--- 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: 21 number: 4 published: 1918-02 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations, “Messages from the Missions,” *Improvement Era* 21, no. 4 (February 1918): 363–364." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2104unse 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: improvementera2104unse start_page: 363 end_page: 364 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1918-02) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2104unse publication_year: 1918 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 1918, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Messages from the Missions Messages from the Missions Six Baptized in Illinois V. E. Jarman and Joseph E. Nilsson write: "After having been re- fused permission to hold street meetings at Maltoon, 111., we went to Charles- ton where we held several spirited cottage meetings. Here we were suc- cessful in making many good friends who became interested, and before leaving we had the privilege of baptizing two. We then left for Toledo, 111., having previously arranged to meet with Elders Eyre and Blumel to hold a series of meetings in the near by country district. On Sunday morning we secured willing permission from the trus- tees to hold services in a country church. We held eight meetings, commencing Sun- day night, Oct. 14. At the first meeting there were over forty earnest listeners, and as the meetings proceeded the attendance increased until at last at our meeting on the following Sunday, there were over two hundred in attendance. Many became inter- ested in the message of the restoration of the gospel. We were unable to accept all the invitations for entertainment, which were given us after each meeting. President Stringham joined us on Friday 364 IMPROVEMENT ERA and added to our spiritual strength. Four were baptized. The people seem eager for the truth, and the prospects of several more baptisms are very good. Elders, left to right: Joseph A. Nilsson, Salt Lake City; fm. String- ham, Vernal, Utah; V. E. Jarman, Twin Falls, Idaho. Elders of the Central States Mission, Missouri Conference "We are within one-half inch of the same height and five pounds of the same weight, from 19 to 24 years of age, from six feet one- half inch to six feet one inch, from 175 pounds to 180 pounds. Left to right the elders are: J. Mathers Savage, age 19, height six feet one- half inch, weight 175 pounds; Carloe J. Stolworthy, age 19, height six feet three-fourths inch, weight 175 pounds; Daryl W. Neibaur, age 24, height six feet one-half inch, weight 175 pounds; Joseph F. Pomeroy, age 19, height six feel one inch, weight 180 pounds. We are for the Kingdom of God and America. These two things alone make life a great blessing." — Daryl W. Neibaur, St. Louis, Mo., De- cember 17, 1917. Taken for Cannibals Aaron U. Merrill, Kimberley, South Africa, writes under date of Oc- tober 27: "Recently my companion, Elder Charles C. Sessions, and I took a three-hundred mile trip on our bicycles in the Orange Free State, travel- ing without purse or scrip. At a little town called Koffyfontain, we were brought up before the magistrate and our passports demanded. The magis- trate asked us our nationality, and we replied that we were Americans for several generations back. We offered to produce letters we had in our pock- ets to prove our identity, but the magistrate said, 'Oh, it is easy to acquire that American twang.' He then ordered us taken into custody and they wired to the police at Kimberley. We were not locked up, but were well treated by the policemen, and had an opportunity of preaching the gospel to them. Through the courtesy of a Jewish hotel keeper, we had a com- fortable bed in the hotel the first night in custody, but the magistrate heard of this, and the next night we slept in the police barracks. The food was good but not too plentiful. The caretaker was only allowed twenty-four cents a day for keeping us. While we were there, strange stories were afloat. Among the school children it was rumored that we were a couple of can- nibals. We were released on Thursday, on advice from Kimberley that we were American subjects. We thanked the magistrate and told him of our intentions, to finish trading the town, but he forbade it, saying that he would not have us around 'polluting people's minds with our religion.' He would listen to no reason, so we resumed our journey. We stayed with prominent and well-to-do farmers, as well as at the best hotels in the towns. The cause of truth is progressing but slowly here, but our hopes are bright for the future. The Era is a welcome friend here."