--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Smith, Joseph F. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 23 number: 1 published: 1919-11 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Smith, Joseph F., "A Dream That Was a Reality," *Improvement Era* 23, no. 1 (November 1919): 16–17.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2301unse 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: improvementera2301unse start_page: 16 end_page: 17 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1919-11) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2301unse 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. --- # A Dream That Was a Reality A Dream that was a Reality By President Joseph F. Smith § Speaking of dreams, President Smith recorded this testimony on April 7, 1918, of a dream which he had received a dream given — | to teach him courage, show him his duty, and impress upon his mind a great truth. He says: I was very much oppressed, once, on a mission. I was almost naked and entirely friendless, except the friendship of a poor, benighted, degraded people. I | felt as if I was so abased in my condition of poverty, lack of intelligence and knowledge, just a boy, that I hardly dared look a white man in the face. § While in that condition I dreamed that I was § on a journey, and I was impressed that I ought to hurry, hurry with all my might, for fear I might be too late. I rushed on my way as fast as I possibly could, and I was only conscious of having just a little bundle, a hand- kerchief with a small bundle wrapped in it. I did not realize just what it was, when I was hurrying as fast as I could; but finally I came to a wonderful mansion, if it could be called a mansion. It seemed too large, too great to have been made by hands, but I thought I knew that was my destination. As I passed towards it, | as fast as I could, I saw a notice, "Bath." I turned | | aside quickly and went into the bath and washed myself clean. I opened up this little bundle that I had, and there was a pair of white, clean garments, a thing I had not seen for a long time, because the people I was with | did not think very much of making things exceedingly clean. But my garments were clean, and I put them on. | Then I rushed to what appeared to be a great opening, § or door. I knocked and the door opened, and the man | who stood there was the Prophet Joseph Smith. He | looked at me a little reprovingly, and the first word he | said: "Joseph, you are late." Yet I took confidence and said: "Yes, but I am clean I am clean!" — He clasped my hand and drew me in, then closed the great door. I felt his hand just as tangible as I | have felt the hand of man. I knew him, and when I | entered I saw my father, and Brigham, and Heber, and Willard, and other good men that I had known, stand- I ing in a row. I looked as if it were across this valley, | and it seemed to be filled with a vast multitude of peo- | | pie, but on the stage were all the people that I had | | known. My mother was there, and she sat with a child n imiiii iniiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiuniiiiniMiinmfiiinniiiiiiiiHmiiitniiitiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimfiiiniininiintHiniiiiniiiiitiinmiiiiiiiiiiiinnnuiiiiiiinimm.^ — gmiuiimiiiiiimimtiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiimiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitimiiiiitiimiitiitm iiiiiininnimiiutiiiiiin mmmiiimimmti in her lap; and I could name over as many as I re- = member of their names, who sat there, who seemed to 1 be among the chosen, among the exalted. The Prophet said to me, "Joseph," then pointing to | my mother, he said: "Bring me that child." "I went to my mother and picked up the child, and thought it was a fine, baby boy. I carried it to the | Prophet, and as I handed it to him I purposely thrust | my hands up against his breast. I felt the warmth; | I was alone on a mat, away up in the mountains of 1 Hawaii; no one was with me. But in this vision I 1 pressed my hand up against the Prophet and I saw a | smile cross his countenance. I handed him the child 1 and stepped back. President Young stepped around 1 two steps, my father one step, and they formed a tri- 1 angle. Then Joseph blessed that baby, and when he f finished blessing it they stepped back in line; that is, 1 Brigham and father stepped back in line. Joseph | handed me the baby, wanted me to come and take the | baby again; and this time I was determined to test | whether this was a dream or a reality. I wanted to | 1 know what it meant. So I purposely thrust myself up | against the Prophet. I felt the warmth of his stomach. § He smiled at me, as if he comprehended my purpose. § He delivered the child to me and I returned it to my § mother; laid it on her lap. | When I awoke that morning I was a man, although | only a boy. There was not anything in the world that | I feared. I could meet any man or woman or child and | look them in the face, feeling in my soul that I was a | man every whit. That vision, that manifestation and | witness that I enjoyed at that time has made me what I am, if I am anything that is good, or clean, or up- right before the Lord, if there is anything good in me. | That has helped me out in every trial and through every difficultv. I felt the hand of Joseph Smith. I saw | the smile upon his face. I did my duty as he required me to do it, and when I woke up I felt as if I had been | lifted out of a slum, out of despair, out of the wretched condition that I was in ; and naked as I was, or as nearly | as I was, I was not afraid of any white man nor of any- | one else, and I have not been very much afraid of any- | body else since that time. I know that that was a real- ity, to show me dutv, to teach me something, and to my | impress upon me something that I cannot forget. ^HMHHiminmiinMiiiiimiiiiHiniMiiiiiriiiiMiiimniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiMiiiiitiiiiuiiUHnniiiHiininniiiiiiiiiii iiiiiimiiiiimim m»~