---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Clegg, Brigham
collections:
  - periodicals
tags:
  - magazine
  - improvement-era
periodical: Improvement Era
volume: 7
number: 3
published: 1904-01
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'Brigham Clegg, "Christmas," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 3 (January 1904): 215–216.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0703unse
  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: improvementera0703unse
start_page: 215
end_page: 216
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-01)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0703unse
  publication_year: 1904
  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 1904, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# Christmas

<!-- page:215 -->

CHRISTMAS, 
        215
istered 
        the 
        tasks 
        allotted 
        to 
        him 
        in 
        an 
        able 
        manner. 
        He 
        is 
        at 
        pres-
ent vice-president 
        and 
        a 
        director 
        in 
        the 
        Salt 
        Lake 
        and 
        Los 
        Angeles
Railway, 
        a 
        director 
        of 
        the 
        Inland 
        Crystal 
        Salt 
        Company, 
        and 
        a 
        direc-
tor of 
        Zion's 
        Savings 
        Bank 
        and 
        Trust 
        Co. 
        He 
        was 
        treasurer 
        of 
        the
old 
        Utah 
        Central 
        Railroad 
        Co., 
        and 
        also 
        at 
        one 
        time 
        the 
        treasurer
of 
        the 
        Salt 
        Lake 
        City 
        Railroad 
        Co., 
        and 
        Salt 
        Lake 
        City 
        Gas 
        Co.,
being 
        one 
        of 
        the 
        original 
        incorporators 
        of 
        the 
        latter, 
        also 
        one 
        of
the 
        original 
        incorporators 
        of 
        the 
        Utah 
        Sugar 
        Company. 
        For
twenty 
        years 
        he 
        served 
        as 
        treasurer 
        of 
        Utah 
        Territory, 
        and 
        was
also 
        at 
        one 
        time 
        treasurer 
        of 
        the 
        Deseret 
        News 
        Company.
Asked 
        as 
        to 
        what 
        he 
        considered 
        a 
        good 
        guiding 
        principle 
        for
a 
        young 
        man 
        to 
        adopt 
        in 
        life 
        who 
        desires 
        to 
        acquire 
        honest 
        success,
which 
        means 
        a 
        first 
        class 
        character, 
        as 
        well 
        as 
        a 
        good 
        financial
standing, 
        he 
        said, 
        "I 
        have 
        always 
        endeavered 
        to 
        make 
        my 
        rule 
        in
life, 
        honesty, 
        integrity, 
        and 
        fidelity 
        to 
        duty, 
        and 
        I 
        consider 
        this 
        a
good 
        motto 
        for 
        any 
        young 
        man 
        who 
        desires 
        to 
        make 
        a 
        success 
        of
his 
        career."
CHRISTMAS.
BY  
        BRIGHAM  
        CLEGG.
How 
        long 
        since 
        prophets 
        heralded 
        the 
        coming 
        of 
        this 
        day,
Made 
        sacred 
        by 
        Christ's 
        holy 
        name; 
        and 
        still 
        weVaitandlpraf
To 
        dawn 
        a 
        greater 
        Christmas 
        morn, 
        when 
        angel 
        bands 
        shall 
        sing,
And 
        earth 
        be 
        robed 
        in 
        purity 
        to 
        meet 
        her 
        welcome 
        King.
Then 
        shall 
        all 
        sorrow 
        flee 
        away, 
        and 
        sin 
        forever 
        cease,
And 
        Babel 
        noise 
        be 
        silenced 
        by 
        triumphal 
        chords 
        of 
        peace.
Long 
        ages, 
        too, 
        have 
        rolled 
        away 
        since 
        that 
        first 
        Christmas 
        morn
When 
        in 
        a 
        rustic 
        stable 
        old, 
        a 
        babe, 
        a 
        God, 
        was 
        born:
Yet 
        still 
        he 
        lives 
        and 
        breathes 
        and 
        moves,  
        in 
        countless 
        hearts 
        of
prayer;
Where 
        virtue, 
        love 
        and 
        faith 
        is 
        found, 
        he 
        ever 
        lingers 
        there.

<!-- page:216 -->

216 
        IMPROVEMENT 
        ERA.
The 
        gentle 
        touch 
        we 
        yet 
        may 
        feel, 
        that 
        healed 
        the 
        leper's 
        brow;
The 
        loving 
        eye 
        that 
        pitied 
        them, 
        looks 
        down 
        in 
        pity 
        now.
The 
        words 
        he 
        spoke 
        of 
        faith 
        and 
        love, 
        we 
        yet 
        may 
        hear 
        today;
His 
        every 
        word 
        and 
        look 
        and 
        act, 
        they 
        live 
        eternally.
How 
        swift 
        have 
        glided 
        by 
        the 
        years 
        since 
        wise 
        men 
        from 
        afar.
Were 
        guided 
        to 
        the 
        holy 
        place 
        by 
        God's 
        appointed 
        star!
But 
        still 
        methinks 
        that 
        star 
        shines 
        bright, 
        in 
        night's 
        dark 
        sinful
sky,
Just 
        as 
        it 
        shone 
        that 
        night 
        of 
        yore, 
        to 
        greet 
        the 
        passer 
        by.
It 
        shines 
        to 
        guide 
        along 
        faith's 
        path
        —
        while 
        love 
        burns 
        in 
        the 
        breast
        —
All 
        weary 
        pilgrims 
        safely 
        to 
        his 
        promised 
        home 
        of 
        rest.
How 
        long 
        since 
        shepherds 
        watched 
        their 
        flocks, 
        that 
        midnight, 
        clear
and 
        cold,
When 
        angels 
        tuned 
        their 
        silver 
        harps, 
        and 
        sang 
        the 
        song 
        of 
        old!
They're 
        singing 
        now
        —
        be 
        still, 
        proud 
        world, 
        and 
        cease 
        thy 
        noisy 
        din
        —
The 
        birthday 
        of 
        our 
        Lord 
        and 
        King, 
        they 
        come 
        to 
        usher 
        in.
Above 
        the 
        clouds 
        of 
        war 
        and 
        strife, 
        ten 
        thousand 
        glad 
        harps 
        ring,
And 
        bending 
        near, 
        to 
        catch 
        the 
        ear, 
        ten 
        thousand 
        voices 
        sing:
"All 
        glory 
        be 
        to 
        God 
        on 
        high," 
        a 
        message 
        from 
        our 
        King,
"Oa 
        earth 
        be 
        peace, 
        good 
        will 
        to 
        men," 
        oh, 
        hear 
        the 
        angels 
        sing!
Be 
        cheerful, 
        then, 
        ye 
        mortal 
        men, 
        'tis 
        Christmas 
        day, 
        once 
        more,
Let 
        music 
        sweet 
        Christ's 
        birthday 
        greet, 
        and 
        ring 
        from 
        shore 
        to 
        ehore.
A 
        present 
        rare, 
        a 
        Savior 
        fair, 
        God's 
        Christmas 
        gift 
        to 
        man,
Who 
        ransomed 
        all 
        from 
        Adam's 
        fall, 
        and 
        gave 
        the 
        gospel 
        plan.
Behold 
        afar 
        his 
        guiding 
        star, 
        'tis 
        beaming 
        bright 
        today
        —
It 
        bids 
        us 
        bow, 
        in 
        worship 
        now, 
        while 
        angels 
        chant 
        their 
        lay.
Let 
        bells 
        repeat 
        the 
        music 
        sweet 
        that 
        rings 
        from 
        harps 
        above,
While 
        mortals, 
        we, 
        in 
        melody, 
        give 
        back 
        the 
        song 
        of 
        love.