--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Stephens, Evan collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 21 number: 8 published: 1918-06 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Stephens, Evan, "Hark! Listen to the Gentle Strain," *Improvement Era* 21, no. 8 (June 1918): 730–731.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2108unse 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: improvementera2108unse start_page: 730 end_page: 731 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1918-06) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2108unse 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. --- # Hark! Listen to the Gentle Strain —— —— — F — I — Hark! Listen to the Gentle Strain Words by Parley P. Pratt. Music by Evan Stephens. 1st and 2nd Tenor. -«T- V-, f\- *-= &i i- 1. Hark! listen to the gentle strain; Oe'r hill and 2. The birds their num'rous notes re-sound In songs of 3 The mountains high, the rivers clear, Where hea - ven -»' 1st and 2nd Bass — • 0— -»-- - — i & 1- -V— ;± —IV- — P -j— =5^ Z?" val - ley grove or plain; It echoes from the heights a- praise the earth a -round; Their voices and their tongues em- sheds the dewy tear, In si-lence or ma - jes - tic aj-s - —£ k 8 IN- 0--*0— -F— V *>- - p— a b \ 0— -5—-m -#g — — —— 4 ^ h g- — ft- f rit. ff a £em. \ A_ -0- =*t ±*— - -0- v : §s r 1 V 1/ bove The voice of free-dom, peace and love. The ploy In songs of free-dom, love and joy. And roar, The God of love and peace a • dore. The * &— —*—^*— -j t=£kVz5=tzz— m W m ; , HARK! LISTEN TO THE GENTLE STRAIN 731 ny and or - der stand, Nor hatred, pride, nor tudes of fish - es teem, In si -lent joy they Spir-it from on high, And an-gels who a- V and or - der stand tudes of fish - es teem Spir it from on high, rit. at-nm *— /& — T en - vy know; In freedom, peace and love they grow. live and move In freedom, un-ion, peace and love bove do reign, Cry "Peace on earth, good will to men." A Tribute to Mothers Elder E. T. Hawkins, a missionary in Vermont, sent his mother, Mrs. W. E. Hawkins, of Idaho, a letter in which he wrote a tribute to mothers. We quote as follows: "May God bless the mothers, especially you, my own mother, who went down into the valley of the shadow of death that I might live; who gave me this body of flesh and bone as a blessed gift essential to progress in eternity; who taught and cared for me through the tender years of my life, and soothed and hushed my infant griefs; who prayed and watched with a heart of love no other person can exceed; you who tremble lest I slip and fall, and be overcome in the meshes of sin; who guided my footsteps, cheered my ways, built the hope that has led me on! O mother, how much I owe to you. Forgive the heartaches, the pain, the toil I have caused you, and forgive my thoughtless, careless ways. My debts to you I feel I never can repay." He then quotes the following little poem: "The mother in her office, holds the key Of the soul; and she it is who stamps the coin Of character; and makes the being who would be a savage, But for her gentle care, a Christian man. Then crown her queen of the world!" "God bless the mothers, I say again! and you, mother dear, above them all."