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PRIESTHOOD, 1920.
1920: 21 Mar.: Weber Stake Priesthood Convention.
Titles of talks in the one-day convention included:
“Importance of the Higher Priesthood.”
“Why Am I My Brother’s Keeper?”
“Importance of Home Preparation.”
“What Are You Doing to Prepare Yourself for a Mission?”
“The Importance of the Priesthood to a Teacher.”
“The Importance of the Priesthood to a Deacon.”
“Duty of Members of Melchizedek Priesthood to Members of Aaronic Priesthood.”
“Purpose and Use of the Office of Patriarch.”
(“Priesthood Convention of Weber Stake, Sunday, March the Twenty-first, Nineteen Hundred and Twenty,” [printed program]; xerox)
21 Jun.: Incest.
“I spent the day in the Office with Prest. Penrose attending to our mail and receiving visitors. A stake President told of a young man, a fine young man who in a weak moment committed incest. As it had been committed in secret I held that it should not be made public and cause a scandal up a splendid family and upon the whole Church. Bro. Penrose felt they ought to be cut off from the Church; but then the good innocent people will suffer with the sinners. We will consider this more.” (Anthon H. Lund diary, 21 Jun., 1920)
12 Oct.: Quorum participation in teacher-training.
“A number of letters have been received by the presiding authorities inquiring as to whether or not the priesthood quorums should participate in the regular weekly teacher-training classes now established throughout the Church. In order that there may be a definite understanding regarding this matter, you are hereby authorized to urge all quorum officers and class instructors to pursue regularly and diligently the teacher-training course as prescribed by the Correlation Committee, representing the Priesthood Outlines Committee and the general auxiliary boards of the Church.
Ward teachers, too, will find the course most helpful, and where proper arrangements can be made to avoid conflict in officers, the monthly report meeting may be held as part, either of the second or the fourth meeting of the month, thus avoiding the necessity of holding the extra meeting for ward teachers’ monthly reports.” (First Presidency Circular Letter, 12 Oct., 1920. In Clark, Messages of the First Presidency 5:184; also in IE 24(2):176, Dec., 1920)
4 Nov.: Amalgamation of Correlation committees.
“November 4, 1920, the Correlation Committee and the Social Advisory Committee were amalgamated. The new Committee was commissioned by the First Presidency to undertake the work of defining the relationship of the auxiliary organizations and agencies of the Church each to the other and to the quorums and organizations of the Priesthood, and of defining the activities and fields of endeavor of each of the auxliliary associations and Church agencies.” (Antone K. Romney, “History of the Correlation of L.D.S. Church Auxiliaries,” prepared for the Research Committee of the Melchizedek Priesthood Education Committee, Aug., 1961, part C; xerox)
“By 1918 there was a separate ‘Social Advisory Committee of the General Boards’ representing the auxiliaries. Its chairman was Elder Stephen L. Richards, who, like Elder McKay, was a member of the Council of the Twelve and also an assistant in the general Sunday School superintendency. At the regular temple meeting of the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve held on November 4, 1920, these two committees were combined to form the Correlation-Social Advisory Committee with Elder Richards as chairman.
Up to this point these correlation committees had dealt only with the auxiliaries. In 1920, however, at the meeting where the Correlation-Social Advisory Committee was formed, the First Presidency and the Twelve approved Elder Richards’ recommendation that ‘the amalgamated committee be instructed to consider and report on the relationship of the quorums to each other, and the auxiliaries to teach, to define their functions and fields of endeavor, and outline a program or survey of their work.'” (Richard O. Cowan, “Priesthood Programs of the Twentieth Century–Under the direction of Dean Jesse, Melchizedek Priesthood Research Task Committee, March, 1974,” pp. 15-16; quoting from Correlation Committee minutes, quoted by Marion G. Romney, “The Basics of Priesthood Correlation,” p. 2)
10 Nov.: Quorums to participate in Teacher Training.
“To Presidents of Stakes, Bishops of Wards and Presidents of Priesthood Quorums.
Dear Brethren:
A number of letter have been received by the presiding authorities inquiring as to whether or not the priesthood quorums should participate in the regular weekly teacher-training classes now established throughout the Church. In order that there may be a definite understanding regarding this matter, you are hereby authorized to urge all quorum officers and class instructors to pursue regularly and diligently the teacher-training course as prescribed by the Correlation Committee, representing the Priesthood Outlines Committee and the general auxiliary boards of the Church.
Ward Teachers, too, will find the course most helpful, and where proper arrangements can be made to avoid conflict in offices, the monthlyi report meeting may be held as part either of the second or fourth meeting of the month, thus avoiding the necessity of holding the extra meeting for ward teachers monthly reports.
The details of the quorum officers meetings and the Ward teachers meetings can be worked out best by Stake and Ward authorities to suit local conditions.
One of the specific duties of the priesthood is to teach. We desire to commend every effort that is now being put forth to make the teaching in the church more efficient. The co-operation of the Priesthood will do much toward giving strength and impetus to the important movement in teacher-training.
Ever praying the Lord to bless you in all you diligent labors for the advancement of truth, we remain,
Sincerely your brethren,
Heber J. Grant
Anthon H. Lund
Charles W. Penrose
First Presidency”
(10 Nov., 1920, First Presidency Circular Letters, LDS Archives, CR 1/1)