Education and Industry

Education and Industry From the beginning, the early settlers. the people of this western land, were counselled to become self-sustaining. They were themselves to provide for their physical needs' and comforts, through work. To this end they were not only advised, but were indirectly compelled by circumstances, to be thrifty and in- dustrious. "The Lord requires this people to be a self-9ustaining people. Produce everything you need to eat. drink or wear," said Brigham Young, "but if you cannot obtain all you wish for today, learn to do with- out, * * * but bring your minds into subjection that you must and will live within your means." Again, the people were told: "Instead of searching for what the Lord is going to do for us, let us inquire what we can do for ourselves." To this end the people sought with all their might to work for knowledge, in- tellectual and spiritual, to accumulate ma- terial means, and develop the resources of the land. Thus engaged, they became a moral, healthy and happy people. They cultivated the soil, they built com- fortable homes, paid for more land, raised flocks and herds, purchased tools and ma- chinery, erected commodious schools, sugar factories, elegant palaces of worship. Many died, not fully aware of what a foundation in thrift, education and industry they had laid for their descendants. They realized the wisdom of the admonition of their great leader: "The riches of a kingdom or nation do not consist so much in the fulness of its treasury as in the fertility of its soil and the industry of its people." Some there were who pined for gold, and wished to go to the gold mines. "We are right in the midst of them. Why don't you dig the gold from the earth," they were told by the great pioneer. "It de- moralizes any community or nation on the earth to give them gold and silver to their heart's content: it will ruin any nation: but give them iron, and coal, good hard work, plenty to eat. good schools and good doctrine, and it will make them a healthy, wealthy and happy people." Their religion embraced work, even as it does today. It was not only to know the will of God. but to do it. To know how to employ their time and direct their labors rightly was the greatest wealth they possessed, and it is ours today. This applies also to our leisure time, which is not a time to loaf and devise mischief, but rather a time for activity in constructive thought and work, or clean, vigorous play. To obtain such knowledge, they "were counselled early to instruct boys and girls in every useful branch of material, phys- ical and mental education. But it requires labor; even the upbuilding of the kingdom of God requires temporal labor all the time. "It will be built up by physical force and means, by manual labor, more than by any particular mental effort of the mind. If we arc to build up the kingdom of God. * * we have to labor with our hands, plan with our minds, and devise ways and means to accomplish that object. * * When we enjoy a Zion in its beauty and glory, it will be when we have built it. If we live in the city of the New Jerusalem, it will be because we lay the foundation and build it. If. as individuals, we do not complete that work, we shall at least lay the foundation for our children and our children's children. My faith, continues President Young, "does not lead me to think the Lord will provide us with roast pigs, and bread already buttered.'' Work is the best antidote against the poison of undirected leisure. — A.

340 IMPROVEMENT ERA Providing Employment Governor George H. Dern, in a decisive radio speech in early January, said that there is perhaps a larger army of unem- ployed people this year in Salt Lake City, and Utah, than there has been for several years past. The employment situation during 1927 was not good. While money, was, and is now, plentiful, it is- not being expended very freely in enterprises of any kind, thus giving employment to the peo- ple, especially in the larger cities. To meet this situation an employment bureau was inaugurated in the Granite stake, in January, 1927, by the Church authorities of that 9take. An Employment Committee was chosen in each of the nine wards, by the bishops. The duty of these committees, who volunteered their services, was two-fold: first, to ascertain who in the wards had work to be done; second, to discover who needed employment. All the people were to cooperate in giving the in- formation. Then a central office was opened with one man employed, at a reasonable salary, paid by the wards monthly, whose duty was to do the gen- eral adjusting and appointing that could not be done in the wards. During his office hours he receives reports from all nine wards, of persons out of employment and the character of work they can do. Repairs, carpenter work, gardening, cement work, spraying, cleaning, painting — all who had any work of the kind were also to report either to the ward committee or to the central committee, and the em- ployer and the unemployed thus came to- gether. In this way, an average of more than one hundred persons each month were given employment. The report for the year shows 125 7. And the central agent. Carl H. Rosell, figures that 25 per cent of the jobs were permanent and steady. Persons who have thus received work, without expense to them, have expressed appreciation and feel that the stake and ward authorities are interested in their hap- piness and welfare. It is better to give a little for providing work, than to dole out charity. There is no better antidote for the dev- ilment of idleness than work. Persons arrive in righteousness when they are ac- tive in good, constructive achievements. Give men and women work. — A. BOOKS My Philosophy of Life is a new book by Professor Alfred Osmond, author of the Exiles. In it he discusses the seven fundamental natures of man, the physical, the sexual, the intellectual, the social, the moral, the aesthetic, and the spiritual. And he does it in a cheerful way, in the course of 229 nicely printed pages, in a new and beautiful type. The book is dedicated to his sons and daughters and to his many students. My Philosophy of Life is a book that one will delight to read before the fire-side to his family and discuss with the boys and girls. It aims to give the reader a clear conception of his moral mission in life and encourages all to live the best life that they are capable of living. It en- courages good health, the need for the search of truth. It discourses upon the kinds of truth, some of the imperfect tests that arc used to define truth; how the social nature of man is satisfied, and how the yearnings of the beautiful is developed by the aesthetic nature of man, and how man spiritually is in constant communion with the Lord and immortality. The three chapters closing the book are entitled, "How to be Happy," "Tragedy and Life," and "Redemption." There are also twenty- one poems selected from the author's sev- eral hundred. The book is a real con- tribution to the philosophic thought of the Latter-day Saint The Deseret Book Company or the author. Price $1.60 by mail. History of the Scandinavian Mission. This is a volume of some 570 pages, com- piled and written by Andrew Jenson, as- sistant Church historian. It contains more than four hundred portraits and biograph-