---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Fox, Ruth May
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: 'Ruth May Fox, "My Love," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 5 (March 1904): 348–349.'
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: 348
end_page: 349
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.
---

# My Love

<!-- page:348 -->

348 
        IMPROVEMENT 
        ERA.
Lawyer: 
        "Why, 
        of 
        course 
        they 
        are. 
        We 
        could 
        not 
        live 
        in 
        the
absence 
        of 
        law."
Doctor: 
        "Well, 
        seeing 
        that 
        the 
        city, 
        the 
        state 
        and 
        the 
        nation
are 
        governed 
        by 
        law, 
        what 
        need 
        have 
        we 
        of 
        a 
        mayor 
        and 
        city 
        coun-
cil? What 
        need 
        for 
        a 
        governor 
        and 
        legislature? 
        What 
        need 
        for
a 
        president 
        and 
        congress, 
        seeing 
        that 
        everything 
        and 
        everybody
are 
        governed 
        by 
        law 
        everywhere? 
        Why 
        not 
        dispense 
        with 
        all
these 
        useless 
        and 
        expensive 
        appendages, 
        and 
        live 
        in 
        perfect 
        free-
dom; free 
        from 
        taxes 
        and 
        all 
        restraint?"
Lawyer: 
        "Look 
        here, 
        what 
        is 
        the 
        matter 
        with 
        you?"
Doctor: 
        "What 
        is 
        the 
        matter 
        with 
        you? 
        You 
        are 
        the 
        enigma.
Do 
        you 
        know 
        of 
        any 
        laws 
        that 
        have 
        not 
        some 
        intelligent 
        author-
ship? Do 
        you 
        not 
        think 
        that 
        there 
        is 
        and 
        must 
        be 
        a 
        conscious
intelligence 
        at 
        the 
        back 
        of 
        every 
        beneficent 
        law?"
Lawyer: 
        "Well, 
        I 
        declare, 
        I 
        never 
        looked 
        at 
        it 
        in 
        that 
        light
before. 
        I 
        must 
        take 
        time 
        to 
        consider 
        your, 
        to 
        me, 
        new 
        style 
        of
arguing 
        the 
        question."
MY 
        LOVE.
(For 
        the 
        Improvement 
        Era).
0 
        where 
        shall 
        I 
        turn 
        to 
        find 
        my 
        love,
For 
        whom 
        I 
        have 
        wandered 
        long?
From 
        the 
        northern 
        to 
        the 
        southern 
        sea,
Beloved, 
        I 
        have 
        sought 
        for 
        thee,
To 
        hearken 
        to 
        thy 
        song.
1 
        have 
        sailed 
        the 
        ocean's 
        broad 
        expanse,
In 
        search 
        of 
        thee, 
        love 
        of 
        mine;
Through 
        mountain 
        glen 
        and 
        wildwood 
        shade,
O'er 
        burning 
        sands, 
        my 
        feet 
        have 
        strayed;
For 
        thee 
        my 
        soul 
        doth 
        pine.
Fhave 
        searched 
        the 
        temples 
        of 
        heathen 
        lands,
The 
        Vatican's 
        solemn 
        halls,
Through 
        all 
        the 
        churches 
        of 
        Christendom;
And 
        still 
        my 
        weary 
        feet 
        do 
        run
To 
        find 
        thy 
        sacred 
        walls.

<!-- page:349 -->

MY 
        LOVE. 
        349
At 
        last, 
        at 
        last, 
        I 
        have 
        found 
        thee, 
        love!
With 
        thine 
        arms 
        extended 
        wide
To 
        enfold 
        me 
        in 
        their 
        fond 
        embrace;
A 
        holy 
        smile 
        illumes 
        thy 
        face,
Like 
        that 
        of 
        a 
        blushing 
        bride.
Thy 
        gracious 
        bearing 
        and 
        dignity
Portrays 
        an 
        exalted 
        birth;
Thy 
        splendor, 
        like 
        a 
        radiant 
        star,
Sends 
        forth 
        transcendent 
        gleams 
        afar,
To 
        gladden 
        all 
        the 
        earth.
How 
        fair 
        thy 
        brow, 
        my 
        beauteous 
        queen,
And 
        chaste 
        as 
        the 
        virgin 
        snow;
Thine 
        eyes 
        emit 
        so 
        tender 
        a 
        light,
Beneath 
        their 
        glance 
        there 
        is 
        no 
        night,
1 
        revel 
        in 
        their 
        glow.
Thy 
        lips 
        are 
        soft 
        as 
        the 
        dew-kissed 
        rose
Bending 
        to 
        the 
        new-born 
        day;
Thy 
        voice, 
        as 
        the 
        melody 
        of 
        rills,
Inspires 
        my 
        soul, 
        my 
        pulses 
        thrills,
And 
        lures 
        my 
        heart 
        away.
I 
        found 
        my 
        love 
        in 
        the 
        mountain 
        tops,
O'erlooking 
        the 
        western 
        main;
Where 
        the 
        stately 
        pines 
        and 
        joyous 
        breeze
Waft 
        the 
        story 
        over 
        the 
        leas
        —
Of 
        my 
        fair 
        lady's 
        fame.
There 
        the 
        god 
        of 
        day 
        adorns 
        her 
        head
With 
        a 
        crown 
        of 
        burnished 
        gold;
With 
        flowers 
        and 
        grain 
        her 
        lap 
        doth 
        strew;
Her 
        feet 
        laves 
        in 
        the 
        briny 
        blue
That 
        gems 
        her 
        mountain 
        hold.
Her 
        hands, 
        dainty 
        as 
        the 
        sego 
        flower,
Holds 
        bounteous 
        gifts 
        for 
        me;
Sweet 
        love, 
        thy 
        love 
        I 
        can 
        ne'er 
        repay,
        —
But 
        I 
        would 
        linger 
        near 
        alway;
        —
Bid 
        me 
        abide 
        with 
        thee.
Ruth 
        May 
        Fox.