--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Curtis, Theodore E. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 14 number: 7 published: 1911-05 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Theodore E. Curtis, "The Vision: A Poem," *Improvement Era* 14, no. 7 (May 1911): 635.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1407unse 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: improvementera1407unse start_page: 635 end_page: 635 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1911-05) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1407unse publication_year: 1911 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 1911, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Vision: A Poem FROM NAUVOO TO SALT LAKE. 35 the day all crossed and camped together on the west side of the Horn, where the broad bottoms extended across to the Platte. I neglected to state that we crossed our wagons on a raft, prepared by a few of our company who had been sent a few days previous for this purpose, and we forded the stream with our horses, it being about four feet deep. On the 12th the party started up the Platte with instructions to stop at a point of timber about twelve miles up, and begin doing some blacksmithing and some other necessary work until the Twelve returned from Winter Quarters. I returned on horseback with the Twelve and a few others, and arrived at home about four o'clock of the same evening. (to be continued.) The Vision. (For the Improvement Era.) 'Twas in the passion of the year, when beauty wore her brightest gown, And through the spring-kissed atmosphere, the golden morning rippled down. The dreamless world in slumber lay; no light, no vision from above, Until a boy, inspired to pray, retired into a quiet grove. There, in the deep heart of the wood, he knelt upon the lap of spring; Perchance he dreamed that solitude and God alone were listening. But suddenly ihe evil one appeared—midday a total night Eclipsing earth and sky and sun, suppressing hope, dethroning light. They wrestled o'er the dewy sod till Joseph's strength was nearly spent; But not without the eye of God. At length, but suddenly, was rent Apostasy's unbroken night! And Joseph Smith, the chosen one, Above him, in a dawn of light, beheld the Father and the Son. "Lo, this is my beloved Son, give ear to him," the Father said; And, looking on that Holy One, before the vision vanished, He asked, "Which church is right, I pray?" not dreaming that the truth had fled: "Join none of them, they've gone astray, they're all corrupt," the Savior said. "A little while, and you shall sow my blessed gospel seed abroad; And then the world shall come to know, and praise their prophet and their God." Theodore E. Curtis.