--- 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: 13 number: 6 published: 1910-04 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "His Old Father Satisfied," *Improvement Era* 13, no. 6 (April 1910): 511.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1306unse 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: improvementera1306unse start_page: 511 end_page: 511 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1910-04) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1306unse publication_year: 1910 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 1910, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # His Old Father Satisfied — THE SPRINGTIME OF LIFE. 511 fill harvest. Give heed that the biting frosts of sin, or the blighting of misdirected energies do not blast the promise of life's harvest. Neglect the warning and the bitter winds of remorse will whistle through the leafless forest of old age; then, cheerless indeed will be the keen memories of the past. Beaver, Utah. His Old Father Satisfied. Twenty years ago a discouraged young doctor in one of our large cities was visited once by his old father, who came up from a rural disrict to look after his boy. "Well, son," he said, "how are you getting along?" "I'm not getting along at all, " was the disheartened answer. "I'm not doing a thing." The old man's countenance fell, but he spoke of courage and pa- tience and perseverance. Later in the day he went with his son to the "Free Dispensary," where the young doctor had an un- salaried position, and where he spent an hour or more every day. The father sat by, a silent but intensely-interested spectator, while twenty-five poor unfortunates received help. The doctor forgot his visitor while he bent his skilled energies to this task; but hardly had the door closed on the last patient, when the old man burst forth: "I thought you told me that you were not doing anything! Why, if I had helped twenty-five people in a month as you have in one morning, I would thank God that my life counted for something." "There isn't any money in it, though," explained the son some- what abashed. "Money!" the old man shouted, still scornfully. "Money! What is money in comparison with being of use to your fellow- men? Never mind about money; you go right along at this work every day. I'll go back to the farm, and gladly earn money to support you as long as I live — yes, and sleep sound every night with the thought that I have helped you to help your fellow- men." Chicago Advance.