--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Stewart, M. A. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 16 number: 5 published: 1913-03 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Stewart, M. A., "Only a Miner. A Poem," *Improvement Era* 16, no. 5 (March 1913): 480–481.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1605unse 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: improvementera1605unse start_page: 480 end_page: 481 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1913-03) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1605unse publication_year: 1913 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 1913, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Only a Miner. A Poem Only a Miner He's only a miner, "part human," they say, Who works for his living, works by the day. Far away from the sunlight, under the hill, You'll findhim there with his hamer and drill. He's known by a number, a little brass check He strings to his watch, or hangs 'round his neck; He receives it at morn, and goes to his work, Where darkness, sickness, and danger all lurk. He's only a miner who works by the glim, grows pale and his eyes grow dim. Till his face You scarcely could find one who's freer than he To spend of his means to aid charity. His companion laid low by blast or by cave, He lays him away to rest in the grave. He visits the widow; gives courage to strive; Then gives of his means to help her survive. He's only a miner, so give him a chance; 'Twill do you no harm, and he may advance. Uplift him by proving your cause to be right; Improvement will come with freedom and light. Oppression hath wrought no good in the world; But by it nations have downward been hurled. Though he is a miner, he's true as his steel, Will never! no never! to avarice kneel! M. A. Stewart. BISBEE, ARIZONA The Significance of Belief BY WILLIAM J. SNOW, OF THE BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY One often hears the remark, "It makes no difference what one believes, so long as he does the right thing." At first thought this seems plausible and consistent. Righteousness is the great aim of individual struggle hence, if the conduct is proper ; and right, there is not much ground for questioning belief. Viewing the matter, then, from this standpoint, it matters not whether one bears the stamp of orthodoxy or heterodoxy, so long as one's life is above reproach. Is the position tenable? Let us examine it more critically. In the first place it should be made clear that it is not the purpose of this article to defend any particular orthodoxy, or to argue for fixity of belief with reference to various particulars and assumed objective facts. On the contrary, it seems to the writer that change is the law of life, and that it reaches into the religious field as well as everywhere else. In fact two of the basic pillars of "Mormonism" rest upon this law of change, and have no meaning without it. These are, "eternal progression," and "continuous revelation." Progress is but another name for change change — from a lower to a higher condition, — and continuous revelation means new principles, new light from heaven to meet the new conditions constantly arising. This digression seemed necessary here to make clear the aim of the paper, which is to show that it does matter very materially what one believes. We may now examine more closely the statement, "It makes no difference what one believes, so long as he does what is right." The prime fallacy in this lies in the assumption that belief and action are separate and independent realities ; that each exists for itself alone. The fact is, they are intimately associated elements in the same process ; neither can manifest itself without the other. In short, action inevitable grows out of and is dependent upon some belief, either immediately present, or remotely associated with it. To be sure, there are various beliefs which do not appear to have any connection with the moral or spiritual life. Of such character are beliefs in external facts, or mere historical particulars. It certainly matters little whether one believes that the