Of Angels, Dreams, and Other Fine Things
by Compiled by Joan Oviatt, Edited by Joy Robinson
a product of HORIZON PUBLISHERS & DISTRIBUTORS, INC.
 

Review

     When you go into a typical Latter-day Saint home today, you will likely see copies of The Ensign, The New Era, The Friend, and the LDS Church News prominently displayed. Most of the Saints enjoy the messages of inspiration, the counsel for righteous living, the doctrinal expositions, the inspirational tales, information concerning Church growth and activities, the poetry, and the humor which they find in these timely periodicals.
In years past, your forefathers enjoyed reading The Contributor, The Millennial Star, The Woman Exponent, The Juvenile Instructor, and The Improvement Era, which furnished them with the same news and inspirational messages. But these periodicals have been superceded with the magazines we now know.
Though progress and advancement are welcome signs of growth, the past also contains much knowledge and inspiration. These former periodicals are filled with wonderful stories, admonitions, and humorous tidbits which shape lives for good. LDS authors and researchers Joan Oviatt and Joy Robinson, with several helpers, have sifted out hundreds of gems from these former periodicals and presented them in a delightfully palatable setting for modern readers. They also have added items from their personal files which serve to strengthen faith and extend the limits of present knowledge.
Of Angels, Dreams, and Other Fine Things presents their compilations in fifteen chapters, each laden with delicious fruits from the past. They are: Angels, Visions, and Dreams; About Women; Spiritual Insights; Words of Wisdom; Attitude; Stories for Youth; The Moral of the Story; Perseverance; Characters of Consequence; Mormon Humor; Wisdom From Other Cultures; Youthful Humor; Missionary Humor; Smiles Lift the Spirit; and Signs of the Times: Stories for All Ages.
Combined in this volume are numerous teaching stories, humorous anecdotes, wise maxims, and other pearls which can be used in talks, lesson presentations, family home evening lessons, and for personal enrichment. A valuable topical index lists the contents under a wide variety of subjects. Read and enjoy!

 

Table of Contents

Dedication, 5

Acknowledgments, 7

1. Angels, Visions, and Dreams, 19
Angels Are Beautiful, I 9
Abou Ben Adhem, I 9
We Would See Angels' Faces if We Were Calm and Holy, 20
My Mommy Came and Soothed Me, 20
Joseph Was Present in My Dreams, 2 1
Little Things, 21
A Dream of Two Men Who Would Bring Him the Handle to His Scythe, 22 
I Used to Fear Death, but I Don't Anymore, 23
My Ancestors were Behind Locked Iron Gates, 23
Death Is the Last and Final Awakening, 24
The Word "Genealogy" Came into My Mind,  24
An Eye Will Mark Our Coming, 26
We are All Links in a Chain, 26
I Was Taught to Cook by an Angel, 27
Don't Worry, Mom. Where I Am Is O.K. 30
The Answer, 33
The Gift of Tongues, 33
Had Thou Neglected Thy Duty, I Should Have Left Thee, 34
I'm Going Ahead of You to Nicaragua, 34
Family History Experience, 37
There Are No Little Things, 39

2. About Women, 40
Miscellaneous Interesting Items, 40
Scientific Cookery, 41
Recipes, 41
A Good Wife is an Accomplished Actress, 42
Recommendations for Home Nursing Care, 43
A Deluge, 44
A Brighter Outlook for Women?, 44
Shopping in New York, 45
“So Little Pleasure”, 45
A New Style in Women's Dress, 50
Veils, 50
Support for the Relief Society Program, 5 I
Husbands, Court Your Wives!, 52
Two Women, 52
Mother Beymer's Dividends, 53
Must Go to Willie, 54
Qualities of a Wife, 55
An Act of Kindness, 55
A Kind Officer,  56 
A Cure for Tattlers, 57
Sayin' Nothin's Complainin, Sometimes, 57
Dont’ Put Your Arms Around a Year, 58
Observations About Women, 59
Thoughts to Ponder, 59
A Fortunate Month for Marrying, 60
Letter to the Relief Society, 60
Matrimonial Truths, 61
Correspondence of Miss Eliza R. Snow, 62
The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, 65
 
3. Spiritual Insights, 66
A Companion Poem to Eliza R. Snow's “Invocation”, 66
Precious Example, 67
A Child's Prayer, 68
The Ruler's Question, 68
My Guest, 70
A Devoted Bull,  70 
A Guiding Voice Awaits Us, 70
The Potential of Genuine Gold, 71
He Found Heaven, 71
What Better Epitaph?,  72
Shall I Be Missed?, 72
Observing the Day of Rest, 73
The Music of the Heart,  74
Thinking upon God, 74
Oh! Had that Prayer Been First!, 74
Who Is the Man?, 75
Adding Loaves to His Account,  75
Recollections of Zion's Camp, 76
The Great Debate, 77
An Indian's Faith, 79
Miraculously Saved,  79

4. Words of Wisdom, 81
Perseverance Brings Progress, 81
Toiling Upward in the Night, 81
Wanted: Men, 82
Meaningful Maxims and Anecdotes, 82
Clearing the Fence, 83
Murillo's Mulatto–Only a Slave?, 84
The Railroad of Life, 85
Give the Door a Push, 85
Sir Andrew Clark's Strict Diet, 86
The Best Revenge, 87
Antisthenes and the Boastful Youth, 88
Will it Wash?, 89
Our Daily Reckoning, 90
The Boy Who Recommends Himself, 90
A Fable: If You Hadn't Told Me, 91
Good Things Misused, Become Evils
, 91
Guilt Versus Shame,  91
Conscience at the Door, 92
Hold On!, 92
Lesson of the Iron Bar, 93
Patience, 93
Keys,  93
Don't Send My Boy Where Your Girl Can't Go, 94
Glad to See Each Other, 94
Onions Are Desirable, 94
Impressions of an Early Day Immigrant, 95
The Horse and the Stag, 95
Cast a Line for Yourself, 96
For the Boys, 96
The Willing Young Man, 97
What a Drudge Became,  98
Drunken Monkeys, 98
A Drunkard's Testimony, 99
First Step of Knowledge, 99
A Rich Man on Riches, 99
The March of Time and Related Maxims, 100
A Serenade for J. Golden Kimball, 101
Sayings by Brigham Young, 102
A Sure Way to Be Miserable, 103
The Contributor, 103
He ho Does Much, 104

5. Attitude, 105
Just a Public Writer, 105
Fault Finding Reproved, 105
Pride in Dress, 106
Repairing Accidents, 106
Unseen Potential, 107
Light Reveals, 107
Roland Hill on Fair Play, 108
Fighting a Good Fight, 108
Smile Whenever You Can, 109
Courtesy and Honesty, 109
We Have All Seen Them 110
Why Do You Go to Church?, 110
Don't Fret, 111
Love Thy Neighbor, 111
The King and the Farmer, 112
How to Retum a Favor, 113 
The Success of Failure, 113
Asa and Ira, 114
How to Acquire Contentment, 115
A Hint to Grumblers, 116
The Stubborn Other Folk, 116
Earning Your Own Merit, 117
The Gardner's Lesson, 118
Classless Crassness, 118
Gossip, 119
Broken Windows, 119
One Day At a Time, 119
That Is the Way, 120
Justifying Guilt, 120
Peace, 121

6. Stories For Youth, 122
The Truthful Child, 122
Time Enough, 124
The Secret Faith of a Child, 124
Lilies and Violets, 125
A Homesick Hippopotamus, 126
The Little Foxes that Spoil the Vines, 126
A Little Boy's Faith, 127
The Apple in the Bottle, 127
Her Name, 128
What Bessie Thought, 129
Good for Evil, 130
Old Jim—A Hero, 130
A Good Witness, 131
Watching One's Self, 131
Recommendation, 132
The Boy Who Kept Out Wellington, 133
Humility, 134
The King and the Child, 134
How to Know a Goose, 135
Stick to Your Bush, 135
A Rude Boy, 136
How Quarrels Begin, 137
The Fox in the Garden, 137

7. The Moral of the Story, 139
Have You Enemies?, 139
A Lady Born, 139
An Ode to Reading, 140
Rebuking a King, 140
A Japanese Lily, 140
Cancer Cure?, 141
Temperance, 141
Justice and Mercy, 142
Vice!, 142
Example, 142
Mind What You Read, 142
A Story of Napoleon, 143
Precept and Practice, 144
Work without Results, 144
An Indication of Character, 145
A Tiny Sin, 146
Beauty is Only Skin Deep, 146
A Story of a Diamond, 147
I Can't, I'll Try, and I Won't, 148
Go That Way Yourself, 149
A Boy's Wisdom, 149
The Objectives of Education, 150
The United Order, 150
To the Mayor and the City Council of Salt Lake City, 151

8. Perseverance, 152
How He Won Employment, 152
A Dueling Anecdote, 152
A Safe Safe?, 153
The Spider's Surprise, 153
Luck and Labor, 154
Credulity, Unbelief and “Strata Smith”, 154
The Tools of Great Workmen, 155
Men Who were Smart Boys, 156
To Preserve Mankind, 156
Diligent Systematic Toil, 157
The Best, 157
Don Pedro's Hospital, 157
Doctor Livingstone, I Presume?, 157

9. Characters of Consequence, 159
What Youth Can Accomplish, 159
Still I Am Learning,
161
Rubenstein Meets Josh, 161
General Grant, 162
Puffing Billy, 162
A Man's Worth, 163
A Printer from America, 164
Practicing what We Preach, 164
Our Boys, 164
Now He Is My Friend Forever, 165
Easy Reading, 165
A Pupil of Liszt, 166
An Incident of Courtesy, 166
Punctuality, 168
Financing the Telegraph, 169
He Knew Her, 170
He's a Brick, 170
Relativity, 171
A Merciful Lawyer, 171
Making a Reputation, 171
You were Right to Obey, 172
A Wholesome Lesson, 173
Verdi,173

10. Mormon Humor, 174
The Lord's Help, 174
Honesty, 174
Clients in Jail, 174
Stolen Axe, 175
Matthew Chapter 29, 175
Stolen Watch, 175
Not Half as Bad 175
Exercise of Faith, 176
An Elite Church, 176
No Record, 176
Recorded in Heaven, 177
Come, Come Ye Saints,177
Politics, 177
It Ought to Be, 178
Great Scriptorian, 178
Book of Mormon Stories, 178
The Holy Bible, 178
Hypocrites, 179
Highest Authority, 179
Sleeping Congregation, 179
Total Embarrassment, 179
The Hog Caller, 180
Both Sides, 180
A Little Fabricated, 180
Gifted, 180
Hog Calling, 180
Complaining, 181
Terrified, 181
Needed Direction, 181
Great Encouragement, 182
Got Caught, 182
All in Favor, 182
The Resurrection, 182
Mischief Maker, 183
Great Performance, 183
Four Preachers, 183
The Truth, 183
Mormons Got Them, 183
Amen, 184
One Eternal Round, 185
Critical Listener, 185
Rarnbling On, 185
Perspective, 186
Where are You Going?, 186
Things We Ought Not To Say, 186
Pioneer Hospitality, 186

11. Wisdom From Other Cultures, 187
A Law of Continuity, 187
Something About Asia, 187
Arab Prescription for Sleeplessness, 189
True and False Pride, 189
Honest Times, 190
A Chinese Fable, 191
Pure Generosity, 19,
Wisdom and Modesty, 193
A Japanese Legend, 193
Oriental Justice, 194
The Canon of the Palais Royal, 194
Too Greedy, 195
Practical Advice, 195
The Lantern and the Candle, 197
The Rapacious Cooper, 197
Go Again to the Ant, 198
Expressions of Gratitude, 199
Corbieres' lntegrity, 199
Wrap the Iron Around it, 200
The Power of Kindness, 200
Have Respect for the Aged, 201
Suicidal Envy, 202
The Beggar and the Horse, 202
A Peppercorn, 203
Which Is the Mother?, 203

12. Youthful Humor, 204
A Football Game, 204
Watermelon Thieves, 204
Observation on the Youth of Zion, 204
Peer Pressure, 206
Concerned, 206
Famous Last Words, 207
The Lord's Side, 207
All Night, 207
Great Logic, 207
Struck by Lightning, 207
Tell the Truth, 208
The Monkey's Scheme, 208

13. Missionary Humor, 209
Laryngitis, 210
Cows in the Kitchen, 210
In the Right Direction, 210
Continued, 211
Curiosity, 211
Abolish Poverty, 211
Blushing Missionaries, 211
Mosiah Chapter 42, 211
Heaven, 212
Fools, 212
Casting Out Devils, 212
Fasting, 212
Petitioning Higher Authority, 213
The True Church, 213
The Blind Man, 213
Sharing the Gospel, 214
Owner, 214
The Lie, 214
Self Study, 214
Unhappy Lover, 214
Fertilizer, 215
Touched by the Light, 215
No Politics or Religion, 215
The Lord's Gift, 215
Banquet in the Park, 215
Dejected Elder, 216
Inexperienced Companion, 216

14. Smiles Lift the Spirit, 217
Honesty, 217
Snowstorms, 217
Pearls from Benjamin,  217
Heavenly Missionary, 220
Leadership, 220
A Souvenir, 221
Pearls for Public Speakers, 222
Stranded, 222
I’m a Believer, 223
True to the Word, 223
Prison Walls, 223
Thank the Lord, 223
Explaining to the Children, 224
The Last Drop, 224
Memory, 224
Drop Dead, 224
Helpful, 224
Help, 225
Hat, Please, 225
Strange Address, 225
Execrable, 225
An Original Duel, 225
Time’s Wasting, 226
Pearly Gate, 227

15. Signs of the times Stories for All Ages, 229
Stories for All Ages, 229
The Love of a Queen, 229
Show Your Love “Now”, 229
The Faith of Little Children
That Bird Will Never Sing Again!, 231
It Might Be Worse, 232
Crossing the Bridge, 232
A Story of John Adams, 233
Never Too Old to Learn, 234
Pursuing Ideas to Valuable Conclusions, 234
Shall I Desert and Deny Him?, 235
Being Snatched from, Imminent Peril, 236
The Gold Dust of Time, 237
Learn to Do Hard Things, 237
Heartless Prayers, 238
Teaching the Gospel in Prison, 239
Let Your Love Letters Be Dignified, 240
How Base is Ingratitude!, 241
Always a Gentleman, 242
His Words Shocked Me, 242
How Ridiculous, 243
Supper in Paradise, 244
Never Made a Sacrifice, 244
We All Have Three Friends, 244
Life Is What You Make It, 245
The Murderous Sea Flower,
245
The Importance of Keeping Your Promise, 246
Training Shepherd Dogs, 246
Purpose and the Will to Labor, 247
Sir Henry and the Cat, 248
Outdone by a Boy, 248
Who Goes Borrowing Goes Sorrowing, 249
The First Step on the Road, 250
Think of Others, 250
Some Deeds Shine Out in the World, 250
Conscience, 251
Divorcing, 251
A Humbug, 251
Iron in the Sand, 251
Deacon's Propensity, 252
A Brave Dog, 252
Definitions of a Friend, 252
Excellent Fun, 253
Scattered Seeds, 254
The Fox and the Crow, 254
“Beg Pardon”, 254
A Swarm of Bees, 255
He Prevented a Panic, 256
The Would-be Hero, 256
A Ghost in the Top Mainsail, 258
The Loaf that was Hung, 258
All Knowledge is Good, 259
The Enemy, 260
Beggars Alike, 260
The Value of Good Penmanship, 261
The Two Men Inside, 261
The Obstinate Pair, 262
Carving Character, 262
Bear All Trials Bravely, 263
Hidden Money, 263
There May Be a Bright Side, 264
The Forest Fire,
265
Purity, 267

Topical Index, 269

 

Order Information

Title:

Of Angels, Dreams, and Other Fine Things—
Inspirational Gems from Early LDS Publications

Author:

Compiled by Joan Oviatt, Edited by Joy Robinson

Retail Price:

$17.98

Available:

Now

ISBN:

0-88290-758-1

Order Number (SKU):

2100

Pages:

256

Size:

6” x 9”

Binding:

Hardbound with jacket

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