---
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, "A Friend’s Influence Is Worth More than Gold," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 5 (March 1904): 336.'
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: 336
end_page: 336
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.
---

# A Friend’s Influence Is Worth More than Gold

<!-- page:336 -->

336 
        IMPROVEMENT 
        ERA.
Nor 
        has 
        he 
        attempted 
        baseness. 
        Ignoble 
        though 
        he 
        may 
        have 
        been
with 
        others, 
        he 
        has 
        been 
        all 
        that 
        is 
        noble 
        to 
        me. 
        My 
        will 
        has 
        been
subservient 
        to 
        him
        —
        my 
        body 
        and 
        soul, 
        never. 
        They 
        are 
        my 
        own,
and 
        subject 
        only 
        to 
        my 
        will 
        and 
        to 
        God's."
Her 
        dignified 
        serenity 
        exasperated 
        Decius. 
        He 
        advanced 
        to-
ward her. 
        "By 
        the 
        gods, 
        I 
        will 
        not 
        be 
        thwarted!" 
        he 
        cried. 
        "You
shall 
        yield 
        entirely 
        to 
        my 
        will!"
"Stop!" 
        she 
        commanded. 
        "Advance 
        no 
        nearer." 
        She 
        drew 
        a
dagger 
        from 
        her 
        robe. 
        "This 
        I 
        took 
        from 
        the 
        body 
        of 
        a 
        Druid
priest, 
        knowing 
        that 
        if 
        I 
        fell 
        into 
        such 
        vile 
        hands 
        as 
        yours, 
        it 
        would
be 
        needed."
"Give 
        me 
        the 
        weapon, 
        rash 
        girl," 
        he 
        said.
"Come 
        no 
        nearer!" 
        she 
        repeated. 
        "My 
        soul 
        and 
        body, 
        thanks
be 
        to 
        the 
        true 
        God, 
        are 
        pure. 
        I 
        will 
        trust 
        my 
        unstained 
        body 
        to 
        the
earth 
        that 
        gave 
        it, 
        and 
        my 
        soul 
        to 
        Him 
        who 
        sent 
        me 
        here, 
        before
you 
        shall 
        approach 
        me. 
        When 
        a 
        Christian 
        maiden 
        must 
        choose 
        be-
tween death 
        and 
        dishonor, 
        she 
        hesitates 
        not 
        one 
        instant. 
        Back, 
        or
I 
        strike!"
She 
        pointed 
        the 
        dagger 
        at 
        her 
        breast, 
        and 
        as 
        she 
        did 
        so, 
        her
face 
        was 
        lifted 
        to 
        God 
        as 
        if 
        to 
        crave 
        his 
        blessing 
        upon 
        the 
        deed
she 
        might 
        be 
        forced 
        to 
        do. 
        With 
        a 
        muttered 
        curse, 
        mingled 
        with 
        a
threat, 
        the 
        baffled 
        libertine 
        left 
        the 
        tent.
(to 
        be 
        concluded.)
A 
        FRIEND'S   
        INFLUENCE 
        IS   
        WORTH   
        MORE   
        THAN 
        GOLD.
It 
        would 
        be 
        interesting 
        to 
        trace 
        the 
        influence 
        of 
        friendship 
        in
the 
        careers 
        of 
        the 
        successful 
        men 
        of 
        this 
        country. 
        Many 
        of 
        them
owed 
        their 
        success 
        almost 
        entirely 
        to 
        strong 
        friendships. 
        "Men
are 
        bound 
        together 
        by 
        a 
        great 
        credit 
        system," 
        says 
        a 
        writer, 
        "the
foundation 
        of 
        which 
        is 
        mutual 
        respect 
        and 
        esteem. 
        No 
        man 
        can
fight 
        the 
        battle 
        for 
        commercial 
        success 
        single-handed 
        against 
        the
world; 
        he 
        must 
        have 
        friends, 
        helpers, 
        supporters, 
        or 
        he 
        will 
        fail."
"What 
        is 
        the 
        secret 
        of 
        your 
        life?" 
        asked 
        Elizabeth 
        Barrett
Browning 
        of 
        Charles 
        Kingsley. 
        "Tell 
        me 
        that 
        I 
        may 
        make 
        mine
beautiful, 
        too."   
        He 
        answered: 
        "I 
        had 
        a 
        friend."
        —
        Success.