---
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: 5
number: 5
published: 1902-03
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* 5, no. 5 (March 1902): 396.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0505unse
  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: improvementera0505unse
start_page: 396
end_page: 396
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1902-03)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0505unse
  publication_year: 1902
  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 1902, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# In Lighter Mood

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IN LIGHTER MOOD.
Vain man tells his wife just how the government should settle the
canal question, and has to hire a laborer to map out a" drain through his
back yard.
* * *
"I see the Boers won another victory. British forces were surprised
again."
"That's funny. I should think they'd be used to it by this time." —
Cincinnati Commercial Tribune.
Once upon a time a cat who prided herself on her wit and wisdom
was prowling about the barn in search of food and saw a tail protruding
from a hole.
"There is the conclusion of a rat," she said.
Then she crept stealthily toward it until within striking distance,
when she made a jump and reached it with her claws. Alas! it was not
the appendage of a rat, but the tail of a snake, who immediately turned
and gave her a mortal bite.
Moral — It is dangerous to jump at conclusions.
* *
Ethel — If ten men were to ask you to marry them, what would that
be?
Amy — What would it be?
Ethel — A tender.
Amy — And if one should ask you what would that be?
Ethel— I don't know. What?
Amy — A wonder. — London Fun.
"The late editor's wife is something of a humorist."
"Indeed?"
"Yes. Took a line from his original salutatory and placed it on his
tombstone."
"What was it?"
"'We are here to stay!'"