Mutual Work

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT Changes in the General Board At a meeting of the general board of the Y. M. M. I. A., held March 13, Superintendent George Albert Smith explained that it had become necessary to realease some board members. Among these were men who had de- voted a large part of their lives to M. I. A. work, in ward or stake or Church organizations. This action was taken regretfully, because through years of association a deep love has grown up among these brethren. It is not easy to sever relationships thus formed. However, circumstances made it ad- visable to release, honorably and with sincere appreciation for their assistance in the past, a number of faithful work- ers. Several of these have moved away from Utah; others are engaged as mission presidents or in other work which prevents them from giving the necessary time to board duties. Those released are: Brigham H. Roberts, Ru- lon S. Wells, Joseph W. Mc Murrin, Benjamin Goddard, Charles H. Hart, James H. Anderson, Moroni Snow, Claude Richards, Levi Edgar Young, Preston D. Richards, B. Cecil Gates, Preston Nibley, Claude C. Cornwall. The following brethren now con- stitute the officers of the Y. M. M. I. A.: George Albert Smith General Superintendent Richard R. Lyman First Assistant Melvin J. Ballard Second Assistant Oscar A. Kirkham Executive Secretary Alma H. Pittegrew Corresponding Secretary W. O. Robinson Field Secretary O. B. Peterson Treasurer J. Spencer Cornwall Music Director GENERAL BOARD MEMBERS Junius F. Wells George H. Brimhall Thomas Hull Le Roi C. Snow Lewis T. Cannon John A. Widtsoe Oscar A. Kirkham John H. Taylor Hyrum G. Smith Nicholas G. Morgan John F. Bowman Ernest P. Horsley Arthur L. Beeley German E. Ellsworth James Gunn Mc Kay Thomas A. Beal Nicholas G. Smith Axel A. Madsen Heber C. Iverson Ephraim E. Erickson George Q. Morris W. O. Robinson J. Reuben Clark Franklin S. Harris George R. Hill Joseph R. Merrill Herbert B. Maw Charles R. Mabey Hugh J. Cannon Don C. Wood John D. Giles Alma C. Clayton L. L. Daines Oscar W. Carlson Stringam A. Stevens Joseph F. Smith, III Homer C. Warner J. Spencer Cornwall The nine brethren last named in the foregoing list have been chosen board members to take the places of those just released. Sunday Evening Conjoint Program May, 1929 General Theme: We Should See and Enjoy the Beauties of Nature On May Morning "Now the bright morning star, day's har- binger, Comes dancing from the East, and leads with her The flowery May, who from the green lap throws The yellow Cowslip and the pale Prim- rose. "Hail bounteous May! thou dost inspire Mirth and youth and warm desire; Woods and groves are of thy dressing, Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing. "Thus we salute thee with our early song, And welcome thee, and wish thee long." — Milton.

April, 19 29 MUTUAL WORK 523 b. c. a. b. Address: 15 minutes. I. History of May-day celebrations, a. Festival in honor of Maia, the mother of Mercury. 1. Milkmaids' festival. 2. Chimney sweepers' fes- tival. 3. Moorish dance. The May-pole. 1. Origin in Ostia. 2. Ceremonies in England. Queen of the May. 1 . Ceremony in England. Suggested reading: Corinna's Going a-Maying. Robert Herrick. ; Address: 10 Minutes. I. We can more fully enjoy the beauties of Nature — By keener observation. Selective reading during leis- ure time. 1 . Study of John Burroughs' activities. 2. Study of Luther Bur- bank's activities. 3. Study of poetry. a. Nature and the month of May are favorite topics of our master poets. Address: 10 minutes. I. The value educationally derived from a close study of nature. a. Mysteries of creation are revealed. b. Aesthetic beauty is re- vealed. c. A deeper appreciation of God's goodness to man is developed. Reading: "Ode on Intimations of Im- mortality." Wadsworth, verses 5-6. General references on May Day. I. Manners, Customs, and Observ- ances, by Wagner, p. 256-260. II. Observations on Popular An- tiquities, by Brand, p. 117-162. III. British Popular Customs, by Dyer, p. 223-273. IV. Encyclopedia Britannica under: 1. May Day. May Dance. Maia Roman Goddess. Flora Roman Goddess. Flower dance. Flowers, national and sym- bolical. Slogan: Reference : 1 2th Article of Faith. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. Suggested Music Anthem, for mixed voices with so- prano and bass solos. How Beautiful Upon the Moun- tains— J. Lamont Galbraith. No. 12, 750 — Oliver Ditson Company. 12c. Thank God For A Garden, for mixed voices. No. 2043 — Chappel-Harms, Inc., 185 Madison Ave., New York, N. Y. 15c. Greeting to S p r i n g — Johann Strauss. (Tune, Blue Danube Waltz) Mixed voices — No. 11,187 — Oli- ver Ditson Co., New York. 20c. May — Chas. Huerter. Mixed voices or three part women's. No. 13,670 — Oliver Ditson Co., New York. 10c. Our Mountain Home So Dear — Evan Stephens. ADULT DEPARTMENT The Fringe of the Moslem World By Harry A. Franck Reviewed by Dr. Franklin S. Harris None of us can hope to see more than a few of the many lands or to

524 IMPROVEMENT ERA April, 1929 mingle personally with a large num- ber of the peoples who inhabit the earth. We must, therefore, get most of our knowledge of far-away places and peoples from those who have the privilege of traveling and the genius to make us understand what they have seen. Many who visit strange places get distorted ideas of what they see. They observe only the strangeness of garb, the unusual customs, or the mon- strosities. Only a few of those who travel are able to see things in true perspective and record what they see faithfully. Those of us who want to get a true picture of foreign parts are therefore anxious to know just how reliable a book on such a subject is. We want to know the kind of eyes out of which the author looks. Harry A. Franck, author of The Fringe of the Moslem World, is well known to most readers of travel books. During the last eighteen years he has written thirteen good-sized volumes on travel, besides a number of geograph- ical readers. His first book to fall into my hands was Tramping through Mexico, Guatamala and Honduras. This volume was so vivid in descrip- tion of scenes I knew well that I at once put the author on my list of those I had time to read. Since then I have followed him through thousands of pages of print and incidentally I have had a fairly good opportunity to check up on him. I am more or less familiar with the places he describes in the following books, in addition to the one already mentioned and the one which is now being reviewed: A Vagabond Jour- ney Around the World, Four Months Afoot in Spain, Vagabond- ing through Changing Germany. Wandering in Northern China, Glimp- ses at Japan and Formosa, Roaming in Southern China, and East of Siam. In all of these, the printed page is an unusually true and vivid description of what I saw in my travels. In fact, I know of no writer who tells the story better. Frank G. Carpenter, who has been so well known as a travel writer for a generation, had a striking way of making the reader see a foreign coun- try by giving comparisons with things at home. Carpenter, however, dealt more with generalities. He described governments and cities, but gave us scant information about the common people. He always traveled first class and stayed at the best hotels. He met the aristocracy and government offi- cials, but one never felt that he had rubbed shoulders with the masses. He saw the world, but he gives one the impression that he secured his facts through field glasses which enabled him to see the countries from a sufficient distance to avoid the common, every- day things which one is likely to en- counter if one comes close enough to feel as well as to see. Franck, on the other hand, has al- ways been willing to pay whatever penalty of inconvenience and lack of comfort is necessary to get at the very heart of the common people in lands where he has traveled. His writings are saturated with local atmosphere which is not always devoid of stench, but one must not expect the perfume of roses in a pig sty. The Fringe of the Moslem World deals with Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey since the war. The book is full of the problems of reconstruction, since all of these countries have been greatly changed as a direct or indirect result of the great conflict. Franck is able to show what this change has been since he visited these places twenty years before the visit which he here describes. One of the chief values of this book is the comparison which it makes between the old and the new. not only in politics but also in attitudes of people. It makes us realize how very much the world can move on in a score of years. I passed through the lands described in this book five or six months ahead of Mr. Franck, and while my impres- sions were not always the same as his. I am thrilled at his account of these

April, 1 9 19 MUTUAL WORK 525 places which have meant so much in the background of what we all hold dear. Egypt, the land of beginnings and the treasure house of so many things of interest; Palestine, of which we learned at our mothers' knee and which we still hold in special reverence; Syria, with its Damascus and Leb- anon; and Turkey, with its unsavory past and its unprecedented racing for modern culture these are countries which cannot but challenge our interest, and when we have them de- scribed by an observer such as Franck we have a book that is well worth reading. The author may dwell at too great length on the contentions between fac- tions, but we can forgive him when we realize that the Near-East has been an area of contention since the days of Pharaoh, Abraham, and Ulysses. These parts have been the great crossroads of the civilizations of all the ages, and when we realize that present peoples and structures are the residues of all these crossings and their accompanying, subjugations, we can see why, even to- day, we cannot expect everything to be peaceful. As the title of the book indicates, these countries and their institutions are essentially Mohammedan — not ex- actly the same as one finds among the fifty million Mohammedans of India — but nevertheless they are Moham- medan. Jews and Christians are de- termined to penetrate, and they are having some success, but the change is not nearly so simple as some people suppose. It will require more than a pronouncement from Sir Arthur Bal- four to convert Palestine into a home for the Jews, and yet England is doing a much better job in Palestine than France is doing in Syria, as Mr. Franck points out at considerable length. This book is much more than the ordinary book of travel. It brings us right face to face with what is prob- ably the greatest conflict between the ancient and the modern, and it gives up-to-date and specific information about places in which we have always been interested but about which our ideas are somewhat vague. If you like a book of this type, I am sure you will enjoy following Mr. Franck through the Near-East. Questions 1. What are some of your favorite travel books? 2. What value do you get from the study of other lands? 3. Discuss the relation of Egypt to the ancient world. 4. Why are we so much interested in Palestine? 5. What is the difference in the gov- ernment of Turkey before and since the war? 6. Why is Constantinople such an important city politically? 7. Discuss Mohammedan beliefs. COMMUNITY ACTIVITY DEPARTMENT Adult and Community Activity Committees Cooperate The Adult Committee of the Gen- eral Boards, realizing that some of the work of the Community Activity is of vital interest to the adult mem- bership of the organization, have given two evenings in May over to a dis- cussion of problems of particular in- terest to both departments — Home Re- creation, and the book What Ails Our Youth. It is hoped that the evening will prove interesting and edu- cational, and that through them both groups will realize that the work of the M. I. A. is for all its members, and not for one little group alone. The Committees suggest that the

526 IMPROVEMENT ERA April. 1929 ward Community Activity Commit- tees get in touch with the Adult lead- ers, planning for the conduct of these evenings in such a way as to insure interest. The first period should be devoted to a detailed analysis of each subject and the second to a review and ex- tended discussion of the most interest- ing phases. It is hoped that the two lessons here suggested will be remem- bered as outstanding points in the season's program. Reading Course Book The book on the reading course which the Community Activity Com- mittee is sponsoring this season is What Ails Our Youth, by Geo. A. Coe, of Teacher's College, Columbia University. It is an excellent little volume dealing with the very timely subject of the changes in the relation- ship between youth and maturity, and suggesting remedial measures in mak- ing these changes beneficial to both groups. The committee has a very limited opportunity to get this book before the public, as they have no particular group with which to work, and con- sequently the avenue through which they approach any specific bit of ed- ucational work is somewhat indefinite. It is hoped that the Community Ac- tivity Committee of each ward have read this thoughtful and thought-pro- voking book, and have done everything in their power to stimulate interest in it among others of the association. M Men-Gleaner Notes Joint Project: We Will Promote the Cultural and Aesthetic Value of the Dance. A Banquet As a suitable event to close the M Men and Gleaner season's work, it is suggested that they hold a banquet in the wards or stake, with both M Men and Gleaners participating. This will give an excellent opportunity to put into practice the principles of etiquette learned during the winter and will also afford an ideal occasion to demonstrate good fellowship and sociability. The banquet might be followed by a dance, at which time they could also promote their project — the cultural and aesthetic value of the dance. This may take the place of the sep- arate banquets by M Men and Glean- ers. First Tuesday in May Now that the M Men and Gleaner activity work is completed for the year, the first Tuesday in May could be used profitably in practicing for the public speaking events in the contest. Several M Men and Gleaners could give their addresses at this session. M Men Basketball Tournament By Homer C. Warner, General D irector and Arbitrator of M Men Inter-Division Bask etball Tournament. Basketball among M Men had a still in its infancy, it has grown to rather humble beginning. Though such proportions that it gives promise

April, 1929 MUTUAL WORK 527 ere long of becoming the largest bas- ketball league in the world. This may sound like a boastful statement, but with the number now competing, a number which is constantly aug- mented by recruits from within the Church as well as by boys who are attracted to this group from the out- side, it appears that we can soon claim that honor. It is but a few years since repre- sentatives from the Pioneer, Salt Lake, Ensign, Liberty and Granite stakes came together and arranged for the first competitive games. The rules at first were very simple, but through years of experience they have been brought to their present admirable state. This original group gradually ab- sorbed the other Salt Lake county stakes and the whole was made into a stable and unified association known as the Salt Lake Inter-Stake organi- zation. This group determined its own champion and later invited com- petition from Ogden, where an or- ganization along similar lines had been effected, for a final game between the two champions. Logan was next to take up the matter, then Provo, and this year, for the first time, Richfield completed their Inter-Stake organiza- tion. Each of these groups adopted rules which conformed to those origin- ally made, and in 1928, representa- tives from Logan, Ogden, Provo, and Salt Lake adopted the uniform code of rules which not only governed their local stakes, but governed Inter-Di- vision play. This year has witnessed the greatest activity in M Men basketball in the history of the organization. The Salt Lake division led with 1 1 stakes com- peting, Ogden had 9 stakes, Provo 8, Logan 8, and Richfield 8. Each of these stakes completed within its own boundaries a schedule of games to de- termine the winners, so that the cham- pions won only after a series of hard- fought games within their own stake. Then came Inter-Stake play, where the final winner was crowned, and sent to West Jordan ward M Men Basketball Team Front row, left to right: Silcox, forward; Finlayson, guard; Lancaster, center; Smith, guard; M. Bateman, forward. Back row: Anderson, forward; Cundick forward; Hogan, guard: Egbert, coach; Leak, guard; Bateman, forward; Egbert, center.

<r-\L/ Logan Seventh Ward M Men Basketball Team Back row, left to right: W. Scholes, guard and captain; S. Hale, coach; Pratt, forward; center. Front row: Matson, guard; Scott, forward; Nelson, guard; Larson, forward. Haslam, the Inter-Division tournament in Salt Lake, which was held March 7, 8, and 9. In this tournament West Jordan and the 20th ward of Salt Lake City represented the Salt Lake Division; from Ogden there were the North Og- den ward and the 17th ward; from the Provo Division came Provo 5 th ward and Payson; from Logan, the 7th ward, and from the Richfield Di- vision came Koosharem ward. This tournament was particularly successful in the quality of play that was shown. All the games were close- ly contested, and the type of sports- manship was excellent. West Jordan was the final winner, and received the Deseret News trophy and the individ- ual gold basket balls for their efforts. They were real champions. Coach Egbert brought 8 men, among the finest, cleanest-looking chaps that have ever appeared on the Deseret Gym- nasium floor. Their unselfish team work won favorable comment from all the spectators, and the fight and determination shown each night finally resulted in their being crowned the winners. The West Jordan ward, the boys and Coach Egbert are to be congratulated on their excellent show- ing. Logan 7th finished a close second. They, too, presented a very high-grade type of basketball players. Their fi- nal night's play was fine, but they were undoubtedly hampered by the fact that they played two extra peri- ods the night previous to eliminate the hard-fighting North Ogden team.

April, 1929 MUTUAL WORK 529 This game, by the way, between North Ogden and Logan 7th was a classic. No better basketball could have been seen in any league. Provo 5th also brought a sturdy bunch of boys to the tournament. They won third place. The 20th ward of En- sign stake won the consolation tourna- ment after losing the first night to Logan. Koosharem, after a rather dis- astrous first night, when they had a serious case of stage fright, came back and showed the fans why they de- served to be the champions of the Richfield Division. The last two nights they gave a real account of themselves. Payson and Ogden 17th had teams deserving of much praise, but could not stand the terrific pace, and were eliminated the first two nights of the tournament. Men who have seen all kinds of bas- ketball in Utah in the last fifteen years said that the type of manhood and of play furnished as good an ex- hibition as they have ever seen. The teams finished in the following order: West Jordan ward, West Jordan stake, first; Logan 2nd ward, Logan stake, second; Provo 5th ward, Utah stake, third; Salt Lake City 20th ward, Ensign stake, fourth; North Ogden ward, Ogden stake, fifth; Koo- sharem ward, Sevier stake, sixth; Og- den 1 7th ward, Mount Ogden stake, and Payson, Nebo stake, tied for sev- enth place. Much of the credit for the successful season should be given to the men who directed this activity in the different districts. They are: L. H. Florence, Ogden; E. N. Larson, Logan; W. L. Warner, Richfield; C. S. Boyle, Provo; Irwin Clawson, Salt Lake. The Inter-Stake Basketball Com- mittee conducted the Inter-Division tournament in a very efficient manner. These boys are themselves all M Men and deserve much credit for their effi- cient work. They are: Frank Jonas, Ernest Snyder, Reed Richards, and Al- len Brockbank. Already five thousand young fel- lows are engaged in this activity, and with the increased interest manifest in all parts of the community, this move- ment, no doubt, will continue to grow, and it will not be long until an M Men's basketball team is found in every ward of the Church. Y. M. M. I. A. Efficiency Report FOR February, 1929 STAKE CO M o 4-1 N '3 w M u o a Ui u a o C nj ~o a < SO > < CO < "u C O, 00 bo c "3 ci >-00 "» . . c.H 3 O 00 "-J Si .&.S •a 2 fS • a, u O a a U n a, a 2 c «i S o L. a •a c 3 CO C "5 a. "<3 o h Alpine 14 12 21 15 15 11 13 13 13 13 10 8 10 8 18 21 10 11 8 10 137 Bear River 122 Beaver 13 13 10 9 6 8 8 24 9 8 108 Benson 9 12 8 10 9 6 6 13 4 30 107 Box Elder 20 16 18 16 13 17 14 12 20 13 10 9 12 11 20 28 13 8 20 18 160 Deseret 148 East Jordan __. 15 20 20 19 12 11 13 13 14 18 9 10 12 10 18 27 10 9 10 122 Ensign 148 Gunnison ___ . 17 15 21 15 18 6 12 10 20 14 10 8 15 12 40 12 10 6 13 19 176 Kolob 117 Lehi 14 20 16 21 14 11 14 13 10 20 10 10 10 15 10 34 8 9 15 9 121 Liberty 162 Logan 13 13 12 11 10 7 8 17 7 9 107

STAKE d o -> v> re DO N C C 6 s DO o V) B <v 6 a a re c B 4-» < DO > < 10 10 8 13 15 11 11 11" 9 14 10 16 11 15 10 12 9 4 10 12 8 13 14 12 10 13 14 16 15 15 13 15 9 10 17 17 11 13 7 13 13 7 10 13 15 6 12 11 15 12 14 18 9 14 6 7 6 17 10 10 9 9 6 6 6 11 20 15 11 10 11 13 15 13 11 19 15 13 12 13 9 12 17 12 8 13 16 15 20 13 18 14 a bo a '£ e S.8 w s ■a « c .5 3 O DO ^J(- h O n uj o E T3 C 3 3 c 'o o h Millard Mount Ogdcn Ncbo North Davis North Sanpete North Sevier North Weber Ogden Oquirrh Pioneer Roosevelt St. George Salt Lake Sevier South Davis South Sanpete South Sevier Timpanogos Uintah Utah Wasatch Weber Boise Cassia Fremont Idaho Idaho Falls Minidoka Oneida Pocatello Portneuf Rigby Shelley Twin Falls Yellowstone Big Horn Hollywood Los Angeles Maricopa San Francisco Star Valley Taylor Woodruff California Mission Central States Mission N. W. States Mission 13 20 17 14 17 18 14 10 9 14 9 10 18 22 22 20 13 15 14 18 10 15 13 12 15 15 13 7 7 21 7 6 4 7 12 18 17 15 18 17 8 14 15 17 3 18 15 18 16 16 18 19 14 11 8 16 12 18 20 21 20 19 10 18 16 14 11 17 12 14 18 20 13 10 10 21 11 9 12 18 15 14 19 14 14 20 18 13 9 16 16 12 16 14 13 9 10 7 14 8 13 17 20 20 20 11 5 13 9 10 12 12 3 17 14 16 8 12 20 8 4 2 8 9 12 13 14 19 18 9 17 10 14 9 14 9 9 7 8 10 9 5 5 10 5 10 10 10 10 10 6 10 9 7 5 10 5 7 10 10 8 5 7 10 5 5 6 4 7 7 9 8 10 10 6 8 10 9 7 10 8 17 7 9 8 9 12 10 3 12 4 6 14 10 18 10 4 12 9 10 5 16 3 7 10 4 4 5 10 1 3 2 7 5 8 11 10 11 15 5 5 1 10 18 30 24 23 26 26 17 18 9 21 13 21 30 32 37 20 18 16 19 12 14 24 15 15 27 20 17 16 17 24 9 8 10 7 14 17 17 28 28 21 13 30 15 18 9 23 5 7 6 7 6 4 10 2 3 4 5 9 9 7 8 15 3 26 6 7 12 7 9 11 12 10 10 7 11 1 11 4 5 5 5 15 7 11 11 21 5 25 10 15 2 16 4 14 12 10 8 5 20 2 6 8 10 13 10 8 20 23 9 6 10 12 7 7 10 10 8 20 8 30 10 4 5 7 10 17 8 15 13 16 10 11 10 16 14 11