Show IN RELATION TO MENT associations THE season affording special opportunities tuni ties for self culture thas abas arrived the best methods for attaining the desired end should be carefully considered we have endeavored to ascertain by observation and otherwise the general status of the mutualism mutual improvement pro associations in this regard truth should oe be the chief pursuit of all and this is no time in our history to cover it up with the glamour of qualification we are therefore free to state our conclusion in relation to these organizations in plain terms it is in substance that they come cime far short of the mark it is in order to state some of the reasons for having arrived at this position in this regard we wish to be credited with the admission that there are doubtless numbers of exceptions to what we understand to be the rule to such auch the weaknesses to which we take the liberty of pointing have no reference those societies whose title applies more to what they ought to be than what they are arc exhibit 1 an apparent lack of object 2 a corresponding lack of ruu taud 3 an absence of thoroughness 4 at a like de cle of process the presumed object is the intellectual moral ano and religious advancement of liae participants J judging f from roin the comparative absence of internal organization it seems there is an impression that the result can be attained without the classification of students where the attendance is large suca a system must be practically I 1 futile because but few can possibly participate in the exercises it may belaik be laid down as au an incontrovertible proposition that the advancement of the members will depend a thomad tho iad times more upon what they do themselves than what they see or hear others do A lecture treatise or omer ftuer exercise will do the person producing it a great deal more substantial substantial good than those who listen to it tho the preparation pip of the subject has libei axed the facts it contains upon his mind hence the di division vison of the thel members into grades or classes with competent instructors who will simply and intelligently direct the studies and labors of those within their jurisdiction is an indispensable condition to advancement there is too much of a predilection for mix mixing in amusement amuse meat with other exercises W of a more solid character in some associations the concert business predominates to the exclusion of that which is more intellectually morally and religiously sive it Is not practically clear that listening to the thrumming of a guitar 1 an organ solo or a comic song will tend extensively to the development of morality intellectuality or religion the explanation of this is that if there were not an admixture of amusement many who now attend would absent themselves and the meetings as they now exist nave have the effect of keeping them off the streets this objection could be obviated by providing periodical sessions for amusement apart from the usual meetings and admitting all who attend tile the ordinary gatherings free ol 01 charge this would afford all the relief ef necessary it is against the principles of mental philosophy to pres presume that people can oscillate in brief intervals of perhaps a few minutes duration between what is amusing and that which engages the moral religious and aad intellectual faculties ana make any particular progress inde in developing ve the higher chases of the mind boys boji should be taught theoretically and practically that there is no excellence without labor and that if they aney ever become what they have the capacities for attaining to it will never be by floating like a cox cork on the ocean of life thoroughness is indispensable transitory glimpses of intelligence that flash momentarily upon the mind like tra fragmentary rays of light from brorn a lantern as it passes a window disappearing as al quickly as they come are re measurably useless lines of study should be taken up and pursued persistently until the roots of the subjects are embedded in the mental soil to be fed with ane sap of intelligence and the growth of the strong comely tree encouraged A good deal of theoretical talk is indulged in regarding the young people Ob obtaining testimonies of the divine character of the work established through the instrumentality of the prophet joseph smith this object is best utta attained ined by solid instruction through personal effort in the ples pies unfolded by that great man A testimony of the truth must be based on a comprehension of it Itma it may not exist in its solid form separate and apart from pure intelligence which is the glory of god there is a system in some societies of members reporting how many verses or chapters of the he scriptures have been read by them A record of this exercise exe reise is kept and aad reports made supposed to t be exhibits of progress attained apply this chis analogously to physical matters and its quality will be observed by the comparison if as a test of physical progress it should bl bi required of a given number of young people to report the quantity of mush lj and milk they had each consumed in a specified time an investigation would probably show that the most weakly among them had appropriated the most it is not unlikely that in the desire to be at the head of the lut list the digestive organs had been markedly iiii impaired paired this may be taken as a comparative figure of the mental effect in the other direction if it could be ascertained how much the reader had become enlightened by what he be bad read there would be some reason in the rule as with the amount of food digested and assimilated by the physical sy system stera it if it be urged that the method under consideration is an inducement for the young to read it maybe may be questioned whether reading without grasping the subject matter when quantity is a consideration does more harm barm than good by inducing the pernicious habit ot thoughtless or slovenly reading energetic intelligent solid systematic work it appears to us should be kept constantly in the foreground |