President David O. McKay
Beloved is the word that eomes to mind. And this graeious kindly, inspired man fits the word in every way.
As one sees his Huntsville home and hears of lessons learned in ehildhood, there is new under- standing of the sentenee that he uttered, which has been cited worldwide: "No other success can compensate for failure in the home."
If only in each home all young people in this world could be taught the lessons he has learned!
Wc witness to the world that this beloved, re\ered man is a prophet of God in the literal, biblical sense, even as all those to whom God has given this holy calling.
There are millions worldwide, both in the Church and out, who send their love and blessing for his peace and health and happiness and in- spired leadership on the ninety-sixth anniversary of his birth. God bless this majestic, compassion- ate man and be with him in all the days and years . . ^ that are to b^
The
RICKS COLLEGE
*
It is a paradox that men will gladly devote time every day for many years to learn a science or art; yet will expect to win a knowledge of the gospel which comprehends all sciences and arts, through perfunctory glances at books or occasional listening to sermons. The gospel should be studied more intensively than any school or college subject. They who pass opinion on the gospel without having given it intimate and careful study are not lovers of the truth, and their opinions are worthless.— ELDER JOHN A. WIDTSOE
•#
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THE STORY OF DAVID AND GOLIATH
Still David did not flinch. Instead, he calmly took one of the stones from his bag, put it in his sling, and threw it with all his strength at the advancing giant. The watching thousands held their breath. Actual size of print.
Just one of over 400 stories presented with simplicity, beauty and clarity by Arthur S. Maxwell, dean of Bible story- tellers. Every page opens to a full-color illustration. ■ Stories are written in modern language, short enough to hold the attention of readers of all ages.
. the greatest influence
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Here are found the important lessons
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Stories and Pictures That Make the Bible Live
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PARENTS value The Bible Story as a powerful assistant in the job of character building. Each of the 400 Bible stories brings the color and excitement . . . and all the adventure ... in the lives of famous men and women of Scripture.
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ONE — The Book of Beginnings TWO - Mighty Men of Old THREE - Trials and Triumphs FOUR — Heroes and Heroines FIVE - Great Men of God SIX — Struggles and Victories SEVEN- WonderfulJesus EIGHT— Prince of Princes NINE -King of Kings TEN - The Final Victory
SIX
THE PERFECT GIFT ten
for boys and girls of all ages . . . for enjoyment by the whole family.
II Inill 1^ ^«rpi^f3)^>(^ brings you 400 character building stories from
LI IS/il^lhr ^> U^lKiy the Greatest Book ever written... wiU capture
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PARENTS, TEACHERS. JUDGES, CHURCH AND YOUTH LEADERS, all agree: Good books build good char- acter and help young people to meet successfully the realities of life. Just as good food builds strong bodies, so good books build healthy minds. Color photos by Marvin Polin
READERS PRAISE THE BIBLE STORIES Complete letters on file
Sunday School Superintendent— "I have been amazed at the interest the children have shown in The Bible Story. . . . The
books are a wonderful help in teaching."
Principal, Catholic School— "It is my opin- ion that they should be in every home and every classroom. These books can serve as
an introduction to the Bible which the child of today will be able to understand as the adult of tomorrow."
Congregational Pastor — "The volumes are just what is needed to start the yoxingsters toward an imderstanding and knowledge of the Bible."
Presbyterian Church Pastor— "I heartily commend this set to all parents as interest- ing and wholesome reading, and to Chris- tian mothers, fathers, and older relatives."
On the Cover:
Portraits of President David 0. McKay at five different periods of his life are repro- duced on this month's cover to commemo- rate his ninety-sixth birthday September 8. These are: 1) young David 0. McKay at about age five; 2) in his early twenties as a young university graduate; 3) in his middle thirties as a young member of the Council of the Twelve; 4) in his early 80's, during the first years as President of the Church; 5) today, in his eighteenth year as Prophet, Seer, and Revelator of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The painting, done from photographs, was conceived by Improvement Era art director Ralph Reynolds and executed by Dale Kilbourn, a prominent Salt Lake City artist.
This month is the first time the Era has used a gatefold or foldout cover.
President McKay playing horseshoes in London, 1924.
The Voice of the Church • September 1969 • Volume 72, Number 9
Special Features
2 The Editor's Page: Our Places of Worship, President David 0. McKay
4 Paintings of Captain Cook and Cortez
6 The Great White God Was a Reality, Elder Mark E. Petersen
10 It All Began, Dennis Smith
11 The Renewal of the Earth to Paradisiacal Glory, Dr. Hyrum L. Andrus
14 In Huntsville, Mabel Jones Gabbott
16 Man Is An Agent Unto Himself, President Alvin R. Dyer
33 Some Uncommon Aspects of the Mormon Migration, Dr. T. Edgar Lyon
79 One Vote Can Change History, Henry C. Nicholas
85 A New Look at the Pearl of Great Price: Part 8, Facsimile No. 1, by the Figures, Dr. Hugh Nibley
Regular Features
26 The LDS Scene
56 Presiding Bishop's Page: The Presiding Bishop Talks to Youth About the Family, Bishop John H. Vandenberg
60 Today's Family: What Should Schools Teach Our Children? Mabel Jones Gabbott
68 Lest We Forget: "I Was Asleep at My Post," Albert L. Zobell, Jr.
70 Teaching: The How of Brotherhood, Dr. P. Wendel Johnson
76 The Church Moves On
80 Buffs and Rebuffs
82 These Times: New Patterns in World Affairs, Dr. G. Homer Durham
96 End of an Era
40, 63, 69, 77 The Spoken Word, Richard L Evans
Era of Youth
41 55 Marion D. Hanks and Elaine Cannon, Editors
Fiction, Poetry
28 A Patronym for Hu Chan, Robert J. Morris Poetry 13, 22, 30, 76, 78, 80
David 0. McKay and Richard L. Evans, Editors; Doyle L. Green. Managing Editor; Albert L. Zobell, Jr., Research Editor; Mabel Jon«s Gabbott, Jay M Todd Eleanor Knowles. William T. Sykes. Editorial Associates; Marion D. Hanks, Era of Youth Editor; Elaine Cannon, Era of Youth Associate Editor Ralph Reynolds, Art Director; Norman F. Price, Staff Artist.
G. Carlos Smith, Jr., General Manager; Florence S. Jacobsen, Associate General Manager; Verl F. Scott, Business Manager; A. Glen Snarr, Circulation Manager; Thayer Evans, S. Glenn Smith. Advertising Representatives. G. Homer Durham, Franklin S. Harris, Jr., Hugh Nibley, Sidney B. Sperry, Albert L Payne, Contributing Editors.
O General Superintendent, Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1969, and published by the Mutual Improvement Associations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All rights reserved- Subscription price, $3.00 a year, in advance; multiple subscriptions, 2 years, $5.75; 3 years, $8.25; each succeeding year. $2.50 a year added to the three-year price; 35^ single copy except for special
issues.
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act of October 1917, authorized July 2, 1918.
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Official organ of the Priesthood Quorums, Mutual Improvement Associations, Home Teaching Committee, Music Committee. Church School System, and other agencies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Improvement Era, 79 South State, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
The Editor's Fkge
Our Places ot Wo
Wl^ Presidenit David O. McKay
• Why does The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints build chapels?
There are two purposes for which each chapel is constructed: first, that it might be the place where all may be trained in the ways of God, and second, that in it all might glorify our Father in heaven, who asks for nothing more of his children than that they might be men and women of such noble character as to come back into his presence.
The Lord has said in modern revelation: ". . . this is my work and my glory— to bring to pass the immor- tality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39.) The more we understand of that remarkable revelation, the more profound the gospel becomes and the more philo- sophical it is for granting the existence of God, the Creator of all things. Of what use would this glorious earth and all the uncounted wonders of the heavens be, if it weren't for men— the children of God? What would rocks and seas and minerals be, to a creation, except as a means to glorify and make possible the advancement of his children? Thus, his work and his glory is to bring about the immortality and eternal life of his children.
That can be done only if we conform to God's laws. That is why he has given us the gospel, and why each individual must work out his own salvation.
Individuals come armed with three potentialities: first, by birth, inheritance— a possession that too many
of us fail to appreciate; second, an environment; and third, what we make of ourselves. It is for this third potentiality that the Lord holds the individual responsible.
The buildings of the Church are an enviroimient— a holy environment— that contributes mightily to the character development of those who come there. Beautiful as our chapels are, they are nothing unless they are used. They are built in order that men, women, and children may come to them to receive training and development that will contribute to pure and righteous living in developing character and in- creasing faith in God, in whose honor the chapels are constructed.
It has been my privilege, as a servant of the Lord, to dedicate many chapels. As I have stood at the pulpit to speak and counsel before offering the dedi- catory prayer, I have often voiced these thoughts:
A completed chapel is a credit to the members, to their skill, to their judgment; it is a credit to the Church. It also stands as a monument to brotherhood and good will. I am not overstating when I say that those who have participated in building chapels have never thought more of one another than they have during the effort they have put forth in erecting a chapel. They have not done it for themselves; they have had the worship of God in mind, and God will reward them for their efforts.
Improvement Era
Each of our chapels is built for the worship of God. This is where real communion will take place if we come in the right spirit.
I think of the apostle Peter, that practical fisherman. He was not a theologian when he was called by the Savior, but in less than three years, in spiritual en- vironment, he became one of the great spiritual leaders of all time. It was he who wrote in one of his epistles, ". . . that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature." (2 Pet. 1:4.) Peter had reached a spiritual state in which he sensed that he was a partaker of the divine power that comes from God through the Holy Spirit.
In our meetings in*our chapels we also can partake of the divine power if we come to worship God in the proper spirit. Thus our meetings in our chapels should be quiet and orderly. It is glorious to partake of the sacrament in silence, so that each may commune with himself as he partakes of the emblems of our Lord's sacrifice.
Think of it— if we have a million, two million, or ten million members each Sabbath day, parents and children, sitting together as families, and all saying, "I am willing to take upon me the name of Christ and always have his spirit to direct me." There is nothing higher. That is why chapels are built.
In the classrooms of our buildings, we are taught the principles of the gospel, remembering that a man
is saved no faster than he gains the knowledge of God's plan.
Our classrooms are used for this purpose not only on Sunday for priesthood and Sunday School meetings but also during the week for meetings of the Primary and the Mutual Improvement Associations.
In our Relief Society rooms, mature women, usually mothers, learn how to render service to others, to be unselfish with their time and talents in matters per- taining to the Church as they are in the responsibili- ties of their own homes.
In our cultural halls, our people gather together for sociability in an environment that is uplifting. Men are social beings; they do not live by themselves alone, and they must remember that all that they send into the hearts of others comes back into their own.
Many chapels have baptismal fonts. Parents, let your child know what it means to have a repentant spirit, that he may go down in the waters of baptism and make a covenant to keep God's commandments and then to come forth in the newness of life, that he might so live that he may be a partaker of the divine power through the Holy Ghost.
Thus we see that our chapels, which are built and dedicated to the work of the Lord, are places of worship, structures in which we may truly glorify our Father in heaven. O
September 1969
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Hawaiians Welcome Captain James Cook as a God
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Paintings by Sam McKim
Montezuma Honors Hernando Cortez as a Returning God
The Great
Was a Realitv
By Elder Mark E. Petersen
of the Council of the Twelve
• The Great White God of ancient America still lives!
In the discoveries and writings of archaeologists and historians, he now stands out as an unassailable reality. The mystery that so long veiled the puzzling traditions of the natives is swept aside by modem research and newlv found but centuries old documents that open a widely expanded view of this divinity and his labors in the western hemisphere.
There was such a God!
He did come to America, long before the time of Columbus.
He taught the ancients his true religion, raised some of their dead, healed many of their sick, taught new and more productive methods of agriculture, and established a government of equality and peace.
He came suddenly and left suddenly in a super- natural manner.
The ancients regarded him as the Creator, come to earth in bodily form.
Who can doubt evidence that now mounts so high?
That he was a Christian divinity none can success- fully deny.
That his teachings were akin to the Bible is now readily admitted by many.
And that he promised to return in a second coming is an acknowledged, scriptural fact, well attested by subsequent historical accounts.
The tradition of a White God in ancient America was preserved through generations of Indians from Chile to Alaska, and has been significantly persistent likewise among the Polynesians from Hawaii to New Zealand.
In their main details all such traditions agree. They differ in name and in minor details from island to island and from countiy to country, but the overall outline remains the same— there was a Great White God. He came among their forefathers, ministered for a while, and then left again. Some say he ascended to heaven.
Of such veracity is the information now available concerning him that Paul Herrmann was induced to say in his book The Conquest of Man:
"Carefully considered this leaves no conclusion open than that the Light God Quetzalcoatl was a real person, that he was neither an invention of Spanish propaganda nor a legendary figment of Indian imagi- nation." (P. 72.),
This being was known as Quetzalcoatl in parts of
Improvement Era
Mexico, primarily in the Cholula area. He was Votan in Chiapas and Wixepechocha in Oaxaca, Gucumatz in Guatemala, Viracocha and Hyustus in Peru, Sume in Brazil, and Bochica in Colombia.
To the Peruvians he also was known as Con-tici or Illa-Tici, Tici meaning both Creator and the Light. To the Mayans he was principally known as Kukulcan.
In the Polynesian Islands he was Lono, Kana, Kane, or Kon, and sometimes Kanaloa— the Great Light or Great Brightness. He also was known as Kane-Akea, the Great Progenitor, or Tanga-roa, the god of ocean and sun.
What did he look like, this Great White God?
He was described as a tall, white man, bearded, and with blue eyes. He wore loose, flowing robes. He came from heaven, and went back to heaven.
And what did he do when he came? He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, cured the lame, and raised some of the dead. He taught a better life, telling the people to do unto others as they would be done by, to love their neighbors as themselves, and to always show kindness and charity.
He seemed to be a person of great authority and unmeasured kindness. He had power to make hills into plains and plains into high mountains. He could bring fountains of water from the solid rock.
In addition to giving them rules on how to live peacefully together, he urged them to greater learn- ing, and also taught them improved methods of agri- culture.
One of the remarkable things about his coming was that he appeared after a period of darkness in all the land, during which the people had prayed for a return of the sun. While the darkness yet prevailed, "they suffered great hardship and made great prayers and vows to those they held to be their gods imploring of them the hght that had failed." As the light re- turned, then came this "white man of large stature whose air and person aroused great respect and veneration. . . . And when they saw his power, they called him the Maker of all things, their Beginner, Father of the sun." (Pedro de Cieza de Leon, The Incas. )
This personage, as he taught his religion, also urged the people to build great temples for worship, and his followers became very devout. ( Pierre Honore, In Quest of the White God, p. 16. ) As he left them, he promised his second coming, which caused the natives to look for his return even as the Jews look for their promised Messiah.
This faith led to disaster, however, when the Spaniards came to America and when Captain Cook sailed to the Hawaiian Islands. But these tragedies served only to reinforce the evidence of his reality.
When the Spanish Conquistadores reached South America, one of Pizzaro's lieutenants strode ashore wearing his helmet and breastplate and carrying a shining musket. Hp made an impressive appearance.
Natives on the shore watched him in amazement. He was a white man! As Pedro de Candia strode toward them, they knelt before him and began to say "Viracocha, Viracocha." It puzzled the gallant Pedro. The natives drew nearer, surrounding him. Somewhat fearful himself, he fired his gun into the air, expecting to frighten the natives away. But they did not move. Instead they whispered, 'Ilia Tiki, Ilia Tiki," meaning, "the god of lightning."
The Indians thought he was their returning white god Viracocha, and that with his gun he controlled both thunder and lightning.
Hernando Cortez was likewise believed to be the returning White God as he came to Mexico in 1520. When the coastal natives saw that he was white, a leader among his men, and that he came in a large ship with white sails, they ran hurriedly to their ruler Montezuma and announced that the Great White God had arrived.
This had a striking effect upon Montezuma. He remembered that when he was crowned as emperor, the priests of the Aztec cult reminded him: "This is not your throne; it is only lent you and will one day be returned to the One to whom it is due." (Pierre Honore, op. cit., p. 66.)
Montezuma immediately made plans to greet Cortez with all the respect he owed to the White God whom his Aztec religion had taught him to expect. Precious gifts were brought to Cortez; the riches of the realm were opened to him. He was honored as a deity indeed. But his treachery soon changed that, and warfare resulted. Montezuma lost his throne and his life. But the tradition remained.
When Captain James Cook sailed into the peaceful waters of the Hawaaan Islands, he too was mistaken for the White God. The natives there, like their rela- tives in America, had long expected the second coming of their Great White God.
Seeing Captain Cook, a white man of high com- mand, sailing in a large ship with great white sails such as the natives had never before seen, the naive Hawaiians received and worshiped him as their long-
September 1969
looked-for golden-haired god Lono.
Remarkably, Captain Cook had landed during the Makahiki Festival, the celebration that kept alive the traditions of the White God Lono. King Kalaniopuu welcomed him and his party, and the native priests led him with high cqremony to the great stone trun- cated pyramid that was Lono's temple. In amazement, the redoubtable British explorer accepted their obeisance, quite willing to receive any honors they were willing to bestow upon him.
But his men were anything but angelic, and through their depredations they brought down upon the entire Cook party the wrath of the natives. In the battle that ensued. Cook lost his life.
But once again— the tradition persisted.
Not only have the oft-told stories of the White God continued through the ages, but his teachings are also still dear to the hearts of the natives.
For years, because men went to war and often were killed, women were the keepers of the traditions and genealogies. They told these stories to their children and their children's children.
One of the remarkable survivals is that recounted in Stephen's Incidents of Travel in Central America. The author quotes what Fuentes, chronicler of the ancient kingdom of Guatemala and of the Toltecan Indians, said of the origin of these people.
They were Israelites, he said, released by Moses from the tyranny of the Pharaohs. After crossing the Red Sea, they became idolaters because of the influ- ence of the local peoples; and to escape the reproofs of Moses, they strayed away. Under the leadership of a man named Tanub, they drifted from continent to continent until finally they came to a place they
called the Seven Caverns, a part of the kingdom of Mexico, where they founded the city of Tula. The story recounts that from Tanub, their leader, sprang the families of the Tula and the Quiche.
Other traditions tell of four brothers who led their families from far distant lands to the east, over the oceans, to the new world where they settled and built cities.
Popul Vuh, the sacred book of the ancient Quiche Maya (published by the University of Oklahoma Press ) , reveals that the early Americans believed in a trinity of deities. They believed also in a heavenly father and a heavenly mother, and that the Eternal Father and his Beloved Son were the creators of heaven and earth, The trinity are known as Caculha Huracan, Chipi-Caculha, and Rexa-Caculha. They were called the Heart of Heaven.
Popul Vuh also speaks of the creation as having been accomplished by this trinity— three deities- creators and makers of all. These early Americans,
now found to have been highly cultured in many ways, and deeply religious, did not believe in any sexless, formless, phantom like god. To them the trinity were real persons, who had sex and personality. And there was a mother in heaven.
These early Americans, as shown in this same vol- ume, believed in a preexistence, and in a devil who also lived in that pre-earth life where he boasted of his brilliance and power, saying "my eyes are of silver, bright, resplendent as precious stones, as emeralds, my teeth shine like perfect stones, like the face of the sky. ... So then I am the sun, I am the moon, for all mankind."
This evil being sought to usurp the glory of God, but failed. "His only ambition was to exalt himself and to dominate."
The manuscript from ancient Indian sources ex- plains that at this point "neither our first mother nor our first father had yet been created."
There is also the story of the woman being tempted to eat the fruit of a tree and asking, "Must I die? Shall I be lost if I pick one of this fruit?"
The story of the great flood (Noah's) is recounted among the early Americans and Polynesians.
Traditions in northern Mexico, principally among the Yaqui Indians, tell of the survival of a council of 12 holy men who ministered religiously among the people. They also tell of a form of sacrament of the Lord's supper, wherein the natives eat and drink sacred emblems amid signs of great sadness, in re- membrance of their deity.
Religion was a vital part of the lives of these ancient Americans, as it was with the Polynesians, who, it is believed, brought their religion with them in their migrations from America. Volumes have been written about it.
Who was this Great White God?
As Jesus Christ ministered in mortality among the Jews, he spoke of another body of believers— his other sheep. (See John 10.) He promised to go to them and minister among them. This he did— in America.
In ancient America also prophets ministered, even as others did in Palestine, and during the same period of time.
These western prophets wrote their sacred history, even as did their Palestinian counterparts, and in this manner another volume of scripture was prepared. Known as the Book of Mormon, it tells of God's deal- ings with ancient America, as the Bible relates the sacred history of the Old World.
The Book of Mormon tells the facts about the coming of the White God, an event that occurred in America following his resurrection in Palestine. Mil- lions of people lived in America then. Some believed
8
Improvement Era
in the coming of Christ to their land. Others scoffed. The believers served the Lord; the scoffers followed every evil path.
When the crucifixion took place and the earthquakes shook Palestine, even worse quakes, tempests, and conflagrations swept over the western hemisphere. The Book of Mormon tells the story:
"And it came to pass in the thirty and fourth year, in the first month, on the fourth day of the month, there arose a great storm, such an one as never had been known in all the land.
"And there was also a great and terrible tempest; and there was terrible thunder, insomuch that it did shake the whole earth as if it was about to divide asunder.
"And there were exceeding sharp lightnings, such as never had been known in all the land.
"And the city of Zarahemla did take fire." (3 Ne. 8:5-8.)
According to the account, the damage was immense. Highways were broken up, cities were sunk, many persons were slain, and the whole face of the land was changed— all this in the space of about three hours.
Then, ". . . it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness," (3 Ne. 8:20.)
After this condition, which lasted for three days, there came a voice, ". . . and all the people did hear, and did witness of it saying:
"O ye people of these great cities which have fallen, who are descendants of Jacob, yea, who are of the house of Israel, how oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you. . . .
". . . how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not." (3 Ne. 10:3-5.)
Some days later, a great multitude gathered to- gether about the temple in the land Bountiful, and there came a voice three times:
"And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them:
"Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name— hear ye him.
"And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multi- tude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what
it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them.
"And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:
"Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.
"And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.
"And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words the whole multitude fell to the earth; for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven.
"And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying;
"Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.
"And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel vdth their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.
"And when they had all gone forth and had wit- nessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying:
"Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him." (3 Ne. 11:6-17.)
In the days that followed, this same divine visitor introduced the blessing of the bread and wine as a sacrament; he called forth all their sick, afflicted, lame, blind, and dumb, and healed them; he organized an administration to teach and baptize in his name, and he counseled these leaders and the multitudes about his doctrine. And after many days, ". . . there came a cloud and overshadowed the multitude that they could not see Jesus.
"And while they were overshadowed he departed from them, and ascended into heaven. And the disci- ples saw and did bear record that he ascended again into heaven." (3 Ne. 18:38-39.)
This is the true story of the Great White God. He is Jesus the Christ, the Savior of all mankind, o
September 1969
an
It all began
when in the grade-school room
the teacher told us
what an atom was.
She said
that if you had a penny
you could put
a million atoms
on the eye
of Lincoln.
She held
a pin up
by its head
and said,
"If atoms could be counted,
then a hundred thousand atoms
could be balanced
on the point."
We lived in a basement, which we did till I was twelve, and I remember coming home from school that night
and lying on the floor
below the small high window
on the wall.
The sun shone mellow
in the afternoon
and cast a ray
across the room
above my head.
I lay and watched
the dust descend
and dance about
within the ray.
A million specks of dust.
I followed one — one speck.
It floated
undisturbed
by weight.
The currents shifted
and it lifted
out of sight.
I wondered
on the tons of atoms
in the dust around the room.
I wondered, too, if worlds existed
on the atoms in the dust.
And then I ran outside
and climbed the hill behind the barn.
I looked out over house and orchard,
stretched my gaze across the valley
from the heavy granite mountains
to the lake.
I watched the sun
drop over distant hills
until I felt
the roundness
of the earth itself.
I lay
upon the hill
and looked
into the sky;
Then pressed to earth
with back and shoulders,
wondered
if the globe
that swirled with me
weren't in someone else's basement
just a speck of floating dust.
The Rene\A^I
of the
ferth
to F^radisiacal
Glory
By Dr. Hyrum L. Andrus
• The Saints have a work they must perform in order to prepare for the coming of Christ, who will renew the earth to a state of paradisiacal glory. In a very real sense, we are co-workers with the Lord in making the necessary preparations to usher in the millennium.
God's design, the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote, is "to bring about the millennial glory." When the Lord's purposes are accomplished, the earth will "yield its increase, resume its paradisean glory, and become as the garden of the Lord." (Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 5, p. 61. ) But if this work is not done, the earth will be "utterly wasted" at Christ's coming. (D&C 2:3.)
To prepare for Christ's coming, the Saints need to establish the kingdom of God on earth, a kingdom patriarchal in nature. Wives and husbands need to be sealed to each other, children to parents, and genera- tion to generation. Having established this divine society among the living, the sealing line will need to eventually extend back to Adam.^
The divine family order had its origin in heaven before the time of Adam. Abraham wrote: ". . . it came down from the fathers, from the beginning of time, yea, even from the beginning, or before the foundations of the earth. . . ." Eventually, when this
order is built up among the faithful, some of the glory of the celestial family to be experienced throughout eternity will be reflected in the patriarchal order on earth.- Israel will have been gathered and Zion will have been established according to the pattern of the divine patriarchal order, and the earth will then be "renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory." (Article of Faith 10. )
The fact that the earth will be renewed to a para- disiacal state of glory implies that it was once in such a state. In order to understand this renewal, we must understand that before the fall, Adam lived in the presence of God with no veil between him and his maker. All things were in a state quite different from our present order of life. And except for the fall of Adam, "all things" that were created would have re- mained forever in the same state in which they were after the creation. (See 2 Ne. 2:22.)
But all this was changed by the fall. God's glory was withdrawn, and life was reorganized on a temporal plane. (See D&C 29:31-32; 77:6.)
Dr. Hyrum L. Andrus, first counselor in the BYU Tenth Stake presidency, is professor of modern scripture at Brigham Young University, author of Church books, and recipient of BYU's Karl G. Maeser Research Award.
September 1969
11
Joseph Smith stressed, however, that Adam's "trans- gression did not deprive him of the previous knowl- edge with which he was endowed relative to the existence and glory of his Creator. . . ." {Lectures on Faith, 2:19.)
Think for a moment what this means. Even though he fell, Adam remembered life in his former para- disiacal state. What, then, did it mean to Adam when the Lord said: ". . . as thou hast fallen thou mayest be redeemed, and all mankind, even as many as will"? (Moses 5:9.) What was redemption if not to be brought back, eventually, to a state of glory similar to that from which Adam fell?
After the fall, Adam desired to regain the presence of God with his posterity who would obey the gospel, and to see the earth redeemed to a state of glory. But to achieve these objectives, he and his righteous children had to be organized into a divine family order patterned after celestial society. He therefore called the patriarchs who had been ordained among his descendants, with his righteous posterity, to the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman. Presumably, Adam was con- cerned at this time with the organization of his righ- teous children into the divine patriarchal order. He also blessed them, Joseph Smith explained, because "he wanted to bring them into the presence of God." (DHC, Vol. 3, p. 388.)
This desire was shared by other great patriarchs and prophets. "In the first ages of the world . . . there were Eliases raised up who tried to restore these very glories," the Prophet Joseph declared, "but did not obtain them." Later, Moses "sought to bring the children of Israel into the presence of God, through the power of the Priesthood, but he could not." ( Ibid. In regard to the effort of Moses, see D&C 84:19-24.)
Though these ancient patriarchs and prophets failed to realize their desire, the Prophet Joseph Smith explained that "they prophesied of a day when this glory would be revealed," and he indicated that it would be in "the dispensation of the fullness of times, when God would gather together all things in one." (DHC, Vol. 3, p. 388.) This gathering includes the gathering of the Saints into the divine patriarchal order. When this is done, Adam's desire will be real- ized. Christ will come, and the earth will be renewed to a paradisiacal state of glory.
Joseph Smith, in speaking of the obligation that the Saints have of building the divine patriarchal order, said of our righteous dead: "We cannot be made per- fect without them, nor they without us." ( Ibid., p. 389. ) Again he explained: "It is necessary that those who are going before and those who come after us should have salvation in common with us; and thus hath
God made it obHgatory upon man." {DHC. Vol. 6. p. 313.)
The Prophet taught that the final judgments inci- dent to Christ's coming will not be poured out upon the wicked until the divine patriarchal order is estab- lished. Before that time the Saints will receive the sealing ordinances in the house of the Lord, "thereby making their calling and election sure." ( DHC, Vol. 5, p. 530.) The spirit of Elijah will be manifested to build up the (divine patriarchal) kingdom and place "the seals of the Melchizedek Priesthood upon the house of Israel." In this way all things are to be made ready. "Then," he concluded, "Messiah comes to His Temple, which is last of all." {DHC, Vol. 6, p. 254. This will be a preliminary appearance of Christ among the Saints before he comes in glory in the clouds of heaven. )
When Jesus comes, it will be to reign on earth as King of kings and Lord of lords through the instru- mentality of the divine patriarchal order. ". . . we calculate to give the Elders of Israel their washings and anointings, and attend to those last and more im- pressive ordinances, without which we cannot obtain celestial thrones," Joseph Smith stressed. He therefore urged the Saints to build the Nauvoo Temple so that righteous men could "receive their endowments and be made kings and priests unto the Most High God." (DHC, Vol. 6, p. 319.)
But this is not all. By establishing the divine patri- archal order, the Saints will prepare for Christ's coming to renew the earth to a paradisiacal state similar to that which prevailed before Adam's fall. "When these things are done," Joseph Smith stressed, as he spoke of the work to be accomplished, "the Son of Man will descend." Speaking of the millennial conditions that will then prevail, he added: "We may [then] come to an innumerable company of angels, have communion with and receive instruction from them." {DHC, Vol. 3, p. 389.)
The Lord has revealed some of the transformations that will take place when the patriarchal order is estab- lished and Jesus comes in glory. The power of Christ's glory will consume the wicked and make all things that remain new. (See D&C 101:23-25.) The earth will be transfigured according to the pattern that was shown to Peter, James, and John upon the Mount of Transfiguration.^ God's "knowledge and glory" will "dwell upon all the earth." (D&C 101:25.) Revelations state that the earth will be "clothed with the glory of her God," and that Christ's glory will be upon his people. (See D&C 45:59; 84:101.) The enmity of man and of all flesh will cease. Because the fruits of the Holy Spirit— such as love, peace, and joy— are so abun-
12
Improvement Era
dantly manifested, peace and tranquility will abound. (D&C 101:26; Isa. 11:6-9.) The spiritual union be- tween man and God will be perfected to the point that "whatsoever any man shall ask, it shall be given . . . him." (D&C 101:27.) Even before man calls, God will answer; and as man is speaking, God will hear. (Isa. 65:24.)
Several factors will make it so that Satan will not have power to tempt any man. For instance, all "corruptible things" will be consumed. The truth and light of Christ's glory will be manifested and spread abroad. Faith will increase, and righteousness will be established. Because of these and other reasons, the Lord will bind Satan during the thousand years.^ Meanwhile, the faithful Saints will receive the renewed earth for an inheritance. They will "multiply and wax strong," and their children will grow up without sin unto salvation. (D&C 45:58.) Since the corruptible things that cause man's physical body to deteriorate will have been largely destroyed, there will be no death, except that there will be a rapid change from the millennial state to that of the resurrection. (See D&C 101:24-25,30-31.)
Finally, great knowledge will be revealed concern- ing the creation of the earth and the purposes of the creation, the history of all nations and peoples, laws, revolutions, and glories of the several spheres in the universe. But more important, the earth will "be full of
the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. ^
From the indication of the scriptures, the millennium will be a glorious age in which great blessings of both spiritual and temporal nature will be given to man. The work of preparing for that great day, the Prophet Joseph Smith declared, is "a work that God and angels have contemplated with delight for generations past; that fired the souls of the ancient patriarchs and prophets." It is a work that "is destined to bring about the destruction of the powers of darkness, the renova- tion of the earth, the glory of God, and the salvation of the human family." {DEC, Vol. 4, p. 610.) This is the work that the Saints are engaged in as they strive faithfully to build up the divine patriarchal order on earth and to sanctify themselves in preparation for the coming of the Lord. O
FOOTNOTES
^Joseph Smith taught that Adam cannot receive a fullness of glory until this family order is perfected and presented to Christ, who will present "the kingdom to the Father, which shall be at the end of the last dis- pensation." {DEC, Vol. 4, p. 209.)
2In speaking of the doctrine of election in the flesh, Paul wrote that Israel has a legal claim to "the glory" of God. (See Rom. 9:4; also DHC, Vol. 4, pp. 359-60, where Joseph Smith discusses this passage.) That is, when Israel is organized according to the law of God, she has a claim to the glory of the celestial family, being an extension of that family to the earth. In accordance with this promise, Zion will be endowed in some measure with the glory of God before Christ comes in the clouds of heaven to consume the wicked and renew the earth. (See Isa. 4:5; 3 Ne. 20:22 and 21:25; D&C 45:67.)
3See D&C 63:20-21. The earth will still be a temporal sphere (D&C 77:6), but it will be transfigured by the glory that will be revealed, somewhat as Moses was transfigured, as recorded in Moses 1:11.
*See D&C 101:23-28; 1 Ne. 22:26; Rev. 20:1-3. Satan entices man through the corruption in the flesh. See 2 Ne. 2:28-29.
5See D&C 84:98; 101:32-35; 121:28-30; 2 Ne. 30:16-18; Isa. 11:9.
A Parent's Thoughts on Education By Evalyn M. Sandberg
There is a formal teaching that he will receive in schools; and many plodding years must pass before he knows the rules.
Another kind of learning will come automatically: he'll get it from associates and from some things he'll see.
I would not have him know too soon age fails to make its wise,
or that well-veiled deception lies behind some other eyes.
I would not have him early learn the rushing, head-long greed of those who seek more than their own and leave someone in need.
As time moves swiftly on its path, oh, world, be slow to trace this other kind of knowledge upon my child's fair face!
September 1969
13
A special tribute to
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Born September 8, 1873, President McKay grew to manhood in the small farming community of Huntsville, some 12 miles east of Ogden, Utah.
Who would know,
seeing the grass-grown road
ivind into the pebbled driveway, The high-roofed barns,
sagging beneath the seasons' weight
of time and weather, The trees groivn taller through the years,
thrusting from slender saplings
sturdy trunks, and leafy branches, The rail fence warped and worn, and the small slat gate, The rolling fields and hills,
the sturdy homes . . .
President David 0. IVIcKay on his 96th birthday
HuntsvUle
By Mabel Jones Gabbott
Illustrated by Ed Maryon
Who would know
that once a boy named David,
like Israel's king,
■walked on paths like these,
kept in such a barn his best-loved horse,
knew rain and sunshine haying in such fields,
climbed on such fences,
sivung perhaps on some such gate?
We knoiu
hov) glad once grew each small green blade of grass, how best beloved is every board and rail, how honored and revered this town becomes,
For here in Huntsville, our Prophet as a lad "grew, ivaxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God."
September 1969
15
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By President Alvin R. Dyer*
of the First Presidency
• If there is truly a generation gap, then the advantage is on the side of youth, because all youth needs to do is wait:
"The impatient young of the 1960's can hardly wait. They will grow old too, in time, but first they will take their turn at remaking and running the world." ( The Young, Americans, Time-Life Books, 1966. )
Looking to the future, the "now generation" will encounter events and movements that will be astound- ing. Their concern should be one of keeping a proper moral and spiritual balance, and not being carried away by popular or going things. Here is a verse that suggests that kind of balance:
"Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tender- ness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, takes of your relish for spiritual things,
"Whatever increases the Authority of the body over the mind— that thing is Sin—however harmless it may seem in itself." (Sussanah Wesley.)
Man's meaning and purpose is motivated by a force
"From a baccalaureate address given at Dixie College, St. George, Utah, June 6, 1969.
^^^3^,
Improvement Era
s^
more profound than sex or ambition. Man feels the need of a relationship with God through adherence to God-given principles. From this feeling come faith and the assurance that he is not a transitive substance that will biologically pass out of existence, but instead is an eternal being. This truth, fully grasped, can produce the balance of light over darkness.
The teaching of physiology and hygiene in our public schools at the right age level and in the right context— where proper coeducational aspects are ad- hered to, and where the school seeks to supplement the home and the church— can be appropriate and proper. The teaching of physiology and hygiene is supported by most legal codes in regard to public school law. This is one example:
"It shall be the duty of all boards of education and officers in charge of schools and educational institu- tions supported in whole or in part by public funds to make provision for systematic and regular insti^uc- tion in physiology and hygiene, including special reference to the effects of stimulants and narcotics upon the human svstem." ( UtaJi Code Annotated 1953, S3-14-14. )
It is most vital that the moral and spiritual values of education, which have long been established and are constantly being reinstituted, should be associated with all teaching concerning the individual. I quote further from the Utah Code:
"Educational Objectives— The result of two years of volunteer service by more than one hundred com- mittees acting under the call of a president of the United States gives the first charter right of each American child as 'Spiritual and Moral Training' and the second as 'Understanding and Protection of His Personality.' The seven cardinal objectives of education first announced and advocated by the National Educa- tion Association in 1918 and since accepted by edu- cational leaders throughout the nation are health, citizenship, vocations, worthy use of leisure, worthy home membership, ethical character and the funda- mental processes or tools of education. Six of these have to do primarily with personality or character
development. It therefore becomes advisable to direct the schools in their educational activities and to encourage the schools to unite with community organi- zations in such plans and procedures as will realize these important educational objectives in the lives of persons under eighteen years of age." (53-14-9.)
These directives regarding the body and its func- tions are designed to provide a proper balance of learning, in a wholesome and sensitive manner. But they do not suggest license in promoting emotionally injurious and embarrassing discussion of the sexual functions of bodily organs in a coeducational setting. While tasteful discussion of social manners and inter- personal responsibilities with young men and women, in mixed groups can be a wholesome experience, there seems to be no sound educational justification for class discussions of physiology that are developed around stimulating visual aids depicting male and female reproductive relationships.
Sex educators are suggesting indoctrination on this subject from kindergarten through the twelfth grade. This increases the tendency of precocity. The imma- ture child is brought at once among temptations he cannot resist because he cannot understand them. It causes him to grow old before his time.
Precocious fruit is not good fruit. The first ripened apples often have a worm at the core. What is worth having must bide its time. To seize it before its time is to pluck it prematurely.
The idea that sex education is strictly educational and does not involve morals is a deception and does not conform to gospel teachings and established edu- cational standards.
It has been said that "familiar things happen and mankind does not bother about them. It requires a very unusual mind to undertake the analysis of the obvious." (Evelyn Whitehead, Science and the Mod- ern World [The Macmillan Co., 1953].)
It is in this light that I speak of spiritual and moral training as the charter right of our youth in the school classroom. To provide safe guidelines, these values should be foremost, particularly in our maturation courses of study.
Principles that harmonize with gospel standards have been reinstituted time and time again as respon- sible commissions appointed by U.S. Presidents have met to give serious thought to the training of our youth. From the Educational Policies Commission Report of 1951 I quote the following:
"In educational terms, this value requires a school system which, by making freely available the common heritage of human association and human culture, opens to every child the opportunity to grow to his full physical, intellectual, moral, and spiritual stature.
September 1969
17
It favors those plans of school organization and in- struction which recognize and meet the varying needs and aspirations of individuals." ( Italics added. )
With regard to the teacher, upon whom falls the real burden, and who reflects the extent of his or her morals or the lack of them in his or her teachings, the commission report has this to say:
"Since the ultimate success of a program to develop moral and spiritual values depends largely on the teacher, the institutions which educate teachers should give full recognition to these values in their curricula. These values should also receive emphasis by in-service workshops and other developmental programs. Personal character of an acceptable quality to serve as an example to American youth often deter- mines the success or failure of a teacher in teaching subject matter as well as in contributing to moral development. Character, therefore, should invariably be an important consideration in the employment of a teacher. The teacher education institutions should consider character, along with scholarship and teach-
" . . . inhibition-- the control of the impulse-- is the first principle of civilization"
ing skills, in the selection of students, in judging the competence of student teachers, and in the recom- mendation of prospective teachers to boards of education.
"School administrators, having placed an emphasis on character in the selection process, should encourage teachers to use initiative and imagination in the de- velopment of their subject matter in ways which teach moral and spiritual values." (Moral and Spiritual Values in the Public Schools, Educational Policies Commission, 1951, p. 55.)
And again, from the report of the President's Com- mission on National Goals, in 1960, the following:
"The family is at the heart of society. The educa- tional process begins and is served most deeply in the home.
"The major domestic goals of equality and educa- tion depend overwhelmingly on individual attitudes and actions.
"It is the responsibility of men and women in every walk of life to maintain the highest standards of integrity." (Programs for Action in the Sixties, Goals for Americans, The Report of the President's Com-
mission on National Goals, 1960, p. 22.)
Herein, it seems, is the crux of the whole matter!
In the light of these educational objectives, the idea is presumed that physiology and hygiene, with proper content and with proper age and group orientation in the school classroom, and in support of teachings in the home, may be pursued with dignity when asso- ciated with moral and spiritual values.
The sexual impulse should be played down. It is strong enough without encouragement. "We have blown it up with a thousand forms in incitation, ad- vertisement, emphasis and display, and have armed it with the doctrine that inhibition is dangerous, whereas inhibition— the control of impulse— is the first principle of civilization." (Will Durant, "Man Is Wiser Than Any Man," Readers Digest, November 1968, p. 86. Italics added. )
But certain sex educators claim that a new defini- tion is needed for the meaning of morals, and this relativistic movement has led to what is now called the new morality. Anything that is new should be compared with the old when one attempts a justifica- tion of a changed definition. Perhaps the following comparisons will help us to understand what is meant when reference is made to a new morality:
The Old Morality
"Thou shalt not commit adultery; and he that committeth adultery, and repenteth not, shall be cast out." (D&C 42:24.)
"And verily I say unto you, as I have said before, he that looketh on a woman to lust after her, or if any shall commit adultery in their hearts, they shall not have the Spirit, but shall deny the faith and shall fear." (D&C 63:16.)
"Be not deceived: nei- ther fornicators, nor idol- aters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with man- kind, . . . shall inherit the kingdom of God." ( 1 Cor. 6:9-10.)
The New Morality
Speaking of infidelity or adultery, a modem sex educator makes this com- ment:
"Infidelity, extramarital affairs, aren't true adven- tures; the roles played in casual sex are stilted and soporific. Within the well- stabilized, committed marriage, a few extra- marital episodes won't alter the tapestry, but I don't believe any mar- riage can withstand the erosion of repeated infi- delities." ( Coronet, May 1969, p. 17.)
Supposedly the relativ- istic category is modern and, according to schol- ars, is of the new morality. According to definitions in this category, a moral- ity of consequences is
18
Improvement Era
1. CHERISHED EXPERIENCES
from the writings of President David 0. McKay Compiled by Clare Middlemiss
This book contains many experiences the Prophet cherishes above all others. If ever a book could inspire one to gain deeper faith and joy in the good life, this is it. It is divided into four sections: 1) Memorable Testimonies, 2) Faith Promoting Incidents, 3) Incidents of Divine Healing, and 4) In- spirational Stories for Youth. $3.95
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Compiled by Llewelyn R. McKay
Compiled by his second son, this book provides stimulating reading for Latter-day Saint families. The intimate stories of the Church's first family indicates a life of soli- darity, of love, and the good times they have enjoyed together. Ideas for closer family harmony may result if this book is read in the family home evening. $3.95
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Highlights from
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from Deseret Book
4. MAN MAY KNOW FOR HIMSELF
by David 0. McKay
Compiled by Clare Middlemiss
That man may know God and Jesus Christ for himself is the message of this book. "Life eternal is what I desire ... for me, mine, and all the world," says President David 0. McKay. How it is achieved is ex- pressed in the words . . . the faith of a true prophet of God. $5.50
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by Jeanette McKay Morrell
Precious moments from the boyhood, formative years, and Church service of our beloved Prophet, as recorded by his sister.
This is not intended to be a complete biography, but more as a testament to the diving calling of the man, relating his early training and the powerful accomplishments he has made in leading the Church. $4'^'^
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Young people will find a good compila- tion of reading that will provide intelligent understanding, appreciation of gospel val- ues, the rewards of church work and the fun of living a clean life.
September 1969
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"Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righ- teousness, faith, charity, peace." (2 Tim. 2:22.)
"Wherefore God also gave them up to unclean- ness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dis- honour their own bodies between themselves."
(Rom. 1:24.)
created, whereby sexual acts are judged according to their effects.
Sex acts under this sys- tem are right or wrong only in terms of scientifi- cally measurable conse- quences. (SIECUS [Sex Information and Educa- tion Council of the Unit- ed States] Study Guide No. 9, p. 9.)
A third category, which is identified as the hedo- nistic position, is charac- terized by devotion to pleasure as a way of life. "It creates ... a morality of indulgence" which the sex educators argue can be a responsible indul- gence. ( SIECUS Study Guide No. 9, p. 10. )
These "old morality" statements are referred to by our modern sex education teachers as being in an absolutistic category— or a position of a morality of commandment. (SIECUS Study Guide No. 9, p. 8.)
But let it be remembered that the morality of com- mandment spoken of emanates from God, the source of all intelligence, and is a positive divine guideline to salvation, being fully and completely oriented to truth, which is eternal.
In my April 1969 general conference talk I made this summation concerning sensitivity training, which I refer to again, because of the widespread modern- day use of this training:
". . . sensitivity training teaching methods, tvhen abusively used, not only break down barriers of pri- vacy, but also provide the techniques for mass, rather than personal, decision. This tends to destroy the agency of man and is therefore evil in concept." ( Era, June 1969, p. 41. Italics added. )
Let me differentiate between training and therapy. Training is a learning process designed to help normal, healthy participants develop new skills and more effective behavior patterns. Therapy is a process of helping persons with emotional disturbances to reduce those disturbances that are preventing them from effectively determining their own action. Groups can be used for training or for therapy purposes. Some group methods that may be appropriate for therapy
are not necessarily consistent with training goals.
Authorities generally agree that from training groups comes the here-and-now aspect, and they do not deal in the privacies of one's past behavior.
Thus, in a training group, there should be no con- fession of problems or personal difficulties one has had in his past. The emphasis should be on looking at how effective a person's behavior is in working in the group. Exposures of past difficulties or problems of a private nature have no place in group training.
Men with experience have long recognized that groups are indispensable to society and serve many worthwhile functions. It should be equally apparent that groups are not designed to be ends in themselves, but are means to serving the individual. The primary function of any worthy group, be it the family or some other organized unit, is to invite and sustain self- determination in the individual. Coercion is an outlaw in any group training. A well-organized training group should have the element of helping group members resist the tyranny of group coercion.
The use of individual confession of past behavior with a feedback to a group is an exploitation of the rights of the individual. Its use only tends to increase the peril of such situations to create the tyranny of coercion, and is contrary to gospel teachings concern- ing the law of agency. This principle is also recognized by the Education Policies Commission, which has said:
"The inherent worth of every human being is basic in the teachings of Christianity and of many other great religions. The individual personality can acquire a capacity for moral judgments and a sense of moral responsibility. This doctrine sharply challenges every form of oppression. It implies that each human being should have every possible opportunity to achieve by his own efforts a feeling of security and competence in dealing with the problems arising in daily life." (Moral and Spiritual Values in the Public Schools, Educational Policies Commission, 1951, p. 55.)
Deviations in sensitivity training often occur when the teacher seeks to impose himself, rather than the subject material. This, aside from its implications, is a mark of teaching failure.
Processes in coercive control of human behavior can lead to loss of agency. This particular type of group training, which is actually an attempt at therapy, tends to break down self-reliance, and places decisions for the individual upon the group or mass. Self- reliance is a needed attribute to development of qualities of good stemming from free will and choice.
Any situation that could coerce the individual to make decisions would have no true foundation. In this, as the Lord explained to the Prophet Joseph
20
Improvement Era
"Every library
should have
these choice
Bookcrail
books"
4. CLASSIC EXPERIENCES AND ADVENTURES
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1. AMONG THE SHOSHONES
By Elijah Nicholas Wilson
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Selected and arranged by G. Homer Durham
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By Dr. Henry Eyring
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MESSAGES OF THE FIRST PRESIDENCY
By James R. Clark
Includes all recorded official statements of Church Presidents from Joseph Smith to Lorenzo Snow.
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Sermons and Writings of Joseph Fielding Smith Compiled by Bruce R. McConkie
torical and doctrinal gems presented in plain „v-s and frankness — and with authority!
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22
To Fathers
By Gay N. Blanchard
It is hard to let a child go,
A beloved child, one close to the
heart. It is hard, knowing his weakness And ivhere he might fall, To sever the tie That keeps him in the security
of your eye.
So God, our Father,
Coidd not let us go from him
Until he had made sure
That someone,
An extension of himself,
Woidd love and care.
He knew we needed
Someone to make real
The prayers sent up to him
For shelter, raiment, food;
Someone to help make good
His hopes for us.
To help us keep in memory heav- en's home;
And by persuasion, patience, kindness, self-controlled example
Prepare us to return in safety there.
He gave this precious steward- ship To fathers.
Still according to his righteous- ness, they have free choice;
And those tvho dare accept the challenge
To be his agents, our protectors, here on earth
Are in training, surely,
Someday to he gods.
Improvement Era
Smith, one may have something bestowed upon him by compulsion, but he could not truly receive it, as it would not be his possession.
"For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift." (D&C 88:33.)
You will notice that he cannot rejoice or use that which is conferred upon him because, having been forced upon him, it is not his possession. You may observe, by reading further from this revelation, the eternal nature of this law.
By divine decree the individual becomes like unto a God when through personal volition he comes to know good from evil. (See Gen. 3:22.)
Dr. Carl Jung, noted scientist of the mind, makes a contributing statement to the need of self-reliance and personal motivation, or self-direction, with these words :
"It always has been and still is the great question how to get the ordinary human to the point where he can make up his own mind to draw the right conclusion and do the right thing, or how to make him listen at all. His moral and mental inertia and his notorious prejudices are the most serious obstacles to any moral or spiritual renaissance." (Cited by Dr. James R. Hine, in Alvin R. Dyer, Who Am I? [Deseret Book Company, 1966], p. 24.)
I believe it important, from a gospel viewpoint, to understand the evil principle of unrighteous dominion or compulsion, which can be exercised upon the souls of men, as compared with righteous dominion and agency. In order to do this, let us refer back to the primeval period, concerning which we are fortunate to have revealed information from the Lord.
The center of the preexistent controversy concerned Lucifer or Satan, a son of the morning, who came before the council of heaven and proposed a plan of redemption from the spiritual death of mortal exis- tence. He proposed that the law of agency be discarded, thereby eliminating personal volitions of obedience or disobedience, and the need for a knowl- edge of good and evil.
As evidenced by a revelation from the Lord to Moses, we learn that this was a proposal whereby Lucifer sought to aggrandize himself by receiving the glory of the Father, and thus become the redeemer:
"And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying— Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost,
and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor." (Moses 4:1.)
The very nature of Lucifer's plan of coercion or compulsion would be contrary to divine law, which irrefutably establishes the fact that all acquisitions of life have their beginning in personal and individual choice. And even though God knew that some of his children born in mortality would not measure up and would, through willful wrong choices between good and evil and through disobedience to eternal laws of righteousness, eventually after mortal existence be assigned to realms not in his presence, still, he also knew that the only chance of spiritual redemption for any of his children would come from the applica- tion of the law of agency, as he explained to Moses:
"Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down." (Moses 4:3.)
The nature of the proposal made by Lucifer would make of man a thing to be acted upon with a complete loss of willful and personal decision, which would be contrary to the true principle, as explained by the prophet Lehi:
". . . they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon. ..." (2 Ne. 2:26.)
Concerning this principle, the Prophet Joseph Smith stated: "The contention in the pre-mortal existence was due to the fact that there would be certain souls that would not be saved, whereas the devil, or Luci- fer, said he could save them all." ( Times and Seasons, Vol. 5, p. 616. )
This proposal, involving the surrendering of the law of agency, was rejected; and the plan advocated by the Firstborn Son of God, that the law of agency would continue in mortality, was accepted.
It is not difficult to recognize that in Lucifer's plan the element of compulsion or mass coercion upon the individual would be placed in effect without any recognition of values, good or evil, right or wrong, and therefore would be devoid of any moral conse- quence.
From the same revealed information, the Lord ex- plained why Lucifer— or Satan, as he was then called for proposing such a plan— was expelled from the presence of God, never to return.
The plan that was accepted provided that man would have the right of agency as he would be con- fronted with opposites in mortality, and that with self- direction he could rise above all. "This would make certain his understanding of the difference between
September 1969
23
laws which would elevate and insure further progres- sion, and the opposite which would bring about a retrogression. By choosing right over wrong, man would thus take unto himself the power which comes from volitional decision. In this manner he becomes like unto the Gods who have attained perfection by constant right decision through the power of agency." (Dyer, op. cit., p. 141.)
From the following revelation we learn that to exercise compulsion or unrighteous dominion over an individual in any degree is to be denied the power that leads men into all truth. This has a specific reference to the priesthood, but the same principle applies to anyone who exercises or uses conditions of compulsion:
". . . when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit
"Another principle that appears to be most often violated in so-called training groups is that of confession"
of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn. Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.
"Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God." (D&G 121:37-38.)
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." (John 16:13.)
It is not difficult to identify, on the basis of this eternal law, the ill effects that can be caused by the abusive and unwarranted use of coercion in group behavior techniques.
Another principle of the gospel that appears to be most often violated in so-called training groups is that of confession. Concerning personal confession of past behavior, the Lord, speaking of the manner in which confessions are to be made, gives this instruction:
"And if thy brother or sister offend thee, thou shalt take him or her between him or her and thee alone; and if he or she confess thou shalt be reconciled." (D&C 42:88.)
"And if thy brother or sister offend many, he or she shall be chastened before many.
"And if any one offend openly, he or she shall be rebuked openly, that he or she may be ashamed. And if he or she confess not, he or she shall be delivered up unto the law of God.
"If any shall offend in secret, he or she shall be rebuked in secret, that he or she may have opportunity to confess in secret to him or her whom he or she has offended, and to God, that the church may not speak reproachfuUv of him or her." ('D&C 42:90-92.)
A member of the Church who has committed a serious transgression should confess the same to his or her spiritual leader, the bishop.
It is to be observed that in each condition referred to, the confession is to come willingly through a self- directed method, from within the person. This is a principle, according to the Lord, by which we shall be governed.
Brigham Young, speaking no doubt in the spirit of this revelation on confession, said:
"li I am. faulty towards my God, I will keep my faults from the people as long as I can. Is there any good reason for this? There is. Were I to relate here to you my private faults from day to day, it xoould not only do you no good, hut it would injure you . . . and it would weaken and not strengthen either the speaker or the hearer, and would give the enemy more power. ... I pray the Lord Almighty to so preserve me that you cannot find fault with me righteously. Do you not desire the same?
"I have my weakness, and you have yours; but if I am inclined to do that which is wrong, I will not make my wrong a means of leading others astray. ... I belie^'e in coming out and being plain and honest with that which should be made public, and in keeping to yourselves that which should be kept. If you have your weaknesses, keep them hid from your brethren as much as you can. You never hear me ask the people to tell their follies. ... If you have sinned against the people, confess to them. If you have sinned against a family or a neighborhood, go to them and confess. If you have sinned against your Ward, confess to your Ward. If you have sinned against one individual, take that person hy yourselves and make your con- fession to him. And if you have sinned against your God, or against yourselves, confess to God, and keep the matter to yourselves, for I do not want to know anything about it. . . .
"We wish to see people honestly confess as they should and what they should." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8, pp. 361-62. Italics added.)
With regard to the principle of the agency of man, there keep running through my mind these verses
24
Improvement Era
that we have used in the mission field:
"Know this, that every soul is free
To choose his life and what he'll be,
For this eternal truth is given
That God will force no man to heav'n.
"He'll call, persuade, direct aright.
And bless him with wisdom, love and light.
In nameless ways be good and kind,
But never force the human mind.
"Freedom and reason make us men;
Take these away, what are we then?
Mere animals, and just as well
The beasts may think of heav'n or hell."
—William C. Gregg, Hymns, No. 90
We see, in the divine wisdom of God, the effects of the eternal laws of personal redemption as brought to the beclouded consciousness of man by the power and administration of the Holy Ghost. Each law is
correlated to bring about the change needed to pre- pare man for his place in eternity. The innate recog- nition of the divine leads to faith in God and in life. This awakening light reveals unto man himself his own condition and the need of change— the need to repent of such wrong-doings with which he is beset, so that he can continue in the way of peace, power, and further enlightenment. But the overt act of man to accomplish this requires decision, and decision is an act of agency; thus, we observe the correlation of the laws of faith and repentance with agency. It is in this self-directed process that acquisition of a prin- ciple becomes effective. Any other method produces a false possession of a gift that cannot be had.
Never in all of man's human endeavor does he rep- resent the principle of law of agency more effectively than when he is in the process of repentance. There is no experience in the earth-life existence of man when man will glorify God the Father and his Only- Begotten Son more, or when he will fulfill a basic purpose of his mortal sojourn, than when he exercises his own volition to overcome wrong. While he be- comes like unto God, "to know good from evil," he becomes a god when he consistently, through self- direction, incorporates the good and casts aside the evil. To deprive man of this privilege would be to deny him his potential. To impose it upon him by force would be ineffectual.
I have referred to some abuses that have crept into sensitivity training, the nature of which is acknowl- edged by the National Training Laboratories, the pioneer in group dynamic research and the founders of the idea of laboratory training process. This orga- nization is extremely concerned witli the abuses that are now cropping up in the name of sensitivity training.
There can be no doubt that if these abuses are avoided there are definite areas of good that can be accom- plished in legitimate group training.
Before concluding my remarks, I offer these sug- gestions to our Latter-day Saint educators, concerning whom it is hoped that an ever increasing number will go forth from our Church-oriented schools and insti-
Never does man represent
the law of agency nnore effectively
than when he is in the
process of repentance"
tutes to leaven the educational atmosphere wherever they may teach. Of these, the Church is indeed for- tunate to have so many who are outstanding in the fields of teaching, research, and administration in many of the great universities and colleges throughout the land. In the light of deceptive objectives found in modern trends in particular areas, we look with constant hope that these men and women, representa- tive of the Church, will a'chieve and keep a proper balance with gospel orientation constantly in view, especially in fields of sociology, maturation, and group training.
Possessed with a background of knowledge in the revealed truths of the restored gospel, they stand on the front line, and, if they will see it, they have a peculiar and unlimited opportunity of leadership so much needed in this time of value crisis. The chal- lenge is before them to magnify their priesthood in upholding moral and spiritual values. This feffort calls for perpetual adjustment and reevaluation of certain concepts in the fields they have chosen to follow. Their response to this challenge will have a far-reach- ing effect and will be recognized in more places than they have perhaps thought possible.
In conclusion, may I again refer to the spiritual fact that the Lord has told us to live by the pattern of gospel laws. Said he: "And again, I will give unto you a pattern in all things, that ye may not be de- ceived; for Satan is abroad in the land, and he goetli forth deceiving the nations." (D&C 52:14.)
I bear testimony that if we will keep our place secure in the kingdom of God, if we are to safeguard our lives against the evils of the day, we must walk in paths of righteousness in whatever field we choose to follow and keep close to that way of life found in the pattern of the gospel. O
September 1969
25
Psychologists Honor BYU Graduate Student
Gary Schwendiman, a doctoral candidate at Brigham Young University, has been named by the American Psychological Association as one of ten outstanding young psychologists in the United States and Canada. The honor includes attendance at the two-week international Congress of Psychology in London.
Carnegie Hero Medal Awarded
Russell L Beck, deceased member of the Lakewood (California) Fourth Ward, has been awarded posthumously the Carnegie Hero Medal. The award, which also carries a two-year $50 a month stipend, was awarded for Brother Beck's efforts to save a worker who had succumbed to fumes in a gas-filled manhole. Brother Beck was active in work with the youth in the Church.
Tabernacle Choir Sings in San Diego
An estimated 30,000 persons
recently filled the new San Diego,
California, Stadium to hear the Tabernacle
Choir sing a "Happy Birthday Salute"
concert in honor of San Diego's
200th anniversary this year.
The event was widely heralded by
press and public alike.
Californian Named Outstanding Educator
Richard L. Hanna, ward clerk of the Huntington Beach (California) Fourth Ward, has been selected by the California Junior Chamber of Commerce as one of the ten outstanding young educators in the state. Brother Hanna, an elementary school teacher, is co-author of a science test series for junior high school students.
Education Association Secretary Appointed
Elmer S. Crowley of the Rock Creek (Maryland) Ward has been named executive secretary of the National Council of State Education Associations, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. Formerly head of the Idaho Education Association, Brother Crowley has been administrative director of the national organization.
Hill Cumorah Pageant Presented
The annual Hill Cumorah Pageant in western New York was again staged this year to approximately 100,000 viewers during a six-day run. This year's presentation was marked by a widened seating area, removal of some trees to give greater visibility, addition of electrically operated water curtains, a new sound and lighting system, and a new 100-seat theater for the visitor's center. The pageant is one of the major religious pageants in North America.
26
Improvement Era
LDS Scene
i^''
Wli
aim
All-Church Tennis Champions
The all-Church tennis
championship tournament
was recently held in Salt Lake City
Some 300 natters from Hawaii to
Great Britain competed for 50 title
trophies in 34 divisions.
Top awards went to Joseph Cowley,
men's ranked singles,
and Janice Stevens, women's
ranked singles.
The four-day event was held
at Salt Lake City's Liberty Park.
September 1969
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27
It was still morning— maybe near noon, as I was hungry— but here deep in the Hawaii Temple my timing (but not my direction) was off from being across the world from Taiwan. I needed orienting. The clock's hands might as well join. I sat confirming for the dead, and as I faced northwest toward Taipei I thought, you don't say the word death heedlessly. Baptizing for the passed-beyond ones is better.
I opened my eyes a little. My white pants and shirt clung. They were a good fitting, because I went for fittings three times and the tailor thought I would never finish, but these had to be perfect. A man doesn't fly to Hawaii every day, to marry and work in the temple, to receive his endowments. Meimei, my wife, tailored our rice-white robes. I felt like a pioneer, with the 39 others who came. With these officials and bankers and rice farmers and shoe cutters we had set our faces east, and we flew bravely out of my loved Taiwan, our trip on the front page of the Mandarin Daily News. Some of us took American names. On our way we ate at a Tokyo restaurant surrounded by pink-blossomed cherry trees. I can never remember if those are Chinese or Japanese cherry trees.
So at the font's edge I waited for the next name's confirmation. It was a beautiful name. It was our own— a Chinese name we researched and found of Meimei's ancestors: Hang Chung Jen— not just the passed-on, but the Chinese passed-on. Not strangers.
When we had arrived, the temple glowed in the mandarin sun white-hot at us, a pearl in a lotus, a touchstone where heaven and earth, Yang and Yin, converged willingly. I said to her, "A first-class temple."
It was a common ground for the living, the wax- ing, the younging, creative enough to synthesize their living and religion and have fun at it. I had my Psalms with me— the first part of the Bible I ever read. Religious white did not mean mourning here. I liked the landscaping's economy of balance. This was color. Exciting. Heaven was smiling. We, I thought, have come a long way. And much waiting.
Last winter at the New Year of the Monkey I went back to Taroko Gorge at East Taiwan (where I worked a summer ago paving and driving a patch truck for Taiwan Cement) with Meimei to ask, after grievous rehearsal (being a novice), her to marry with me. She took my hand and we hiked. For I knew (and she knew too) the Church members would come to the
temple this summer, and she said yes. We have saved money because we were graduated, I working for her father at the corporation. I gave up a graduate scholarship at Taiwan National for an equal one in Utah, and we spent the spring getting our visa details done.
There was the moon at Taroko, gauze-covered before the rains, and a jet cutting across like a spider, leaving one thread going east over the gorge. And I was fearing and trembhng— a little seed of panic at proposing and going to America and all.
We strolled across the footbridge in the high fog in Taroko, and I was glad we wore tennis shoes and that I was young high in the mountains. I waited for her, helping her up. A man should be kind. And deft. I grinned wide. "Tell me your joke, Chan," Meimei said. Her eyes are huge like apricots. She would soon be Hu Yen Ling, but I called her Meimei the way sweethearts were called in China before.
"Ai ya, I'm happy."
"How now?"
"I just asked if I can give myself away to the girl I love, and she assented."
We kept up walking. I had involved myself in her family, and I became of her clan, Weng, at 23 and she at 22. Now I would be a patriarch, the generations in order, with China's best cook to wife. I would wake in mornings beside her and reach out. And she would be there, this existence being good. In a bright hour I would remember loneliness as a long-ago knock at my gate, when I was disoriented.
Coal smoke from the cold canyon air came down, like smoke at the houses around our university in Taipei. We heard a folk song coming out that set us in harmony. I wondered if some chemistry would happen upon sharing my name with Meimei and at what moment her name changed.
The old familiar air of Taroko. I loved the sound of the river below by the inn where we had fried rice for lunch (not as good as Meimei's); dogs barked in the houses above. My soul walked comfortably on that soil with her. They were both mine. Both were necessary. And tangible.
A man is lucky to have a wife and all. And so I kissed her and was out of breath from hiking, and
Robert J. Morris is a Brigham Young University student specializing in Asian studies, an interest motivated by his mission in the Far East.
By Robert J. Morris
remembered the first kiss at college when my contact lens fell out. Thus I meditated. So winter passed to spring and spring to summer, and I never knew them more beautiful or swift. Every time we were together we would repeat again our plans for America, which we had never seen, and we never grew weary.
We had asked my uncle to arrange the marriage with Meimei's parents and for branch president Huang to perform the rites. (Whenever he interviews, he asks you what your favorite scripture is.) We initiated our marriage there as a pre-enactment, then again in Hawaii. Hawaii was a crux. We would go to the America mainland for living and graduate study in Utah. We planned in ambition, like many of our friends who emigrated to be like their friends. The thought of going all the way to America thrilled me at first to be with the Church firsthand. Yes, Taroko was pretty, like the Pali and Waikiki, really the only place in Taiwan that looked like the Chinese paintings you see from older dynasties. But I missed our island, and at the temple I began to doubt the propriety of home's having a new name.
My confirming fini,shed, I stepped again into the warm font, and my white clothes rippled. I and my branch president bowed slightly and smiled. The font walls were watermarked. He said, "What is your favorite scripture?"
I said, "Mosiah, eighteen chapter, thirty verse." Another 40 names for the passed-beyond ones, per- fecting this day their candidacy as beginners in the Church, rebirthing, and I felt a little hungry, so it must be noon.
Everyone in that baptistry was Chinese. Everybody. The water glittered against my waist. The record keepers called the name of a passed-on person, a Chinese, and I felt an ancestral anxiety of my own. Someday I could stand here for my long silent parents.
Waiting was over, and everything in bounds and oriented for me. I was more complete as a man; as the Tao says, my Yang maleness was whole and smoothed by the gentle occupations of Meimei's feminine Yin, as of old, a consummate and organic whole with her ancestors. Myself before Meimei knew loneliness as a deep cave.
I yearn sometimes to know my genealogy too, and perhaps that was drawing mc eastward from Hawaii. A man needs a legitimate knowledge of his birthright, not .shreds. I was an orphan at five. Maybe thinking of all those new names and faces in Utah scared me a litde.
But it was in my high school days I began to have friends of the Mormon Christian people, who men- tioned that I was the son of a Father of spirits— a son of heaven. I asked them to tell me more about this
Father, and Joseph Smith's short sections in the Doc- trine and Covenants captivated me. A man wants a God to be somewhere and somebody. Ai ya, time flies like an arrow. I paid a tenth and stopped tea. And meditated a new light. My uncle told me you are a young one, and faithlessness is not becoming a man. When you exchange innocence for faith and choose a religion, even as you will choose a wife, so you will not relinquish your Chineseness; whatever you be, be a good one, and it was no reprimand so I did not fear.
In my uncle's guest room was some writing; The Son Who Travels Ten Thousand Li Should Reflect That There Is Still a Home. I and Meimei had the best of one world. So that is how we married and did temple work afterward. And we called our joy the first day.
For the fortieth name again the soft water now covered me, and sound changed pitch. I remembered my own baptism. I felt innocent and plain, as now. I looked up through the water at the rippling ceiling a moment. To have a father is good. To be a father is good, and to organize a family in your name.
I felt something like an iron rod, akin to religious burnings, through my middle, as I came up. It would be good to take that feeling back to Taiwan. We will have our sons at home and not scattered abroad. That is restitution enough. A man holds the priest- hood. And each man begets his own race. As the sage kings Yao and Shun initiated the common enter- prise of my people, so we venerate them because that cause is our most primal and proprietous duty to them as cultural ancestors and founders.
Going back to the island, we would gain face— a prerogative I now shared with Meimei and owed my sons-to-be. Our future lay behind us.
We can even squeeze in a summer semester at Taipei, I thought. But no one ever taught me how to be a father to sons. So that was my most immediate school, and maybe in after years we could join our friends abroad who were neither east nor west. For now the temple had been a simple solution. And that is what I told Meimei that afternoon as we packed our white clothes. O
How True!
By Mary Colby Wilder
Though we are many Miles apart, A prayer can bring us Heart to heart!
30
Improvement Era
R
egardless of how you want to accumulate funds of approximately $2,400.00 for a mission. First Security Bank can assist you.
Three types of savings plans are available, together with variations or combinations to fit your individual needs. These include:
5% per annum Short-Term Savings Certificate
with interest credited to a Passbook account every 90 days.
5% per annum Long-Term Savings Certificate
with 5% interest guaranteed over a 5-year period even if present interest rates should go down. This plan yields 5.60% when interest is accumulated over 5 years.
Passbook Savings, a special mission account. Any amount may be deposited at any time.
Many families use a combination of plans,
MR. & MRS. A'S PLAN
You may be interested in the specific plan designed by Mr. and Mrs. A. In the early summer of 1968 they decided that they wanted to accumulate a fund so that 5 years hence $100.00 a month could be sent to their son all the time he would be on a mission.
They had $624.96 in cash at that time, so they put it in our 5% per annum 5- Year Savings Certificate. Interest is guaranteed. So the $624.96 will earn $175.04 interest in 5 years. By 1973 it will have grown to $800.00.
To accumulate $1,800.00 more, Mr. A. decided to save $30.00 a month for 5 years. He instructed us to automatically transfer that amount each month from his checking account and put it in a Special Mission Passbook Savings Account.
Mr. A. also told us to buy a 5% Short-Term Savings Certificate each time $500.00 has been
LOOKING AHEAD !
Savings plans to finance Missions for Sons, Daughters, Grandsons, Grandaughters
accumulated in the Passbook account. Also to have all the interest paid quarterly on the 90-day Savings Certificates credited to the Passbook account.
"The way I've figured it," said Mr. A., "I'll have saved $2,424.96. If my son should go on a mission, he'll receive $100.00 a month — and the account will still have $579. 11 in it, perhaps for a post-mission trip."
Amount saved $2,424.96
Interest paid by Bank 554.15
Amount paid Missionary $2,979.11
SAVING $500 A YEAR
Depositing $500.00 once a year each year for 5 years will create a fund that will return to your missionary $100.00 a month for 24 months. And the 24th month's check would be for $778.80 - not just $100.00.
Amount saved .$2,500.00
Interest paid by Bank 578.80
Amount paid Missionary $3,078.80
PLAN FOR YOUR FAMILY
Each family's requirements vary, but we at First Security Bank have the "know-how" to tailor a plan so that you would receive maximum interest.
We hope you will come in and discuss your specific problem — whether your savings plan be long or merely for a short period of time.
Federal regulations stipulate the maximum interest which may be paid by national banks. Examples shown are based on present maximum permissible rates.
FIRST SECURITY BANK
First Security Bank of Utah, National Association. First Security State Bank. First Security Bank of Idaho, National Association. First Security Bank of Rock Springs, Wyoming. Members Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
September 1969
31
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• In the centennial year of the Mormon migration, Vilate C. Raile wrote of the Mormon pioneers:
"They cut desire into short lengths
And fed it to the hungry fires of courage.
Long after, when the flames had died,
Molten gold gleamed in the ashes.
They gathered it into bruised palms
And handed it to their children
And their children's children forever."
In our pioneer heritage there is much of this molten gold, but we often cannot distinguish it from the ashes. Some of it is found in the uncommon aspects of the Mormon migration.
The period from 1835 to 1869, when the railroads were joined at Promontory Summit, was a time in Western America when thousands of people moved to the Far West on horseback or with wagons. The
Mormons were not the first of the western pioneers; they did not compose the vast majority of those who went west; and they did not pioneer the first trans - Missouri wagon road. But there are some aspects of what they did that tend to be ignored in historical accounts of westward expansion of the United States. There are at least ten unusual aspects of the Mormon migration.
1. A Religiously Motivated Migration.
The motive that led the Mormons westward was religion, and in this they differed from all other sizable contemporary migrations. Utah is the only western state settled by Americans in which religion was the primar\' motivating force for migration and in which
Dr. T. Edgar Lyon, well-known Church historian and author, has taught for many years at the Institute of Religion adjacent to the University of Utah campus and is research historian for Nauvoo Restoration, incorporated.
September 1969
33
it continued as such for more than a half century. Most people traveling to the Far West sought economic betterment, improved health, escape from the mo- notony of urban life, flight from unhappy marital or family situations, to run beyond the long arm of the law, or to give vent to a restive spirit of adventure. After having met pressures from hostile social groups and religious bigots in New York and Ohio, the Mor- mons migrated to Missouri. There, the same forces, intensified by local problems, erupted into mob vio- lence on two occasions and ended in the expulsion of
"Utah is the only western state settled by Annericans in which religion was the primary nnotivating force for nnigration...."
the Mormons from the state. They settled in Illinois, but soon the old sources of friction, augmented by political intrigues, economic jealousy, and startling re- ligious innovations, aroused antagonism toward them. They were presented with the alternative of aban- doning their city of Nauvoo and their many settlements in the surrounding country, or engaging in a civil war to maintain their property rights and their re- Hgious differences. The Mormon leaders announced their intention to seek a new home in the Far West rather than engage in the shedding of blood. There they would build their communities and be free to establish their religion and a government in harmony with their religious ideals. Mormons by the tens of thousands undertook the tiring westward journey to establish what they termed "the kingdom of God."
2. The Economic Status of the Participants.
A second factor that is different in the Mormon migration is the economic status of the participants. In contrast to the usual California and Oregon migrants of the same years, the Mormons were relatively poor, and many were in destitute circumstances. The earliest pioneers to Utah had received only a fraction of the value of the property that had been sold in Illinois and Iowa. Usually they had received only food, wagons, livestock, or farm products in exchange for their homes, farms, and shops. Their wagons, when loaded with the farming equipment and tools needed to establish houses in their new settlements, the neces- sary food to last them for more than a year, and
bedding and clothing, were more than filled. There was little or no space for hauling furniture or luxury items, or even stoves, in many cases.
In contrast, the Oregon and California immigrants who camped along the same roadway to the West carried large sums of gold and silver to establish themselves in their new homes. Many of their wagons, not being filled with such large supplies of food, which could be obtained when they reached the Pacific Coast, started their journeys with fine furniture and luxury items.
After 1849 the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company provided overland transportation from the Missouri Valley outfitting centers to Great Salt Lake City, for those unable to secure their own wagons and animals. Many of the converts in the British Isles, where wages were depressed, could not save enough to pay their passage to the Missouri Valley. Later the fund pro- vided complete transportation from British and con- tinental ports to Utah. With all of their worldly possessions in one or two boxes (so limited by the shipping companies and the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company), thousands of immigrants who other- wise never could have reached Utah were given the privilege of establishing homes and owning land in their new Zion.
3. Mormons Did Not Employ Professional Guides.
During the eighteen-twenties, thirties, and forties^ the "mountain men" ( fur trappers and traders ) roamed western North America. In their quest for beaver and otter, they followed Indian and buffalo trails and became familiar with the mountains and plains of the West. When beaver hats were replaced by silk hats, the value of beaver pelts fell drastically, and their trappings ceased to be a highly profitable business.
Many of them found a new source of income. They journeyed to the rendezvous points for immigrants going to the Far West and offered themselves as guides to the migrating parties.
The immigrants, aware of the unmarked wilderness roads, the dangers from Indians, and the problems of crossing the large rivers and high mountains, gladly engaged the services of these knowledgeable men at very high prices. To have started for Oregon or California without a guide would have appeared foolhardy.
The Mormons did an unusual thing. They lacked the gold and silver to employ the guides, but they had confidence in their leaders as men inspired by God. These leaders had studied every available map
34
Improvement Era
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and printed record ( particularly those of Captain John C. Fremont). They were confident that with God's aid they'd "find the place which God for us prepared, far away, in the West." As they journeyed westward
There is no known record of any other such large company of pioneers starting for the West, in which no one in the company had previously traversed the road"
they made inquiry of the mountain men they met, con- cerning the best roads to follow. There is no known record of any other such large company of western pioneers starting for the West, in which no one in the company had previously traversed the road.
4, Non-frontiersmen Were Quickly Transformed Into Pioneers.
The Saints who left Nauvoo were not in the main rugged frontiersmen who had come from pioneering stock. The majority of them in their own generation had come either from the settled communities of re- finement along the Atlantic Seaboard or from the British Isles. They were not fifth- or sixth-generation pioneer stock, such as Abraham Lincoln's family. His ancestors had pioneered on the Atlantic seaboard, then above the tidewater regions, over the mountains into the great western valleys, into Kentucky and Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana, and Illinois. This contrast is significant.
Relatively few of the Mormons at TJauvoo had grown up accustomed to dealing with livestock, farm- ing, building houses from the raw materials of the countryside. Many of the American Mormons and most of those from Europe had been miners, factory workers, shopkeepers, sailors, trained artisans, and businessmen. The Mormon exodus took that group, and under the tutelage of a relatively few who had grown up in pioneering situations, within a few months the Saints had been transformed into a people who handled heavily loaded wagons drawn by oxen, horses, and mules and traversed a variety of climatic belts into the arid West.
None of these migrants were familiar with irrigation agriculture. All had come from areas where the rain- fall produced abundant crops or verdant coverage of
the prairies. Under the leadership of men whom the Saints viewed as God's prophetic leaders on earth, they diverted the water from mountain streams and made the former deserts become fruitful fields. They became the pioneers in irrigation processes in America and formed the basis of irrigation law that has now become international in its acceptance.
5. A Migration of Families.
The greater part of the wagon trains that traveled the California and Oregon trails were composed pre- dominantly of men. Relatively few women and children accompanied them. There were some excep- tions, but the movement was primarily one of ad- venturers who did not take families with them. In contrast, the Mormon pioneers (with the exception of the first pioneer exploratory party) were families moving en masse to the Far West. In addition, the Mormon migration had a higher percentage of older people, who went along with their married children.
These factors make the Mormon migration unique because of the greater difficulties imposed by the divergent groups within the companies. Women, children, and older people prevent a group from traveling as rapidly as a body of men could do. The usual childhood diseases, childbirth, and the infirmi- ties of age all caused lost days of travel. These people required more time to pack and unpack each day, to prepare meals and wash clothing.
The presence of families required the travel com- panies to be larger than a group of men, in order to provide sufficient men to adequately guard the group against Indian depredations. The increased size of the companies created other problems, including more time needed to water the larger number of animals three or more times a day, and to sort out the hun- dreds of animals each morning before harnessing or yoking-up.
6. The Mormon Trail Was a Two-way Road.
The majority of pioneers heading for the West Coast were not concerned about building a road on which to return to the East, nor were they concerned about those who would follow after them. Once on the West Coast, ocean transportation would provide easier communication routes with the East. In contrast, the Mormons were conscious that a never-ending stream of immigrants would be following in their steps, as converts caught the spirit of gathering. Furthermore, they were aware that missionaries by the hundreds would be trekking back along the route, and that
36
Improvement Era
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wagons would be returning to the Missouri Valley to haul new groups of immigrants to Utah.
When they came to streams that were fordable, they stopped long enough to cut down the banks to make the descent and ascent from the ford easier. They corduroyed swampy stretches of road and con- structed ferries on the larger riv.ers that were too swift or deep to ford, then stationed crews to operate them for oncoming parties, They constructed dugways to reduce the hazard of loaded wagons tipping over
'They improved the roads, in an unselfish way, as a means of assisting a great number of people unrelated by blood to them...'.'
on hillside roads. They improved the roads, in an un- selfish way, as a means of facilitating the movement of a great number of people, unrelated by blood to them, but tied perhaps even closer through the bonds of Christian love and brotherhood.
7. TJte Magnanimous Aspect of the Mormon Migration.
Though it is difficult to measure this intangible achievement in terms of material accomplishments, it was nonetheless a unique aspect of the Latter-day Saint migration. The Mormons were concerned with the social and economic well-being of mankind as well as spiritual values. When they departed from Nauvoo there were hundreds who possessed neither wagons nor draft animals nor milk cows. The members of the Church, in conference assembled, placed them- selves under a mutual assistance covenant to exert every resource within their power to assist those fami- lies without the necessary facilities to travel, and not to rest until all Saints who desired to go west had been helped on their way.
Many converts in the British Isles lacked money to follow the Saints to the Great Basin. The Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company and a few wealthy mem- bers of the Church assisted thousands to reach their Zion in the mountains. Such assistance opened the way for people who otherwise would have spent their lives at a relatively low economic standard of living to become independent landowners and farmers and artisans.
The annals of immigration in America can be
searched in vain for a comparable mass of people in the lower economic brackets being moved so far and so efficiently by their co-religionists without any profit motive, and without a planned exploitation of them as a work force.
8. The Organization of Mormon Wagon Trains.
Nothing had welded the average emigrant to the Pacific Coast into a homogenous group prior to start- ing for the West. Most pioneers traveled to some well- known rendezvous point and joined others whom they had not previously known, to make a group large enough to travel in safety and to be able to hire a guide to conduct the train on its long journey.
Iti contrast, the Mormons had been conditioned by a common religious conviction concerning the restora- tion of the gospel and its priesthood leadership. Brig- ham Young announced a revelation {D&C 136) that gave a plan for organizing the wagon companies. Under this system there was a chain of command from the leader of each migrating unit down to each wagon. The correlation of effort at each level enabled the Mormon companies, although composed of people who usually did not have outfits as good as the non- Mormons en route to the West, to complete their journey in a minimum of time, with a minimum loss of manpower and goods, and a higher percentage of success in reaching their destination.
Mormon companies did not go part way west, then lose heart and return to the East. By mutual assistance, sharing, and sacrificing, all born of their religious sense of brotherhood, the Mormons maintained their organized groups. They did not reject their leaders nor split the trains into units too small for adequate protection. In any wagon train there are fast- and slow-walking animals. The Mormons with the fastest- walking animals did not go off and leave the others. The speed of the entire train was limited by the gait of the slowest team in the group.
9. Respect for Life and Death.
The journals of immigrants who traveled the Oregon and California trails relate that parties arriving at a campground often found the remains of a human body there. The dead person had been wrapped in a blanket and placed in a shallow grave, as the camp hurried on to its destination. Wolves had pawed away the earth and exhumed the remains.
Mormon journals note many deaths en route to the Great Basin. But they also noted the making of coffins from spare lumber, wagon tailgates, or cottonwood
38
Improvement Era
George no longer thinks Mussorgsky is a halfback at Notre Dame
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September 1969
39
Richard L. Evans
The Spoken Word
Chance could not have done it
As men move farther out from the magnificent /Aearth that God gave us, and look back upon / V its awesome beauty, its movement, its pre- cision and proportion, upon the wondrous working and magnificent majesty of it all, we come with souls subdued to the quiet conviction of these simple words: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. . . ."^ Chance could not have done it. "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good."^ Well, man, made in the image of God, has done much with his marvelous God-given mind, in the dis- covery and use of natural law. But much as man has done, he has scarcely touched the surface of all this majesty of meaning, of purpose, of infinite understanding. Think a moment of the organizing and engineering and operation of it all— of keep- ing a world within a livable range of temperature; of air and water renewing themselves; of insect, animal, and bacterial balance in infinite variety. And the creation is evidence of a Creator, design is evidence of the Designer, and law is evidence of its Maker and Administrator— evidence sufficient even for the most skeptical and unbelieving. "When a load of bricks, dumped on a corner lot, can ar- range themselves into a house," wrote Bruce Bar- ton, "when a handful of springs and screws and wheels, emptied onto a desk, can gather themselves into a watch, then and not until then will it seem sensible, to some of us at least, to believe that all . . . [this] could have been created . . . without any directing intelligence at all."^ Then and only then will I believe that this Was done by chance —or without eternal plan and purpose. "Behind everything stands God," said Phillips Brooks. "Do not avoid, but seek, the great, deep, simple things of faith. "^ "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good."
'Genesis 1:1.
^Genesis 1:31.
■'Bruce Barton, If a Man Dies, Shall He Live Again?
■•Phillips Brooks, The Light of the World and Other Sermons: The Seriousness of Life.
* The Spoken Word from Temple Square, presented over KSL and the Columbia Broadcasting System July 13, 1969. Copyright 1969.
logs. A deep grave was dug and the coffin low^ered; then cobblestones were hauled from the riverbeds and placed on top of the coffin as a double safeguard against the ravaging wolves. A piece of wood, iron, or stone was then prepared to mark the site and give the name of the interred person.
There are journal accounts of non-Mormon migrants deserting a man and his family on the trail so they would not lose a day waiting for the delivery of a child. Indians sometimes fell upon such a deserted family and slaughtered them before they could over- take the ongoing party.
The Mormon people placed great value on human life, and welcomed the newly born with rejoicing. They were not unwilling to remain in camp to wait while the midwife effected a deliverv. The mother
r'
was relieved of the anxiety of being deserted while enduring childbirth under most difficult conditions.
10. The Mormon Migration Was the Movement of a Communitij.
The Mormon migration to the Great Basin in the early years was essentially the migration of the city of Nauvoo-its people, its crafts, and its religious con- victions. The migrants loaded into their wagons, in addition to tools, food, clothing, books, and cooking equipment, the historical and religious records of the Church. They took with them the minutes of the city council and the records of the municipal court. They also took the intangible spirit of the town wdth them. Although this was not tangible, it was no less real to them than books and tools and food.
John Taylor declared in the last issue of the Nauvoo Neiglibor that the spirit which had built Nauvoo in seven years could build a better city and a better temple than had been accomplished at Nauvoo. These things the people did at the end of their western trail. In the fall of 1847, when Salt Lake City was two months old, its inhabitants numbered nearly two thou- sand. A year later, after the three companies of 1848 had arrived, the city had nearly five thousand inhabi- tants. The shops and industries of Nauvoo were functioning, and the Nauvoo bands played as they had done before starting westward. The community- was the largest between the Missouri River and the West Coast. It was the only supply station in more than two thousand miles where a true city could be found. Great Salt Lake City was transplanted Nauvoo reborn.
Truly Mormon pioneers had cut desire into short lengths and fed it to the hungry fires of courage, where we might still find molten gold in the ashes. O
40
Improvement Era
Theologieal llliteraies
By Elder Marion I). Hanks
n a recent conversation with a choice college girl, I listened to two statements that may reflect the feelings of many of her peers who have similar problems for similar reasons and who, like her, seem content to understand where the solutions are without doing anything to bring them about.
She called herself a "theological illiterate," shortly thereafter noting that she has never read through any of the so-called standard works nor any basic exposition of gospel principles. She had not read any version of Church history, lengthy or abbreviated.
I recalled for her a statement made by Dr. John A. Widtsoe, learned apostle and university presi- dent, in his great autobiography, hi a Sunlit Land. Dr. Widtsoe wrote:
''Since my boyhood I had known the restored gospel to be true. In my college days I had sub- jected it to every test known to me. Throughout my life it had made the days joyous. Doubt had fled. I possessed the Truth and understood, measurably, the pure and simple gospel of Jesus Christ.
"I had studied the gospel as carefully as any science. The literature of the Church I had ac- quired and read. During my spare time, day by day, I had increased my gospel learning. And I had put the gospel truth to work in daily life, and had never found it wanting.
"The claims of Joseph Smith the Prophet had been examined and weighed. No scientific claim had received a more thorough analysis. Every- where the divine mission of the latter-day prophet was confirmed.
"The restored Church had been compared with other churches. Doctrine for doctrine, principle for principle, organization for organization, the churches had been placed side by side. Compared] with the churches of the world, the Church ofj Jesus Christ, as restored through Joseph Smith, stood like a field of ripening grain by the side of scattering stalks.
"The stream of Church history since Jesus' day was muddy. The churches could not confirm the descent of their authority. The facts in recorded history proved the reality of the apostasy from the primitive faith, as taught by Jesus, the Christ. The restored Church alone possessed the priest- hood of Almighty God." (Pp. 158-59.) No one knows anything about his homeland simply because he was born a citizen thereof. He must learn. No one knows anything about Christ's work simply by being born a member of the Church, and often he knows little about it after years of unmotivated exposure in meetings or classes. He must learn. And learning involves self-investment and effort. The gospel should be studied "as carefully as any science." The "litera- ture of the Church" must be "acquired and read." Our learning should be increased in our spare time "day by day." Then as we put the gospel truth to work in daily life, we will never find it wanting. We will be literate in the most important field of knowledge in the universe, knowledge for lack of which men and nations perish, in the light of which men and nations may be saved. O
42
Era of Youth
friend of ours tells the story of his not-so-glorious career as a high school quarterback. Al- though he made the team, the truth was soon evident, and mid- season found him the fourth of four at that position. By season's end, he had given up. During the final game he pulled off his shoes, wrapped himself in a blanket, and settled down to watch his buddies perform.
Then it came.
"Hey, you! Get in there and move the ball!"
The sound almost stunted his growth. What should he do? His first impulse was to say "Wait, coach, while I put on my shoes." The next two possibilities were either to pretend he didn't hear or to lapse into a coma. He did the only manly thing. Strapping on his helmet as he ran, he made straight for the huddle, his stockinged feet conspicuously evi- dent. Amid unbelieving team- mates he called a play. But the shock of his first game was a little disconcerting, and as he took the snap from center, it dawned on him that he had for- gotten which play he called. As his defense moved to the right, he nimbly went left and met the world of opposition head on and
was swallowed up in the snarl of opposing linemen.
Though the story goes on to something of a happy ending, my friend takes the occasion to teach
what has become a great lesson to me. He said, "No one expected me to make a touchdown. Even running the wrong way was un- derstandable. But there was no excuse for a quarterback without shoes!"
In one of the revelations con- tained in the Doctrine and Cove- nants, Oliver Cowdery was told that he was to be granted the gift of translation. (D&C 6:25.)
But here, in a far more serious contest, was another quarterback without shoes. He wasn't as ready as he had once been. His belief in himself and his cause had fal- tered, and though he cried, "Wait while I get ready!" he learned that eternal work can seldom wait. To
Oliver the Lord had to reply, "Because you did not continue as you commenced ... I have taken away this privilege. . . . You feared, and the time is past, and it is not expedient now." (See D&C 9:5, 11.) The opportunity of a lifetime had not been seized during the lifetime of the oppor- tunity, and it was gone forever.
Young people of the Church, there is a great growth ahead for you. There is permanent, peace- ful joy to be felt. Be faithful. Be ready. Believe in the battle, and be willing to serve. To all who will hear, the angel is saying what he said long ago to Peter: "Arise . . . bind on thy sandals . . . follow me." (See Acts 12:7-8.) o
ow much would you give for a guarantee of success in your college studies? What would it be worth to you if you knew of a way to ensure not only a good grade and graduation, but a real education as well? There is such a way, though you won't find it in lesson outlines, study guides, or cram sessions. The way is through that which all of us share in common — the influ- ence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through righteous ap- plication of four gospel princi- ples, you can practically ensure yourself of success in your col- lege work.
1. The Word of Wisdom: If you've read the 89th section of the Doctrine and Covenants lately, you should know that one of the blessings promised for ad- herence to the Word of Wisdom is "wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures." How long has it been since you applied that promise to your geography class, or physics, or EngHsh? Do you know that there are no limits to the amount of knowledge the Lord will help us gain if we obey the law set down to obtain it?
If you live the Word of Wis- dom, your body will be more
pure and your mind more clear to receive earthly as well as heavenly knowledge. On the other hand, how can you pretend to summon your mind to intense application . when your body is polluted and desecrated ? Former Harvard President Charles Eliot once told a group of incoming freshmen, "Remember, students, tobacco destroys the mind, and you have none to spare!" It has been shown that the capacity for scholarly work differs signifi- cantly between smoking and non- smoking groups of students.
46
And have you ever heard of first tested the promise of James
alcoholic indulgence for intellec- to seek spiritual light, he con-
tual stimulation, let alone the tinned to use this method of faith
use of drugs to develop an aca- and prayer throughout his life
demic discipline? If you really to gain secular as well as spir-
beheve the Lord, why not take itual knowledge, him at his word and obey the 3. The Holy Spirit: We are
law to reap the blessing prom- told in the 46th section of the
ised? Living the Word of Wis- dom— in its positive parts as well as in avoiding substances that can prove harmful to your body — can become one of the greatest study aids you've ever used.
2. Faith and Prayers: How long has it been since you've prayed for help in your class- work? When you did, did you ihave faith that God would really
Doctrine and Covenants to seek earnestly the "best gifts" of the Spirit. One of these gifts is the word of wisdom; another is the word of knowledge, "that all may be taught to be wise and to have knowledge." Now, if you live worthily enough to receive an increasing fullness of the gospel, these gifts will come to you through the influence of the
purpose of our salvation and exaltation. If you obey that com- mandment, you'll work and study to educate yourself in those areas the Lord mentioned — and I chal- lenge you to find one area of academic learning that wasn't included.
Education and exaltation in the gospel are really synony- mous ; both are part of an eternal process of learning. President Hugh B. Brown once said, "Per- haps not but by searching, man may become acquainted with his universe; by intelligent search- ing, gaining knowledge, becom- ing educated, man may come to understand and appreciate, not
Holy Spirit, that same Spirit of only his immediate surroundings,
help you, or did you say it and which Jesus spoke when he said, but by constantly pushing back
then forget it ? When Jesus said, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them" (Mark 11:24), he didn't \ limit this blessing to healing Sfrom bodily illness or gaining a testimony of the gospel.
". . . all things are possible to him that believeth." (Mark 9:23.) Faith in God, faith in yourself as a child of God, faith in your ability to learn, and faith in his helping you are all essen- tial to human understanding. You might make some progress on your own, but without the moral principle and spiritual power that faith produces, per- manent progress is impossible. Without faith in a God of laws and order and purpose, how could you even attempt to account for the great phenomena of nature ? Why then don't you apply the test and "ask of God"?
"He shall teach you all things, his horizons in all directions he and bring all things to your re- will discover ever more compel- membrance." This means just ling evidence of plan, design, and what he said, that the Holy purpose — hence a planner, a de- Spirit will act as a study aid for signer, a mind — God."
us even in our school work (re- member, Jesus said all things) if we merit his influence and companionship.
4. Eternal Progression: If you really believe in eternal
This, then, is the ultimate pur- pose of a college education and should become the basic motiva- tion for your studying. If you learn for the sake of the gospel, the gospel will help you learn. It
progression, you can't help but . is just that simple. Faith and
succeed in college. The gospel prayer, the Word of Wisdom, the
plan gives purpose to learning, philosophy and goal of eternal,
meaning to progress, and under- progression, and the influence of
standing to every academic discipline. The Lord has express- ly commanded us to learn not only spiritual things, but "things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth ; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad ; the wars and the per-
But remember, you must "ask plexities of the nations, and the
in faith, nothing wavering." And judgments which are on the
remember also — if you need con- land ; and a knowledge also of
vincing proof of these study aids countries and of kingdoms"
—that although Joseph Smith (D&C 88:79)— all for the
the Holy Spirit can become your most valued and trusted study aids. Together with diligent study habits, they can practically guarantee success in your class- work. I've tried it along with many others, and it works ! Here's an invitation for you to do the same.
James Moss is a former stu- dentbody president at the Uni- versity of Utah and a recent graduate in law from Stanford University.
September 1969
47
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Docs Gigarette
I I
By Dr. Thomas A. Clawson, Jr.
49
D
0 you like to travel? Travel- ing is something near and dear to me. Since I reached my teens I have had a choice of two trips : one — an LSD trip, popping pills, smoking pot, and mainlining right down the road of degrada- tion into the jaws of death, into the mouth of hell; the other — an LDS trip, down the glorious road of mortality and into the kingdom of God. On this trip I can take friends of my own choosing. Will you be my friend and join me on my LDS trip? If the answer is yes, then you will need to make the same preparations I must make. You will find out why I made this
choice. Let's take this step by step.
Hov/ are we going to travel? We need a vehicle with five per- fect wheels — four to roll on and one to steer us. Our four perfect wheels are sacrament meeting, Sunday School, MIA, and semi- nary; our steering wheel, the four standard works of the Church. Once we get behind the wheel of this vehicle and hold on, there are no breakdowns and no detours.
The mode of travel for the other trip? A long, bumpy slide.
Looks like fun? Well, look closely — it is lubricated with slime to make it easy to go down. Let's pack all our necessities for our LDS trip. I'll tell you what I'm taking. I need faith. Lots of it. Knowledge — knowl- edge of the gospel and the best education I can obtain. Love — love for my Heavenly Father, love for his gospel, love for my fellowman, love for my home and family, love for my country. I'll take honesty, because I must be honest with myself and know this is the direction I want to go. I need strength and will power, vast amounts of it, so I'll pray
lUcar and Dear lo Me
By Carolyn Roe
constantly to keep a good supply on hand. I need humility, be- cause in humility we recognize the power and glory of the Lord in all things, and without his help we are as nothing.
For the other trip you don't pack much ; you toss out — re- spect, dignity, strength, health, and eventually your brain power and backbone. A needle, weed, or capsule becomes your soul and your governor, and somewhere you find you have tossed out the real you.
Now, we have to finance this trip. How are we going to do it? I have "ways and means." They include :
Ten Com-
6.
7.
8.
1. Faith
2. Repentance
3. Baptism
4. Obeying the mandments
5. Living the Word of Wis- dom Tithing
Strong testimony, know- ing that God lives and that my church is true A temple marriage, to a man I love and respect; to a man who holds the priesthood, which I honor ; to know our children will be ours forever ; to experi- ence the greatest honor possible to earthly parents.
The other trip? The price was too high — I couldn't afford it. Why spend yourself to get no- where fast?
It is time to talk about where we are going. I want to go to
the celestial kingdom. I want to
be with my Heavenly Father and
to meet my earthly family there,
to live in joy and happiness
forever. Here and now, I have
the freedom to accept either
invitation — one voice saying,
Hey, baby, be free, turn on,
tune in." Is tliat being free?
Yes, in a way that wild animals
are free. But I'm not an animal.
I'm a child of God, and that
knowledge really makes me free.
I hear the other voice, the
voice of the Shepherd, one who
loved me enough to die for me,
saying, "Follow me; I am the
way." I know this choice of mnne
will be dear to the heart of the
Shepherd, and it is dear to the
heart of me. O
ome on . . . enough of that daydream- ing. Be done with mere hoping your dreams will come true. Say so long to wasted moments and the lazy life. Get up and at it and start writing!
The annual Era of Youth Writing Contest is underway, and your entry might be a lucky winner. At best, you can win one of the fabulous scholarships. You might win a cash award or an Era subscription or publication in a forth- coming issue of the Era of Youth. Or . . . there is the proverbial loser's satisfaction in trying: just putting your own creative ideas down on paper is something!
This year the contest is slightly different. In addition to the traditional short story and poetry categories, we're giving you a new divi- sion— feature articles. These are the kinds of
interesting, readable items you see featured in magazines. You may want to write about "How to Flip a Crepe Suzette" or "Ten Reasons Why It Pays to Be Honest," or how to identify snails, musical instruments, or a likely v/onderful wife! This is a contest in which young writers write for young readers. That is a winning tip. Study the back issues of the Era of Youth to see what kinds of features we publish. That's a winning tip, too.
Come on, get up and at it! Write! Join the throngs from all over the world and enter the 1970 Era of Youth Anniversary Contest.
CONTEST RULES
1. Contest is open to anyone who is a senior in high school or under 25 years of age. 2. Winner must be in a position to accept the college schol- arship for the fall of 1970. 3. A pen name must be used on each entry. 4. Each entry must have a sealed envelope attached, with the author's real name, pen name, age, address, a photograph, and a statement that this is your own original work. 5. Specify which college contest you want to compete in. (Continental U.S. residents are not eligible for the Church College of Hawaii scholarships but may compete for scholarships to either Brigham Young Uni- versity at Provo, Utah, or Ricks College in Rex- burg, Idaho.) 6. Your entry cannot be returned. 7. You may submit as many entries as you ike, but each must have its own envelope of information (see rules 3 and 4). 8. DEADLINE: midnight, December 31, 1969! 9. Entries must be mailed to Era of Youth Writing Contest, 79 South State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111.
53
Despite a bicycle accident that left her with two badly sprained ankles, Irene Allred of the Smithfield (Utah) Third Ward completed all 80 Bee- hive honor badges. Not being able to walk without crutches, Irene had to finish the de- sign on a bedsheet by working with it on the floor!
At Oakmont High School in California, Garry Thomas Eagles played the saxaphone in the concert, stage, and pep bands. His talent in speech earned him the Lion's Club speech contest for two years, and his leadership abil- ity earned him the American Legion's leadership award. He serves as a stake missionary and as Sunday School secre- tary, and is looking forward to attending Brigham Young University and serving on a mission.
Harold Davis received a trophy and a $3,500 scholar- ship from Chevrolet when he placed fourth in the All-Amer- can Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio, Harold created quite a sensation with his "lay-down" car. He had to worm into a long, very narrow hole in order to get into it! Twelve-year- old Harold is a Boy Scout and a deacon from Midland, Texas.
54
Serving as president of the Idaho Association of Student Councils, governor of Gem Boy's State, a delegate to Boy's Nation, a representative to the Williamsburg Student Burgess in Virginia, and as high school studentbody presi- dent didn't stop Neil Anderson of North Pocatelio (Idaho) Seventh Ward from participat- ing in church programs. He also served as fireside and seminary president and was active in church athletics.
Bruce Robertson and Jon Moser are among seventeen LDS students out of the 700 attending iVIoscow High School in Idaho. Bruce serves as studentbody president, is a three-year letterman in tennis, leads his own band ■ Jon is senior class president, lieu- tenant governor of Gem Boys' State, a three-year letterman in basketball and football, and seminary president, and has received his Duty to God award.
Rayola Hammer of Idaho Falls, Idaho, manages to keep her days full of worthwhile activities. While attending Ricks College and earning her degree in domestic science, Rayola finds time to be a nurse's aid at the Idaho Falls LDS Hospital. She has also earned her YWMIA gold medal- lion and has represented Bonneville High School at Girls' State.
55
The Presiding Bishop Talks to Youth About:
fc^\
By Bishop John H. Vandenberg
• In the animal world there is no such thing as lasting family life. The young are cared for, very often, by the mother alone. And in the animal kingdom the young are usually with their mother or parents for only a brief period — just enough time to learn a method of survival.
For the human being, however, there is lasting family life. And even though a child is more intelli- gent than an animal from the very beginning, the period of parental tutelage extends many years. The reasons for this extended period of learning are obvious: a child must learn much more than just the basics of survival.
A young man's family can be the greatest "university" — even in an eternal sense — that he could ever attend. Yet, there are many
youths in the world today who are not taking advantage of the train- ing that a home offers. The pri- mary reason for this is that some young people are failing to obey the parents to whom the Lord has entrusted them. The apostle Paul, in speaking of the last days, pointed to this problem. He wrote:
"For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy." (2 Tim. 3:2.)
There are many important les- sons of life that young men and women learn most effectively in the home. One such lesson is obe- dience— obedience to righteous principles.
A colt may be the very picture of beauty and youthful exuber- ance; yet, for all its fun and frolic,
it will not have any useful purpose until it learns to obey. So it is with youth — until they learn to obey, they will find frustration and hope- lessness at every turn.
Paul said that the Savior, too, learned obedience. Paul wrote:
"Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
"And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal sal- vation unto -all them that obey him." (Heb. 5:8-9.)
A young man who disregards the requests and counsel of his parents is cheating himself of a great opportunity to learn how to obey. The blessings that come with obedience to parents are not new; they are eternal. One reason why Nephi, the prophet of ancient America, became such a great
56
Improvement Era
leader and such a powerful servant of God was because he learned to willingly obey his father. This is illustrated beautifully in these words of Nephi's father, Lehi:
"Wherefore, the Lord hath com- manded me that thou and thy brothers should go unto the house of Laban, and seek the records, and bring them down hither into the wilderness.
"And now, behold thy brothers murmur, saying it is a hard thing which I have required of them; but behold I have not required it of them, but it is a commandment of the Lord.
"Therefore go, my son, and thou shall be favored of the Lord, because thou hast not murmured.
"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no command- ments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." (1 Ne. 3:4-7.)
Another lesson of life that youth can learn in the home is the lesson of gratitude. Our present society is one that caters to, and in some cases venerates, youth. Yet, the responsibility of youth to their parents is the same as it was anciently. The Lord has said; "Honour thy father and thy mother. . . ." (Exod. 20:12.)
Nothing injures the heart of a parent more than an ungrateful child. When unthankfulness shows itself in the thoughts or actions of a young man or young woman, it indicates that maturity is still in the distant future. Gratitude is a mark of a real gentleman or lady.
Benjamin Franklin expressed his thoughts on gratitude in the following words:
"For my own part, when I am employed in serving others, I do not look upon myself as conferring
September 1969
favors but as paying debts. In my travels and since my settlement I have received much kindness from men and numberless mercies from God. Those kindnesses from men I can therefore only return to their fellow men; and I can only show my gratitude for these mercies from God by my readiness to help my brethren. For I do not think that thanks and compliments, though repeated weekly, can dis- charge our real obligations to each other, and much less those to our Creator." ("Franklin's Testimony," The Tj^easury of the Christian Faith, p. 292.)
Another of the many lessons that a home offers is the oppor- tunity to learn the value of true labor and assuming responsibility. Christ labored in Joseph's carpen- try shop; David herded and cared for his father's sheep; Abraham Lincoln split rails; and Joseph Smith worked on his father's farm.
The opportunities to assume responsibilities in the home are not as obvious as they once were, but there are still lawns to mow, yards to care for, beds to make, dishes to wash, and floors to sweep. The mature young person will realize that these tasks are op- portunities to learn valuable les- sons and are not just menial jobs.
The home presents many oppor- tunities for youth to learn lessons they need to learn in order to equip themselves for the chal- lenges of life. In most cases there is a direct relationship between how well these lessons are learned and how successful one's future will be.
Unlike the animal world, the youth of today have parents who can teach them more than survival and who can provide them with some of the greatest lessons of life. But the responsibility to learn these lessons rests heavily with each young man and young woman. o
^ Good Housekeeping-
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57
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58
Improvement Era
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Q, May I add future dependent children to my policy after it is in force?
A. Yes, indeed, if you have the Family Plan. Just notify us and they wUl be added without evidence of insurability and without any additional charge.
Q. How can you offer so many benefits for so little premium?
A. When we enroll a large number of people at the same time, our processing and administrative costs are much less. We deal directly with you. We don't pay salesmen's
commissions or charge special membership fees. All these savings come back to you in the form of low, low rates!
Q. Can I cancel my policy? A. Of course you can!
Q. Will you cancel my policy if I have too many claims?
A. No. We guarantee never to cancel your policy because of too many claims, or iDecause of advanced age. We also guarantee that we will never refuse to renew your policy unless the premium has not been paid before the end of the grace period or unless renewal has been declined on all poUcies of this type in your entire state.
Q. Will my rates be raised because 1 grow older?
A, Never. Regardless of how long you keep your poUcy or how -old you grow, your rate wiU still be based on your age when you were first issued your policy. We guarantee never to adjust this rate unless we adjust rates on all policies of this type in your entire state.
Q. Is anything excluded from coverage?
A. Just these few reasonable exceptions: War, mental disorders, pregnancy.
Q. What about an illness 1 may have had
before my emollment and which may come
back?
A. After your policy has been in force for
just 24 months you will be fully covered for
such illness. This is another quality feature
of this unique Plan.
Q. Who's covered by this special $1.00 rate?
A. You and all eligible family members.
Q. Is it really important that I join now? A. Yes, it's very important because accident or sickness strikes without warning-and you will not be covered until your Policy is in force. Remember, you absolutely must enroll by the deadline date-but it's better to enroll right away, for the sooner you apply the sooner we will cover you. You have nothing to lose if you change your mind. Return your poUcy within 15 days for a prompt refund of your money.
TO QUALIFY DURING THIS NON-GROUP ENROLLMENT PERIOD, YOU MUST MAIL YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION BEFORE MIDNIGHT SATURDAY, OCT. 25, 1969 SEND IT TO: PROTECTrON PLUS AGENCY, 150 East Seventh South Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 BE SURE TO ENCLOSE $1 WITH YOUR ENROLLMENT FORM
APPLICATION TO COMMUNITY LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, PORTLAND, ME. For The Extra Income Health & Accident Plan-CH 36 -A
NAME (Please Print)
ADDRESS. CITY
STATE
ZIP
OCCUPATION.
.DATE OF BIRTH
AGE.
1 also hereby apply for coverage for the members of my family listed below(DO NOT INCLUDE NAME THAT APPEARS ABOVE)
NAME (Please Print)
RELATIONSHIP SEX DATE OF BIRTH AGE
Neither I nor any person listed above uses alcoholic beverages; nor has been refused any health, hospital, or life insurance. I hereby apply for the Extra Income Health & Accident Plan. I understand that I, and any person listed above, will be covered under this Policy for any injury or sickness I (we) had before the Effective Date of the Policy after it has been if force f-or a continuous period of 2 years, but not before; and that this Policy shall not be in force until the Effective Date shown in the Policy Schedule. I am enclosing $1.00 for the first month's coverage. If, for any reason, I am not completely satisfied with this new protection--l may return my Policy within fifteen (15) days for cancelling and my payment will be promptly refunded.
DATE
X.
SIGNATURE
Be sure to Enclose $1 with your Enrollment Form
September 1969
59
i r t ■« V . >
Today's Family
By Mabel Jones Gabbott
Editorial Associate
What Should Schools Teach Our
• "Reading and writing and 'rithmetic,
Taught to the tune of a hickory stick. . . ."
The words of this old song seem to sum up education in the schools a generation ago. Was it enough for that generation? Would it be enough for today's child? How far would the three "r's" take A child into tomorrow? What do parents want the schools to teach their children?
We posed this last question to seven mothers:
Mary L. Bradford, of Arlington, Virginia, is the mother of three,
Mary L. Bankhead is mother of I Gracia S. Cook, of Bountiful, I seven children and wife of Reid ] Utah, teaches kindergarten and Bankhead, recently released presi- ' first grade; she has been involved dent of the Cumorah Mission at | in the Head Start program in edu- Rochester, New York. I cation and has specialized in
I remedial reading. She is the mother
I of five children.
I
-I
Juanita Morrell, of Mt, Vernon, I Blanche P. Wilson, of Ogden,
Washington, mother of four young I Utah, the mother of six children, has conducted a BYU Leadership ] children, has taught school in teaches at the Utah School for the Week workshop in children's litera- | Germany and in New York City. Blind in Ogden. She is a gifted
ture and the creative process, and I Her husband teaches social science , artist and musician,
works as a teaching consultant to ' in their community college. i
the U.S. Government Accounting , i
I Office in Washington, D.C. I '
60
Improvement Era
Children?
voice their
system
I Emelyn R. Castleton, of Los i Angeles, California, is the mother ' of four children; her husband is a i hospital administrator. '
h
1
Elaine J. Castleton, of Malad City, Idaho, has five children and is the clerk of the Malad school board and a member of the Oneida County Hospital Board. Her hus- band heads the Malad High School music department.
We share with yoxi their con- cerned thinking.
"Much of the educational philos- ophy in our school system is responsible for the precarious situation our children find them- selves confronted with," notes Mary Bankhead. Herein lies the chal- lenge: arc we willing as parents and students to reexamine the basic principles that underlie what is being taught to our children?"
"Reexamining" their expecta- tions from the schools, most of the mothers agreed that they do "reach every area of the child's life." As Juanita Morrell says, the school should "teach the whole child, con- cern itself with the child's person- ality and character development, and provide opportunities for the child to learn good leadership and followership."
One of the school's roles, says Emelyn R. Castleton, is "the moti- vation and inspiration of a youth so he may develop self-confidence and a self-image that will enable him to have positive social inter- actions."
Gracia Cook believes these values can be incorporated into the thinking and living of young chil- dren from the first grade. Chil- dren who are taught to be kind, brave, and honest learn to obey school rules, to tell the truth, to finish an assigned task, to help without being asked first, to play fairly.
Elaine Castleton writes that the school should reinforce the disci- pline that begins at home: "I appreciate teachers and adminis- trators who help my children understand that there are certain rules and laws that must be obeyed, that there are people who have the right to tell them what they can do, and that the student has an obligation to preserve the properties and rights of others."
One major concern expressed by the mothers was in the training
September 1969
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62
of the child for his responsibilities in the world. Mrs. Morrell says, "Not the least of the school's responsibilities is to teach a skill or profession by which the individual can make a substantial living and with which he can make a worth- while contribution to society." This "specialized instruction," adds Emelyn Castleton, should have "enough adaptabiHty to keep ahead of the changes in society and technology."
Blanche Wilson believes that one of the school's responsibilities is "to make a good citizen out of my child. A child cannot be a good citizen if he does not know how to read and write or to 'figure.' Nor is he a good citizen if he does not understtind about people out- side his own home. Even a handi- capped student should not be excused from the responsibility to learn these things."
Elaine Castleton points out the emphasis the schools have placed in recent years on the education of the more intellectual student, and the increase in scholarships avail- able for the student with a high grade-point average. She says: "Many students who would do very well in schools under ordinary learning situations become frus- trated and do poorly in the face of such pressure and competition. There is a need for a variety of skills and for various types of knowledge in our society. I would hope that the schools could help each student fulfill his own poten- tial, with the personal assurance to the student that this was a mean- ingfvil accomplishment, that society did need him and appreciated what he could do, and that his services were valuable a"d necessary."
These mothers were also con- cerned with developing the creative energy of the child.
Mary Bradford observes: "One day, as I entered our elementary school, I stopped to admire a dis-
play of tapestries prepared by the fourth grade. A member of the class approached. 'Very good art work,' I said. 'Yes,' she answered, 'and the teacher did three-fourths of it.'
"Much of the so-called creative work done in the schools," con- tinues Mary, "is not the work of the children themselves. Not only that, but it is often used only as a reward for academic success. Although I applaud academic requirements, I think the schools could achieve a better balance by realizing that academics represent only one kind of ability.
"Art, music, literature, and other forms not only develop other abili- ties, but also provide an index to the state of the child's mind. It is now known that the once- celebrated IQ tests leave at least 70 aspects of that mind completely untouched. Teachers trained in the best use of the arts can teach their students and reach them too. And if these students are allowed free expression through various media, they may one day contribute some of the creative energies so badly needed in this world, so badly needed in worlds to come."
Emelyn Castleton comments: "We have been fortunate in our locality to have some of the latest educational concepts and audio- visual aids used in our schools. My children have been exposed to various types of cultures that have broadened their views and taught them to be more understanding and tolerant."
Reinforcing moral values, learn- ing skills, and developing creative energies are programs and patterns these mothers will expect from our schools. Is there more?
One of our Church leaders tells the story of an employer in a southern town who hired or re- jected applicants for a job on the basis of their answers to one ques- tion: "Do you think?"
Improvement Era
The child leaves the home en- vironment and goes to the school to be educated. To be educated is to think, to reason, to evaluate knowledge accumulated, to learn to make decisions, and to act.
Mrs. Morrell says the school should teach the child "to analyze problems and solve them and to listen to opinions, get all the facts, and form his own opinion."
Mrs. Wilson states; "I have en- countered children and young adults who can do their lessons each day and recite what the teacher wants to hear, but who are unable to carry on a conversation with either a friend or a teacher about some subject outside of records or TV." The school has -a responsibility, she feels, to help the child have "the desire to learn more and more, to explore many areas, to study, to speak his thoughts clearly, to recognize that his prob- lems are similar to other people's problems, and that he is not alone in his search for answers." She adds that it is fortunate that there are teachers who are able to help young people to think and con- sider, and "to follow a rewarding path of life, and occasionally to rescue one who has no path at all."
Mrs. Morrell also points out that the school should be concerned about social problems affecting students. Many schools, she says, are teaching about the use of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. She feels that "an understanding of these problems has helped many young people see the end from the beginning and avoid disaster."
However, it is not enough, warns Mary Bankhead, to "leave our chil- dren with the understanding that reason is the only criterion of truth. As parents and teachers of youth, we must search again the message of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and heed the words of the prophets. This study will give us the way of life to make our children the kind of
men and women who will create and make of their environment what it should be."
As we can expect moral disci- pline, creative encouragement, skill training, and reasoning power from the teachers in our schools, it is
hoped that we can also expect compassion for the student, interest in his particular capabilities, en- couragement for his conceptual reasoning— that the teachers be in fact not only teachers of informa- tion, but also teachers of people. O
•3f
Richard L. Evans
The Spoken Word
you . . . grown older
There is this observation from an unnamed source: 'There is an old man up there ahead of you that you ought to know. He looks somewhat like you, talks like you, walks like you. He has your nose, your eyes, your chin: and whether he loves you or hates you, respects you or despises you, whether he is angry or comfortable, whether he is miserable or happy, depends on you. For you made him. He is you, grown older."^ This has both caution and promise, depend- ing upon which direction we choose to take. "We live forward, we understand backwards," said William James. ^ And yet we are not altogether at a loss to know, along broad lines, where any road will lead. There are many who have traveled almost every road that we might choose to take; there are many who have done most things that we might choose to do, and we can look to the principles that have been proved and the results that have been realized in the lives that others have lived. Every young person, for example, can know that patience, preparation, learning, working are essential for a fullness of life. Any observer, of the present or the past, may know that clean- liness of body, of mind and morals is kindly and peacefully comforta- ble; that uncleanness is coarsening and corrosive; that standards are essential; that personal responsibility is real; that law sustains life; that there are consequences for every act; that "wickedness never was happiness";^ that the commandments are founded on eternal facts. If we live one way, we get one result— if we live another way, we get another result. We ought to be smart enough, realistic enough, ob- servant and alert enough to know this, forward as well as backward. "There is an old man up there ahead of you that you ought to know .... whether he is miserable or happy, depends on you. For you made him. He is you, grown older."
iRotary Club Bulletin of Graham, Texas; author unknown. ^Hlbbert Lectures at Oxford. 3AI ma 41:10.
♦"The Spoken Word" from Temple Square, presented over KSL and the Columbia Broadcasting System June 29, 1969. Copyright 1969.
September 1969
63
"AND SHOULD WE DIE"
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The Lure of Home-Baked Cookies
• To return home from any school — whether in California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, or New York — to the smell of freshly baked cookies makes school a better memory and home a best-beloved place. Our mothers share the following cookie recipes with you:
Peanut Butter Crispies
1 cup light corn syrup 1 cup sugar 1 cup peanut butter 6 cups crisp rice cereal 1 6-ounce package semi-sw/eet choco- late chips
Bring corn syrup and sugar to boil. Fold in peanut butter and rice cereal. Pour into 9xl3-inch pan. Sprinkle the package of chocolate chips on top. Put in 250° F. oven only until chocolate chips have melted; spread over the top. Cut in squares when the chocolate is set.
Macaroons
1 1 1 1 1
3/4 2
V2
V2
V2
1
cup shortening cup brown sugar cup white sugar egg, beaten well teaspoon vanilla cup coconut
cups quick-cooking oatmeal cups flour
teaspoon baking soda teaspoon baking powder teaspoon salt
6-ounce package semi-sweet choc- olate chips
Cream shortening; add brown and white sugars, egg, vanilla, and oatmeal. Sift flour, soda, baking powder, and salt, and add to other ingredients. Add chocolate chips. Form into balls a little larger than a walnut; place on cookie sheet and press down with a fork. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in a 375° F. oven.
Hello, Dolly! Cookies
V4 pound butter
1 cup finely rolled graham crackers
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup soft coconut
1 cup nuts
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
Melt butter in a 9xl3-inch pan. Sprinkle graham crackers over the butter. Mash down with spoon. Sprinkle over this the chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts, and pour the milk evenly over the top. Bake at 350-375° F. for 30 minutes. Makes about 30 cookies.
Improvement Era
Butterscotch Bars
y^ cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
l^ teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
In saucepan combine butter and brown sugar; cook over low heat until bubbly, stirring constantly. Cool. Add eggs to cooled mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients; add with coconut and nuts. Spread in greased pan. Bake at 350° F. about 25 minutes. Cut in bars while warm, and remove from pan when almost cool. Makes 3 dozen.
|
Fork Cookies |
|||
|
11/2 1 |
cups sugar cup butter |
||
|
2 2 4 |
eggs tablespoons milk cups flour teaspoons cream of tartar teaspoons vanilla cup raisins (ground) |
Cream sugar, butter, and eggs. Add milk, flour, cream of tartar, and vanilla. Mix together. Add raisins. Form into balls and pat with a fork. Bake at 375° F. for 10 or 12 minutes. (You may sub- stitute orange juice for milk, or wheat germ for 1 cup flour.)
Marble Brownies
1 cup shortening (or V2 cup butter and iy4 cup margarine) cups sugar eggs
cups flour teaspoon salt teaspoon baking powder
.> cup nuts 114 teaspoons vanilla
2 squares melted chocolate
2 4 2
1/2 1 1
Cream shortening. Add sugar gradually. Add eggs one at a time and beat after each addition. Add sifted flour, salt, and baking powder. Add nuts and va- nilla. Divide batter into two parts. Add melted chocolate to one half. Spread chocolate batter in bottom of pan; then add white batter. Bake for 40 minutes in 300° F. oven. Frost with fudge frosting.
Fudge Frosting
lYz cups sugar
Yz cup cream
i/i cup water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup Ys teaspoon salt
2 squares melted chocolate
2 tablespoons butter — ^
September 1969
Years ago you had to pay more for electric heat
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Beginning this year, the electric rate for heating in total electric homes was reduced 20%.
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65
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cook first five ingredients to soft-ball stage. Cool to lukewarm. Add melted chocolate, butter, and vanilla. Beat by hand until proper spreading consis- tency.
Applesauce Cookies
yi cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
y2 teaspoon cloves
V^ teaspoon salt
V^ teaspoon cinnamon
y^ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon soda
1 cup applesauce
1 cup nuts
1 cup raisins
Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg, flour, and spices. Mix soda with apple- sauce. Add to mixture. Add nuts and raisins. Bake at 350° F. about 12 to 14 minutes or until light brown.
Carrot-Orange Cookies
1 cup shortening
3/^ cup sugar
1 egg, unbeaten
1 cup mashed cooked carrots
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
14 teaspoon salt
Cream shortening until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Add egg, car- rots, and vanilla, beating well after each addition. Sift together dry ingredients and combine with carrot mixture; mix well. Drop batter by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets. Bake in moder- ate oven (350° F.) for about 20 min- utes. Remove from pan to cool. Frost with orange frosting while still warm. Makes about 4 dozen.
Orange Frosting: Combine juice of 14 orange, grated rind of one orange, 1 tablespoon butter, and about 1 cup confectioners' sugar.
Cherry Chews
^3
y^
1 1 1
2
1
Vz Va Va
¥2 V2
cup shortening
cup sugar
teaspoon lemon peel
teaspoon vanilla
egg
tablespoons milk
cup flour
teaspoon baking powder
teaspoon soda
teaspoon salt
cup seedless raisins
cup chopped walnuts
iy2 cups wheat flakes, slightly crushed Candied cherries
Thoroughly cream together first four ingredients. Add egg and milk. Beat thoroughly. Sift dry ingredients togeth- er. Add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Stir in raisins and nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto crushed wheat flakes. Toss lightly to coat. Place on greased cookie sheet about two inches apart. Top each with a candied cherry half. Bake in 400° F. oven about 12 minutes. Makes three dozen cookies.
Banana Nugget Cookies
34 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 1 egg lyz cups sifted flour V2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt y^ teaspoon nutmeg 3/i teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup ripe bananas, mashed 134 cups quick-cooking rolled oats 1 6-ounce package chocolate chips
Cream shortening. Add sugar and egg. Sift together dry ingredients; add alter- nately to creamed mixture with mashed bananas. Stir in rolled oats and choco- late chips. Drop by spoonfuls on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400° F. about 15 minutes. O
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