---
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: 6
published: 1904-04
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Stay," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 6 (April 1904): 458.'
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: 458
end_page: 458
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.
---

# Stay

<!-- page:458 -->

458 
        IMPROVEMENT 
        ERA.
and 
        a 
        true 
        Latter-day 
        Saint, 
        is 
        the 
        substance. 
        Is 
        substance 
        all 
        we
want? 
        To 
        be 
        sure 
        it 
        is 
        the 
        main 
        thing. 
        The 
        rough 
        diamond 
        is
valuable, 
        but 
        is 
        it 
        always 
        recognized?
Boys, 
        we 
        girls 
        are 
        human. 
        We 
        ".like 
        our 
        diamonds 
        polished,
and 
        the 
        passports 
        to 
        the 
        feminine 
        heart 
        you 
        will 
        find 
        are 
        faultless
manners, 
        good 
        deportment, 
        and 
        general 
        social 
        culture; 
        with 
        ability
to 
        earn 
        the 
        dollar, 
        and 
        the 
        art 
        of 
        saying 
        gracefully 
        to 
        the 
        young
lady 
        whose 
        company 
        you 
        find 
        so 
        pleasant 
        Sunday 
        evening, 
        and
whose 
        hospitality 
        you 
        are 
        ever 
        so 
        ready 
        to 
        accept,
        —
        "Would 
        you
like 
        to 
        go 
        to 
        the 
        theatre?"
The 
        traits 
        a 
        boy 
        should 
        possess 
        to 
        be 
        my 
        ideal 
        character 
        are
these
        : 
        first 
        of 
        all 
        he 
        should 
        be 
        truthful 
        and 
        honest, 
        having 
        a 
        strong
will 
        to 
        command 
        and 
        lead 
        in 
        all 
        things 
        right. 
        He 
        should 
        be 
        able
to 
        shun 
        all 
        evil 
        habits, 
        and 
        have 
        the 
        thoughtfulness 
        to 
        look 
        after
the 
        pleasure 
        and 
        happiness 
        of 
        those 
        he 
        loves 
        and 
        be 
        courteous 
        to
strangers.
STAY.
0 
        man 
        with 
        eager 
        eyes,
Why 
        do 
        you 
        hurry 
        so?
In 
        your 
        haste 
        to 
        gain 
        the 
        prize,
You 
        miss 
        much 
        as 
        you 
        go;
You 
        hear 
        no 
        song-birds 
        sing:
Nor 
        stray 
        in 
        flowery 
        places;
You 
        never 
        stay 
        to 
        bring
Glad 
        smiles 
        to 
        weary 
        faces.
There 
        are 
        blossoms 
        along 
        the 
        way
That 
        never 
        again 
        shall 
        blow;
So, 
        stay 
        a 
        little, 
        friend,
And 
        soothe 
        some 
        heart 
        that's 
        aching-
Why 
        do 
        you 
        hurry 
        so 
        ?
        —
        Selected.