--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Louisa L. Greene Richards collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 4 number: 12 published: 1901-10 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Louisa L. Greene Richards, "Humble Confessions," *Improvement Era* 4, no. 12 (October 1901): 919–921.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0412unse 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: improvementera0412unse start_page: 919 end_page: 921 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1901-10) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0412unse 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. --- # Humble Confessions HUMBLE CONFESSIONS. BY LOUISA L. GKEENE RICHARDS. Brother Wilford Woodruff, Jr., who has been a faithful worker in the Salt Lake Temple ever since its dedication, was telling me an incident of his early life the other day. I felt at the time, that story contained a lesson worth recording for our young men and boys to read and treasure up in their hearts. And now I will relate it as nearly in Brother Woodruff's own words as I can. He said: "In the spring of 1862, Brother George Q. Cannon was going to England to preside over the mission in that country. I had always been a sickly boy, and rather backward. Father took a notion that it would be a good thing for me to go to England with Brother Cannon, and spoke about it. "Brother Cannon said, 'Brother Woodruff, if you want your boy to take this mission, I will keep an eye on him and do the best I can for him.' "But I said, 'No, father! I am not ready to go yet; you wait two or three years; I don't want to go now.' So the matter was dropped. "Awhile afterwards, President Young came up to me as I was walking along. He put his arm over my shoulder and said, " 'Willie, I understand you have refused to go on a mission.' " 'Yes, President Young,' I answered 'I have.' "'Well!' said the President, 'Don't you think you better reconsider the matter, and let me put your name down for a mission now.' " 'No sir! I said, 'if I wouldn't do a thing for my father, 920 IMPROVEMENT ERA. Wilford Woodruff, no man living need ask me to do it, because I would not.' " 'All right, Willie/ said the President, good-naturedly, 'you will be ready for it by and by.' "He told father not to fret about me, I would be all right. And he said, 'If all the brethren would speak out openly as that boy does, we should know how to take them, and what to do with them.' Father let me travel with the President's party in the South during the summer, driving one of the teams. "That fall, I went to work in the canyon, cutting and hauling wood for winter. And I never had so much trouble in my life. Not a day but some thing or other would take place to hinder and torment me. My wagon would break down, or one of the ani- mals in my team would cripple itself, or my load would slide off somewhere so as to make me extra work; something of a disagree- able nature was happening all the time. "Father watched me, and one day he said, 'Wilford, don't you think of anything that might be the cause of your having so much trouble?' "I answered, 'No, only the tormented bad luck that seems to follow me up.' "But father's question set me to thinking. I managed to get through the winter. "The next spring, 1863, father said to me, 'They are going to send out a lot more missionaries this spring; what do you think about going now?' "I answered, 'Father, I had my say so once, and it didn't 'pan out' worth a cent. Now I am ready to go anywhere, or do any- thing you say you want me to.' "So then, I was sent over to England with a number of other boys. When I got there, President Cannon asked me if I had any choice about the portion of country I was to labor in. I told him no, that I had had my own way once, and it didn't work right; and now I was there to go wherever he told me to, and to do whatever he wanted me to. " 'Just put me where you please, President Cannon,' I said, 'and you'll find me there like a knot on a log.' And I never for- BUMBLE CONFESSIONS. 921 got that lesson, but have always been willing to do what I have been asked to ever since." I wonder if we could not usually find a reason similar to Brother Woodruff's for what we call bad luck when it comes to us, if we thought it over and looked for it. President George A. Smith used to tell of a misfortune which came to him through his failing to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and breaking one of the commandments of God. He said he was traveling in the southern part of Utah, and felt that he must be in a certain place at a certain time. Sunday morning came, and the whisperings of the Spirit to him were, "George, you and the brethren with you better rest and meet with the people here, today." But then, he thought of the place where he must be at that certain time, and that if he rested there that Sabbath day, he could not make it. So he said "Hitch up, boys, and we'll drive on> for we must be there at that time." And they hitched up their horses and started out; but they did not drive very far until they got stuck in a mud hole, broke their wagon, had quite a serious time in getting anywhere to find help, and were delayed a day or two longer than they would have been by properly observing the Sabbath. And President Smith would say, "It doesn't pay us to get it into our heads that we can manage affairs better than the Lord can."