698 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Oct. 31, 1901. 



I ^ The Home Circle. ^ i 



Conducted bij Prof. ft. J. Cook, Glaremont, Calif. 



FRAUDS, HUMBUGS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 



Is there anything in this world of ours that is grander, 

 and more delightful to the soul, than genuine truth, entire 

 absence of pretense, perfect ingenuousness ? On the other 

 hand, is there aught that is more repellant, more discouraging 

 in society, than fraud, humbug, superstition, all — or anything 

 that maketh a lie ? Among the most blessed fruits of our high 

 development of science is that she unearths frauds, reveals 

 humbugs, and dethrones superstitions. She stamps her great, 

 honest foot hard on whatever maketh a lie. How generously 

 education touches her patrons to bless and to help. Is not one 

 of her brightest crowns, that she so summarily dumps out of 

 the mind its superstitions ? 



PATENT HEDICINES. 



No doubt Holmes voiced a grand truth when he said that 

 it would be a blessed thing if all the medicine of the world 

 was dumped into the ocean; but, he added, it would be awful 

 on the fish. As a learned and experienced physician. Holmes 

 was entitled to speak. If he had prefixed medicine with •' pat- 

 ent " how much more of truth would have been uttered. It is 

 fearful to note the great floods of advertisements of patent 

 medicines that fill the pages of our newspapers. Millions of 

 dollars are poured annually into the cesspool of the newspaper. 

 It is_ awful to think of the amount of these vile compounds 

 that are gulped down by a too trusting and suffering people. 

 A synonym for patent medicine would be FRAUD, in capital 

 letters and underscored. This is patent, for are they not 

 heralded forth as cures for all maladies ? And are not all the 

 tricks of the most artful, skillful and expert advertising 

 agents employed to get these concoctions of the Evil One into 

 the hands and stomachs of poor, suffering humanity? The 

 poor, sick one grasps at a straw, and is too feeble often to 

 judge, and so jumps from the frying pan of aching members 

 and lacerated tissues into the fire of diseased tissues and or- 

 gans swathed in poisons or hurtful concoctions. 



How difficult for the most learned and competent physi- 

 cian to rightly diagnose a disease: and, when rightly deter- 

 mined, how difficult to find in medicine a cure or palliative. 

 And yet the deluded victim of the patent-medicine vender 

 gulps down the atrocious potion, all ignorant both of disease 

 and remedy. It seems strange that any one possessed of 

 judgment and reason can ever be duped into patronage of the 

 patent medicine chest. The discouraging feature is that sick- 

 ness dethrones judgment and reason as her first legacy. Will 

 we not all, in our various home circles, lift our loudest voice 

 against this greatest fraud of the century ? 



THE MOON. 



At our Farmers' Institutes a very frequent question is 

 asked, even in cultured Southern California, to-wit: Should 

 the farmers observo the moon's phases in planting and glean- 

 ing ? Of course, I always say plant when condition of soil, 

 cultivation, and season of the year are right; and only watch 

 the moon to see when to take evening rides with the "gude 

 wife " or one's best girl. And yet when I say this, I see many 

 a head shake which speaks dissent. It is passing strange-how 

 any such superstition hangs on when it once gets a foothold 

 in one's beliefs. This belief, so utterly void of any scientific 

 basis in truth, I suppose comes down from our credulous fore- 

 fathers, and from the fact that good tillers who practice 

 watching the moon usually have good crops, as they surely 

 would had they never heard of the moon, or noted whether 

 they saw it over the right or left shoulder. It is good to talk 

 all such absurdities over with the children and bury them in 

 wholesome laughter, for such burial is rarely followed with 

 resurrection. 



FRIDAY, AND THE RIGHT SHOULDER. 



It seems impossible that in our day, when science shows 

 the absolute absurdity of all such nonsense, that anyone 

 would be disturbed by seeing the new moon over the left 

 shoulder. Yet such is often the case. The person is usually 

 advanced in years, for the science of today is hard on such 

 tomfoolery. I have known not a few, some of them men of 

 intelligence, who would never commence a new work or enter- 

 prise on Friday. They usually blush to own the fact, and do 

 not pretend to have any reason for the opinion; but supersti- 



THE STADIUM AT THE PAS-AMEniCAN. 



A quarter mile of racing tracl<, and seats for li-'.OOO people. 



tion is usually so inwrought in their make-up, that they feel 

 that it will be dangerous to disregard this old law. Such per- 

 sons still dread ghosts, and are haunted with the hundred and 

 one other nonsensical beliefs in signs and sayings that are 

 utterly without foundation, and which, like belief in witch- 

 craft, will soon be only known to history. It will be a good 

 riddance. There arc so many grand beliefs that take hold of 

 our very lives and help us to better thought and nobler action, 

 for us to waste thought or energy on all such baseless claptrap. 



ROAD-SIDE TREES. 



What is there in this world that is more worthy of admi- 

 ration than a fine avenue of trees ? There is one of peppers 

 and another of blue-gums not far from Claremont. I always 

 drive to these and through them when I have visitors. Often 

 the visitors will exclaim in surprised delight as we turn upon 

 these lovely vistas. Can anything be finer than such avenues 

 of trees ? Ask the students who have enjoyed the elms of 

 Cambridge and New Haven. Would not our home circles be 

 philanthropists of the best kind, if they would undertake to 

 secure such avenues along all our highways ? I believe that 

 if we combine utility and beauty, we show still better sense 

 and judgment. So iu the East, why not add to the honey-re- 

 sources by planting great rows of fine lindens, or the equally 

 umbrageous tulips ? In the South the tulip and the .ludas- 

 tree are not only beautiful, but each comes each season with 

 beautiful flowers laden With most delicious nectar. In Cali- 

 fornia the eucalyptus is very handsome, is a strong grower, 

 stands drouth well, and by a judicious selection of species we 

 can have blossoms and nectar each month of the year. All 

 have showy flowers, which, in some species, are very beautiful. 



USE OF PROPER WORDS. 



I have learned to have such respect for our good and 

 genial friend, Mr. Hasty, that I rarely skip anything he 

 writes, and as rarely find aught to criticise. So I was sur- 

 prised that he suggests to let a bad use of words alone, as it 

 will be useless to combat it. I say, Never. If a word is 

 wrongly used, so as to mislead or work mischief, " go for it" 

 with all the might, coat off, and shirt sleeves rolled up. 



Yesterday our pastor spoke of coral insects. He might as 

 well say " wdolly birds, " or " hairy snakes. " Indeed, he 

 would not have been as wide of the truth. Coral animals be- 

 long to a branch wholly distinct from that of insects. The 

 old word " strained " rarely peeps up now in descriptions of 

 honey. Why? liecause it was a mischievous misnomer. We 

 hit it hard blows, and, happily, knocked the very life out of it. 

 " Larva " is correct. ■' Worm" means a thing wholly ditferent. 

 The added syllable with truth to stand on should not vex 

 anyone. The recent bulletins regarding our beloved Presi- 

 dent did not confuse the terms digestion and assimilation. Of 

 course not, the physicians know and practice the right use of 

 words, and do they not show good sense ? 



I should like to hear from our good friend. Dr. Miller, on 

 this point. 



Why Not Help a Little— both your neighbor bee-keep- 

 ers and the old American Bee Journal — by sending- to us the 

 names and addresses of such as you may know do not now 

 get this journal ? We will be glad to send them sample 

 copies, so that they may become acquainted with the paper, 

 and subscribe for it, thus putting- themselves in the line of 

 success with bees. Perhaps you can get them to subscribe, 

 send in their dollars, and secure for your trouble some of 

 the premiums we are constantly offering as rewards for 

 such eifort. 



