--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Anderson, Edward H. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 16 number: 2 published: 1912-12 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Edward H. Anderson, "A Tribute to Dennison Emer Harris," *Improvement Era* 16, no. 2 (December 1912): 133–136.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1602unse 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: improvementera1602unse start_page: 133 end_page: 136 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1912-12) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1602unse publication_year: 1912 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 1912, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # A Tribute to Dennison Emer Harris A TRIBUTE TO D. E. HARRIS 135 over most of the territory now included in the eastern, the northern, and the central states mission with headquarters at St. Johns, Kansas. His vocations have been those of teacher, merchant, and farmer, in each of which callings he has made a host of friends. His wives, Eunice Stewart Harris, and Annie Wride Harris, have borne him a large family of sons and daughters. In his family he was just and generous and was a true counselor and a worthy example. It is given to but few men to have the honor and respect of his family that he had. The members of his family have worked as a unit to further the educational and missionary work which he undertook. Periods of financial strain were never allowed by him to interfere with the missionary work or education of his children. He was a man who avoided publicity, or being placed conspicuously before the people. He sought rather to do his work quietly with individuals, and was willing to let others have the honor. His life is an example of what may be accomplished by working earnestly for principle. Wherever he was he was quietly doing missionary. work, not in a way to be offensive, but he would first gain the confidence of those with whom he associated and then would give them words of encouragement and an uplift. When convinced that he was in the right he was absolutely fearless. The idea of compromise never entered his mind. It made no difference whether one or a thousand were on his side. He felt that the right and himself made a majority on any question. He made many friends in all walks of life and no lasting enemies. Those who held ideas different from his could not help but honor his honesty of conviction and fairness on every question. His frankness won for him the confidence of many an evildoer, and he was noted for being able to handle the "toughs" better than most any one in the communities where he lived. He was often called in to arbitrate differences between people, but he never had a serious difference with a neighbor in his life. His counsel was repeatedly sought by those over him in authority and many young men went to him for advice in preference to their own fathers. It is a glorious thing to have lived a life of honor, with 136 IMPROVEMENT ERA honesty and integrity unquestioned, to have been at peace with one's fellow men, to have served one's God with singleness of heart, to have been a good citizen in one's country, and to have been loved by all and hated by none. These are the things that characterized Dennison Emer Harris, of whom it might be said : "He was a servant of God and a friend of man, and the world is better for his having lived." Elders Moroni Allen and Harold K. Tanner write from the San Francisco conference stating that San Jose branch is flourishing. "Our Sunday school and meetings are well attended, and on Thursday evenings we have lectures followed by testimony bearing. We have fair success with our street meetings, although opposed by sects and creeds, we are able to hold our own, though many of the people are seeking pleasure rather than religion. We do not feel to complain; we have made a number of friends, and the word of the Lord will eventually take root, grow and bear fruit in its own due time." Elder Lester A. Shepherd, mission secretary, writes from Apia, Samoa, June 27, "Several baptisms have been performed during our conference just held. There were also several ordinations and advancements in the Priesthood. We receive daily reports of new friends for our cause, and a great many are investigating the truths of the gospel. Our past experiences teach us that when people become true investigators it is not long before they become true Saints. We therefore look for a rich harvest soon. We find the information in the Era very beneficial in our work." Elder J. Lyman Jessop, writing from Ola, Arkansas, August 12, reports that the elders in that district are killing prejudice every day. They find it hard to get permission to preach in the churches, so preach on the streets and thus meet people who never attend any church. As an example of the prejudice, a leading member of the Methodist Ladies' Society told the elders that their society had been studying the "Mormon" question in their classes and had come to the conclusion to censure Presidents Taft and Roosevelt for visiting the "Mormon" people and being in company with President Joseph F Smith. A man, yesterday, preached to a large crowd on the street, explaining how the elders broke up homes and stole men's wives. After he was through, we received permission to inform the people rightly, and bade them not to pass judgment before investigating. Proverbs 28:9. Twenty-one people have been baptized in Arkansas so far this year. "T ony-Dog" BY CHARLES HERMAN NORBERG "You do make a great 'fuss' over your dogs," I remarked to Steve one morning. We were riding across country. That is to say, we were not following well-beaten trails, for the reason there were none, and we were not avoiding fences because most of them could be "gone through" without much difficulty. "Well, I'll tell you," Steve replied; "we do it for more than one good reason. In herding sheep the dog is only second to the herder in importance, and I have seen the time when had it not been for the intelligence of the dog a great herd of sheep would have been practically annihilated. "In the second place the life of a human being associated in this industry is anything but gay. Most of the men learn to really love their dogs. "Father owned a dog at one time called Ring because of the pure white collar encircling his neck, otherwise he was a shiny black. For knowing what to do, and comprehending a command, possibly no. man could have reasoned better. He was known all over the range as the real 'man-dog.' "I have seen the herder send Ring a mile to give a small portion of the grazing herd a slight turn. Just the words 'fetch-emeasy, old boy,' and you need think no more of it. He was off like a flash. He knew by the tone of voice in which you spoke whether he was to be easy or rough. "That dog certainly knew how to drive a herd, or to crowd at shearing time. 'Speak up, Ring,' we'd say, and if your voice indicated hurry he spoke like a volley of cannon. He was all the more valuable because no one ever knew him to bite a sheep, no matter how provoked he became." _ "Notice to your left that barren, yellow looking ridge. At its point you see it becomes quite red." I saw plainly what he described. "Now take these glasses," Steve continued, and observe closely that red point. What do you see right near the top ? 1 was surprised to find the place brought close to me I could distinctly see the bleached bones of a cow. "That/ said Steve was at one time coyote bait. The carcass of a cow, poisoned and placed there by some rancher to tempt the wary coyote It may seem strange, but the poison had not entirely disappeared when we arrived early one spring. The good old dog Ring being worn and hungry after a hard, cold winter and many days of strenuous 138 IMPROVEMENT ERA work on the trail, found this spot and ate, only to die within a few minutes. Just a little way from the pile of bones you will see a sort of rude monument of stones. That marks the spot where we found him, cold and stiff, and there we mourned him as a very faithful member of the family, for such he was. "One hot summer day when I was quite young, I Was returning from the railroad station where father sent me to get the mail, when I came across a cattle outfit. They were all tired and wearylooking; all covered with dust; the dogs' tongues hanging out. The man driving the supply wagon had a young pup on the seat beside him. Seeing me he stopped and offered the little fellow to me. He said: 'I'll give this pup to you, my boy, if you'll promise to take good care of it. I know he'll be a fine dog when he grows up, 'cause his mother's fine, but I ain't got time to care for 'im.' "I had named him 'Tony-dog' before we reached the ranch. The name was most appropriate, I assure you. His ears stood alert and there was fire in his eye. He had a delicately pointed nose. I used to study him in an effort to tell what was his breed. As near as I could decide he must have been related to the Collie for intelligence, and the Eskimo dog for beauty. That perfectly even, bushy coat of his was a wonder. His tail was always curled high over his back. In fact, there was not a lazy bone in his body. "It was not until one year later that Tony-dog became really my best friend. What happened then, and what he did, make quite a story, and that is what I set out to tell you about. "I reckon June was about half over, which means that spring flowers are in their glory here. The choke-cherry bushes look like snow drifts from a distance. The 'bucks' had been culled from the herds and I was made their guardian for the summer. I remember very distinctly that I had three hundred and seventyfour head under my care. Of course, you know a 'buck' is not valued as an ordinary sheep. Most flockmasters select them from the best thoroughbred stock they can find. Father often paid as high as fifty dollars per head for choice ones. "Owning this large ranch with its delightful patches of quakingasp timber, here and there, we had an ideal summer range for a small band of sheep. The different sheep men used to pay twenty-five cents per head each month for the separate care of them. I naturally felt that I was adding something to the family income. This feeling of responsibility lightened my labors somewhat, although I must confess that often my task became monotonous. I had to rise just at daylight and follow my flock on their search for an early, fresh breakfast. As soon as the summer's sun began its downward stroke they made for the nearest shade, where I could leave them, knowing that they would stay, until the "T