---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Shafer, Francis M.
collections:
  - periodicals
tags:
  - magazine
  - improvement-era
periodical: Improvement Era
volume: 7
number: 4
published: 1904-02
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'Francis M. Shafer, "Are We Honest?," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 4 (February 1904): 300.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0704unse
  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: improvementera0704unse
start_page: 300
end_page: 300
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-02)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0704unse
  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.
---

# Are We Honest?

<!-- page:300 -->

ARE 
        WE 
        HONEST?
BY 
        FRANCIS 
        M. 
        SHAFER, 
        OF 
        PATRIOT, 
        INDIANA.
It 
        has 
        been 
        said 
        that 
        the 
        noblest 
        work 
        of 
        God, 
        is 
        an 
        honest
man; 
        but 
        vast 
        and 
        wide 
        is 
        the 
        true 
        and 
        literal 
        meaning 
        of 
        that
word, 
        "honesty." 
        It 
        is 
        a 
        vital 
        principle 
        of 
        character, 
        the 
        very 
        "key
note" 
        to 
        our 
        condition 
        in 
        life's 
        travels. 
        A 
        man 
        may 
        be 
        honest 
        with
his 
        neighbor, 
        and 
        be 
        dishonest 
        with 
        himself. 
        We 
        even 
        go 
        so 
        far 
        as
to 
        play 
        the 
        role 
        of 
        thief, 
        and 
        rob 
        ourselves 
        of 
        those 
        things 
        that 
        tend
to 
        make 
        us 
        strong 
        in 
        character 
        and 
        manhood. 
        In 
        our 
        mad 
        rush 
        to
gather 
        around 
        us 
        the 
        temporal 
        things 
        of 
        this 
        world, 
        we 
        are 
        often
blinded, 
        regarding 
        the 
        things 
        that 
        brighten, 
        and 
        broaden 
        our 
        intel-
lect. If 
        we 
        were 
        brought 
        to 
        a 
        real 
        sense 
        of 
        our 
        position, 
        we 
        would
no 
        doubt 
        understand 
        more 
        fully 
        the 
        importance 
        of 
        this 
        life 
        being 
        a
school 
        where 
        we 
        are 
        expected 
        to 
        prepare 
        ourselves 
        intellectually 
        for
a 
        higher 
        probation
        —
        a 
        stepping 
        stone 
        to 
        a 
        higher 
        life. 
        May 
        it 
        not
be 
        possible, 
        that 
        each 
        individual 
        will 
        be 
        measured 
        for 
        a 
        position 
        in
the 
        next 
        life 
        by 
        the 
        amount 
        of 
        true 
        and 
        righteous 
        intelligence 
        he
may 
        have 
        gained 
        in 
        this 
        life. 
        The 
        Prophet 
        Joseph 
        Smith 
        said 
        that
''the 
        glorv 
        of 
        God 
        is 
        intelligence." 
        If 
        that 
        be 
        true, 
        then 
        intelli-
gence will 
        measure 
        us 
        for 
        our 
        position 
        in. 
        the 
        kingdom 
        of 
        God.
The 
        Apostle 
        Paul 
        said 
        that 
        he 
        was 
        not 
        ashamed 
        of 
        the 
        gospel,
because 
        it 
        is 
        the 
        power 
        of 
        God 
        unto 
        salvation. 
        So, 
        through 
        the
true 
        Gospel, 
        we 
        gain 
        power, 
        and 
        we 
        are 
        told 
        that 
        knowledge 
        is 
        power.
In 
        order 
        to 
        wield 
        an 
        influence, 
        or 
        power, 
        we 
        must 
        possess 
        knowledge,
gained 
        through 
        our 
        own 
        efforts, 
        guided 
        by 
        the 
        Spirit 
        of 
        God. 
        I 
        am
confident 
        that 
        the 
        Lord 
        is 
        displeased 
        with 
        an 
        indolent 
        and 
        unfruit-
ful mind. 
        Mental 
        laziness 
        is 
        an 
        offense 
        that 
        is 
        to 
        be 
        condemned
with 
        equal 
        severity 
        as 
        physical 
        laziness.
It 
        is 
        triie 
        that 
        each 
        person 
        is 
        surrounded 
        by 
        two 
        powers, 
        good