--- 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: 4 published: 1899-02 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations, \"A Dream of Youth,\" *Improvement Era* 2, no. 4 (February 1899): 258–259." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera24unse 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: improvementera24unse start_page: 258 end_page: 259 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1899-02) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera24unse publication_year: 1899 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 1899, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # A Dream of Youth beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst, of the fountain of the water of life freely. "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." (Rev. xxi; 3-7.)* A DREAM OF YOUTH. ( Written for the Era.) A dream of youth well nigh forgot, Comes o'er me like a new-born thought. A dream to me that now doth seem 'Twas much akin to Jacob's dream — In which a ladder stretched on high Connection made 'twixt earth and sky. Not mine a ladder, but a stairway wide, Bannistered well on either side. That once, when started on the way, 'Twas easy in the right to stay. 'Twas years of toil to reach the strand, Where an angel beckoned with outstretched hand To me, who stood in doubt and fear, A boy, to choose twixt "Far" and "Near," The "Near" the earth, the joys of man, Which well have proved themselves a ban. The " Far," the sky, where immortals dwell — I fain no more my dream would tell. For lingering there twixt doubt and fear I saw the stairway disappear — * We suggest that in missions where the Elders are publishing tracts setting forth briefly the history and doctrines of the church, they could not do better than to publish the above article as a tract. — Editor. The angel faded as fade the stars At the approach of day! * * * * This dream was in my early youth. Not mine to realize the truth My dream had taught me, but I went Down life's wrong way with nature bent — Refusing to receive the truth, That if I started in my youth Upon the way which leads to God, 'Twere easy to hold fast the 'Iron Rod,"* Which leads into the courts above, Made happy by divinest love. I failed, did wrong—am struggling yet Back in God's highway to get. But hard it is when once we stray Back to the light to find our way! Anon. * Meaning the word of God. The simile is taken from the Book of Mormon.