The Power of Personality

The Power of Personality By Herbert D. Brown I KNEW a young man, a number of years ago, who was living in a small town in one of our "Mormon" communities. He had been born and reared in the Church, educated in a Church school, had filled a mission, and was holding a position of honor in the ward where he lived. He was very energetic, perhaps too much so; whatever he started to do you might be sure would be thoroughly done. But, as is the case with many of our young men, the consciousness of his ability caused him, at times, to feel that he could have done things just a little better than they were being done by the bishop or others. Nevertheless, David was a good young man. A trivial personal difficulty arose between him and his bishop which, through foolish pride and stubbornness, grew into a serious feeling of bitterness, and at a ward conference David voted against the bishop and, as a result, was publicly reprimanded by the president of the stake for this action. This hurt his vanity to such an extent that he resigned his ward position, sold his home and moved away. Locating in a town, where there was no ward organization, he went into business with a man who was not a member of the Church. David prospered financially and made many friends, some of them none too good morally. As he had no opportunity of at- tending his Church duties, he allowed his energies to be turned in the opposite direction and soon became a member of a club where card playing was the chief occupation. This led to smoking and drinking and it was not long before he was spending all of his spare time at the club and saloons. Three years went by and David gradually became more careless, and dissipated in spite of the earnest remonstrances of his friends. During all this time, however, the consciousness of wrongdoing was drawing at his heart, but his stubbornness was too deep-seated to permit of any change. One Sunday morning he heard that a meeting was to be held for the purpose of organizing a ward in the town, and, out of curiosity more than anything else, he was one of the congregation which filled the hall. The presiding officer was a man of vast experience and mighty faith. Though David did not know him personally he had heard enough to know that this was a man of God. After the prayer, and while the congregation was singing the

THE POWER OF PERSONALITY 865 second song, the president stepped from the stand, walked down the aisles to where David sat and tapped him on the shoulder, saying, "I want to see you out in the hall." David was so surprised that he walked out automatically, wondering what it was all about. As he stepped into the hall the president turned to him and said: "I am going to organize a new ward here in a few minutes. I want you for one of its officers. If you take the place you know what you will have to do. You have thrown away three years of your life and I don't need to tell you whether you have been right or wrong. I am a man of few words and am going to give you five minutes to think it over." David was dumbfounded. Several years of his past life came in review before him. He saw what the Gospel had done for him and. what he had been doing in return. It seemed hours that the presi- dent's eyes were looking through him before he heard the words, "The time is up. What is the answer, yes or no?" The answer finally came, "Yes," and the two walked back into the room and upon the stand. I met David again a few years later. We walked down the street together. As we passed the club and the saloon where he used to spend his time, I asked how he had managed to overcome his for- mer habits. He laughed and said: "Oh, it was no trouble. I have never been inside one of them since; I have been too busy for such things. Do you know, when I stop to think of what that president did, it is really funny. I believe there is not another man on earth who could have persuaded me to do what he did. But when he looked into my eyes, there was no need for words. I knew what God wanted me to do. The president's personality was so overpowering, so mas- terful, that I knew I could not do anything else. I have met many men in my life, and as you know I have a strong will of my own, too strong, perhaps, but never before nor since have I experienced the feeling I had during that five minutes out in the hall with that servant of the Lord. I know how the Prophet Joseph felt when the angel told him what he was to do during his lifetime. No matter what happens to me in the future, I shall always know that I was called of God to that position. It has made a man of me, and has made me try to develop the same personality as the president had that Sunday morning. Oh, yes," he added, "did I tell you that I am leaving for Europe in two weeks, to fill another mission?" Ogden, Utah.