---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Naisbitt, Henry W.
collections:
  - periodicals
tags:
  - magazine
  - improvement-era
periodical: Improvement Era
volume: 7
number: 6
published: 1904-04
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'Henry W. Naisbitt, "Chips From “The Block”," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 6 (April 1904): 414–416.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0706unse
  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: improvementera0706unse
start_page: 414
end_page: 416
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-04)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0706unse
  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.
---

# Chips From “The Block”

<!-- page:414 -->

CHIPS 
        FROM 
        "THE 
        BLOCK."
BY 
        ELDER 
        HENRY 
        W.  
        NAISBITT,   
        MISSIONARY  
        WITH 
        THE 
        "BUREAU 
        OF
INFORMATION 
        AND 
        CHURCH 
        LITERATURE."
One 
        pleasant-faced 
        and 
        elderly 
        lady, 
        on 
        her 
        return 
        east 
        from
the 
        Los 
        Angeles 
        Presbyterian 
        convention, 
        held 
        last 
        fall, 
        was 
        en-
gaged in 
        conversation 
        with 
        the 
        writer 
        when 
        the 
        following 
        colloquy
took 
        place, 
        "Mormonism" 
        being 
        the 
        topic:
"Do 
        you 
        approve 
        of 
        Dr. 
        Thompson's 
        resolution?"
"Oh, 
        dear 
        no!" 
        she 
        answered 
        placidly 
        and 
        smilingly. 
        "Bless
your 
        life, 
        I 
        would 
        not 
        hurt 
        you 
        on 
        any 
        consideration."
"What, 
        then, 
        would 
        your 
        suggestion 
        be?"
"Oh, 
        I 
        would 
        only 
        like 
        to 
        convert 
        you."
"To 
        what, 
        Madam?" 
        was 
        our 
        prompt 
        reply; 
        and 
        there 
        was
silence 
        in 
        heaven 
        for 
        the 
        space 
        of 
        half 
        an 
        hour.
A 
        rather 
        demonstrative 
        lady, 
        who 
        assumed 
        to 
        be 
        the 
        leader 
        of
a 
        little 
        party, 
        was 
        quite 
        inquisitive 
        as 
        to 
        the 
        uses 
        of 
        the 
        Temple
and 
        its 
        annex.
"So 
        people 
        come 
        here 
        to 
        be 
        married, 
        and 
        buried, 
        too, 
        I 
        sup-
pose?"
"Oh, 
        no, 
        Madam," 
        we 
        laughingly 
        responded, 
        "persons 
        who 
        are
made 
        ready 
        for 
        the 
        latter 
        process 
        in 
        this 
        country 
        are 
        usually 
        taken
to 
        the 
        place 
        of 
        burial, 
        they 
        do 
        not 
        come."
The 
        reply 
        was 
        probably 
        abrupt 
        to 
        a 
        lady, 
        but 
        the 
        trio 
        smiled,
particularly 
        as 
        the 
        proffered 
        coin 
        was 
        refused.
One 
        visitor, 
        who 
        claimed 
        to 
        be 
        a 
        minister, 
        was 
        indulging 
        in
hypercritical 
        remarks 
        anent 
        "Mormon" 
        faith 
        and 
        practice, 
        and 
        us-
ing the 
        term 
        salvation, 
        as 
        it 
        were 
        in 
        a 
        flippant 
        sort 
        of 
        way, 
        when
the 
        guide, 
        placing 
        a 
        hand 
        upon 
        the 
        shoulder 
        of 
        the 
        visitor, 
        said:
"My 
        friend, 
        what 
        does 
        the 
        term 
        salvation 
        mean?"

<!-- page:415 -->

CHIPS 
        FROM 
        "THE 
        BLOCK." 
        415
Like 
        Pilate, 
        when 
        he 
        asked, 
        what 
        is 
        truth? 
        and 
        waited 
        for 
        an
answer, 
        so 
        waited 
        the 
        unastonished 
        guide.
A 
        surprised 
        and 
        highly 
        gratified 
        visitor 
        was 
        saying, 
        in 
        response
to 
        a 
        guide:
"The 
        grandest 
        argument, 
        in 
        my 
        opinion, 
        that 
        you 
        can 
        present
to 
        the 
        prejudiced 
        and 
        the 
        uninformed, 
        is 
        this 
        very 
        block 
        on 
        which
we 
        stand.    
        'It 
        speaks 
        for 
        itself, 
        and 
        it 
        speaks 
        volumes.'
        "
The 
        great 
        question 
        of 
        education 
        is 
        always 
        uppermost 
        in 
        the
minds 
        of 
        the 
        Latter-day 
        Saints; 
        and 
        it 
        comes 
        uppermost 
        when
pointing 
        out 
        to 
        the 
        visitor 
        the 
        Brigham 
        Young 
        Memorial 
        Hall, 
        as
a 
        part 
        of 
        the 
        Church 
        University. 
        It 
        surprises 
        the 
        tourist 
        to 
        find
the 
        "Mormons" 
        so 
        strenuously 
        advocating 
        the 
        cause 
        of 
        education,
and 
        proving 
        their 
        sincerity 
        by 
        building 
        schools, 
        colleges, 
        universi-
ties, etc.; 
        also 
        by 
        a 
        general 
        (if 
        missionary) 
        appreciation 
        of 
        the
educational 
        value 
        of 
        travel. 
        In 
        this 
        connection, 
        and 
        as 
        a 
        basis,
the 
        Prophet 
        Joseph 
        declared, 
        in 
        a 
        grand 
        aphorism, 
        which 
        ought 
        to
be 
        everywhere 
        conspicuous 
        in 
        letters 
        of 
        gold: 
        "No 
        man 
        can 
        be
saved 
        in 
        ignorance"
        —
        a 
        remark 
        so 
        profound 
        and 
        so 
        far 
        in 
        advance
of 
        so-called 
        sectarian 
        dogma 
        and 
        philosophy 
        that 
        the 
        latter 
        can
never 
        overtake 
        or 
        comprehend 
        it. 
        Had 
        this 
        been 
        found 
        in 
        so-
called 
        sacred 
        writ, 
        it 
        would 
        have 
        been 
        the 
        theme 
        of 
        multitudinous
discourse, 
        and 
        would 
        have 
        been 
        held 
        as 
        superior 
        to 
        all 
        ancient 
        and
other 
        philosophy, 
        sacred 
        or 
        profane, 
        unless 
        we 
        except 
        the 
        dicta 
        of
the 
        Man 
        of 
        Nazareth. 
        Yet 
        this 
        is 
        but 
        the 
        corollary 
        to 
        that 
        other
wonderful 
        saying 
        of 
        the 
        great 
        modern 
        seer: 
        "The 
        glory 
        of 
        God 
        is
intelligence." 
        Divine 
        thinkers, 
        and 
        true 
        thinkers, 
        look 
        astounded
when 
        this 
        is 
        presented 
        as 
        coming 
        from 
        a 
        source 
        everywhere 
        spoken
against, 
        and 
        cherished 
        as 
        holy 
        writ 
        by 
        a 
        people 
        almost 
        universally
misunderstood.
Speaking 
        of 
        the 
        Tabernacle 
        the 
        other 
        day, 
        it 
        was 
        remarked
that 
        if 
        so 
        pronounced 
        an 
        acoustic 
        success 
        had 
        originated 
        in 
        New
York, 
        over 
        thirty 
        years 
        ago, 
        it 
        would 
        long 
        ago 
        have 
        been 
        dupli-
cated in 
        every 
        convention 
        city 
        of 
        the 
        Union, 
        but 
        that 
        having 
        orig-
inated in  
        unexpected 
        quarters, 
        and 
        from 
        an 
        unrecognized 
        leader,

<!-- page:416 -->

416 
        IMPROVEMENT 
        ERA.
the 
        truth 
        of 
        the 
        old 
        adage 
        was, 
        as 
        usual, 
        solemnly 
        said 
        that 
        "no-
good 
        thing 
        can 
        come 
        out 
        of 
        Nazareth."
Speaking 
        of 
        the 
        privacy 
        of 
        the 
        Temple, 
        a 
        genial 
        and 
        worthy
minister 
        of 
        the 
        Mother 
        church, 
        quietly 
        said:
"To 
        be 
        sure, 
        to 
        be 
        sure, 
        we 
        have 
        it 
        in 
        all 
        our 
        churches: 
        the
confessional 
        seclusion 
        into 
        which 
        no 
        outsider 
        is 
        presumed 
        to 
        enter.
Quite 
        right; 
        quite 
        right!"
Speaking 
        on 
        this 
        subject, 
        it 
        was 
        remarked 
        that 
        this 
        apparent
exclusiveness 
        was 
        more 
        seeming 
        than 
        real, 
        for 
        the 
        house 
        was 
        truly
open 
        to 
        all 
        the 
        world 
        on 
        the 
        same 
        conditions; 
        and 
        for 
        these 
        there
were 
        two 
        grand 
        and 
        authoritative 
        precedents. 
        First, 
        God 
        Al-
mighty had 
        decreed 
        that 
        there 
        should 
        be 
        but 
        one 
        way 
        of 
        salvation!
Second, 
        that 
        the 
        best 
        and 
        greatest 
        nation 
        of 
        the 
        earth 
        had 
        decreed
that 
        but 
        one 
        way 
        of 
        naturalization 
        was 
        possible 
        for 
        the 
        alien. 
        With
these 
        long-established, 
        and 
        official 
        precedents 
        for 
        the 
        one 
        wayr
temple 
        critics 
        must 
        abide.
A 
        grouD 
        of 
        thirty 
        or 
        more 
        was 
        noticed 
        passing 
        the 
        west 
        end
of 
        the 
        Temple. 
        Its 
        grandeur 
        was 
        being 
        dilated 
        upon, 
        and 
        won-
der was 
        being 
        expressed 
        as 
        to 
        whether 
        the 
        inner 
        was 
        equal
to 
        the 
        outer 
        grandeur. 
        Then 
        the 
        possibilities 
        of 
        admission 
        were
discussed, 
        and 
        the 
        terms 
        were 
        in 
        controversy, 
        when 
        the 
        guide 
        ob-
ligingly said:
"Ladies 
        and 
        gentlemen, 
        suppose 
        this 
        building 
        was 
        in 
        your
city, 
        and 
        it 
        was 
        officially 
        said 
        that 
        no 
        habitual 
        user 
        of 
        intoxicants
could 
        enter 
        there. 
        How 
        many 
        would 
        that 
        exclude? 
        Sup-
pose it 
        were 
        said 
        that 
        no 
        user 
        of 
        tobacco 
        in 
        any 
        form 
        could 
        enter,
how 
        many 
        would 
        be 
        excluded? 
        Suppose 
        it 
        were 
        further 
        said 
        that
no 
        one 
        guilty 
        of 
        any 
        immorality 
        or 
        sexual 
        irregularity 
        would 
        be 
        ad-
mitted? that 
        none 
        could 
        find 
        free 
        entrance 
        save 
        he 
        were 
        a 
        good
citizen, 
        a 
        good 
        husband, 
        a 
        good 
        father, 
        and 
        a 
        good 
        man 
        gener-
ally?"
"There 
        would 
        be 
        but 
        few 
        eligibles 
        in 
        our 
        city," 
        said 
        an 
        eastern
gentleman.
"And 
        still 
        fewer 
        on 
        the 
        coast," 
        said 
        a 
        western 
        lady, 
        as 
        the
crowd 
        thoughtfully 
        dispersed.