Will[iam] H[arrison] Hays (1879-1954), one-time U.S. Postmaster General and chairman of the Republican National Committee, a Presbyterian deacon and the first president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, is best remembered for his work in advising Hollywood studios on acceptable moral content of their movies. The work of his office and its successors from the 1920s to 1950s is generally referred to as censorship or self-censorship, but I don’t really think that its. The code produced by his office was only advisory and did not empower him to edit content or ban films, and his work was solicited by the industry in order to help them get their films past the censorship boards of individual states, which did ban movies or require editing before certain movies could be shown in various states.

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Like most people who have reached middle age, I’ve lived many different lives during my time in mortality. I’ve changed professional careers more than once; my hobbies and reading preferences and political interests have evolved. In one of those former lives, I was passionate about needlework.

I’ve shown you one of my embroideries; here’s a piece of crocheted lace I made 25 or more years ago:

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LESSON 18: “ESTABLISH … A HOUSE OF GOD”

Doctrine and Covenants 95; 109; 110

Purpose: To help class members understand the significance of temples and encourage them to seek the blessings of the temple in their own lives.

LESSON DEVELOPMENT

[1. The Lord commanded the Saints to build the Kirtland Temple.
2. The Saints were blessed for their great sacrifices in building the temple.
3. Joseph Smith dedicated the Kirtland Temple.
4. The Lord accepted the Kirtland Temple, and ancient prophets restored priesthood keys.
5. Temple building and temple work accelerate in our day.]

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(Previous installment)

Fri & Sat Oct 29 & 30.

Waited all morning for the natives to get every thing in readiness and were just about to leave, when Bro Otto Stocks arrived from Rikakiha saying that there was a large boat over at the over village that was going to Hoa so we made all haste to cross the lagoon in our little boat but arrived just about fifteen minutes too late for the ship was already several miles out at sea. We were quite dissapointed because we thought we were going to be able to save the natives from stopping their diving to take us to Hao. We slept that night in an empty store and early next morning we started back to the other village to get our captain but he had gone out diving. Pahoa & Tane went out to get him but his wife wouldnt let him come in and said we would have to wait until Monday to leave, so we settled ourselves for two days more stay at Marokau. During the day the Chinese storekeeper came and asked to be baptized, but we explained to him that it was first necessary to study & understand the principles of the Gospel before he could be baptized so he said he would come to our meetings & study to prepare himself for baptism. In the evening Mr Rossiter and I went for some rain water down at the other end of the village where we found a number of people talking together. We joined them and naturally the conversation changed to religion so we had an opportunity of explaining Mormonism to them.

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For background, see here
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Superior

Little Nelly told little Anita what she termed a “little fib.”

Anita – “A fib is the same as a story, and a story is the same as a lie.”

Nelly – “No, it’s not.”

Anita – “Yes, it is, because my father said so, and my father is a professor at the university.”

Nellie – “I don’t care if he is. My father is a real estate man and he knows more about lying than your father does.”

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Liberty Park

By Rose Thomas Graham

The old park was not like it is today;
Around its edges it was woody-wild,
With trees so thick that only little folks
Could wind between. The trunks were not so big,
But some would hide us, if we pulled our skirts
In tight, and tried to stretch as tall as they.
We played at hide-and-seek, and peek-a-boo;
Then when our tired legs would run no more,
We’d hunt a little clearing in the shade
To eat the lunch that mother had prepared,
And listen to the birds, for it was spring.

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The Deeper Melody

By Alice Morrey Bailey

Previous chapter

Chapter 3

Synopsis: Steve Thorpe, who has encountered much difficulty in caring for his three motherless children, is grateful for the efficient care given his sick baby by Margaret Crain, a registered nurse. Margaret’s mother, a widow, temporarily accepts the position of housekeeper in Steven’s home, and he feels that his most immediate problems are solved. However, his employer, angry over his leaving a selling assignment, tells Steven that he is fired.

Steve went apprehensively into the sick room next morning. Miss Crain’s back was toward him, and she was reading her thermometer. Little Phyllis looked very sick, without the bright red cheeks of yesterday. Steve’s mouth went dry with fear. While he had been worrying about such trivial things as losing his job his baby was dying. He tried to speak, but his voice was a crack.

“Miss Crain!”

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In 1950, in some of the missions in the United States (I’m sorry, I don’t know which ones), missionaries had what they thought was a clever idea to advertise their message. Whenever they sent mail, they stamped the envelope in bright ink: “Read the Book of Mormon,” “It is great to be a missionary,” and similar brief slogans.

That practice came to the notice of the Quorum of the Twelve that summer. The Brethren were not amused. “It was the feeling of the Brethren that such practices cheapen the Book of Mormon and lower the dignity of our missionaries,” wrote Church leaders to mission presidents throughout the world. “Will you, therefore, please take the necessary steps to advise the missionaries that this means of advertising be discontinued.”

What are some of the odder methods you tried as a missionary, or that you are aware others used? Were there any attempts that your leaders shot down for any reason?