--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Goff, Harold collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 11 number: 1 published: 1907-11 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Harold Goff, \"Watch O'er Me: A Poem,\" *Improvement Era* 11, no. 1 (November 1907): 36–37." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1101unse 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: improvementera1101unse start_page: 36 end_page: 37 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1907-11) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1101unse publication_year: 1907 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 1907, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Watch O'er Me: A Poem WATCH O'ER ME. (Written to the music of Sing Me to Sleep, for Prof. Charles Kent, and sung hy the author at the M. I. A. convention of Fremont stake, September 29, 1907). God, in mercy hear my prayer; Give me tonight thy wondrous care; Wrap me around with thy dear love, And send me solace from above; Scatter the clouds that make me fear, Lest I forget that thou art near, And in my weakness go astray From thine allwi?e and holy way. Refrain. Holy Father, hear thou my prayer, 1 need thy comfort, thy love and care All life is danger without thee God in heaven, watch o'er me. All through the day my steps have failed, And I was weak when sin assailed Forgive the follv and the pride, Teach me to cling to virtue's side; Grant me thy peace that I may know Thou still art near, the way to show, And in the end, ah let me be Encrowned for all eternity. Harold Goff. Rexburg, Idaho. THE WITHDRAWAL. BY KATE THOMAS. She came from the land where the pine abounds, and the winter clouds hang purple over the misty fjords. And she was named Christine, perhaps to always remind her of her own Chris- tiania. Her face was refined; her hands tapering and filbert- nailed. In the old country she had been my lady's maid. In the new, she was the "girl"' of general housework. In a year she could write English a little, could read better than she could speak, and she spoke remarkably well. "I had a hard time to get here," she confided to us. "My lady, she felt most badly. She cried. I did not want to be a 'Mor-mon,' but I could not help it. I knew another girl in Chris- tiania. She said, I will go to a 'Mor-mon' meeting. I laughed and said, 'I will go, too. I may get a husband. ' She said, 'you do not know what you talk about, 'Mormons' do not look for wo- men. They have plenty at home.' I am here, now I know. I laughed and said, 'I will go, too, and get a husband.' I think I will make a noise and break up such a bad meeting. But I went many times, and I did not laugh. I took the Book of Mor- mon home. I did not let my lady know. One night she came to my room. She seldom came to my room. I was scared. I put the Book of Mor-mon behind my back. She said, 'What are you reading, Christine?' I showed her. She said, 'I am told you go to 'Mor-mon' meetings, Christine.' I said, 'yes.' She said, 'You will not be a 'Mormon, 'Christine?' I did not think to be 'Mor-mon,' until then. I surprised myself. I said, yes.' She cried, and said, 'Do not be a 'Mor-mon.' I will pay you more money.' I said, 'But I will join the 'Mor-mons.' ' She said, 'If so, you cannot work for