Literacy has been the center of all great civilizations - the Greeks and the Romans, the Nephites and the settlers of the American continent, Elaine L. Jack, Relief Society general president, said March 8.
Speaking to about 60 people gathered in a shopping mall outside a downtown Salt Lake City bookstore, Pres. Jack said: "Reading is so important, whether we're beginning readers, or whether we're encouraging and fostering what we've learned. When we read, we're setting a pattern for ourselves. Reading opens up our hearts and our minds to all the things that are good in this world."Pres. Jack, guest speaker for "Family Literacy Day," sponsored by Deseret Book, referred to the Church's Gospel Literacy Effort. "We recognize that literacy is basic to all kinds of learning, and yet do you realize that statistics show that 20 percent of the adult population in America have problems with literacy? That's one out of five.
"It's hard to believe," Pres. Jack continued, "because in your circles you think everybody can read. But people struggle; they can't read well enough to function in today's society."
The Relief Society general president related some experiences she had while growing up "in a small community on the edge of a wind-swept prairie in southern Alberta. They didn't have any paved roads when I lived there. Most of the people worked in blue collar situations. But, no matter that you think those might have been harsh conditions, we valued learning; we valued reading."
She spoke of an English teacher who required students to memorize 150 lines of poetry every year of high school. "I am so grateful that we had to do that because those lines bring such joy to me, even today.
"How I value good books. How I love bookstores. I love libraries because I love looking at the books and feeling them and taking them home."
Pres. Jack shared excerpts from letters to the Relief Society general presidency concerning the Gospel Literacy Effort. One letter, which she said "captured the very same feeling I have," read: "One of my earliest memories is of my dad taking me to the library and allowing me to check out a book on his card because I was too young to get a card. I would lovingly carry that book home, and then my dad would read it to me. He'd discuss it with me.
"Today, I work with children who need extra tutoring to read. My biggest reward is when I see the light in their eyes when they can read a whole sentence by themselves. My greatest allies should be parents, but, mostly, I find that children don't or can't read because their parents don't or can't read."
Pres. Jack continued reading from the letter: "Be a wonderful parent. Set an example; read to your child. Read to yourself. Put books in your purse, in the car, on the night stand, and even in the bathroom, and read them.
"I hope I get to heaven. I hope it has a library of the world's greatest literature, and I hope I can get a library card there."
Pres. Jack added: "I feel the same way. I hope that there is a huge library in heaven, and I, too, hope that I get a library card."