--- 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: 7 number: 2 published: 1903-12 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Notes", *Improvement Era* 7, no. 2 (December 1903): 144.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0702unse 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: improvementera0702unse start_page: 144 end_page: 144 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1903-12) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0702unse publication_year: 1903 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 1903, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Notes — EDITOR'S TABLE. 143 bandying of words — and have trusted to the reaffirmation of the old truths of revelation, accompanied by a humble testimony of their knowledge of the true God. Still, controversy, I repeat, could not always be avoided. From the beginning "Mormon" views of Deity, have been assailed. They have been denounced as "awful blasphemy;'' "soul destroying;" "the lowest kind of materialism;" "destructive of all truly religious sentiment;" "the worst form of pantheism;" "the crudest possible conception of God;" "absolutely incompatible with spirituality;" "worse than the basest forms of idolatry." These are a few of the phrases in which our views of Deity have been described. Defense against these attacks has been rendered necessary from time to time; and whenever elders of the Ghurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have entered into discussion on the subject of Deity, they have not failed to make it clear that the scriptures sustained their doctrine, although they may not always have been successful in staying the de- nunciations, sarcasms, and ridicule of their opponents. This, however, is matter of small moment, since making clear the truth is the object of dis- cussion, not superior strength in denunciation, bitterness in invective, keenness in sarcasm, or subtlety in ridicule. NOTES. "Better fail in money-making than in home-making." Marden. Every right action and true thought sets the seal of its beauty on the person and the face.— Ruskin. "In the workaday world the courage to do right is greater than the fear to do wrong." "Drops hollow a stone not by their force, but by the frequency with which one follows another." An exchange says that Chief Engineer Parsons, of Rapid Transit Tunnel repute, was one day visited by a young man who bore with him letters of introduction from certain Chicago notables. In consequence of this Mr. Parsons gave him audience. "You wish a position?" said the chief engineer. "Yes, sir," replied the visitor. "What can you do? Have you any specialty?" "I can do almost anything." — — 144 IMPROVEMENT ERA. "Well," remarked Mr. Parsons, rising to end the interview, "I have no use for any one who can 'almost' do anything. I prefer some one who can actually do one thing thoroughly." "Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today." There is no time like the present; therefore, when you are told to do a thing, do it at once. Further than this, when you know a thing should be done, do not wait till you are obliged to do it. It is a sure sign of a good work- man that he tries to be beforehand with his work, and such a one will be valued. Never put away your tools dirty, intending to clean them by and by; do not sweep the dust into a corner to be taken away to- morrow; do not leave those bills to be delivered this evening if you ought to take them in the morning. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it," and do it at once. N. C. Usher. "When Emerson's library was burning in Concord," says Louisa M. Alcott, "I went to him as he stood with the firelight on his strong, sweet face, and endeavored to express my sympathy for the loss of his most valued possessions, but he answered cheerily, 'Never mind, Louisa, see what a beautiful blaze they make! We will enjoy that now.' The les- son was one never forgotten, and in the varied losses that have come to me I have learned to look for something beautiful and bright." A much more homely instance of philosophy, and of a kind that the average man is frequently called upon to practice, is related by a Chicago newspaper. It describes a man racing down the steps leading to the train-shed at the Northwestern Station just as the train was pulling out. "He was stout and perspiring,"says the News," and his arms were filled with bundles. Everjr- body got out of his way as he chased the rear car down the long plat- form, some shouting advice and pleasant comment after him. Some sportively inclined people offered bets in a loud voice on his chance of catching the train, and others laughed at his grim determination. But he caught it and was hoisted up on the platform by a trainman without the loss of a bundle. He shook his fist at the cheering croud behind him, and went inside the car with the blessed sense of having won. It was only when the conductor came around for his ticket that he learned that he was on the Milwaukee Division train, bound for Evanston without a stop, when he should have been moving toward Park Ridge, which lies in a different direction. Most men would have said something ugly. This man only smiled. 'There's one comfort about it,' said he, 'those idiots in the station will never know how I fooled them. They think I caught the right train.' " Success.