The M. I. A.: Builders of Youth

The M. I. A.— Builders of Youth By GEORGE ALBERT SMITH Of the Council of Twelve and General Superintendent of the Y. M. M. I. A. MUTUAL Improvement! How pregnant with mean- ing are those words Mu- tual Improvement, particularly when they are applied to the acti- vities of an entire community! The idea embodied therein is one of the corner stones of Christianity. While the organization of the Mutual Improvement Associations was not contemporaneous with that of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the underly- ing thought of reciprocal helpful- ness has ever been a characteristic of this movement. As an illustra- tion, in the very early and trou- blous days of the Church the "School of the Prophets" was called into being with this as its objective. In many communities there are prodigal sons who have to be re- deemed, and the Church has ever been mindful of their worth and has gone out to seek them and where possible induce them to re- turn to the fold. But more vital even than this commendable work of rescue is a far-reaching activity which aims to reduce to the mini- mum the number who stray. HTO effectively touch the lives of * young people, just entering the pubescent state and the years im- mediately following, is almost in- variably a difficult task, but there is a way which leads into the inner- most recesses of every heart if it can but be discovered. To find that way, to get into the heart of the individual, to plant there seeds of righteousness which will out- grow and choke out the seeds of evil, is the mission of this organ- ization. This can usually, perhaps always, be accompished if the right agencies are put into opera- tion. However, the wide range of individual tastes makes necessary a great variety of preventive meth- ods. While the M. I. A. invites the middle-aged and even the aged to enroll as members, an invitation which is accepted by many, its mission primarily is with those boys and girls and young men and women who are passing through the most critical period of their lives. Its aim is to secure to its members in their youth a conscious testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, by the development and exercise of the gift of God within them, bestowed upon them in their childhood by the laying on of hands of the Priesthood; and so prepare and, in a measure, qualify them for the missions they are ex- pected to perform. Every experienced person knows that this cannot be done by the lec- ture method. Vigorous and inde- pendent youth wants to work out its own problems and is determined to be an active factor in the scheme of things. With this thought in mind young men and young women are usually called as officers of the M. I. A. organizations. They preside in the meetings and to a very great extent arrange and carry out the programs. Their own constructive suggestions are always given consideration and fre- quently tried out. This is dem- onstrated by the M Men's idea, to which many a boy owes his sal- vation. It had its inception in a group of young men who were given permission to experiment and perfect plans. The results were carefully analyzed and proved so satisfactory that the movement soon became Church-wide. The Author TJIFTY years ago over eleven hundred young men marched, carrying at their head the banner of the Associations inscribed with its motto, "The Glory of God is In- telligence," and the declaration "Ten Thousand Strong." About that same time a "reading course" was adopted and the first year's series of five volumes issued. Suggestive lectures treating upon religion, history, science, literature and biography, to which readings from the books provided were in- tended as supplemental, became the fundamental order of exercises, the basis of future manuals. In 1879 the Contributor, the official organ of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association, and ten years later the Young Woman's Journal, organ of the Young Ladies, came into existence. Through the opportunities thus af- forded hundreds of young men and women acquired the taste and habit of writing for publication, and by their efforts laid substantial foundation for authorship of merit. Musical and oratorical con- tests of imposing importance be- came features of the annual con- ference to which two or three days in the month of June were de- voted. A FTER seventeen years of use- 1 * fulness the Contributor was discontinued, to be followed in 1897 by the Improvement Era. The Young Woman's Journal continued uninterruptedly for forty years when it joined fortunes with the Era in the autumn of 1929. Because of the fact that every member of this Church should be prepared to give, at home or abroad, a "reason for the hope that is within him" public speaking has always been encouraged. This

The Improvement Era for April, 1930 389 prompted President B r i g h a m Young to say at the time of the organization of the Y. M. M. I. A. : "We want our young men to get into the habit of bearing testi- mony. They may say they haven't any testimony to bear; get them to stand on their feet and try and they will soon find that the Lord will put into their mouths things co say and give them utterance to many truths they had never thought of. They will get testi- monies as they try to bear them. Get them to stand up and try. More people have obtained testi- monies while standing on their feet than down on their knees praying for them." J"T should be remembered that at the time the M. I. A. was launched, opportunities for school- ing in this community were rather limited. In a new country where primitive living conditions obtain, a natural tendency is for active young men to become reckless, rough, and uncouth. Inspired Church leaders provided as an antidote for this condition, activi- ties leading toward faith, culture and refinement. They had un- wavering confidence in the integrity of the young people, knowing that, with all their faults, they were submissive and obedient to counsel and would react satisfactorily to constructive suggestions. Built upon such fundamental principles, it was expected that these parallel M. I. A. organiza- tions would go constantly for- ward. In the main they have done so with no set-back or serious failure. They have well, if not perfectly, preserved the spirit and aim of their being and to that ex- tent have rendered service to the Church and afforded invaluable experience to its members. This brief historical background of M. I. A. objectives is given merely with the view of showing the importance in which the prin- ciple of mutual improvement was held during days of hardship when, to people of less faith and vision, all the energies of the community might easily have been devoted to conquering the desert and acquiring some of the more tangible things of life. Today there are 895 joint asso- ciations in the organized wards of the Church and 138 more in the established missions. These latter are scattered from South Africa to the "land of the midnight sun," from Tasmania through the im- portant islands of the Pacific, and from Argentine to Canada. The total membership in round num- bers is one hundred thousand. C VERY boy of twelve years is eligible for the Boy Scout or- ganization which has become a part of the M. I. A. program. Here he does, under specially selected leadership, what Scouts do else- where. At the time when habits are most easily formed, he learns to be God-fearing, obedient to au- thority, considerate of others, hon- orable in his conduct, in short, to lay a foundation upon which worthy manhood may be built. Scout work in this Church is not different from that of other com- munities, except that it is correlated with the duties of the deacons' quorum, to which every properly trained boy of twelve is expected to belong. At fifteen he may become a Van- guard where he is given a program of advanced Scouting adapted to the tastes of boys who are begin- ning to feel the urge of manhood. At this age they are not satisfied to follow the commands of others, but aspire to leadership themselves and feel very much superior to their smaller brothers and ac- quaintances. The first novelty of Scouting has worn off, and they crave something new. A program suited to their tastes and desires is therefore prepared which fits into the Priesthood work assigned to the ordained teachers, and more responsibility is placed upon them. TWO years later, and until he has reached the age of twenty- four, he may be an M Man and finds here an outlet for his energies along .athletic, musical, social and intellectual lines. These M Men are given the privilege of choosing their own officers, and all have the opportunity of being on one of five committees selected to carry forward the program. At an age when many young fellows consider it smart to violate the law, he may be put on a com- mittee whose duty it is to promote the current M. I. A. slogan: "We stand for the preservation of our heritage through obedience to law." Or his assignment may be to lead out in movements directed to the beautifying of his town and the improvement of commu- nity life. ^THE M. I. A. has also made de- * lightful and adequate provision for the girls of the Church, with most gratifying results. The girl of fourteen years is enrolled in a Bee-Hive swarm. During the two years as a Bee-Hive girl, she is taken through a program of activity un- surpassed anywhere. Based upon the Spirit of the Hive, described in Maeterlink's "Life of the Bee" — that unseen power which moves and actuates to unselfish achieve- ment— the girl learns the Bee-Hive Code, "Have faith, Seek Knowl- edge, Safeguard Health, Honor Womanhood, Understand Beauty, Know Work, Love Truth, Taste the Sweetness of Service, Feel Joy" — a code which if incorporated in her life will assure happy, peaceful womanhood. Into life she goes, filling cells with the honey of experience from the fields of Religion, Home, Health, Domestic Art, Out of Doors, Business and Public Service. There is an excellent opportunity for her to discover interests which might serve as a guide in her choice of hobbies as well as vocation. 'THE beauty of Motherhood is ■■ the paramount thought of the Bee-Hive plan, as expressed in the words of the Builders' Purpose: As bees bring to their building Obedient and purposeful service, So into the hive of life I enter to do my part, Faith I have in my fathers — Faith to move me to action. Health I hold in my keeping Health to guard and to cherish That life majr come to my children Pure and in limitless power. 'THERE are over 11,000 Bee- ■ Hive girls at present engaged in active work, besides countless thou- sands of others who have been touched with the charm of its in- fluence. nr HE Junior Girls are sixteen and * seventeen years of age. They are the girls on life's threshold; beauty is their watchword and the rose is their flower. Their courses of study include subjects which deal with beauty — the beauty of good manners, of unselfishness, of good- ness, of truth, and greatest of all, of the Latter-day Gospel. Their project is a cultivation of an appreciation of beauty through

390 The Improvement Era for April, 1930 the raising of flowers, and many churches and homes have been made sweet and fragrant by the placing therein of lovely blossoms grown by the girls. HTHE Gleaners, 10,000 strong, -- are the older girls of the M. I. A. whose ideal is Ruth of old. As she gleaned in the wake of the har- vesters, so do these modern girls follow the trail of Knowledge and gather the perfect stalks which they bind into the sheaves of daily life and glowing womanhood. "VflNDFUL of the Church ideals, they delve into subjects of home management, marriage, child training, health, etiquette, and character, all of these being touched with the spirit of Gospel teachings. In many of their activities they join with the M Men and seek expression in drama, dancing, pub- lic speaking, music, games, hand- crafts, etc., and in them they learn to live fully and busily. With home as a central theme, and a daily contribution to its hon- or and happiness as their project, the Gleaners are daily reaping the blessings which the home-loving pioneers sowed and cultivated for the benefit of the generations to follow. It would be difficult to find in the world another concerted plan for the activities of young people which is comparable with that provided for the M Men and the Gleaner Girls. Not only do these cover a wide range of activity but in quality they are of a type which commands respect. '"THOSE unfamiliar with this or- •■ ganization would be surprised at the large percentage of the mem- bership which is active. Indeed, it is hardly too much to say that all participate with ardor in some form or another. For example: It is conservatively estimated that eight thousand M Men tried out for the basketball tournament last year, and even more men are par- ticipating this year. Certain re- quirements are made of the con- testants, among them being that the player does not use tobacco or liquor. In the drama contests last year, six thousand young people took part; ten thousand contestants en- tered for the dance; six hundred M Men and an equal number of Gleaner Girls participated in the public speaking try-outs; eight hundred in the male quartette; four thousand in the mixed double quartettes; fifteen hundred in the girls' double trio; and one hundred fifty in the dance orchestra. Alto- gether more than thirty thousand contestants participated in the spe- cial activities. Naturally there were a number of duplications because of some taking part in more than one event, but to offset these there were many who acted as coaches, trainers, accompanists, etc. ^ft7ITH all the attention given to the young, adult education is not overlooked. The course pre- pared for the Adult Department, followed studiously as it is in many cases, is worth several hours of college credit. To the M. I. A. has been as- signed the responsibility of direct- ing the leisure-time activities of the Church. "What are you thinking when you don't have to think, and what are you doing 'when you don't have to do anything?" These portentous questions are carefully considered by the Community Ac- tivity Committee, whose duty it is to study the field of dancing, dra- matics, moving pictures, music, physical activities and home recre- ation; and by the Adult Com- mittee, whose duty it is to study the field of adult recreation. "The wholesome use of leisure time" among the entire Church member- ship is the M. I. A. aim. With such an objective and with such a divinely inspired and far- reaching plan, with a magnificent army of devoted workers, surely no goal is beyond our reach. YWELL supervised recreation will continue to interest the bet- ter element of the community and a genuine desire for the best in life will be apparent in the youth of the Church. The best in this life prepares us for the highest blessings eternally. Each day should hold for every person the investment of self for the benefit of others. By such an attitude we move in the direction of success and our happi- ness here and hereafter is assured. If the earnest, intelligent efforts of the M. I. A. workers continue, the fruits of their labors will be happy, clean men and women who have passed through the period of adolescence safeguarded from the evil habits that often destroy all hope of a successful life The following statements re- garding the value of M. I. A. work were collected at random from among a large number on file. Some are from people well known in the community, others come from men in more modest circum- stances: President Heber J. Grant: "It has been valuable beyond ex- pression." Anthony W. Ivins: "I have al- ways been associated with the or- ganization (fifty years) and have been greatly benefited by my asso- ciation with it." Richard R. Lyman: "It has been one of the greatest aids in arousing and retaining my interest in Church work." Junius F. Wells: "It has been a constant inspiration, exciting my deepest interest and devotion. I regard activity in it as the most im- portant labor of my life." Levi Edgar Young: "It has shown me the value of religious training in the days of our youth." Oscar A. Kirkham: "It found me. It blessed me. It gave me opportunity for my best work and has graciously rewarded me with my greatest joys." Adam S. Bennion: "Teaching Y. M. M. I. A. boys gave me my first love of teaching." Joseph A. West: "Nothing in my life (I am now 74) has given me more genuine joy or been more profitable to me than my connec- tion with the M. I. A. cause." Arthur F. Barnes: "It has been invaluable to me in various labors in the Church." Wilford A. Beesley: "Working in the M. I. A. developed a deeper insight of the value of the Church to me and appreciation of it." President Peter M. Hansen: "It inspired a desire to live a clean life and to devote myself to a life of service." William N. Davis: "A faithful friend urging me upward and on- ward to better and nobler deeds." James O. Bullock: "I have only to say the M. I. A. is one of the best schools of religious instruc- tion. Joseph H. Ellison: "It has helped me wonderfully in learning the law of the Lord." "Edward H. Anderson: "It gave me an opportunity for ex- pression in many ways which has given me joy and much satisfac- tion-"