--- 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: 8 number: 12 published: 1905-10 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "In Lighter Mood," *Improvement Era* 8, no. 12 (October 1905): 951–952.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0812unse 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: improvementera0812unse start_page: 951 end_page: 952 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1905-10) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0812unse publication_year: 1905 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 1905, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # In Lighter Mood — — — IN LIGHTER MOOD. They r-ad started for a stroll. "There is our minister." he said. "I'm going to ask him to join us." "To join us? Oh, George, this is so sudden! But hadn't you better speak to papa before engaging the minister, dear?" Spare Moments. His reason. — Smithkins: "There's old Biffkins. I don't care to meet him. Let's turn this way. Last summer I requested a loan of twenty dollars." TifFkins: "Well, he ought to have obliged you; he's rich enough." Smithkins: "The trouble is, he did!" Smart Set. "Now, boys," said a Sunday school teacher, addressing the juvenile , class,"can either of you tell me anything about Good Friday?" "Yes, ma'am, I can," replied the boy at the foot of the class. "He was the fellow that done the housework for Robinson Crusoe." Chicago Journal A Kansas paper says the inventor of a new feeding bottle for in- fants sent out the following among his directions for using: When the baby is done drinking it must be unscrewed and laid in a cool place under the hydrant. If the baby does not thrive on fresh milk it should be boiled. When a certain- schoolmaster entered the temple of learning one morning he read on the blackboard the touching legend: "Our teacher is a donkey." The pupils expected there would be a combined cyclone and earthquake; but the master contented himself with adding the word "driver" to the legend. Said George to Pat: "Well, Pat, I think we could earn some money if I had a piece of string." "An' sure for what?" "To take you around and exhibit you for a monkey," replied George. "Faith, an' sure you'd want another man, George." "What for, Pat?" "Why, to tell the people which end the monkey was on." OUR WORK. MISSIONARY WORK.— CHANGE IN METHOD. At the late June conference it was decided to change the methods of doing missionary work in our associations. Officers are directed to read carefully the following synopsis of the remarks of Elder Joseph W. McMurrin, on this subject. He spoke on "Substitute for Formal Mission- ary Work — — General Individual Work Personal Attention by Officers to Members — Arousing of Universal Patriotism," and he said in part: Missionary work, both general and local, has formed, for a number of years, a very important part of Mutual Improvement work. Many missionaries have been called by the First Presidency and sent out, as well as the large number of local missionaries, and great good has re- sulted. How much good has been accomplished will probably never be known. As a consequence of this missionary work, considerable prestige has come to the Y. M. M. I. A. It has now been concluded to change the method of our missionary wo nk, and in the substitutes recommended in place of formal missionary