The Home: A Study for the Advanced Senior Class, M. I. A., 1925–26

THE HOME A Study for the Advanced Senior Class, M. I. A., 1925-26 LESSON I — FINDING OUR NEIGHBOR I. Lecture 1. Who's Our Neighbor? (a) The dictionary answer. (b) The Mosaic answer. ( Leviticus 19:18.) (c) The Master's answer. (Luke 10:25-38) ; also the "Poor way-faring man of grief." 2. The Marks of a good Neighbor. II. The Thought Exchange 1 . Problems Suggested : (a) How are business neighbors being found. (Read following article "Bigger Dividends — No More Labor Troubles," by Arthur Nash, Collier's Weekly, August 22, 1925, page 23.) "Golden Rule" Nash, of Cincinnati, Ohio, declares that it is his firm conviction, born of great experience, that the problems of labor and capital are merely problems of right human relationships. He then goes on to say: "During the periods of the simpler civilization mankind never solved this problem of how to live together as brethren. And unsolved it has, so far, remained. We are now rushing headlong into more and more complex associations, and the prayer for the solution of our human problems is more urgent than ever before in the world's history. "If we will Christianize industry, making the golden rule of Jesus universal practice, we need not worry about anything any more. There would be no warfare between capital and labor, no conflict between races, no differences between science and religion; no animosities, no jealousies, no hatreds, no conflict between in- dividuals or groups or nations anywhere on earth. What the world needs is not mere theories about Jesus but the philosophy of Jesus applied in human relations. "I say this is my firm conviction, because I have found it astoundingly true in my own business. For years I was a preacher of the golden rule. I preached the golden rule, but I did not practice it. The universal brotherhood of man was to me, as it is to so many others, a big, fine general expression that meant nothing real. The true significance of the fact that the man or woman working at the bench or at the machine in the factory was my brother or sister in a very real sense, children of one great Father, had not seriously occurred to me. "And then it came about that I was brought face to face with the alternative of putting the golden rule into practice in my own business, or renouncing it squarely and unequivocally. I was led to purchase a sweatshop. I am talking about the clothing business. "In such a shop as the one that I purchased only the inefficient and helpless human beings, who could not hold a position in the more desirable industries, sought employment. If it had been left to human wisdom to pick out an industry where it might be thought possible literally to apply the teachings of our Lord and live the golden rule, the clothing business would have been the last one selected; and yet this is the one that I went into. This took place at the beginning of 1919. In 1918 our company had done a business of $132,190.20. Since then the record is as follows: 19 19, $525,678.43 ; 1920, $1,580,700.46; 1921, $2,007,559.00; 1922, $3,751,181.52; 1923 $5,958,508.67; 1924, $9,245,429.70. So far this year we had done more business than we did in the same period of 19 22 and 1924 added together. "The six thousand workers in the A. Nash Co., fix their own hours of labor, fix their own wages and fix even the salary of myself, their president. Every

THE HOME 1165 ounce of ability and energy I have devoted to the development of the men and women in my industry has been repaid manifold in the development of their ability to take care of the industry in every important detail. Money devoted to making men and women pays bigger dividends than men and women devoted to making money. There is no guesswork about that. "The appreciation and trust of the humblest of my employees is worth so much to me that it could not be bought for an amount equal to the largest dividend check ever laid on Rockefeller's desk. "It has been demonstrated in my own personal life, and in our organization of about 6,000 garment workers, that the philosophy of Jesus will work, and in every place that it has been made real it has worked just as it has done in ours. It is the only way." — Colliers Weekly. (b) Discuss the neighborhood value of speaking as kindly of our neighbor as we speak to him. (c) How can we best find our M. I. A. Advanced Senior neighbor? (d) Discuss the "Thought Exchange" on part of our programs as a means of finding our intellectuality. (e) Discuss the social period as a means of dis- covering our neighbors. 2. Original Problems Suggested by Members of the Class. III. Social Period 1 . Material Suggested : (a) A story of the "Best Neighbor I ever had." (b) A story of the "Most humorous neighbor I ever had." (c) Interesting neighbor- hood happenings. 2. Additional Material by Members. IV. Announcements and Assignments Singing, "Nay, speak no ill." Benediction. i LESSON II— GETTING A HOME I. Lecture 1 . Definition of Home (a) More than the house or place in which one lives. "The place where mother is." (b) To a latter-day Saint home is a sacred institution, a place where the most hallowed associations and holiest responsibilities are realized. "It is the great conservator of goods, the "seeding place of virtue." It is the origin of all civilization. The laws of a nation are but rescripts of its domestic codes. The words uttered and the doctrines taught around the fireside are the influences that shape the destinies of empires." 2. Importance of Home Work. (a) "No work, I care not how important it may seem to be, whether in church or state, in science art or philosophy, begins to compare in its importance with that done by the father and mother in the home, who are the first of sovereigns and the divinest of parents." — Theodore Roosevelt. 3. How to Get a Home. (a) Name various plans for securing possession of a home. No attempt should be made to prove that it is cheaper to own a home than to rent. Difficulties in the way acquiring a home should be pointed out in advance rather than having it left to be discovered by the young couple to their dis-

1166 IMPROVEMENT ERA illusionment and bitter disappointment. Taxes, special assessments, improvements, interest and other elements of cost should be clearly stated. But when this is done the lesson should be impressed that notwithstanding this, it is far better to own a home, and the hard discipline required to bring this about will prove a great benefit to the members of the family from the oldest to the youngest. The character of the home owner is always positive, that of the renter negative. One is the stayer, the other the drifter. One represents permanent, the other transient. The owner sits beneath his vine and fig tree with positive virtue growing within him. These are integrity, courage, thrift, initiative, independence, good citizenship, parental love, faith in Providence. These virtues are developed in his own soul and transmitted to his children who rise up to call him blessed. Happy is the community where a large portion of the population own their homes — Condensed from Prize Essay by Willard Done. (b) Own Your Home. The man is bravest and most valiant in defending his own state and nation, who has a spot of ground there with the sanctified walls and roof and loving associations that make the spot his home. There can be no such sublime patriotism in the heart of a man who is constantly quarreling with his landlord over the "comforts" of a flat. The owner buys his home and gets immediate title; the renter pays for it in installments and never gets title. The owner lives in his home and therefore loves it; the renter merely camps there. "Happy, then, is the community where a large proportion of the citizens own their homes. It will be more frugal, law-abiding, thrifty, progressive, substantial, united, loyal. There will be developed the 'homely' virtues destined to save state and nation and society from disintegration. For the family is the unit of every community; and the family flourishes best and gives greatest strength to the aggregation of which it is the unit." Among the Latter-day Saints 76 per cent are home owners. II. Thought Exchange 1. Problems suggested for getting a home. (a) Discuss building a home, (b) Buying on installment plan. (c) Co-operative efforts of the family. (d) Inculcating thrift and economy in the children. (e) Industrial unity in the family. 2. Original problems by the class. III. Social Period — 1. Material Suggested: An Evening of Short Sentiments on Home. (a) Sentiments from the class. (b) Sample story — Jennie Lind's Experiences. "Next to religion the home sentiment is the strongest in the human heart. At the name of home the better impulses of every heart awakens. The powerful influence which the home sentiment exerts on the minds of men was shown in a striking manner some years ago at the Castle Garden, New York. Some ten thou- sand people gathered to listen to the sweet voice of Jennie Lind. She began with the great compositions of the masters of song. The audience applauded her with respective degree of appreciation; but at length when with sweetness in her voice she brought forth 'Home Sweet Home' at once the irrespressible con- tagion of sympathy spread through the audience. Peals of thunderous applause resounded until the storm was stopped by the very ecstasy of those who listened; and when the soft refrain was heard again that mass of humanity was melted into tears. The great masters were all forgotten while ten thousand human hearts knelt at the shrine of a poor and obscure outcast. Why was this? Must these mighty names yield their places to one whom the world has forgotten? No; it was

THE HOME 1167 simply because when sorrow placed his iron hand on the heart of Howard Payne he chanced to strike that chord which vibrates to a higher touch than any in the human heart save that alone swept by the Master's hand." IV. Announcements and Assignments (a) Singing, "Home, sweet home." (b) Benediction. LESSON III — THE HOME AND ITS NEIGHBORHOOD I. Lecture (a) A growing consciousness of home and neighborhood development; is a source of joy and a factor of happiness. (b) "Not a having and a resting, but a growing and becoming." (c) "Better to live in a cottage on hero street, facing the rising sun, than to live in a mansion on easy street facing the setting sun." — George H. Brimhall. II. Thought Exchange. 1. Suggested problems for class discussion. (a) Correlate with Lessons I and II. (b) Discuss the meaning and significance of "Home and Neighbor- hood." (c) This year's course is more practical than theoretical; vitalize more than memorize its lessons. 1. Discuss ways and means of doing this. 2 Prize gardens. 3. Prize neighborhoods. 4. Inspection tours, etc. "To be a nation right and state right, we must first be community right." Discuss the importance of being home right in connection with this quotation. Read Edward Bok's account of his neighborhood activity. Pages 3 60 to 3 65 The Americanization of Edward Bok. Of Edward Bok's work, Doctor Lyman Abbot, in The Outlook, said: "It has made Marion a model suburb, which may standardize ideal suburban life, certainly for Philadelphia, possibly for the United States." Marion was simply dormant, awakened by a master organizer, it was brought vividly to a neighborhood con- sciousness, i (d) Tell how the Pioneers of Utah built homes and made neighbor- hoods beautiful, happy and desirable. Founding of Utah, by Levi Edgar Young. (e) Name three magazines on "Home and Garden," worthy of a place in your library. (f) Beautify your neighborhood by beautifying your home. 1. Make your house and grounds the most attractive, most healthful and most desirable in your neighborhood. 2. Mental conditions are contagious, so also are home and neigh- borhood conditions contagious. Illustrate. 3. Homes and surroundings influence the neighborhood, neigh- borhoods influence the city; the city the state; the state the nation. (g) Safeguard the home and neighborhood. 1 . Prevent damage to property. 2. Provide home and neighborhood play grounds. Discuss ways and means. 3. Home and neighborhood cooperation for the promotion of children's physical, mental, moral and spiritual development and welfare. (h) Importance of home and neighborhood sanitation.

1168 IMPROVEMENT ERA Suppose that in a healthy and happy neighborhood a strange plant should suddenly spring up, giving off poisonous fumes and matter into the air. Suppose the neighbors and everyone who passed by became very ill and many of them died because of the deadly fumes from the plant. Would anyone allow such a plant to ripen its seeds and scatter them about, that soon the same kind of plants would be growing along all the streets and in all the dooryards? Or would they destroy this plant root and branch? Suppose a poisonous reptile should appear in the neighborhood and attack the people. Would the people allow it to live and multiply? Or would they kill the reptile doing them so much harm? Poisonous plants like the one described do not live, and poisonous reptiles are very rare. But in every part of the land, in every town and village there are countless millions of small plants and animals which do attack the people, causing them to become very ill, and many to die. These plants and animals are called disease germs. By proper sanitation and precaution these organisms can be destroyed and the people made immune to their deadly poisons. 2. Original Problems by Members of the ,Class. III. The Social Period. "Hidden Proverbs," Education by Plays and Games, by Johnson, page 187. IV. Announcements and Assignments. Singing, "The old oaken bucket," first and second verses. Benediction. Autumn The Autumn leaves, come tripping down On breezes lightly blowing; They form a cover o'er the ground, And soon it will be snowing. They're red and yellow, green and brown, And other rainbow hues; The trees are stirred from root to crown, And give to Fall it's dues. Already comes the tinge of frost Upon the Autumn air; And soon the brooklet will be lost, Beneath a leafy lair. The blood is tingling in my veins Well-filled, with youthful ire; And though it snows or even rains, I'll bless the Autumn fire. Of all the seasons of the year, The best to me is Fall ; With harvest o'er, and winter near, A time of joy for all. Monroe, Utah WESTON N. NORDGRAN.