Club Minutes: Mutual Improvement Association, 1896-1900

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baby of the class of 59. Harvand College. It had long been the custom to present the first boy born to the class with a silver cup & now after nearly 40 years the class has made tardy acknowledgement & sent a loving cup to Mrs. Rowena E. Overall of Tennessee.

Mary E. Moore read from Ella Wheeler Wilcox "Smile a Little" frowns are thorns & smiles are blossoms. The Association was amused to learn that the first woman senator in Utah had been presented with an autograph album by her fellow legislators as a proof of their appreciation of her public services. The motive was complimentary of the selection was not. Caroline H. Miller read from her neat scrapbook three short poems, " The Impossible" " A Mortifying Mistake" and " Gods Word "

"Not only in the book is found God's word; But in the song of every brook and every bird".

Grace Parsely recited " Heaven is so beautiful". Elinor Hough favored us with cheery verses " What the Robin taught me" concluding with

"My purse is light, but what of that" My heart is light to match it. And if I tear my only dress I'll go to work and patch it"

Elizabeth Davis expressed her gratification at having been made what her husband called "one of the Immortals" and she read an interesting article on the many uses of salt, not the least its cleansing

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properties. The vexed question of the origin of the line " The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world" was apparently settled by a clipping from the "Pittsburg Dispatch" which stated it was the last line of a poem written for an actors dinner years ago in New York by William Ross Wallace who must have been a sort of a swan as he only sang that once as far as known. If the children remained in the cradles the sentiment might pass but several dissented from a theory not based upon facts. Boys have been known to climb out of cradles and grow up with habits and propensities opposite to these inculcated by their mothers and the latter could have the power to protect a son who is still a child at 21. The secretary gave an account and some extracts from the life of "The Holy Man of Benares;" who was photographed by William H. Jackson while the "Transportation Commission" were in India. This extraordinary man discarded his last scrap of clothing years ago and has lived since 1876 in a garden sitting and sleeping on the ground and eating whatever his followers offer him. Visitors come by the thousand who propound every sort of question and evince unbounded faith. Statues to this 19th Century saint have been erected in a number of temples. The business of the meeting was concluded while the sun was still high in the Heavens upon this typical March day so aptly described by Dickens as " March when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold"

Mary Bentley Thomas

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Memorial of Jane Thomas Porter.

"They never quite leave us our friends who have passed Through the shadows of death to the sunlight above A thousand sweet memories are holding them fast To the places they blessed with their presence and love"

Our beloved friend Jane T. Porter was a member of the Association for thirty years, her interest never flagging, and she was when health permitted always present at our meeting. Her contributions were so well chosen (although generally short) they were called " Cousin Janes little gems" . The strength and sweetness of her character and her unobtrusive charity endeared her to young and old whose testimony would surely be that "she left the world better than she found it".

Now the dear hands that ministered to the comfort of all about her are folded in peace; but the vacant chair, the plants she loved so well and cared for so tenderly "speak mutely" of her and breathe forth some of the sweet spirit that characterized her life. On 12/8/1896 in her 79th year of her age, after a lingering illness borne with patience and fortitude, she passed to the beyond and "crossed the bar to meet her Pilot face to face". To the sorrowing and bereaved husband who enjoyed her companionship nearly 54 years the sympathy of this Association is extended. These memories make us deeply sensible of our mutual loss, but must be an incentive to nobler living thus preparing us for the final summons when "We too will go home o'er the river of rest.

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"As the strong and the lowly before us have gone Our sun will go down in the beautiful west To rise in the glory that circles the throne."

"Until then we are bound by our love and our faith to the Saints who are walking in Paradise fair. They have passed beyond sight at the touching of Death But they live like ourselves in Gods infinite care"

Elizabeth G Thomas, Anna F Gilpin & Albina O Stabler

Magnolia

5/27th. 1897 found the Association in session at the pleasant home of Mary T. Bond. Owing to sickness in some households and visitors in others the company was a trifle smaller than usual but Caroline H. Miller, Elinor Hough, Caroline S. Bond, Mary P. T. Jackson, Annie D. Stabler, Florence Bond and Agnes Darlington were acceptably present as guests. Our hostess gave the following sentiment

"It seems as if life might all be so simple and so beautiful, so good to live, so good to look at, if we could only think of it as one long journey where every days march had its own separate sort of beauty to travel through". Ellen Farquhar read a few verses very appropriate to the season and the day entitled " The Heavenly Spring"

Our always welcome guest Caroline H. Miller had brought a poem by Gerald Massey "Root and Flower" which contained comfort to all who had loved and lost and it possessed an additional interest

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from having been a favorite with our dear lamented Mary M. Miller. C.H.M aso gave us "Mind Cure" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox commencing thus -

"Think health and health shall find you As certain as the day, And pain will lag behind you And lose you on the way"

Lydia G. Thomas read of a colored baby six months old who was fed on watermelon, coffee and cold pancakes by a mother who on being remonstrated with replied "there is nothing the matter with the victuals but I never did have any luck raising boys". Others had known similar instances.

Sarah E. Stabler followed this amusing epic with a noble tribute to the late Prof. Drummond by Dr. Robertson who made the bold assertim that the personal influence of the author of "The Greatist Thing in the World" was even stronger that that of his published books and spoke of the close of his lovely life as a "putting by of the worn tools without a sigh in the sure expectation that a future of better work awaited him elsewhere."

Sarah T. Miller's two contributions were different and equally interesting. The first was of George Keunan's apprenticeship in courage. As a very young man he was so afraid of being afraid he did the most extraordinary things with the object of acquiring true fortitude and finally reached the point where he was sure of being no coward morally of physically. His Spartan-like experiments