--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 2 number: 1 published: 1898-11 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "In Lighter Mood", *Improvement Era* 2, no. 1 (November 1898): 75.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera21unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera21unse start_page: 75 end_page: 75 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1898-11) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera21unse publication_year: 1898 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1898, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # In Lighter Mood IN LIGHTER MOOD, The Reverend T. DeWitt Talmage has a keen sense of humor, and his jokes are as likely to be directed against friends as enemies. His son Frank, attempting to emulate his father's greatness, became a minister and went to Chicago to officiate. The following incident may afford a hint of the famous preacher's estimate of his son's ability: One day a dirty, ragged, unkempt beggar approached Dr. Talmage and asked for alms. Being a believer in the principle of selfsupport, however, the clergyman steadily refused to respond. The beggar saw that a strong appeal was necessary, and he made it. "But, Mr. Talmage," said he, "I am one of your son's converts." With shrewd, twinkling eyes, Mr. Talmage looked the fellow over from head to foot, and remarked with a quizzical grin: " Well, you look like one of Frank's jobs." Irish bulls are always new, no matter how old. All our readers have no doubt heard of the son of the "ould sod" who declared that in England the tops of some of the houses are "copper-bottomed wid lead." Another remarked that nothing on this earth could make him sea-sick; but that must have been before railways were known. Not exactly an Irish bull, but a characteristic Irish description follows: An elephant had broken loose from a traveling circus, and one of the employes asked an Irish farm-hand if he had seen the animal. "Nary an iliphant have I seen," he replied, "but be !" the powers, I saw an india-rubber bull puUin' turnips wid his tail One man had been told something which he particularly wished to remember. Said he, "I'll remember it forever, and when I forget it I'll write it down."