---
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: 5
published: 1904-03
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "The Flood-time of Energy," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 5 (March 1904): 330–331.'
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: 330
end_page: 331
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.
---

# The Flood-time of Energy

<!-- page:330 -->

330 
        IMPROVEMENT 
        ERA.
miles 
        away, 
        stood 
        the 
        representatives 
        of 
        the 
        state 
        in 
        Congress, 
        their
thoughts 
        flying 
        quicker 
        even 
        than 
        telegraphic 
        message 
        to 
        the 
        people
gathered 
        in 
        the 
        great 
        pavilion. 
        And 
        so, 
        united 
        by 
        the 
        material 
        ties 
        of
the 
        electric 
        wire, 
        and 
        the 
        subtle 
        powers 
        of 
        thought, 
        the 
        East 
        and 
        the
West 
        were 
        held 
        for 
        a 
        few 
        brief 
        moments 
        by 
        a 
        community 
        of 
        good 
        wishes.
Wonderful 
        as 
        all 
        this 
        is, 
        it 
        is 
        now 
        eclipsed 
        by 
        wireless 
        tele-
graphy—
        now 
        passed 
        beyond 
        its 
        experimental 
        stages, 
        and 
        rapidly
coming 
        into 
        the 
        practical 
        commerce 
        of 
        the 
        nations. 
        Man 
        is 
        no
longer 
        dependent 
        upon 
        a 
        network 
        of 
        wires 
        and 
        cables 
        for 
        means 
        of
communication. 
        The 
        atmosphere 
        enveloping 
        the 
        world 
        affords 
        suf-
ficient means 
        for 
        conducting 
        vibrations 
        made 
        intelligible 
        by 
        the
instrument 
        of 
        man's 
        invention; 
        and 
        today, 
        even 
        across 
        the 
        surface
of 
        the 
        broad 
        Atlantic, 
        messages 
        are 
        transmitted 
        by 
        this 
        means 
        as
easily 
        as 
        by 
        means 
        of 
        the 
        cable 
        lines. 
        So 
        delicate 
        and 
        perfect 
        are
the 
        receiving 
        instruments, 
        that 
        from 
        the 
        roar 
        of 
        our 
        great 
        cities'
traffic, 
        the 
        message 
        is 
        picked 
        out 
        of 
        the 
        confusion 
        and 
        faithfully
registered.
The 
        argument 
        based 
        on 
        all 
        these 
        facts, 
        of 
        course, 
        is 
        this: 
        If 
        man
with 
        his 
        limited 
        intelligence, 
        and 
        his 
        limited 
        experience, 
        has 
        contrived
means 
        by 
        which 
        he 
        stands 
        in 
        instant 
        communication 
        with 
        all 
        parts
of 
        the 
        world, 
        why 
        should 
        it 
        be 
        thought 
        a 
        thing 
        incredible 
        that 
        God,
from 
        the 
        midst 
        of 
        his 
        glory, 
        from 
        the 
        heart 
        of 
        the 
        universe, 
        may 
        be
within 
        instant 
        means 
        of 
        communication 
        with 
        all 
        parts 
        of 
        his 
        crea-
tions. Especially 
        since 
        it 
        is 
        quite 
        generally 
        conceded, 
        by 
        scientists,
that 
        all 
        the 
        fixed 
        stars 
        and 
        all 
        the 
        planetary 
        systems 
        encircling
them, 
        float 
        in 
        and 
        are 
        connected 
        by 
        the 
        ether, 
        a 
        substance 
        more 
        sub-
tle and 
        sensitive 
        to 
        vibrations 
        than 
        the 
        atmosphere 
        which 
        sur-
rounds our 
        planet, 
        and 
        suggests 
        the 
        media 
        of 
        communication. 
        To
all 
        this, 
        however, 
        I 
        fancy 
        that 
        I 
        hear 
        the 
        reply 
        of 
        the 
        men 
        of
science
        : 
        "We 
        do 
        not 
        deny 
        the 
        possibility 
        or 
        even 
        the 
        probability 
        of
communication 
        from 
        superior 
        intelligences 
        of 
        other 
        planets, 
        we
simply 
        say 
        that 
        up 
        to 
        the 
        present 
        time 
        there 
        is 
        no 
        convincing 
        tes-
timony that 
        such 
        communications 
        have 
        been 
        received." 
        This,
however, 
        is 
        a 
        miserable 
        begging 
        of 
        the 
        whole 
        question; 
        and 
        an
unwarranted 
        repudiation 
        of 
        the 
        testimony 
        of 
        those 
        who 
        have 
        borne
witness 
        to 
        the 
        verity 
        of 
        such 
        communications. 
        The 
        testimony 
        of
Moses 
        and 
        the 
        prophets, 
        of 
        Jesus 
        and 
        the 
        Apostles, 
        and 
        of 
        Joseph
Smith 
        and 
        his 
        associates, 
        may 
        not 
        thus 
        be 
        put 
        out 
        of 
        the 
        reckon-

<!-- page:331 -->

THE 
        PROBABILITY 
        OF 
        JOSEPH 
        SMITH'S 
        ST0R1.     
        331
ing. 
        The 
        character 
        rof 
        these 
        witnesses, 
        their 
        service 
        to 
        mankind,
what 
        they 
        suffered 
        and 
        sacrificed 
        for 
        their 
        testimonies, 
        make 
        them
worthy 
        of 
        belief; 
        and, 
        since 
        in 
        the 
        nature 
        of 
        things 
        in 
        the 
        universe,
there 
        is 
        nothing 
        which 
        makes 
        their 
        testimony 
        improbable, 
        but, 
        on
the 
        contrary, 
        much 
        that 
        makes 
        it 
        very 
        probable, 
        it 
        is 
        not 
        beneath
the 
        dignity 
        of 
        scientists 
        to 
        accord 
        to 
        their 
        statements 
        a 
        patient
investigation.
(to 
        be 
        concluded.)
THE 
        FLOOD-TIME 
        OF 
        ENERGY.
How 
        prodigal 
        most 
        young 
        people 
        are 
        of 
        their 
        physical 
        and
mental 
        forces! 
        How 
        little 
        they 
        appreciate 
        their 
        value
        ! 
        On 
        every
hand 
        we 
        see 
        young 
        men 
        and 
        women 
        squandering 
        their 
        vital 
        energy,
as 
        if 
        a 
        perpetual 
        supply 
        were 
        insured,
        —
        as 
        if 
        the 
        fountain 
        of 
        youth
would 
        never 
        run 
        dry. 
        They 
        fling 
        away 
        their 
        force 
        as 
        wastefully 
        as
the 
        waters 
        of 
        a 
        spring 
        flood 
        overflow 
        into 
        the 
        surrounding 
        country.
But, 
        when 
        the 
        flood-tide 
        of 
        youth 
        is 
        past,—
        when 
        they 
        begin 
        to
feel 
        the 
        dryness 
        of 
        age,
        —
        they 
        realize 
        the 
        preciousness 
        of 
        what
they 
        squandered 
        so 
        recklessly. 
        In 
        some 
        placet 
        where 
        the 
        water
supply 
        is 
        abundant 
        in 
        spring, 
        the 
        streams 
        dry 
        up 
        completely 
        in
summer. 
        The 
        only 
        possible 
        way 
        of 
        securing 
        power 
        to 
        work 
        the
mills 
        in 
        such 
        places 
        is 
        to 
        store 
        the 
        water 
        of 
        the 
        spring 
        floods 
        by
means 
        of 
        dams. 
        Even 
        so 
        the 
        great 
        floods 
        of 
        mental 
        and 
        physical
force 
        come 
        to 
        us 
        in 
        the 
        spring 
        of 
        ryouth. 
        The 
        drain 
        upon 
        them
begins 
        in 
        middle 
        or 
        later 
        life. 
        If 
        men 
        had 
        a 
        higher 
        regard 
        for
their 
        energy, 
        there 
        would 
        be 
        less 
        occasion 
        for 
        the 
        report 
        that 
        when
they 
        reach 
        middle 
        life 
        employers 
        cannot 
        use 
        them.
        —
        Selected.