--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Bowers, Wreno collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 29 number: 12 published: 1926-10 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Bowers, Wreno, “A World of Wealth,” *Improvement Era* 29, no. 12 (October 1926): 1148–1149." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera29012unse 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: improvementera29012unse start_page: 1148 end_page: 1149 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1926-10) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera29012unse publication_year: 1926 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 1926, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # A World of Wealth A WORLD OF WEALTH By Wreno Bowers We are living in a world of ineffable wealth and beauty. Our riches are beyond measure, and beauty everywhere. Yet in the midst of this dazzling abundance and wondrous beauty, many there are who complain and lead impoverished lives. Ignorant of the laws of afflu- ence, they drag through dreary days with never a smile of joy nor a thought of the wonders about them. Theirs is a dull, dragging, toil- ing existence — the true tragedy of life. The wealth of which I write is not measured in gold and in its equivalent, currency. For the treasures of the world come not so much from the mines as from the homes of noble people. Theirs is the wealth of love, friendship, service. Many people there are, in- deed, who possess millions in shining, yellow metal, who are poor, lonely souls, paupers, slaves to their gold. And there are others who are so full of life that it just bubbles over at all times. They may possess but little of the material forms of wealth, but theirs is the wealth of love, sympathy, altruism. They perform faithfully their daily duties and greet the coming night with a joy that makes life at all times beautiful and delightful. Whether it be the sun-scented nights of the Summer, or the cold, chilled days of the Winter, they appreciate life as it is actually lived. The wealth and beauty of nature is theirs. They watch the eve- ning star hang its green-gold lamp at twilight upon the blue of heaven. They hear the mournful hoot of the owl, and the ringing call of the whip-poor-will as he proclaims his joy of the Summer moonlight. Flowers pour forth exquisite perfume in their paths. Crystal streamlets dance for them and mingle their sweet music with the whisper of the winds in the tree tops. Birds, bees and butterflies are their friends — and everywhere they find a world of wealth, a divine gift to everyone. Our degree of wealth is determined largely by our degree of obser- vation. Some of us live in a large world with varying opportunities, while others live in a small, dreary world. The successful man differs from the failure in his powers of perception and observation. They both look at the same world, the same objects, the same possibilities, but one sees what the other fails to observe. Passing a hayfield where men are making hay, one would see only the sweaty toil and the windrows of dead grass, where the other would look deeper, see truth and beauty and color because he has stored up the treasured precepts which give him his means of interpreting and appreciating life. Therefore, if you would live to the very last degree, you must form the habit of untiring observation. Study things in detail. Be sure that the impressions left in the storeroom of the subconscious mind are of the wealth-giving, joy-producing kind. A WORLD OF WEALTH 1149 Cultivate your imagination. Without imagination there is no capacity for sympathy or service. Our imaginative faculties may be cultivated through keen observation; the reading of good books; and the practice of forming mental pictures. Learn to think. The world needs more thinkers — clear, logical, accurate thinkers. Most people think only when they have to. The supreme triumph of mind is to dispense with itself. Shake off these shackles and dare to think. Give your thoughts a chance to grow and develop. It is a combination of these forces that will lead us on to a new world — a world of wealth and beauty. Park City, Utah. Sheds Tears Over Brigham Young's Body By Harold L. Snow Through the night following President Brigham Young's death, in 1877, two of the brethren were required to sit up and keep the body well packed in ice, as in those days there were no embalmers to prepare the bodies for burial. The two who sat up with the body of the Great Pioneer Leader were Elder William C. Spence and Elder Robert R. Anderson, who had been serving as clerks in the office of President Young. At about dawn two men entered the room to view the remains of Brigham Young. One of them was John W. Young, son of the deceased, and the other was an Indian "brave." Neither of the two said a word as they stood there by the body. The stalwart Indian looked upon the lifeless remains of the late "big-hearted White Chief." As he stood there, tall, straight, and mo- tionless, his copper-colored skin, baked in the hot sun during many years of outdoor life, made him look like a living bronze statue. An expression of the deepest sorrow crept over the face of that son of the great outdoors. Soon the tears began rolling down his cheeks. The life of this "brave" had been such a contrast to that of the "great White Chief," and yet both of them had enjoyed something in common — a genuine friendship which was pure and sincere. This great expression of emotion on the part of that tender- hearted "brave," who had requested a last look at his much-admired white friend, was too much for the President's son. John W. Young left the scene and burst into tears. Elder Spence says this was one of the greatest and most sincere expressions of true love and reverence for one's fellowman that he has ever witnessed.