--- 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: 23 number: 5 published: 1920-03 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "The Old-Fashioned Way," *Improvement Era* 23, no. 5 (March 1920): 414.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2305unse 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: improvementera2305unse start_page: 414 end_page: 414 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1920-03) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2305unse publication_year: 1920 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 1920, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Old-Fashioned Way 414 IMPROVEMENT ERA Soul-Ship of the Dispensations, launched in the days of Adam on the heaving ocean of the ages, and now on its last voyage over the stormy billows of Time to the beaconing coast of Eternity? The Old-Fashioned Way Here is being made one of the famous Damascus blades. That swarty Syrian knows the secret which nas made these swords the most famous in the world and he will teach it to the boy at his knee, who is an apprentice to the trade; but neither you nor any other foreigner will ever learn it. It is said that the Russians have produced some blades equal to these in beauty and temper, but they are made by a different method. Ever since the time of the Crusades these swords have been noted for the beautifully watered and limned appearance as well as for their temper. Some Damascus swords will cut a bar of iron or divide a film of gauze floating in the air. Such a blade as the one the man at the right is hammering can be bent into a hoop and put in a collar-box; but, given the chance, it will fly back uninjured to its former shape. © Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. A sword-maker of Damascus whose swords were once con- sidered the finest in the world —Syria