---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Crookston, James
collections:
  - periodicals
tags:
  - magazine
  - improvement-era
periodical: Improvement Era
volume: 22
number: 7
published: 1919-05
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'Crookston, James, "The Ninety-First or “Wild West Division”," *Improvement Era* 22, no. 7 (May 1919): 561.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2207unse
  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: improvementera2207unse
start_page: 561
end_page: 561
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1919-05)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2207unse
  publication_year: 1919
  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 1919, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# The Ninety-First or “Wild West Division”

<!-- page:561 -->

—

                  The Way to Wealth
     Being the Preface to Poor Richard? s Almanac for 1758

                            By Benjamin Franklin

     [A beautiful brochure containing extracts from Poor Richard's Almanac,
by Benjamin Franklin, was published something over a year ago by the
Dominion Bank, Canada, and presented to the shareholders of that bank, by
Sir Edmund B. Osier. These extracts contain some sensible Eighteenth Century advice applicable to Twentieth Century war conditions.           The wellknown preface is perhaps the most famous part of the Almanac. "The Way
to Wealth" is very widely known among the writings of Franklin. The "way"
has changed little in the past 160 years; hence, it will interest readers of the
Era to peruse it once more. It is especially good reading for young people.
The preface was written at a period of heavy taxes and poor business, and
its homely wisdom is said notably at the time to have promoted cheerfulness,
thrift and economy —  three conditions which the M. I. A. are seeking to promote this season through our summer work. Of the proverbial wisdom of
the Almanac, and of this preface in particular Franklin, in his Autobiography, says:
    "Observing that it (the Almanac) was generally read, scarce any neighborhood in the province being without it, I considered it as a proper vehicle
for conveying instruction among the common people, who bought scarcely
any other books; I therefore filled all the little spaces that occur'd between
the remarkable days in the calendar with proverbial sentences, chiefly such
as inculcated industry and frugality, as the means of procuring wealth, and
thereby securing virtue; it being more difficult for a man in want, to act
always honestly, as, to use here one of those proverbs, it is hard for an empty
sack to stand upright.
     "These proverbs, which contained the wisdom of many ages and nations,
I assembl'd and form'd into a connected discourse prefix'd to the Almanac
of 1757, as the harangue of a wise old man to the people attending an auction.  The bringing all these scattered counsels thus into a focus enabled
them to make greater impression. The piece, being universally approved,
was copied in all the newspapers of the Continent; reprinted in Britain on
a broad side, to be stuck up in houses; two translations were made of it in
French, and great numbers bought by the clergy and gentry, to distribute
gratis among their poor parishoners and tenants. In Pennsylvania, as it discouraged useless expense in foreign superfluities, some thought it had its
share of influence in producing that growing plenty of money which was
observable for several years after its publication."      The Era is indebted
to President Heber J. Grant for the Dominion Bank brochure Editors.]

                             —
     Courteous Reader: I have read that nothing gives an
author so great pleasure as to find his works respectfully quoted
by others. Judge, then, how much I must have been gratified
by an incident I am going to relate to you. I stopped my horse
lately where a great number of people were collected at an auction of merchants' goods. The hour of the sale not being come,