270 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apk. 1. 



tile drainage, which was then just ready for 

 the press. We had a very nice dinner. When 

 the waiter added up tlie bill of fare he made a 

 mistake of five cents, and friend C. called his 

 attention to it. 1 sngg(!Sted that, perhaps, the 

 waiter meant to lump it in at a little less than 

 the amount it figured up to. '• No," said friend 

 C, " that is not the way they do here. Their 

 articles of food are very nice and very choice, 

 and their price for such is exceedingly low — 

 they figure very close, therefore eveiy one gets 

 what he ttsks for. and pays exactly the legular 

 printed price for what he gets." 



The waiter apologized for his mistake, and 

 thanked our friend for correcting him. Then 

 ray good friend added something like this: 



"Mr. Root, I want to be just as careful in 

 correcting a mistake that takes money out of 

 my pocket as I would be in correcting one that 

 puts money into my pocket." 



W. I. Chamberlain would never have been 

 held in such high esteem everywhere he goes 

 were it not for the fact that he lives up to just 

 that line of conduct. I do not believe that any 

 temptation could induce him to even wawt what 

 belongs to somebody else, without rendering a 

 fair equivalent. You may say these are all 

 small things, that I have mentioned. It is 

 when there are hundreds and thousands at 

 stake that men get to be rascals. Well, I am 

 glad to give you some instances where large 

 amounts do not tempt good men. Friend Terry 

 is not very far from friend Chamberlain. By 

 the wuy, i wonder if the)<' is not a good " at- 

 mosphere" aiound the vicinity and neighbor- 

 hood of that Western Reserve college at Hud- 

 son, O. It was started almost as early as the 

 Oberlin school, and it has furnished the world 

 with some grand good men. VVell. friend Terry 

 has got to be such an authority on farming 

 matters that inventors of farming machinery 

 are often anxious to make him a present of a 

 sample implement, in ordei' to have him try it. 

 I think some firm wanted to niakii hira a pres- 

 ent of a potato-digger; but he told them that, 

 if he wa- to give to the wide world his opinion 

 in regaid to the machine, he didn't want his 

 judgment biased by a present. Then they pro- 

 posed to let him have one at lialf price. But 

 he would not have it at tliat price either. He 

 said he would try the machine, and if it suited 

 him he would pay the same price that other 

 people paid: then, if they wished, he would 

 give the public an honest opinion of its work, 

 including the defects as well as its good points. 

 You may say this was on a small scale too. com- 

 paratively. Well, a few days ago, by the fail- 

 ure of some lawyer or banker, tlie (Governor of 

 the State of Ohio was made not only penniless, 

 but it would take more money than he had in 

 the world to make good a note that he had sign- 

 ed with the banker who became bankrupt. 

 There was much speculation for a time as to 

 what Gov. McKinley would do. Without a mo- 

 ment's hesitation he turned over all his earthly 

 possessions; but as it look more than one hun- 

 dred thousand dollars to pay the debt, all his 

 possessions would not cover it. His wife, how- 

 ever, had property of her own to the extent of 

 some $65,000 or $70,000. Without a bit of hesi- 

 tation the brave woman came forward and made 

 good her husband's name; but in so doing it 

 took ^er last copper, almost, and he stood be- 

 fore the world with a fair untarnished name, 

 such as he liad always l)orne; but he and his 

 wife both had to commence the world over 

 again. There was a good deal of murmuring 

 among the people. Her money was given her 

 by her father. They said that she had no busi- 

 ness to throw it away in that way. As soon as 

 I heard of it I said, " Such an example as this 

 will surely not go unrewarded. The iieople of 



our land will spring to his rescue, and I should 

 not be at all surprised if the whole sum were 

 made up by donations, in a few weeks." While 

 I was speaking (although I did not know it) 

 the very thing J had predicted was being done: 

 but. lo and behold I neither our beloved Gov- 

 ernor nor his good wife would take a copper of 

 the money. The great woi'ld of good people re- 

 monstrated: "Dear friend M., you must take 

 it; we enjoy giving it to you. Accept it as a 

 token of our regard and esteem; and may God 

 help you to continue setting such an example 

 for the rising generation and the rest of the 

 world." But our good friend and his heroic 

 wife would not be moved. Again and again 

 was the money sent back. I had an inward 

 conviction, that, in some way, 1 did not know 

 exactly how, the good will of the people that 

 was rising constantly would outwit their favor- 

 ites; and when I was told that money had pour- 

 ed in from anonymous sources until the whole 

 hundred thousand dollars was made up and more 

 too, I opened my mouth in astonishment. No- 

 body knows— not even the Governor himself, 

 nor his wife — who gave a copper of it. Misan- 

 thropes need not say in this case that it was to 

 make a show, or that it was for the sake of the 

 publicity that it would give to the donor. No- 

 body kno\\s ivho gave a cent. ]Now. who shall 

 say that, in view of the present craze and mania 

 for gambling, prize-fighting, and the like, there 

 is not any thing good in the heart of man? 

 Who shall say there is not a hungering and 

 thiisling after righteousness, in the hearts of 

 the masses ? Who shall say that we are all. 

 even the ?*cst of us. after the almighty dollar, 

 when we come right dow n to if.' What prompt- 

 ed these people to pile up their money until the 

 daily papers told them to stop — that there was 

 enough and moi'e loo ? Wliy, it was a simple 

 love of justice and right. We admire from the 

 bottom of our hearts the man who has got the 

 backbone and nei've to make his " I — promise — 

 to— pay" good, even if it takes the last copper 

 he possesses. 



Perhaps I might mention that many good 

 people have justly criticised this fashion of un- 

 derwriting for somebody else when the obliga- 

 tion amounts to more than he (the security) is 

 worth. Of course, this is wrong. But there 

 may be palliating circumstances. I have been 

 told that the man for whom Gov. McKinley 

 underwrote was the friend of his boyhood; that 

 he even advanced money for him so that he 

 might get an education when he never could 

 have got it otlx^rwise. Under such circum- 

 stances a generous and large-hearted man 

 would I'isk almost any thing, especially for one 

 whom he trusted with a faith that was like 

 unto the friendship between David and Jona- 

 than. So you see our story ought to point out 

 to us more than one great moral. 



Now, friends, I ain sure you will not set me 

 down as a " calamity howler" when I say that 

 a great proportion of our people — yes, and a 

 great proportion of our " neighbors." including 

 some of ourselves — are not so sci'upulous and 

 conscientious but that we can take something 

 for nothing. Our childien. wh(ni they grow up, 

 see so many instancesof where peopleget some- 

 thing for nothing that ihey become demoraliz- 

 ed. They think steady hard work is too hum- 

 drum and slow; and instead of heeding the in- 

 junction of our text. they, in their hearts, do 

 envy sinners. Who blames them? When I was 

 in New Orleans I told you of how desperately 

 in earnest good i)eople were in regard to the lot- 

 tery business, and ('specially concerning the 

 Louisiana State Lotteiy; and when they did 

 get it put down, the rejoicings came to us 

 through their letters. Did the great lottery 

 company give it up ? By no means. If they 



