--- 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: 23 number: 11 published: 1920-09 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Editors’ Table: One Goal to Be Attained," *Improvement Era* 23, no. 11 (September 1920): 1028–1031.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera23011unse 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: improvementera23011unse start_page: 1028 end_page: 1031 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1920-09) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera23011unse 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. --- # Editors’ Table: One Goal to Be Attained PRIESTHOOD aUO-ts -RUMS' TABLE rWF Reading and Study for Seventies Prest. Seymour B. Young, of the First Council of Seventy, writes his views on the educational needs of the Seventies who go out into the mission field to preach the gospel: First: Physical education, to begin by strict observance of the Word of Wisdom, refraining from the use of tobacco or alcoholic drinks, tea and coffee and strong drink of every description. This in order that they may possess physically healthful bodies, that they may run and not be weary, walk and not faint, that they may find treasures of knowledge, yea, hidden treasures, that the destroying angel shall pass them by as the children of Israel and not slay them. Secondly: Mentally, they should have a high school education, if possible, in order to fit them for the everyday business of life. They should know something of the history of the world, also be thoroughly familiar with the history of the United States, the history of the Church, its foundation and growth, the life of the Prophet Joseph, his deaih, and the bitter hatred his enemies have shown, and the shallow excuses they have offered for his martyrdom. The Lord's promise to him in answer to his prayer, uttered while a prisoner in Liberty Jail (see Doc. and Cov. Sec. 121:7, 8): "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes." A Seventy should be a constant student of the Bible, especially the New Testament, also of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Book of Mormen, and the Pearl of Great Price. In studying the Bible, read it carefully and thoughtfully and become familiar with Genesis, chapter 1 to 4, the creation; Daniel 5 to 6, also the account of Joseph sold into Egypt, his advancement by Pharaoh, Jacob's blessing upon the heads of Ephraim and Manasseh, (see Genesis chapters 39 to 49), their branches that were to run over the wall, and the seed of Joseph that was to extend to the uttermost bounds of the everlasting hills. Read Ezekiel, chapter 37, on the resurrection, also the 76th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the revelation of the Prophet Joseph, proclaiming the different degrees of glory after the resurrection. Become familiar also with the first chapter of 3rd Nephi, Book of Mormon, where the prediction is made by Samuel, the Lamanite, of the coming of the Lord, and of his birth at or near Jerusalem; also the 11th chapter of 3rd Nephi, in which is recorded the visit of the Savior to his people on this continent after his resurrection. At this visit he teaches them baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; this part of the translation of the Book of Mormon was probably referred to by the Prophet Joseph, when he records that, while he and Oliver were translating they came across a paragraph which spoke of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. The Prophet continues, "We engaged in secret prayer, wishing to know of this sacred ordinance." You remember how quickly the Lord answered this, the third recorded great prayer of the Prophet, by sending John the Baptist who conferred upon these two young men the Priesthood of Aaron. Continuing, we read, in the 11th chapter, 3rd Nephi, of the Savior's PRIESTHOOD QUORUMS' TABLE 1033 visit soon after his resurrection to the Nephite church on the American continent over which Nephi presided. At this the Savior commissioned Nephi and others to baptize in his name repentant believers, teaching them as follows: You shall go down and stand in the water with the repentant believers and you shall say, "Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." Then shall ye immerse them in the water and come forth again out of the water. Duties of Seventies The Seventies are called to be assistants to the Twelve Apostles; indeed they are apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, subject to the direction of the Twelve, and it is their duty to respond to the call of the Twelve, under the direction of the First Presidency of the Church, to preach the gospel to every creature, to every tongue and people under the heavens to whom they may be sent. Hence, they should understand the gospel, and they should not be wholly dependent upon our auxiliary organizations for instruction, neither should they be wholly dependent upon the missionary classes in our Church schools, for their knowledge of the gospel, and for their qualifications to preach that gospel to the world. They should take up the study of the gospel, the study of the scriptures and the history of the dealings of God with the peoples of the earth, in their own quorums, and make those quorums schools of learning and instruction, wherein they may qualify themselves for every labor and duty that may be required at their hands. (Gospel Doctrine, by President Joseph F. Smith, pp. 228-9.) Seventies' Quorums to be Replenished from Elders' Quorums "Gather in from the elders' quorums those who have proved themselves worthy, and who have gained experience, and make seventies of them, so that the quorum of seventies may be replenished; and the aged ones, whose physical condition will not permit them any longer to do missionary duty in the world, let them be ordained high priests and patriarchs, to bless the people and to minister at home. Gather in the strong, the vigorous, the young, the able-bodied, who have the spirit of the gospel in their hearts, to fill up the ranks of the seventies, that we may have ministers to preach the gospel to the world. They are needed. We cannot now meet the demand." (Gospel Doctrine, by President Joseph F. Smith, pp. 229.) Three New Stakes —Logan, Roosevelt, Franklin A new stake, Logan, was organized, June 5, 1920, from the old Cache stake, with Oliver H. Budge, president, Joseph Quinney, first counselor, and Hans A. Pedersen, second counselor, John E. Olsen, stake clerk. The Cache stake was thus divided into two, Logan and Cache. On the 26th of June, the Duchesne stake was divided, forming Roosevelt and Duchesne. The old presidency of the Duchesne stake was selected and sustained as the presidency of the new Roosevelt stake as follows: Win. H. Smart, president; Ephraim Lambert, first counselor; and Byron O. Colton, second counselor; Douglas Todd, Jr., stake clerk. The Duchesne stake presidency were named as follows: Owen Bennion, president; Geo. V. Billings, first counselor; and Ira B. Cannon, second coun- selor. The Oneida stake was divided on June 6 and the new stake was called Franklin. The new presidency selected was as follows: Samuel W. Parkinson, president; Charles Goaslind, first counselor; and Walter H. Barton, second counselor; Jesse P. Rich, stake clerk. Whether or not intended, the three stakes take the names of three great Americans born in Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts, respectively. Changes in Wasatch Stake Atthe quarterly conference of the Wasatch stake, held July 25, Sylvester Broadbent, Superintendent of Y. M. M. I. A. was released, with a vote of thanks for his faithful labor and the stake board was re-organized with John A. Anderson as president, with Charles DeGraff, first counselor, and F. Clayton Montgomery, second counselor, with Jay C. Jenson as Secretary and Treasurer. The fathers and sons' outing was conducted in that stake on August 2. Five Hundred "Bones" The Boy Scouts of Downey, Idaho, Portneuf stake, having noticed that the Boy Scouts of Salt Lake City were collecting old papers to raise funds for their organization, took it upon themselves to travel by team and truck all over the Downey valley for about six weeks to gather bones. The proceeds of the sale of the bones was to be used for the trip through the Yellowstone Park, one of the wonderlands of America. So persistent were the boys in their labors, that when the bones were sold, the car load which they had gathered, netted the magnificent sum of $500, sufficient to pay all expenses connected with the trip. This is indeed an item of thrift. The boys believe in the slogan, "Pay Your Own Way." On Monday morning, July 12, a company of 7 cars, under the leadership of G. Osmond Hyde, left Downey on the trip through the Park under the regulations governing Scout organizations throughout the country. Mr. Hyde was assisted by Assistant Scoutmasters C. E. Layton and Willis Brim and others in sufficient number to look well after the organization. The move was the largest ever attempted in that part, by the Boy Scouts, according to a local paper. The Pioneer Hike, 1920 The M. I. A. hike over the old Pioneer Trail, under direction of Dr. John H. Taylor, M. I. A. Field Secretary, was held again this year. Some of the Scoutmasters and boys this year went over the trail so as to perpetuate this remarkable trip of our Pioneers, and keep in the minds of the boys and men, the sacrifice and hardships endured by our fathers and mothers. The party went up Killyon's canyon, just about 10 miles up Emigration canyon by auto and started their hike. Thence down into Mountain Dell and then onto the original trail to the top of Big Mountain. Thence down the little Dutch trail used a few times by the pioneers who came later than the first company. This trail led down into East Canyon, near Clayton's ranch. The party then hiked up East Canyon to the mouth of Little Emigration, the original trail taken by the original pioneers. Hiking up Little Emigration to the summit of Big Mountain the party camped here for the night. On former hikes the parties had either remained at the mouth of Little Emigration, or had gone on to the foot of Little Mountain, now known as Camp Grant, being named after President Heber J. Grant, who went over the trail with the first party of men and boys making the trip, in 1913. Leaving Big Mountain the party returned over Little Mountain and down into Little Emigration and then home by auto- MUTUAL WORK 1035 mobile. This annual hike is being encouraged by the Y. M. M. I. A. General Board with the hope that some day monuments will be erected along this trail, marking it in a permanent way so that all the boys and girls of the future will have before them, the correct trail made by these remarkable men and women. Some day, it is hoped that there will be a state highway over this trail making it possible for the people to go over this route by automobile. This hike is indeed worth while, and our boys and men should hardly feel satisfied until they have gone over the trail and camped over night on the spots where the early pioneers camped on their way into the valley. They should experience the quiet hours of the night, feel the spirit of gratefulness and love that comes into the heart, as one thinks of the journey made by our fathers and mothers to find a home for themselves and their children in the Rocky Mountains, where God had prepared a place for them. Fathers and Sons at Play The Boise Stake held their first annual Fathers and Sons' outing in a camp at Smith's Ferry, one of the best camp sites in the state of Idaho, a few miles above Emmett on the Payette river August 11 to 14. r The camp lasted from the morning of the 11th to the Saturday morning of the 14th, when all returned home before the Sabbath day. Sufficient equipment for food to make the company comfortable, for fishing, swimming, mountain-climbing, and playing was arranged for in a daily program lasting from 6 a. m. to taps at 10 p. m., when all lights were out and quietness prevailed. The camp was held under the auspices of the Y. M. M.1. A. in co-operation with the stake and ward officers of the Boise stake. This motto was printed on the program: "Fathers, know your sons; Sons, know your fathers; This is an opportunity to get acquainted.'" A Trip to Jackson Hole Troop No. of Idaho Falls. Boy Scouts of America, recently took 3 an eight-day trip to the Jackson Hole country, taking the train to Victor on the morning of July 18. They rode on the same train that Win, Jennings Bryan happened to be on that morning. The great Commoner, upon request came into the car where all the Scouts were gathered and gave them a friendly talk, expressing his interest in the Scout movement, shaking hands with each boy at parting, and expressing his wishes for an enjoyable trip. "Wherever you see me, boys," he said, "no matter where I am, just come up and shake hands. I may have forgotten your faces, but the only introduction you need is to tell me you are a Boy Scout." The trip through the Jackson park was a thrill and an excitement, the boys learning to catch white fish and to fight "skeeters" and build bridges across streams, after which they returned home feeling pleasantly weary but happy. Scoutmaster W. E. Elieson exercised a wholesome influence on the boys during the trip, entering into the spirit of their sports and exercising firmness to prevent unruliness and with such fine spirit of good leadership that the boys liked the discipline. Not a boy was in the crowd but who would fight for his Scoutmaster whom they all love as an elder brother. The Scout movement, under the direction of the Mutual Improvement Association organization is a good, clean, wholesome experience for the boys in which they are taught straightforward manliness and the principles