--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - J. Henry Ehlers collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 24 number: 6 published: 1921-04 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'J. Henry Ehlers, "Boy Scouts of America Y. M. M. I. A. Band," *Improvement Era* 24, no. 6 (April 1921): 542–545.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2406unse 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: improvementera2406unse start_page: 542 end_page: 545 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1921-04) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2406unse publication_year: 1921 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 1921, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Boy Scouts of America Y. M. M. I. A. Band Boy Scouts of America Y. M. M. I. A. Band By J. Henry Ehlers Before the days of the local Boy Scout Council, the Salt Lake Scout Masters' Association held a meeting to discuss the possibility of a Boy Scout Band. Brother Junius F. Wells had been invited to give a talk on band work, as he had been familiar with other organizations of this kind. During his remarks he referred to what a fine thing it would be if the Scouts could have a band, how much joy, benefit and pleasure it would give them, and how much life it would add to the organization. At that time the city was divided into five districts: Ensign, Salt Lake, Pioneer, Liberty and Granite. Each was presided over by a Deputy Commissioner, under the Supervision of Dr. John H. Taylor, our M. I. A. Scout Commissioner. Each district was represented on the Band Board by its Deputy Commissioner, besides Oscar A. Kirkham, Roscoe W. Eardley, N. G. Morgan, and Dr. John H. Taylor of the General Board Y. M, M. I. A. These men were given authority by the association to have full charge of the Band work. They at once perfected an organization, electing Brother Junius F. Wells as honorary president; N. G. Morgan, president; C. H. Spencer, Jr., manager; J. Henry Ehlers, secretary; and A. Roy Heath, treasurer. J. BOY SCOUTS' BAND 543 Spencer Cornwall, head of the Granite School District Music Department was secured as band master. He did the pioneer work, and stayed with the organization for two years, putting it on its feet. Owing to his many other duties the band was later turned over to Brother Victor Picco, who had just returned from studying band work in the East, but Brother Cornwall retained bis connection with the band, being elected vice president. Rehearsals were held in the old Deseret Gym, commonly called the "Barn" which, a short time after, was remodeled, and the Band moved to the printing office, the old school rooms of the former tithing office, just behind the new Church Office Building. The band made so much noise and disturbed the meetings in those buildings so much that its practice place of meeting was soon moved to the rooms under the Barratt hall. Here they were in constant conflict with the night school and other assemblies in Barratt hall. Finally, through the efforts of Brothers Morgan and Spencer, permission was given by the City Commission to hold practices in the gymnasium of the Public Safety building, or Police station, and here, at present, rehearsals are being held every Monday night from seven to eight-thirty o'clock. Special part-rehearsals are held during the week at various places. Chairs were also provided by the City fathers for the benefit of the Band. At first there were a great many boys who wanted to belong to the Band. Some had instruments and some had none; some with instruments could play and others could not, and there were boys who had no instruments but could play. It was a hard task to keep these boys together. Those who could play did not want to wait for the boys who could not, and they wanted to play a different class of music. But under the able leadership of Brother Cornwall and the officers of the organization, the Band was held together until all its members could play. Some citizens gave their instruments to the boys, and others sold their instruments to the boys at a cheap price, which the boys or the Band bought. The funds of the association were secured by taxing each district$25 which they all promptly paid. This money was used for music and various other things that the Band was in need of. President Heber J. Grant came to the rescue and gave $1,000 to the Band which was to be used in purchasing instruments. The money was spent to purchase twenty-two instruments, some old and some new. After six months of hard work the boys made their first appearance at an M. I. A. Rally at which Granite and Liberty stakes were in friendly competition. There were over two thousand people present and the boys received a good start. A few days later they played at 544 IMPROVEMENT ERA the Granite stake conference; and in June, at the M. I. A. conference, in the tabernacle. School had adjourned for the summer by this time and many of the boys left to work on farms, etc. But those who stayed still met regularly. The Band appeared several times during the Fall. On February 5, 1921, they appeared for the first time in a street parade. They made a very impressive showing on this occasion. The parade was to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the Boy Scout movement, and there were 1500 boys who took part in the parade. M. 7. A. Boy Scout Band Street Parade, Passing on South Temple Street, in front of Hotel Utah Salt Lake is now famous throughout the United States for its scout work, and it is the object of the Band to carry out the idea expressed by Brother Wells, "to be of benefit to the boys and to give life and pleasure to the scout movement." Last year Oscar A. Kirkham and two Salt Lake boys went to the Scout Jamboree, in France and England. The Denver Scout Band also went. It is the aim of the M. I. A. Band to go to the next Jamboree, and to have the best Scout Band in America. One Scout Master, Tom Green, is so interested in the Band that he has 29 of his scouts on the Band, many of whom could not play a note when they began. There are at present eighty mem- BOY SCOUTS' BAND 545 bers, and it is desired to get a membership of one hundred boys in uniform. Plans are also under way for a fife and drum corps, and a bugle corps. The Band will soon hold a public concert in Salt Lake City. © Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. FRANKLIN AND UNCLE SAM MEET SENATOR REED SMOOT Benjamin Franklin, originator of the Thrift Idea, in the person of Burr Macintosh noted photographer, actor and lecturer, (left), and Uncle Sam, represented by Guy Nichols, meet Senator Reed Smoot, of Utah,, guest of honor at the Budget-day Dinner of the National Budget Committee, in the Aldine Club, in New York, one evening in the latter part of January. Franklin, the Father of Thrift, prevailed upon Uncle Sam, the spendthrift, and prodigal brother, to reform, through Senator Smoot's good offices. A boy scout is thrifty.