---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Cowley, M. F.
collections:
  - periodicals
tags:
  - magazine
  - improvement-era
periodical: Improvement Era
volume: 7
number: 5
published: 1904-03
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'M. F. Cowley, "Counsel to Boys Engaged in Isolated Labor," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 5 (March 1904): 364–366.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0705unse
  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: improvementera0705unse
start_page: 364
end_page: 366
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-03)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0705unse
  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.
---

# Counsel to Boys Engaged in Isolated Labor

<!-- page:364 -->

COUNSEL 
        TO 
        BOYS 
        ENGAGED  
        IN   
        ISOLATED
LABOR.
BY 
        ELDER 
        M. 
        F. 
        COWLEY, 
        OF 
        THE 
        QUORUM 
        OF 
        THE 
        TWELVE 
        APOSTLES.
While 
        in 
        attendance 
        at 
        one 
        of 
        our 
        stake 
        conferences, 
        we
observed 
        on 
        the 
        streets 
        a 
        large 
        number 
        of 
        boys 
        smoking 
        cigarettes.
This 
        not 
        only 
        at 
        one 
        time, 
        but 
        also 
        between 
        meetings 
        and 
        before 
        the
opening 
        of 
        the 
        forenoon 
        sessions. 
        In 
        commenting 
        upon 
        this
pernicious 
        habit, 
        it 
        was 
        said 
        that 
        the 
        ward 
        in 
        question 
        and
one 
        other 
        in 
        the 
        stake 
        were 
        notorious 
        for 
        cigarette 
        smokers, 
        a
large 
        percentage 
        of 
        the 
        boys 
        and 
        men 
        being 
        guilty 
        of 
        this 
        de-
moralizing practice. 
        Upon 
        inquiry 
        as 
        to 
        the 
        cause, 
        the 
        answer
was 
        that 
        many 
        of 
        the 
        boys 
        and 
        young 
        men 
        followed 
        the 
        vocation
of 
        sheep-herding, 
        and 
        were 
        thus 
        thrown 
        into 
        a 
        measure 
        of 
        seclusion,
away 
        from 
        home 
        and 
        the 
        benefits 
        of 
        an 
        elevating 
        and 
        refining
influence 
        which 
        usually 
        attends 
        home-
        life; 
        and 
        away 
        from 
        the
social, 
        spiritual 
        and 
        intellectual 
        influences 
        which 
        attach 
        to 
        every
well-regulated 
        ward 
        throughout 
        the 
        Church. 
        Such 
        influences
are 
        ever 
        needed 
        for 
        the 
        protection 
        and 
        for 
        the 
        welfare 
        of 
        the
young.
Because, 
        like 
        Abel 
        and 
        David, 
        a 
        boy 
        is 
        the 
        shepherd 
        of 
        a 
        flock,
it 
        does 
        not 
        follow 
        that 
        he 
        must 
        learn 
        evil 
        habits. 
        The 
        fact, 
        how-
ever, that 
        he 
        does, 
        is 
        proof 
        of 
        human 
        weakness, 
        and 
        of 
        the 
        effects
of 
        environments 
        over 
        the 
        human 
        mind. 
        The 
        mind 
        insists 
        on
being 
        active 
        in 
        channels 
        either 
        for 
        good 
        or 
        ill, 
        and 
        should, 
        there-
fore, be 
        taken 
        away 
        and 
        protected 
        from 
        sinful 
        thoughts 
        which
lead 
        to 
        evil 
        deeds. 
        Perhaps 
        no 
        evil 
        is 
        more 
        prevalent 
        and 
        popular
with 
        the 
        boys 
        than 
        cigarette 
        smoking, 
        and 
        very 
        few 
        things 
        result

<!-- page:365 -->

COUNSEL 
        TO 
        BOYS. 
        365
in 
        greater 
        harm 
        to 
        body 
        and 
        mind. 
        Tobacco 
        is 
        a 
        narcotic 
        poison.
It 
        is 
        claimed 
        by 
        physicians, 
        men 
        who 
        have 
        studied 
        the 
        human
body, 
        that 
        the 
        effects 
        of 
        tobacco 
        are 
        bad 
        however 
        it 
        is 
        used, 
        in 
        the
pipe, 
        the 
        cigar, 
        or 
        in 
        chewing; 
        and 
        worst 
        of 
        all 
        is 
        the 
        bad 
        effect 
        of
it 
        in 
        a 
        paper 
        cigarette. 
        The 
        paper 
        itself 
        is 
        injurious, 
        and 
        adds 
        to
the 
        evil 
        of 
        the 
        tobacco.
It 
        would 
        not 
        seem 
        a 
        difficult 
        task 
        to 
        convince 
        young 
        men
that 
        the 
        tobacco 
        habit 
        is 
        very 
        injurious 
        to 
        them; 
        and 
        yet, 
        the 
        fact
that 
        so 
        many 
        are 
        guilty 
        of 
        this 
        practice 
        would 
        indicate 
        that 
        large
numbers 
        are 
        not 
        thus 
        convinced, 
        or 
        they 
        would 
        not 
        so 
        grossly 
        violate
their 
        convictions 
        of 
        right. 
        The 
        fact 
        exists, 
        nevertheless, 
        that 
        the
tendency 
        to 
        evil 
        is 
        so 
        strong, 
        and 
        the 
        force 
        of 
        character 
        in 
        man 
        so
lacking, 
        that 
        human 
        beings 
        rush 
        madly 
        down 
        the 
        road 
        to 
        ruin 
        quite
conscious 
        of 
        being 
        on 
        that 
        road. 
        The 
        world 
        of 
        men 
        recognizes,
by 
        the 
        testimony 
        of 
        human 
        experience, 
        the 
        demonstrations 
        of
science, 
        and 
        teachings 
        of 
        learned 
        men, 
        that 
        the 
        tobacco 
        habit 
        is
a 
        great 
        evil. 
        In 
        addition, 
        Latter-day 
        Saints 
        are 
        taught 
        of 
        God, 
        by
direct 
        revelation 
        that 
        tobacco, 
        strong 
        and 
        hot 
        drinks, 
        and 
        ex-
cessive use 
        of 
        animal 
        food, 
        are 
        not 
        good 
        for 
        man. 
        Tobacco, 
        the
Lord 
        says, 
        "is 
        not 
        good 
        for 
        the 
        body, 
        neither 
        for 
        the 
        belly, 
        and 
        is 
        not
good 
        for 
        man, 
        but 
        is 
        an 
        herb 
        for 
        bruises 
        and 
        all 
        sick 
        cattle, 
        to
be 
        used 
        with 
        judgment 
        and 
        skill."
That 
        Latter-day 
        Saints 
        will 
        disregard 
        these 
        divine 
        words,
indicates 
        a 
        lack 
        of 
        sincere 
        conviction 
        or 
        devotion 
        to 
        their 
        own
professions. 
        The 
        Latter-day 
        Saints, 
        while 
        suffering, 
        from 
        a
natural 
        point 
        of 
        view, 
        the 
        same 
        evil 
        results 
        as 
        others 
        suffer
arising 
        from 
        violating 
        the 
        Word 
        of 
        Wisdom, 
        are 
        under 
        much
greater 
        condemnation, 
        because 
        the 
        injunction 
        to 
        observe 
        this 
        law 
        is
from 
        God, 
        and 
        not 
        from 
        man, 
        and 
        is 
        given 
        as 
        a 
        principle 
        to 
        be 
        ob-
served by 
        all 
        members 
        of 
        the 
        Church; 
        a 
        rule 
        of 
        faith 
        and 
        practice
"adapted 
        to 
        the 
        capacity 
        of 
        the 
        weak 
        and 
        weakest 
        of 
        all 
        Saints 
        who
are 
        or 
        can 
        be 
        called 
        Saints." 
        By 
        this 
        language 
        is 
        conveyed 
        the
idea 
        that 
        any 
        who 
        may 
        say 
        that 
        they 
        cannot 
        observe 
        this 
        principle
are 
        unworthy 
        to 
        be 
        called 
        the 
        Saints 
        of 
        God. 
        That 
        the 
        revelation
was 
        given 
        first, 
        not 
        by 
        commandment 
        to 
        be 
        made 
        a 
        question 
        of
fellowship 
        to 
        those 
        who 
        fail 
        in 
        its 
        observance, 
        but 
        as 
        a 
        word 
        of
counsel, 
        a 
        matter 
        of 
        wisdom, 
        etc., 
        does 
        not 
        justify 
        the 
        Saints 
        in
treating 
        it 
        with 
        less 
        respect 
        than 
        a 
        direct 
        commandment.

<!-- page:366 -->

366 
        IMPROVEMENT 
        ERA.
When 
        the 
        Lord 
        expresses 
        his 
        will, 
        and 
        points 
        out 
        what 
        would
please 
        him, 
        it 
        is 
        indeed 
        an 
        ungrateful 
        and 
        unwhorthy 
        servant 
        who
will 
        violate 
        the 
        Father's 
        will 
        and 
        counsel, 
        simply 
        because 
        it 
        is
not 
        given 
        by 
        direct 
        commandment. 
        The 
        word 
        of 
        the 
        Lord 
        to 
        us 
        is:
"It 
        is 
        not 
        meet 
        that 
        I 
        should 
        command 
        in 
        all 
        things, 
        for 
        he 
        that 
        is
compelled 
        in 
        all 
        things, 
        the 
        same 
        is 
        a 
        slothful 
        and 
        not 
        a 
        wise
servant; 
        wherefore 
        he 
        receiveth 
        no 
        reward" 
        (Doctrine 
        and 
        Cove-
nants 58: 
        26). 
        Then 
        follows: 
        "Men 
        should 
        be 
        anxiously 
        engaged
in 
        a 
        good 
        cause, 
        and 
        do 
        many 
        things 
        of 
        their 
        own 
        free 
        will, 
        and
bring 
        to 
        pass 
        much 
        righteousness."
We 
        are, 
        however, 
        reminded 
        that 
        many 
        years 
        ago 
        President
Brigham 
        Young, 
        the 
        mouth-piece 
        of 
        the 
        Lord 
        to 
        this 
        people,
presented 
        the 
        Word 
        of 
        Wisdom 
        as 
        being 
        now 
        a 
        commandment 
        for
our 
        observance. 
        We 
        had 
        been 
        borne 
        with 
        for 
        a 
        long 
        time, 
        and 
        had
taken 
        advantage, 
        probably, 
        of 
        God's 
        mercy, 
        and 
        the 
        confidence 
        he
had 
        reposed 
        in 
        our 
        love 
        and 
        devotion 
        to 
        our 
        heavenly 
        Father.
He 
        has 
        given 
        us 
        to 
        understand, 
        later, 
        through 
        his 
        prophet, 
        that
this 
        law 
        must 
        be 
        observed, 
        or 
        be 
        followed 
        by 
        the 
        same 
        divine
disapproval 
        ar.d 
        condemnation 
        as 
        is 
        the 
        violation 
        of 
        any 
        other 
        of
his 
        statutes.
Much 
        of 
        the 
        tobacco 
        habit, 
        on 
        the 
        part 
        of 
        the 
        young, 
        is
due 
        to 
        the 
        bad 
        example 
        set 
        them 
        by 
        their 
        elder 
        brethren. 
        Young
men 
        should 
        learn 
        the 
        truth, 
        and 
        be 
        governed 
        by 
        it, 
        no 
        matter
what 
        may 
        be 
        the 
        evil 
        example 
        of 
        others, 
        and 
        regardless 
        of
who 
        they 
        may 
        be 
        who 
        set 
        the 
        example 
        of 
        wrong-doing. 
        Where
young 
        men 
        are 
        engaged 
        in 
        herding 
        sheep, 
        or 
        at 
        other 
        isolated
labor 
        where 
        idleness 
        is 
        possible, 
        they 
        should 
        be 
        determined 
        to 
        read
good 
        books, 
        to 
        engage 
        in 
        refining 
        conversation, 
        and 
        to 
        entertain
pure 
        and 
        elevating 
        thoughts. 
        By 
        this 
        course, 
        by 
        the 
        exercise 
        of
faith 
        in 
        the 
        Lord, 
        and 
        by 
        humble 
        prayer, 
        there 
        will 
        be 
        little 
        or 
        no
inclination 
        to 
        indulge 
        in 
        those 
        vile 
        habits 
        that 
        enervate 
        the 
        body,
deaden 
        the 
        intellect, 
        and 
        drive 
        from 
        our 
        young 
        men 
        the 
        companion-
ship of 
        the 
        Holy 
        Spirit.