Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-12-12
RELIGION GLASSES
OF GRANITE STAKE
Meeting Held Yesterday In Stake Tab
crnnclc Is Well At
tended.

Mud and rain and threats of worse
from the weather man did not deter
the Religion class workers of the Gran
tie stake from meeting yesterday; for
there was an attendance of fully so per
cent OF the workers in this organiza
ton at the convention held in the
stake tabernacle President John
Henry Smith was present, as were also
John Henry Evans. James f. King and
Joseph Jensen OF the general board,
There was n large representation too
of the stake and ward authorities Two
sessions We're held. one in the morning
and another in the afternoon. with Il
luncheon between and a general hand
shaking.
That tho Religion class has made
phenomenal growth in that stake dur
ing the past five years was evident
from the report of Supt. Jones. lie
stated that at the convention held at
the same place five years ago there
were. all told, only 10 workers. includ-
ing 10 members on the stake board,
with an enrolment in all the wards
of the stake of something between LOCO
and ]. 300. Today there are 1879 workers
In the 10 yards. with a total enrolment
of more than 1000, He stated further
that every ward in the stake has q
complete organization with four de-
pnrtments IN operation. Also he re-
ported that two of the wards-Farners
and Mlllcr-had had successful enter
tainments under the Religion class
auspices, at which the first named
ward had netted nearly 500 and the
second about $50
Al the morning session President
Smith spoke on Religion class work.
He thought it n singular thing that the
American people should pay so little
attention to the religious training of
their children, in view of the fact that
religion has such wholesome effect
on the lives OF all who are sincerely
religious. Respect OF children to par
ents and conformity to the great pro-
cepts of morality, he said. are easier
among children who come from homes
where there is belief in God, rever-
ence for the name of Jesus Christ, and
such devotional exercises as prayer and
blessings on the food. And as an In
stance of this he related some of his
own experiences, wherein early religious
teachings in his fathers home had kept
him from many pitfalls into which
some of his companions who had not
received this early impression had
fallen. Catholics. he continued. UNI
dcrstood this. That is why they are
so careful about the religious training
of their children. But Protestants do
not sense this truth. And the results
are manifest in Catholics and Protes-
tants generally: for while the papal re-
ligion Is making numerical progress,
protestant sects are not holding their
own.
The mission of the Religion class. he
thought. is to balance the human mind.
The man whose thoughts dwell con-
tinually on tho material things of life
loses that sweet spirit that comes to
the man who spends part of his time
in religious contemplation and works.
The hands have their tasks to do; the
legs, their: and the brain it's work. So
too has our religious nature, and all
these have to receive training in youth
If they are to be active later In life.
Elder King, In the afternoon. eX-
planned the celebration of Maeser day,
and Elder Jensen represented the gen.
eral board in discussing the nature and
use of the new lcsson-book. The latter
called attention to the necessity of es-
tnblishing habits OF thought and feel
Ing and conduct in the children as an
equipment for right living later, and
illustrated his statements by incidents
OF right and wrong early habits,
An Interesting feature of the con-
vention was the singing by the chill
dren.. Iille and Hattie Mumford, OF
the Murray First ward, sang a duet, MS
nlso.did Leo and Ray Wright. of the
same ward. There were choruses by
children from Grant and Forest Dalo
wards Adelia Bird. OF Grant ward.
sang n solo.