134 Years Young!

By Caroline H. Benzley

Girls haven’t changed that much, but over the years the Young Women organization has.

November is the birthday month of an important Church organization. Can you guess what it is? If you guessed Young Women you are right. This month, the Young Women program is 134 years old. Let’s take a trip through history and see what it was like to be in Young Women throughout the years.

1869

It is 1869, and President Brigham Young is concerned about the young women in the Church. He is worried that some of them, including his own daughters, are too caught up in the fashions and trends of the world.

On 18 November 1869, he holds a meeting with his daughters. He asks them to set an example by spending more time learning about the gospel and gaining important life skills rather than chasing after trends.

“I desire [you] to retrench from [your] extravagance in dress, in eating, and even in speech,” President Young tells his daughters. “I should like you to get up your own fashions, and set the style for the rest of the world who desire sensible and comely fashions to follow. … There is a need for the young daughters of Israel to get a living testimony of the truth” (A Century of Sisterhood, 8).

At first this is difficult for his daughters. These girls are some of the most popular girls in the territory, and they enjoy stylish things. Now they can’t spend hours looking at clothing catalogs from back East. Instead they must sew their own simple and modest dresses, without any ruffles, that go all the way to the ground. They must spend less time socializing and more time studying the scriptures and learning the gospel.

But these girls know their father is a prophet, and they choose to follow him. They create the Young Ladies Department of the Cooperative Retrenchment Association and begin meeting often to support each other in their efforts.

1915

It has been almost 50 years since Brigham Young first met with his daughters, and now girls throughout the world are following his counsel.

If you were a young woman at this time, you would attend “Young Ladies”—short for Young Ladies Mutual Improvement Association. In your weekly meetings you would learn all about the gospel and the scriptures, along with other things like courtship, public speaking, proper dress, etiquette, and even figure control.

You would also be a Beehive, because all young women were called Beehives. You would wear a uniform to activities and work hard to fulfill your Beehive requirements such as sleeping outside or in a room with open windows for one night; learning the vertical line test for correct posture of the body; and refraining from candy, chewing gum, sundaes, sodas, and commercially manufactured beverages for at least two months.

Every two years, as you progress through the program, you could buy part of the beautiful sterling silver Beehive chain and pendant. You would wear the first two parts as bracelets or a choker; then the third part would make the chain a complete necklace.

1950

If you were a young woman in 1950, you would go to “Mutual” every week. Only the younger girls are Beehives now; the other girls are Mia Maids and Junior Gleaners. You would mark your progress by attaching felt seals to your bright blue sash.

It’s an exciting time to be in Mutual, because every year you get to be in your ward’s road show with the young men.

You would also probably love the Saturday night dances put on by wards and stakes. These dances are a fun chance to mingle with young men, enjoy good music, and taste good food. Don’t worry though, your leaders will make sure the dance ends in time for you to get home before midnight.

If you enjoy playing basketball, you will be excited about the girls’ basketball teams—you can play as long as you have a female coach and follow girls’ rules.

2003

We now take a look at the Young Women program you know best. With young women everywhere, you are working on Personal Progress goals, attending girls’ camp, and reciting the Young Women theme.

You have a lot in common with the young women of the past. You still get together every week, learn about the scriptures in class, and talk about dating and dressing modestly. Maybe things back then weren’t so different after all.

As you attend your Young Women classes today you can also still feel the spirit of President Young’s advice to his daughters 134 years ago: “Retrench in everything that is bad and worthless, and improve in everything that is good and beautiful. … Not to make yourselves unhappy, but to live so that you may be truly happy in this life and in the life to come” (A Century of Sisterhood, 10).

The Value Colors

Ardeth Kapp, a former general Young Women president, says that the colors used to represent the values have no significant religious meaning. They are meant as reminders.

• White is symbolic of purity and Faith. • Divine Nature seems to suggest creation, the big blue sky, and all that is divine. • Individual Worth should be bold and confident. Red fit that feeling. • Knowledge is symbolic of green and growing. • Choice and Accountability, two values together, is represented by putting two colors together; red and yellow make orange. • Good Works brings sunshine, happiness, and light. Yellow seemed to fit. • And Integrity is purple, royal and righteous.

1869	Brigham Young organizes his daughters in the Lion House.
1870s	Modest fashions are encouraged.
1880	Elmina S. Taylor (right) is called as the first general YLMIA president.
1893	Tuesday becomes Mutual night.
1913	The Beehive program is created for YLMIA girls of all ages.
1912	First girls’ camp is held.
1922	The first Gold and Green Ball is held.
1950	The Roses class is renamed Mia Maids.
1959	The Junior Gleaner class is renamed Laurels.
1965	The first For The Strength of Youth pamphlet is printed.
1969	YWMIA celebrates its 100th birthday.
1971	YWMIA is changed to Young Women, and the New Era begins.
1985	The Values program is started.
2003	134th birthday of the Young Women

• Caroline H. Benzley is a member of the Iowa City Second Ward, Iowa City Iowa Stake.