Melvin J. Ballard was president of the Northwestern States Mission for almost exactly ten years, 1909-1919, after which he joined the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.

Just as they are now, missionaries during his tenure were required to send in regular reports detailing their recent missionary activity. Below are letters from two successive months that then-President Ballard sent to his elders regarding their reports:

Portland, Ore., August 9, 1913

Dear Brethren and Sisters:

Herewith you will find report for July. We regret to know that there has been a falling off in some conferences ((Equivalent to today’s zones.)) over the month of June, although June was not above the average, and July drops a little lower than the same month of a year ago. There is one redeeming feature, however; the baptisms are above the preceding month and a little better than July of last year.

We find it necessary to again remind our missionaries that the monthly report closes with the last Saturday in each month, and that night the reports should be mailed, one copy to this office and one copy to our conference presidents, so that there will be no delay in our getting the reports compiled on time. Now that our reports are being published ((I have seen a few reports in Liahona, the Elders’ Journal, but not steadily enough to think that this is what President Ballard referred to. Perhaps it was a report generated at Salt Lake from the various mission reports, which was then printed and circulated to mission presidents?)), so that they may be compared with other missions, we appeal to every missionary to be loyal to his conference and mission and see to it that no other mission has a better record, per elder, than your own. You can do it, for we have the best field and the best missionaries.

We trust that each missionary will feel a loyalty to our Liahona, the Elders’ Journal, and that the cards we have recently sent out will be quickly disposed of ((These were subscription blanks; Church and mission leaders expected elders to sell subscriptions to members and non-members, in order to pay the expenses of publishing the magazine.)), that the needed relief may come to our paper. We feel that it is the most important factor in our missionary labors today and we cannot be without it. It must succeed, and there is no labor you perform that will be more acceptable to those who preside over you – and we believe to the Lord – than helping to keep alive this great missionary companion.

Don’t be afraid to order books and tracts in lots large enough for a shipment. You will always need them, and we can send you twice as many as you order at the same expense, and should we take the liberty to increase your order to bring it up to the minimum weight, please don’t be offended. We will carry you until you can pay for them. ((Missionaries had to purchase their own tracts, pamphlets, and books, and sold them to anyone who would take them. Most missions discouraged elders from running credit accounts at the mission office, but apparently Pres. Ballard was willing to do that when it came to bills for Church literature for distribution.))

Praying the Lord to bless you in your labors, I am, as ever,

Your brother,

MELVIN J. BALLARD

—–oOo—–

Portland, Ore., September 3, 1913

Dear Brethren and Sisters:

Your report for August is an improvement over last month’s, which is very gratifying There is an improvement in the sale of books, families visited, and although our baptisms are not as many as last month, we find they are above the same month of last year. We congratulate you on the fact that your August report of this year, although made by fewer missionaries than that of August last year, is quite an improvement. We know you all feel better because you have been busy. While we do not think you have reached the highest point of efficiency, and there is yet room for improvement, especially in some quarters where the record is not up to the average of the mission, we still feel gratified with the showing made.

We feel that in some conferences there could be a larger number of street meetings. Please look over your own record and note that in every conference except two, East Washington and Oregon, there are a smaller number of street meetings held than last year for the same month.

When companions are ordering books and tracts, please do so together, so that they may reach the office the same day and be shipped together.

We are approaching that time of the year when most of our saints are harvesting their crops, and it is a good time to remind those who are farmers of their obligations to the Lord in the payment of their tithes. They should not leave it until the close of the year, but pay it in the time and season of their harvest. It is the duty of the missionaries to labor with all saints to the end that they may be faithful in observing this law, and thereby have just claim to the blessings of the Lord. all missionaries are authorized to receive tithing and report the same to this office. ((This meant only that elders accepted payments on behalf of the Church, not that they were entitled to use funds for their own purposes. Those who were branch presidents may have had permission to use a part of those funds for renting meeting places or caring for the poor, under strict guidelines set by the mission president; funds beyond that amount were forwarded to the mission office. Tithing was handled somewhat different a century ago.))

We thank you for your promptness in sending in your reports for this month and for your support to our appeal in behalf of the Liahona.

May the Lord abundantly bless you during the coming month that it may also be a fruitful season, I am

Your brother,

MELVIN J. BALLARD

Sometimes I hesitate to post materials like this, because I don’t like to encourage a string of the negative comments that something like this might inspire. On the other hand, it can be an eye-opener to see how very old certain traits of certain mission presidents are:

It’s uncomfortable to see how focused on numbers, and on financial matters, these letters are, and how they pit one conference or mission against the others to achieve higher numbers; it’s equally uncomfortable to see how barren they are of spiritual concerns, personal ministry, or suggestions for how the elders can improve, in contrast to that they must improve. This does not mean that this is the only communication President Ballard had with his elders in these months – these are just ones that, for whatever reason, were published in Liahona. I know from other sources that President Ballard had far more personal communications regularly with his elders, ones that are as ministerial as any of us might hope.

So while we shouldn’t be misled into thinking that numbers were all that mattered to this mission president, it’s still pretty interesting, in light of the mission experiences of many of us, to see a president so focused, at least on the dates of these letters, with the numbers, and how his mission stood in rank with the other missions whose numbers he was comparing with his own.

I’ve footnoted some of the references to what might be unfamiliar practices – is there anything else that should be explained?