--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Smith, Joseph F. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 7 number: 10 published: 1904-08 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Joseph F. Smith, "Editor’’s Table—Like the World," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 10 (August 1904): 796–797.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0710unse 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: improvementera0710unse start_page: 796 end_page: 797 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-08) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0710unse 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. --- # Editor's Table—Like the World EDITOR'S TABLE. LIKE THE WORLD. There are a thousand influences at work among the young Latter-day Saints, urging them to be like the people of the world. It has been a characteristic of the Saints that they were unlike the world, having been brought out of Babylon, to serve God in his appointed way. As people mingle with us, it is natural that each side is influenced by the other; as far as right is concerned, it iswell that we learn by contact, but aside from this, there are many things which we would better never adopt, but rather use our strength to impress our superior view upon the lives of our friends. One of the evils that residents of the cities are falling into is what may be called the tenement house life. Under this system every convenience is furnished to the renter, — heat, light, cooking, and comforts of all classes. Young people start life in this fash- ion,and dislike changing for a place of their own, or else get into such extravagant habits that they are unable to save enough means to ever obtain one. Their whole time is given to them- selves, and their social pleasures, instead of being partly given to the building of a home. In order to continue in this line, there must be no children, for they are a menace to tenement life, soci- ety and pleasure. So one evil brings on another greatly worse than the first. Another evil that residents of large cities are almost com- pelled to fall into is the living in rented houses. In eastern cities there are miles of beautiful residences owned by landlords, and tenanted by people who perhaps have never known what it is to own a building of their own. That same condition is obtaining in EDITORS TABLE. 797 our Utah cities to a greater or less extent, and it is rapidly be- coming the rule in some of them. All this is detrimental to the best interests of home life. It was early the rule among the Latter-day Saints to have the lands so divided that every fam- ily could-have a spot of ground which could be called theirs; and it has been the proud boast of this people that among them were more home owners than among any other people of like numbers. This condition had a good tendency, and whatever men said of us, the home among this people was a first considera- tion. It is this love of home that has made the Saints famous as colonizers, builders of settlements, and redeemers of the deserts. But in the cities there appears now to be coming into vogue the idea that renting is the thing. Of course, it may be necessary as a temporary makeshift, but no young couple should ever settle down with the idea that such a condition, as far as they are con- cerned, shall be permanent. Every young man should have an ambition to possess his own home. It is better for him, for his fam- ily, for society, for the state, and for the Church. Nothing so engenders stability, strength, power, patriotism, fidelity to country and to God, as the owning of a home — a spot of earth that you and your children can callAnd besides, there are so yours. many tender virtues that grow with such ownership that the gov- ernment of a family is made doubly easy thereby. Let us continue, as a people, to be unlike the world in this regard. I hope the Saints will ever be a home-owning people, and never become roamers, roomers and renters. We should no more follow the prevailing notions in this than in some other things. The people of Zion have a higher destiny than being led by the nose, as it were, by the prevailing whims. We do not purpose being led by evil tendencies, but rather glory in being leaders ourselves in all that makes for the welfare and happiness of the home, the advancement of the Church, the prosperity of the state. The Church as a church can not tie itself to the policies of alleged friends who demand that it be like the churches of the — world it has a mission of its own, and is governed by the inspira- tion of God to his servants, not by political schemers, alleged friends, and popular sentiment.