--- 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: 8 published: 1922-06 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Mutual Work," *Improvement Era* 25, no. 8 (June 1922): 750–757.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2508unse 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: improvementera2508unse start_page: 750 end_page: 757 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1922-06) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2508unse publication_year: 1922 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 1922, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Mutual Work The Annual Conference of the Y. M. and Y. L. M. I. A. Time of Meetings Friday, June 9 Joint officers' meeting, Assembly Hall, 10 a. m. Separate Y. M. M. I. A. officers' meeting, Tabernacle, 2 p. m. Separate Y. L. M. I. A. officers' meeting for stake officers or stake repre- sentatives, Assembly Hall, 2 p. m. M. I. A. Social at Saltair, leave Saltair depot after 4 p. m. Saturday, June 10 Separate Y. M. M. I. A. officers meeting, Tabernacle, 9a.m. Junior Department. Regular session 10 a. m. Senior delegates and Senior teachers only, departmental meeting, 10 a. m. All other officers will attend the regular session of the Junior Depart- ment. Senior Department Regular Session, 2 p. m. Junior and Boy Scout leaders only, departmental meeting, 2 p. m. All other officers will attend the regular session of the Senior Department. Separate Y. L. M. I. A. officers' meeting, Assembly Hall, 9, 10 and 11 a. m. Separate Y. L. M. I. A. officers' meeting, Assembly Hall, 3 p. m. Joint meeting, 8 o'clock p. m., Assembly Hall, Temple Block. Sunday, June 11 Joint officers' testimony meeting, Assembly Hall, 8:30 — 9:50 a. m. Joint officers' meeting, Assembly Hall, 10 a. m. General session, Tabernacle, 2 p. m., under the direction of the First Presidency of the Church. General Session, Tabernacle, 7:30 p. m. "Processional" representing the Primary and Mutual Improvement Associations. The program has been carefully prepared and will be a source of inspiration to Mutual officers who attend. A verse from the Scriptures will be read at each meeting following the reading of the Slogan for 1922-23, "We stand for a pure life through clean thought and action." The Junior, the Senior, and the Advanced Senior departments will all be carefully provided for. and a new feature is the departmental meetings of the Senior leaders and delegates; and the departmental session of the Junior and B!>y Scout leaders. The M. I. A. Scout band, John Held, director, . will play sacred music at the Sunday evening meeting. This band has made splendid progress and is a credit to the Mutual Improvement organiza- tion. A new program for the Seniors will be presented; and altogether, the conference promises to be one of the most important and interesting ever held. Law Enforcement Week With the consent of the General Authorities of the Church, the week of June 18, has been set aside for use by slake and ward authorities and MUTUAL WORK 751 auxiliary organizations for presenting the subject of obedience to law, to the people. Following is a suggestive program for the sacrament services Sunday June 18: Regular Sunday Service Program Have one or two speakers, especially qualified and prepared, occupy the time between opening and closing exercises on the following sug- gstive topics: I. The Meaning of Loyalty to our Government. A. Our part in making the laws. B. Our obligation to obey the laws and to assist public officers in enforcing them. C. How respect for law is undermined by widespread tendency to disobey law. D. How stable government is dependent upon both respect for and obedience to law. Examples: 1. General success of popular government in Great Britain and her self-governing colonies, and in the U. S. A. 2. General failure, thus far, of popular government in Mexico and some other Latin American countries. 3. The reasons for this dif- ference. 4. The great present danger of growing lawlessness in Great Britain and America. II. Current Problems in Law Enforcement. A. The special benefits to be derived from enforcement of the fol- lowing laws: 1. Quarantine. 2. Curfew. 3. Prohibition. 4. Law forbidding to- bacco to minors and the anti<cigarette law. 4. Anti-gambling laws. 6. Anti-speeding laws, i. e., traffic laws. M. I. A. Program- Each auxiliary organization will present a program along similar lines at their regular meeting during the week beginning June 18. The M. I. A. joint suggestive program follows, and should be given on Mutual evening, June 20 ; or, where wards meet Sundays, on Sunday evening, June 18. Opening song, "America." Invocation. Solo, "The Flag Without a Stain." Reading, "Columbus," by Miller. Ameiica — A Land Choice Above all other Lands. 10 min. Song, "Co- lumbia, the Gem of the Ocean." Our Inspired Constitution — the Supreme Law of the Land. 10 min. Reading, Holland's, "God Give us Men." The Meaning of Good Cilizenship in a Republic. 10 min. Concert recitation — 12th Article of Faith. Obedience to Law — the life of the Republic. 10 min. Instances of Dis- regard for Law: a. Prohibition, b. Anti-tobacco, c. Games of chance, d. Present-day forms of lawlessness. Reading, Longfellow's "Ship of State." "Star Spangled Banner." Benediction. God Give us Men God give us men! A time like this demands S":rorg minds, great hearts, true faith, and ready hands. Men whom the lust of office does not kill; Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy; Men who possess opinions and a will; 752 IMPROVEMENT ERA ; Men who have honor; men who will not lie; Men who can stand before a demagogue And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking! Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog In public duty and in private thinking; For while the rabble with their thumb-worn creeds, Their large professions and their little deeds, Mingle in selfish strife, lo! Freedom weeps, Wrong rules the land, and waiting Justice sleeps. The Building of the Ship By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Third stanza) Thou, too, sail on, O ship of State! Sail on, 0 Union, strong and great! Humanity with all its fears, With all the hopes of future years, Is hanging breathless on thy fate! We know what Master laid thy keel, What Workman wrought thy ribs of steel, Who made each mast, and sail, and rope, What anvils rang what hammers beat, In what a forge and what a heat, Were shaped the anchors of thy hope! Fear not each sudden sound and shock, 'Tis of the wave and not the rock; 'Tis but the flapping of the sail, And not a rent made by the gale. In spite of rock and tempest's roar, In spite of false lights on the shore, Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea! Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee, Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears, Are all with thee — are all with thee! Our faith triumphant o'er our fears, Are all with thee — are all with thee! Back to the Primitive The automobile, strangely enough, is the link which connects the sophisticated city with what is left of the primitive. In this the automo- bile has taken the place of that romantic and uncertain means of loco- motion— the western cowpony and his constant associate, the buckboard. This substitution has become necessary on account of the encroachment of civilization upon the last strongholds of the wild. Last summer I took my first trip with fathers and sons, in company with my own boys. We mounted an automobile and with the speed of modernity were whisked over mountain passes, between miles and miles of fruitful fields, past the very edge of civilization as I knew it when a boy, through other miles of pioneer farms where the coyote and the sage hen were the chief settlers but a few years ago, on to Blackfoot river; and then on, still on, through narrows and valleys until at last we arrived in Wooley valley, the synonym of the wild. In a few hours we had traversed distances that required days of weary jogging with a pack-train or a sheep wagon. We camped on Diamond Creek, a little stream so far east that we MUTUAL WORK ffl A delightful camping place among the pines and aspens hardly knew whether we should be safe with an Idaho license, and so high that we did not know whether to expect snow or rain from the. clouds that hovered over the pine-clad peaks. Even here, however, the "Mormon" homemaker had preceded us, for there, tucked away in a little cove, we found a log house with children playing about the door, while across the mountain meadow stretched a perfectly, real and modern wire fence. We found a delightful camping place among the pines and aspens where the scorching sun could never find us out, and where the incongru- ous automobile m"ght be hidden from view. The boys were wild with joy, and even the "older" boys had a sort A camp on the Big Blackfojt River 754 IMPROVEMENT ERA of a tremolo in the voice when they glanced across the enchanting valley upon which the hand of man, as yet, had been laid but lightly. One wonderful day we camped on Diamond Creek in the very heart of the wild. The crystal water bubbling up looked like handfulls of dia- monds strewn upon the creamy velvet sands. The Nimrods brought in wild chickens and fish until all the company were banqueted at their primitive tables. The outing was under the direction of the Young Men's Mutual Im- provement Association of Oneida stake. Several members of the stake board proved to be well acquainted wilh and lovers of the great out- doors, essential qualifications, I determined, of the leaders of young men. On the way home all stopped at the Hooper Springs, one of the best soda springs in the country and had sweet draughts of the ice-cold bev- erage fresh from the sparkling fountain. Even yet, there is something exhilarating about a trip to the prim- itive where men and boys meet in the big open under the arching skies, where sham and pretense and veneer are laid aside and man is man and boy is boy. — H. R. Merrill. M. I. A. and Sunday School Conventions in Arizona Preceding the Arizona Conference, held at Douglas on April 28-30, Gustive O. Larson conducted a series of M. I. A. and Sunday School con- ventions throughout the Arizona conference, beginning at Tucson and Binghampton, on April 23 with a full day session. Following the Tucson convention the Superintendent accompanied by conference president Marion A. Condie, visited Pomerene, St. David, Bisbee, Whitewater and Douglas, holding special M. I. A. and Sunday School officers and teachers' meet- ings and general public meetings in the interests of these organizations. At Bisbee, Elder Larson was invited to speak at the funeral services of Brother Al. Kempton conducted by the Elk's Lodge. Brother Kempton was a prominent citizen of Bisbee and surrounding country, and the Elk's hall was crowded to capacity, offering a splendid opportunity for deliv- ering the truths of the gospel to hundreds unacquainted with "Mormon" doctrine. The Arizona organizations are thriving, not only growing in numbers but keeping well up to the standards se: by the General Boards of these organizations. Mutual Improvement Work in the Hawaiian Mission From the annual report of the Hawaiian mission of the M-.- I. A., we learn that George A. Bowles is the superintendent, that therer are 2% as- sociations, 170 officers, 441 Advanced Seniors enrolled, 317 Seniors"^ -448 Juniors, making a total of 1,436 enrolled. The average attendance is 131 officers and instructors, 259 Advanced Seniors, 213 Seniors, 295 Juniors, a total of 938. There are three members on missions. Nine hundred sev- enty-nine meetings were held altogether, and 755 members actually took part in M. I. A. activi ies. In Honolulu there are 15 registered scouts, and 10 doing scout work who are not registered; and in Laie there are 27 scouts registered. The annual Conference of the Church was he$d at Laie, Oahu, on April 6-10, at which time the auxiliary organizations as well as the Church carried out an elaborate program of exercises of ex- treme interest. The M. I. A. held several sessions and likewise contests. There were public speaking, story telling, quartette singing, stringed quartette, orchestral sextette, and other events. Upon adding the points made by each conference, out of a possible 100, the following was a re- sult: Honolulu, 57%; Hilu, 17%; West Maiu, 17%; Kauai, 7%. Honolulu MUTUAL WORK 755 won the pennant. Each individual winner was given a subscription to the Improvement Era or Young Woman's Journal; the former to the young men; the latter to the young women. A total of 69 contestants participated. A spirit of friendly rivalry existed which stimulated effort, and the con- test was a wonderful opening up of the talents and possibilities among the young Hawaiian people. The texts for the various classes were decided upon for the coming year as follows: Advanced Senior, Genealogical Les- sons, a book just translated and published by the Polynesian Genealogical Association, under the direction of William M. Waddoups; Seniors, 1918, Y. M. M. I. A. Manual, "The Church as an Organization for Social Ser- vice;" Juniors, Religion Class outline, 1919, 5th and 6th grades; Inter- mediate Juniors, Religion Class Outlines, 1919, 3rd and 4th grades; Pri- mary class, Religion Class outlines, first and second grades. The 23 con< ferences throughout the mission prepared for the interbranch contest at the annual Conference to determine who should represent the conference in the mission contests. Altogether the M. I. A., which consists of both the young men and the young ladies in the Hawaiian mission, are to be congratulated upon the activities which they have engaged in. President Wesley E. Smith is taking a great personal interest in the M. I. A. work there. Y. M. M . I. A. STATISTICAL REPORT FOR APRIL, 1922 STAKES V -OT3 V 2=3 i-a E « ■ u ■a o 6 j: o c c .2 E c .2 E c — < o > 5 2 rtJS ii ii u .2 ™«S ►J < 5£ E* s > u T3 O <B II C/2 V o en £ w O H 1^ <•§< u < 3 > 5 < O H Alberta 345 11 10 174 190 151 515 98 109 93 300 Bear River 509 13 13 326 132 171 629 307 129 163 599 Benson 760 13 13 250 355 340 945 106 174 210 490 Box Elder 770 13 12 340 256 317 913 203 148 173 524 Deseret 398 10 9 213 106 136 455 70 72 84 226 Hyrum 500 10 10 189 151 200 540 120 165 135 420 Kanab 210 7 5 124 63 86 273 50 41 47 138 Liberty 1041 11 11 407 331 421 1159 242 198 274 714 North Sanpe.e 802 13 5 103 104 69 276 40 39 34 113 North Weber.. 626 16 14 104 218 191 513 55 110 92 257 Pioneer 933 160 14 9 5 6 104 139 87 66 161 74 352 279 34 34 38 30 81 29 153 Raft River 91 Roosevelt 315 10 10 111 129 134 374 56 73 87 216 Salt Lake 1026 12 12 285 253 379 917 143 155 236 534 San Juan 250 4 3 79 87 101 267 52 26 30 108 South Sanpete.. 752 10 2 42 37 33 112 18 9 7 34 Wasatch 375 9 6 143 103 154 400 95 57 88 240 Weber 1040 14 14 325 365 389 1079 173 212 270 655 Bear Lake 384 11 11 157 158 187 502 61 75 95 231 Bingham 564 14 5 290 155 222 667 150 100 125 375 Blackfoot 474 9 8 259 89 125 473 153 59 81 293 181 147 6 10 6 2 108 19 64 46 77 33 249 98 75 8 . 40 30 35 25 150 Curlew 63 Franklin 473 10 8 144 163 143 450 64 80 76 220 Fremont 654 13 11 261 191 302 754 130 103 145 378 Idaho 218 12 7 83 50 81 214 55 31 46 132 Portneuf 300 12 11 33 184 115 332 15 112 82 209 ?56 IMPROVEMENT ERA M. I. A. STATISTICAL REPORT (Continued) STAKES Rigby .... Shelley .. Big Horn Taylor .... Union .... 576 349 289 325 148 T3 C < Cfl 53 171 118 172 95 .2 B c — V o .2 6 §1 W 40 121 132 168 36 < H O H T)Jo u > a a<M 5 ^ rt u e .£ 2 « u u C ■2 «* S u c •n > " «<5 o rt t« S « G £ > u 69 162 24 23 30 127 419 87 70 81 86 336 74 74 61 118 458 98 104 88 46 177 37 22 25 77 238 209 290 84 Y. M. M. I. A. EFFICIENCY REPORT FOR APRIL, 1922 STAKES . E 3~ O O 0<J tn « on £*2| u E *.2£ u u °.£H en 15 H Alberta Bear River Benson Box Elder Deseret Hyrum Kanab Liberty North Sanpete Nor:h Weber.. Pioneer Raft River Roosevelt Salt Lake San Juan South Sanpete.. Wasatch Weber Bear Lake Bingham Blackfoot Cassia Curlew Franklin Fremont Idaho Portneuf Rigby i Shelley Big Horn...„..... Taylor Union 10 6 8 10 10 6 10 5 8 10 6 10 10 5 5 10 10 8 10 9 9 10 9 10 3 4 4 8 8 5 4 2 4 10 3 4 10 9 9 9 6 10 10 6 8 2 2 10 10 6 7 10 9 10 10 5 8 10 8 10 9 9 10 10 9 10 10 10 8 10 5 7 10 8 9 9 6 6 10 10 8 3 3 3 10 9 10 10 9 10 10 9 10 10 10 10 5 7 3 8 9 9 9 10 5 10 10 9 10 10 10 9 4 3 6 8 1 31 1 10 | 10 10 1 10 10 7 6 10 10 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 5 10 10 10 10 5 10 10 8 10 10 5 5 8 10 1 4 9 10 9 10 10 10 10 10 6 10 9 8 5 9 10 10 4 10 4 3 71 10 65 75 87 90 66 90 91 96 37 74 32 49 90 90 69 71 81 96 77 76 90 94 73 80 93 54 83 27 90 95 97 80 MUTUAL WORK 757 Duties of Social Correlation Committees The duties of joint ward and stake social committees as far as recrea- tion is concerned are as follows: 1. To see that sufficient recreation is provided the membership of the Church. 2. To correlate the recreational activities of the various auxiliary or- ganizations of the Church, and where necessary to determine and appor- tion their recreational obligations. 3. To see that all recreational activities are conducted in a manner compatible with the standards of the Church. The Social Committees are not expected in any way to substitute the auxiliary organizations or deprive them of their initiative to carry forward recreational activities in their respective organizations. The various or- ganizations, however, should submit all recreational plans to the Social Committees for correlation purposes as above suggested. Creed of the 171st Quorum of Seventy (Third and Eighth wards, Liberty stake) We recognize that the Seventy as organizations have been instituted in the Church by Divine appointment. We believe that there is a great need now in the Church for seventies, seventies who are deep, clear thinkers, who have much intellectual develop- ment and who have attained considerable Spiritual power, as well as being versed in the scriptures, and having a correct knowledge of the gospel and a heart full of love toward the children of men and the Kingdom of God. We believe that a seventy should give to the Lord his heart, mind, might and strength for the great cause. That this should be his foremost ambition and that he should study the gospel and be prepared for useful work at home and efficient service in the mission field abroad whenever the call shall come. We believe that every seventy should follow the injunction of the Lord, "Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord." We believe that most seventies would like to be engaged in missionary service abroad, but for various reasons they are denied this honor. One of the most frequent and chief reasons is the lack of ready means, and so we believe that our missionary fund should be enlarged from time to time so that if any of our members need assistance, to go on a mission or to sustain them while they are there, that we can materially assist and thereby be in harmony with that fine spirit of the gospel: *T am my brother's keeper." Our intention is to meet together often in social functions through quorum organization. We believe that by so doing we will know one an- other better and love one another more. We are most heartily in accord with that magnificent slogan of the seventy adopted in 1907, "Mental activity, intellectual development, spirit- ual attainment," as well as our own quorum slogan, "The saving of the souls of the children of men." We think that all seventies should contribute of their power to make of the quorum an organization of power and influence for good. By so cooperating with the constituted authorities, one another, and with the Lord, untold power and blessings will come to our organization, the 171st Quorum of Seventy. A membership therein is a call in the Priesthood to honor and distinction, as special witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ.