---
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: 6
published: 1899-04
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "A Souvenir: A Poem," *Improvement Era* 2, no. 6 (April 1899): 441.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera26unse
  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: improvementera26unse
start_page: 441
end_page: 441
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1899-04)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera26unse
  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 Souvenir: A Poem

<!-- page:441 -->

POLITICAL SAMOA.                             441

England's possessions in India and elsewhere.
be covered with plantations and
                                   — " black boys Upolu
                                                     "
                                                        would soon
                                                   from the Gilbert
and other groups, while the native Samoans would either be killed
off or speedily emigrate to the more humane government of England

on   Savaii, or the still more free Republican       government of the
United States on Tutuila.  As an experiment station to test the
effects of an absolute and a limited monarchy alongside of a
republican form of government among the same race of people
this scheme might be considered a success, but surely the United
States is too great too brave and we hope too honest to become a
party to any such a steal.
      We know that there is no love lost between the Germans and
the Samoans.    All the German plantations are worked by contract
labor from other islands.      Samoans cannot be induced to work on
them. The Germans will never forgive or forget the blood of their
sailors which was shed by Samoans at Vailele.      Woe unto the
Samoans if Germany ever gets unhampered control over them!

                              A SOUVENIR.
                    I found   them in a book last night,
                      These withered violets,
                    A token of that early love
                      That no man e'er forgets.
                    Pressed carefully between the leaves.
                      They keep their color still;
                    I cannot look at them    today
                      Without an old-time thrill.

                    Ah, me! what tricks does memory play!
                      The passing years have fled.
                    And hopes that lived in vigor once,
                      Alas! have long been dead.
                    And this is all that I can say
                      When all is said and done:
                    Those flowers remind me of some girl
                      I wish I knew    which one.
                                              SOMERVILLE JOURNAL.