Messages from the Missions

MESSAGES FROM THE MISSIONS "We never can comprehend the things of Cod and of heaven, but by revelation. We may spiritualize and express opinions to all eternity; but that is not authority. "Oh, ye elders of Israel, harken to my voice; and when you are sent into the world to preach, tell those things you are sent to tell; preach and cry aloud, 'Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; repent and believe the gospel!' Declare the first principles, and let mysteries alone, lest ye be overthrown. Never meddle with the visions of beasts and subjects you do not understand, * * * but preach those things the Lord has told you to preach about — repentance and baptism for the remission of sins." — Joseph Smith, the Prophet, "History of the Church," Vol. 5, p. 344. Better Foothold in Greater New York Under the direction of President B. H. Roberts and Conference Presi- dent Len H. Layton, the Manhattan conference, Eastern States Mission, held a very successful conference on May 31 and June 1, so Elder Layton reports. Two Priesthood meetings were held on Saturday, May 3 1 , one for missionaries only, in which strong testimonies were given and the other, a general meeting for all members holding the Priesthood. President Rob- erts occupied most of the time, advising the Saints to "stay where they are, that God's work might grow into stakes of Zion in these Eastern states." This admonition was valuable, as many of the Saints have a spirit of gath- ering to Salt Lake City. On Sunday three sessions were held, one at 10 a. m., and 2 and 7:30 p. m. The first included a brief report of the work in the five branches, and reports of the Sunday School, M. I. A., and Relief Society work. A cello solo and vocal solo added to the enjoyment of this meeting. The sec- ond session was devoted to real gospel propaganda. The text announced is found in I Peter 3:15, "Be ready always to give answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." To this text four missionaries delivered very inspired remarks giving the reason for the hope that is within them, after which a male quartet sang, "Praying for you." President Roberts then bore his testimony of the hope that he had of eternal life. Edwin Tout sang a solo, accompanied by his daughter with violin obligate Francis O'Neill at the piano. At the third session, 160 people came to hear President Roberts treat a prom- ising theme: "The value of religion and the way in which 'Mormonism' responds to it." Elders Hoff and Whalen sang, "The morning breaks, the shadows flee," a very fitting duet. The entire evening was turned over for this discourse. He gave it in a series of deep and well organized thoughts, showing that the value of a religion is to be able to learn from it your pur- pose in life. This conference, it is felt, is a step towards gaining a better foothold in greater New York. A joint conference of the officers of the four Relief Societies of the Brooklyn conference was held June 1 9 at the home of Mrs. Howard R. Driggs. Elders and missionaries are as follows: Bottom row left to right: Wesley Hubbard, Mary Christensen, Frances J. O'Neill, Phildon Huf faker. Second row from left to right: George Harold Holt. Andrew Spencer, Maurine Parker, Mission Stenographer; B. H. Roberts, President Eastern States Mission: Dr. Margaret C. Roberts, Len H. Layton. Conference President Brooklyn Conference: O. Ragnar Linde, Mission Secretary; Carl E. Weaver. Top row: Edith Pincock, Donald C. Sloan, Mollie Higginson. Antone Bunker. Charles L. Moore, E. L. Sloan, Ivaloo Jeppson, Ernest Hulet, Mission Bookkeeper: Leyonna Van Kampen.

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; ; 54 IMPROVEMENT ERA From Oakland, Indiana On June 29 a conference of South Indiana, Northern States mission, was held. "The conference is in a very healthy condition; a vigorous summer campaign is well under way. The missionaries are seeking the honest in heart in localities not worked before in many years, and they are reporting unprecedented success. Our purpose is to place a Book of Mormon in every home. In some towns the people are so eager to receive them that one pair of elders was recently enabled to dispose of fifty- eight in less than two days. Our aim is to hold a meeting every night, either cottage or open air. In these meetings the elders and sisters of the Indianapolis branch with the assistance of the local Priesthood, have done a great work. The gospel message is sounded from four to five nights each week on the street corners of this city. Most of our audiences are intelligent, thinking men and we consider our meetings a great success. We look for a great harvest before the autumn sets in." — DeWitt J. Paul, Conference President. Missionaries, left to right, sitting: Mae Peterson. Tremonton; Lydia Farns- worth, Garland; Dr. John H. Taylor, president Northern States mission; DeWitt J. Paul, Rigby, Idaho, president Southern Indiana conference; Adelia Broderick, Roosevelt; Alberta Wuthrich, Salt Lake City. Standing: Lawrence E. Bowcutt, Garland; Alvin Rigby, Hibbard, Idaho; Stanley W. Johnson, Ephraim; John A. Lambert, Kamas; Rasmus Albrechtsen, Emery, Utah; J. Harold Matson, Rexburg, Idaho; Ernest E. Hanks, Salem; Andrew Somerville, Moab, Utah. A Comparison President Augus T. Wright of the New Zealand mission encloses a cut of the altar as found in the tomb of Tutankhamen and calls attention to the fact that it has interested him very much. He says:- "In the cut of the characters taken from the papyrus, from which was translated by Joseph Smith the Book of Abraham, is one feature, number 4, representing the altar on which sacrifices were made by the idolatrous priests, etc. This rather un- usual looking altar was used in the time of the Pharaohs of which Tutankh- amen was one. One of these altars, as will be seen from the recent collection of treasures from his tomb, is almost an exact reproduction of the cut pre- sented by Joseph Smith in the Pearl of Great Price many years ago, as copied from the papyrus by him and placed as a frontispiece in the Book of Abraham. It is the most convincing evidence possible of Joseph Smith's claim

MESSAGES FROM THE MISSIONS 1155 with reference to the papyrus and the Book of Abraham. This illustration, as so often happens, has been brought to light by those not of our faith and without any intention on their part of establishing or Wonderful replica of Luxor tomb, to be exhibited at Wembley. An exact, ful- sized reproduction of the Tomb of Tutankhamen has been made for the British Empire Exhibition. Gold valued at thousands of pounds has been beaten for the gilding. A general view of the tomb, showing guardians. confirming the truth. It is clearly a fact that if the picture in the Book of Abraham had been drawn from Joseph Smith's imagination, his statement could not have been confirmed eighty-nine years afterwards and fully verified by those who would have scoffed previously at these facts and called it pretentions on the part of the Prophet Joseph." An Easter Cottage Meeting in Old England Easter morning dawned bright and clear, with all the glory of new life, for which the day is held sacred. Elder and myself looked out of our little window in the second story of a small, quaint English cottage; one of a small group, all with the red tile roofs and diminutive yards full of brilliant flowers, surrounded by the ever present hedges. Looking toward the south one sees the narrow, winding country road, paved with small stones, leading out into the beautiful, green, uneven country. In place of the unsightly wire fences of America, along the country roads, we see the beautiful hedges in full bloom, neatly trimmed, growing on either side of the road, making the landscape look as if a slow, sluggish stream were flowing between flower- covered banks, through fields of glowing red poppies. In the old cottage, amid the wonderful surroundings, we held a Book of Mormon class, studying about the inhabitants of a now almost forgotten time and civilization. Our lesson touched upon the once beautiful country, the rich cities and wonderful edifices they had builded while their hearts were turned toward the Lord their God, also the great apostasy that took hold upon

1156 IMPROVEMENT ERA the hearts of the people and led to their destruction and finally to their annihilation. About the time we were to start our Easter service — six Saints being present — the bells in the large mathedral near by began to ring in rapid succession, as only English bells can — telling the people of the town that their great Easter Service was about to begin. In the little humble cottage, owned by an old couple of faithful Latter- day Saints, we bore our simple testimonies of the goodness of God in giving us the gospel and the privilege of having these humble quarters to offer our thanks and gratitude for all that we have received from his gracious hand. As our meeting progressed, in the lowly quarters, the fashionable people of the town made their way to the great church, to hear and see the greatest service of the year. The ministers, and there were many, came in procession covered with beautiful robes of scarlet, trimmed with bright gold and silver. The beauty of the church was almost beyond description — the people in their new spring clothes, the golden altar illuminated with huge lighted candles, sur- rounded by the rising fumes of .burning incense. The sight was one that would remain in the minds of the people for many days to come. The service consisted of countless, meaningless, foreign ceremonies, intermixed with words and chanting of little meaning to the usual listeners. The sermon was one that only an orator could compose, yet it contained only a dead form of the gospel mixed with the philosophies of man. Of these two services, one was of the essence of the humble Savior, the other the vain creations of man. The sight that greeted the eyes of the prophet Alma upon his missionary visit to the Zoramites, of their greed, stiff-necked- ness and creations of forms of worship, could not these be compared, and in time the same dire result overtake the self-righteous of the land today? "For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." — Jer. 2:13. — J. D. M., North Walsham, Norfolk, England. Do All Things Without Murmurings Elder Carrol L. Olsen, Tasmania, Australia, writes: "We consider the Era a great help to us in our missionary work here in the South Pacific. Many investigators have been influenced for good by reading its articles and valuable teachings. Elder William LaVon Robinson, Boise, Idaho, and myself are laboring among the people of North Tasmania, with Launceston as our headquarters. We find great joy in our work and the blessings of the Lord have been abundantly showered upon us. We are trying to follow the advice of the Apostle Paul: 'Do all things without murmurings and disputings, that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.' Thirty Baptisms — 110% Increase of Investigators "This is a group photo taken on the day of our last semi-annual Shef- field conference, May 18, 1924. It was by far the most successful held in the Sheffield conference, since pre-war days. Under the inspirational leadership of President David O. McKay a great work is being accomplished. We are still subjected to some rather severe treatment at the hands of bitter assailants, yet this spirit of mobocracy seems to be waning. During the months of March, April, May and June of this year we baptized thirty people exceeding the total number of baptisms for 1923. Our number of

MESSAGES FROM THE MISSIONS 115 7 investigators has increased 110 per cent, and all of our meetings are un- usually well attended. The Saints are united and performing a splendid missionary work. ^ 5} "£• " tf tf 1 ■ V -i "The names on the photo are as follows, standing from left to right: G. Kimball Mellor, conference clerk, Manti; James T. Buddell, Birmingham conference; Elwood G. Meadows, Leeds conference; Rollo E. Watkins, Ogden; Scott S. McCune, Santa Monica. California; Fielding K. Smith, conference president, Salt Lake City; Vernon P. Cole, Preston, Idaho; Rowland V. Walker, Salt Lake City; Sister Emma Ray McKay, president of the Relief Societies; Willard Boden, Logan; Lyle A. Riggs, Mesa, Arizona; David O. McKay, president of the European mission; Ernest K. Freckleton, president of the Liverpool conference, Eureka; George C. Midgley, Salt Lake City; F. Peter Jones, Monticello; William A. Monson, Liverpool office, Ogden: Parley A. Peterson, Newton; Rodney D. Price, Phoenix, Arizona; Harley K. Fer- nelius, Ogden. Kneeling: Milford M. Mills, Woods Cross; LaTon E. Darley, Wells- ville; K. Marsel Widtsoe, president of the Hull conference, Salt Lake City; Sterling C. Rigby, Newton, Utah." "In closing I wish to express the sincere appreciation of the elders of this conference for the Era. It is a true source of encouragement and inspiration. — Fielding K. Smith, Conference President. Progress in Independence "Twenty-seven baptisms have been performed in the Independence con- ference in three and a half months," reports Conference President Chester Graff. "There are at least 400 Saints in Kansas City, Mo., and Kansas City, Kansas, and 100 in Independence. Kansas City with a population of 400,000, is tracted once every two years. Over 200 Books of Mormon, 900 small books, and a large number of tracts and pamphlets were distributed during three months. The people are hungry for the truth, but often fail to recognize it when it is presented at their doors. Many whom we meet have never before seen a 'Mormon' missionary. An average of three meetings were held every night, including cottage and street meetings, which have proved very successful during the summer months. The missionaries are en- ergetic and persistent in their work which brings blessings of the heavenly Father upon them. This conference is fortunate in having had visits from

1158 IMPROVEMENT ERA a number of the Church Authorities who gave wise counsel and bore their testimonies to the divinity of the latter-day work. Much good was accomp- lished from their visits." f / ^B^^B T2 Krflfe^ ufll KyJ A«n "PI ' fe .-r-A. ">. l]S HfMk4»XMi wk ' "v JB^I ' "Bk^- ^Hpl B&v'l " ' in ij v. \y ; ■■_■ .;.'' ;??► ^g^BT* Missionaries of Independence conference, front row, left to right: LaVerna Stone, Effa Bills, Nellie Moncur; second row: Harold Bennion, Esther McBride, Clarence Naylor, incoming conference president; Chester Graff, outgoing conference president; Flora Hatch, Glen Schmidt; third row, standing: Dell Kesler, Ruth Horn, Otis Nielsen, Luella Anderson, LaVon Cluff, Bertha Nelson; back row: Lavell Jones, Woodruff H. Anderson, Jessie Henricksen, Wilford T. Young, Riley Gywen. Forty Baptized in Six Months Elder A. Stam, clerk of Groningen conference, Holland, reports that they have had wonderful success during the past six months. Twelve elders The following are elders laboring in the conference; back row, left to right: Karl Fife, Logan; P. S. Jensen; W. R. Wilcken, Salt Lake City; C. E. Thayne, Sandy; Asael Smith; Stanley Sharp, Salt Lake City; W. K. Potts, Ogden; H. Noorda, Salt Lake City. Front row: Mrs. Joseph Weston, Joseph Weston, Ogden; R. J. Cameron, conference president; A. Stam, conference clerk, Salt Lake City, Utah. are laboring there, and they have baptized forty people during the time named. "The elders are greatly enjoying their labors. Our future looks very

MESSAGES FROM THE MISSIONS 1159 bright and the prospects of bringing many people to a knowledge of the gospel are very promising." Progress in the Sacramento-Gridley Conference Since our conference, May 23-25, the missionaries have been doing ex- cellent work in Chico, Marysville, Stockton, and Sacramento. Well at- tended street meetings in each of these cities have been held. The missionaries are working in harmony to further the cause, and are succeeding in getting some people to investigate and to read the Book of Mormon, resulting in the placing of books each month. Missionaries, left to right, top row: Mary B. Ostland, Margaret E. Caldwell, Jane F. Stewart; second row: Ada L. Funk, G. M. Christiansen, Winnifred Evans; third row: E. Booth Sorenson, W. F. Montgomery; fourth row: Carrol N. Madsen, Wendell M. Jensen, Clyde Thompson, Jos. W. McMurrin mission president; W. Vernal Denning, conference president, released; J. Maynard Summers; Benj. J. Lott, present conference president; fifth row: Glen W. Durfey, Ellsworth E. Weaver; sixth row: Moselle Michaelson, B. F. Zimmerman, Eunice Simpson; bottom row, Ina Larsen, Emma E. Walton. Interested in Genealogical Work Melvin P. Pickering and Eugene T. Crawshaw write from Limz an Donan, Austria, July 24, reporting that the prospects in the Vienna confer- ence, Austria, Swiss-German mission are very favorable. There are only two missionaries in the Limz branch but in cooperation with the Saints their labors are bringing good results. Five meetings a week are held with

1160 IMPROVEMENT ERA a good attendance and all present take active part in the discussion of gospel principles. Enthusiasm in the summer work is growing and the elders have produced wonderful results accompanied by a good spirit, so that the prospects are bright for a number of baptisms soon. "The Saints here are greatly interested in genealogical work and we are doing all in our power to encourage them along in this line. We appreciate the Era very much and extend our best wishes to all its readers." Baptized Fifty-Five Since May Elder Ben L. Bowring, Mississippi conference, reports a conference held in Laurel: "Through the kindness of a former judge and a prominent attorney Elders Mississippi conference, left to right, front row: William T. Berrett, Menan, Idaho; Carl F. Clegg, Heber. Utah; C. J. Podlatis, Blackfoot, Idaho; Ben L. Bowring, conference president, Brigham, Utah; Charles A. Callis, mission president; E. J. Peart, Evanston, Wyoming; W. D. Spence, Glendale; M. G. Holgate, Order-

MESSAGES FROM THE MISSIONS 1161 ville, Utah. Back row: L. B. Hammer. Newdale: J. A. Wickham, Franklin, Idaho; M. D. Roper, Oak City; B. H. Dimick, Spanish Fork; J. W. Redford, Talmage, Utah; William C. Wood, Blackfoot, Idaho; B. W. Richards, Joseph City, Arizona; Liston W. Parr, Riverton, Utah. the court house was secured for the conference. From far and wide Saints and investigators gathered. A number of prominent people in Laurel also at- tended the meeting. President Callis was the principal speaker. He spoke along doctrinal lines. President Bowring presided over the meeting. Since May we have baptized fifty-five into the fold of Christ. Our new slogan is 'Sell a Book of Mormon each week.' It has been an incentive to do more in placing the sacred record before the people of the world than any other thing we have done. The Era is a great help to us in spreading the gospel." Bits of Philosophy A heart full of truth is better than a head full of facts. All the real sweetness in life is found in the bottom of the bitter cup. Culture is just the ability to make a tramp feel perfectly at home in your new limousine. Take out of the average conversation the brag, nag and whine, and there would not be much left to brag about. If you estimate yourself at a pin's worth, you will never be offended because some one underestimates your worth. Nephi Jensen. Scout Boys There are many George Washingtons, many indeed, Boys who can govern and boys who can lead, Boys who are known on the land and the sea ; But, somehow, when heroes are mentioned to me, I think of the boys who went into the fray, To never command but to only obey — The boys who could follow and bleed and be true — Whatever their names — they were Washingtons, too! There are Abraham Lincolns all over the land, With never a nation at arms to command — The Scout Boys who serve with no thought of applause, With each day the good turn, no matter the cause, Our splendid defenders in conflict to be — No matter their names — they are Lincolns to me! There are princes all over, in your town and mine, The square boys, the fair boys, the honest and fine, For whether in palaces born to the royal, Or home boys who rise from the spur of the soil, Or whether they follow or whether they lead — The boys who can Scout are the princes indeed! Mesa. Arizona. BERTHA A. KLEINMAN.