--- 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: 27 number: 1 published: 1923-11 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* 27, no. 1 (November 1923): 84–88.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2701unse 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: improvementera2701unse start_page: 84 end_page: 88 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1923-11) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2701unse 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. --- # Mutual Work CyVLutual Work Radio Messages to the M. I. A. at the Annual Membership Social On Tuesday night, October 9, the annual membership social was held in the Mutual Improvement Associations of the Church. A radio program was broadcasted from the K. Z. N. Deseret News radio station. Three- minute speeches were made by Superintendent George Albert Smith, Coun- selor Ruth May Fox, General Board Y. L. M. I. A.; and by Patriarch Hyrum G. Smith, General Board Y. M. M. I. A. From letters received in the Era office the associations which had radios installed heard the program and enjoyed it. Superintendent Smith said: "Begun in the 13th ward June 10, 18 75, we have grown to be a great organization with associations in most of the civilized countries. Last year's census recorded a membership of over 5 2,000. We hope to add to that number this year and trust that the beneficial results of our work will justify the effort being put forth by more than 6,000 officers. "We desire to cooperate with you in every way to make our society popular and profitable. Let us be punctual and radiate an influence that will be delightful to all our associates. "Everyone should have a manual and study it. Every officer should possess a Hand Book and know its contents. It will be most helpful. "We are organized not only for intellectual advancement, but for spiritual development. If our lives are pure we can approach our heavenly Father in prayer with assurance that he will reward us as we merit. And from the source of all truth we can draw inspiration for the battle of life. " 'In the name of God we have set up our banners,' Ps. 20:5. They are: "We stand for — A Sacred Sabbath and a Weekly Half Holiday. A weekly Home Evening. Thrift and Economy. State- and Nation-Wide Prohibition. Service to God and Country. Spiritual Growth through Attendance at Sacrament Meetings. The Non-use and Non-sale of Tobacco. Loyal Citizenship. A Pure Life through Clean Thought and Action. Divine Guidance through Individual and Family Prayer. "May God's blessings attend you and your leaders that this great pro- gram may become a vital factor in the lives of our youth." Ruth May Fox: To the members of the Young Ladies' Mutual Im- provement Association wherever you are gathered, near and far: President Martha H. Tingey and her board send greetings! We congratulate you, on this occasion, that you are members of this great organization, instituted through the inspiration of a prophet of the Lord. We congratulate you at the beginning of your winter season's work, which has been carefully pre- pared for you. We remind you of the desires of the General Board and the Authorities of the Church that you keep the Word of Wisdom, as given MUTUAL WORK 85 to the Prophet Joseph Smith for the benefit of all members of the Church of the true and living God, especially for the health and vigor of the youth of Israel. We promise you that if you will apply yourselves diligently to these pleasant tasks and will remember our slogan, that you pray individually and earnestly for divine guidance, that when the breath of spring shall waken the earth to gladness, you shall know, as you have a right to know, that your faith has increased and that you have grown materially in intellectual and spiritual power. Oh, daughters of Zion, listen to the voice of counsel. Let your gar- ments, as far as possible, "be plain and their beauty the beauty of the work of your own hands." "Retire to your beds early that ye may not be weary; arise early that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated." "So shall you grow like olive plants in their beauty and become as corner stones," polished after the similitude of a palace." May God's holy angels guard and protect you. Good night. Good night! Hyrum G. Smith, Patriarch of the Church, said, in his talk: I am grateful for this privilege of demonstrating to the world the power of prayer. For, the very elements that surround us and in which we live, belong to the great Creator who made them and who understands them best. There are many people in the world who do not believe that God can, and does, hear and answer prayer. But through the mechanisms devised by man, the human voice is carried through unlimited space at a terrific rate of speed. And when our voice is cast upon the air it is caught up by the agencies that claim it, and our messages of communication go to and fro at all dis- tances upon the earth. Prayer is the vehicle that carries the messages of the faithful to the throne of our eternal Father, who hears and answers the cries of his children. With the right of power given me of the Lord, I bless all the young people of the Church who are, faithfully engaged in Mutual Improvement work, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. The Gospel Presented in Picture and Song Thousands of people heard the gospel preached in southern California on October 6 and 7. For several days preceding, a huge forty-foot banner, stretched across the street in Long Beach, heralded the coming of the "Famous L. D. S. Choir" to feature an illustrated lecture on Ancient American Civili- zation. Newspaper articles proclaimed the event and in nearly all of the eighty- five busses operating in that city appeared large cards with similar announcements. The civilization of the past as found in ruins now being brought to view in Mexico and Central America was to be interpreted, in terms of the Book of Mormon. An audience of over 2000 people gathered in the huge auditorium, some to hear again the choir that thrilled them a year ago, and some curious to hear the message of the lecture. President Silas A. Bushman of the Long Beach conference, was in charge of the arrangements and conducted the meeting. The choir, led by Conductor William Salt, sang "Loyalty," and "Let the mountains shout for joy," at the opening of the program, and "An angel from on high" when the lecture had proceeded to the coming forth of the sacred records, and then thrilled the, audience with "The Flag without a Stain," at the conclusion. The lecture, delivered by Superintendent Gustiye O. Larsen, assisted at the picture machine, by Elder Sharp Daynes, was well received. Two thousand people listened intently as the story of the Book of Mormon was told to them and the discoveries of ancient ruins interpreted for them. One hundred pictures of these ruins, carefully selected, appeared on the screen to support the story and at the conclusion they were confronted with the question, "If you deny the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, then 8 6 IMPROVEMENT ERA how do you account for these things that you have seen in actual photo- graph tonight?" This lecture has been presented in most of the cities of California, Arizona and Nevada. Theatres, high school auditoriums, lodge halls, chap- els and even river boats are representative of the variety of places in which it has been given. It has also appeared in the open, including auto parks, street meetings, and on the beach. It is estimated over thirty thousand people have heard the message. On Sunday, October 7, the Los Angeles stake choir sang "The Vision," in the new San Bernardino auditorium. Arrangements were made under direction of President Ira M. Bay. Over twenty-five hundred people gath- ered in this historic "Mormon" town to hear the choir that has become famed in southern California. Under the direction of Conductor William Salt the choir very beautifully commemorated the founding of the city of San Bernardino by singing "The Vision" in the new auditorium. Elder Everard L. McMurrin gave a forceful introduction to the cantata, as he in- terpreted conditions leading up to the event of the appearance of the Father and Son and told the story of the vision. President Alex. F. Schreiner, pianist, and John A. Parrish, tenor, were widely advertised and easily met the expectations of the crowd assembled. They have both attracted attention in the musical circles of southern California. Juab, 100 Percent The Juab stake, through Superintendent Thomas H. Burton, has for- warded the full amount of their fund for 1923-24 for each of the five wards of that stake. The stake has credit for 1 3 life members and 1 3 more will be sent in in a few days. The canvass for the Era is completed and 5 per cent of the total population has subscribed. Each of the wards also has ordered and received one dozen each of the Senior and Junior manuals to begin their labors in the class work. Each ward has also a reading course, and every fi- nancial requirement of the General Board has been complied with. The associations are ready to begin their class and special and recreational work in October free from all financial embarrassment. We congratulate Super- intendent Burton and his officers for the splendid showing of the stake. Monthly Messages to the "M" Men By Thomas A. Beal, Member of the General Board Introduction Under the caption "Monthly Message to the 'M' Men," the writer was privileged last Mutual season to contribute ten articles on the following topics: 1. Responsibility; 2. Objective; 3. Loyalty; 4. Technic of Success; 5. Faith; 6. Happiness; 7. Prayer; 8. Leadership; 9. Things Worth Re- membering; and 10. Duty. At the request of the Senior Committee of the young men and the editor of the Era these messages will be continued for the coming year. As the reading course constitutes part of the Mutual work, perhaps some thoughts on the Value of Books would well serve as an introductory topic. The reading course for this year, like that of last, is well chosen and if care- fully read will not only give a wide range of entertainment, but much useful information as well as inspiration for higher ideals. XI The Value of Books In making a successful life as well as a living, good books cut a great figure. Today as never before books in unlimited numbers, and good books. MUTUAL WORK 8 7 too, are at the disposal of almost everyone, if he so chooses. At our beck and call we can have a great company of the wisest, witties, and most instructing minds of all ages and every land; friends who will talk to us all day long just for the asking, and in the best language and in the choicest thoughts, giving us entertainment and pleasure and satisfaction. While enter- tainment is not the end of life, it does make life sweeter and stronger if it is uplifting, and thus helps us to reach the goal of our desire. But all books are not worth while. Millions are not worth the reading. Therefore in the choosing of books, as in the choosing of friends, one must be careful, for as a friend may have a great influence in the shaping of one's character, so may a book. Reading is mental traveling. If one wants to traverse a certain area of territory in a certain time, his movements must be guided with forethought and method, otherwise he will waste much space. In the world of thought and action one's greatest difficulty is that one does not know how to traverse it, and therefore one is likely to destroy both space and time. That is, many people waste much time in desultory reading that if wisely directed would make them masters of literature. The art of reading is to read in such a way that with the utmost economy one can secure the greatest results. But granting that one has so acquired the art of reading, that is not sufficient — one must know what to read, and that is no easy problem. Only, by ex- perience can one solve that problem, unless one is willing to be guided by the advice of the best scholars — by such men as Emerson, Eliot, Van Dyke and others of equal repute. In Companionable Books, by Henry Van Dyke, one of the books recom- mended for the Mutual reading course for the present year, we are given a brief treatise on some of the good books of literature, including the Bible, and are told, for instance, that there are four kinds of novels: "First, those that are easy to read and hard to remember; the cream-puffs of perishable fiction. Second, those that are hard to read and hard to remember; the purpose-novels which are tedious sermons in disguise. Third, those that are hard to read and easy to remember; those of faulty construction through which the reader must break in order to get at the rich and vital meaning. Fourth, those that are easy to read and easy to remember; the novels in which stories worth telling are well told, the characters worth observing are vividly painted, and life is interpreted to the imagination in enduring forms of literary art." In this fourth class we have such works as Dickens, Thackeray and Eliot. Books which will last, which have already stood the test of time. Books which teach us how to enjoy life and help us to endure it. "They have enlarged and enriched existence by revealing the hidden veins of humor and pathos beneath the surface of the every day world." In them we find something strong and true, bracing and stimulating; a warmth of sympathy for suffering and an instinct for sacrifice. But the "Book of Books," says Van Dyke, is the Bible. "It has learned to speak in hundreds of languages to the heart of man. It comes into the palace to tell the monarch that he is a servant of the Most High, and into the cottage to assure the peasant that he is a son of God. It has a word of peace for the time of peril, a word of comfort for the day of calamity, a word of light for the hour of darkness. It has woven into our deepest affections, friendship, sympathy and devo- tion." Van Dyke's description of the Bible and especially of the poetry of the Psalms is inspiring. "Everything that he touches grows richer under his handling and his sympathetic insight and clarity of expression bring forth a fresher charm and a deeper beauty." Books, like friends, to be appreciated must be associated with. In some cases they are more than mere friends, they are counselors and advisers, helpers upon whose aid and wisdom men can rely. To be a good book 88 IMPROVEMENT ERA under the proper test, it must leave a fine and wholesome feeling in the mind of the one who reads it — a desire for useful knowledge, a spur to making a career in the sense of greater service to mankind, and an inspiration to higher ideals. Detail of Recreation Conference To Be Held in the Stakes Instcuction Staff. — General Board Representative. Experts of the Stake in: — 1. Music. 2. Drama. 3. Social Dancing. 4. Special Pro- grams. 5. Physical Activities. Who Should Attend. — M. I. A. Executive Officers, Stake and Ward. Specialists from each Ward in: Drama, Music, Public Speaking and Liter- ature, Physical Activities, Dance Director. These may not be members of the Committee on Recreation. Program for the Week Preparatory Period. — Tuesday and Wednesday to be used by General Representative to confer with the instruction staff and prepare the program for the next three days, arranging schedule, division of the work and getting together the necessary equipment. First Period. — 6:00 p. m. to 7:00 p. m: Drama, Play Casting and Rehearsal, Physical Activities, Formation and Management of Leagues. Second Period.- — 7:00 to 8:00 p. m: General Topics for the Whole Group. Third Period. — 8:00 to 10:00 p. m: Departmental Sessions: 1. Music. 2. Drama. 3. Social Dancing. 4. Special Programs. 5. Physical Ac- tivities. Saturday Evening Social for the General Public. Attention, Advanced Senior Workers It is very desirable that the custom of testimony bearing be perpetuated in our groups. The exercise is, spiritually and socially, invigorating, and one of the best ways of knowing one another and of renewing acquaintance with the spirit of testimony which is usually present on such occasions. The time allotted for social unit activities might occasionally be devoted to testimony bearing, and there might be given opportunities for a testi- mony at some propitious moment in the time set apart for discussions. At times the answering of a question should be intensified by relating a spiritual experience or an incident of a faith strengthening nature. Time devoted to appropriate testimony bearing is never wasted. Appreciate the "Era" Elder Walter D. Francis, conference president Adelaide, South Australia, September 1, 1923, says: "We express our deep appreciation of the Im- provement Era, and assure you that it is enjoyed by all. We have found it a very effective instrument among our friends and investigators to help us in teaching the gospel. Some who were very prejudiced against our work have proclaimed it a most excellent magazine, covering a wide range of practical life."