---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Dunn, James
collections:
  - periodicals
tags:
  - magazine
  - improvement-era
periodical: Improvement Era
volume: 17
number: 3
published: 1914-01
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'James Dunn, "An Appeal to Boys," *Improvement Era* 17, no. 3 (January 1914): 221.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1703unse
  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: improvementera1703unse
start_page: 221
end_page: 221
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1914-01)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1703unse
  publication_year: 1914
  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 1914, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# An Appeal to Boys

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THE M. I. A. CONTESTS 221
your audience, or to arouse interest in the development of your
theme. Then the central idea must be developed. Here also
you must think hard. Be sure you are going on, and not merely
marking time by repeating over and over again some one pet idea.
Use incident and illustration where you can ; these always hold
the attention and make clear. As for the conclusion, the main
function of that is "to leave upon the listener the impression of
completeness. He must feel that what was sought to be shown,
impressed, or demonstrated, has been accomplished."
The address, in the fourth place, should be written and rewritten till it is the best that you can do. And a word on this
point. Don't try to get the oratorical tone. Don't see how many
big words you can use. The oratorical tone is nothing but bombast, and only ignorant people like that sort of thing nowadays.
Try rather to see how simple you can be — simple in the arrangement of your ideas and simple in your statement of them. Your
judges will mark you down for any airs or mere frills you may
put on. Simplicity, naturalness, sincerity — these are your keynotes.
An Appeal to Boys
James Dunn, editor of the Tooele Transcript, has written this sensible talk to boys. You will notice that he is not' chiding the parents,
as is the case so often with advisers. He appeals to the boy himself.
And he is right; for if a man is to be made of a boy, the man must be
made by the boy himself. Parents can direct and help in countless
ways, but in the end every boy is the architect of his own character.
Boys, what about your home studies this winter? What part of
your time do you devote to selfculture and the improvement of your
mind? We know a few bright boys wlo are wasting their energy and
money in pool rooms, and seldom snend a night at home. But the
day is sure to come when they will be very sorry over their spent
money and their wasted time. Boys, quit wasting your time and
money, and start a reformation today, btop right now. Don't take
another step that will lead you to the pool room or the saloon, no
matter what the inducements are. Rather break with your companions and stand alone than spend another hour wasting your energy
and force on the downward road. There is honor and a worthy reward for every boy who will make himself a man, no matter how
humble the home of that boy might be. The greatest men in Utah
and the nation have come from the log cabin, and were the lowly sons
of toil, but they never spent their nights in the pool room and the
saloon, nor their substance in smoke.