--- 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: 27 number: 2 published: 1923-12 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 Clock", *Improvement Era* 27, no. 2 (December 1923): 151–157.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2702unse 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: improvementera2702unse start_page: 151 end_page: 157 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1923-12) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2702unse publication_year: 1923 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 1923, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Old Clock The Old Clock Slowly move the dial hands As the pendulum swings to and fro — But of what avail is the rhythmic tick-tock That marks off the time on the face of the clock? In the ancient speech of ticks and tocks Centuries old in the language of clocks — Meaningless as a beetle's drone In its never varying monotone; Tiresome as throbbing and treading of feet That on the pavement beat and beat. One midnight when the zephyrs sighed In the treetops by my door, The clock's tick-tock Had ceased its knock. And its ancient sound was o'er, For it changed from ticking its old refrain To a new and orderly musical strain. As it really began to talk Like some one might speak who had entered the clock While I was sleepy and weary: — Perhaps by some fate It became animate With a spirit more useful and cheery! For it said, o'er and o'er, O'er and o'er and anon: "Go on — go on — go on — go on! Bid care begone — go on — go on! Go on — go on — bid care begone!" Far better became its escapements' rime And the frequent stroke of its musical chime While I thought of it as a friendly gnome That here in the clock had made a home — A friendly gnome, with a friendly face, Animating the old clock case — Ever counting the pulse of time In rhythmical beats and the hour's full chime — Ever singing the words I con — "Go on — go on — go on — go on! Bid care begone — go on — go on — Go on — go on — bid care begone!" Now oft in my dreams In my fancy it seems A murmuring glee Half awakening me In a symphony of melody, Singing to me so cheerily In a drowsy rhythm of restful tune Its simple and oft repeated rune: — Go on — go on — go on — go on! 150 IMPROVEMENT ERA Over and over a melody in a rhythmical refrain, Mingling my dreams In the firelight gleams With my thoughts' on-rushing train; Singing ever till comes the dawn — "Go on — go on — go on — go on!" Singing cheerily o'er and o'er: "Go on — go on — go on — go on!" Under the merciless call of fate When I'm weary — a weary — a weary, Oft in my labors I hesitate, And the moments seem long and dreary. Then come the words of the new refrain, Lifting away all work and strain; And my tasks in a moment are pleasant again With the monitor saying: "Go on — go on! With the monitor saying: "Go on — go on! "Go on — go on — go on — go on!" And when night beckons me to my rest, There's the song again of the unseen guest Ever repeating the same request: — "Go on — go on — go on — go on! The guardian gnome with the kindly eye Who all my future can here decry, Looking far off to the by-and-by, Who bids me ever go on and on — Singing and saying: "Bid fear begone! Go on — go on — go on — go on!" When on my knee my grandchild rests And asks for an evening story, — The firelight on her auburn locks A halo of shining glory, — I tell her of the old hall clock, How it used to say, 'Tick-tock — tick-tock!' And how one night it changed its ways, And now through minutes, hours, and days, It says for me and every one, When we have work that must be done: "Time ne'er comes back when once 'tis gone! Go on — go on — go on — go on!" Joseph Longking Totvnser.d Pay son, Utah HOLGER DANSKE'S "BRILLER," OR "SPECS" By Hugo D. E. Peterson, President of the Swedish Mission When, recently, I read the announcement of the death of Patri- arch Hans J. Christiansen, I was reminded of an incident which has engraved itself on my memory from the time I first labored in Scandinavia as editor of Nordstjarnan. He was then the president of the Copenhagan conference. A little north of Copenhagen, on "Norre Felleden," there were two tiny lakes. They were located close to each other, round in shape, one a little larger than the other, and for many generations have been named "Holger Danske's Briller." ("Specs.") The largest of these, until some years ago, for more than a generation served as a baptismal font, in which our elders in the Copenhagen branch bap- tized converts. Baptismal services were more often held on Sunday nights, than otherwise, after the regular evening meeting. Some of the singers, sometimes the whole choir, would accompany the elder and convert, or converts, to the "Specs." This place of baptism was used both winter and summer, and more baptisms were performed in the winter time than at any other season. For many years there was a family living in close proximity to this baptismal place, on whom the elders would call for an axe to be used to open a sufficient hole in the ice, sometimes a foot thick. At times this was done in the afternoon in preparation for the services in the evening, but in ex- tremely cold weather the hole was frequently frozen over before the arrival of the baptismal party, so, the axe was carried along, and Jeft at its hiding place on the return to the city, to be used again on the next occasion. One Sunday evening President Christiansen was to perform bap- tismal services at the "Specs." The night was dark, but not cold. Choir members were to accompany the party, but in the eagerness to notify one another about the occurrence, it had come to the knowledge of some strangers who decided to have some fun, as they thought. The party, on going to a baptismal service, would always walk out quietly; it was on the return to the city that the beautiful songs of Zion would resound over the wide field and through the streets in the outskirts of the city. On the evening here referred to, the party had just arrived at the edge of the water, the ladies had surrounded their soon-to-be sister, and President Christiansen was surrounded by the brethren a little distance away, and was just about to prepare him- self for going into the water with his candidate when, in the dark distance he espied some moving, lighted objects approaching. Several men soon appeared on the spot; two men smoking cigars, with a 152 IMPROVEMENT ERA policeman walking between them, came up to President Christiansen and the brethren. It was the lights from the cigars that had arrested Brother Christiansen's attention, shining as they did, in the dark like a couple of small lanterns on a rocking vessel. "What's going on here?" demanded the policeman. "We have come here to perform a baptism," replied Elder Christiansen. "A baptism? Out here! Why, such are performed in the churches, not out in the open air, and in the dark!" President Christiansen informed the policeman and his compan- ions who they were and told them of our beliefs, our mode of bap- tism, and why we baptized in this little body of water, explaining that we did so for the same reason that John baptized in Enon, "be- cause there was much water there." And after a little further con- versation President Christiansen asked the officer if he had any ob- jection to the ordinance being performed then and there. "Not at all; go ahead with your baptism," he replied. The strangers who came along with the policeman started demonstrations, making boisterous and slurring remarks, which the officer instantly stopped, demanding them to be quiet and respectful, "while these people are performing their baptism." After that well deserved rebuke, they behaved both during and after the services. They had really brought a policeman along to keep an eye on them- selves and make them act decently. The "Specs" themselves have now vanished. They are dried out, and only a small slough shows where the one "eye" once was located, while the other has disappeared altogether. They have served their purpose. We have no further use for them, since there is pro- vision made for baptismal services in the L. D. S. chapel in Copen- hagen. On our travel hither, we passed through Copenhagen, and were pleasantly entertained there by President John S. Hansen, who, with righteous pride, showed us the beautiful chapel our people own there, and all its appointments, including the chaste, white baptismal room with its font surrounded by a highly polished brass railing. Stockholm, Sweden Life Well born, we to greatness aspire; Well brought-up, we heed duty's call. Well married is life's urgent desire; Well dead is the crown of all. Sandy, Utah Enoch Jorgensen HELPS IN TEACHER-TRAINING Written for the General Church Board of Education By L. John Nuttall, Brigham Young University Periods of Growth — Adolescence (To accompany Lesson XXI, How We Learn, Teacher-Training Text, 1923-24.) "At this time when the youth first becomes capable of contributing to the life of the race, and of actually doing something for the group to which he belongs, his ambitions are aroused, and he dreams and plans for great deeds and great honors. The desire for approval is strong, but there is also a genuine impulse to self-sacrifice. Youths, in all ages, have been ready to risk life, limb and reputation, not chiefly because they are ignorant and rash, but because they have an instinctive tendency to disregard self and act for others. Youths are then also for the first time genuinely selfish; since, if a selfish act is done now, it may be in opposition to an altruistic impulse, while before this it had involved only a choice between immediate and remote pleasures for self. True, selfishness merges only when both the lower in- dividualistic and the higher altruistic impulses are felt. The adolescent may therefore be the most selfish or the most self-sacrificing of beings, and is often each by turns." From what source comes this^ idealistic unselfishness? Sex is function- ing. Sex means the great responsibilities of parenthood and service to race and human kind. Each adolescent feels these great impulses but desires most to determine for himself or herself the form of expression they are to take. Mother may enslave herself to daughter and the girl assume that her great mission calls her into social life or school until mother's condition is taken for granted. In another similar case, daughter refuses sociability and devotes herself too much to home duties. Some boys plan to go to work; others to go to school ; others assume the coming of inherited wealth and plan philan- thropies. To teach social requirements, accepted standards of conduct, ap- proved literature, to such young people without putting a dogmatic person- ality in conflict with independent youth is one of the arts of good teaching. Speaking negatively, one of our greatest failures comes when teachers try to impose personal opinion on adolescents. The results generally are lack of respect for the institution in which such teaching is done and an attitude of defiance at leadership. To understand an adolescent one must understand the conditions of any individual or institution during reorganization. Old ideas are considered childish and are displaced in consciousness by a multitude of new experiences. New instincts mature. Objects that were before attractive are no longer so. The body that was so skillful before is now changed in its size and proportions and needs to be mastered again. Social consciousness begins and praise and attention are craved, but whenever the youth begins to act, new bodily sensations pour into consciousness, and he becomes so keenly aware of himself that he is shy and abashed. Most confusing of all are the many powerful sensations accompanying sex. Teachers of adolescents must help analyze this new mental complex, discover to the student gradually his new powers, and the new significance the world has assumed, and teachers should associate each of these elements with activity which is noble, pure and helpful. Without this guidance the sensations from within take control of consciousness, morbid self-analysis occurs and the negative expressions of adolescence lead to sensual tendencies and acts of crime. Youth may clash at times with the ideals of complete maturity, but youth is longing for help in 154 IMPROVEMENT ERA analyzing his new life so that real adjustment to man's or woman's estate may be good and helpful. One of our recent psychologies lists for teachers the following elements of adolescence. This discussion is based largely on the famous work of G. Stanley Hall: 1. A heightened sense of self — youth is naturally bashful, self-con- scious, sensitive. 2. An age of dreams — ambitions are often too vast for achievement but lead the way to greatness. These need interpretation and criticism. 3. A social age — team play; pride in family, town, state and nation; patriotism — all these are new feelings expressing themselves. 4. An age of restlessness — "Eternal seeking after new experiences, new sensations, new excitements, new stimuli." These seem to satisfy the unin- terpreted new impulses. Jane Addams calls this the "Quest for Adventure," and describes both wonderful experiences in morality and tragic endings in crime. Let well selected books and lessons, M. I . A. hikes, parties, and va- rious entertainments, dramatics, community fairs and celebrations furnish this element rather than let youth find it alone in public dance halls, sensational motion pictures, automobile riding, and unusual "thrillers" at resorts. 5. An age of moods. Expect him to shift from sociability to solitude; from ecstacy to discouragement and despair, etc. ; understand him, help him, don't use force or sarcasm. 6. An age of omnivorous reading — with modern education as effective as it is, this grows rapidly in importance. From the days when boys hid "Diamond Dick" in the haystack, and girls read novels clandestinely in the kitchen or attic, we have progressed to an age of libraries and thousands of books. Works of fiction are in good repute — the danger lies in permitting pupils to develop an appetite for only romantic sex experiences. If prop- erly introduced, books of travel, invention, scientific achievements, history and biography may be equally satisfying. 7. An age of religious searching. This will be discussed in detail in a later lesson. 8. An age of sexual interest. Few people can look back and recall clearly just how the change took place, but all know that they became in- terested in the opposite sex. Men admire girls, become conscious of their beauty and their charms, eagerly try to assist them in acts of chivalry and assume in this way a protective attitude. Girls respect and sympathize with men and admire their achievements. Comradeship and friendship should in this way exist previous to any passionate attraction between young people. To do this the social mingling should be frequent and quite free but long periods of close individual contact should be avoided. Instinct may over- come ideal alone, but when the ideal is accompanied by habits of observance of well established social rules, the young person is fairly safe. These habits need to be formed before the sex function becomes too dominant. Girls should get used to adult companionship so that a chaperone later is not a reflection on their ability to control themselves. Boys need to meet with men, accompany them, have men accepted as companions so that regulation later is not so repulsive. This attraction of the sexes is the most beautiful and constructive tendency in all life. Out of it grows our entire civilization. Its significance needs to be taught, but an extreme bluntness destroys often the needed modesty which nature has given as a safeguard against mistake. Individual courtship in later adolescence is the natural outgrowth of this happy sociable mingling of boys and girls. It will come without urging and if accompanied by proper vocational ambition and ideals of civic re- sponsibilities in home making will not be a source of worry or sorrow on the part of parents and teachers. 9. An age of great plasticity of nervous tissue. — Subject to all the influences around him, impressed from all sides, the habits or attitudes of life of the adolescent are generally quite permanently formed. It is the age HELPS IN TEACHER-TRAINING 155 of effective teaching especially when this is done as a process of thinking rather than as a process of imposed standards and authoritative decrees. To these descriptive phrases should be added another. Adolescence is an age of vocational choice, and aggressive home-building tendencies. This is partly an expression of sex. It is partly an expression of the attitude of service. But it is also a separate tendency toward parenthood. Space will not permit a detailed discussion of the use of this tendency. Sometimes it is depended on entirely before it fully appears and the young person becomes disgusted. Sometimes it is ignored and parents continue a patronizing atti- tude toward the dependent child who soon becomes restless. Sometimes teachers use it successfully as a motive for moral self-control. Economic success should always be presented to young people as a means of successful parenthood and not as an ultimate goal. All of the above mental characteristics accompany the physical changes described in the outlines. They dominate all mental processes. Imagination deals with ambitions, day dreams, romance, adventure, and invention. Con- structive imagination must replace the romantic gradually. Thought is expressed in intellectual games, independent opinions, individual differences in interests and conclusions, choice of language, and expressed purposes in. what is done and often shown in the great difficulty experienced in reaching decisions. Play is co-operative and social. Appreciation turns to art, music and poetry. Rhythmic activity and dancing are natural and liked. Interest attaches itself naturally to matters connected with sex attraction and adult activities. Similarity to adults but independence of actions seems to be desired. Although adolescence is the period of greatest moral danger and of very marked health crises, yet it is also the most constructive period of life. Teachers should strive to point out its possibilities, stimulate good activities, and hold clearly in view the attainable standards of real manhood, and of real religion, rather than tend to repress, point out penalties, and call attention to the negative possibilities. Home It seems so peaceful here at home, When the hard day's work is through — We choose a book or magazine, And read for an hour or two; It seems so cheerful, when at night We gather 'round the fire — Then comes the jokes, we laugh and jest, Sometimes, we have a family choir. We tell our stories, troubles too! Our home life is our best. So, when we're up against the blues, In some hard task in life, We try to bring our courage up, To clear away the strife. A home is just the best thing yet — With parents, folks and friends, A place of refuge — yes, a wall Where every trial ends! Monroe, Utah Weston Nordgran