These meetings are held in the Salt Lake Stake on the evening of fast days. The purpose was to impress upon everybody that the Mutual Improvement Associations are permanent organizations, and do not end with each season. Once organized, they are organized for good; once a president of an association, you are a president until you are released by proper authority. It is the duty of the president to see that all the instructions of the General Board are carried out, both summer and winter; to see that his local missionary corps, organized by the general missionaries last season, are kept in working order. He is responsible for their conduct and labors, and must see that they perform their duties properly and faithfully. He must have all arrangements in such shape that there shall be no delay in opening the season on time, on the day appointed. He should have the Manuals on hand, his missionaries at work, his notices given out, his lessons assigned, and every detail attended, so that when the day of opening comes, in the first week in October, his association can begin its labors without waiting for instructions from any source. It is his duty to act. He is president summer and winter, and should keep in touch with the instructions of the General Board, and carry them out, always consulting with and informing the bishop, and gaining his co-operation in the work. Presidents should. not be removed for every trifling thing, and those who are called to this important office should be fit for the work-among the best teachers to be found exemplary men, who pay tithing, full of faith and the spirit of the work of mutual improvement, willing and able to act permanently in the position, or until released for good and sufficient reasons. Summing his instructions, we find:

The associations should hold monthly conjoint meetings with the young ladies during the whole year.

The presiding officers of mutual improvement associations should be made permanent laborers in the cause, and the associations are permanent organizations.

It is the duty of presidents to have everything in readiness to begin operations on the set meeting date in October, waiting for nothing. They should keep in touch with the instructions of their stake superintendents, and with the General Board.

Missionaries appointed last season should be organized and set to work; their appointments are permanent.

Apostle Heber J. Grant spoke on two topics. Presidents are requested to collect twenty-five cents from each member for the Improvement Fund. Some presidents had an idea that it destroyed their influence to mention this matter to their associations. That is a wrong

idea. It would neither injure them nor the members, but on the contrary would strengthen their influence, and make the members more interested than ever. Presidents and stake superintendents who act so gingerly about this matter, are not themselves converted to the necessity of this fund, and a non-compliance with this request is more from a lack of faith with the officers than from negligence with the members. Let us have an improvement in the income of this fund. The Board desire every officer and member to contribute this trifle for the advancement of the cause. The same argument applies to the ERA. The General Board requests that every officer of the associations shall be a subscriber for our magazine. It is indispensable to the workers in mutual improvement. It is not a private enterprise. Every cent made upon it is devoted to the cause of mutual improvement. Eighteen hundred copies are sent free to the missionaries. It belongs to no person. It is owned and controlled by the associations. It is a matter of patriotism for the cause for every enrolled member to subscribe, and the Board expects it of him. Keep in mind the two points:

Every officer and member is expected and requested to contribute twenty-five cents annually to the General Improvement Fund.

The ERA is the organ of mutual improvement; not a private but a public enterprise, and it is the duty of every officer to subscribe for it, and to urge his members to do the same, and to read it.

Elder B. H. Roberts called attention to the annual conference which had been set for June 10, this year, that being the quarter-centenary of the organization of the first association. He urged all the officers to arrange to attend, and invited all that are interested in the cause to be present to place themselves in harmony with the work that will be required for the coming season. Doubtless appropriate exercises will be given also to commemorate the organization of the first association twenty-five years ago. It will be a season when fresh impetus will be added to the great cause of mutual improvement. The compilation of the Manual for 1900-01 is progressing. It will be in the line of a continuation of the Manual of this year, and will complete the story of The Dispensation of the Fullness of Times to date. Copious notes and references will be given so as to make it a complete text book for the members. He called attention to the value of these manuals as a whole, and urged that the officers encourage the members to begin to gather private libraries of Church works. It should be the pride of every young man to have a library of this class to which he can point and say: “I have read those books as I gathered them." In this way, the books would not be an ornament merely upon the shelves of the book-case, but

their store of doctrine and information would be of practical and inestimable value to the owner. The reference works named in the Manuals should thus be gathered and read. This work may continue the year round. Reading, as a review of the season's work, may thus go on in the precious spare moments of the summer, to the lasting benefit of the ambitious young man who shall thus employ his time. The three items to keep in mind are:

The General Annual Conference of the Mutual Improvement Associations will convene in Salt Lake City, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, June 10, 11 and 12, 1900, which all the officers and members are urged to attend.

The Manual for 1900-01 is being prepared, and will be ready in ample time to be distributed before the opening of the season in October next.

The Manuals, and the books of reference given for their study, should be the basis of a private library for every member, who should take a pride in reading these books as they are gathered, employing his spare time in summer for that purpose.

President Joseph F. Smith called attention to the request recently sent out by the General Board to all the associations to contribute one dollar and not more than five dollars to assist in the erection of a suitable monument to our late beloved president and superintendent, Wilford Woodruff. He left only a small estate, and his executors had set aside a small amount of it for a monument, but it is not enough to build one worthy of the man. The young men had therefore been given the privilege of assisting in the work. A circular had been sent to every association some weeks ago. Ninety-six associations had responded with $230.73 and there were yet four hundred and thirty-four to hear from. Those who desired to respond were urged to send in the amounts without delay. President Smith spoke of the ERA, and asked the officers to aid in giving it a wide circulation. Some say they would subscribe, if they had the means. Perhaps they would. He thought that if they were desirous, two dollars could easily be saved by the sacrifice of some luxury like the attendance at dances and theatres, or by quitting tea and coffee and tobacco. Of course the latter could not be done by officers, for they keep the word of wisdom strictly, but he was sorry to say that there are many members who could pay for the ERA by just a small sacrifice in this direction-young men who smoke and drink away many subscriptions each year much to their detriment, who might obtain good results to themselves by saving a subscription out of these ex

penses. They would be better for it. He called attention to the recent decision of the Board relating to the title of officers: The general officers are entitled superintendent and assistants; the stake officers, superintendents and assistants; the ward officers, presidents and counselors, which titles should be applied in all cases where the officers are mentioned, to avoid confusion. He also referred to the matter of presidency in conjoint meetings. It is proper and right that the Priesthood shall preside. The meetings should therefore be called to order and opened by the person in authority holding the Priesthood. The services may then, through courtesy, be given to any person, man or woman, whom such authority may designate, for further conduct, either in part or entirely, until the program is concluded, when the person who has taken charge of the exercises or named the speakers should return the meeting into the hands of the presiding authority for him to conduct the closing exercises. It should be remembered that the Priesthood always presides even where others may, by request, conduct the meetings. So also does the bishop preside over all the deliberations of these associations, for they are not a part of the Priesthood organization, but are auxiliary organizations under the direct care of the bishop who, however, respects every person in his place. Epitomizing the remarks of President Smith, we find that-

The associations have been permitted to help in the erection of a suitable monument to President Woodruff, and are asked to contribute from each association not less than one nor more than five dollars for this undertaking.

Members and officers may sacrifice some luxuries, permitted and forbidden, to raise means to subscribe for the ERA, and are promised that such sacrifice will be of benefit to them.

The titles of officers are: General superintendent and assistants; stake superintendents and assistants; ward presidents and counselors.

The Priesthood always presides in all deliberations of the associations, but a person presiding by its authority should and does show courtesy to others by calling upon them to assist, be they either men

or women.

The associations are in no respect organizations of the Priesthood, but are auxiliary helps thereto, and are presided over by the bishops, or, rather, are under their control and supervision; and they show the proper respect to every officer in his place.

All of these important instructions were given in the space of a half hour. Seldom has a meeting been held where so much was said in

so short a time, and in so pointed and direct a way. The meeting closed, prayer being offered by Elder Edward H. Anderson.

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS.

THE PROPHECY OF ZECHARIAH CONCERNING JOSEPH SMITH.

Does Zechariah 2: 1-5 refer to the Prophet Joseph Smith?— Osborne Widtsoe and M. W. Davis.

In reply to this question, the reader is referred to "Reminiscences of Joseph the Prophet," by Edward Stevenson, published by the author and for sale by Cannon & Sons, pages 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23, in which a very plausible explanation is made concerning the reference that this passage of Scripture has to the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Elder Stevenson says: "In 1834, I first listened to this Prophet of God, who related this vision [of the plates] he had been favored with. The honesty and power of his expression carried conviction with it." He then proceeds to prove that the delivery of the golden plates to Joseph Smith was to take place in the latter days, and quotes Zechariah, second chapter, which says:

And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him.

And said unto him, run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein.

"In order to discover further the mind of God's inspired prophet, we will turn to his eighth chapter, which reads as follows:

Again the word of the Lord of hosts came to me saying, Thus saith the Lord of Hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy.

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Thus saith the Lord, I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, there shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.

And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.

Behold I will save my people from the east country

and from the west country;