Priesthood Quorums

All matters pertaining to the Aaronic Priesthood in this department are prepared under the direction of the Presiding Bishopric. Qualities of Leadership As the close of the year approaches the reports received at the Presiding Bishop's Office from the stakes and wards make a very interesting study, showing the results of proper leader- ship and the failures where the spirit of enthusiasm is lacking. Our attention has been called to the message prepared by Major General Charles P. Summerall, Chief of Staff. United States Army. We think this message might apply as well to those leaders who are laboring for the salva- tion of men as to those who are called to establish peace and maintain order in this great nation. The fol- lowing question is from this article: "Leadership may be denned as that in- tangible quality in a commander which inspires men to follow him through hard- ship and danger with confidence and as- surance. It is a quality needed in every commander from the senior general down, including the squad leader; for its lack invariably results in unnecessary loss of priceless lives, if not in disaster. In ad- dition to tactical and technical ability, the true leader possesses the power of con- trolling and directing his men so as to create a teamwork which will bring max- imum results. "Impulses must come from the top. The real leader initiates impulses for his subordinates and adds force to those im- pulses which come from above. Having a succession of such leaders, as it goes down through the chain of command, an order gathers power, each subordinate leader adds his impetus, so that when the order reaches the point of execution it carries irresistible forcefulness. "Men must have trust in their leader in order cheerfully to follow him, they read the expression in his face and are un- consciously influenced by his appearance, manner, and tone of voice. Self-control be comes, therefore, a vital attribute of a leader; to be calm, self-possessed, and self- confident, even in the face of danger i; indispensable. The leader must not only believe that he is right, but he must be so sure of it that he will convince everyone else, by everything he says and does, that his plans and purposes are right. Thus he will make men sure of success even though the plans might not be the best that could have been adopted. "The loyalty of a commander to his unit is generally reciprocated. Loyalty works downward, it begins with the commander. The leader who is not loyal to his men will get little or no loyalty from them. Loyalty from the subordinate to the senior is not a voluntary condition, it is not ca- pable of being turned on and off like an electric light. Loyalty, like love, is an involuntary reaction which manifests itself only in response to proper stimuli. Loy- alty may be latent or undeveloped but it is there in the breasts of your men, capable of being aroused by proper stimulating conditions. "The soldier has a normal sense of jus- tice. When recognition of a praise-worthy act is withheld he experiences discourage ment and depression. His richest reward is recognition by his leaders. This may vary from a single word of approval to the highest decoration or citation in accordance with the merits of the case. On the con- trary, censure or blame rouses the equally elemental quality of self-preservation. The man who humiliates his subordinates or who abuses his authority will forfeit their respect and arouse their antagonism and even their hatred. Men want and admire firmness and positiveness, but command must be exercised so as to leave no per- sonal sting. True discipline comes from

248 IMPROVEMENT ERA pride and not from fear. Arbitrary and harsh measures may be easier to adopt, but they will multiply troubles out of all pro- portion to the gain. "Men are pleased by having their su- periors know their names and something of their performances. While there are lim- itations to such a knowledge by higher commanders, in the lower echelons a leader should make every effort to know his sub- ordinates personally and make them real- ize his individual interest in them." We trust every bishop will carefully read the foregoing quotation and that they will apply the good advice given to their own work and carry this mes- sage to each individual upon whom has been conferred the Priesthood, en- deavoring to have him become thor- oughly imbued with the spirit of service which leads to success. The Presiding Bishopric, Sylvester Q. Cannon, David A. Smith, John Wells. Aaronic Priesthood Outlines The plan of the Aaronic Priesthood work for 1929 will conform, in gen- eral, to that which has been carried out during this past year. The order of business in the Aaronic Priesthood quorum or class meetings, in connec- tion with the Priesthood-M. I. A. meetings each week, will be generally the same as that now being followed. It is expected that about fifteen minutes of the quorum meeting period will be devoted to the consideration of activi- ties: the checking up on attendance and the promoting of attendance, the per- formance of duty assignments, the consideration of the social and fraternal activities of the quorum, etc., with any instructions that may be desirable by a member of the bishopric. The remaining portion of the time, probably twenty to thirty minutes, is to be used in the discussion of the top- ics affecting the training and welfare of the members of the quorum. For this purpose, and in order that the young men shall be properly qualified in the duties of the Priesthood, outline lessons are being prepared for the year 1929 for each of the three grades of the Priesthood — priests, teachers and deacons. It is anticipated that these lessons will be available in book form for each grade of the Priesthood on or about the first of January. It is de- sired that there should be a copy in the hands of each member. They can be ordered direct from the Presiding Bish- op's Office. The price of these book- lets will be ten cents each postpaid, for each grade of the Priesthood. Checks or money orders should be sent with the orders for the booklets desired. "No man is good for anything who has not learned the easy, prompt, cheerful submission of his will to rightful authority." — Washington Gladden. "Success is sweet: the sweeter if long delayed and attained through mani- fold struggles and defeats." — A. Bronson Alcott. "Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it makes some virtues impracticable and others extremely difficult." — Johnson: Boswell's Life of Johnson. "Repentance must be something more than mere remorse for sins: it com- prehends a change of nature befitting heaven." — Lew Wallace.