305

~.ObG 754 IMPROVEMENT ERA 1906 19!/ I "Come, come, ye Saints, 110 toil nor labor fear, But with joy wend your way; Tho' hard to you this journey may appear, Grace sha ll be as your day. '.Tis better far for us to strive, Our useless cares from us to drive · Do this, and joy your hearts wi ll ~well- · All is well! all is well! One of our sweetest hymn writers was Vv. VI/. Phelps, a pioneer and a member of the first board of regents of the University of Deseret. Brother Phelps took an active part in dev eloping ! J,,{.. .!. - : FREMONT STAKE TABERNACLE. This building- is situated al Rexburg, Idaho. lt was erected between 11ay 11, 1911, and December 27, 1911, and dedicated on the 6th of January, 1912. Tl is built of stone at a cost of $31,065, and has a seating capacity of about l ;450. The outside measurement of the hnilding is 120 hy 62 feet, height about 60 feet . There are six rooms. Otto Erlandscn , architect. There are 10 by 20 rods of land connected wit h 1t, one row o f tr ees extends along the front of the building and another at the ba ck. A beautiful lawn complete ly surrounds the hous e, and th e re arc !lower beds in the front. A tract of land five by ten ro ds at th e r ea r o f the building will be planted with trees, this spring. Spacious ceme nt wa lk s connect the sidewalks w ith each of the entrances. SPRING CITY WARD CHAPEL, NORTH SANPETE STAKE Erected in 1910, and dedicated March 15 1914. Tt is built of white \imestone, the main hall being 80 by 40 feet a'i,d the annex 25 by 60 feet Ill size, height to the top of th e tower 75 feet, and to the square 25 fe~t. There are ten rooms in the building which has a sea ting capa~lty of about one thousand. The building cos t ~30,000; Watkins arc hit ect. There are two acres of land, and new lawns have been planted all around,- Hard.wood tr e~ s are planted on the outer edges of the lawns. This beautiful budding faces the east and consists of an auditorium, with p11lpit at the west, and a self-suj)porting circu lar isa ll~ry, at the east. B_ack of th.e pulpit are la r ge sliding doors opening rnto the annex which contains seven class rooms, cement baptismal font and boiler room. The building is lighted by ele c tricity and heated by steam. the schools in early days, all(! was a lecturer and writer of ability. flis poen1 s .ire r11ll of sc11ti111c11t, and sound the key notes of the faith and phi]osop!ty of the Saints. His "Awake! 0 Ye People" is an urgent message to the reader; and where in a hymn can we find more gospel truth than in, "If You Cou ld Hie to KoJob"? There is a loftiness to hi s hymns that carries one to splendid heights of thought. In fact we may say he was an idealist who attempted to carry his people with him through the medium of poetry. I hardly know which one of his poems I like best. One thing is certain. H it is the desire to fire the brethren of a priesthood meeting with zea l and determination, have them sing, "Now Let Us Rejoice in the Day of Salvation," "Praise to the Man who Communed with Jehovah," "G lori ous Things are Sung of Zion." As a sacrament hymn, his "O God, the Eternal Father" is sung more often than many others, and it touches issues that are vital to the soul. IMPROVEMENT ERA Vor.. XVII MAY, 1914 No. 7 Loud Laughter a Sin PROF, N, L. NELSON, OF TIIE WEBER ACADEMY. "Therefore, cease from a 1l your light speeches; from al I laughter; from all your l11stfnl desires; from all your pride and light mindedness, all(I from all your wicked doings. * * * Cast away your idle th o11gllls ,)JJd your excess of laughter far from you. * do these things will1 thanksgiving, with cheerful hcarls and co1111tcnanc(:~; not with 11111d1 la11!4'hlcr, for tl:is is sin, lint with a glad h1.:art and a cl1ccrful co11ntc · nanc1.:."--Uoc. and Cov., 88:121, 69; 59:15. * * It is now forty years since I first read these passages and wonderul that the Lord sho11ld condemn so innocent and, to me, so admiraulc a thing as hearty lattgl1tcr. I am afraid that as a I.Joy the meaning of "glad heart and cheerful cot111tcnance," which tile Loni offers as a substitute, did not strike 111y attention, and certainly no one ever pointed it ottt to me. T fear also that, hy till' law of contrast, my mind jumped to the opposite extreme; inter·· preting- as pleasing to heaven !he groaning hL"art and the long·. drooping countenance-like that of old Brother l\foo<ly and old Sister Gloom who, although they were a111011g the first to accept '' Mormonism," failed to slough and kave !,chi nd them in the old country the sour and solemn sha111s of sectarianism. As a consequence, the years from twelve to eighteen, which mark the hoodlum epoch in my career, were years of reht:llion ancl dcf1:111ce. l had not read M illun's "L' J\lkgro," ln1t had it co111e williin my ken, I should certaiuly have approved this stanza: l\!AJOR J . .1:-l. GILBERT • • • J fi · t dition of the Book of Mormon. The pr111 1p_:.d Y~rl~ ·in 1803, and died in Palmyra, Ile was ,0111 Ill ic 1 9? ye·tr~ 10 mouths. The photo was N. Y.,.mJ;ln.111;91rlyt26, I sc'e't!fE~lit;rs' 'J'·d;lc" taken 11s s year. " • , in this number of the EuA, 1 ~Ollt?isil~~HlnJ~~v· 895 .• "H astc thee, nymph, and bring with I hcc Jest and youthful Jolity, Imps and cranks and wanron wiles, Noels and becks and wreathed s111ilcs, Sport that wrinkled care 11<:ridcs, I.anghter holding both his sid1.:s." '1 * * As it was, the hero of that silly epoch, the incarnation of my .. ' j ,\ THE NEBO STAKE TABERNACLE This building is located in Payson, and was erected in 1906, a11d dedicated, November 24, 1907. Tt is h11ilt of brick and wood, with a fo1111dation of hl11e lim esto ne, ancl cost $22,000. l t has a seati ng capacity of 1,500 in 011c large asscmhly room. The 011tsicle size of the h11ildi11g is 135 hy 65 f1.:cl. Otto l•: rla11dsc11, architect. There is 011ef,,11rtli of an arrl' 11f l:1 11cl r111111,Ttl'd ll'illi 1t, all 111 lawn. The h11ilcl i11g wa, 1.:1,·,·tl'cl d11ri11g vigl1l,·,·11 1111111tl1, frll111 tin· d:11t.: 111,· pl :1 11 , w,·n· acrcpkd, and w:1, p:1id for hy v,.J1111tary do11atiu11s hy 111,·111hn, 11f 111 ,· stake, a11d was co111pktcly 011 ! of debt when dcdiG1t cd. guishing feature o f the worship of the Latter-day Saints. And it is quite probable that from these local centers a liking for music and song is first engenclerccl in the youth of Zion; ancl from thence also springs the fame to which om people have attained for their skill ancl love of the divine art. 1\fost presiding authorities arc highly appreciative of the value of music to the members and th:: wholesome influence it exerts on their lives. Of course. no so11g· or Jll11sic is renclerr cl or permitted that is not so11 l f11l, clignifiecl, and 11plifli11g: any other kind that merely entertains is 11nquestionahl y out of phce. Splendid results obtain where the bishop and an energe:tic and resourceful choir leader have co-operated to make the singing and mu sic what it may he mad e-an exercise to promotr a devotional spirit, "a song of the h ea rt," a refining force. a so11l -inspirer. /\nd as an clement contrihuting to these ends, preparation is first made hy the assembly itself; neither officer nor layman disturbs nor mars the peaceful and delightful quietude by moving about, talking or otherwise attracting attention of the worshipers. Tn some communities nc.-irly every young person possessing the least liking for 11111sic- though the talent as yet may be undeveloped-is a member of the ward choir. J\ncl snch sweetness and melody! it causes one to imagine angel voices from Paradise. Ancl Jll :\l\ ST/\IG: T .\8ERNACLE I .oc:il l'<I al N l'Jlli i a11d <'ITl'i l'd i11 IX60, i>ei11g i>11il I of old lili1l' ad11lil', :11 :1 c,,,t 11[ $15,()(111. 'l'he urigi11:il part uf the li11ilcli11g mca, ures 45 by 55_fcct. It has a seating capacity of 800, a nd there are live rooms 1nclud111g vestry and entrance. Zimri Baxter, architect. A quarter of an acre of ground is connected with the bnildin" which is set out in shade tree s with lawn. The vestry in the rea/"was built lat er, by Alexander Gardner, size 24 by 24 fee t with an upp er and a lower room, and cost about $2,000. The fron t entrance is constru cted of !)rick,. E. Hmto n, a r chitect, and consists of an entrance and an upstairs, size 45 by 16, by 40 feet high, cost $3,500. have you not n oticed the joyful radian ce on the mother's face the ~parkk i11 the eye, whe11, silting in the cong-regat ion, she sec; her son or daughter lending _service by which the hour of worship becomes_a heavenly bened1ct1on? Or, have you not seen a father, who like Longfellow's Vil lage Dlacksrnith"lTe goes on Sunday lo the churc h .1\nd sits a111ong hi s hoys, ' Il e hears the parson pray a11cl pre:1cl1, l fe hears hi s d:rnghter's voi..:e Singin~ in the village choir, /\ 11d 1t makes his heart rejoi ce." Y<'s, the sing i1~ g is truly a powerful factor to draw not only the p.1rc11ts and 11c1g·h liors hit th e str.1 11gcr also within our bo-ates. . l ··rom the sta11dpoint of interest the solo the duet, and the quartctte rank highly in the St1nclay1 worship.' There is scarcely ... IMPROVEMENT ERA VoL. XVII MAY, 1914 No. 7 Loud Laughter a Sin PROF. N. L. NELSON, OF TUE WEBER ACADEMY. "Therefore, cease from all your light speeches; from all la11ghtcr; from all yo11r ]11stf11J desires; fro111 all yo11r pride and light n1indcdness, a11d from all your wicked doings. * * * Cast away your idle thoughts ~IICI your excess of laughter far from you. * * * do these things with thanksgiving, with cheer fill hearts and co1t11te11ancl·~; 11ot wit l1 11111ch la11i;hkr, for tl:is is si11, i>nt with a glad heart and a d1ccrful cuu11tc · uauce."--Doc. and Cuv., 88: 121, 69; 5(J: 15 . . It is now forty years since I first read these passages and wonclerecl that the Lord should condemn so innocent and, to me, so admiraLlc a thing as hearty laughter. I am afraid that as a boy the meaning of "glad heart and cheerful countenance," which the Lord offers as a substitute, did not strike my attention, and certainly no cine ever pointed it out to me. T fear also that, hy thL· law of contrast, my 111ind ju111ped to the opposite extre111c; inter .. preling as pleasing- to heaven the grna11i11g hl'art and the 11,ng, droopiug· countenance-like that of old Brother l\foody ancl old Sister Gloom who, although they were among the first to accept ''Mormoni sm," failed to sloug·h and leave behind them in the old country the sour and solemn sharns of sectarianism. As a consequence, the years from twelve to eighteen, which mark .the hoodlum epoch in my career, were years of rebellion and defiance. l had not read J\'Tilton's "T ,' /\llegni," hut had it co111e within my ken, 1 should certainly have approved this stanza: l\lAJOR J. H. GILBERT 'ite · · ti fi t edition of the Book of Mormon. p.ri_n,ip_al ~01;w~~:~~~1tN~~v ~~rk, in 1803, all(! <l(cd in Palmyra, e w,1s >0111 in 26 1895 . • ed 9? e·1rs 10 months. fhe photo was N. Y.,. J:l11.rn:91rlyt J, se'ea.ffEdit;ri' 'i'al;le" in this n11mher of the E1u. taken 111 11s s year. , "Haste thee, nymph, and bring with thee Jest and youthfnl Jolily, Imps and cranks and wanton wiles, Noels and becks and wreathed smiles, Sport that wrinkled care derides, Laughter holding both his sides." * * * /\s it was, the hero of that silly epoch, the incarnation of my