---
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: 10
published: 1901-08
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. 10 (August 1901): 785.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0410unse
  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: improvementera0410unse
start_page: 785
end_page: 785
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1901-08)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0410unse
  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.
---

# In Lighter Mood

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IN LIGHTER MOOD.


        Passing a rosy, unkempt boy, Miss            remarked to her friend.
"Isn't he a little honey?"
        "Yes," replied the more discriminating friend, "honey without a
comb."
                                 *       *       *

        "Have you seen my umbrella?" asked one member of another.
        "What sort of an umbrella was it?"
        "It had a hooked end."
        "I have not seen it,"   was the reply, "but I had a nice one once, and
it had    an end exactly like yours.    It was hooked!"
                                 *       *       *

        A notice which attracts the attention of many sojourners in a New
Hampshire town is posted on the wall of the little railway station. The
paper on which it is printed bears evidence of long and honorable ser-
vice.
        Notice: Loafing either in or about this room is strictly forbidden,
and must be observed.
                                 *       *       *

        Philip D. Armour, like J. P. Morgan, would never hire a clerk for
less than one thousand dollars a year.       One day a young man applied to
Mr. Armour for a clerkship.
        "Well, sir, how little do you want for your services?" asked Mr.
Armour.      "You must understand that times are hard.          We are only kill-
ing eight million hogs and five million beeves a year."
     The young man said: "Mr. Armour, I would not be here, if I did
not know times are hard, and I'll be easy with you.      I'll   begin at ten dol-
lars a week, ifyou will agree to increase my salary one dollar for every
one hundred thousand beeves you don't kill under five million, and one
dollar for every two hundred thousand hogs you don't kill under eight
million."
     With his little, shrewd eyes, Mr. Armour looked sharply at the
young man, then said, abruptly: "As a rale, I dislike precocious young-
sters; they don't last. But I'll let you start in at twenty-five dollars a
week, without conditions.   I do it, too, with some fear that in a few

years you will own the business."