George Albert Smith, breaking ground for the Primary Children’s Hospital, 1 April 1949:
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5 thoughts on “Breaking Ground”
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What is the general story of the LDS Church’s involvement in medical care?
It’s a long one, John, more than I can cover in a comment. Primary Children’s dates to 1911. The new building here was built largely by the pennies and nickels of Primary children. Relief Society involvement in health care goes back much earlier, deep into the 19th century. The Church divested itself of hospitals a generation ago because health care had become generally available and be a use the Church couldn’t provide medical care anyway except in après of heavy LDS concentration. But a lot of minds and bodies were cared for in between.
Pennies by the inch was the rallying cry in Primary that I remember. The memory is a bit vague but, as I recall, on your birthday you were encouraged to donate a penny for every inch you were tall.
A penny was enough to buy two, TWO malted milk balls at Tony’s market, down the street and around the corner, so it was real money then. You got to go up front and make your donation in front of the entire primary during opening exercises.
I don’t recall it ending, just that one day I realized that no one talked about it anymore. Since there was no firm end, as far as I was concerned, I don’t even remember if I was still in primary or not when it happened.
“Be generously tall” was one of the slogans that went with that, STW. When I was in Primary in the 1960s, we were asked to give two pennies for every year on our birthdays. That changed to Pennies by the Inch at some point (I suppose we always have more inches than years!) They actually still use that slogan and do a door-to-door collection (in September? October?) in some Salt Lake neighborhoods, but it’s no longer conducted by the Church. I suppose that’s why you don’t remember any ending — the campaign just sort of morphed from church to community without a lot of fanfare in Primary. (“Guess what, kids? We’re no longer supporting Primary Children’s Hospital! Yay!” would have been a strange announcement to make. 🙂 )
The cub scout pack chartered by our ward in Springville still does a pennies by the inch drive. I’m young enough that I never made the connection between height and donation.
I remember Ardis saying she has about five years worth of posts already in the queue, but count me with John Mansfield in welcoming a post on the interaction between LDS Church and healthcare.