--- 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: 3 published: 1901-01 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "The Joy of a Letter: A Poem," *Improvement Era* 4, no. 3 (January 1901): 213.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0403unse 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: improvementera0403unse start_page: 213 end_page: 213 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1901-01) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0403unse publication_year: 1901 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 1901, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Joy of a Letter: A Poem CURRENT STORY OF THE WORLD. 213 tion among many philanthropists of Utah has already begun to manifest itself in this direction, and we may reasonably believe, and certainly hope, that the Church School system of the Latterday Saints will in time become one of the beneficiaries of men who recognize a church and public duty in the distribution of their estates. It would be difl[icult to estimate the enormous wealth which education has created, and the recipients of that wealth may reasonably feel a sacred obligation to perpetuate the educational opportunities and advantages that are doing so much for the happiness and civilization of man. THE JOY OF A LETTER. "The odor of pine trees blow spicily over, The brooklet below me goes singing along, Across it, beyond, are the cows in the clover, And I o'er a letter am singing my song. "Letter, my letter, you're better, far better Than gold-dust or jewels or sweet-scented wood. Ah, yes; it is true that I prize you, my letter, My letter that cheers me as nothing else could. "For here do I read, and believe it most truly. There is love, there is faith in a great heart for me; And therefore my own heart is growing unruly, And therefore the world is o'er-glorious to see. "Then blow, spicy odors, around and above me, And brooklet below me, sing loud and sing strong, For here do I read that a great heart does love me, And out of my soul bursts the joy of a song."