--- 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: 31 number: 2 published: 1927-12 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* 31, no. 2 (December 1927): 170–175." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera3102unse 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: improvementera3102unse start_page: 170 end_page: 175 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1927-12) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera3102unse 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 MpJJTOAL What to do in December The Drama, one of the big recreational events on the regular M. I. A. program, may be given in any month, but where it is convenient and the proper preparations have been made, the Drama should be given in December and should fit in with the general year-round recreation program of stake or ward, and should be presented on some other night than Tuesday. For particulars concerning the list of plays and other items relating to the matter see: M. I. A. Year-round Program, page 21- 22. The efficiency report blank should be carefully checked by the officers and a proper report made. Attention to this report is one of the most effective means of stimulating good work in your asso- ciation. At the Union meeting, this month, attention should be called to this1 item, and the general interest of the officers solicited. At the June conference, 1928, an award will be made to all stakes who obtain for one or more months 100% efficiency in their reports. Entire stake organizations should be encouraged to co- operate in making this record. Executive officers, including the secretaries, should cooperate in seeing that proper records and reports are made promptly. Class work, of course, should be looked into and carried out with enthusiasm dur- ing the month. Look also to the completion of the canvass for Era subscriptions. After-Mutual Dances At a recent meeting of the General Boards in joint assembly, a motion was carried, re-affirming the original position of the General Boards, relating to After- Mutual Dances, and discouraging these dances for the following reasons: a. The activities of the various depart- ments present sufficient variety. There is no necessity for such a dance. b. That these dances add nothing to our recreational or educational program. c. That these dances interfere with school studies of our boys and girls. d. That many young people drift about from their own, to wards that give those dances. e. That these dances are keeping our young people out late and breaking the Curfew law. This regulation would not apply to matinee dances and occasional dances after Mutual, but to the regular practice. Putting Over the Slogan in Parowan Stake The M. I. A. Boards of Parowan stake are putting over the Slogan by the use of illustrated lectures in each ward. Gustive O. Larson, principal of the Seminary, or- ganized, in the California mission in 1923, an illustrated lecture on Ancient American Civilization and the Book of Mormon. It was later given before the General Au- thorities in Salt Lake and has been sent to many of the missions. The stake board has secured the slides, which number about 100, through the courtesy of the Bureau of Information, and Brother Larson has de- livered the lecture to crowded houses in each ward. The stake board has supplied appro- priate musical programs to fit into the theme. MUTUAL WORK 171 They Know How to Work This photograph shows LeMayne and Conley Watts, boys 1 7 and 1 6 years old, respectively, and sons of J. A. Watts, 1st assistant superintendent of the Y. M. M. I. A. and the Scout leaders in Rexburg, Idaho. The picture is taken in the beets, showing a part of the twenty-five acres they have raised this year. They are in the midst of the harvest now and are taking from this portion of the field twenty-one tons per acre. A wonderful showing! They are fine fellows and know how to work. They have followed the beet industry since they were 1 1 and 1 2 years of age, and while they have worked at times for other people; from them and their father, they have always received words of commendation for their industry. They have made their own way so far by hard work during their vacation. Com- mendable example for all young men. Stake Mutual, Twin Falls, Entertains On August 26, 1927, the Twin Falls Stake Mutual entertained the ward officers at a social. The guests were received by members of the Board and the High Coun- cilmen appointed to the M. I. A. Then fol- lowed community singing and mixers. The color scheme of the M. I. A. was artistic- ally carried out both in the decorations and in the m:nu. Program of reading, music and plans for the coming season were pro- vided, followed by toasts, conversations. and toasted marshmallows. There were tiny candles in candle holders of green and gold. Following the banquet each ward in the stake furnished a stunt for enter- tainment and the whole was ended by dancing. One hundred people enjoyed the party and declared it the most successful "get together" party that we have had. — Ellis Boyling, Reed Bitter, Stake Recre- ation Committee; Wm. E. Bitter, Stake Superintendent, Y. M. M. I, A. Carlin Scouts' Trip to Yellowstone National Park Six Scouts of xhz Carlin troop number 1, Nevada, left on Sunday, July 17, 1927, enroute to Yellowstone National Park. The trip up consumed three days. At Twin Falls, Idaho, Scout Executive Robertson welcomed the scouts and their driver, Mr. Earle Bohne. He took them for a sight- seeing ride about the city. The scouts also met the scout executive at Pocatello. Idaho. Supplies for the trip were pur- chased at Idaho Falls. From the West en- trance the party proceeded to Old Faithful Camp, after viewing the many geysers of the Upper and Lower Geyser basins. The next day a stop was made at the Lake Camp for one and a half days, where boat- ing and fishing were enjoyed by the scouts. From Lake Camp the party proceeded to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone river, and thence up over Dunraven Pass to Tower Falls, where a burned-out bear- ing caused a delay of one and a half days. We went to Mammoth Hot Springs down through the Norris Geyser Basin to Old Faithful, then out the South Entrance in the Jackson Hole country. Swimming and boating were enjoyed at this spot. Then a start for home was made by routes through northern Wyoming and Idaho. The trip consumed twelve days. The scouts had their own tents and did their own cooking. The fee charged to each scout was $15, which provided partway for their transportation and food. The 172 IMPROVEMENT ERA other part of the expenses were paid out of the scout treasury. The Boy Scouts of Carlin are fully organized, with Mr. Ches- ter Nelson as scoutmaster and Mr. Burdsell as assistant.- — J. W. Robinson, Carlin, Ne- vada. West Gridley Basketball Team, California All except three are members of the M Men class of the Liberty branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at Gridley, California. They are the champions of the Sacramento Valley, which comprises three different basketball leagues — the Sacramento Valley league, the Foohill league, and the Feather River league. Their names are, front row, left to right: Lavern Wolf, captain; Geo. G. Cole, O. T. Shirley, Jr., Oren Borrowman. Back row: Harry Sannar, Roscoe Jones, Bert Jones, Walter Little, Benjamin Shir- ley. They are a clean, fine bunch. A Good Word for Utah Athletes Erwin B. Evans, president of the Wis- consin district of the Northern States mis- sion, favors the Era with a clipping from the Milwaukee Sentinel, written by Coach Knute Rockne of Notre Dame. He has been interested in a coaching school in Cache Valley and is enthusiastic over the progress of athletic sports among the Latter-day Saint boys, and incidentally over the splen- did educational progress that is made in Utah in this line. He says, "With the higher grade of coaching which they are now receiving all around, look out for Utah. The University of Utah, coached by Ike Armstrong, plays Northwestern at Chicago this fall. I saw these Utes playing MUTUAL WORK 173 in Hawaii last winter. They looked mighty good. They won't beat Northwestern; Dick Hanley has a mighty fine team com- ing on, but they'll play a grade of football good enough to convince any skeptic that Utah is coming fast. "In June, 1912, a gangly, raw-boned chap named Alva Richards reported at Northwestern field for the Olympic trials. Tenaciously hanging on to a carpet bag the youngster announced that he was a high jumper from Utah. He was. Unknown and unheralded he won the event that day, and won it at the Olympic games. "In 1914, Clinton Larson, representing Brigham Young University, came east to the Penn relays and won the high jump with a leap of 6 feet 5]/2 inch s. Then came Creed Haymond from the University of Utah to the University of Pennsylvania. His sprinting astounded the east. All three of th:se stars came from the southern end of the state. "The reason for these men is not be- cause the distance between water holes is great, nor that one had to jump high to be able to pick the berries. They are the result of heredity. The people who pio- neered this state were, absolutely, of the best American stock." New Superintendents Rulon E. Hicken was sustained as stake superintendent of the Y. M. M. I. A. at Cardston, Alberta stake, Canada, on Sep- tember 7. Former superintendent Seth H. Nelson was released. LeRoy Whitehead was chosen stake superintendent of the Y. M. M. I. A. of Gunnison stake, vice, Charles E. Embley, released. Wm. H. Stoddard was appointed super- intendent of the Y. M. M. I. A. of the Blaine stake, vice, David K. Henry, re- leased. E. Rey Guymen was sustained super- intendent of the Montpelier stake, Idaho, vice, Arthur S. Richards, released. The change was made on Saturday, August 27, 1927. James Jenson was chosen, September 18, 1927, superintendent of the Box Elder stake, Y. M. M. I. A., vice, Wm. H. Stayner, released. Robert Lee Purrington, was appointed superintendent Y. M. M. I. A., Weber stake, vice, Joseph E. Wright, released. Virgil M. Flake, Snowflake stake, Ari- zona, was appointed superintendent, Octo- ber 23, 1927, vice, Jesse M. Smith, re- leased. Short Play Contest Announcement of the winners in the short play contest inaugurated by the Improvement Era for 1927, will be made in the January, 1928, number. Appreciation From Japan Fujiya Nara, General Superintendent of the Mutual Improvement Associations in Japan, writes from Tokyo, to Alma O Taylor, expressing sincere appreciation to the General Board for furnishing them with the Improvement Era, from which they get much encouragement and help. The few Saints in Japan, seem determined to carry on in spite of the fact that the Church withdrew its missionaries over two years ago. There are three M. I. A. or- ganizations in Japan, one at Tokyo and vicinity over which Fujiya Nara presides: one at Osaka and vicinity, of which Tsuruichi Katsura is president, and one at Sapporo and all the Island Hokkaido with Kenji Ono, president. 174 IMPROVEMENT ERA Y. M. M. I. A. Statistical Report, October. 1927 9 & STAKE (2 si CO ^ _o 51 to ^ o x< — •o « iu 5 -o S 5 "2 = g •a c c 3 "o :> o :-' O J > 2 T3 C < uj u 1 c £ CO 111 < u II o O J > 2 < < c £ CO < c "^ > t < < O 1 o h Box Elder . 757 n 13 134 192 221 10 224|781 100|127| 89| 9|137 462 Carbon . 547 7 3 78 7.9 23 9 591148 201 201 161 41 45 105 Cottonwood . . .. .„. 727 10 10 107 80 160 30 275|652 101] 66] 95| 22|l76 460 Deseret . . _ _ _. 521 12 12 90 150 85 22 131|478 70| 96] 57| 11| 86 320 Emery . . . 476 9 7 60 59 110 .. 177|406 43 34| 71 1 1133 281 956 8 8 81 1 30 •704 31 787 778 78 1 10 1 67 7^ 768 646 Granite ._. _ ... 1000 9 9 79 80 206 126 235 725 70 68 155 99 192 584 Gunnison . _ 279 7 7 48 59 43 46 196 37 42 35 29 143 Juab ____ 328 5 4 39 79 57 60 235 31 54 44 51 180 Liberty 1435 12 12 112 177 229 106 310 934 111 183 209 89 279 871 595 1 1 7 70 74 78 1 8 154 3P4 51 34 40 10 96 731 North Davis 473 6 4 39 20 59 82 200 35 14 35 60 144 710 10 7 49 76 78 1 10 977 3Q 16 43 77 170 Ogden 876 11 11 97 89 161 35 757 634 78 59 1 16 7? 180 455 Oquirrh . 485 6 6 60 53 71 16 119 319 53 35 34 12 70 204 Palmyra . . _ . 487| 8 5 43 54 51 15 95 258 24 26 16 16 44 131 Panguitch 255i 6 1 10 14 18 12 54 7 7 8 6 28 Parowan 546 11 4 31 29 73 55 138 ?? 71 13 3? 88 330 680 11 14 10 8 72] 111 77 79 75 90 16 47 86 74 360 367 47 51 63 53 46 73 10 20 55 60 771 St. George 257 1090 528 13 8 13 8 123 129 228 140 35 264 170 779 457 104 63 88 46 158 92 29 201 111 580 South Davis 76 71 332 South Sevier 200 8 6 48 124 14 112 290 36 90 10 91 227 465 12 Uintah 415 363 10 11 7 7 50 50 72 49 60 35 27 74 81 283 215 48 32 53 36 46 19 7 56 43 710 Bear Lake 130 Burley 306 9 3 21 37 4 12 18 92 11 19 4 3 11 48 Cassia 149 6 6 35 60 35 3 56 189 22 42 15 2 41 122 Fremont . 666 14 13 120 187 145 19 145 616 80 143 88 15 86 402 200 577 7 12 5 7 34 61 30 67 11 65 4 11 25 67 104 271 17 40 26 45 7 27 2 4 17 56 69 Idaho Falls . - - 172 124 252 3 8 2 5 11 35 22 52 3 27 7 8 22 44 143 9 23 9 22 3 18 — 5 15 76 Minidoka 69 552 521 315 370 10 13 9 10 8 7 9 7 85 79 87 50 89 113 63 77 106 68 49 51 18 16 2 124 69 78 61 422 345 279 239 65 57 52 35 66 86 36 53 76 32 27 50 15 8 2 85 41 48 26 307 774 165 Yellowstone 164 Big Horn . - - 322 6 3 23 32 18 __ 15 78 12 18 4 2 10 46 Lethbridge 223 9 5 67 54 59 62 16 258 46 38 52 25 11 172 Los Angeles . 420 8 7 65 77 143 97 382 58 68 124 85 335 210 290 365 325 7 11 11 5 5 3 7 5 38 20 66 43 58 16 43 70 50 26 59 41 20 6 5 54 22 200 104 31 17 40 35 57 8 29 40 38 17 33 15 14 3 1 32 17 41 30 158 73 Star Valley 65|239 441203 146 Woodruff _ . 121 San Francisco 364 10 10 59 89 86 22 256 51 67 60 14 192 Hollywood 318 10 10 89 122 149 15 77 452 69 110 121 22 56 3 78 400 175 20|14 _...' 7 58 41 95 51 100 38 9 9 45 14 307 153 50 33 110 31 90 36 6 4 35 13 7.91 N. W. States Mission 117 715 9 8 64 77 69 15 155 380 51 39 42 12 106 250 1410 14 10 85 1 83 157 56 258 599 82 70 115 55 186 508 503 425 13 8 8 8 57| 59 48 108 17 _ 68|249 46 62 43 88 32 69 10 51 130 182 Maricopa 77 113 161 459 349 Y. M. M. I. A . Efficiency Report, October, 1927 STAKE < i O 1 m c T3 W> •f I 1 O E s > < (2 0 s s 1 1 w U- ■fc-g 0 h Hollywood 10 10 10 8 10 7 7 8 10 10 90 7 7 10 10 10 6 10 10 10 5 3 5 6 6 5 7 4 8 8 2 8 6 5 7 10 9 10 10 8 10 79 64 Box Elder 79 5 8 10 10 6 10 6 10 4 3 5 6 4 5 6 7 6 59 Carbon ... .. 52 Cottonwood 9 10 10 10 10 7 7 8 10 10 91 Deseret 9 10 10 10 7 6 8 5 5 y 19 Emery 9 10 7 4 7 2 5 6 8 6 64 8 4 7 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 7 10 10 7 10 7 3 2 7 5 4 5 2 3 10 10 10 10 10 10 8/ 68 Granite 76 Gunnison . . 7 10 10 10 8 6 9 8 6 9 83 Juab 8 10 8 8 8 3 7 4 8 8 11 Liberty . . 7 10 10 10 10 8 7 4 10 10 86 7 6 9 10 10 10 10 10 7 10 3 5 7 6 7 10 10 10 9 10 /y North Davis 87 North Sanpete 4 6 6 6 6 6 6 2 8 6 56 Ogden . 7 10 10 10 9 7 9 7 10 10 89 Oquirrh .... 7 10 10 8 7 6 6 7 10 10 85 5 10 6 5 10 8 8 7 1 9 1 9 10 10 10 /I Panguitch . . 27 Pa rowan . _. 5 9 8 8 _ 5 4 3 b 42 10 10 9 10 6 9 3 8 2 3 4 7 7 4 8 4 7 9 10 65 St. George .... 65 Salt Lake 7 10 10 7 9 7 7 7 9 10 82 South Davis . 9 10 10 10 10 10 10 8 10 10 97 10 10 10 8 10 9 10 4 3 3 7 2 ~7 2 4 8 9 9 7 69 Summit ... 63 Uintah 7 10 6 2 5 3 4 4 7 6 47 Bear Lake ... 7 6 5 1 3 3 5 4 6 4 44 Burley 3 7 3 2 1 3 2 3 3 27 10 9 8 5 10 10 10 6 10 10 10 10 5 10 10 6 7 5 4 4 4 10 5 7 7 8 9 8 10 10 10 9 10 10 10 6 83 88 3 3 72 Idaho Falls 7 6 68 3 9 10 3 3 6 6 6 3 49 Minidoka 7 7 5 3 3 4 3 5 4 6 47 Pocatello 8 10 10 10 9 6 10 5 10 10 88 Rigby 7 9 5 5 2 5 5 6 8 5 57 Shelley ... 9 6 10 7 7 6 7 7 9 10 78 Yellowstone ... 6 10 10 2 6 4 8 5 10 8 63 ? 9 ■5 5 3 4 ? 3 2 5 40 10 10 10 10 10 10 7 fi 10 10 93 Los Angeles 9 10 9 9 9 5 6 8 9 9 83 9 1(1 8 10 7 7 5 6 10 5 77 Snowflake 4 10 3 1 2 1 2 1 2 3 7.8 Star Valley 7 6 6 2 3 2 1 4 4 6 5 45 Woodruff 6 9 10 8 4 5 4 8 9 8 77 No. W. States Mission 10 10 10 3 1 5 7 7 6 9 67 Weber 5 10 10 10 10 10 10 6 10 9 6 9 10 10 10 10 10 77 Maricopa 10 9 97 REPORTS FROM ALL THEIR WARDS The following sixteen stakes received reports from all their wards for the efficiency and statistical report for October: Ensign, Liberty. Box Elder, Ogden, Cottonwood, Salt Lake, Granite, Deseret, Hollywood, Maricopa, San Francisco, Gunnsion, Oquirrh. South Davis, Shelley, Woodruff. Let us increase this number for November, as it is quite as important that we get the reports from the wards as from the stakes, in order that the stake people may be able to determine how the Mutual work is going in their stakes,