1882 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



147 



in this uncertain and Imrd-to-compute com- 

 modity, of the common courtesies of life. In 

 other words, '' Do good and lend, hoping for 

 notliing again." 



When I was only a boy, "out lecturing," 

 as I have told you about, somebody ]n\t the 

 idea into my head that I wanted a watch. 

 The man who suggested the idea, strangely 

 enough had one for sale, and I bought k in 

 about live minutes, giving him all the money 

 1 had, and promising the rest out of the 

 next evening's I'eceipts. When I got home 

 to my boarding-place, they laughed at me 

 for paying .?14.0u for a brass watch. 



" Why," said my landlord, " I will sell 

 you my watch for llO.OO. and it is solid sil- 

 ver. 'See there! I would take it right 

 back." 



I took it back, and asked for the money so 

 I could buy the silver one. 



"A silver one I why, I will sell you a silver 

 one tor only eight dollars. It is the celebrated 

 ' Quartier ' make ; see V 



I closed the bargain at once, and in great 

 glee took my silver watch, that cost only 

 ■iJS.OO, to my boarding-place. When I showed 

 it, they laughed at me more, and the land- 

 lord said, in a bantering way, — 



" Why, my young friend, they sell ' Quar- 

 tier ■ watches in New York for S2. 50 a biixhel ; 

 and if a man is dissatisfied then, they just 

 put in a couple of shovels fnll free of 

 charge." 



Although I used to believe then pretty 

 much all that was told me, I don"t think I 

 quite believed all that ; but I have often 

 thought of the expression ; and, my friends, 

 it just now occurs to me tliat, in serving the 

 world, we want to cultivate a disposition to 

 do just about that. Give good measure, in 

 courtesy and politeness, and then just put in 

 " a couple of shovels full " extra, to counter- 

 act seltishness. 



Give, and it shall be given unto you; good meas- 

 ure, pressed down, and shaken tog-ether, and run- 

 ning over, shall men give into your bosom. For 

 with the same measure that \e mete withal It shall 

 be measured to you again.— Lukk 6:3S. 



When at the Centennial, we stayed over 

 Sunday ; and in my eagerness to attend as 

 many of the Sabbath-schools as possible, 

 some of the guests of the hotel laughed at 

 my enthusiasm. One in particular said he 

 used to be a great Sunday-school worker, but 

 he found the people all so ready to ^ i ide a 

 willing horse to death," that it' broke down 

 hi^health, and he was obliged to give it all 

 up. It was all very well for one who had 

 not been "through the mill," but that 1 

 would get wiser after a while. Thank God, 

 I haven't yet got any wiser; and, thank 

 God, I know, too, that the man's words were 

 false. It isn't so. Such speeches and such 

 thoughts are only one of Satan's subter- 

 fuges. When you hear any one make any 

 such speech as that, you can set him down 

 as a very selfish if not a very wicked man. 

 Whien a Christian says or thinks such things, 

 he or she is assuredly off the track, and is in 

 great danger of being led entirely away. It 

 is true, you may have to labor some little 

 time before the world comes to know and 

 recognize you, and you may have to be pa- 

 tient and kind with your neighbors and as- 

 sociates for some little time before they un- 



derstand and realize that you are really a 

 true and sincere friend; but if you persist- 

 ently watch and pray for opportunities of 

 doing them kind'.iesses, you will in due time 

 reap a bountiful harvest. 



You are not responsible for the whole 

 world ; you are responsible only for yourself 

 and your own heart; and while you can not 

 change the world, you can change yourself, 

 which really amounts to the same thing. 

 Two men were talking about their wives, 

 and one said he would leally like to hear his 

 wife scold, just for the fun of it. 



" Do you really want to hear her scold V " 

 said the otlier. 



'■ Yes, I do." 



" Well, you just draw her a load of crook- 

 ed firewood ; for nothing in the world makes 

 my wife scold so badly as does crooked hre- 

 wood." 



Our friend went to the woods, and selected 

 all the crooked sticks he could find, until he 

 had made out a load, and very quietly put 

 them in the usual place, and awaited results. 

 Days ])assed ; but not a word was said, un- 

 til tinally one day she spoke : — 



'' Husband," said she, " our wood is near- 

 ly out, and if you should happen to have any 

 more like that last lot, I vvould mucli prefer 

 it, because it tits around the pots and kettles 

 so nicely.'' Do you not see? One woman 

 was looking for troubles in every thing that 

 turned up a little different from usual, while 

 the other was always looking at the bright 

 side of every thing, and turning every little 

 item to some good advantage. You, my 

 friends, are to turn the crooked sticks, the 

 crooked men, the crooked troubles, and all 

 else in life to some good purpose, and try to 

 hnd the good there is in them all. 



A letter has just been put into my hands 

 that explains so well what I mean, I will 

 give it to you :— 



I want to tell you how much good the Home Papers 

 have done mo. It was through their influence that 

 I gave up using tobacco, swearing, and a great many 

 other careless ways that I had got into; but still I 

 did not join the church; I thought that I could be a 

 I Christian without doing so. I went on in my own 

 I way till a short time ago, when I experienced my 

 i first real disappointment which made me so miser- 

 able, and enabled me to see my own weakness so 

 plainly that I determined to trust in my own strength 

 no longer, but to put my trust in Christ for every 

 thing. So I joined the church, and tried to do what 

 I could to help the work along. It was not long be- 

 fore I found out that it required a great deal of 

 prayer to live in any way consistent. Often I have 

 come in at night, alter work, feeling down-hearted 

 and discouraged, because 1 had been trying all day 

 to keep my temper, and failed, sometimes think- 

 ing it was no use trying to be a Christian, and often 

 wishing that I had never joined the church at all. 

 One night I came in from work in one of those 

 moods, and I thought I would try your plan of pray- 

 ing about it. I accordingly went into mj' room, and 

 down on my knees, and prayed. I had been praying 

 some time when I thought of the Homes. I went to 

 the pile and picked up one at random (I did not 

 know hich one it was, for it was dark). I brought 

 it to the light, and read it. It was the one in which 

 yoa describe your visit to the minister, and the 



