--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - D. R. Lyon collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 7 number: 7 published: 1904-05 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'D. R. Lyon, "Man’’s Insignificance," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 7 (May 1904): 515–516.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0707unse 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: improvementera0707unse start_page: 515 end_page: 516 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-05) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0707unse 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. --- # Man's Insignificance — ADVENTURES OE A PIONEER. 515 this afternoon, says that he was murdered in Carthage jail, on June 27th." Silence reigned; the gathering quietly dispersed; but the grief and sadness of this heart was beyond the power of man to estimate. The Prophet's martyrdom ended our p. litical campaign. It was a severe shock to us. But we kept up our branch meetings, myself and other elders taking short missions into the northern part of New Jersey, and into eastern Pennsylvania, holding wood- meetings, preaching in school houses, etc., for one year or so thereafter, in the meantime reading the Nauvoo papers eagerly. Finally word came that the Saints were going to leave Nauvoo for California, then a province of Mexico, and counsel w is given to the eastern Saints to charter a ship and go around the Horn to California. Ship Brooklyn was chartered, and, with two hundred and sixty eight Saints, including their children, I left New York in February, 1846, for California, by the way of Cape Horn. We stopped at Juan Fernandez Island, and at the Sandwich Islands, finally reaching California in about six months. (to be continued). MAN'S INSIGNIFICANCE. While sojourning in Wasatch, for a short time one summer, and contemplating the immense mountains of granite surrounding that resort — sufficient to build a thousand temples as large as our own the greatness of the Creator of such monuments led me to indite the following lines: How small and insignificant is man When we begin God's handiwork to scan! Beside these towering peaks of solid stone, Man is a pigmy, most too small to own; And yet, not so; for every one has place, No matter where he's born or of what race. In ages ong since past, ere man was made, God spake, and all the elements obeyed; These giant peaks, that pierce the heaven's blue, Obeyed the call, and upward came to view. For ages, as a monument they've stood Of God's creative hand and Fatherhood. man, why doubt, or say there is no God, When all around, from mountain peak to sod, His all-creative handiwork is shown, In plant and flow'r and tree and massive stone? The very air we breathe proclaims he lives, And life and strength to every being gives. While here upon these massive peaks I gaze, My mind in wonder seems almost ablaze; Too vast the theme for mortal man it seems, For while one looks, he wonders if he dreams; With works of man, there's nothing to compare Man's greatest works seem bubbles in the air. God, my littleness compared with thee, Doth seem a moment to eternity; Thy boundless grace I now begin to sense; 1 realize thy great Omnipotence. Guide me through life, and may I humble be, That I may dwell with thee eternally! D. R. Lyon, Salt Lake City, President of the 20th Ward Y. M M. I. A., in the Index.