granted for some time to come have had to be laid over until some means can be obtained to meet them. We do not wish to cripple or restrain the hand of individual benevolence, but our organized institutions must not be ex- pected to do the impossible or neglect the duties and require- ments that are within our jurisdiction and are imperative. We trust that this will be plain and clear enough to all reasonable