--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Associations, Young Men’s Mutual Improvement collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 12 number: 12 published: 1909-10 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "The Boy Who Does Not Have To Be Told," *Improvement Era* 12, no. 12 (October 1909): 959.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera12012unse 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: improvementera12012unse start_page: 959 end_page: 959 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1909-10) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera12012unse 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. --- # The Boy Who Does Not Have To Be Told THE LAST WITNESS. 959 Nobility was stamped upon her face, Like royal signet of her father's race; And David's lineaments were plainly there, But moulded, it may be, with greater care. She talked of thrilling scenes of early life, When Oliver and she were man and wife; When youthful prophets strove with all their might To spread abroad the Gospel's glorious light. "I know," she said, "this work will never fail, Though all the nations may its friends assail, 'Tis come, as I have heard the prophets say, To ever stand, though earth may pass away." Such is the substance of an interview That tends to show this mighty work is true; And being true, 'tis folly to oppose The unseen power by which the Kingdom grows. Some states have spent against it rage and fury, Despoiled its people without judge or jury; And forced them in the mountain vales to hide, And trust in Him who doth his people guide. 'Tvvas not the province of poor, erring man To formulate this great and glorious plan, Nor is it in the power of man to stay Its onward progress, or block up its way. James H. Hart. Bbomington, Idaho. THE BOY WHO DOES NOT HAVE TO BE TOLD. A tool is left out on the lawn; there is a rail off the fence; there is a lock broken from a door; there is a window pane gone somewhere. The boy who tends to these things because they need attending to without spe- cific directions, is is going to be in demand the boy who, other things being equal, when he gets out into the great world; and it is the attention to little things and the habit of observation, which sees what needs to be done, and then does it, which makes exceedingly useful men and women. There will always be a posi- tion for such persons. There will always be a call to come up higher. It is in one sense a small thing to do little things without orders, but it is the doing of them that makes great captains, great engineers, great artists, great architects, great workers in any department, and it is the absence of this quality that makes commonplace men and women, who will always have to live under the dominion of petty orders, men and women who do nothing unless they are told to do it.