413 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15. 



ty. A yonng man applied to us for work dur- 

 ing our dull season. Finally one of my good 

 friends in the teachers' meeting — a woman 

 who has busied herself all her life in looking 

 after the unfortunate — put in a strong plea for 

 this young man. Siie said he had recently 

 married. She knew that would please me, for 

 I am always glad to hear about good young 

 men and women getting married. Then she 

 said she was pretty sure he either had been 

 or was thinking of taking a start in life as 

 a Christian. When business started up I sent 

 for him, feeling glad I could give him a chance. 

 He did exceedingly well: and every one with 

 whom he worked admired his manliness and 

 energy, and he was soon promoted. In our 

 business councils his name was mentioned, and 

 we had much hope that he would be able to fill 

 some important post with good pay. Before he 

 had been in his new place two weeks, however, 

 a conversation something like the following 

 came up. The foreman of the packing-room, 

 who loads a car almost every day, besides fill- 

 ing no end of small orders, has perhaps a dozen 

 good reliable men immediately under his 

 charge. Well, he said: 

 " Mr. Root, do you know what has become of 



" Why, isn't he at work ? " 



"No, he has not shown up since last Thurs- 

 day." 



This was on Monday. 



" Did he not tell you he wanted to be away, 

 or has he not sent any explanation of his ab- 

 sence ? " 



" Not a word, and I need him the worst kind." 



I immediately went to the time-clerk. She 

 said he had said nothing to her about being 

 away, but came around Saturday night and 

 drew his pay, and walked off. He said nothing 

 about being absent Monday— not a word as to 

 whether he would or would not be back to 

 work. I hunted up his brother, and he express- 

 ed surprise. He said he was pretty sure his 

 brother was not sick, and did not know why he 

 should be off. Monday afternoon as I was 

 rushing past I caught a glimpse of somebody, 

 but he did not look up enough so I could be 

 sure who It was. I turned around after I had 

 got past quite a little way, and sure enough it 



was . Some time afterward I passed 



Jacob. By the way, Jacob is now the foreman 

 of our packing-room. Some of our older read- 

 ers will remember the Jacob at that mission 

 Sunday-school, who used to be so prompt and 

 reliable in having a text every Sunday, rain or 

 shine, and Jacob used to repeat his text so 

 clearly and plainly that everybody in the old 

 school house heard every word of it. By the 

 way, I wonder if I dare stop long enough to 

 meddle with the affairs of one other "home " to 

 just whisper in your ear. Now, don't tell any- 

 body. Up at Jacob's house they have an eight- 

 pound boy. tie came to their home last night, 

 the last day of April. I declare! since I have 

 told so much I must tell you that the boy's 

 mother used to be queen-clerk in the office.* 

 Now let us go on with the story. 



On the day in question, as I passed Jacob I 

 stopped and remarked: 



"Oh I I see has come back to work. 



What reason did he give for skipping out with- 

 out saying a word when we were so badly rush- 

 ed?" 



*May be some of you would like to in<iuire wheth- 

 er Jacob was on hand to look after his g-ang- of men 

 the day he first became father. Yes, sir, he was on 

 hand as usual that day and the day after. He got 

 up very early in the morning- about that time, and 

 did considerable rushing- about; but lie knew the 

 situation of affairs, and stuck to his post rlgrht 

 through every working hour. 



" Why, he did not say any thing until I over- 

 hauled him a little, and then he explained that 

 he stayed out to plant his potatoes; and after 

 the potatoes were planted he went visiting a 

 day or two. 



Now, may be I have not stated the whole 

 matter as it should be; but in any case I think 

 it illustrates my meaning. I do not know 

 what the custom is in other shops and factories. 

 In fact, I have been feeling for a few days as if 

 I should like to know. Do men who occupy 

 important positions of trust and responsibility 

 stay away to plant potatoes, or to make garden, 

 without saying a word to the foreman of the 

 room, to the time-clerk, or to the man who em- 

 ploys them? If that is the way to do, here in 

 this land of " liberty," I will try to put up with 

 it and not scold. But, dear friends, did you 

 ever consider that this fashion of going through 

 life cuts a terrible slice out of your daily wages 

 — just one operation like the one I have men- 

 tioned above ? I am very sorry indeed to hurt 

 my young friend's feelings, but in the very na- 

 ture of things such a proceeding may cost any 

 young man hundreds of dollars before he gets 

 through with it. Every little v/hile somebody 

 is sick. When it comes to the women-folks, 

 somebody gets married (as the queen-clerk did), 

 or vacancies occur. Then the question arises 

 in our cabinet. " Who shall fill the place?" 

 Many names are suggested: but almost the first 

 thing that comes up is, " Is he reJiabie.^ Will 

 he be on hand when wanted ?" You see, with 

 our methods of management, a missing hand, 

 without previous arrangement, is like a link be- 

 ing lost in a big chain. A telegram comes in 

 regard to an order that is being filled. The 

 clerk who is away sometimes has charge of the 

 order or other papers, and nobody else can find 

 them. A man decides to put in some special 

 crop. He sends a telegram, and wants his or- 

 der changed. It maybe possible to change it 

 before the goods are off, if we could get charge 

 of the matter. If the clerk who is needed is 

 gone, other clerks tumble business papers over, 

 may be throw them out of shape, and so lay 

 the foundation for other mistakps, and perhaps 

 even then fail to get hold of the thing needed 

 until the train is gone. We have had men stay 

 away with the heys of the warehouse in their 

 pockets. I you should see your old friend A. I. 

 Root at such a time as this you might know 

 something of him then that you never knew be- 

 fore, or would not have known otherwise. 



Just a word about going visiting. It is a 

 good thing to cultivate sociable relations, I 

 know; but it seems to me that April and May 

 are two months in the year when but little 

 visiting should be done. It is well enough for 

 old men, and those out of health, to go visiting; 

 but even then they should be careful about 

 wasting the time of busy men. 



It is a grand thing to have a garden; ves, I 

 like to see every man have his own or even a 

 rented home have a little patch of potatoes. 

 But a man may be unwise about potatoes as 

 well a? other things. I would have the pota- 

 toes myself; but I do not think I would desert 

 my post in the month of May to get them in. 

 If working-hours were so long as not to afford 

 time. I would plant them bv moonlight, or. bet- 

 ter still, between daylight and time of work in 

 the morning. I think I would manage to do 

 my visiting during dull seasons, if it could not 

 be done evenings and mornings. There are al- 

 most always lulls in business. If a man comes 

 to me and says, "Mr. Root, if it should come 

 handy to spare me three or four days, or a 

 week, without hindering business now. before a 

 great while, it would be quite a favor," and 

 such a request is made a week ahead of the 

 time, or may be a little more, we can almost al- 



