--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 30 number: 11 published: 1927-09 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, “Mutual Work,” *Improvement Era* 30, no. 11 (September 1927): 1053–1055." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera30011unse 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: improvementera30011unse start_page: 1053 end_page: 1055 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1927-09) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera30011unse publication_year: 1927 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 1927, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Mutual Work M. I. A. Conference in Manchester Special M. I. A. conference was held in the Manchester district, British mission, Sunday, June 19, with Sister May Booth Talmage, president of the mission M. I. A. organizations, and Elder Richard L. Evans, Liverpool headquarters, in attendance. A district M. I. A. banner, made in green and gold, is the object of competition among our five organized branches. The banner adorned the walls of the Oldham chapel during the meetings of our conference, while the words of which the colors are symbolic — Youth and Growth; Glory and Power — added to the attractiveness of the platform. The theme of the conference was the M. I. A. slogans, as adopted since 1914, carried out in both song and speech. We are meeting with good success, all our fourteen missionaries doing splendid work. We all join in sending the Era our best wishes for its continued success. — Landell S. Merrill, president Manchester district. What to do in September A membership social should be held on the 20th; class work should begin on the 27th. The Committee on Organization and Membership, under the direction of the presidency or superintendency, should cooperate with the Committee on Recreation and the Finance and Publications Committee in the success of the membership social, which opening should emphasize three things: 1, Make everybody happy about the season's work; 2, Put the association over the top in membership; 3, Collect the General Fund. A Membership Card will be provided this year for presentation to every person who pays his 35c, which, we hope, will facilitate materially the collection of the General Fund, and be an added incentive to the member to pay his fee. These cards should be on hand and ready for distribution at the opening social. The Committee on Organization and Membership should obtain from the ward clerk a list of all eligible members; make a personal visit to every individual, and extend to him an invitation to be present at the opening social. Invite the bishopric as special guests. For further details, — for outline of the suggested program; also for suggestions for special features, — see page 5 of the Year-Round Program. The Improvement Era and the General Fund should be emphasized this month. Select a ten-day period, at which a 100% canvass for the Era should be made. These ten days will be effective if proper preparation is made to see that full cooperation is given to the officer in charge of Finance and Publications, completing a strong organization for efficient and effective service. Have a list of all the heads of families in ydur ward, and prior to the commencement of your canvass, hold a meeting with the men who are cooperating in this work, giving careful instruction on the methods of securing subscriptions. Give a brief, spirited presentation of the effectiveness of the magazine to the group. Decide on a definite time when the work is to be finished, and meet at that time for check- up on the results obtained. Where individuals have fallen down on their list, other volunteers should be asked to assist for the following two or three days in the clean-up of the campaign. Use the September number of the Era, with prospectus of the new volume, as a sample in securing new subscriptions. A definite plan should be agreed upon by the officers for raising the general fund. Get a sufficiently large enough organization for the ac- 1054 , IMPROVEMENT ERA complishment of the undertaking. If you raise the fund at the opening social, see that advance tickets are sold to assure a success. Inform individuals that the purchase of the tickets to the entertainment also means the paying of their annual fee. Report amount collected to the General Secretary. Act. promptly in this matter. See that manuals are provided, and that classes begin work Sept. 27. Prize Offered for a Short Play The attention of authors is again called to offer for a short play, in the April number of the Era, in which $40 for the best one-act play is promised. The subject may be centered around any gospel theme or pioneer experience, the M. I. A. work, out-door subjects, fathers and sons' outings, scouting,' etc. The offer is open to all. Manuscripts must be in the hands of the editors of the Improvement Era on or before the first day of October, 1927. The range of the subjects may be as broad as the work of the M. I. A. organization, not necessarily confined to the foregoing suggestions, but the theme should be consistent with, and relevant to, M. I. A. standards and work. We reserve the right to reject any or all plays that do not reach the standard required. The play winning is to become the property of the Improvement Era; all other manuscripts will be returned, or ar- rangements made for their purchase. Intensive Book of Mormon Campaign In Germany there are three or four Boy Scout organizations. The largest has an enrollment of 12,000 boys. Though none of them are at present recognized by the International Bureau, there is hope for such a ^recognition. For our purpose, however, none of these organizations appear to offer any particular advantage by an affiliation with them. We have decided, therefore, to effect a separate Boy Scout organization. Tests for the tenderfoot, second and first classes, as well as badge designs, have been worked out to fit local conditions; but we have done nothing yet regarding a uniform, nor decided on an organization name. We already have more than 50 troops, each working under a somewhat individual system; but we are working hard to perfect our organization, so as to bring them all under one set of regulations. In our last series of con- ferences, we conducted two-night leadership courses for the M. I. A. officers and teachers. In Breslau 170 persons took part, and 105 in Berlin. The service of the Era was inestimable in drawing up our con- vention plans. On June 6, the Breslau district mutuals conducted an puting, in which approximately 500 persons took part. On the same day the Dresden Association celebrated its third anniversary, with a unique program and dancing party. The Zwickau district also held an outing recently, in which about 200 persons participated; while the Chemnitz district reports an interesting entertainment by their young people, at which the parents were guests. We are putting on a Home Life Campaign, a theme for our mission for 1928. Throughout the mission the spirit of M. I. A. is working rapidly. We are developing plans for an intensive Book of Mormon campaign during September, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the delivery of the plates to the Prophet Joseph Smith. A special program will be held, on the evening of September 22, in every branch of the mission, in honor of this event. — M. Elmer Christen- sen, superintendent of Mutuals, German-Austrian mission. New Stake Superintendents David Merrill has been appointed stake superintendent of the Y. M. M. I. A. of Benson stake, vice Merlin P. Van Orden. Utah Stake, Elmer A. Jacob, 258 North Second East. Provo, superintendent Y. M. M. I. A., vice, Isaac E. Brockbank. MUTUAL WORK 1055 Answers to Four Questions (See June Improvement Era, p. 748.) By Linda S. Fletcher 1 — There is no statement made in the Book of Mormon to the effect that Alma, the elder, ever preached to the Lamanites. It is possible that some Lamanites might have been included among those who heard him at the Waters of Mormon. His people were in bondage to the Lamanites in the Land of Helam (Mosiah 23:26-39), but there is nothing recorded to show that Alma preached to their oppressors there, either. 2 — Warned by God, Alma and his four, hundred fifty converts fled from among the Nephites, who were dwelling among the Lamanites in the Land of Lehi-Nephi, when the Nephite king, Noah, sent an army to destroy them. (Mosiah 23:1-4.) 3- — -Alma and his followers escaped from the Lamanite bondage in the Land of Helam and went to Zarahemla, where they dwelt among the Nephites from B. C. 122 (Mosiah 24:25) and built up the church among them (Mosiah 25:19), Alma, the elder, receiving permission from King Mosiah to do so. But there were no Lamanites in the Land of Zarahemla during Alma, the elder's time, he dying about B. C. 91. (Mosiah 29: 45.) The first Lamanite invasion of that land was repulsed during the reign of King Benjamin (Omni 1:24), and the second did not occur until after the elder Alma's death as it took place in B. C. 8 7. (Alma 2:24, 25.) 4 — The Lamanites were never in possession of the city of Zarahemla until about B. C. 51, forty years after the elder Alma's death. (Helaman 1 :20-23.) The Nephites recaptured the city a short time afterward, under the leadership of Moronihah. (Helaman 1:33.) It was, therefore, impossible for the Nephites to have taken the city from the Lamanites during Alma, the elder's time. Long View. Wash. These are men that completed the prescribed standard course for scoutmasters at the Utah Agricultural College, Logan, recently. The course was conducted through the cooperation of the U. A. C. Department of Education and the Cache Valley Council B. S. A. They are from Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Nevada.