--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Nibley, Preston collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 28 number: 8 published: 1925-06 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Preston Nibley, “Y. M. M. I. A. Publications,” *Improvement Era 28, no. 8 (June 1925)*: 753–758." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2808unse 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: improvementera2808unse start_page: 753 end_page: 758 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1925-06) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2808unse publication_year: 1925 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 1925, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Y. M. M. I. A. Publications Y.'M. M. I. A. PUBLICATIONS By Preston Nibley, of the General Board Y. M. M. I. A. The Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association was estab- lished on the 10th of June, 1875. It was a little more than two years thereafter before the association had any publication. This creditable work was begun by the association at Ogden, under the presidency of Joseph A. West (whom we are pleased to say is still with us), and issued in the form of a little semi-monthly magazine known as the Amateur. As I write I have before me the issues of this magazine. The first number was printed on November 7, 1877. It is small in size, and its articles are short, but they were all meant for intellectual and moral uplift. All the work connected with the little magazine, even the setting of type and the printing, was done without cost, John P. Smith, Alma D. Chambers, Edwin A. Stratford, Geo. G. Taylor of the Ogden Junction printing office being the chief laborers, after the hours of their regular days' work. It was edited free also, and during the first year the editors were chosen for short terms. Those who served were Joseph A. West, Austin C. Brown, John P. Smith and Zechariah Ballantyne. The Amateur appeared regularly through the winter, and on May 8, 1878, it was announced, editorially, as follows: "The young people of the country may now look for a periodical of at least double the size of the present one, of greatly improved character and appearance, in regular newspaper form." Thereafter the Amateur appeared in regular newspaper form of four pages, issued semi-monthly from June 1, 1878, to May 15, 1879, when it was discontinued to make way for the Contributor, published monthly at Salt Lake City, the first number of which was circulated in October, 1879, and was edited and published by Junius F. Wells. We of this later date can thank Elder Joseph A. West for setting the Amateur on its way, from which modest beginning followed not only the publication of the seventeen volumes of the Contributor, with their rich and useful contents, but later the establishment of our splendid magazine, the Improvement Era. Then, as now, the aim was of the very highest. In his first editorial announcement of the Amateur, Brother West said: "Mutual Improvement Associations, as organized among our people, have for their object the moral and intellectual advancement of the sons and daughters of Zion. In the accomplishment of this, no definite or fixed rules are made prescribing the exact nature of the exercises that should tend to the attainment of these objects, but each society is at liberty to pursue such a course as its circumstances and the wisdom of its members may direct, keeping constantly in view the general design, and seeking continually for the spirit of God to direct them in their proceedings. "Now, inasmuch as we, as a people, are often called upon to expound and defend the principles of our faith through the press, and since the 754 IMPROVEMENT ERA exercise of writing upon these and kindred subjects is highly conducive to our moral and intellectual advancement, and therefore in keeping with the general objects of our organization, we have deemed it proper and believe it will prove of great benefit to us, as a society, to undertake the publication of a small bi-monthly paper whose columns shall be made up exclusively of the contributions of members and devoted to the consideration of religious, literary, scientific, and any and all subjects bearing a strictly moral character." It is with a tender and affectionate feeling that I have turned the pages af the Amateur, and read its various interesting and enlight- ening articles. It seems amazing that under pioneer conditions those young men of Ogden could do so well with their little magazine. They spoke out clearly and boldly and said the truth as they felt it and saw it, and their little literary compositions breathe the spirit of the gospel throughout. They held firmly to the principal object of their organization, mutual improvement and development. From the first it was designed to change the editorship of the magazine monthly, and to accept no contributions to its pages except from members. Thus the young men were forced to accept responsibilities and develop their talents. It is in the very last number of the Amateur that I find a splendid little article on "Punctuality" by our present worthy associate editor of the Era, Edward H. Anderson. So we can thank the Amateur of that early date for tempting him to first appear in print. With the passing of the Amateur there soon began in Salt Lake City, the publication of a new magazine, The Contributor. The date of the first number is October, 1879, and the editor and publisher was Elder Junius F. Wells who, under commission of President Brigham Young, had organized the first Mutual Improvement Association. The Contributor was established by Brother Wells, "expressly in the interests of the Young Men's and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations." In his first editorial announce- ment he said: "That the thoughts and expressions of the young people of the territory will be interesting to their companions, and that in writing for the press, their thoughts will gain volume and solidity, seems to us reasonable, and sufficient cause for a publication devoted to them. It is for this reason, and because the growth and prosperity of our organization requires it, that we have undertaken to publish a periodical that will represent the associations, and that will foster and encourage the literary talent of their members. This is the mission of The Contributor, the name of which has been chosen that it might say to every young man and every young lady among our people, having literary tastes and ability, Write." Brother Wells launched a splendid work when he established The Contributor. It gave early opportunity to some of the best writers and literary men we have had in our Church. In the first volumes I find interesting and entertaining articles by O. F. Whitney, B. H. Roberts, R. W. Young, H. G. Whitney, E. H. Anderson, and B. F. Cummings, Jr., then all young men in their twenties. In the second volume there appeared a notable series of articles Y. M. M. I. A. PUBLICATIONS 755 by Charles W. Penrose, entitled, "Leaves from the Tree of Life," detailing the principles of the gospel, which have since become classic in the Church. In pamphlet form they have been distributed by tens of thousands in the missionary fields. In this volume also is a series of articles on "The Brigham Young Academy," by James E. Talmage, who was at that time a student at the institution he described. A series of articles in volume seven (1885-86) by Brigham H. Roberts, on "Missouri Persecutions" are of splendid historical value, and have become one of the best known books by this author. The succeeding year Brother Roberts wrote another series of articles en- titled, "The Rise and Fall of Nauvoo," which soon expanded into a volume and is today considered the best treatise on this subject. In volume nine (1887-88) I find the earliest mention of our now well-known "Reading Course." This also appears to have originated with Brother Junius F. Wells, who certainly was entitled to inspira- tion, considering his constant and faithful labors for the Mutual Im- provement organizations. At the June conference of 1888, Brother Wells delivered a very eloquent and interesting lecture on the value and necessity of "A Course of Reading." His arguments were timely,. "We may not have given our hearts to the study and consideration of those things that will most benefit us, to the extent that we should have done, but we are now called upon to step forth and take a front rank, and ad- vance in the scale of human intelligence, to inform and educate ourselves, according to the injunctions of Holy Writ and the counsel of the inspired prophets of God. We as a people receive perhaps more practical instruction from the pulpit than any other people on the earth. But this is not enough. If we would become learned, if we would become cultured, if we would occupy the place that he has said we should occupy, if we would become, indeed, the people that God has declared it our privilege to be, we must observe to obey and keep his commandments with respect to the acquirement of knowledge. * * * * "We propose to introduce a course of reading that shall be of such a character, that when completed, the attentive reader will have read and studied every principle and doctrine that pertains to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He will have read the histories of the various coun- tries of the world. He will have read in science those truths that we are safe in accepting, without the fictions and theories that are dangerous to the peace and satisfaction of the human mind. He will have become suf- ficiently acquainted with the general literature of the world, at least to have developed within his heart a desire for further reading." t This was the comprehensive plan in that early day for the establishment of a "reading course," and it is safe to say that we have not deviated very far from it up to the present time. The first set of books suggested by Brother Wells, and the Superintendency, however, were printed by the association in uniform size and were titled as follows: The Gospel, by B. H. Roberts; The First Book of Nature, by James E. Talmage: History of England, by Charles Dickens; Readings from Washington Irving; Life of Nephi, by George Q. Cannon. 756 IMPROVEMENT ERA It may be said in passing that it required great effort to put the "Reading Course" over, by those in charge of the Mutual work. The young people of the territory were more inured to hard labor than they were to reading and study. It was years later, 1906 in fact, before a "Reading Course" was again adopted. A suggestion leading to its revival was made at the June conference, 1903. (See Era, Vol. 6, p. 954). But since that time its sucess has gone on unabated, and each year a selection of books, quite a number of them by home authors, has been recommended to the organizations, and read by thousands. It has been of untold benefit to our young people in introducing them to good literature and providing them with easy access to the books which were best fitted for them to read. In 1915 the Reading Course committee of the Young Men's organization and a similar committee of the Young Ladies' organiza- tion were combined to form a Joint Reading Course Committee. This committee functions to the present time and each season a number of books is carefully selected and recommended to the now nearly one hundred thousand members. Returning again to The Contributor, Brother Wells continued faithfully as editor and publisher until 1892, when he retired, after a period of thirteen years. His was a great, constructive labor and will stand everlastingly to his credit and honor. It is impossible here to estimate the good accomplished by this little magazine, with its fresh, wholesome articles, always published for the advancement of learning and culture, and for the planting of a testimony in the hearts of the young people. Speaking of the magazine, in his farewell editorial, Brother Wells said: "It is perhaps too soon yet to say how far the hopes of its founders have been realized — it is sufficiently gratifying however, to me, to know that the writings of several hundred of our young men and women — among them some of the most distinguished of the present day — first found the light of publication in the columns of The Contributor. "Without pretentions to literary excellence the magazine assumed from the beginning to be representative of the best talent that could be developed, through its influence among those for whom it was published. The twenty thousand bound volumes, preserved in the libraries of the people, is the best testimony today of the worth of the matter published and the merit of its preparation." After the retirement of Brother Junius F. Wells, The Contributor was continued for several years by the Contributor Company, under the active editorship of Abraham H. Cannon, and with varying suc- cess. But those were the days of dire distress for our people. The Church authorities were forced to leave their homes and frequently remain in hiding for long periods of time until it became extremely difficult to carry on the active work of the Church. And besides, the early death of Abraham Cannon, which occurred on the 19th of July, 1896, was also fatal to The Contributor, the final number of Y. M. M. I. A. PUBLICATIONS 75 7 which appeared in September of that year, after the magazine had run through seventeen volumes. Truly a great and splendid work had been performed for our young people. The bound volumes of The Contributor on our library shelves today contain a veritable fund of information and a precious history of the past. The Mutual organizations were without a publication for over a year after the passing of The Contributor, or until November, 1897, when the first number of the Improvement Era appeared, its origin beign largely the result of the labors of those who were the original editors and managers. This magazine was sponsored by the organ- ization, with President Heber J. Grant as business manager, Thomas Hull as assistant and President Joseph F. Smith and B. H. Roberts as editors. In November, 1898, Brother Roberts was elected to Congress, and on June 1, 1899, Edward H. Anderson succeeded to the active as- sociate editorship, with President Joseph F. Smith, and later President Heber J. Grant, as editors. What finer tributes can we now pay to them than to say that for over twenty-seven years, in season and out of season, ofttimes in the midst of struggle and discouragement, they have stood nobly by the little magazine and with the splendid free work and assistance of the officers and writers of the M. I. A. are responsible for having made the Era the influential power that it is today. In its initial editorial it is said: "With this number the Improvement Era starts hopefully out upon its mission. As the accepted organ of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we sincerely hope its merits will fully satisfy the best and truest expectations awakened by the announcement and promise of its advent. Its real merits will become known and therefore, we trust, sincerely appreciated. In proportion to its being sought for and carefully read by its patrons, the benefits resulting from its publication will bring joy and satisfaction to the hearts and homes of many thousands of earnest, truth-loving and progressive people." As predicted in this editorial, the Era has become widely known and truly has brought joy and satisfaction to many people. But it is my firm belief that even though it occupies a conspicuous position among the Church publications today, its destiny is great, and its future holds out glorious promise. It will more and more become a light that is set upon a hill, dispelling the darkness of misunderstanding and ignorance and guiding all who will see and learn, to a knowledge of the truth. In closing, a word about the Manuals and the Hand Book comes within the scope of my subject. The first manual did not appear until 1891, sixteen years after the founding of the organization. Prior to this time the associations had been allowed to practically shape their own programs, although as early as 1883 a series of gospel lessons under the title of the Preceptor, by John Nicholson had been introduced. This work was enlarged and ran through a second edition in 1885, but was still inadequate. The first manual was therefor hailed with 758 IMPROVEMENT ERA delight by teachers as well as students. It was "designed as an aid to the young men in pursuing the studies of theology, history, science and literature." The lessons were outlined in each branch in such a man- ner as to guide the student as to the completion of instruction akin to that of an academic education in the special lines of learning therein prescribed. No further manual was issued until 1897, but since that time manuals have been issued every year, covering a variety of gospel subjects. This year the association contemplates the issuance of two manuals for the Junior classes, one for the Seniors, and one for the Advanced Senior, the latter printed in the M. I. A. magazines. The compilation of a Y. M. M. I. A. Hand Book came as the happy suggestions of Brothers Edward H. Anderson and Nephi L. Morris, made at the June conference, in 1903. This work, issued as often as is needful, has proved to be extremely valuable and necessary in carrying on Y. M. M. I. A. work. Its purpose, as set forth in the foreword of the last edition, "is to give in detail, as far as possible, all necessary instructions to officers of" the Young Men's Mutual Improve- ment Associations." The Hand Book is largely responsible for the great success in the mastery of details the officers are enjoying today. A Real Man It's not. the showy raiment That makes a man renowned; And not the fame of kindred That makes his name resound; The shrewd and handsome fellow, Who polished manners shows, May have within his nature A score of ugly foes. The smooth appearing apple The large and red and round ; E'en from a stock that's noted, Whose name of great renown, Is ofttimes disappointing When once we see within. Decay the heart hath eaten, In spite of looks or kin. It's not mere ease and comfort That marks a man of worth, 'Tis not that he's inherited The wealth of half the earth. Tridell, Utah. The man with righteous purpose, Who stays through thick and thin, His name we all will honor. His grit is sure to win. The mushroom grows in gardens Where luxuries abound; The oak on mountain regions, In rough and stubborn ground. The mushroom is a weakling, Its tissues are not strong, The oak-wood tough and sturdy, It stands life's stresses lone. If you would merit honor And bear a wreathy name, Forget the shams that hover To rob you of your fame. Forget to pay obeisance To selfishness and greed, Let justice be your motto, And service be your creed. Eugene L. Morrill.