As the Fashion Goes

AS THE FASHION GOES By Dr. F. S. Harris, President of the Brigham Young University I am frequently reminded of the self-appointed authority on women's styles, in a certain village. One day a young lady came to the town wearing a skirt shorter than was approved by the local belle. She bustled about proclaiming that it was terrible for the of- ficers to allow any female to appear in public shamelessly' exhibiting herself in such a manner. Later in the season the critic learned that short skirts were getting to be decidedly the fashion: Paris had adopted them, and no well dressed lady on Fifth Avenue was seen wearing long skirts. This news completely changed her attitude, and she immediately thought of numerous reasons why short skirts are better than long ones; they are more sanitary and so much more convenient, and when you think it over they are not so bad looking after all. Dame Fashion had changed vice into virtue. We have heard a good deal recently from certain quarters about the teaching of religion. There are those who would try to make us think that it has gone out of fashion to study anything that pertains to God or spiritual things. In their own minds all these subjects have long since been relegated to the waste heap. They seem to have an idea that spiritual emotions are in some way antagonistic to patriot- ism, and that those who want to have their children receive religious teachings are in some curious manner doing something that is un- American. Naturally some of those who are concerned with education locally are wondering if, after all, they may not have been pushing the matter of religious education too far. In view of the opposition would it not be better to slump back into the easy attitude? Is the need for greater- spirituality merely local, or is it general? These are questions that are sure to be agitating the minds of many who are aware of the fact that modern civilization has been built up on Christian ideals, but some are wondering if the fashion has not changed. Such inquirers and others may be interested in the report of a "Finding Committee" given at a conference on religious education held at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, July 17-19, 1923. This con- ference was made up of educators of numerous beliefs and does not represent the ideas of any one church. It is the opinion of prominent educators of many sections and of divers religious beliefs. This report is published in the November issue of the magazine, Christian Education. The report is as follows: "Compulsory intellectual training is now recognized to be necessary to remedy

AS THE FASHION GOES 235 illiteracy and its attendant evils. Likewise, it must be recognized and emphasized that universal moral and religious training are necessary in order to remedy moral and religious illiteracy and its even greater attendant evils. The amazing ignorance of our young life of moral and religious principles and of Biblical knowledge is displayed in everyday conversations, in classrooms, and the alarming lawlessness of our times. If our nation is to survive, the moral and religious principles which governed our forefathers must be instilled into the present-day young life of the nation. "We would not minimize in the slightest degree the duty and the responsibility of fathers and mothers to give to their children in the home the moral and re- ligious training which is the proper heritage of every child. The willingness mani- fested by many parents to turn over this responsibility to the church and state is a crime, not only against the children whom they have brought into the world, but against the nation of which they are citizens. "Nor do we minimize the great responsibilty of the church through its various distinctive agencies to give moral and religious training. But we must recognize the fact that there are great masses of young people in the public schools who are receiving little, if any, moral and religious training, and that these must be reached in order to secure universal religious training. "1. We believe that the moral and religious are equally as important elements of human nature as are the physical and the intellectual, and therefore the state should openly and positively recognize the necessity for a thorough moral and re- ligious training and should co-operate in securing such training as far as the con- stitutions and the laws of the several states of the nation will permit. "2. We believe that the state should furnish moral instruction in every grade of public school work from the primary grades to the university. "3. We believe that adequate religious instruction should be provided in every community by the churches acting harmoniously to meet the community needs, and that the state authorities should co-operate in every proper way to secure the attendance of public school children upon such private courses of religious instruction. "4. We believe that even greater emphasis should be placed upon the dignity and the responsibility of the teaching profession, and that state, church, and private normal schools, colleges, and universities should stress even more strongly the moral and religious elements necessary in the character development of thos: who arc to teach by example as well as by precept the young life of the nation. "5. We believe that the church should provide adequate buildings for devo- tional and social purposes in close proximity to higher institutions of learning, both of the state and of the church, and that pastors should be selected for such churches as are able to reach effectually the student body of these higher institutions. This work is of such vital, far-reaching importance that the church boards of education and of missions should carefully investigate the facts in connection with all such schools and wherever it is necessary, make appropriation sufficient to supplement the local church agencies. "6. We believe that optional courses in religious education should be fur- nished in all higher institutions of learning, both of church and of state, and that special emphasis should be placed at the present time upon the preparation of an adequate number of men and women to devote themselves to the work of religious education, and we believe that a peculiar responsibility rests upon the Church to train such workers in its own institutions. "7. We believe that this work is so vital to the national welfare that there should be hearty, effective co-operation between the various denominational agencies, local, state, and national, with the one great purpose that there shall be universal moral and religious training throughout the United States." It will be noted that these recommendations correspond very closely to the program of religious education adopted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that is, the religion class sup-

236 IMPROVEMENT ERA plementing the public schools and the seminaries located adjacent to the high schools, not to mention the quorum, and the auxiliary as- sociation religious teachings provided by the Church. Certainly the sensible thing is for all of the churches to join forces, to see that the materialism of this age shall not be allowed to eliminate spirituality, even though there are some self-constituted authorities on the fashions of education who would like to rule out of their style-books all materials having a religious shading. Religion is too deep-seated in human experience and needs, to be summarily brushed aside. Those who are most concerned with the welfare of the race are going to find a way of maintaining spirituality as a vital force in the world, no matter what the opposition may be from those would-be moulders of thought-fashion who because of prejudice would eliminate one of the great factors in human happiness. Provo, Utah A MEMORIAL METAL BOX By Charles W. Lillywhite Over a desert waste, a thousand miles by team, for years the faithful Latter-day Saints from Arizona made trips to the temples situated in Utah to perform work for their living and dead. Those pioneers of the southland dreamed of a time when, at their own door in their own sunny land, they might enter a temple erected for the performance of sacred ordinances. Later, thousands of dollars were paid by the Saints to enable them to make the journey by rail to Utah; and because of the distance and the expense, many had to forego the pleasure of such labors in the temple. They dreamed of the day when, in Arizona there would be erected a temple, and many of the Saints, whose hair has grown gray in pioneering, are now about to realize their fondest dreams in this respect. Ceremonies incident to the dedication of a memorial in the form of a metal box placed in the walls of the Arizona temple, were held on the 11th of November, 1923. Hundreds of eager Latter-day Saints gathered for the occasion from the southwestern California and Mexican missions and from Salt Lake City. There were also numer- ous representatives from the four Arizona stakes, together with many prominent non- "Mormon" friends, who assembled on the cement floor of the west annex and in great attention, looked and listened while the memorial exercises were being held. The choir and congregation sang, "Come, come, ye Saints." There was prayer by Elder Chas. F. Anderson, anthems by the choir, and short talks by President Andrew Kimball and others, of St. Joseph stake; Counselor James M. Flake, of Snowflake; by Prest. J. W. Lesueur and his counselors of the Maricopa stake, and others, including Arthur Price, the supervising

Memorial metal boX 23 7 architect; Edwin C. Santco, native Saint of Papago ward; and a ser- mon and the dedicatory prayer by Elder Richard R. Lyman of the Council of the Twelve. The exercises marked an important milestone in the progress of the construction of the temple, which bids fair to become a unique, substantial, and handsome structure. The memorial box, sealed in the wall of the structure, contained the standard Church works; Mormon Settlement in Arizona, by State Historian, James H. McClintock; Salt Lake, California and Arizona newspapers and other periodicals, a map of pre-historic canals of the valleys, by Omar A. Turney; The "M," a recently launched M. I. A. stake magazine; also a sealed bottle containing alfalfa, cotton, wheat and barley seeds. At a time when extraordinary efforts are being put forth to un- earth historical data pertaining to the history of races who have in- habited this land years before our modern history began, it seems only fitting that we should leave certain evidences of our existence and our progress, hidden in the walls of this temple structure. It is erected almost immediately over the ruins of a once thrifty race who irrigated, tilled and reaped from the same soil we now occupy. Their canals for miles we traverse with our great modern irrigation system under the Roosevelt project. In the fields of this valley our plowmen un- cover the implements of war and the home utensils which once served a numerous race inhabiting this land in bygone ages. It is not an exaggeration to state that the structure we now rear as our temple, under the same operations of the elements, will defy the crumbling power of time, reaching out thousands of years into the future. So that, if future generations seek amid the ruins of this beautiful valley after the upheavals of the earth which may again bury its fertility, their attention may be expected to be directed toward this structure. Furthermore, if the future archaeologist should have the means at hand to rend those cement blocks, and give the interpretation of our language, he may find embedded within the massive walls of the Arizona temple a brief and accurate history of the races of the valley as they existed during the early part of the twentieth century. Mesa, Arizona. A STUDY OF BOOK OF MORMON TEXTS By J. M. Sjodahl Laban. This was the name of the brother of Rebecca, the mother of Jacob, and the father of his two wives, Leah and Rachel. The meaning of the word is "white." It is found in many forms in the Old Testament, such as "Lebanah," "Lebanon," "Libuah," "Libni," "Libnites," all from the same root and having the same fundamental meaning. From the Book of Mormon we learn that this was the name of a wealthy Israelite of the tribe of Joseph, and a contemporary of Lehi.