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webbgirlSo I've bean reading through my great-grandfather's journal from 1910. During the Spring while he was still in seminary, he and a couple of his friends were persuaded to become "Book Agents" (essentially traveling book salesmen) for Vir Publishing. (After reading more, it looks like he took the job so that he could go to Kansas City because he'd met my Great-grandmother at some point before this and wanted to see her again. The dog.)
He doesn't mention the name of the books (at least not yet, I have 50 pages to go) but I googled Vir Publishing and the book that keeps coming up is "What a Young Boy Ought to Know" by Sylvanus Stall written in 1905.
It's a sex ed book and WOW. The whole section on DO NOT MASTURBATE is pretty fabulous. One of the sub-headings: Boys Often Learn Masturbation Sliding Down the Banister, Climbing Trees, etc.
It goes on to talk about the ill-effects of masturbation on boys. If you'd like to read any of it, it's online here.
Still not sure if this is the actual book he was selling, but another fun fact is that he sold copies of whatever book it was to one of Joseph Smith's grand-sons.
ETA: I had to include this excerpt he wrote after a visit to my Great-grandmother's parents house in Kansas City (he was living in Independence, MO at the time and had to take the street car to get back and forth).
P.S. I forgot to mention the fact that Dorothy gave me a loaf of the first bread that she ever made all alone. It was as nice as any her mother makes and that is saying that it is THE BEST (his caps and it was underlined). She can make bread for me anytime she wants to and for all time. I hope to have the pleasure of her sweet, pure help and influence in my life for all time, "Some Day When Dreams Come True".
I'd always heard growing up how in love they were (I was fairly young when they both died), but I love reading his words as he was clearly falling in love with her.
He doesn't mention the name of the books (at least not yet, I have 50 pages to go) but I googled Vir Publishing and the book that keeps coming up is "What a Young Boy Ought to Know" by Sylvanus Stall written in 1905.
It's a sex ed book and WOW. The whole section on DO NOT MASTURBATE is pretty fabulous. One of the sub-headings: Boys Often Learn Masturbation Sliding Down the Banister, Climbing Trees, etc.
It goes on to talk about the ill-effects of masturbation on boys. If you'd like to read any of it, it's online here.
Still not sure if this is the actual book he was selling, but another fun fact is that he sold copies of whatever book it was to one of Joseph Smith's grand-sons.
ETA: I had to include this excerpt he wrote after a visit to my Great-grandmother's parents house in Kansas City (he was living in Independence, MO at the time and had to take the street car to get back and forth).
P.S. I forgot to mention the fact that Dorothy gave me a loaf of the first bread that she ever made all alone. It was as nice as any her mother makes and that is saying that it is THE BEST (his caps and it was underlined). She can make bread for me anytime she wants to and for all time. I hope to have the pleasure of her sweet, pure help and influence in my life for all time, "Some Day When Dreams Come True".
I'd always heard growing up how in love they were (I was fairly young when they both died), but I love reading his words as he was clearly falling in love with her.