--- 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: 26 number: 10 published: 1923-08 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Method of Administering the Sacrament", *Improvement Era* 26, no. 10 (August 1923): 938–939.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera26010unse 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: improvementera26010unse start_page: 938 end_page: 939 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1923-08) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera26010unse publication_year: 1923 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 1923, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Method of Administering the Sacrament Method of Administering the Sacrament The following method of administering the sacrament is about as concise and orderly as could be found among the many that have come to the Presiding Bishop's office, in reply to questions regarding the method of administering the sacrament in the wards of the Church. It comes from Bishop Joseph H. Lake of the 16th ward, Salt Lake stake: 1. We have one faithful sister to provide the bread for every sacra- ment service. She never fails in her duty; she is clean, makes the bread with her own hands, and bakes it in her own oven, so that we know that the sacred emblem which it later becomes is pure in every respect. 2. The bread is put upon the sacrament table in slices, no crusts, and is ready for breaking by those officiating, before the meeting com- mences. 3. The water is prepared for use by the janitor of the house imme- diately before meeting time, so that it will be as cold as possible when used. In order to save time he has been instructed to have it in all readi- ness, except for the blessing upon it. It is placed upon the table in the individual glasses with a good supply in larger cups, in case of an extra large attendance. 4. The bread is broken during the opening exercises of the meeting, and is put upon eight trays ready for passing. 5. The water in the individual glasses is carried in trays, in our ward eight in number, 36 glasses to a tray. 6. Eight individuals thus pass the sacrament, but we have two others who pass empty trays to gather the glasses so as to save time. '7. The trays and glasses are sterilized after each meeting, or imme- diately before the one following. 8. The table used for holding the trays is a long one. It is placed just in front of the stand or pulpit where it and those officiating may be seen by everybody. A clean, white cloth is used to cover it before the service; it is removed by those officiating. 9. A place to wash hands, with towel and soap has been provided for those who officiate and administer the sacrament. 10. The Priests only officiate in the administration of the sacrament, unless, of course, the required number (3) are not present. They have been assigned the work, and have assumed the responsibility with a great deal of satisfaction, not only to us, but to themselves. We have about 12 active priests in the ward and nearly all have had the privilege more than once to do this service. They are all young men between the ages of seventeen and twenty-one. 11. Only deacons aid the Priests in the administration of the sacra- ment. Like the Priests, they have done remarkably well. Ten are re- quired for each service, and very rarely have we had occasion to call upon teachers or priests. 12. Three chairs are provided for the officiating priests in front of the sacrament table. They take their places before meeting begins. During the second song all three arise at once. The center one who presides, directs his assistants to break a certain number of trays of bread. This is completed by the close of the song and the three priests sit down together. At the proper time the center priest directs either the one on the right or the left to bless the bread; the other one is instructed at the proper time to bless the water. A card with the words printed on its sides is provided PRIESTHOOD QUORUMS' TABLE 939 in case the wording is not known. Of course, the priests are encouraged to learn by heart the blessings. Again the three priests arise and each passes a number of trays to the deacons, who assist them in serving, first, of course, the bread and then the water. After the congregation has been served two of the priests serve the deacons, then the presiding priest serves his two assistants, then himself. 13. The deacons occupy the first bench. It is reserved for them. They are convenient to the sacrament table and also to the bishopric. The dea- cons all arise at the same time. Each has a definite section of the house to pass to. They wait in the aisle until all have completed the serving, then in line and in step they march to their places where the trays are taken by the priests and put in order upon the table and where they are served with the sacrament; then they all sit down together. The order and method of the whole process is striking, because it causes less con- fusion and more reverence than if it were done in a more informal way. There is a certain precision about the matter which we believe is desirable. Life-Saving by Boy Scouts Victor Lindblad, Scout Executive of the Cache Valley Council, B. S. A., reports under June 29, two cases of life-saving by boy scouts during the week just past. One boy, Cecil Cooley, an Eagle scout of Troop No. 5, under Dr. George R. Hill, Scoutmaster Logan district, while in swim- ming with a number of other boys at a large pleasure resort in Idaho, rescued a woman from drowning. He and a number of boys were swim- ming in the shallow part of a large pool at Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. Cecil decided to swim up to the deep end. As he reached a point where the water was about eight feet deep, a lady was swimming past him. Just as she passed she suddenly disappeared from the surface. He thought she was merely amusing herself and swam over to the shore, but by that time the people on the bank noticed the woman come to the surface when she was struggling frantically. She disappeared, the people on the bank became excited. Cecil, remembering his scout training, dived into the water, swam out to the place where the woman was last seen, made a surface dive, caught sight of her and touched her. She grabbed him by the wrist, and he afterwards said he never knew a woman could have such a grip. Having been taught life-saving, he broke the grip, caught her by the hair, and brought her up to the top of the water, then caught her underneath the arm and towed her to shore. Her friends immediately whisked her away, but later in the afternoon her people hunted Cecil up to thank him. On being asked how he could manage a person so easily in drowning, he merely said: "Scouting taught me that," and walked away not wishing any publicity. The second case happened June 28, 1923, in the Hyrum district. Shel- don Booth, thirteen years of age, while in swimming with a number of email boys in little Bear river near Hyrum, Utah, was suddenly seized with cramps and disappeared from the surface of the water. The little fel- lows on the bank, seeing his predicament, called loudly for help. Second Class Scout Francis James, fifteen years of age, Troop No. 5, Hyrum, working in a beet field nearby, heard the call for assistance. He ran to the creek, jumped into the water, swam to the spot where Sheldon disap- peared, dived down after him. Sheldon was not far down and Francis 60on brought him to the surface and towed him safely to shore in a semi- conscious state. By quick action and use of artificial respiration, in the course of an hour or so, he was able to walk to his home in Hyrum, Utah. These are only two examples, occurring almost daily, where scout tiaining saves lives and prevents accidents.