Mutual Work

dJVLutual Work New Superintendents Charles J. Dewey was sustained superintendent of the Y. M. M. I. A. of the Bear River stake, on April 17, 1927, vice Charles R. Welling, released. Joseph G. Green, Riverton, Utah, was chosen superintendent of the Y. M. M. I. A. of the new West Jordan stake, at the conference held in Sandy, May 8, 1927. Joseph M. Holt was sustained stake president of West Jordan stake, and Heber J. Burgon president of East Jordan stake. Joseph D. Millerberg, Sandy, R. D. 3, remains Supt. Y. M. M. I. A. of East Jordan stake. Howard M. McDonald, 917 Ventura Ave., Berkeley, was chosen super- intendent of the Y. M. M. I. A. of the new San Francisco stake, organized at Oakland, July 10, 1927. Hyrum S. Evans, Burley, Idaho was recently chosen superintendent of the Y. M. M. I. A. of that stake, vice Loren Lewis, released. What to do in August Remember the opening social occurs on September 20, and the first lesson work on September 27, this year. The main question for stake chairman of organizations and member- ship committees to ask of the wards is this: Are your ward organizations complete? If not, now is the time for real effort, that September may find all vacancies filled and every officer ready for the first bugle-call. This is the month of stake officers' social and ward officers' social. These socials may be combined into one big affair, in which all stake and ward officers meet together on a gala occasion, or they may be conducted separately. A definite program should be planned, in which executives, department heads and class leaders should be given an opportunity briefly to present the coming season's work. The opening membership social and dance should have attention and definite plans adopted to begin the season with an auspicious and enthusiastic start. Spend an evening in socializing, talk M. I. A., sing, play and get the M. I. A. spirit into the hearts of everyone present, so that when the hour of separation comes there will be a feeling of happy, congenial fellowship of a great group in a great cause. Then begin your lesson work September 27. Y. M. M. I. A. Manuals for 1927-28 Advanced Senior Class — Three studies are provided for this class: 1. Champions of Liberty; twenty-one lessons. These lessons treat the leading heroes of liberty, such persons as Justinian, Luther, Confucius. Buddah, and leaders in the Christian religion, written by a number of leading authorities in the Church and leading writers. Price 25c. 2. Saturday Night Thoughts, by Orson F. Whitney, of the Council of the Twelve. This is a religious work on the principles of the gospel, written and published during the war to take the place of the regular Sunday sermon delivered to the people of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in their weekly Sacrament meetings. Price, cloth, 75c. 3. Current Events. These will be outlined in the Improvement Era and the Young Woman's Journal, monthly.

MUTUAL WORK 929 Senior Class — How Science Contributes to Religion, Book VI, Achieve- ment Series, Manual No. 30, by Dr. John A Widtsoe, of the Council of the Twelve. The purpose of this manual is to show that science con- tributes to our faith in God and in the principles of the gospel. It contains fourteen chapters, designed to be completed in about twenty lessons. It is a book full of scientific and religious information. Price 25c. Advanced Junior Class — Some Essentials of Character, Book I, Char- acter-Building Series. These are brief talks on character, written in a con- versational style, with a view to inspire ambition for noble lives. There are eighteen lessons, all helpful for character-building for the boys, in whose untried hands rests the race for the coming years. Price 25c. Junior Class — Stories of the Plains, Book I, Story Series, portraying incidents in the great drama of civilization and religious liberty in their march westward over the great plains, in which heroic achievement the Latter- day Saints played a most important part. Twenty-six lessons; price 25c. All these manuals are valuable for family libraries. Manuals may be secured from the president of the Mutual Improvement Association of your ward, or directly from the General Office of the Y. M. M. I. A., 47 East South Temple St., Salt Lake City, Utah. Cash must accompany orders. Notes and References on M. I. A. Slogan, 1927-28 We stand for a fuller knowledge of the Book of Mormon and a testimony of its divine origin. For the benefit of those who will have occasion, at the various fall conventions and other places, to talk on the theme of the M. I. A. Slogan, we give the following references as some of the sources of information and inspiration on this important subject: The Book of Mormon itself, first and foremost. Dictionary of Book of Mormon, Reynolds. New Witnesses for Cod, Roberts; vol. 2, "Internal and External Evi- dences;" or, Y. M. M. I. A. manuals for 1903-04, 1904-05 and 1905-06, subject, "The Book of Mormon." Articles of Faith, Talmage; chapters 14 and 15. Radio Speech, Edward H. Anderson, Deseret News. Saturday, June 11. Contributor, vol. 5, "History of the Book of Mormon," George Reynolds. Improvement Era: The whole number 11, vol. 26, September. 1923; "Notes on the Book of Mormon," Sjodahl, April, 1927, page 5 26; May, page 623; June, page 696; July, page 795. The theme of the Sep- tember Era, 1927, will be the Book of Mormon, celebrating (September 22) the one hundredth anniversary of the delivery of the plates to the Prophet Joseph Smith by the Angel Moroni. Also see current numbers of the Era for short items, suggestions and other references pertaining to the theme of this year's slogan. New Districting and Contests 1927-28 Never in the history of our organization have we had so successful a season in contest work as during the past year. A very wholesome spirit of "participating for the joy and development that it brings" has generally prevailed, and high standards have been established both in the execution and in the number participating. The thought seems to have been. "Everybody is a winner who enters." The two new events — Drama and Dancing — have been received with great enthusiasm and will be continued for the coming year. New Districting. During the past year contest divisions of the Church were modified. Stakes

930 IMPROVEMENT ERA were grouped into a new arrangement of districts and then an entirely new method adopted for dividing the districts into divisions, thus increasing the divisional contests in the field, but limiting the groups who came through to the grand finals at Salt Lake City. The new arrangement seems to have been very happily received and will continue for the coming year. Contest Divisions. Note: Winners in the stake contests will compete in the district at the stake marked . The district winners will compete in the division at the place designated. The division winners will compete at the June Conference. Division No. 1. Division contest to be held at Salt Lake. (Ensign Stake in Charge) District 1 — Salt Lake. Pioneer, Ensign, Liberty, Granite, Grant. 2 — South Davis, Oquirrh, Cottonwood,* Jordan, Tooele. Division No. 2. Division contest to be held at Salt Lake. (General Board in Charge). District 3 — Juarez. Big Horn, San Luis, Young, Los Angeles, Nevada, Northwestern States Mission, California Mission, Western States Mission, Lyman— to be held in Salt Lake, General Board in Charge. Winners of St. John, Snowflake meet, or the stake winners of each stake. Winners of St. Joseph. Maricopa meet, or the stake winners of each stake. Division No. 3. Division contest held at Salt Lake City, (General Board in Charge). District 4 — Moapa, St. George, Parowan, Beaver, Kanab. 5 — Taylor, Alberta, Lethbridge. 6 — Union, Boise.* 7 — Duchesne, Roosevelt, Uintah, Emery, Carbon.* Division No. 4. Division contest to be held at Pocatello. (Pocatello in Charge) . District 8 — Yellowstone, Teton, Fremont,* Rigby, Idaho Falls. 9 — Blackfoot,* Pocatello, Shelley, Lost River. 10 — Cassia, Raft River, Burley,* Blaine, Twin Falls, Minidoka. Division No. 5. Division contest to be held at Preston. (Oneida-Franklin in Charge). District 11 — Star Valley, Bear Lake, Bannock, Idaho,* Montpelier, Portneuf. 12 — Oneida, Franklin, Cache,* Logan, Hyrum, Benson. Division No. 6. Division contest to be held at Ogden, (Mount Ogden in Charge). District 13 — Malad. Box Elder, Bear River,* Curlew. 14 — Ogden.* Mt. Ogden, Weber, North Weber, North Davis. 15 — Summit,* Woodruff, Morgan. Division No. 7. Division contest to be held at Payson. (Nebo in Charge). District 16 — Alpine, Utah,* Wasatch. Kolob. 17 — Juab,* Tintic, Nebo, Palmyra, Millard, Deseret. Division No. 8. Division contest to be held at Manti. (South Sanpete in Charge) . District 18 — North Sanpete,* South Sanpete, Gunnison. 19 — Wayne, North Sevier,* Sevier,* South Sevier. Garfield, Panguitch. The General Boards will be associated with the stakes in the matter of the conduct of these meets.

MUTUAL WORK _ 931 Dates for these divisional meets for 1928 are suggested as follows: Divisions — 2 and 3 will meet the day preceding the opening of the M. I. A. Annual June Conference. Division — 8 — Monday, May 22. Division — 7 — Tuesday, May 23. Division — 6 — Friday, May 2 6. Division — 5 — Saturday. May 2 7. Division — 4 — Monday, May 29. Division — 1 — Wednesday, May 3 1. Contest Numbers for Church Grand Finals — 100% Efficiency. Every stake organization, both Y. M. M. I. A. and Y. L. M. I. A., which achieves 100% efficiency for one or more months from October to May. will receive recognition from the General Boards in the nature of gold and green ribbons labelled "100% M. I. A. Efficiency, 1927-28." For further information on contests see Year Round Program, pp 18-21. 1927-28. Prizes Y. M. M. I. A. Book of Mormon Reading Only three stakes made a report — Summit. Hyrum and Ogden. The following wards were winners for 1926-27: Highest number: 1 — Upton ward, Summit stake — 15. 2 — -Hyrum 2nd ward, Hyrum stake — 12. Highest percentage: 1 — Upton ward, Summit stake — 100%. 2 — Twentieth ward, Ogden stake — 26%. If these wards will select any four of the books in the list published in the July Era, page 835, the books will be forwarded to them free on endorse- ment of the stake superintendent. We congratulate the winning wards; but we are greatly disappointed in not obtaining more reports. We are confident that hundreds of wards, if reported, could have made a good showing. Answers to Book of Mormon Questions (June Improvement Era, p. 748) Linda S. Fletcher, 285 3 Hemlock Street, Longview, Washington, was the first to answer correctly the questions pertaining to Alma, the elder, and is, therefore, entitled to one year's subscription to the Improvement Era, which will be forwarded to her, or to any other address which she may designate on application. Her answers and the questions will be published in the September number of the Era. The Book of Mormon This year marks the hundredth anniversary of the delivery of the sacred plates by the Angel Moroni to Joseph Smith, and in no better way can M. I. A. members commemorate this important event than by reading this sacred volume. Every encouragement will be given to those who did not finish the reading the past year to do so in the coming months. Many will enjoy reading the book again. Credit will be given as before upon the efficiency report; last year's reading, however, should not be counted. The list of books published in the July Era, 1927, p. 835, is recom- mended for reading during the year, and our officers. Standards committees,

932 IMPROVEMENT ERA and members, are requested to cooperate in selecting from them the most appropriate books for their organizations and homes. This list should be called to the attention of libraries in the various communities. We feel sure the librarians will be anxious to place the books upon their shelves. Many persons will also wish to purchase them for their home libraries. The June "Speedometer" The Jilne number of The Ensign Speedometer, volume 14, number 1, has recently been published by the Young Men's Mutual Improvement As- sociation of the Ensign stake. This spicy, interesting, four-page periodical carries the slogan, "Make Ensign Lead;" and the motto, "Let's go to Mutual;" and otherwise shows evidence of live-wire activity by the Y. M. M. I. A. officers of that stake. The June number is devoted particularly to their stake Fathers and Sons' Outing to be held, in Lamanite setting, on July 19 and 20, at Camp Grant; and contains, besides, an M. I. A. calendar, and current news items from the various ward organizations. Important Changes in M. I. A. Schedule In accordance with the M. I. A. Year-Round Program, the regular weekly meetings of the ward associations throughout the Church will commence this year in September, instead of October. The opening social is scheduled for September 20, and all class work is expected to begin the week following, and last until April 5, 1928. From April 5 to May 31 class work is not provided for, but regular M. I. A. meetings will be held, devoted to group participation in Mutual activities, especially in stimu- lating interest and preparation for contest work in the1 stake, district and division, and for the grand finals. This arrangement will provide for class work only up to April 5, and from then on give opportunity for contest work and other activities, so that the activity work will not interfere with the class work, nor the class work with the activities. Fathers and Sons' Outings — You will feel a real thrill of joy and worship when the program is finished, and you stand in the pines, by the clear, running waters, the everlasting hills surrounding, with your sons by your side, the stars twinkling above, and all join in singing: "Good night, we must rest. God keep watch o'er us all through the night; We shall rise with the morn. Good night. "Day is done, gone the sun From the hills, from the woods, from the sky. All is well, safely rest, God is nigh."