Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-19
WE organization Of the women Of
the Latter-day Saints known
rs the Relief Society is oner-


4 rs the Relief Society is oner-
\ ,ted on the general lines of Or
,,otion in the Church-namely,
.astdency and board of directors at
toad wlth;n presidency and corps
.,ssistants over each stake OF zion
nj under these the presidencies,
,ohcrs and members constituting the
~ society. Inasmuch as the mem
,srsh,p Of the Relief Society is some-
.n,nr like $4,000, the remarkably sys-
.s,,otit nature of its work will be evil
amt from the statement that the gen
~, president is kept at all times in
,orfset touch with the various charities
"a operations of each branch society,
u matter how small or how remote 1t
may be-
There are IS stakes of Zion and each
n these, as stated, has an organiza-
t;o,, Of the society. 1t is the president
4, cach OF these stakes who Is the me-
aim between the local workers and
mo general officers. All instructions
,or the conduct OF the work are COM.
muncated to the members through her,
and the work done by the members is
likewise reported by her. 1t will be
seen. therefore, that these stake presi-
dents must needs be very busy women
IN directing the affairs Of all the diff
ferent wards over which they preside
and in making personal visits. not only
10 the wards. but also to the homes of
,he peoplc Some of them travel dur
ing the year many miles over dreadful
roads in order to make these visits,
while others have the convenience of
railway trains or street cars; but
whether their stakes be scattered or
compact, it is their duty to be person
ally acquainted With all the work ana
MI the workers under their supervision,
to know all the conditions Of the peo-
rio. and to be able to outline such
nolicv and direct such labor as the cir
cumstances of their people seem to re-
quire.
FIRST RELIEF SOCIETY.
1t will be apparent that the organiza-
tons having the most work To perform
in a charity sense are those located
in and near the larger cities, Salt Lake.
Ogden, etc. In fact the first Relief
Society stake organization Of the
Church was that of the Weber stake,
where Mrs. lane S. Richards presided
with untiring zeal for tho welfare of
the people for 81 years. Besides over
No SO i,e = ,>t,,, wi
societies in that stake, she personally
visited hundreds of homes to alleviate
suffering and took TO her own
home and provided for the immediate
wants OF countless transients and
wayfarers. Her residence in Ogden
was so near the railway station that
she never had to look far for oppor-
tunity to give relief. She only re-
tired from her arduous work when
Weber stake was recently subdivided
and new organizations were formed
and this when she had reached the
glorious age of SO years in the cycle OF
life.
The original Salt Lake stake Relief
society was presided over for Il years
by that most worthy and benevolent
name Will ever be- revered among the
women Of Zion for the wise counsel, her
tender lninistrations to the sick and
those who We're called to mourn, and
for the wonderful skill and prudence
with which she directed the charity and
business affairs of the association under
her charge. 1t was under the direction
Of Mrs. Horne that the class OF Relief
society nurses was inausurated. With
DR.. Roberts as instructor and Mrs.
w. w. Ritter as superintendent, the
purpose being to provide trained help
for the needy sick instead of relying
altogether on the Relief society work
ers who already had so much to do.
Out of that part of the vineyard over
which Mrs. Horne presided with such
signal ability, six stakes have since
been created-Jordan, Granite, Liberty,
Pioneer. Salt Lake and Ensign.
CARING FOR THE SICK.
The stake Relief society of the first
named is presided over by Mrs. Matilda
Larsen. Composed mostly of a farming
community, the people. generally, While
not rlch, are not poor; and the laboTs
OF the society are directed more to
taking care Of the sick than in relieving
want.
A large part of Granite stake, like
Jordan, is rural; but there is also a
largo part thickly settled by renters
and people OF unstable incomes--those
who work hard when work is to be had
but depend largely on the condition of
the times for their employment. Tho
society in this stake is presided over
by Mrs. Emma S. Woodruff and the
labors of the organization are many
and varied. Some of the most Interest,"
ing conferences of women held in the
Church are held in Granite stake, and
splendid efforts are being made to
educate the women along the lines of
Church history and biography Cloth
Ing is gathered in large quantities, and
a work department renovates and
makes over garments to be given out
to the poor in the stake.
The Liberty stake society is presided
over by Mrs. Annie S. Musser, aud it
consists of eight wards. Among other
things undertaken by this organization
Is helping the poor in their temple
work, those who have not the time
and means for genealogical research
and subsequent work for the dead, be-
ing assisted by the society A certain
day once a month Is given by tho wom-
en- for temple work for the poor, and
thus the blessings and ordinances for
t,,,T = IRA, hair, IA-