Have you ever heard of, or even thought about, the various names of our auxiliaries?  What we recognize now as the Relief Society, Young Women’s, and Primary were all the brain-child (of course inspired by our Heavenly Father) of sisters in the Relief Society.  Once the idea blossomed, it was organized under the enormous hat of Eliza R. Snow, who was over so much responsibility at the onset of the community in this valley.  Here are some of the titles used:
Relief Society of Nauvoo
 Female Relief Society
Retrenchment Association
Senior Retrenchment
Junior Retrenchment
Young Ladies Mutual Improvement Association
Mutual Improvement Association
Primary Mutual Improvement Association
 
Here is an agenda for a random Primary MIA in 1879:
Singing
Prayer
Singing
Roll Call
Minutes read from former meeting
Primary President speaks
Question and Answer period
History of Joseph Smith or Bible Stories
Children Recite:   Ten Commandments
                                   Articles of Faith
                                   Restoration of the Gospel
                                   Names of Presiding High Priesthood
Talks by Children
(I imagine this was Sharing Time and Lesson Time together)
 
Talks given at an YLMIA Meeting were as follows (still 1879):
Young Ladies should exercise faith and rely on God.  They should look forward to becoming wives, they should prepare themselves for the holy office of motherhood, becoming proficient to teach those principles that lead to the exaltation and happiness of the human family.
 
During this same year, Sisters all over the territory were holding Mass Meetings, which included several neighboring wards, depending on how populated the area was.  The main topic, in these meetings, was “The Woman Question”, which was centered around Woman Suffrage.  During this period of time, all women, everywhere in the Territory of Utah, were fighting for their rights.  The world saw them as “poor Mormon Women” subjected to Men’s rule and forced into Polygamy.  The world had it all wrong.  The women were fighting for the right to live in whatever way they pleased.  As they met they made the following Resolutions:
1st Resolve:   To worship God according to our own dictates and conscience and sustain our husbands in carrying out every principle of our holy religion in righteousness.
2nd Resolve:   That we, as sisters and true women, will sustain our husbands in every righteous principle that tends to increase their families and do all in our power to bring about the redemption of the human family.  We choose Polygamy and Celestial Marriage.
3rd Resolve:   That we will keep the commandments which include the doctrine of plural marriage.
4th Resolve:   That sisters of the LDS church thank other territory women for kind support.  In behalf of “poor Mormon Women”, we suggest they pay attention to their own poor degraded women because we, with the help of God, can take care of ourselves.
5th Resolve:   We do truly appreciate those ladies of the National Suffrage Association who, without agreeing with our belief, still support our cause.
6th Resolve:   We resolve to protest against anything that may injure our cause.
 
Certainly, meetings ran differently back then.  First of all, none of these meetings were typically held on Sundays.  Often the men attended and were just as involved.  There seemed to be specific goals and assignments they were setting.  There was a lot demanded of everyone in these auxiliaries.  You didn’t come to a meeting to fall asleep; you were involved, memorizing, learning, voting, etc.  And clearly, the women were riled up with a Cause.  I wonder what our Cause would be today?  Maybe Relief Society Sisters need one.