--- 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, "Guide for M. I. A. Studies and Activities for 1920–21," *Improvement Era* 23, no. 11 (September 1920): 999–1006.' 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: 999 end_page: 1006 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. --- # Guide for M. I. A. Studies and Activities for 1920–21 GUIDE FOR M. I. A. STUDIES AND ACTIVITIES 1003 lects thosewho are to take part in each event, and should see to it that each member of his group is entered for at least one event. The manner of conducting the e\ents is not announced until each event takes place. 1. Target shooting (either men or women). 2. Shot put (men). 3. Standing high jump (women). 4. Obstacle race (men). 5. Disc throwing (women). 6. Marathon race (men). 7. 50-yard dash (women). 8. Rugby (both). 9. Relay. 10. Dance (All). 1. Target Shooting. The contestant stands (full height) over a milk bottle, places a bean close to his eye, and drops it into the bottle (if he can). Each contestant has three turns (one at a time), and the one who succeeds in getting the greatest number of beans into the bottle wins the event for his team. 2. Shot put. Blow up a paper bag and tie it. The contestant who succeeds in throwing it farthest wins. Each should have three trials. 3. Standing High Jump. (A piano or organ will help considerably with this.) The idea is to select the lady who can sing highest by jumping from "do" to high "do," "ra," high "ra," etc. 4. Obstacle Race. The contestants are started at one end of the room, run to the other end, thread a needle and return to the starting point. 5. Disc Throwing. The lady who succeeds in throwing a paper plate into (nor nearest to) a ring twenty feet away wins this event. 6. Marathon Race. Each contestant is given two newspapers. He places one of them on the floor in front of him and steps on it with his right foot, places the other one on the floor in front of him and places it and steps on it with his left foot; removes the first paper, the room. steps on it, and so on until he has traveled around 7. 50yard Dash. Each lady contesting is given a pair of scissors and a three-yard narrow strip of paper (ribbon wrapping is desirable for this). Then she is told to cut it in two, lengthwise, without run- the longest ning off either side. The one finishing first and having pieces is winner. Rugby. Furnish a sheet and a feather (or if several groups are 8. playing one for each two teams). The teams stand on opposite sides of the sheet and hold it up under their chins. The feather is tossed side of between the two teams and all try to blow it to the opposite the sheet. Chalk lines should be drawn for the goals. When the scores a point. If feather drops back of a line the opposite side for final winner. two games are run, then the two winning teams play shall 9 Relay Each member of each team entering this event circle; go through do as* follows: Use a hoop or a rope tied into a it head-first, run to the other end of the room, blow up a paper sack and pop it, return to starting place and go through the hoop feet hrst. Then the next person in line goes through the same stunt and so on until the last one entered has finished. The team finishing first wins to do this without and their group scores. Each player is expected help from any one. , . of points 10 Dance. The team scoring the highest number balance of the evening. should be entertained in a dance for the 1004 IMPROVEMENT ERA An Evening with Church Leaders Here is a suggestion: An Evening with Church Leaders. *It is suggested that this may be presented by a lecture in which one or more of the Church leaders may be treated. The leading events in each life should be considered and not a mere biography given. The events should be selected to be of such a character as to interest the hearers and should be faith-promoting in their nature and applicable to the youth of today. They should not be foreign to the interests of the boys and girls present, but being told, should apply to their lives. The lessons should be made plain and the ap- plication certain. Another method of presenting these same ideas would be to take — one of the Church leaders say Brigham Young, John Taylor, or any of the others, and have five or six leading events of their lives pre- sented in living pictures before the congregation: "Speech to the Pio- neers on the Plains," "First View of the Valley," "Celebration of the Twenty-fourth in Cottonwood Canyon," "Meeting with Colonel Kane," "The Move," etc. Incidents should be selected, under this arrange- ment, that can easily be made into pictures. Again, tableaus may be given of events in the lives of Church leaders to fill in the entertainment for that evening. It should al- ways be borne in mind that the lecture, pictures, and tableaus should be of such a character as to present leading events in the lives of the leaders, with a view to creating faith in their divine calling and inter- est in their achievements. The Lord was with them in all their la- bors; and events from their lives should be selected, either by pic- ture or by words, to impress this thought upon the lives of the young people. Efficiency Reports Efficiency reports will be required monthly. These should be forwarded promptly at the close of each month to the stake secretary, and should be sent so as to reach him no later than the first of the following month. Stake secretaries will then compile the reports for the stakes, and send to the general office no later than the 5th of the following month, and they will then be published in the Era monthly, the October report appearing in the December number, November in the January number, etc. Full directions for marking the efficiency reports are printed on the blank reports furnished by the General Boards to the organizations. The efficiency requirements are: 1. Membership. 8. Participation in M. I. A. Pro- 2. Class Work. grams. 3. Special Activity Program. 9. Monthly Stake and Ward Officers' 4. Scout Work. meetings. 5. M. I. A. Slogan. 10. Ward Officers' Meetings, and 6. Era. Teacher-Training. 7. General Fund. Y. M. M. I. A. report blanks will be sent to the stake superintendents for monthly distribution to the ward presidents, in ample time for reports to be returned in the time required. GUIDE FOR M. I. A. STUDIES AND ACTIVITi:. 1 ; The Reading Course 1. Adventures in Contentment, by David Grayson. 2. Heroes of Today, by Mary R. Parkman. 3. High Benton, by William Heylinger. 4. Isabel Carlton's Year, by Margaret Ashman. There will be one other book accepted, on a religious subject. It is expected that the new book, Prophecies of Joseph Smith and Their Fulfilment, by Nephi L. Morris, will be accepted as soon as printed, as the religious book for the year, notice of which ^ ill be given later. High Benton is a book for boys, showing some of the influences that shape their ideals. It impresses the necessity of eveiy boy obtaining an education and training to do the important things of life in an efficient way. Isabel Carlton s Year is a charming story of a girl's life at high school. Adventures in Contentment is a series of sketches showing the ideal side of country life. Heroes of Today contains a^ number of short biographical sketches of men who have accomplished worth-while achievements along widely different lines in the world's work. The General Fund The following stakes secured, as per their reports, 100 per cent in the general fund for 1919-1920: Blackfoot, Box Elder, Cache, Cassia, Deseret, Ensign, Fremont, Hyrum, Idaho, Jordan, Juarez, Kanab, Liberty, North Davis, Oneida, Salt Lake, San Luis, Shelley, Teton, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Weber, Yellowstone, Montpelier, Burley and Twin Falls. We hope all the stakes will join the list for 1920-21; the requirement is 25c for each member, based on the enrollment for 1920. Life membership certificates are issued to all who join the Y. M. M. I. A., and who pay $5 for a life membership. This will be invested so that it will return about 25c per annum to provide the annual fund, and thus release the holder from further obligation to the fund. Weurge the securing of life memberships in every ward. A resolution was passed by the stake superintendents at the June conference that they would use their best efforts to get at least fifty life members in each stake of the Church. The "Improvement Era" Subscriptions for the Era were sent in from the following stakes which had over 5 per cent of the Church population as subscribers 1006 IMPROVEMENT ERA 1. Kanab 9.90 12. Blackfoot 6.45 23. Yellowstone 5.44 2. Cassia 8.89 13. Raft River 6.45 24. Fremont 5.41 Maricopa 8.53 14. Alberta _...6.21 25. Morgan 5.41 3. 4. Idaho 7.79 15. Bingham 5.85 26. No. Weber .. 5.36 5. Oneida 7.45 '16. Bear Lake 5.74 27. Boise 5.33 6. Juarez 7:36 17. Blaine 5.63 28. Hyrum 5.32 7. Twin Falls 7.15 18. Bannock 5.58 29. Millard 5.27 8. Taylor 7.00 19. Uintah , 5.56 30 Carbon 5.20 9. San Juan 6.74 20. Benson 5.51 31. San Luis 5.15 10. Snowflake 6.71 21. Utah 5.48 32. Shelley 5.13 11. Wasatch 6.69 22. Box Elder 5.44 33. Ogden 5.12 The other stakes had and we take large subscription lists, this occasion to express our thanks to the Mutual Improvement workers and others who have assisted in making Volume 23 a wonderful success in circulation, it being larger than in any other year. The new volume of the Era will begin with the November number, and a canvass should be made of every family throughout the Church during September, preferably, or during September and October, so that the circulation for the magazine may be at least kept at the maximum and preferably enlarged. Many interesting features will be presented in the coming volume, and we hope to make the magazine of such importance that neither the general membership of the Church, nor the members of the Mutual Improvement Associations, the Priesthood quorums, or other organizations will desire to be without it. The price will continue the same as heretofore, although paper has advanced very much in cost. Lists of old subscribers will be sent to the stake superintendents, for ward canvassers, and these should be distributed promptly, and the canvass made in September and October. Enrollment of Membership The following stakes showed an enrollment amounting to the per cent shown: Alberta 14.8 Hyrum 12.4 St. George 11.8 Bannock 13.1 Idaho 15.1 St. Johns 11.9 Bear Lake 13.0 Jordan 10.2 Salt Lake 10.0 Bear River 13.6 Juab 12.0 San Juan 12.7 Benson 13.0 Kanab 10,9 Sevier 10.0 Big Horn 13.0 Logan 14.1 Shelley 16.5 Bingham 15.6 Lost River 24.8 Snowflake 10.9 Boise 12.8 Nebo 10.3 South Davis 13.2 Box Elder 10.8 No. Davis .....11.0 Taylor „...14.4 Burley ! 13.5 No. Sanpete 10.0 Teton 10.8 Cassia 14.1 No. Weber 10.3 Tooele 10.0 Cache ., 11.3 Ogden 12.2 Twin Falls 13.0 Cottonwood 12.3 Oneida 12.8 Uintah 13.8 Curlew 10.7 Pioneer 10.1 Utah 10.3 Deseret -.14.1 Portneuf 13.0 Weber 10.7 Ensign 10.0 Raftriver 12.1 Wasatch 11.9 Fremont 11.5 Rigby 13.2 GUIDE FOR M. I. A. STUDIES AND ACTIVITIES 1007 The following stakes fell below the 10 per cent mark: Alpine 9.6 Moapa 9.8 Star Valley Beaver 8.8 Malad 8.4 Summit 3.4 Blackfoot 9.0 Montpelier 9.3 Tintic Blaine 7.0 Panguitch Union 9.8 Carbon 7.7 Parowan Wayne Duchesne 7.3 Pocatello 9.3 Woodruff 7.5 Emery St. Joseph _.8.3 Yellowstone 9.1 Granite 9.3 San Luis 9.9 Young h 9.2 Juarez 9.8 So. Sanpete 8.2 We thus accomplished our aim in the stakes as a whole in obtaining 10 per cent of the Church population as members of the Y. M. M. I. A., though we did not get the 50,000 members we expected, but we did obtain 40,226. We trust that a special effort will be made by the officers to retain the splendid increase in membership throughout the Church; and that the stakes which have not obtained their full quota of 10 per cent enrollment of the Church population in each stake, will continue their efforts to obtain at least the required quota, and as many more, of course, as there are young men in the stake who should be engaged in Mutual Improvement work. The Way I Go I know the way I go, That leads me on o'er rugged height, 'Neath threat'ning clouds that bear no light, Down through the depths of darkest night, This common way I go. I know the path I tread Its piercing stones make bleeding feet, Its windings lead through scorching heat, The Tempter rude oft here I meet, On this lone path I tread. I know the road that's mine, The pligrim's footprints that I see, All leading on to victory, Are signboards left for guiding me, On this rough road of mine. I know my Father's road, He leaves me not alone to go, For o'er this road His comforts flow, And on the way his blessings blow, On this my Father's road. Robert Sparks Walker. Chattanooga, Tenn. Social Leadership By Paul Mason, of the Brigham Young University A demand of the hour is a well-trained army of judicious, enthusiastic social leaders, to supervise and guide the recreation of the young people. To insure success, it must be supported by the renewed interest of the older men and women of the community. This does not mean that the young people are naturally worse than their parents; but it does mean that dynamic society has so changed their environment that more judicious guidance is necessary. The stamp of commercialism and its attending evils has been placed upon all forms of amusement. These evils are so disguised that many of the old as well as the young respond to their luring appeal. The attraction of the sensational has been commercialized. The power of the sensational attractions was well illustrated when a covered box of snakes was placed in a cage of monkeys. The monkeys showed their curiosity in a most human way by cautiously lifting the box lid. They fled in terror, being instinctively afraid of snakes. Yet in spite of the danger, they again and again opened the box in order to experience the thrill; each time they quickly closed it and fled. People, like monkeys, are strongly attracted by a thrill or an intense situation. But is it logical that everybody must peek? Or, can the young and inexperienced be saved the risk by the interest of their elders and by desirable leadership? The greatest danger is that the repetition 'of the excitement or strong sensation is very liable to lead to worse evil. Consequently, there is an urgent need for judicious leadership. The need for amusement is as old as the instinct of play. The child requires it, the youth craves it, and the adult often feels it a necessity. Instinctively, too, the better and more interesting type will be chosen; but if necessity demands, a questionable substitute will be supplied. When this is the case, the moral standards will, like water, gravitate to the lowest levels, and a certain degree of depravity is likely to result. This danger should arouse society to action. The pioneers recognized the need of good amusement for both young and old. Church community organizations were effected to provide and supervise them. Good theatres and musicals were provided for all. Dances, games, and community picnics, in which both young and old participated, gave addi- SOCIAL LEADERSHIP 10 09 tional diversion from the daily routine. Because of this mutual interest of the people, high moral standards were the inevitable results. However, new conditions developed as the community grew and the amusements were taken over by commercial interests. In some places the Church-community organizations still strive to provide entertainment, but there is a large field of unsupervised amusement in every community. It is this field that needs attention and wholesome leadership. In it, we find the child, and the youth, but few adults. They are seeking, unguided, to satisfy their play instinct. Observation reveals the fact that the chief difficulty lies in the commercial influences and their attendant evils. Today the welfare of the community is no longer considered. The movies, public dances, "resorts," and the many other luring entertainments have supplanted the good old-time sociables. The merit of these substitutes is rarely questioned, but only the pecuniary gain is considered. Many of these substitutes are degrading in their very nature, others may be perverted. Let us examine some of them. The motion-picture could be a vital force in the highest type of education. It is not living up to its possibilities. True, it is that the common movie educates. Psychology declares that every picture becomes a part of the vicarious experience of the spectator. The question then is, "Are the impressions desirable?" Look into your town, and see if there be not adults who live and swear by the movie. You will notice that they are not the most enlightened and thrifty citizens. See if there are not many youths who literally live what they see on the screen. The juvenile judges and officials of the state attribute a very large per cent of juvenile delinquency to the movie habit. In one community the boys had organized secret societies. They had pass words and required oaths of their members. Is this not enough to demand action of interested parents and leaders? Censorship boards already exist, but it is evident that wholesome leadership is desirable even among them. There should be a general clean-up of the screens to prevent further poisoning of the youthful minds. Many parents are among the most faithful movie patrons; they take their entire families with them. Gaze about in your community, see where these people are, and what they are doing; then for your sake and that of the community become a leader in the movement for reputable motion pictures. Some communities are busy with the problem; yours should be one of them. The public dances are another source of contamination to the moral and social welfare. Dancing in itself is not a harm- 1010 IMPROVEMENT ERA fill amusement; but many of the newest "styles" have relegated this art to the questionable. Few dances are supervised or even attended by any parents. They have been so absorbed in the dollar that fate is entrusted to rear their precious children. Anyone avIio can pay the price of admission is permitted to dance and mingle freely with the best and the unsuspecting young people who attend because there is no better place of amusement. The resorts have been thoroughly commercialized, and they are so alluring! Ball games, dances, and "eats," but worst of all, the plunge, are there. There is no guiding hand to protect the innocent and unsuspecting. Books are another phase of the youths' environment that could profitably be investigated. The market is flooded with cheap, degrading material. Many of this type may be found in the private and the public libraries and book stores of the state? There is yet another great factor that is largely responsible for the questionable nature of otherwise wholesome amusements. It is the lack of the uplifting, stabilizing influence of the mature people. At the present time parents and other mature people are rarely seen in dance halls; in fact, in any place of amusement, except the movie. There seems to be no logical reason for this desertion of the young in their amusements, unless it may be that the wild velocity of present amusements has left the older people in the rear, or that they have become completely engrossed in business. Whatever be the cause, it is self-evident that a cure should be applied. What is the value of racial experience if it is not to be transmitted as a safeguard to the rising generation? It is one thing to discuss evils and another to remedy them. If the amount of energy now spent by the older citizens in cen- suring the youth were exerted in a wide-awake interest and ju- dicious leadership, an evident desirable change would result. The need is not for more energy, but for a greater interest that will use the available energy effectively and judiciously. Hu- man intelligence has harnessed the water power to generate the energy for the wheels of commerce. The energy of the human race can surely be successfully and beneficially harnessed to guide the great social wheels. The energy we have, but it is the application of it that needs direction. Compare the directed amusements with the undirected amusements of your experi- ence. The energy used in the directing more than amply repays. Natural, enthusiastic leadership is the logical development of keen community interest. There are men and women in every community who can and will lead. Some of them have repeatedly attempted it, but either because of inadequate sup- port or defective training, they have given up the fight. The