A Centennial Gathering of Youth

A Centennial Gathering, o£ Youth THIRTY-FIVE times, in thir- Kimball, presented at the Sunday ty-five years, have the thou- morning session, sands of devoted workers comprising the leadership of the Annual Messages of General Mutual Improvement Association Superintendent and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints assembled in great conferences. These gather- ings have been occasions of tre- mendous enthusiasm; times of in- on by the missions. She stated that in the European Mission M. I. A. activities are the means of interesting many people in the Gospel and of holding their in- terest. She spoke briefly on the theme of the conference and read excerpts from the Doctrine and Covenants concerning this latter day work. Law Observance HTHE M. I. A. has always been ■*■ deeply concerned with the mat- ter of law observance. In har- mony with the ideals of the Church it has endeavored to incul- cate in the hearts of its members HTHESE were characterized by the ■ usual deep sincerity and feel- ing of Superintendent George Al- bert Smith and President Ruth terchanging of ideas and inspira- May Fox. tion, and gaining instruction for They expressed warm appreci- the work of the coming year. ation for the opportunity for as- sociation with the young people '"THE 1930 gathering was out- of the Church and for their lead- ■■ standing in many respects, ers who render diligent and con- echoing as it did the spirit of the scientious service in the Mutual Im- general conference in April with its provement Association, memorable Pageant, "The Message Superintendent Smith referred of the Ages/' and making its own to the harmony existing between a deep love of country and regard contribution to the great Centen- the two General Boards and plead for its statutes. The Slogans for nial Year. This was not only a for united effort among all officers the two years immediately pre- gathering of officers but of the in carrying forward the great Mu- ceding bore directly on this sub- youth of the Church as well, and tual Improvement cause. ject: "We Stand for Law; for gloriously did they avail them- President Fox spoke regarding the people who live it and the of- selves of the opportunity for ex- the splendid work being carried fleers who enforce it;" and "We Stand for the Preservation of our Heritage through Obedience to Law." This subject has also been the central objective of the Adult Department project, the members of that group having worked zealously to disseminate information which would contribute to the development of better citizenshio. The younger members throughout the Church also have been en- couraged to write and speak along this line, as a result of which many excellent essays and stirring talks have been presented. At an officers' meeting in April the specific phases of law observance — Prohibition, the Tobacco evil, and Safety — were treat- ed under the caption "Vital Problems Confront Us," and the leaders were urged to return to their homes and begin an active campaign for general education in en- forcing the law in these re- spects. pression. The Theme and the Slogan i "^[7EEKS before the time appointed the Theme for this June Conference- Onward with Mormon Ideals — had been announced and soon became the moti- vating force, not only col- oring all the preparations, but creating a background for the event itself, and fir- ing the participants with determination to make these ideals a vital force in the future. Growing out of this theme the Slogan for the coming year was formu- lated— "We Stand for Loy- al Adherence to Latter-day Saint Ideals." Displayed on a modest gold and green banner this slogan carried its message into every heart, preparing the way for the forceful address by Mary C. Nephi Ward, Juab Stake Winners Double Mixed Quartette M. I. A. Contest Finals Back row, left to right: Clarence Warner, J. Ralph Barnes, Samuel G. Paxman. Middle row: Mrs. J. Ralph Barnes, Mrs. Robert Winn, Mrs. A. J. Crapo, T. D. Davis. Bottom row. Mrs. T. D. Davis; Wallace L. Martin, director; Mrs. Ivan J. Golden, accompanist.

The Improvement Era for August, 1930 685 When, therefore, this vital sub- ject was again taken up at the June Conference it met with en- thusiastic response bv the many hundreds there assembled. Oscar A. Kirkham, in his forceful man- ner, vividly pictured the evils re- sulting from negligence in these matters and challenged the leaders of youth the Church over to main- tain the high standards of their religion and inspire those under their direction to do likewise. With deep feeling he related the following incident: A group of young people were gathered at a certain home. The father of the host, in an effort to promote the festive spirit of the occasion, brought into the scene some liquid refreshments from the cellar. Smilingly he passed it around, urg- ing all to partake. One young man refused. Again the flask went around, and when the second time he declined, the father insisted, re- marking, "Take it; it won't hurt you" and the boy yielded. Six months later, this man was called to a court room, where a lad had just been convicted for the killing of a child while driving under the influence of liquor. It was the boy whom he had induced to partake of the liquor. White and tense, this father asked the question: "Who killed the child?" p LDER MELVIN J. BAL- -^ LARD arose and proposed that all M. I. A. workers pledge them- selves in this meeting to the follow- ing resolutions: 1 . We will learn the regulations concerning liquor, tobacco and safety; and study and learn the laws. 2. We will observe these laws ourselves. This may take courage, but we cannot afford to do less, he stated. 3. We will cooperate in the strict enforcement of these laws. The greatest thing in law enforce- ment is public sentiment. Let us create a public sentiment for law enforcement. 4. We will do all we can to get others to do the same. A vote was taken by the show of hands and pronounced unan- imous. The occasion was made more impressive by the presence of the President of the Church. In the course of his brief address he heart- ily endorsed the resolution passed and strengthened the sentiment Contestants in Grand Finals of M. I. A. Dance Contest manifest by referring to a vow he himself had once made when standing by the grave of a boy- hood friend, the victim of destruc- tive appetite, to the effect that he would fight tobacco and liquor all his life. This session was also marked by two impressive moments, the first when the audience spontane- ously arose in greeting to Martha H. Tingey, former President of the Y. L. M. I. A. upon her re- sponding to the invitation to speak briefly; and the second, when all present stood in silent tribute to the memory of the late Junius R Wells, organizer of the Y. M. M. I. A. Adult Education A RE people ever too old to learn? _*■ Does education end with the high school or college? What op- portunities are open to adults? These were the questions which formed the basis of the discussion at one entire session of the confer- ence. And the conclusions reached were that maturity of years is not a bar to the exercise of the mental powers in acquiring knowledge, that education does not end with school life but that it is a life job; and that the opportunities for adults to acquire education and ex- perience today are limitless. Dr. Lowry Nelson, Dr. A. L. Beeley, Dr. Joseph F. Merrill, Dr. F. S. Harris, Mrs. Lucy W. Smith, Mrs. Rose W. Bennett, Director F. W. Reynolds and Director Arch M. Thurman ably discussed these and other phases of Adult Education at this general session and at a de- partment meeting. Great encouragement was held out to those who have passed their youth to reach after those things which make for the abundant life. Many contacts and interests should be formed. Continuous seeking after knowledge is in full harmony with Latter-day Saint ideals. The thought that "as man is God once was and that as God is man may become" is a glorious concept of evolution. The Church seeks and desires its members to seek after all that is "lovely, virtuous or praiseworthy, or of good report," and the M. I. A. motto, "The Glory of God is Intelligence" is a constant spur to endeavor and ad- vancement. Contests "EXCEEDING everything else in ■^ enthusiasm, perhaps, were the contest activities of the conference. The Latter-day Saints, from the days of Brigham Young, have rec- ognized the necessity for recrea- tional interests, and toward this end the M. I. A. has put into its program a system designed to de- velop and expand cultural activi- ties and put into the lives of the young people an appreciation for the fine and true and artistic. Preceded by several stages of elimination, the contestants who came to the general finals represent- ed the various divisions of the Church from smallest rural hamlet to the most populous cities. Officers and leaders of the different groups accompanied them, proud of their accomplishments, hopeful of win-1

686 The Improvement Era for August, 1930 ning further honors but determined to lose gracefully if losing were their lot. Beginning with a luncheon meeting on Friday, at- tended by representatives from al- most every stake and called for the purpose of discussing the con- test plans now in force and mak- ing suggestions for helpful changes, the subject was carried through the Friday evening dance contest at Saltair, the finals in drama, public speaking, retold story, and music, covering the features of mixed double quartet, male chorus, ladies' chorus, instrumental trio and or- chestra, and culminating in a glo- rious presentation of the winning numbers at the Tabernacle, Satur- day evening, and the according of recognition to all who had qual- ified for first and second places in the various events. The dancing contest at the Lake was a demonstration of all that was beautiful and esthetic in one of the loveliest of the arts. Girls in dainty dresses, boys in digni- fied black, united in an exhibition of grace and form and technique which could not have failed to thrill the' most skeptical spectator. An intricate dance was performed with ease and beauty almost be- yond expression, and the entire event was delightful and gratify- ing. Other of the contests held on Saturday were inexpressibly lovely. The drama in which were present- ed eight casts, included four plays, and produced amateur drama in a manner unsurpassable in some re- spects. Characterization, costum- ing, direction and other details had been handled so well that it was difficult to believe that the plays were not professional. The musical events were what such events should be — full of charm to soothe the savage breast, which was fortunate at such a time of stress and tension. Numbers from various localities in the Church proved the wide distribu- tion of talent and interest, and thrilled the listeners with the power they held. In public speaking, new heights were reached, for the subject of the slogan, "We Stand for the Pres- ervation of our Heritage through Obedience to Law" opened up ave- nues of analytical expression not always discovered when subjects are more general and optional. The eight M Men and an equal inumber of Gleaner Girls accredited themselves gloriously and shed honor upon the Stakes they were representing. Altogether the contest features of the 1930 June Conference were the kind to live forever in the hearts of participants and specta- tors. Not the winning of the race, but the way the race is run is the thing which counts, and surely every race was run most beautifully and with desirable results. Social Features AMONG the most attractive ^ features of M. I. A. work are the happy relationships which are formed in social contact. The an- nual conference does much to pro- mote these, bringing together, as it does, officers and leaders from all parts of the Church. Exception- ally pleasant were the luncheons given at Saltair, for the thousands of stake delegates in attendance and at the Hotel Utah for Stake Su- perintendents and Presidents. Warm friendliness, congenial inter- ests, and the spirit of fun and mer- riment, made both of these events most delightful. The youth of the organization was given prominent place in the proceedings of the conference, three entire sessions being devoted to the presentation of their activities. The Scouts and Vanguards and Bee-Hive and Junior Girls ap- peared in lovely programs on Sat- urday morning, the former, in the Assembly Hall, presenting stir- ringly dramatic incidents in the lives of Church leaders while the latter, on the great Pageant stage of the Tabernacle, gave a colorful picture of the Bee- Hive in action and of the charm and spiritual beauty of the "Junior Roses." (For details of these programs, see pp. 666-7.) It was fitting that the closing session should give increased em- phasis and impetus to both Theme and Slogan and this was effectively accomplished in the challenging cry "Carry On," voiced in song and sentiment by representatives of the M Men-Gleaners of the Church, 5,000 strong. This was a glorious e|vent, stirring the hearts of all who were present with confidence in the integrity and faith of the- youth of "Mor- mondom." With simple sincerity, yet with ringing enthusiasm they pledged their devotion to maintain the ideals for which their fathers have stood. One, listening, could but feel that in such hands the fu- ture of the Church is safe. Well indeed does the M Men- Gleaner Theme song, "Carry On," express their loyal spirit. (Song.) m r "And we hear the desert singing, Carry on, carry on, carry on; Hilts and vales and mountains ringing Carry on, carry on, carry on! Holding aloft our colors We march in the glorious dawn Oh youth of the noble birthright, Carry on, carry on, carry on! L ove T OVE is an inborn attribute of -^ destiny, the holiest emotion in the soul of man, and has its cause in heaven. Love offers the highest possi- bilities of man's achievement. Love is a divine passion im- planted by God in the human heart. Love is the incentive for our best endeavors, and the measure of our final reward. Without love there is no mercy, no justice, no growth. Sin is not purged by prayer alone or by regrets, but by love. To the extent we love, to that extent are we divine. Without love there is no virtue, and there is no vice that is not love's destroyer. Love is the message of God to the heart of man and the affinity that links his soul with heaven. When love dies, we die, and from then on until the end comes our years are but the passing of time. Love is an art supreme, strength- ened by cultivation, and grows more beautiful with life's decline. Love is a joy born of hope, sustained by faith, and rewarded at the sunset of life by the vision of a better world. Love is the Gospel of the Master for it was he who said, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." — LeRoy Bateman.