1910 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



571 



but I think it is quite likely that he did. 

 So Terry's strong point for uncooked wheat 

 has a precedent away back in Bible times. 

 When he cursed the barren fig-tree because 

 it bore no fruit we are given to understand, 

 at least indirectly, that he partook of that 

 fruit. While at the ruler's feast where he 

 was invited, he probably partook lightly of 

 things the other i)eople ate. In regard to 

 raiment, very little is told us. He was in 

 the habit of washing his feet, or having 

 them washed, because he several times 

 mentions it. Without doubt, he took daily 

 or very frequent baths, as was the common 

 custom of the Jews ; and I am inclined to 

 think that not only his raiment but the 

 common raiment of the times was some- 

 thing not far different from our present 

 nightgown or i)erhai)s bath-robe; and I am 

 sure that most people, especially in the cit- 

 ies, would be greatly benefited by some 

 sort of nightgown or nightrobe, at least dur- 

 ing the summer months.* 



In Cuba, small children wear no clothing 

 at all in many i)laces until they are seven 

 or eight years old. In fact, one often sees 

 naked children, both boys and girls, around 

 in front of the schoolhouse, as naked as 

 when they came into the world. I never 

 learned that they were permitted to go 

 inside in that condition. In visiting a doc- 

 tor's family, one who took Gleanings, and 

 who is a bee-keeper, I found three or four 

 children rollicking about the premises en- 

 tirely naked. Now, of course, we are not 

 ready to recommend any thing of this kind 

 here in America unless, indeed, it is the 

 babies, say in the bath room or nursery. 

 I have often thought, when I saw the little 

 ones just learning to creep or walk, that it 

 would be a mercy to them to remove their 

 clothing entirely, or all of it except the in- 

 dispensable diaper. I wonder if the time is 

 not coming, and coming soon, when there 

 will be a modification in clothing with the 

 view of giving them better health, better 

 lives, and that " more abundantly." 



OPIUM AND OPIUM-DENS BANISHED FROM FOO CHOW. 

 CHINA. 



On page 393. June 15, I spoke about Rev. W. L. 

 Beard's report in regard to the opium business in 

 China. Just now the American Bonrd Quarterly 

 News Bulletin for Aug. 17 contains the following: 



CHINA ABOLISHING OPIUM. 



A magnificent fight Is now going on In China for the sup- 

 pression of the use and trade in opium. It has ofttn been 

 fald that the Chinese, both rulers and people, were wholly 

 insincere In their utterant-e against the use of the drug, and 

 that the proclamations against the cultivation of the poppy 

 and the smoking of opium were a sheer pretense. The rulers 

 themselTcs were said to be victims of the vice, and there 



* Sheldon, in his books, has given us some won- 

 derful and inspiring suggestions in regard to "do- 

 ing as Jesus would do," and following "In his Steps." 

 Now, how many are there, whose eyes rest on these 

 pages, who would be willing to take up with, or, 

 perhaps I should say, put up with such a diet as 

 our Savior probably used ? How many of us would 

 be ready to adopt a style of raiment not more 

 expensive and not more elaborate than the garb 

 Jesus wore? Of course, one does not wish to 

 attract attention by being singular or by looking 

 odd: but if a community of people could be induced 

 to go back to this simple life it would certainly be 

 a wonderful help in the way of health and longev- 

 ity. 



was no hope tor reform. All this was apparently true three 

 or four years ago, but It is not so now. Those who read Mr. 

 Beard's story in the September Mixsinnai-ii Herald of China's 

 new opium war will agree that nowhere in the world is there 

 a manlier or more vigorous fight against this vice than that 

 now going on in the province of Fuhkien, as well as in other 

 parts of China. And this war is waged by the Chinese them- 

 selves, aided, of course, by all moral and Christian forces at 

 work in the empire. In the great city of Foocbow, of more 

 than a million Inhabitants, every opium joint has been closed; 

 whereas five years ago there were more of these joints than 

 there were of rice-shops. In the country the fields of pop- 

 ples which previously met the eye everywhere are now 

 entirely free from the plant, and in many places wheat is 

 being raised Instead. The best citizens have joined with the 

 officials In prosecuting 'he reform. We gain a new impres- 

 sion as to the moral stamina of the Chinese, and a new hope 

 for the missionary work throughout the empire as we read 

 Mr. Beard's account. The Chinese are worth saving. The 

 occasional public burning, in the presence of thousands of 

 people, of the pipes, lamps, and utensils of < pium-smoking 

 must be a profoundly interesting sight in a city which was so 

 recently given over to the use of opium. 



May God be praised for the reform work which is 

 not only faking root, but which is growing with 

 vigor away over on the opposite side of this world 

 of ours. 



High-pressure Gardening 



By A. I. Root 



HIGH-PBESSURE CORNFIELDS. 



A few days ago I had the pleasure of stu- 

 dying cornfields all the way from Braden- 

 town, Fla., to Medina, O. As the trip oc- 

 cupied two nights and a part of three days I 

 could not see the cornfields in the night- 

 time; but I arranged my travels so that, in 

 the trip going down, I had daylight where 

 it was night coming back. Now I want to 

 tell you what I saw. Away down in South- 

 ern Florida the corn had mostly been har- 

 vested. Occasionally I saw dried-up ears 

 hanging to the stalks. Well, I saw all kinds 

 of cornfields, all the way from almost noth- 

 ing at all on the ground, clear uj) to the 

 beautiful thirftv luxuriant fields in South- 

 western Ohio. The corn in Florida is most- 

 ly very poor; and, in fact, I saw poor fields 

 of corn all the way from Florida to Ohio; 

 and I also saw a few good fields of growing 

 corn in almost every locality all along the 

 whole trip, showing that, if one is posted, 

 and goes about it right, he can grow corn 

 almost anywhere; but, of course, the corn- 

 fields were better, as a rule, the further we 

 got north. Now, the sad and lamentable 

 thing about this whole object-lesson is that 

 there were almost a hundred poor acres of 

 corn to one real good one. 



It is a sad and stubborn fact that thou- 

 sands of people go throueh the motion of 

 planting, cultivating, and harvesting a crop 

 of corn without receiving any thing near 

 like a fair price for their time and labor. 

 Hundreds of fields are drowned out by a 

 lack of drainage. There may be some excuse 

 for going on in this sort of way, because 

 once in a while we have a season where the 

 corn is not drowned out by too much rain. 



As a rule, it seems to me everybody has 

 too much land. All along when we got to 

 little towns I would find garden patches of 

 nice corn, showing that with drainage, fer- 

 tilizers, and cultivation, etc., it is possible 

 to grow good crops almost anyw'here. As 

 we came further north there were more good 



