On
the morning of November 22, 1941, Dr. John A. Widtsoe of the Council of the
Twelve and one of the editors of the Era; Elder Richard L. Evans of the
First Council of the Seventy and managing editor of the Era; Marba C.
Josephson, associate editor of the Era; Dr. G. Homer Durham, compiler;
and John Kenneth Orton, business manager of the Era, having previously
met in the office of Dr. Widtsoe by appointment, drove to the home of President
Heber J. Grant….
The
President was seated in the living room by the front window overlooking the
valley. He was jovial and in good spirits [for his 85th birthday]….
Greetings
having been exchanged, Dr. Widtsoe explained the purpose of the visit, and
introduced each member of the official party in the order in which their
remarks appear below:
Remarks by Elder John A. Widtsoe: “We are here representing
the fifty-three thousand or more subscribers to the Era.
"All
who are associated with The Improvement Era recognize that not only were
you the practical founder of The Improvement Era, but also through your
continuous, vigorous support, The Improvement Era has become an
influential and serviceable magazine in the Church. We have felt that the Era
would do itself honor to remember and recognize in a special manner your
eighty-fifth birthday anniversary. In thinking the matter over we concluded
that the Era could perhaps best show its appreciation by compiling for
wide public use, throughout the Church and beyond, the essence of your
teachings to the people throughout your long official life within the Church.
We felt that in your public utterances you have presented the gospel as needed
in our day and generation. Joseph Smith the Prophet applied the principles of
the gospel to his day; Brigham Young did the same in his day, and your other
predecessors in the presidency used the gospel to meet the issues of their
days. A compilation of your sermons and writings would, therefore, it seemed to
us, be but a continuation of the messages delivered by the presidents of the
Church from Joseph Smith to your own time….
"Brother
G. Homer Durham was asked to do the work of compilation; Brother Richard L.
Evans accepted the very heavy burden of editing the manuscript, and the many
details of bookmaking and seeing the book safely through
the press; Sister Marba C. Josephson did invaluable work in proofreading and in
her many constructive suggestions. Other members of the Era staff and
the Era business manager, John K. Orton, have given much help also. The
general superintendent of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association,
George Q. Morris (he is absent from the state on Church business), and the
general president of the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association, Sister
Lucy Grant Cannon, approved the project and have supported us in the work.
"The
work is now completed and the book is printed. We have
brought with us two specially bound copies for yourself and Sister Grant and a
package of the books as they will appear on the market. We now present this
volume to you with our love and our gratitude for your great service to the
Church and to humanity and with the earnest prayer that your days may be
increased through many years to come upon the earth. We do this in full
appreciation of your service as the Era's founder, senior editor, and
constant friend.
"We
have with us all who have taken a prominent part in the work. We should much
like to have each of these who are here express themselves….
"We
now hope that this book, which we have chosen to call Gospel
Standards, may be widely circulated and be a blessing in teaching young and
old of the Church, and many not of our faith, the fruits of the gospel, and in
establishing in the hearts of the membership of the Church an increasingly firm
testimony of the truth of the gospel…."
Remarks by Lucy G. Cannon: “The opportunity of participating
in this presentation is one of the most pleasant assignments that has ever come
to me as the president of the Young Women's organization.
“When Brother Richard Evans presented the matter of the
publication of the book to the Era committee, I
was heartily in favor of it and felt it would be a distinct honor for the Era
to sponsor its publication. Naturally, being your daughter, it made me very
happy to have in book form the many splendid things you
have been saying all your life to help us all live as Latter-day Saints should
live.
“As Brother Widtsoe has said, we are all taking satisfaction
in the fact that the book is now ready on your birthday,
instead of at Christmas, as first intended. An almost impossible feat has been
accomplished in its early publication….”
Remarks by Richard L. Evans: “Now
that this book is off the press, we are all very
thrilled. It has been work—hard, grinding work, and physically we are weary. I
know that I have been at my office, at my desk, working on this book almost every night for the past month and have seldom
left earlier than ten o'clock and sometimes it has been midnight and on into
the early hours of the morning. And the others here with us this morning have
also put in their long hours and have worked hard and conscientiously. But it
has been a labor of love, and we have all been happy in doing it…. I am happy
in whatever part I may have played in making available this volume of your
essential teachings to your generation and to my generation, for whom it has a
vital and a significant message—the message of your life, and the message of
the gospel of Jesus Christ as it has operated through your life.”…
Remarks by Marba C. Josephson: “Although
I read the material that went into the book Gospel
Standards fully three times, once in copy, once in galley proof, and once
in page proof—in addition to rechecking of many pages—each time I came to the
reading I was deeply moved by the importance and the freshness of your message,
President Grant….”
Remarks by G. Homer Durham: “It
was a remarkable experience for me to go to the published sources, and from
them to gather the bulk of the material now appearing in Gospel Standards.
We know that only a small part of your sermons, messages, and stories are
represented in this book, but trust that it is an
accurate sample of your work. I know that many excellent stories and messages
do not appear…. Therefore I know that there must be many, many more stirring
messages and stories which do not appear for the same reason. However, in the Conference
Reports since 1897, The Improvement Era, and the other sources noted
in the Introduction, were gleaned the contents which now grace the volume. For
materials from the time of your ordination as an apostle in 1882, to 1897, the
year of the first printed Conference Report, presented the chief
difficulty. Finally, from the Journal History of the Church, were
extracted some valuable items from the relatively few sermons which were taken
down and which were printed, or excerpts therefrom, in the Deseret News,
the Utah Enquirer and included in the Journal History…. I believe,
President Grant, that I have read practically everything of yours that has been
published in our Church publications more than fifteen times, from first
extraction for compilation to final proofreading and preparation of the index….”
President
Grant expressed his heart-felt appreciation for the personal good wishes of
those present and for the work that they had done and were doing. He also recalled
events leading to the founding of the Era and other noteworthy
happenings of his life.
Fifteen
copies of the book were left with him—two especially
bound in morocco, and thirteen of the regular binding with their colorful
jacket. After further brief informalities, the party left. (Improvement Era, 1942, no. 1)
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