--- 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: 25 number: 1 published: 1921-11 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," *Improvement Era* 25, no. 1 (November 1921): 77–85.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2501unse 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: improvementera2501unse start_page: 77 end_page: 85 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1921-11) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2501unse 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. --- # Editors’ Table The October Conference The Semi-annual Conference of the Church, held on the 6th, 7th and 9th of October, was perhaps the best attended con- ference in the history of the Church. Notwithstanding the scarcity of money and the general tie-up of business which had prevailed, the people from all parts of the Church were in at- tendance, and the Tabernacle was practically filled, on Thurs- day and Friday, at all the meetings. Saturday was given up to the missionary and other organizations for meetings, and that visitors might attend the State Fair, or transact such other busi- ness as they desired during their stay in the city. On Sunday not only the Tabernacle was filled to its full capacity, every seat and every available space of standing room being occupied, but there were, besides, two overflow meetings, in the Assembly Hall and at the Bureau of Information. Many hundreds were un- able to find room in either place, and therefore remained on the grounds surrounding. A feeling of satisfaction and peace per- vaded the large assemblies, and the Spirit of the Lord was richly manifest in the sermons of the First Presidency and the leading authorities, presidents of stakes, mission presidents, and others who spoke. The opening sermon by President Heber J. Grant abounded in excellent advice concerning financial, spiritual, and practical matters for the people, including faith-promoting inci- dents. His remarks in full will be presented to our readers, in the December number of the Era. Other speeches made during the conference will appear from time to time as apportunity offers. A resolution was passed expressing the sentiments of the Church relating to peace and the limitation of armaments which will be considered in the convention of the nations this month opening at Washington on Armistice Day. It reads as follows : "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, brought forth and established by the power of God and dedicated to the mission of prepar- ing the way for the glorious coming of the Son of God to reign in the earth, in truth and righteousness and peace, beholds with deep interest every authoritative movement taken by the nations in the interest of world peace. "It is believed that the conference called in Washington to consider the limitation of armaments and questions concerning the Pacific, and nations 78 IMPROVEMENT ERA of the far East may, under the favor of heaven, promote this great ob- jective. "To the end that it may do so, the Latter-day Saints, in general confer- ence now assembled, approve the appointment of a Sabbath day before the 11th of November, 1921, on which in all the wards and stakes of Zion, and in all branches of the Church in the United States and in the missions throughout the world, the members of the Church, shall be called together, in their usual places of worship, to engage in special, and solemn prayer for Divine guidance of the international conference on the limitation of armaments, that the cause of peace may be thereby enhanced and an amelioration of the burdens of mankind secured." Sunday, November 6, was adopted as the day on which special prayer shall be observed in the stakes and wards of the Church. From the statistics presented, it appears that there were 1,798 missionaries in the field, and that the missionary work throughout the world is progressing rapidly. It was reported that 65 per cent more baptisms had been made than during the previous year. The growth of the Church in the stakes of Zion had been remarkable, and altogether the condition of the Church is favorable in every respect. Some difficulty had been experienced in matters financial owing to the economic read- justments following the war, and very earnest remarks were given by President Grant and others counseling the people to be thrifty and economical, to get out of debt and to support home industry. Very strong emphasis was placed upon this coun- sel, and generally there was a feeling among the leading authori- ties present, general and local, that the Saints will follow this ex- cellent advice. The conference on the whole was successful from every standpoint. Unity of feeling in the Presidency of the Church was clearly demonstrated in the remarks and ser- mons of Presidents Heber J. Grant, Charles W. Penrose, and Anthony W. Ivins, and was reflected in the earnest sermons given by the nine members of the Council of the Twelve who were present, and the First seven Presidents of Seventy, as well as in the remarks of all the others who spoke. Of the Council of the Twelve, Elder Orson F. Whitney was absent, presiding over the European mission; Elder David O. McKay, making a world tour of the missions, and Elder Reed Smoot was in Washington. The Lord certainly made manifest his Holy Spirit at the ninety- second Semi-annual Conference, which marked an important milestone of progress in the "marvelous work and a wonder" which the Lord has established in the latter days, for the wel- fare and advantage of the people. The 113th Anniversary of President John Taylor During the life time of President John Taylor his family for many years were called together every year on the first day EDITORS' TABLE 79 of November to celebrate his birthday. He was born November 1, 1808. Since his death the family have continued the happy custom, and are celebrating this year as usual. The following stirring sentiments from his writings have been selected to be presented before the family, on lantern slides, during the eve- ning of the celebration. These sentiments, on friendship, free- dom, prayer, purity, honor, honesty and economy, are of such a character that they are valuable Church-wide, and beneficial to every man, woman and child who may read them : His motto was — "Money is of little importance where truth is con- cerned." "If a thing is done well, no one will ask how long it took to do it, but, who did it?" "I would rather have God for my friend than all other influences and powers outside." "Never do an act that you would be ashamed of man knowing, for God sees us always, both day and night,, and if we expect to live and reign with him in eternity, we ought to do nothing that will disgrace us in time. It is the crowns, the principalities, the powers, the thrones, the do- minions, and the associations with the Gods that we are after, and we are here to prepare ourselves for these things — this is the main object of ex- istence." "I can get along very nicely with my old coat this winter," he wrote: "It is a little faded, but then I prefer a faded coat to a faded reputation; and I do not propose to ask for accommodations that I am not prepared to meet." "I would rather trust in the living God than in any other power on earth. I learned (while on missions) that I could go to God and he always relieved me. He always supplied my wants. I always had plenty to eat, drink, and wear, and could ride on steam-boats or railroads, or anywhere I thought proper: God always opened my way, and so he will that of every man who will put his trust in him." "We should be strictly honest, one with another, and with all men; let our word always be as good as our bond; avoid all ostentation of pride and vanity; and be meek, lowly, and humble; be full of integrity and honor; and deal justly and righteously with all men; and have the fear and love of God continually before us, and seek for the comforting influence of the Holy Ghost to dwell with us." During his stay in Paris, he visited the Palace Vendome, and with a number of friends ascended Napoleon's Column 6i Victory. His com- panions scratched their names on the column, as thousands had done before them. Seeing that Elder Taylor had not written his name, they asked him to write it with theirs. "No," he replied, "I will not write my name there; but I will yet write it in living, imperishable characters!" "I pray God the Eeternal Father that when we have all finished our probation here, we may be presented to the Lord without spot or blemish, as pure and honorable representatives of the Church and kingdom of God on the earth, and then inherit a celestial glory in the kingdom of our God, and enjoy everlasting felicity with the pure and just in the realms of eternal day, through the merits and atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, in worlds without end. Amen." "The Prophet Joseph gave a special charge to me while living, as near as I can remember as follows: 'Brother Taylor, never arise in the morning or retire at night, without dedicating yourself unto God and asking his blessings upon you through the day or night, as the case may be, and the 80 IMPROVEMENT ERA Lord God will bear and answer your prayers; and don't let any circum- stances prevent it.' I had been in the habit of doing so, for years before this; but since that time I have not omitted, to my knowledge, the ob- servance of this duty, morning or evening." "I was not born a slave! I cannot, will not be a slave. I would not be slave to God! I'd be his servant, friend, his son. I'd go at his behest; but would not be his slave. I'd rather be extinct than be a slave. His friend I feel I am, and he is mine: — a slave! The manacles would pierce my very bones — the clanking chains would grate upon my soul — a poor, lost servile, crawling wretch to lick the dust and fawn and smile upon the thing who gave the lash! Myself — perchance, my wives, my children, to dig the mud, to mould the brick, and furnish our own straw! * * * But stop! I'm God's free man: I will not, cannot be a slave! Living, I'll be free here, or free in life above — free with the Gods, for they are free; and if I'm in the way on earth, I'll ask my God to take me to my friends above!" The PalestiDe Weekly" A striking evidence of the onward march of the Holy Land, in the last few years, has just reached the Church His- torian's office, in the form of a sample copy of a weekly news- paper, printed in the city of Jerusalem in the English language. To anyone who visited that country before the advent of rail- roads, and noticed on every hand unmistakable signs of mis- government, ignorance, fanaticism, poverty, and ruin, this repre- sentative of the press is indeed a welcome harbinger of a better day. The name of the paper is The Palestine Weekly, and the copy received bears the date of September 9, 1921. Immediately under the name the announcement is made that the publication is devoted to "News, Commerce, Literature, Sport and Arch- aeology." It has sixteen pages, printed in double columns. The name of the editor does not appear. Looking at the contents, "Notes of the Week" occupy the first place. Under this heading we are told that a committee has been formed at Jaffa for sending relief to Russia, and that another committee will be appointed at Haifa ; that the crop out- look in Palestine is below the average and that prices on cereals are going up; also that a notable outlaw has been captured by the police of Samaria, and that a Water Supply Committee has reported that the spring water supply of Jerusalem can be trebled at no great cost. It need not be said that that is an item of tremendous importance to the people of this new Jerusalem. Under the caption, "The Two Congresses," the paper has an account of the proceedings of the pan-Arab congress at Geneva and the Zionist congress at Carlsbad, which is the first of the kin(J since the beginning of the war, and the twelfth in the EDITORS' TABLE 81 history of modern Zionism. This article is followed by local news from Transjordania, Saffed, Tiberias, Haifa, Jaffa, Rechovoth, and Jerusalem. There are, further, an article on "Wine growing in Palestine," a "Letter to the Editor" from a gentleman who signs himself "Habbakuk," and who urges meas- ures for the sanitation and beautification of Jerusalem; and a report on the "Economic Situation of Palestine at the Close of the Financial Year," submitted to H. E. the High Commissioner, by Mr. R. A. Harari, Director of the Department of Commerce and Industry. The paper is well patronized by advertising, which tells its own story about the industrial and financial forward stride of the country. The paper was accompanied by the following letter: "Jerusalem, September 11th, 1921, "Historian's Office, "Church Building, "Salt Lake City, Utah. "Sir: — In response to a request from Mrs. Susa Young Gates we have great pleasure in sending you a specimen copy of The Palestine Weekly. The Palestine Weekly is the only English journal published in Palestine, and not only covers the news and opinion of this and neighboring countries but also reports the most important foreign news. We are sure you will find our paper both useful and interesting, and trust to receive your support. "Yours truly, "The Palestine Weekly." The copy at hand is No. 34 of the second volume. The yearly subscription price abroad is £1-5-8. This information will answer many inquiries that have reached the Improvement Era. Praying so that You may be Heard A brother in one of the stakes of Zion writes the Era asking us to call attention to the frequent inability of the listener to hear people who are called upon to pray or to speak in our meetinghouses and assembly halls, ward and stake. He says: "Two years ago we were in Salt Lake City and were sitting in the third row from the front seat in the Taber- nacle, and although we heard a pin drop from the far end of the building before the meeting, we were unable to hear the brother who was called upon to pray." There is some virtue in the complaint that this correspond- ent makes concerning elders who are called upon to pray, ad- minister the Sacrament, or speak in the religious assemblies of the Saints. Those who open and close meetings by prayer should do so in a voice audible enough for all to hear. It is very essential that this should be done; but, on the other hand, 82 IMPROVEMENT ERA there are people who are unable to make their voices carry over large congregations in big meetinghouses. Particularly is this the case in the great Tabernacle, in Salt Lake City. People who are called upon there to pray are frequently from outlying districts, particularly during Conference time, and are not ac- customed to the big building, and really do not know how much effort it takes to speak so that they may be heard. In smaller houses throughout the Church there is not quite so much oc- casion for not being heard, but even there we have noticed that some speakers cannot carry their voices far enough to be heard over the hall. It is a matter of training, and the reason why they cannot make themselves heard is that they have not been trained to speak clearly and distinctly. It would be a good idea for the authorities in such places to call attention to the need of speak- ing up, so that all the congregation may hear what is being said, and so be able to join in the prayer or in the sermon at its close with a hearty "Amen." \n Error Corrected Students and teachers of the Junior Manual will notice in Lesson 8 on "Courage," in the 5th paragraph from the top, an unfortunate omission of certain lines in the printing. The 5th paragraph should read: "Nathan C. Tenney had established a ranch at Short Creek where he built a house, but in common with others had abandoned it and moved to Toquerville, about twenty-five miles distant." The next paragraph should begin: "In December, 1866, three horsemen rode out from Toquerville, their destination being the Short Creek ranch. They were fairly well mounted," etc. Messages from the Missions Wonderful Progress in the Swiss-German Mission Perhaps a message from the mission in the land of the League of Nations would be of interest to your readers. Since the great War began, in the year 1914, very little has been heard directly from the missionary work in Switzerland and Germany, but we take pleasure in saying that the work of the Lord, even during the war, and especially since, has made great progress. At home, in Utah, we have very little idea of what students of the gospel, and how faithful the members of the Church, are in this great mission field on the Continent of Europe. Our branches cover a territory stretching from Russia to France, we have a conference with several thriving branches in Austria, seven conferences with 65 branches in Germany, three conferences in Switzerland with 16 branches, and a EDITORS' TABLE 83 conference with three branches in the French speaking part of Switzerland. We have 115 missionaries, only 15 of whom are Americans the rest being called from these lands themselves to fill two and three years missions. This force is augmented by branch presidents, conference presidents, and other officers until we have now, for the first time since all the missionaries were called out at the beginning of the war, a fully organized mission with conferences and branches. I am enclosing herewith a picture of the mis- sionaries who attended the Berlin conference on 28th and 29th August, 1921, which will give some idea of the class of men in this work and the mag- nitude of the same. In the first row, with President S. F.. Ballif and Presi- dent Whitney, sit the conference presidents as follows: Alfons Finck, Ham- burg, Ernest Hornickel, Chemnitz, Hermann Gozinski, Berlin, Egon Glaus, Konigsberg, Willy Wegener, Hannover, Alfred Niederhauser, Vienna, Josef Duran, Dresden, and Reinhold Stoff, Frankfurt A. M. The other four rows consist of the following: Bruno Drohmer, Ludwig Hierbock, Julius Sachs, Max Stange, Herman Rodorff, Friedrich Korschning, Fritz Scharffs, Arthur Tuchel, Benno Sie- bach, Albert Wiechert, Friedrich Fischer, Bruno Dinse, Andreas Rosskopf, Otto Wiechert,, Arthur Hiller, H. Steffian, Jr., Karl Hofmann, Kurt Otto Mathes, Erich Waldhaus, Martin Huber, Karl Weiss, Will Doring, Heinrich Sinsel, Fr. Kuffner, Alma J. Schindler, Wilhelm Pobanz, Wilhelm Linde, August Zastrow, Phillip Schmidt, George Marquard, Richard Schutze, Gott- lieb Rugner, Fritz Farber, Erich Holstein, Max Horold, William Ludwig, Friedrich Szibalski, Kirt Hahle, Joseph Littke, Kurt Bottner, Phillip Tron, Friedrick Nickel, Emil Geist, Otto Hunger, Johannes Carstens, Hans Smyczek, Karl Klug, Alfred Dzierson, Jacob Uibel, Otto Drews, Erich Reich, Hermann Ruf, Max Nabrotski, Richard Barth, Gustav Wittorf, Friedrich Baumgart, B. Maier, R. Eisenreich, F. Romeike^ Ernst Will, J. Hilgendorff, J. Stook, K. Schleich, F. Wernick, E. Georgi, K. Tschaggeny, E. Leuk, Fritz Huber. The following are Americans: William Korth, Fred. Korth, Hartwig Ruckert, W. U. Fuhriman J. H. Zenger, Conrad Dietz, Howard Stoddard, Ludwig Gleich, David Hirschi, F. V. Niederhausern. With this force of missionaries a splendid work is being accomplished but in this field there is room for almost ten times as many more. Much of the credit for the success of the work in the mission rests with the mem- 84 IMPROVEMENT ERA bers themselves, who fully sense the responsibility of explaining the gos- pel to their neighbors and thereby help forward the work of the Lord. The Mission has done a great deal in the way of dispensing funds and food and clothng to famine and war sufferers and at the present time we have a dozen or more undernourished children in Switzerland from Germany and Austria to recuperate. It can be affirmed that the distress is still very acute in these countries, and will become more so during the coming winter and all help from the United States will be greatly ap- preciated both by the missionaries and the people in general. In fact one of our main occupations in the mission office is to disburse funds for the sufferers. As an example of the faith of these stricken little members of the Church the following will give some idea: During this summer we had a case of a little boy from Bremen, Ger- many, who came to Switzerland to get well. He remained here a few weeks, but his case was so hopeless that it was decided to send him back to his parents, as tuberculosis had already taken a fatal hold on his frail undernourished body. This little boy (of "Mormon" parents) three days before he died, when he was passing through the Mission office insisted on paying his tithing from money that the members of the Church had given him to help him on his way home. This is an example of the faith- fulness of our members here, notwithstanding the suffering they must endure. It would surprise some of the people in Utah perhaps to know that in this Mission we have 87 branches, and in many of the larger centers, like Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden, Breslau, and Chemnitz the attendance was so good that it was found necessary to divide the branches into two and three, and in Berlin four. We have three system of money to handle, Swiss, French, German Marks, and Austrian Kronen. We have branches in French speaking parts, branches in Switzerland proper, in Germany and Austria, and scattered Saints in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, France, etc. In fact, we find this mission a likeness of the League of Nations, which a party of us had an opportunity to visit recently. When President Ballif makes a trip over even a part of the mission, we bid him goodby for a month or two, and he can go from one city to another and hold conferences and meet- ings every night. Recently on the trip of President Orson F. Whitney and party they started in at Lausanne, Switzerland, and held meetings all through this land and in the larger cities of Germany, and from there to Rotterdam. In Zurich, Switzerland, there were approximately 500 present twice daily, in Hamburg 450 and in Berlin 1,100. Conditions are still in somewhat of a turmoil on the Continent of Europe with the possibility of small wars breaking out almost at any time. One of our missionaries just writes that he was compelled to vacate his room in an armory, as it was needed to house soldiers being mobilized by Austria against Hungary. So it goes, the wars will probably continue indefinitely, but on the other hand, there is undoubtedly a religious awaken- ing, and the way seems to be prepared by the wars for the reception of the gospel. — O. K. Winters, Mission Secretary, Basel, Schweiz, September 20, 1921. Twenty-three Baptisms in Newcastle Conference The missionary work is progressing very favorably in the Newcastle conference. We have already had twenty-three baptisms this year, and have several more who are getting ready for the near future. This is mostly due to the increase in help, as when I came to this conference a year ago I found President David E. Randall working alone and we now EDITORS' TABLE 85 have ten elders. They are: James T. Palmer, Morgan, John Black, Mont- pelier, Robert E. Finch, Goshen, Charles W. Speierman, Logan, Ralph S. Gray, Salt Lake City, Thomas V. Phillips Springville, William E. White, Beaver, Russell B. Hodgson, Salt Lake City, Ezra T. Benson, Whitney, Idaho, and myself, Provo. We are taking up systematic tracfing, going over the territory two and three times, as this is the best form of missionary work we can do, and we feel that it is a successful means of preaching the gos- pel for a witness of the Savior by telling them of the restoration of the gospel. We now have eight progressive branches in this conference whose Saints have been tested during the war, when thy suffered much persecu- tion and many discouragements, but they have had a strong testimony and their spirits have answered true to their conscience thus enabling them to stand. We all enjoy reading the Era and look forward with pleasant anticipa- tion to each number to get the news from home, the spiritual treats, and a lesson in the practical problems of life. We also make good use of it by passing it on to our investigators, and are recommending it as being a magazine of extra value. — Donald C. Crowther, Conference President. Sunday School in Nottingham — Death of Mary E. Hayes James L. Graham reports a successful Sunday School in the Not- tingham conference, England, in the Eastwood branch. This school held an annual party on Pioneer Day, 1921. Eastwood is a small mining town about eleven miles from the city of Nottingham. The Church branch has outgrown the room they occupy — its seating capacity being about forty, whereas they often have to accommodate from seventy to eighty people. All the officers and teachers are very earnest, faithful and progressive workers. Something like half of the members of the school are children of investigators. The branch president is William H. Mullinger; Sunday School superintendent, George William Hart; with Joseph Allen and George William Thompson as second and first counselors to the Presidency. Elder Graham also calls attention to the death of Ma^y Elizabeth Hayes, on July 12, 1921, the beloved wife of First Counselor Harry Hayes, of the Hucknall branch. She was a faithful member of the Church for thirty- four years, and was First Counselor in the Relief Society where she per- formed valuable work. She lived a consistent life,was a loyal wife, an ex- emplary mother, and a true friend to all in need. At the funeral there was a large attendance of sympathizing relatives, Saints and friends present. President Samuel Pears and Annie E. Noble, gave talks, and Elder E. Brough delivered an impressive address at the grave, which was dedi- cated by Elder Abraham Noble. Died in the Mission Field The First Presidency received word from the Southern States Mis- sion, Atlanta, Georgia, on the 11th of October, of the death of J. Ralph Watt of Tremonton, Utah, a missionary of the Southern states, who left for his mission January 14, 1920. He died on the night of the DOth at Lamison, Alabama,, the cause of his death being pneumonia. His body was embalmed and sent home in the care of a companion. Elder Watt is the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Watt, and was born August 24, 1899 at Layton, Utah. President C. A. Callis of the Southern States Mission, was in Salt Lake City when the word was received, and stated that the missionary was in excellent health when President Callis left for Conference, in Salt Lake City. Elder Silver accompanied the body home. Elder Watt was buried, at Layton, Oct. 18.