GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



441 



but it helps you to help them, to better things. 

 And this holy influence is always contagious. 

 It gets hold of the dear wife, and the little one 

 that is scarcely able to walk or talk. It enables 

 them to see better things in the dear papa, and 

 to feel thankful for the father and protector 

 that God has given. 



Satan is opposed to homes, on general princi- 

 ples. He prevents people from getting mar- 

 ried* if he can, and then he breaks up homes 

 and married life, if he possibly can do it. He 

 who starts a home or builds a home must reckon 

 on finding this great adversary putting in his 

 work just as soon as the home begins to pros- 

 per. The principal point I wish to make in this 

 talk is to the effect that we who constitute the 

 home may constantly watch for this insidious 

 foe, and keep him out. Since so much has been 

 said about the conflict that never seems to be 

 quite ended, about opening the World's Fair on 

 Sunday, that old familiar text of childhood has 

 been ringing in my ears — '"Remember the Sab- 

 bath day, to keep it holy;" audit was yesterday, 

 or the day before, that the ringing began to take 

 a little different form, and it was something like 

 this: "Remember the 'home,' to keep it holy." 

 Sometimes it would be, " Remember the mar- 

 riage-voiv, to keep it holy." Again, " Remem- 

 ber the family ties, to keep them holy." O dear 

 reader! do you fully realize how much depends 

 on carefully guarding and watching over yrnir 

 home? Do you realize how it is that the perpe- 

 tuity of our land of liberty depends upon how well 

 and faithfully you guard it ? The elements of 

 secession and anarchy, crime and ruin, are sown 

 and fostered and nourish(^d — no, not in some- 

 body's home, but in some place that has oeen 

 perverted from what ought to have been a 

 home. Only yesterday some fiend in human 

 shape, or. worse still, a conspiracy of Hends in 

 human shape, blew up and wrecked three differ- 

 ent homes, with dynamite. These homes con- 

 tained women and children. They were godly 

 homes. Do you ask what caused it? Why, the 

 fathers were godly men. They tried to enforce 

 the law, or did enforce it, against saloons and 

 the saloon business in the city of Muscatine, la.; 

 and the murderous revenge was to blow them 

 all up with dynamite. The fiends were going 

 to teach the citizens of the United States of 

 America that the venders of liquor were not to 

 be trified with. Perhaps they meant to say by 

 this, '■ We will teach you to mind your own bus- 

 iness, and let us alone, even if we are plainly 

 violating both the spirit and the letter of the 

 laws of the State of Iowa." My impression is, 

 that these three fathers and the good people of 

 Muscatine are not going to be "teached " worth 

 a cent, by such measures. May God grant that 

 the ma.«s meeting th,";t was instantly called to 



♦There is a paper published in a certain part of 

 the State of New York that comes out boldly and 

 unblushing-ly, and says in every issue .somethiug like 

 tins: " Pay no taxes; pay no rent; pay no interest 

 to anybody; do not get manied," etc. This vilesheet 

 does not mear, that we sliould live a life of celibacy 

 —oh no! If you read a little of its pages you will 

 find tliat it unblushiiigly recommends to everybody 

 —"just help yourself." It just now occurs to me 

 tliat tlie Devil himself is at the liead of at least one 

 newspaper in the United States. We mijrht liave 

 been sure, on general principles, that he iroulil start 

 a newspaper if there could \w found enoug;!! people 

 to take it; and the fact that it is already running, 

 indicates that it lias not only found support but tliat 

 the P. O. Department permits it. Anthony Comstock 

 has already had the editor in jail, it seems, for said 

 editor goes on about it in this issue that happened 

 to fall into my hands. He is loud and bitter toward 

 Uncle Samuel also, because Uncle Sam has Inid the 

 effrontery to open the mails and decide what is too 

 obscene to he permitted inside of the mail-bags. 

 Well, this man comes right square out, and says, 

 " Do not get married." Is it at all surprising ? 



devise ways and means for hunting up the crim- 

 inals may be successful. Let us all pray for 

 that, and work when opportunity oiTers. 



Our pastor told us in that sermon, that the 

 minds of these little ones growing up around 

 the hearthstone are like the sensitive plates 

 used by photographers. You know they have 

 them now so exceedingly sensitive that an im- 

 pression is made in a fraction of a second. In- 

 stantaneous views are taken so quickly that a 

 horse on the run is photographed as if he were 

 standing still. Well, these little friends of ours 

 — these buds of humanity — are sensitive plates. 

 They catch impressions, and hold them. You 

 can tell what sort of parents a girl has by 

 watching her as she plays with her doll. If she 

 scolds it and boxes its ears, she has probably 

 had some experience herself in that very line. 

 If she threatens to cut off its ears if it does not 

 do so and so. it is because somebody has said the 

 same thing in her hearing. Therefore, how 

 great is the importance of being careful what 

 we say or do! When the Holy Spirit came into 

 our home, it made me gentle and kind, especial- 

 ly to my life partner. Next to the great God 

 above should be the life companion who helps 

 us to make our home. As the parents speak lo 

 each other, so will the children speak. Now, I 

 have not only known this, but I have taught 

 these things through Our Homes for many a 

 long year; and of late I did not suppose it pos- 

 sible that any thing, even Satan with all his 

 subtilties, could throw me off my guard. Alas 

 for humanity! It is not many days since some 

 trifling event occurred where my good wife and 

 I happened to take different sides in the matter. 

 It was just before supper. I was suffering some- 

 what from nervous exhaustion, and was in no 

 frame of mind to talk, much less to discuss any 

 thing. At such times I have for years, knowing 

 this, kept still. A cup of milk stood by my 

 plate. Had I taken a few swallows, and waited 

 only a little time, I might have been in a fit 

 frame of mind to talk. It is ray disposition to 

 push ahead, and I foolishly pushed ahead even 

 then, when wisdom bade me not. It was not so 

 much what I said, but my face was flushed. 

 I was sorry in an instant. I would have apolo- 

 gized then, but I was not in a fit frame of mind 

 to apologize. When we knelt by our bedside at 

 night, however, I asked my companion's for- 

 giveness, and I asked God to forgive me. But 

 even after the forgiveness had been granted, 

 I would have given a good deal if those few 

 words I uttered had been unsaid. Our chil- 

 dren heard them; and the fact that at least 

 two of them were pretty well grown up made 

 me feel all the sadder about it. At br"akfast 

 time I asked their forgiveness also. Hut there 

 has been a feeling ever since, that I must have 

 suffered in their estimation by that b.ief, in- 

 stantaneous photograph of a deformity in my 

 character. They may have had glimpses of 

 said deformity years ago, and may have forgot- 

 ten that it existed. Oh how glad I should be if 

 it were possible to have all my friends forget, 

 and forget myself, that Satan still has a hold 

 upon me! It rankles in my heart to think that 

 he may, at any unex|)ected moment, get a clutch 

 on me again. Lord, help! li parents seem to 

 decide that it is right and proper to speak harsh, 

 unkind things to each other, what in the world 

 is to hinder th(> children from learning to think 

 that it is proper and right for them to be harsh 

 and severe? 



It is the parent's duty, not only lo look out 

 about the example he sets Ix^fore the children, 

 but to look after the children. The parent is 

 the God-appointed guardian. Our pastor said 

 you might as well expect a child to grow up 

 right when you let it have its own way, as to 

 expect a locomotive would keep the track and 



