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December Issue

The “Message” by Elder Mark E. Petersen was enjoyed, especially after reading “What Think Ye of Christ,” which made me think about how important the Savior is to me. The tribute to Elder Richard L. Evans was really beautiful. Thanks for a meaningful magazine.

Carol Gwynn
Salt Lake City

Concerning Elder Evans

Reproach—

Reproof—

Renewal—

Response—

Resounding words

That echo the eternal destiny of man,

Heard in voice, weekly—

Changing lives.

Words cascading in a thoughtful,

Ever-eternal simplicity

That testify

Of Christ

Of Fatherhood

Of the everlastingness

Of life.

This was his witness.

Gary A. Hunter

Provo, Utah

Pleased

I’m a little like the old New Englander who said on the passing of his wife, “She was a good woman and I nearly told her so once.” I just wanted you to know that I am extremely pleased with the New Era and feel the whole Church owes much for the direction the magazine has taken from the start. It is consistently first-rate. I really am very impressed.

Jeff Holland
Yale University, Connecticut

Report from Chile

I thought other youth would be interested in hearing about the Punta Arenas Branch, southernmost branch of the Church in the world, I believe. When Isaiah said, “… utter it even to the end of the earth,” he must have been referring to Punta Arenas, Chile! We’re on the Straights of Magellan, facing Tierra del Fuego. The wildlife and beauty of the Patagonia is outstanding: sharp green mountains, grazed by guanacos; blue waters filled with trout and salmon; and birdlife ranging from parrots to ostriches, ducks, swans, flamingos, and an occasional penguin.

Our branch is at the tender age of four years and has a membership of two hundred Saints. Jaime, our MIA president, and Carlos, an MIA officer, both youth, have been working all year to save enough money to cover their traveling expenses to the international youth conference to be held in Arica, Chile, at the northern end of the country. It’s been a long, hard job, involving window cleaning, cakes sales, and cleaning houses, but they have finally made it. That’s what it means to be a Latter-day Saint down here.

Elder Gary Weld
Chile Mission

How I became involved

In the September 1971 issue there appeared an article devoted to politics and why each Latter-day Saint has an obligation to become involved and see that capable men get elected to public office.

From my experience as administrative assistant and former campaign manager to California State Assemblyman Alister McAlister (also a member of the Church), I would like to make some suggestions as to how easy it is to become involved.

My own experiences in getting involved in politics form a pattern that many youth could duplicate. I graduated recently from San Jose State College in public relations but knew nothing of politics. I asked myself what type of work I wanted to do and decided that politics sounded interesting and rewarding, so I called my party’s local headquarters and asked who was running for office in my area.

At the time, I was editing the ward newspaper of Stanford Ward and was at the printer’s office checking some copy. I saw an issue of the San Jose Stake newspaper and noticed the name Alister McAlister. I remembered the name from my conversation with local headquarters. I called him that afternoon. Within a week I was his campaign manager. Of course, the first thing I did was to visit the library and take out some books on political campaigns.

Let me suggest what to do. First, in the U.S., if you are eighteen or older, you ought to pick a political party and register to vote. By reading newspapers and listening to radio and TV, you can find out what the leaders of the parties say, and this will give you an idea of where your views will be best represented.

In California many young people are not declaring any party affiliation, possibly because of not wanting to be tied to any party. Those who register as “decline to state” may be doing themselves a disservice because they are not allowed to vote in party primaries, thus not giving themselves an opportunity to choose the candidates who will run during the general election.

Registering to vote can be done in many places and takes no more than five minutes. Get information from your county’s registrar of voters.

Next, look for a candidate who will best represent your views. In doing so, if the candidate is already an elected official, check his voting record on issues of importance. Most major libraries keep copies of voting records. If you cannot find what you want, call your local representative’s office for help. If the candidate is not an office holder, check his past activities and the groups he belongs to, and sit down and discuss with him his views. Most aspiring candidates will be happy. to do this if they think they may get a good campaign worker as a result.

After you’ve picked a candidate, give him a call and express your desire to be of assistance. If he does not yet have a campaign office set up, call his party’s office and they’ll place you in contact with him. Chances are good, that you’ll be given duties immediately.

In Assemblyman McAllister’s victorious campaign, many young people were involved. The only qualifications required were a willingness to work and the possession of common sense. Duties for volunteers depend greatly upon the time they wish to donate. Assignments range from putting on major campaign dinners or assisting with advertising to stuffing envelopes and licking stamps. As campaign manager, I got to do my share of the mundane jobs as well as the important ones.

With some common sense and hard work you can make a difference in the election of a local official and give valued service and strength to state and national campaigns. I urge other Latter-day Saint youth to become involved as the Doctrine and Covenants instructs us to do.

Jay Greenan
San Jose, California

Too short—too infrequent!

I can’t express how much I’ve gained from reading the New Era. The only problem is that there never seems to be enough. It’s like still being hungry after reading the whole magazine. (I even go back and read it a second time.) What a banquet you serve. Your great work is truly inspired by our Heavenly Father.

Shawna White
Grants Pass, Oregon

Being 6′1″ tall, I loved your “Tiny Treatise on Tallness” [August]. I am lucky that my mother is a competent seamstress—I have no trouble meeting Church standards in clothes. Many times I have taken the New Era to school to show nonmember friends. Many of them think it’s great. But it should come out weekly!

Lea Rosser
New South Wales, Australia

Mormon versus Latter-day Saint

I’m always impressed, but your October issue seemed fantastic. I noticed, though, that you use the word Mormon. I have nothing against the word, but I do feel that we are the only ones who can claim to be Latter-day Saints. Therefore, we should be proud to use the name. Maybe we could use the title more often. After all, it’s a testimony in itself.

Elder D. J. Wyatt
Scotland Mission

We prefer Latter-day Saint also, though sometimes it seems appropriate to use our nickname, Mormon.

Open letter

The “Open Letter to Students” in November is a very fine article. It has helped me realize what exactly is needed in telling people about the gospel. It has helped me know that others view things differently than I do. Could you please tell me who the author, Brother Terry Warner, is.

Elder Lane Gustafson
New England Mission

Brother Warner is an associate professor of philosophy at Brigham Young University, and director of the Honors Program.