--- 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: 7 published: 1899-05 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Notes," *Improvement Era* 2, no. 7 (May 1899): 550–551.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera27unse 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: improvementera27unse start_page: 550 end_page: 551 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1899-05) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera27unse 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. --- # Notes 550 IMPROVEMENT ERA. Play," "Driven into the Wilderness," "Accomplishments in Thirtytwo Years," "Education," "Morals," "The Secret," "The New Crusade," "Amnesty" and "The Secret Opened." While he is conservative in his statements, and evidently tries to be just to all parties concerned, he does not fail to make clear the cause of all the past persecutions, misrepresentation and abuse heaped upon the Mormons. In the same spirit he proceeds to define the cause of the present agitation relative to the Mormons and their affairs, and shows that it is but the breaking out anew of the old flame of persecution, which for some time has been smouldering indeed but never has been quite dead. If the Mormon people in Utah, and the non-Mormons also who are disposed to be fair, desire to enlighten their friends in the East and elsewhere upon existing conditions in Utah, they cannot do better than to send this pamphlet to them; and indeed it would be a good missionary work to scatter this production of Mr. Ellis' as far as possible; and we recommend such action to our young people. If they have acquaintances abroad they should mail copies of it to them; if they have missionary friends or relatives traveling in the United States or Europe, it would be a good thing to supply them with copies for distribution. If returned missionaries cannot find time to write to the numerous friends they made while absent' upon missions, it would be well to keep that friendship warm by sending such publications as this to them. We recommend it as a just and fearless vindication of a people much maligned and misrepresented. NOTES. You may influence a person's natural disposition very strongly by precept and example, and control may be exercised over it; but the original elements are never wholly submerged, for there is something in us, a principle of action, which cannot be referred either to inheritance, to education, or association. NOTES. 551 Forbear to sport an opinion on a subject of which you are ignorant, especially in the presence of those to whom it is familiar. If it be not always in your power to speak to the purpose, it certainly is to be silent; and though thousands have remembered with pain their garrulity, few have had reason to repent their silence. One man with any trade is worth a thousand without one. A return to the old plan of apprenticing boys to trades is being advocated. The hosts of young men in every large city who apply for employment and fail to get it, for the reason that they cannot truthfully affirm that they are educated or especially fitted for any particular business, constitute a potent argument in favor of reform. Under the apprentice system we should have fewer ignorant mechanics and incompetent business men. A trade is half a man's fortune. It is the shallow-minded person who believes in luck, who says of a successful man, "He always was lucky," or of an unsuccessful one, "Poor fellow, just his luck!" A man's luck is generally the measure of his capacity and his perseverance. Cause produces effect the world over. Water does not run up hill, nor do we gather, even in these days of progress, grapes of thorns or figs of thistles. If one would gather golden grain, he must first sow his seed. If he would be wise, he must work for wisdom. Riches, goodness, fame, love — every one has its price, and can be purchased for no less. Life is a perpetual auction, where all prizes are knocked down to the highest bidder. The world's great men have been those who have toiled early and late. Even genius can find no royal road to its goal. Some men use words as riflemen use bullets. They say but little. Few words go right to the mark. They let you talk, and guide with their eyes and face, on and on, till what you say can be answered in a word or two, and then they lance out a sentence, pierce the matter to the quick, and are done! Your conversation falls into their minds as a river into a deep chasm, and is lost from sight by its depth and darkness. They sometimes surprise you with a few words that go to the mark like a gunshot, and then they are silent again, as if they were reloading. Such men are safe counselors, and true friends where they profess to be such. To them truth is more valuable than gold, while pretension is too gauzy to deceive them. Words without point to them are like titles — without merit only betraying the weakness of blinded dupes, who are ever used as promoters of other men's schemes.