ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



27 



all made by science to administer to 

 the comforts and luxuries of man. 



"We have harnessed the lightning, 

 used the water for transportation and 

 the air and fire are our servants to 

 do our bidding; science has brought 

 it about, and science has reached the 

 farm as strongly as shop and city. 

 The farmer today understands the 

 value of stock — the value of market- 

 ing — how to keep it pure. 



"But it is not the big crops, like 

 corn and wheat and oats, that bring 

 money to the home; it is the little 

 things that the farmer's wife looks 

 after around the house. The butter, 

 the chickens, the eggs are bringing 

 more money into this country than the 

 gold and silver mines, and wool. 



"You take the honey product. I 

 have not the figures as to the .annual 

 amount that it brings — but it is a 

 great help, and when the big crop fails 

 it 19 the little things that bring the 

 money on the farm, that the farmer's 

 wife looks after, that saves the day 

 and kedps from going into bankruptcy 

 and the poor house. 



"We do not realize the value of the 

 smaller things on the farm. 



"Much good can be had through 

 these Associations — the getting to- 

 gether and hearing of the experiences 

 of each other. None of us know it all, 

 but when we get together and swap 

 experiences we learn what the books 

 as well as individual experience teach. 



"We used to think a book man was 

 not practical, but we are coming to 

 learn from experience that books mean 

 a good deal. You may have good 

 judgment but you will always be able 

 to learn something from the books, 

 and then use good hickory-nut sense 

 in carrying out what you read. No 

 one man knows as much as all men 

 know. As Lincoln says: "You can 

 fool all the people part of the time 

 and part of the people all of the time, 

 but you can't fool all of the people 

 all of the time." 



"College education is good but it 

 will not take the place of experience. 

 An ignorant expert is better than a 

 learned fool, but I believe a learned 

 expert is best of all. Theory and 

 practice go together. As iron sharp- 

 ens iron when coming together, so it is 

 where you come' together to talk about 

 bees — your individual experiences help 

 each other.' 



"This is an age of thought; a thing 

 has got to be thought out before it is 

 wrought out. I used to think that the 

 greatest thing was to be as strong as 

 Samson; I pulled up a tree one day 

 and said — "i am as strong as Samson" 

 — and I got licked. 



"I thought I would like to be a good 

 fighter; then I thought I would like to 

 be good looking so that the girls would 

 like me; I thought I would like to be 

 eloquent so that people would hang 

 on to my words — but experience 

 teaches me that life is in knowing how 

 to think right. You have seen some- 

 times a great six-foot, healthy looking 

 roan with plenty of courage and 

 strength who could not make a living 

 and was being supported by a hunch- 

 back. 



"The farmer of today does a good 

 deal more thinking that he used to. 

 We used to get so tired on the farm 

 that we could not think and had to sell 

 the farm out because it didn't pay. 

 Now it takes thought. Some of the 

 richer farmers never follow the plow. 

 This is the age of thought." 



Mr. Stone (Secretary) — Mr. Presi- 

 dent, I want to make a motion before 

 these gentlemen leave — that all the 

 participants in the program be made 

 honorary members, and get badges. 



Motion put by President, . seconded 

 and carried. 



President Baxter — The next on our 

 program is the President's address. 

 Brother Moore, the first Vice-Presi- 

 dent, will please take the Chair. 



(Mr. W. B. Moore, Vice-President, 

 takes the Chair.) 



President's Address. 



Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: 

 On behalf of the members of the 

 Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion, I wish to express our sincere 

 appreciation of the warm and hearty 

 welcome extended to us by the City 

 of Springfield, through the President 

 of the Commercial Association of the 

 city, the Hon. W. A. Northcott, a co- 

 laborer in the cause of progress. 



Springfield is numbered among the 

 most progressive cities of this, the 

 most progressive state in our most 

 wonderful union. 



We have met here before. In fact 

 we have met here each and every year 

 since our Association first came into 

 existence some twenty-four years ago, 

 and we have always had the glad hand 



