1895 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



957 



have had "lots of experiences." But on this 

 particular morning all my plans and projects 

 seemed to be failures. I had undertaken things 

 I could not get through with. Saddest of all, 

 I had undertaken to lift a soul out of ihe miry 

 clay on to the clean strong rock of a faith In 

 Christ Jesus, and he was a failure too. 



This last burden— no, it did not break me 

 down, but it brought me to my senses. A very 

 earnest and fervent "Lord, help!" welled up 

 from my heart; but I confess that it was with- 

 out very much faith. Then when I looked ai 

 the boys, with their muddy hands and clothing, 

 so willing and patient in doing any thing 1 

 wanted done, another •' Lord, help!" wi'lled up 

 from my heart; but that, too, I am afraid, was 

 without very much faith. Then I remembered 

 the surgical operation at Battle Creek, and 

 that little couplet from the hymn, 



I am weak, but thou art mighty. 



Yes, I felt myself decidedly weak. I let some of 

 the things go, and walked over to the boys. In 

 a few minutes they had met with success on one 

 of the lines of pipe. The hard water from the 

 windmill tank, that had been coursing through 

 even the galvanized-iron tubing for many 

 months, had deposited an incrustation of chem- 

 icals or lime ai the lowe^t point. With a heavy 

 wire and a strong force of water we succeeded 

 in rasping the limy deposit loose so it could be 

 washed out. The missing fittings had been 

 found at one of the shops up town, so the 

 plumbers at the house could goon; while Mr. 

 Warner, with a big stout German and a boy to 

 help, had moved the potatoes, and our customer 

 had his iron pipe. 



I began to ihink that one little earnest fer 

 vent prayer was moving things mightily; but 

 an interview with tlie one u ho had got buck 

 into the miry clay made me feel that it is a far 

 greater and oftentimes more wearing aad dis- 

 couraginij work to try to save a sinner from the 

 error of his ways than to get the obstructions 

 out of a crooked iron pipe that is two feet under 

 ground, inside of stone tiles, and running under 

 various beds of garden-plants besides. Miiller 

 once said that it is a much easier matter to get 

 money by praying than vu save souls by pray- 

 ing — especially where Satan had got a strong 

 hold on the lost one. 



The battle was not won yet, by any means. 

 Moi'e earnest prayer was needed; more lessons 

 were to be learned in regard to my need of 

 divine help. I thanked God for the success we 

 had made, acknowledged my own feeble help- 

 lessness, and plead again with pmhaps greater 

 faith. It looki'd for a time as if our pipes would 

 have to be all buried up again until 1 could get 

 back from Atlanta, without having accom- 

 plished any thing. I could not bear the thought 

 of this; and yet if I should k>' to tearing up 

 things much more than I hail already done, 

 nobody could put them back in shape in the 

 brief ti nu^ that was left. The weatlier-telegram 

 announced a coming storm and colder weather. 

 We had narrowed the stoppage in the pipns 

 down to the lowest point in the piping, and it 

 was not more than 20 feet in h^nsth; hut the 

 pipe passed right, under three or four dilferent 

 beds of plants. The boys had pushed wires in 

 from both ways, and had given up. I asked 

 them to try it once more Pretty soon a little 

 muddy water came out; then still more: and 

 finally a more slender wire was crowdi'd clf^ar 

 up to the elbow, even though the pipe was 

 crooked. The water camti faster, ami more 

 muddy, and finally out it shot under full head, 

 sending the pure sparkling liquid out many 

 feet, carrying with it, now and then, lumps of 

 sediment and deposit. The pipe was cfcfi7i. It 

 is now all covered up, and the greenhouse is 



warm. My Thoroughbred potatoes and other 

 plants are safe. 



The spiritual work, however, that I had been 

 trying to do, and which was, of course, of many 

 times more moment than the water-pipes, 

 did not piosper so well. Satan was too much 

 for me. llis victim had turned back on his 

 best friends. He declared they were all trying 

 to '■ beat him, ' and that they had a spite 

 against him. Dear friends, have you not notic- 

 ed again and again how tiie ?'eai sinner or the 

 real criminal insists that, while lie is honest 

 and trut!, everybody else is vicious and bad? 

 He will have it that all good people are trying 

 to injure him; that bis best fi lends have a 

 " spite " against him. 



SlOAly and sorrowfully I was obliged to give 

 it up. When 1 thought of the way in which 

 business had been linally pushed along through 

 the day, 1 felt to " rejoice and be glad;" but 

 when 1 thought of this otiier, 1 felt sick at 

 heart. 1 felt humbled — yes. a good deal hum- 

 bled. Perhaps my sad and soiiowful tones may 

 have had some influence on what I said. I 

 spoke very l<indly and gently, but f talked very 

 plainly for all that. There was more inward 

 praying that came from a very humble, and, I 

 fear, a good deal discouraged heait. What do 

 you think happened? Why, before 1 went to 

 bed that night 1 was cheered by hearing a full 

 and humble acknowledgement of the fault, 

 accompanied by restitution in full. It was 

 like the muddy deposit in the crooked pipe. It 

 came little by little; and when the full, frank, 

 and clear confession came out, accepting all 

 the blame himself, and exonerating all of his 

 friends, then I could see the light of the Savior's 

 love shining down once more into the darkened 

 soul— not darkened now, thank God, but full of 

 light and peace, for the dark evil thoughts had 

 been washed out. Satan had lost his hold. 

 The prince of darkness had been banished en- 

 tirely, and it seemed as if I could almost hear 

 the Master say, "" Go thy way, and sin no more." 



But the whole matter was not to he allowed 

 to be dropped just then and there. There is a 

 part of that wonderful prayer that reads, 

 ■■ Lead me not Into tempiation, but deliver me 

 from evil;" and before 1 started on my trip to 

 Atlanta, several good strong posts of advance 

 guard were put up to keep temptation away; and 

 careful, faithful sentinels have been stationed, 

 not only to guard against any surprise at some 

 future time, but to cut oj^', so far as maybe, 

 the avenues where evil may be most likely to 

 again come in. 



ON THK WAY TO ATLANTA. 



Does tobacco make a man seltish? As we 

 got aboard fur Cincinnati the cars were so full 

 that om^ of our pai'ty remarked we had better 

 pay a dollar nu)re and take a chair car, where 

 there was plenty of room: hut we concluded to 

 look a little lir-t. I saw a man lilling a seat with 

 his valises, ovi'rcoat, umbrella, etc.. and polite- 

 ly iiKiuired if he could not let me sit with him. 



'■ Why. I suppose so; but why don't you sit 

 with some one else? there are plenty more 

 places." 



As I always dislike being where I am not 

 wanted, even if I have a rieht there. I turned to 

 a man across the aisle: "" Why, certainly, and 

 you are quite welcome," was the pleasant and 



