1893 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



645 



dripping with sweat, and worn out with the 

 unusual exertion, I tremblingly tied my boat 

 where I found it. The obstacles and resistances 

 came only when I tried to row upstream in- 

 stead of floating down with the current. Well, 

 there was a time in my life when I was ready 

 to say, as you do, that I liad no reason for be- 

 lieving in Satan at all. I had seen no evidence 

 of such a being, for I was going rapidly down- 

 stream, unmindful of the cautions and warn- 

 ings of good Christian friends around me. 

 After that eventful time, however, when I 

 tvu'ned about to retrace my steps, and with a 

 resolve to tight against the current of sin and 

 evil, then I met resistance, and I meet it every 

 day. 



Only last week word was brought to me that 

 a man was most cruelly beating and misusing 

 a horse because it would not work. The horse 

 was blind in one eye, and had a defect in one 

 of its feet that would make it hopelessly lame 

 forever. Nearly everybody around there said 

 it was not their affair, and they did not like to 

 meddle with the man in question. It was a 

 good deal easier to go doivttstream with the 

 current. Now, my obligation as a Christian 

 demanded that I should leave my business, go 

 several miles and look the thing up, and take 

 the part of the poor dumb beast. I too dreaded 

 to stir up ill feeling and get myself into a quar- 

 rel: but the prospect is, 1 shall have consider- 

 able '"rowing upstream " before I get through 

 with it. Tne Humane Society, however, and 

 other good people, will very likely give me a 

 lift; but I micilit have gone on sailing down- 

 stream with the greater part of the rest of the 

 world, and not got any glimpse of Satan at all, 

 much less having a square hand-to-hand fight 

 with him. 



You speak a little further along about con- 

 science. Good ! I was very glad to see that. 

 You believe in a conscience, and you be- 

 lieve in God who implanted this conscience 

 within ns as a monitor and a guide. Why, 

 you and I arn not far away from each other, 

 even if we do call things by different names. 



Now just a word about that expression of 

 yours, ■' whip and candy." This thing is thrown 

 up to us a good many times, and yet I am sure 

 we think nearly alike about it. Now, would 

 you not teach young people that there is a 

 reward for doing right? Would you not say 

 that hfrnesty is the best policy? and yet this 

 homely old proverb is a selfish one. People the 

 world over (let alone children) are continually 

 getting the idea into their heads that they can 

 get along /o.ster, and accomplish rmn'c, by tell- 

 ing lies and stealing, than they can by telling 

 the truth and rvorking for what they want. 

 Every little while some young man (or old one) 

 gets an idea that the ordinary methods of ac- 

 quiring property are too slow or humdrum, or 

 they want something with more excitement 

 about it. Our teachers and our preachers — our 

 good men and our good women —almost con- 

 tinually urge and exhort such to the idea that 

 there is more haiipincss and more money in 

 sticking to the steady duties of life, and in 

 making their money in the orthodox way. A 

 great part of our people are every little while 

 getting crazed by the gambling mania. They 

 think they can gei rich faster by buying lottery 

 tickets than by working on the farm. What 

 can we do but to hold uj) both whip and candy, 

 as you term it? Every thing we do is for some 

 anticipated good, or from a fear of evil if we do 

 not doit. We are continually grasping for a 

 gain of some kind, or fleeing from evil of some 

 kind. There can be no movement of the will 

 aside from these two motives — one positive and 

 one negative. You doubth^ss remember N. C. 

 Mitchell, a talented lawyer and a man of great 



ability — in fact, once the editor of a prominent 

 bee-journal. This man put out circulars, 

 established companies, and did a great amount 

 of work, and took a great deal of pains in order 

 that he might get money for which he never 

 rendered any equivalent. Father Langstroth, 

 in commenting in regard to Mitchell's career, 

 said that, if the man had expended the same 

 amount of energy and zeal in some honest 

 undertaking, he might have been well off. He 

 worked hard, and yet probably received nothing, 

 and ruined his reputation and good name be- 

 sides. Father Langstroth pointed out the fact 

 that it did not pay, and that it really paid 

 better to be honest than dishonest. Why, 

 friend D., if you could convince the criminal 

 class of this, there would no longer be any 

 crime. Now, this other line of teaching Is good 

 and right also. We should be honest and pure 

 because it is our duty to be so, whether it pays 

 or not. Sometimes it costs us a big lot— yes, a 

 big lot of money—to be strictly honest; but we 

 should be strictly honest, all the same; audit 

 is in this line that the scripture text comes in. 

 When one tells the truth, even though it costs 

 thousands of dollars to do so, he shall, in the 

 course of time, get his thousands of dollars back 

 a hundredfold; perhaps not in money, for 

 money does not necessarily make people happy, 

 but often quite the contrary; but the Bible 

 promise is, as I understand it, that one who 

 loses, for the sake of duty or honesty, will in the 

 end be a hundred times better off, in the best 

 sense of the word, than if he had sacrificed 

 truth and honor for the sake of gain. Now, 

 you and I both agree exactly in this, do we not, 

 friend D. ? 



You say you do not fear hell as a consequence 

 of doing wrong. I believe that the latest 

 teachings of theologians is to the effect that 

 heaven may commence here on earth —in fact, 

 does commence here; and in the same line I 

 believe that liell very often commences here on 

 earth, if, in fact, it does not always do so. Tak- 

 ing it in this light, yon and I pretty nearly 

 agree again. If we steal we have an uncom- 

 fortable conscience, and that is punishment. 

 Furthermore, if we are successful in our steal- 

 ing it opens the way for more work of the same 

 kind; for a thief never stops till he gets caught; 

 therefore his troubles multiply upon him, and 

 he commences very soon to reap that which he 

 has sown. You speak of the satisfaction of 

 having acted right. Why, that is a part of the 

 reward that a Christian is promised; and, in 

 fact, that satisfaction and peace of mind is 

 what we call God's blessing. You say you do 

 not care for the hereafter. Well, in one sense 

 lam like you in this. I seldom think of it. I 

 am snre it will take care of itself. God knows, 

 if I do not; and I have such a loving trust in 

 him that I do not feel uneasy or troubled about 

 it at all. 



Now in regard to your concluding point — 

 God"s foreknowledge. "and the matter of sin in 

 the world. You reject most vehemently the 

 idea that (Jod has foreknowkidge. if I under- 

 stand you. Very well. Suppose you say ho 

 has not. Perhaps that is according to your 

 belief, and perhaps not. If he has not fon?- 

 knowledge, then he is. to a considerable extent, 

 human, as we are. He. does not Know how 

 things will turn out, and tliis universe of his 

 creation may be a failure or a great l)lunder. 

 The anarchists and some of that class. I believe, 

 insist that it is a l)lunder, and therefore blow 

 themselves up .with bombshells in order to 

 express their disgust for (Jod's woi'k. If God 

 has not foreknowledge, it relieves him of re- 

 sponsibility, and you might say he is not to 

 blame for the sin and crime that exist. Now, 

 this doctrine may be agreeable to you: but I 



