--- 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: 9 published: 1922-07 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "The Latest and Best Conference", *Improvement Era* 25, no. 9 (July 1922): 838–846.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2509unse 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: improvementera2509unse start_page: 838 end_page: 846 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1922-07) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2509unse 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. --- # The Latest and Best Conference The Latest and Best Conference It is the opinion of all who have expressed themselves that the 1922 M. I. A. Annual conference was the best attended and most profitable and successful of any ever held. Everybody was pleased with the program of activities and exercises. Through the courtesy of the Brigham Young University a special meeting was held on Thursday evening for the benefit of educators and M. I. A. officers. Dr. Edward T. Devine, Professor of Social Economy, Columbia University, and Dr. Charles E. Rugh, Professor of Education, University of Cal- ifornia, spoke to the gathering on vital social, educational and leadership questions. Dr. Rugh especially pleaded that the "I" in the individual shall control the "IT," the spiritual, the physical; the will, the impulse. The first joint meeting introduced the leading feature of the conference : The Slogan, "We Stand for a, pure life through clean thought and action." The scripture reading and intro- duction were given in an impressive manner by Assistant Super- intendent Richard R. Lyman. It is requested that during the season the slogan and scripture-reading be constant features of Mutual Improvement work. Another mark of distinction was the service of the Bennion ward, Cottonwood stake band, A. M. Palmer, conductor. This band is the brilliant product of a ward of 350 people. The band gave two splendid selections. The importance of giving M. I. A. activities ample pub- licity in local papers, meetings, and in amplified instructions in detail by stake officers to ward officers was emphasized by Preston Nibley of the Y. M. M. I. A. General Board. Dr. Widtsoe delivered a telling talk on the making of leaders. This will be used in the Era later. The "Year round program" for the M. I. A. was presented by Laura P. C. Nicholson, class work, summer work, outdoor activities and special programs, consti- tuting the plan. A preview of the conference was given by Augusta W. Grant of the General Board Y. L. M. I. A., and reports on the new plan for committee organization was treated by Superintendent EDITORS' TABLE 839 Herbert Maw, of Liberty Stake, and Claire N. Hulme, President of the Logan stake Y. L. M. I. A. The afternoon of the first day was devoted to a meeting of the Y. M. M. I. A. officers in the Tabernacle. An outstanding part of the meeting was the address of President Anthony W. Ivins, "The power of personal work in obtaining membership;" likewise the splendid address of Executive Director Oscar A. Kirkham, on "Integrity of officers." Preston D. Richards of the organization and membership committee showed how it was necessary to have a job for everybody and every- body on the job, in Mutual Improvement work. The subject, "Lessons to be learned from the efficiency reports" was treated by Edward H. Anderson, and emphasized the need of careful checking of the progress of each department. The afternoon and evening, from four o'clock on, were enjoyed in a trip to Saltair. It was learned from this successful and enjoyable social, that large recreational gatherings can be successfully conducted, under the right kind of supervision such as was given to this outing by LeRoi C. Snow and Emily C. Adams of the General Boards. Among the total attendance of the M. I. A. workers of nearly 6,000 more than 500 stake of- ficers were official chaperones and wore conspicuous badges. There were leaders in all the cars and they encouraged so- ciability and community singing. All the members of the Gen- eral Boards constituted the reception committee. A free lunch- eon was served to 1,000 people in the Ship Cafe, and a delight- ful recreation program was presented both in the cafe and in the great dance hall, while the Boy Scout band of Salt Lake City, John Held, conductor, gave free music to the gatherings in different parts of the pavilion. There was a grand march led by President Heber J. Grant in the great dance hall, and free dancing was given to all officers of the M;. I. A. Community singing, solo singing, Boy Scout Band music, and free dancing were enjoyed by all M. I. A. stake and ward officers present, and constituted the amusements of the evening. This is the first time that the June conference social has been carried out on so large a scale. On Saturday morning at 9 o'clock, a round table discussion of Y. M. M. I. A. stake and ward problems was conducted at the Tabernacle, and at 10 o'clock the Junior Department pro- gram was given, important addresses being delivered by Presi- dent Anthony W. Ivins on "The attitude of the Church towards scouting," and by Dr. John H. Taylor, of the General Board, on "How to tie up scouting to the Y. M. M. I. A." "How to spirit- ualize scouting through the manual," was treated by Nephi An- derson, and "How to spiritualize scouting through leadership," 840 IMPROVEMENT ERA by B. S. Hinckley, both members of the General Board. At the same hour a department session of the Senior Leaders and delegates, "M" Men, was held at the Bureau of In- formation, at which addresses by Superintendent Adam S. Ben- nion, of the Church schools, Assistant Superintendent Richard R. Lyman of the Y. M. M. I. A., and Dr. F. S. Harris, President of the Brigham Young University, were given. The general topic was "The Young Man 17 to 23," including subdivisions, "The vital years," "The big things for 1922," and "Special quali- fications for leadership," followed by a round table discussion. At noon over 100 superintendents and members of the Gen- eral Board Y. M. M. I. A. attended a luncheon at the Hotel Utah, at which a number of superintendents expressed them- selves on what the Y. M. M. I. A. work had done for them. Four young men from Brigham City — a Y. M. M. I. A. quartet, de- lighted the gathering with lively songs. At two o'clock on the same day the Senior department had innings at the Tabernacle, at which Dr. John A. Widtsoe presented the new program. Thomas Hull, of the General Board, also presented "Study period and activities." While this department was in session the departmental sessions of the Junior and Scout leaders were held at the Bureau of Informa- tion, where the speakers were E. S. Hinckley; Superintendent George Albert Smith, John F. Bowman, and Roscoe W. Eardley of the General Board. The session closed by an open discussion conducted by George J. Cannon, of the General Board, the topic being, "The boy from 12 to 17." A new departure of great importance was the program of the Saturday' evening joint meeting at the Assembly Hall, where the general topic for the evening was "Special activity work." This was explained first by Mary E. Connelly of the General Board Y. L. M. I. A., followed by demonstrations of the activ- ities, including community singing, by National Leader Clive Bradford, preliminary music by Edward P. Kimball, the read- ing of the slogan, an M. I. A. ward officers' social by Granite stake officers, a dramatization of Christmas carolling, by B. Ce- cil Gates and Evangeline T. Beesley. The slogan for 1922 was dramatized under the direction of Agnes Smith and Louis T. Cannon. Beautiful selections were given by the stringed quartet from the Weber stake of Zion, showing perfectly the splendid activity that may be introduced into our organizations in this particular line. A one-act play with M. I. A. players participat- ing, under the direction of Miss Fay Cornwall of the Univer- sity of Utah, was a delightful diversion. This was followed by a surprise, not on the printed program — a selection from the opera, "Mikado," by a company of young men and women from EDITORS' TABLE 841 the small Winder ward, of Cottonwood stake, under the direc- tion of Claude C. Cornwall. The music and acting were first class. Another musical selection given by the Girls' Glee Club of Juab stake under the direction of K. J. Bird, delighted the audience. The third day, Sunday, opened with a testimony meeting of officers in the Assembly Hall where every seat was taken. Over an hour and a half was devoted to short testimonies that opened the day with the spirit of the gospel burning in the hearts of all who attended. The ten o'clock meeting at the Tabernacle was favored with a selection from the Y. L. M. I. A. orchestra of the 27th ward, Ensign stake, Mattie Reid Evans, conductor. President Martha H. Tingey gave the scripture reading and the slogan. This meeting was devoted largely to the advanced senior class work, and an address giving a preview to the lessons for the coming year, the purpose and object of the work, how it may be made more profitable, etc., was given by Dr. George H. Brimhall. "Summer work" was discussed by Emily C. Adams. An excel- lent classical, and beautiful selection, "Praying for you," was sung by the Y. M. M. I. A. quartet of young men of Brigham City. The Fast Sunday evening joint programs and their importance to the M. I. A. were discussed by Elder Oscar A. Kirkham. The Girls' Glee Club of Juab stake rendered another selection. The speech of the morning was delivered by Eldsr Melvin J. Bal- lard on the Slogan. This will be printed as we find space in the Era. The two o'clock meeting was conducted by President Heber J. Grant, who called upon some of the present new members of the Y. M. M. I. A. General Board, to make short talks, which they did, expressing their willingness to labor in the cause. He himself delivered a telling address full of good counsel to the young people of the Church. The Tabernacle choir furnished the music for this meeting, under the direction of A. C. Lund, director, and J. J. McClellan, organist. The evening service at 7:30 was devoted to a processional, representing the Primary and Mutual Improvement Associations. Two Primary boys thrilled the audience with speeches that were clever and full of information. The theme of the evening was "Youth's Opportunity for Growth in the Primary and Mu- tual Improvement Associations," and proved a great attraction. The M. I. A. Scout Band rendered beautifully a sacred se- lection, John Held conducting. Flag ceremonies were con- ducted by the Boy Scouts, Beehive Girls, and Primary Junior Nurses. The slogan was repeated by members of the M. I. A. President Heber J. Grant, who favored the organization with 842 IMPROVEMENT ERA his presence at most of the meetings, gave the closing speech, full of encouragement and pertinent, story-illustrated advice to the young people of the Church. The congregation sang, "True to the Faith," and a most inspiring conference of the young people of the Church came to a close. The reports of the secretary showed excellent advancement in every de- partment. A digest, with other vital information, will be found in the August number of the Era, in print, July 26. Messages from the Missions Sunday School and Travel in Poverty Bay, N. Z. Elder Jacob I. Smith, conference president of the Poverty Bay Con- ference, Gisborne, writes under date of April 5: "The picture is a repre- sentation of the Tologa Bay Sunday School in this conference, and the elders on horse-back are Jacob I. Smith, Riverdale; and Oliver K. Jacobson, Bancroft, Idaho. We do most of our traveling from place to place on horses here on the East Coast of New Zealand. We are meeting with fairly good success. Some of the branches are reviving in the good work of the Church. We appreciate the Improvement Era and read it with great interest." Unfavorable Reports Help the Cause The storm of anti-"Mormon" agitation which recently broke upon Toronto, Canada, has subsided. Even Miss Agnes McPhail, M. P., who recently said "We hate the 'Mormons', " has ceased manifesting her in- tolerance. As usual, the agitation helped our cause. It attracted the attention of the public to our message, and awakened in many a curiosity to know our side of the question. One of the newspapers, the Star, sought interviews from us. This paper published six very favorable articles con- cerning the accomplishments of the Latter-day Saints. The last of these interviews appeared after the April conference at Salt Lake City. It was published prominently on the front page under the caption: "Mormon Church Won 22,000 in Year." Our investigators here were not disturbed by the malicious misrepresentation of the Church. The attacks only EDITORS' TABLE 843 intensified their determination to find the truth at any cost. Seven were baptized April 15, and were confirmed the next day, Sunday, at the opening session of the regular Toronto quarterly conference. The missionaries in trading in Toronto, have discovered the beneficial effects of the wide- spread publicity which was given to our work. The people have been notified of our activities, and in many instances they desire to learn some- thing of our teachings.— Nephi Jensen, President of the Canada Mission. I Thirty-Six Baptisms in Three Months Willard H. Clark, conference president, Huntley, Waikato, New Zea- land mission, writes under date of March 30, with greetings to the readers of the Improvement Era from the elders laboring in this part of Maoriland. He says: "The inspiration and joy we get from reading the Improvement Era are invaluable to us in our work. We have had thirty-six baptisms in the last three months and, at present, have many good prospects. The Lord's work is progressing rapidly here, and both elders and Saints are making many new friends. Our labors are mainly among the Maori people, who are as sincere and true to God as any people in the world." Elders of this conference, left to right: F. L. Wilcox, Preston; J. E. Francom, Tremonton; J. V. Monson, Smithfield: (Sitting) W. H. Clark, American Fork; George S. Winn, Preston, Idaho, presiding over European work; A. R. Potter, Loa, Utah. Good Results from a Discussion Elder William W. Home, writing from Launceston branch, Tasmania conference, Australia, May 3, says: "This branch has been open one year, since it closed August, 1914. We are greatly encouraged at the outlook for the future. The city contains about 22,000 people. Since the opening of the branch, seven baptisms have taken place. A branch conference was held here at a recent visit of President Don C. Rushton. Thero were 40 844 IMPROVEMENT ERA people present at our evening meeting. We do much country work among the outlying cities and villages, and feel that a goodly number at some future time will see the light of the restored gospel. During the visit of President Rushton there was a public discussion. Mr. P. R. Baker, of the Church of Christ, spoke on, Is 'Mormonism' of God or Man? and President Rushton spoke on the same subject. The effects of this discussion have been very beneficial and have made for the elders a host of friends. We desire to come before the people that they might know us as we are in our true light, and not as they think we are. This discussion afforded a splendid opportunity in this direction. The majority of the Saints are active and the work is increas- ing. All the auxiliary organizations have been set in order." Good Work in Wisconsin Elder Nephi N. Probst, of the Wisconsin conference, Milwaukee, writes under date of June 1: "Every Saturday night large crowds of interested people gather around us on the street corners as we explain the gospel message to them. Throughout the conference country work has commenced and all are actively engaged in visiting the scattered members and holding special meetings in towns and cities. Missionaries laboring in the city of Milwaukee, left to right: Edgar N. Christensen, Walter G. Hoplin, Clifford E. Johnson, Harold A. Wood; front row, Eliza A. Beck, Nephi N. Probst, conference president; W. E. Wiltbank, presiding elder; Myrtle E. Torp. Seven of these missionaries during the past three months have loaned 478 copies of the Book of Mormon, which is an average of over 22 books per missonary for each month. A splendid spirit prevails, both with the missionary force and with the local branches of the city. The local Priesthood is busily engaged in active missionary work, and through their untiring efforts, many new friends have been brought to our services. The newspapers are very liberal in publish- ig news items and announcements of our meetings." EDITORS' TABLE 845 Conference in Douglas, Arizona The missionaries and Saints of southern Arizona met in general semi- annual conference April 28, 29, and 30. President Joseph W. McMurrin of the California mission and Elder G. O. Larson, Superintendent of Sunday Schools and Mutuals of the mission, were in attendance from Los Angeles. Marion A. Condie, president of the Arizona conference conducted all gen- eral sessions. The following traveling elders were present: C. L. Stewart, Levi Bodily, A. N. Kasius, De Lyman Bayles, James Harvey, Theodore E. Reese, Lavon Humphreys, Levar Doncy, Frank Robinson and Myron Child. The several branches of the southern vicinities were represented by various officers. Elders laboring in Bisbee, Arizona, and vicinity. Left to right: Royal Spartling; Frank Robinson; De Lyman Bayles. Back: James Har- vey, M. A. Condie, president of Arizona conference; Delbert Heiselt, An- drew Kasius and Lavon Humphreys. On Friday evening a general Priesthood meeting was held. Saturday morning the first general session of the conference was held and reports given. Prest. McMurrin and the alders spoke on the principles of the gospel. During the evening the local Mutual presented a three-act comedy, "Married Life." Sunday morning Superintendent Larson conducted a teacher-training class. At 10 o'clock a Sunday School and Mutual combined c«*.ierence \*as held. Elder Larson spoke on "The Teacher's Opportunity." Special musical numbers were rendered and L. S. Huish spoke on the Mutual slogan. Sunday afternoon and evening were devoted again to general conference sessions. Many of the speakers referred admiringly to the magnificent chapel as a monument to the Saints of Douglas and the fruits of "Mor- monim" in Arizona. The chapel is reputed to be one of the best in the California mission. — Andrew W. Radius. Preaching the Gospel in Song Elders Doral Cutler, P. A. Young, R. T. Shepherd, and (rear) C. A. Ferrin, missionaries laboring in Kansas City, Missouri, in the Inde- 846 IMPROVEMENT ERA pendence conference of the Central States mission, writing under date of March 14, report that they have attained no small degree of success in their missionary labors by means of a male quartette which they have or- ganized. These young men have done very excellent work for the past five months in proclaiming the gospel through song. They write as fol- lows: "During the past winter we have been exceedingly fortunate in obtaining opportunities whereby we might spread the gospel message, both by word of mouth and by song. Our quartette was first organized in an- swer to a call to officiate at a funeral of one of our investigators. On this occasion we had the opportunity of preaching a sermon and of sing- ing to over one hundred people, many of whom were not members of our Church. Soon thereafter we again had a similar opportunity, and also once again during the same week, all of which resulted in an invitation by one of the undertakers in Kansas City, not a member of our Church, to officiate at all funerals held in his chapel. This we graciously ac- cepted, and we were thus given an opportunity to preach the word of the Lord to many people, some of whom are today counted among our most earnest investigators. We have had the privilege of giving a series of concerts in two hospitals in Kansas City. Our songs and short addresses attracted many good people to our meetings after their discharge from these hospitals. In our street and cottage meetings we have been able to get good sized audiences through the wonderful influence of our Church hymns. The Saints in Kansas City, Independence, and other places have been entertained on numerous occasions. Every invitation to render a program has been considered an opportunity by us to preach the gospel. It is gratifying to see the goodly number of people, whom we have thus reached, earnestly investigating the truth."