Below you will find Prince’s research excerpts titled, “Priesthood, 1918.” You can view other years here.
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PRIESTHOOD, 1918.
1918: Apr.: Home Evening.
“Home Evening, a remarkable movement aomng the Latter-day Saints, gives parents an opportunity to spend an evening a week under the sweet influence of home in family reunion and pleasure. . . .
When the First Presidency promulgated the order, in 1915, they requested that the Presidents of stakes and Bishops of wards, also officers of auxiliary organizations throughout the Church, support the movement and encourage the young people to remain at home that evening to make it agreeable, instructive, profitable, and entertaining. They promised that if the Saints would obey this counsel, great blessings would result; that love at home and obedience to parents would increase; that faith would be developed in the hearts of the youth of Zion, thus enabling them to combat evil influences and temptations. It is the general verdict that their promises have come to pass in every home that has tried the experiment.” (IE 21(6):477-478, Apr., 1918 [no author listed])
18 Jun.: How to choose stake and ward officers.
“Patriarchs are chosen and ordained by the members of the presiding council of the Church, in accordance with the revelation assigning to the Twelve the duty of ordaining ‘evangelical ministers, as they shall be designated unto them by revelation.’
Bishops are also ordained only by members of the First Presidency and Council of Twelve. However, in choosing a Bishop it is the duty of the Stake Presidency to make recommendations to the First Presidency, and to receive the latter’s approval before notifying the man so chosen. All such recommendations should first be submitted to the Stake High Councils BEFORE they are sent to the First Presidency.
When practicable, Bishops’ Counselors should also be chosen and submitted for approval in the same manner as Bishops. However, since the Bishop should be consulted in regard to his counselors, it frequently happens that between the meeting with the proposed Bishop and the date set for the organization of the Bishopric there is insufficient time to submit the names of the counselors to the First Presidency. In such cases the Apostle appointed to the quarterly conference is fully authorized to act for the First Presidency and Twelve.
High Councilors, Alternate High Councilors, Stake Clerks, Presidents, and counselors to presidents, of independent and dependent branches are chosen by the Stake Presidencies and High Councils and set apart by or under the direction of the Twelve. It is not necessary to submit their names as in the case of Bishops, to the General Authorities. The members of the Council of Twelve visiting the Stake are fully authorized to officiate in all such matters.
The Presidency of the High Priests’ Quorum are usually set apart by the Twelve; the Presidents of Seventy under the direction either of the Twelve or the First Council of Seventy.
Presidents of Elders Quorums are chosen and set apart by Stake Presidencies and High Councils, and the Presidencies of the quorums of the Aaronic Priesthood by the Bishopric of Wards.” (First Presidency Circular Letter, 18 Jun., 1918. In Clark, Messages of the First Presidency 5:101-102)
29 Sep.: 27 years as bishop.
“Today in Ward Conference I was honorably released from the Office of Bishop of Woodruff Ward by my own request, for I am getting anxious to go north for Temple work. . . . It is nearly twenty seven years since I was ordained a Bishop of Woodruff ward.” (Levi Mathers Savage diary, 29 Sep., 1918; LC Collection)
8 Nov.: Seventies and Elders on full-time missions.
“. . . only 108 Seventies out of an enrollment of 10,350, and only 814 Elders out of an enrollment of 31,090 are actively engaged in missionary work.” [Note that this was during World War I] (First Presidency to the Quorums of Melchizedek Priesthood and the Saints generally, 8 Nov., 1918. In Clark, Messages of the First Presidency 5:110)
21 Nov.: Dissolution of 1st Presidency.
“After opening our mail I had a talk with President Grant about the meeting today. I told him that as the First Presidency was dissolved by the death of President Smith the Quorum of the Twelve was the Presiding Quorum and consequently he is the one to preside. I said this because he wanted me to preside till after the Funeral. He said then, ‘We will not occupy the Presidency’s chairs.’ We took our places according to Seniority. We had prayer and took our places in the circle according to the rule of seniority. It seemed clearer to all to understand that the Twelve were now presiding. The meeting was turned into a memorial meeting to the honor of our dead President, and expressing our love and confidence for President Grant.
I attended Esecutive Com. meeting at Z.C.M.I. Prest. Grant talked to President Penrose and me. He wants us to be his Counselors. He wants to have me sustained as President of the Twelve, and thought we could withdraw from several of the Auxilliary Boards.” (Anthon H. Lund diary, 21 Nov., 1918)
23 Nov.: Reorganization of 1st Presidency.
“At nine the Apostles met in the Temple. The meeting was opened by singing. Richard Lyman was mouth in prayer after which, ‘How Are Thy Servants Blessed O Lord’ was sung. Prest. H. J. Grant made a few remarks explaining why he had called us together. I followed and showed the necessity of an early re-organization of the First Presidency. The business of the Church demanded the appointment of a Trustee in Trust, as there are already several papers that needs such a signature. As a people we have learned the meaning of Section 107 in Doc. & Cov. which tells us that the Twelve form a quorum equal in authority with the First Presidency, and they have also learned that Seniority in quorums means authority. (This may be called a unwritten law of the Church; but we have seen how it tends to harmony.) The President of the Twelve is now the acting President of the whole Church. I gave my opinion that it was best to have the Church fully organized, and moved that President Grant be sustained as President of the Church in the whole world and as Prophet Seer and Revelator. This was seconded by rudger Clawson and the motion was adopted unanimously. Geo. Albert Smith moved that we sustain Heber J. Grant as Trustee in Trust of the Church–Unanimously sustained. Prest. Grant told the brethren that he had selected Anthon H. Lund as his first Counsellor and Charles W. Penrose as his second counsellor, this was also carried unanimously. He asked that I set him apart, and then he set me apart as First Counsellor in the First Presidency and Bro. Penrose as Second Counsellor, in these different functions all the Twelve and the patriarch took part. Prest. Grant then proposed that Bro. A. H. Lund be sustained as President of the Twelve. After some discussion this was unanimously adopted. Prest. C. W. Penrose set me apart. Rudger Clawson was sustained as acting President of the Twelve, and was set apart by Orson F. Whitney.” (Anthon H. Lund diary, 23 Nov., 1918)
12 Dec.: Effort to combine into one correlated magazine.
“I spent the day reading. Stephen L. Richards came over to see me. He asked my opinion about concentrating all our auxiliary publications in one large magazine. I told him that I thot a publication should have one end in view that of interesting the class of readers for which intended and the Deseret News might make their Saturday paper additional reading matter into a nice magazine which might contain sermons instructions for Priesthood etc.” (Anthon H. Lund diary, 12 Dec., 1918)