--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Arthur L. Beeley collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 23 number: 12 published: 1920-10 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Arthur L. Beeley, "Problems in Leadership," *Improvement Era* 23, no. 12 (October 1920): 1093–1096.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2312unse 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: improvementera2312unse start_page: 1093 end_page: 1096 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1920-10) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2312unse 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. --- # Problems in Leadership Problems in Leadership By Arthur L. Beeley, Executive Secretary, Social Advisory Committee II—Racial and Social Development A good teacher of mathematics is one who trains his students to first clearly understand the problem presented; this is the first step in its solution. In line with this thought, the purpose of this article is to state an old problem in a new way. The problem is the adaptation of the individual to his environment —environment used here to include the mechanical and social factors as well as the physical. It is a fact that man's original nature, without training, is inadequate to ensure his successful adaptation to his environment. For example, if a normal individual were to grow up without hearing or being taught a language, he could do little more in expressing his wants than to use the crude hunger, danger and love calls of prehistoric man. It is obviously important that our language and all of the other bequests of civilization be perpetuated; this is the mission and responsibility of education. Since social development does not directly affect the germplasm which determines the characteristics of the offspring, education is largely a procress of innoculating anew each successive generation. Stated differently, it means that biologically or racially, each new generation begins where the old generation began; while from the point-of-view of civilization or social development, each new generation begins where its predecessors left off. To illustrate: if one during his life time should lose an eye or an arm, his children would certainly not inherit the defect. For the same reason, neither would one's children biologically inherit one's musical education. On the other hand, however, when one generation invents an automobile or a telephone, it is transmitted to the next generation, which, beginning where its predecessors left off, improves and projects the invention still farther. That is to say, each new generation does not have to reinvent the automobile, the telephone; re-discover the North Pole, radium, etc. Stated historically, this means that the Children of Israel, for example, were just as intelligent and as highly developed biologically as we in the twentieth century, yet as far 1094 IMPROVEMENT ERA as we know, they didn't read newspapers, use electricity and travel |>y aeroplane. These facts illustrate the remarkable economy and stability of nature and God's purposes. What a catastrophe if the child inherited the acquired defects of its parents! In a few genera- tions we should have a race of monstrosities, and finally extinc- tion. Equally calamitous wiould it be if each generation had to re-develop a language, re-discover electricity, and re-build a civ- ilization. In order to visualize and make concrete this abstract rela- tionship between racial and social development the writer sub- mits the following crude diagram. SOCIHL DE^I RRCIRL DEVELOPMENT. /900 /9Z0 f940 Fig. I Diagram of relationship between racial and social de- velopment. If one were to draw a line (statisticians call it plotting a curve) to represent the biological history of the human race, it would probably look something like the base line in the diagram, (gradually inclining as it progresses to the right to express the thought that the race is gradually improving). A comparable line or curve representing the history of society or civilization would probably resemble the curve in the diagram. The disparity between the two lines, illustrating the two phases of development, might be thought of as the difference between an arithmetical increase and a geometrical increase. That is to say, the lower line, — racial development, is characterized by PROBLEMS IN LEADERSHIP 1095 equal increments, while the upper line, — social development, is accelerated. In thus comparing these two fundamental lines of development, the most significant fact is their different relationship or ratio at each point of comparison; i. e., as the lines continue to the right, the greater is their divergence. But what is the more significant implication, from a standpoint of social leadership, in a society where the senior generation, quite naturally, is in control? Let us compare for instance the two lines at points a-b ; c-d e-f ; respectively. These three vertical lines have been arbitrarily imposed to represent three points of time, viz., 1900, 1920, and 1940. The first line a-b, represents the relationship of social and racial development about the year 1900, the median times around which, let us say, most of those who now hold positions of leadership received their training. Let the line c-d, represent the ratio of the two phases of development in 1920, the time when those who shall be our future leaders are receiving their training and making their social adjustment. Let e-f, represent the time and the ratio of social and racial development when those who are now preparing for service will actually serve society in leadership capacities. Note, then, the vast differences between social and racial development at the three different years. Herein lies the crux of the entire problem. Because of the well-known fact that the only world we know is the world of our own experience, it becomes extremely difficult for those now in office, who, let us say, received their training in 1900, to fully appreciate the problems of social adaptation which confront the succeeding generation in 1920. Furthermore, an understanding of the adjustment which will be required of the rising generation in 1940, for instance, is even more difficult for the senior generation now in control. The horizontal line a-g is projected to graphically illustrate the common error of using our own training, our own time, and our own social adjustment as a criterion in the social control of the rising generation. One hears a good deal now-a-days about the depravity of the young people. Is not this, however, a very superficial criticism? If each new generation begins where the old generation began, there is no such thing as sudden depravity cropping out, especially since "like begets like." True, there are serious social excesses in 1920, but are they not due in large part to the failure of the senior generation to understand the problem here discussed and to provide newer forms of social control and leadership to meet the accelerated growth in social development? Space will not permit an exhaustive treatment of the sig- 1096 IMPROVEMENT ERA nificance of the problem here presented. A few of the more glaring implications, however, deserve mention. In the first place, leadership of the rising generation cannot be wholly effective until it consciously recognizes these facts and their implications. Second, that with each new generation the problems of social control become more and more acute. Third, that younger leaders should be used oftener and given a position intermediate between the senior and the junior generations in order to interpret one generation to the other. Fourth, that both the junior and the senior generations should consciously strive to understand each other. Fifth, that the principle of self-government should be more universally applied in the social control of different groups. This, it will be remembered, was the social theory referred to by the Prophet Joseph Smith. When asked how he presided so effectively, he said: "I teach my people correct principles and they govern themselves." The Sun Shines Bright in Utah The morning sun shines brightly, From the eastern skies so clear, All nature smiles to greet him In my Utah home so dear. He kisses every dewdrop, As he passes on his way "Sego lilies white and pure" Is the song he sings all day. The sun shines bright o'er hilltops, O'er her fertile valleys grand And mountains of wealth untold I love you, Utah, my land. The sun shines bright o'er hilltops, The birds sing sweet from the trees;. From meadow, stream and mountain, Come scents with the sweetest breeze. O Utah, the big, bright star, Engraved in Old Glory true, Ever your flag keep waving In the western skies so blue. The sun shines bright in Utah; Its people united stand; With sunshine smiles we greet you, Utah, my dear, native land. — Charles A. Larson.