--- 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: 4 number: 1 published: 1900-11 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* 4, no. 1 (November 1900): 63.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0401unse 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: improvementera0401unse start_page: 63 end_page: 63 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1900-11) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0401unse publication_year: 1900 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 1900, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # In Lighter Mood IN LIGHTER MOOD . Ferdy: "She is all the world to me! What would you advise me to do?" Percy: "See a little more of the world, old chap." * * The Right Eye: "Ihear that the Upper Lip and the Lower Lip parted today." The Left Eye: "Yes; it was owing to some words that passed be- tween them." * * "What does this nation need?" shouted the impassioned orator. "What does this nation require, if she steps proudly across the Pacific-if she strides boldly across the mighty ocean in her march of trade and freedom? I repeat, what does she need ?" "Rubber boots," suggested the grossly materialistic person in a rear seat. Baltimore American . * * Insome cases counsel receive answers to questions that they had no business to put, which, if not quite to their liking, are what they justly de- serve. The following story of George Clarke, the celebrated negro min- strel, is a case in point. On one occasion, when being examined as a witness, he was severely interrogated by a lawyer who wished to break down his evidence. "Yo are in the negro minstrel business, I believe?" inquired the lawyer. "Yes, sir," was the prompt reply. "Is not that rather a low calling?" demanded the lawyer. "Idon'tknow but what it is, sir," replied the minstrel; "but it is so much better than my father's, that I am rather proud of it." The lawyer fell into the trap Clarke had laid for him, and inquired: "What was your father's calling ?" "He was a lawyer," replied Clarke, in a tone that sent the whole court into a roar of laughter as the discomposed lawyer subsided into his seat.