--- 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: 11 published: 1928-09 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* 31, no. 11 (September 1928): 971–981." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera31011unse 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: improvementera31011unse start_page: 971 end_page: 981 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1928-09) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera31011unse publication_year: 1928 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 1928, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Mutual Work MUTOAL WORK^ EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT Important Items The following information and instruc- tions were recently sent, in the form of a letter, to all ward presidents, by Executive Director Oscar A. Kirkham, acting for the General Superintendency of the Y. M. M. I. A.: 1. ORGANIZATION. — Check through the new organization plan and select, in cooperation with the bishop, the best men for the special work of each de- partment. The new organization calls for the following officers in each ward: A ward president and two counselors — a sec- retary-treasurer— a music director — two members for the Community Activity Committee and two members for the Adult Committee — an adult supervisor of M Men work — a leader of the Vanguardi (Older Scouts) — a leader of the Boy Scouts. The last three officers may be the same men as supervise the Aaronic Priest- hood. THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE RIGHT JOB IS YOUR CHALLENGING TASK. 2. OPENING SOCIAL.— Meet with the bishopric and the presidency of the Y. L. M. I. A. at once and plan for a real opening social. Get the heads of your various departments interested. Let this be the occasion of a great social event. It may also give the department leaders a chance to meet old and new members of their departments and enroll them for the season's work. 3. GENERAL FUND.— It may be that you will use the opening social as the time for raising the General Fund, or that it is to be placed as an item in the Ward Budget, or that you will use some other means of raising this amount. In any event you and your co-workers should agree on some definite method and put over this work with dispatch. Please do not let it drag; if you do, it will become an im- pairment to the entire year's work. The amount for your ward to remit to the Gen- eral Superintendency of the Y. M. M. I. A., Church Office Building, Salt Lake- City, is based on 10% of your ward popu- lation. 4. LIFE MEMBERSHIP.— At least one new Life Member is expected from your ward this year. Please send name, ward, address and $5.00 with each Life Membership application. 5. IMPROVEMENT ERA. — T h e price of the Improvement Era is $2.00 a year. If you obtain 3% of your ward population as subscribers, we will remit to you 15c on each subscription. If you obtain 5%, we will remit 25c on each subscription. You may appoint an Era agent and allow him these rebates. In any event, we expect that the head of each family will have an opportunity to subscribe for our magazine. It is better than ever. When sending in subscrip- tions, please give the name, address, ward and stake. Please plan to do this work at once. Any ward can accomplish this duty in a short time with careful planning and spirited cooperation. 6. MANUALS, HANDBOOKS, ETC. — All accounts will be in name of Ward Associations, the president being the only one authorized to order. Hand Books will be fifty cents a copy. Yearly Roll and Minute Books combined, fifty cents each. Manuals, twenty-five cents each. These 972 IMPROVEMENT ERA items are on a cash basis, but credit will be extended until October 31, when all ac- counts must be paid in full, your order at once. Please place Qualities of Leaders Executive Alertness Leaders that lead are mentally awake to the possibilities and needs of their part of the world's work. To them leadership is a process of education. They think, and think hard about their accepted responsi- bility, their honor-bound obligation; they think in council with others. Officers' meeting is to them an opportunity for growth, as well as the performance of a duty. They are alert to danger signals, but are much more concerned about safety devices. They are wide awake as to making the present better than the past. To them noth- ing is seen so good that it cannot be im- proved upon. They are alert to the present possibilities of enrollment, the improve- ments in organization, and in the all-year- round plan of M. I. A. procedure. Executive Action "Every officer a leader" is one of the expectant slogans of the M. I. A. Orna- mental office-filling is out of place in any organization of activity and achievement. Executive action will see to it that or- ganizations are effected and are kept intact by the immediate filling of vacancies, and will untiringly work to have all organiza- tions effectively operative. Executive Appreciation High-grade leadership will appreciate position. The officer who does not ap- preciate his office is in the back-ground as a leader. He needs the attitude of the boy who, when told by a companion that the office of a deacon was nothing, replied, "It will be when I am ordained." Executive appreciation recognizes, not only the ability, but the efforts of others and is generous in its encouragement of sub- ordinates. It also recognizes the value of what is done by higher officials. It em- phasizes the value of helpful appliances by making their use a practical necessity. For example: Definite assignments from the Hand Book by stake superintendents and presidents of wards will be strikingly effec- tive in getting officers to obtain and study the new Hand Book. Executive appreciation exemplifies the thought couched in the expression "Every- thing to boost and nothing to belittle," good causes, good organizations, good of- ficers, good members and good efforts. If our executive alertness, executive action, and executive appreciation can escape the contagion of "put-off-a-tive- ness," we shall get a good start, make a good march, and have a victorious finish in the coming year's campaign. The New Manual Captains of Industry, the manual pre- on sale. Most of the chapters will furnish pared for the Adult Department, is now sufficient material for two lessons, and a MUTUAL WORK 973 few of them, perhaps, for three. It is further suggested that there are local "cap- tains of industry," whose lives will furnish excellent supplementary material. Additional matter for this department may be found in Dean Milton Bennion's book A/oral Teachings of the Neu> Testa- ment and in the Genealogical material. Disraeli, by Andre Maurois By Dr. Adam S. Bennion [Two evenings at least might well be spent in discussing this book, and two more with The Glorious Adventure, by Richard Halliburton. Dr. F. S. Harris' interesting review of the last named book appears in the September number of the Young Woman's Journal. — General Committee.] Biography has come into its own. There was a time when, because of its historical mattcr-of-factness, and because of the de- termination of certain biographers to drag the details of men's lives through five volumes, very few readers presumed to en- ter the domain of the chronicles of great men. Now, however, biography, having profited by the methods of fiction, of psy- chology and of scientific analysis, has become one of the most fascinating forms of literature. Witness the enthusiastic re- ception given the best biographies of the last half dozen years! Papini's Life of Christ and Sandburg's Lincoln offer ample evidence. The reading of biography pays such rich dividends! Collins, in his 1 he Doctor Looks at Biography, hints the explanation: "The novelist must be content to deal with the children of his mind, the biog- rapher with the children of God." Wm. Roscoe Thayer gives the same idea even a more beautiful expression in his The Art of Biography: "The master creations of fiction spring from the human brain; the subjects of bi- ography are the very creations of God himself; the realities of God must forever transcend the fictions of man." The reader of biography has the assur- ing thought that the men and women whom he meets have really lived — they represent no make-believe world. There crowds into his consciousness a realization of the fact that others have actually done the things chronicled! What an urge to him "to go and do likewise." Not only may he thrill to such an urge, but he may sit by and watch others "try on" the ex- periences of life. He vicariously has the benefit of having watched the issues of the experiments carried on in the laboratory of human experience. When Fate calls her Roll of Time, Israel will answer out of all proportion to her numbers. Ancient Israel, of course, will crowd the head of the list, but modern Israel will be heard too. Among those to respond Benjamin Disraeli, the subject of this review, will shout a clarion "Here." Disraeli is one of the most unique fig- ures in history. Orator — author — states- man— he made a place for himself, a Jew, which might well be the envy of his "not too Christian" Christian compatriots. He measures up admirably under Lar- ned's tests of greatness — native endowment, opportunity, will to serve. He measures up equally well under Em- erson's seven tests of great men as quoted in Clara Barrus' Life of John Burroughs: 1. Has he any aim which with all his soul he pursues? 2. Does he work for show? 3. Has he health of mind? Does he work in good humor? 4. Has he ability to set in motion the minds of others? 5. Has he belief in a Superhuman In- fluence? 6. Are his aims unselfish aims? 7. Has he breadth of vision? Is he able to free himself from prejudice? Can he treat trifles as trifles? Not only does Disraeli make a suitable study for a notable biography, but his biographer. Andre Maurois, has proved 974 IMPROVEMENT ERA himself worthy the honor of drawing the portrait. He has set down in a volume of fewer than four hundred pages a complete- ness of vital detail heightened by a rich- ness of suggestion and reasoned romance that make the volume one of the outstand- ing biographies of recent years. Little won- der it should be selected by America's Book-of-the-Month Club. And who is Andre Maurois? Andre Maurois is a French writer, born in 1885 at Elbeuf, France. He was edu- cated at Lycee de Rouen. The following are some of his publications: Silences du Colonel Bramble, 1918; Discoures du Doc- teur O'Grady, 1920; Ariel, or the Life of Shelley, 1923; Dialogues sur le Command- ement, 1925; Mape, 1926; Bernard Quesnay, 1926; The Life of Disraeli, 1927; Essay on Dickens, 1927; Don Juan, or the Life of Byron, 1927. The author, who is also M. Emile Her- zog, was a textile manufacturer of Elbeuf, amateur of philosophy and sometime officer of the French Army. The comparative tardiness of his literary arrival is due, of course, to those same textile mills which swallowed him up as a young man, fresh from the lycee, dreaming of a philosophic career. The Herzog family, manufacturers for a century past, left Alsace immediately after the Franco-Prussian war and settled in the Norman city of Elbeuf where, at about twenty, young Emile Herzog gave up his dreams of becoming a professor of philosophy, turned his back upon the be- loved Lycee of Rouen and settled down to the problem of buying raw materials, mak- ing cloth of them, pleasing the customers, and selling the cloth at a profit. For a decade the future author was known only to the world of commerce, of which, "if we may trust his frankly autobiographical novel, Bernard Quesnay — he looked with very ill-disguised disdain. Not until the middle of the war did Maurois make con- tact with Parisian literary circles, but the war, in whose blood and mud so many promising careers were quenched, was the starting point of this one. His knowledge of England led to his assignment as French liaison officer of the Ninth Scottish Div- sion, from which, after two years, he went on to British G. H. Q. Already familiar with the British, he found himself in daily contact with his trans-channel neighbors. The result was his first book, Les Silences du Colonel Bramble, and its immediate suc- cessors. His books are typical comedies of humor — Disraeli, being the first example of the Maurois method in biography. The Maurois method has three components: im- mense and patient research, a relentless se- lection, which discards most of what has been so patiently gathered, plus a curious spark that is his own." (Quoted from Bakeless.) His biography at the opening of the present volume indicates the background of his scholarship, and yet he divulges its richness so naturally and graciously that the reader is wholly unconscious of the la- bor of learnedness — he catches only the joy that lies in abundance of worthy ideas. But talking about this Disraeli biography does not do it justice. One must read it to know its charm. Space prevents an analysis of the book. Perhaps a few glances at its pages will suggest its richness. The first line is striking, at the outset — read again at the close of the book, it is strategic. "In the year 1290, on All Saints Day, King Edward I expelled the Jews from England." Singular that out of that group of out- casts there should come a descendant who should shape the political destinies of an empire. Benjamin Disraeli was no ordinary boy. Notice Maurois' school-boy reflections. "When he went out for a walk alone, he liked now to imagine himself as Prime Minister or the Commander of an Army. "He was fifteen years old, and facts had proved that school was dangerous for him; would he find at the University, if he went there, the same prejudices, the same hatreds? What was to be done? But first of all, what did he want? With the turmoil of the little school-boy world, the memories of his intrigues, his triumphs, his miniature wars, had come glimpses, as through scattering clouds, of clear and vivid landscapes; and then he could descry the distant shapes of vast ambition, just as MUTUAL WORK 975 a man drawing near a town will catch sight of the lofty towers soaring above it." Or, hurry along to the record of hi3 maiden speech in the House of Commons. The speech is reproduced in Maurois, and is a speech in which Disraeli was literally laughed down. The prophetic power of his utterance, "Ay, Sir, and though I sit down now the time will come when you will hear me." What a fulfillment when all England hung on his phrases! Similar defeats were crowded out by equally distinctive victories throughout a life of lights and shadows. The record ol thirty years and more in Parliament — much of the time on the political firing line — is so fascinatingly set down that the story of England's Victorian struggles read like a romance. Or, consider the art with which Maurois presents the married life of Disraeli and "Mary Anne." Though she was thirteen years his senior, and a widow, rather gen- erally pronounced odd and unattractive, yet she proved to be a real helpmate. Elbert Hubbard tells of the incident "of her fingers being crushed by the careless slam- ming of the carriage door, and her hiding the bleeding members in her muff, and attending her husband to the House of Commons, where he was to speak, refusing to disturb him by her pain." Note the sarnie devotion in this paragraph from Maurois — "Meanwhile, Mary Anne was very ill. From 1866 she had had a cancer of the stomach; she knew it, but forced herself to hide the truth from Dizzy, whilst he, thinking that she was ignorant of it, af- fected to speak lightly of the disease. Cour- ageously she continued to live a social life. In 1872 the young charge d'affaires of the French Embassy saw, in one drawing-room a strange being trapped out like a kind of pagoda, whom he took for some aged rajah. It was Mary Anne, and behind her was Dizzy, painted and sepulchral, his last ringlet dyed jet-black and fixed on his bald brow. On her heart Mary Anne wore, as one wears the badge of an order, a huge medallion which framed a portrait of her husband. She was eighty-one, and he sixty-eight; a ridiculous and touching pair." Her note of 1 856: "My own dear Husband, — If I should depart this life before you, leave orders that we may be buried in the same grave at whatever distance you may die from Eng- land. And now God bless you, my kind- est, dearest! You have been a perfect husband to me. Be put by my side in the same grave. And now, farewell, my dear Dizzy. Do not live alone, dearest. Some one I earnestly hope you may find as at- tached to you as your own devoted "Mary Anne," becomes the better evidence of happiness when coupled with his request not to be buried in Westminster — an honor offered by Gladstone — but to be laid by her side in the little church yard of Hughenden. Or, consider the achievement of having so completely won the confidence and af- fection of a sovereign of such distinction as Queen Victoria. Very few parallels may be found in history. He had seen her become queen in the beauty of her young womanhood; he had counseled her through a long and, to England, a glorious reign; he died to have her send to his funeral two wreathes! One, of fresh primrose, bore the inscription "His favorite flower;" on the other she had written in her own hand, "A token of true affection, friendship, and respect." She also had a monument erect- ed, bearing the inscription: To The Dear and Honoured Memory of Benjamin Earl of Beaconsfield This Memorial is Placed by His Grateful Sovereign and Friend Victoria R. I. "Kings love him that speaketh right." Proverbs, xvi. 13. And, finally, one enjoys reading the ac- count of the mastery involved in securing for England control of the Suez Canal and in making Queen Victoria Empress of 976 IMPROVEMENT ERA India. Disraeli has been charged with egotism and with questionable shrewd- ness, but under the kindly touch of Maur- ois one comes to admire him for his won- derful persistence and for his triumph over circumstances that would have baffled men of lesser genius. Maurois delights in bis Disraeli — readers1 catch his enthusiasm and put the book down regretting once more that notable books have to end. Ten Outstanding Magazine Articles Selected by a Council of Librarians July, 1928 "Training in Political Intelligence," Ar- thur T. Hadley in Yale Review. The President-Emeritus of Yale Univer- sity, in one of his rare articles, analyzes the problems of education for self-government in an age of changing mental, moral and spiritual standards and industrial organiza- tion of society. "Church and State in England," W. R. Inge in Yale Review. The Dean of St. Paul's, London, dis- cusses the questions underlying the contro- versy over the revised Church of England Prayerbook, the deadlock caused by the refusal of Parliament to approve it, and relations with the Roman Catholic Church. "The Mockery of American Divorce," Stephen Ewing in Harper's Magazine. Comparing our American divorce laws with those in the Scandinavian countries, Mr. Ewing argues that they are barbarous, that they encourage a disastrous amount of perjury, and that they inflict needless suf- fering and humiliation. "Progress and Plenty," William T. Foster and Wadill Catchings in Century. A cure for business depressions is the contribution offered by two eminent econ- omists towards a more satisfactory life. The authors submit this plan as a simple, feasible and immediate way out of the dilemma of thrift. "At Home in Puka-Puka," Robert Dean Frisbie in Atlantic Monthly. Mr. Frisbie describes "Life on an Atoll." his life in Puka-Puka, a speck in the South- ern Pacific, where he keeps a store for as droll a lot of native customers as ever a merchant dealt with. "Our Muddling World," Salvador de Ma- dariaga in Forum. Our muddling world finds Salvador de Madariaga, Spanish poet, perched on his peak of the Pyrenees, surveying post-war diplomats at their task of raveling and unraveling the knots of international in trigue. "Servicing Our 260 American Wage," Dr. Julius Klein in Magazine of Business. What has happened to 917,000 workers who, since 1920, ceased factory labor? How has American prosperity with its "260" wage scale absorbed the productive power of the "factory hands?" These questions are answered by Dr. Klein. "Airships versus Airplane," Arthur R. Blessing in North American Review. With aircraft destined to play a greater role in the pageant of civilization than any other mode of transportation, Mr. Blessing presents the alternate fine points which characterize travel by these two mediums of air voyaging. "Banded for the Biggest Business," Wil- liam McAndrew in Review of Re- views. William McAndrew, recently Superin- tendent of Schools in Chicago, here reviews the remarkable history of the National Education Association and its contributions to the astonishing progress of American education in recent years. "Spider — Friends and Enemies?" John E. Hogg in Field and Stream. A discussion of the virtues and vices of some of the commonest of creatures with which campers, hunters, fishermen and all outdoor persons and vacationists are di- rectly concerned. MUTUAL WORK 977 MEN DEPARTMENT Etiquette Meaning: The form required by good breeding, ceremonial code or polite society. General principles of etiquette: Trua consideration for others is the underlying principle upon which all politeness is based. The books on etiquette and correct social usage are full of conventional rules that it is well to know, but these are not arbitrary. They have come into being little by little for hundreds of years, just as many of our other traditions have been handed down to us. Mere mechanical deportment is worth very little. It smacks of an intelligent culture which is simply ve- neered on. so to speak. Such a veneer is easily cracked, soon broken. The culture we desire for our young people is a spirit- ual culture which must come from within outward. Purpose of this course: Our M Men and Gleaner Girls belong to a group from which the majority of our missionaries are called. Criticisms which come to us from the outside are both favorable and unfavor- able. Our young people are known far and wide for their sincerity, their testi- monies, and their diligence in study, but are frequently found wanting in that courtesy, ease, grace and freedom which make it possible for them to win their audiences, be they large or small, by the charm of their manners. We feel that our young people might double their influence by kindly courtesies and fine manners. "Men, like bullets." says Richter. "go farthest when they are smoothest." The Gospel which we carry to every kindred, tongue and people, will go farthest if i' is preached by polished and cultured young men and women who are possessed with a genuine testimony of and loyalty to the saving plan. A shrewd observer will note that if one throws a bone to a dog, he will run off with it in his mouth, but with no vibration in his tail. But let him call the dog to him. pat him on the head, give him the bone from his hand, and the dog's tail will wag with appreciation, Even a dog recog- nizes graciousness of manner. Those who throw, as it were, truths of the everlasting Gospel to the world, should not expect them to be received. Oftentimes, a fine manner succeeds where the best tongue has failed. Our M Men and Gleaner Girls are not only to preach the Gospel, but they are in the making for leadership of the com- munity and social life. The scriptures indicate plainly that they are to edify the body of Christ, or be exemplars and form a leadership in the progress of the people at home, such as directing the flock and shaping the welfare of the nation and the Church. If this is the case, the follow- ing should be kept in mind: Self-consciousness, doubt, awkwardness, and timidity are foes to success. These "little things" in life exert a mighty influ- ence upon our ability to achieve results in any field. For our own happiness, and for our efficiency in promulgating the Gospel, it is our duty to cultivate the self-improve- ment habit as regards our manners and be- havior. No matter how polished one may be, there is always room for growth. There is room at the top in every field. In the leadership of people and espe- cially in the rush to dispose of the full program of leadership, many good and kind servants forget that "love is the power that moulds and forms of life the greater part." and in a moment of forget- fulncss. speak harshly to one of their most loyal companions. All the defects of na- ture are compensated for by a fine manner. The most fascinating young men and women are always those of charming man- ners. Physical beauty, fashionable dress, or high standing in financial or diplomatic circles, are not alone sufficient to secure success. The charm of one's manners depends 978 IMPROVEMENT ERA very largely upon certain personal habits, chief among which are cheerfulness, order, neatness, promptness, and a well modulated voice. Everyone loves pleasant, cheery people whether they be homely or handsome, fat or lean, tall or short, red haired or brown haired, or what not, and it is perfectly possible to pray, sing, work, play, be well or ill, rich or poor, and still be pleasant. It is a duty as well. The home is the foundation of society, therefore proper conduct in the home should be the first lesson to be learned in etiquette. The basis of home culture and etiquette is: I. The affectionate cherishing of family affection, the love for father, moth- er, brothers, sisters, and later hus- band, wife, and children. II. The unselfish spirit, one that takes them into account, has respect for their feelings, wishes to make them happy, etc. "Honor thy father and thy mother" should be the basis upon which home eti- quette is practiced. Most young people love to appear well before strangers 01 out in company, but ofttimes something is greatly lacking in their behavior and manners at home. If they can lay the proper foundation at home, and cultivate charm of manners, and extend the proper courtesies to the mem- bers of their own families, their company manners will follow naturally. Next to the home comes the Church as a foundation for good society. In order to attain to the highest degree of culture, there must be something of the spiritual and religious practiced in our lives to gain the victory over self. Our young people and older ones, too, have been criticized for their behavior in houses of worship. Is there such a thing as Church etiquette? The following suggestions may be help- ful in your class discussions for October: Home Etiquette Cooperation between husband and wife. Young lady's attitude toward her mother Cooperation between parents and children. and father. Young man's courtesies to his mother. Her attitude toward her brothers and Young man's courtesies to his father. sisters. His courtesies to his sisters. Interruptions, obtrusiveness, selfishness. Church Etiquette Attitude toward religion. Attitude toward houses of worship. Conduct in Church service. Conduct in other events held in Church building. Chewing gum in Church buildings. Our passport to good society — Intel- ligence and gentle, quiet, cultivated manners. The Charm of Fine Manners, by Mrs. Helen Ekin Starret and the New Book on Etiquette, by Lillian Eichler, are good ref- erence books on the subject. Harvest Ball The Harvest Ball is the M Men and Gleaner Girls' big social event of the year, programmed for the latter part of Novem- ber. We hope to make this an annual event in the M Men and Gleaner Girls' pro- gram. It may be made a ward or stake event. It is our opportunity to demon- strate the real meaning of our project. The M. I. A. is noted for traditions. We have established, for example, the Slogan and the Reading Course, and now add one more traditional evtent, the Gleaner-M Men Harvest Ball, which we hope will stand out preeminently, unex- celled by any other social undertaking. Start preparations early and plan care- fully for this big event. One Friday in the latter part of November should be re- served on the year-round program for this ball. For the M Men and Gleaner Girls' MUTUAL WORK 979 session, the first Tuesday in November, use for the theme "Our Project," showing by practical demonstrations the aesthetic and cultural value of the modern dance, and the charm of good manners in the ball room. This will be an effective way to prepare for and arouse interest in the coming ball. Beauty and refinement help to bring forth the best that is within us; therefore, let us make this harvest ball outstanding in this particular. Typical harvest decorations will be in keeping. A distinctive feature, introduced to add charm to the occasion, will be for the Gleaner Girls to wear a head dress typical of that used by Ruth of old. A yard of soft mull, of any contrasting shade which harmonizes with the gown to be worn, bound tightly around the forehead and pinned at the back of the neck, and let fall softly over the shoulders, will give a beautiful effect. The array of color pro duced by the many varied shades worn by the different girls will be effective and striking in contrast with the dark suits worn by the M Men. Boutonnieres, if worn by all the M Men, gives an appear- ance of increased harmony. Portland M Men Earn Praise The Portland M Men basketball team made a very excellent showing in the Church league held here during the past season. The team won thirty-five out of forty games played during the season, and finished third in the league composed of twenty teams representing the various churches of Portland. This is a distinct Portland M Men Basketball Team Front row, left to right: Vernon F. Neeley, coach; John Stull, Paul E. Warnick; Anthon E. Nielson; LaGrande Nielson. captain. Back row: William R. Sloan, mission president; O. L. Stone. L. Delbert Bodily, Glen Blodgett, Donald C. Sloan, manager. 980 IMPROVEMENT ERA honor for the Portland M Men, inasmuch as this is but their second year of partici- pation in basketball. The physical con- dition and wonderful endurance of the players, their high type of sportsmanship and fair playing, were noted by the many onlookers. One of the referees paid the team a very high compliment by saying, that in the two years he had refereed the games played in the Church league of Portland, the L. D. S. players were the cleanest and displayed the best grade of sportsmanship of all the teams with which he had come in contact. Reports like this have caused the people of Portland to become more interested in the activities of the Latter-day Saint Church, and be- cause of this we feel that the team has ac- complished a great amount of missionary work. — Glenn Gillette. Working Plan Between Aaronic Priesthood and Y. M. M. I. A. (Approved by the Presiding Bishopric Organization and General Program Requirements 1. 12, 13, 14-year-old boys to be deacons and Scouts. 2. 15 and 16-year-old boys to be teachers and Vanguards. In order to avoid conflict in the service program of the Aaronic Priesthood and the Boy Scout program, the following is sug- gested: 1. That all service with a distinctive Church function be done in the name of the quorum. Credit may also be given for this service in Scouting. 2. All other types of service may be done in the name of Scouting. Credit in this event may also be given for this service in the quorum. 3. In organizing the Scout patrols for dea- cons' quorums, it is recommended that the patrol consist of 6 members. The president of the quorum may act as one patrol leader and the first counselor as another. 4. In organizing Scout patrols of teach- ers' quorums, the president may act as one patrol leader, and the first counselor as another patrol leader, and the fourth to be selected. As in the deacons' quorums, so in the teachers' quorums, we suggest that the patrols be made up of 6 members. and the General Board of Y. M. M. I. A.) 5. Boys who do not hold the Aaronic Priesthood or who are not members of the Church may be permitted to attend the quorum meetings. 6. Boys not members of the Church may. on request of their parents, take Scout- ing only. 7. There should be no interference with regular weekly Priesthood meetings. 8. These suggestions are given with a view of definitely correlating the quo- rum and Scouting program. Deacons and Scouts In order for a boy to be advanced from deacon to teacher, certain Priesthood re- quirements should be met. This informa- tion will be given by your bishop. The following Scout requirements should be met during this same period: 1. To become a tender-foot Scout. 2. To become a second-class Scout. 3. To become a first-class1 Scout. Teachers and Older Scouts or Vanguards In order to be advanced from teacher to priest a boy should meet certain Priest- hood requirements. This information will be given by your bishop. The following Scout requirements should be met during this period: 1 . To pass on an average of one merit MUTUAL WORK 981 badge a month during these two years, obtaining his star, life and eagle rank, and if he has been enrolled in Scouting continuously during the past five years, he may receive his veteran badge. Leadership A competent supervisor should be ap- pointed by the bishopric for each quo- rum of the Aaronic Priesthood. In this selection, the Y. M. M. I. A. officers will cooperate. The supervisor will guide the quorum and lead the same group during the activity period of the Y. M. M. I. A. When it is found impracticable for the same person to lead both in the quorum and the Y. M. M. I. A. work, the leader in the Y. M. M. I. A. work should be an assistant to the supervisor in the quorum work and vice versa. These supervisors and Y. M. M. I. A. leaders will constitute a committee to consider each week the program, duties, and activities of the quorum and the Y. M. M. I. A. group. This committee should also check week- ly on the individual program and wel- fare of every member. 2. The best men available should now be selected for these positions. The Priest- hood work and the activity program of the Y. M. M. LA. should be given on the same evening. It is desirable that members of the bishopric and Y. M. M. I. A. executive officers become mem- bers of the Scout Troop Committee. This will make possible a constant and effective correlation of the Priesthood and the Y. M. M. I. A. Work for Mankind Away in the far off spirit land Mcthinks I hear strange voices cry, "Come, give to us a helping hand That we might reach the throne on high." "You have the power on earth to give That which we here can never do. Beyond the grave we all might live Eternally, if good and true." A thousand million spirits wait For some kind friend to help them through The dark and gloomy prison gates. And we. on earth, this work must do. The time grows shorter, day by day: Let us improve each shining hour. We here on earth should watch and pray For health, for guidance and for power Then let us praise Almighty God For this vicarious work, and find. Before we're placed beneath the sod. We've done a great work for mankind. Pocatello. Idaho C. S. Green