---
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: 12
number: 4
published: 1909-02
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Heredity," *Improvement Era* 12, no. 4 (February 1909): 279.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1204unse
  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: improvementera1204unse
start_page: 279
end_page: 279
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1909-02)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1204unse
  publication_year: 1909
  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 1909, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# Heredity

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HEREDITY.
The small town of Y down on the Maine coast contains many quaint
and interesting characters. The following incident occurred not long ago:
Mr. Brown was standing at the corner waiting for the electric car. It was
a dark, rainy night, and as the streets of Y are unlighted, many of the
residents carry lanterns. So he was not surprised to see Miss Shaw approach
with a small hand lantern, and together they boarded the car.
They sat down beside a friend, who at once remarked: "Good evening, Miss
Shaw; I see you carry a lantern."
"Yes," replied Miss Shaw, "Father carried one all his life, and I suppose I
always shall."
'That's heredity, isn't it?" laughingly asked the friend.
' 'Oh no!" promptly exclaimed Miss Shaw. "Only common kerosene."
— Harper's Weekly.