Priesthood Quorums

(Priesthood Quorums Annual Church Conference Begins April 4 The Ninety-sixth General Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day* Saints will be held in the Salt Lake tabernacle begin- ning Sunday morning, April 4, and continuing Monday and Tuesday, April 5 and 6. These dates were announced by the First Presidency in March. The General Priesthood meeting will be held Monday evening, April 5, and the special meeting, Wednesday, April 7, 10 a. m. The close-by stakes will hold their Fast meetings Sunday, April 11. Training Young Men For Church Work "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first- fruits of his creatures. * * * Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was." — James 1:17-24. What a picture has been here given by James of old. We call attention to it at this time because it has, in our opinion, a bearing upon a condition which we think vital and worthy of the serious consideration of all who hold the Priesthood and all parents who have children! who are, or should be, members of priesthood quorums. How proud we are of the accomplishments of our people and our organizations! Recently a Salt Lake City paper had the following headlines in bold type: "Scout work in Utah is on exceptionally high scale — Utah Scout aim higher than usual." This heading was a quotation taken from a statement made by a nationally-known Scout leader. We may all feel justly proud of this showing and of the prominence to which our Scout work has attained in this field of operation. The Presiding Bishopric rejoices in this record: but at the same time we are concerned for the organizations provided by the Lord, through which young men should be prepared and trained to serve in the great field of Church work. At the beginning of the year 1926, the demand for roll and record books and for Aaronic Priesthood quorum manuals was very gratifying. Many wards have provided every member of the Aaronic Priesthood quorums with outlines, and their bishops are making a special effort to have young men who belong to these quorums become actively engaged in quorum work, that they may grow in a knowledge of the Gospel and prepare to serve in their communities in honor and in faith. To do this, it is not necessary to detract from any other organization. On the contrary, if the requirements of Aaronic Priesthood work are strictly followed, these activities should stimulate the work of the auxiliary organizations. We should bear in mind that while the auxiliary organiza*

PRIESTHOOD QUORUMS 599 tions are necessary, they are helps in government, while the work of the Priesthood quorums is mandatory. The responsibility for the faithful performance of the work rests upon the officers and the individual quorum members. Each quorum of the Priesthood, from the Deacon to the High Priest, should provide the field for training. None may shirk the responsibility placed upon him if he hopes to receive the blessings and promises made by our heavenly Father. We take this occasion to remind the officers of the stakes and wards of the great responsibility placed upon them, to see that the Aaronic Priest- hood in each ward shall function in harmony with the word of the Lord, and that they are trained and developed in temporal and spiritual things to prepare them for greater duties and responsibilities in the government of the Church. Sylvester Q. Cannon, David A. Smith, John Wells, Presiding Bishopric. A Suggestion for Ward Teachers The stake committee on ward teaching in one of the nearby stakes has made these suggestions to teachers in the wards: 1. Pray before you go out teaching. 2. Use Thursday evening, set apart in our stake, for teaching, until you have visited all the families in your district. 3. Do not stay longer than 20 minutes. 4. Discuss the standard provided for you for the month's teaching wherever possible. 5. Pray with the family. 6. Sing with the family, if it is convenient and possible. 7. Be sure to inquire about their health, and if any are sick, report it to the Bishop. i If you are ill, and cannot visit your district, please advise your district president. Life Is Eternal In a recent paragraph in the Millennial Star, President James E. Talmage says: "We hold it to be reasonable, scriptural and true, that man's period of earth life is but one stage in the general plan of the soul's progression, and that birth is no more the beginning than is death the close of individual existence. God created all things spiritually before they were created temporally upon the earth, and the spirits of all men lived as in- telligent beings, endowed with the capacity of choice and the rights of free agency before they were born in the flesh." Changes in Mission Presidents During the past few months many changes have been made in the mission presidents of the European and other missions. President John P. Lillywhite, the newly appointed president of the Netherlands mission, landed in Liverpool January 31. He succeeds Presi- dent Charles S. Hyde, who has been honorably released, having presided in that mission since the first part of April, 1923. Aside from the changes made in the creation of the German-Austrian mission, already noted, President Ernest C. Rossister has charge of the

600 IMPROVEMENT ERA French mission, succeeding President Russell H. Blood, honorably released and now engaged in professional studies in Paris. President John H. Anderson has succeeded President Hugo D. Peterson in the Swedish mission, with headquarters at Stockholm. President Peterson was honorably released to return to his home in Utah. President Martin Christofferson has been installed as the head of the Norwegian mission, President Albert Richard Peterson having been honor- ably released to return to his home. The headquarters of the Norwegian mission are in Oslo, formerly Christiania. President Joseph L. Peterson is in Denmark to relieve President John S. Hansen, and to take charge of the Danish mission. President Hansen having been honorably released. The headquarters of that mission are in Copenhagen. Elder Alma Burton has recently been called to preside over the Tahitian mission, Society Islands, and expects to leave soon with his family. Presi- dent Burton will relieve Elder H. Brown Foulger who has been honorably released. He has been in temporary charge since the honorable release and return of President O B. Peterson in May, 1925. Diamond Anniversary of Hawaiian Mission The 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Hawaiian mission was recently celebrated in fitting style by missionaries and saints, by the pre- sentation of a pageant showing the origin of the Polynesian people and their reception of the gospel. The pageant was arranged into three divisions: 1. Lehi and his family in the wilderness; building the ship, and, finally, Moroni burying the records. 2. The restoration of the gospel; translation of the plates, and Brigham Young calling the first missionaries to Hawaii in 1850. 3. Hawaii, with groups of Saints representing different islands, showing the arrival of the missionaries. A choir of fifty members furnished the principal music; they sang, "Laie E," a Hawaiian song of praise to Laie and its beautiful temple, and the various parts of the pageant were accompanied by appropriate selections, both vocal and instrumental. Fifty characters were represented in the pageant. With the aid of a stereopticon machine, several historic scenes were shown, which helped to produce the proper atmosphere; and pictures of former mission presidents pleased the large number of native people who were gathered. The new recreation hall was filled to capacity at both the Sun- day morning and evening presentations. Under the supervision of Presi- dent Eugene J. Neff the pageant was written and presented by Elders Robert S. Sant, Athen L. Reese, Reuben A. Joseph, and Sister Marian Clark to whom we are indebted for an interesting account of the celebration. For the Soul that Comprehends There's a promise with every dawning, There's gold in each ray of sunshine, For the soul that comprehends, For the soul that comprehends, As one by one, And gladsome cheer, When night is done, With naught of fear, The morn its gifts extend. In the voices of its friends. There's peace in the calm of moonlight. For the soul that comprehends, As from the blue, To faith renew, It benediction sends. Provo, Utah GRACE INGLES FROST