683 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CQLTURE 



Sept. 1. 



there were a possibility of and a sympatliy for 

 selfishness in his nature, he could not be manly. 

 If he felt no temptation, and knew nothing of 

 what it is to be tempted and tried, he would 

 not be worthy of the love and respect and con- 

 fidence of any fiuod woman, neither would he 

 be worthy of the respect which God himself 

 showed him when he created him in his own 

 image. 



AN EXCEEDINGLY KIND LETTER. 



SOME VAIATABLE MORALS BESIDES. 



Dear Bro. Root:— I address you thus, for in 

 your " Home Talks " I feel you are a brother to 

 all mankind. I never saw Gleanings till yes- 

 terday. My aged father had some old copies 

 given to him. which fell into my "lap," as it 

 were, at an opportune time. Sickness- in my 

 family, of wife and children (we have buried 

 four babies), with loss, of property, has made 

 me poor, and my health is poor. I have a 

 dependent family on my hands, so I want to 

 get at some kind of work. I was terribly 

 '•blue," when I got hold of half a dozen copies 

 of Gleanings, printed in 1887 and "88. I felt 

 $100 better after reading your Home papers 

 and Our Neighbors.* Thoughts like this flit 

 through my mind: Five years have gone by. 

 Perhaps A. I. Root has gone to his " home 

 above," and his sons are doing his life-woi'k. 

 Do they mix religion with their business as did 

 their father? Well, I hope A. I. Root is still 

 preaching his sermons by the '' wayside," still 

 living to help others. I feel I shall go forth to 

 battle anew with life and its dilficulties since 

 reading Gleanings. 



I write this line to you to thank you for writ- 

 ing such good little sermons that are so help- 

 ful to us struggling mortals. God bless you, if 

 alive; and if dead, you still live. 



Houlton, Me., July 36. S. R. Smith. 



P. S., 24 hours later.— \ have a hobby. It is 

 and has been potatoes. I have tried lots of new 

 kinds— most of them disappointing. I like 

 Terry. He raised a lot of Freemans from a- 

 barrel of seed. I was much elated when I dug 

 a hill 1 raised in 1891. Joseph (i. e., T. Greiner) 

 sent me an ounce potato by mail. I got 8 lbs. 

 from the hill. My ideas were up to high-water 

 mark. Maule said he would give me a barrel 

 if I got 60 subscriptions for the Practical 

 Farmer. Well, I soon got the number and .?50 

 premium. I got another lot of 60 subscriptions, 

 and got another premium of ?.i0. I always 

 like to do good, so I told my brother-farmers 

 the story of the ounce potato. I pulled in lots 

 of subscriptions for the Farmer by promising 

 two Freeman potatoes as a prize. In the spring 

 of 1893 I got my barrel of potatoes. I gave 1.50 

 farmers their potatoes. All were more than 

 pleased. In the fall, 90 per cent of my farmer 

 friends would say, when they met me, " Pro- 

 liflcs." I went to the field and dug two bar- 

 rels, and I said, "Prolifics." Now, you know 

 Aroostook Co. is the banner one for potatoes. 

 Maule says he sent me Freemans. I think he 

 believes it. Still. I feel as if I had a mean dirty 

 trick phiyed on me. I used to be great author- 

 ity on potatoi'S, and many took the Farmer for 

 the sake of the potatoes. So. being poor, I feel 

 very bad about the affair. I think it wicked to 



?alm off something worthless for a good article, 

 f these potato(^s were Freemans, they are no 

 good in Aroostook Co. 



* May I call friend Dadant's attention 1o the above 

 expression ? Of course, oui- friend speaks a little 

 recklessly; but after all, Is not the Christian faith 

 —the falLii T have been trying- so hard to teach— 

 worth something- ? 



Next spring I want to buy some new kinds of 

 potatoes. If you are alive, and I am on the 

 shores of time. I want to get a few pounds of 

 Early Chios from some one you can recommend. 



I used to keep bees, on a small scale, but I 

 really think Aroostook Co. too cold; the win- 

 tei'S are too long. Terry is great on straw- 

 berries. I often wonder if he keeps bees. I 

 have been much interested in the six-year-old 

 copies of (tLeanings I found as stated; but 

 there is an undertone of sadness about reading 

 advertisements, and pieces you and your co- 

 workers wrote six years ago. No doubt death 

 has laid you or some of these writers low. I 

 hope A. I. R. is preaching these short sermons 

 by the wayside. I do like to help my brother- 

 man. I meant well when I sold the Freeman 

 potatoes. God knows this: still, a host of 

 farmers think I took this nie'hod to get sub- 

 scriptions. Now, I believe Maule is a good 

 honest man; still, all seedsmen exaggerate 

 awfully. Would it not be a beautiful world if 

 all cheat, deceit, bickering, and strife, were 

 blotted out? I wish Satan were bound hand 

 and foot, for all time and eternity. I hear you 

 say amen ! I don't care whether you are a 

 Methodist or not. I feel to say, " God spare A. 

 I. Root." 



I have read eight back numbers of Glean- 

 ings, and I feel well acquainted with you. Is 

 the good wife still alive? Is Huber and the 

 rest of your family still alive? Death took a 

 beautiful girl, nearly five years old. from u^. one 

 year ago. She was a wonderful child: was one 

 of the happy kind. Her favorite piece was 

 " Rock of Ages." How little I thought the 

 dear child would so soon be sheltered behind 

 Christ, our Rock of Ages'. I suppose you know 

 all about these things. If death has not visited 

 your family, it has your friends' and neighbors'. 



You must pardon this long, poorly written 

 letter. I am laid up in the house with a second 

 edition of pneumonia, so I have had a feast 

 with the eight numbers of Gleanings, and am 

 having a pen-chat with the editor. 1 have got 

 some encouragement from your Home letters. 

 I hope you are still alive, pounding away for 

 the good of men. S. R. S. 



[Yes, friend S.. I am still alive to thank you 

 for your exceedingly kind and encouraging 

 words. I know of few things that have helped 

 and encouraged me more through life than 

 such instances as you mention, where even an 

 old cast-away number of Gleanings has fallen 

 into some one's way and given him help and 

 encouragement in battling against life's trials. 

 You will see, from some recent numbers we 

 send you. that the boys (my son and son-in- 

 law) do mix religion with business — perhaps 

 not exactly as I do, but in a way that I think 

 indicates they are not living altogether for self. 

 I have been so much interested in your potato- 

 story that I have, as you see, given it entire. I 

 am glad you told it, as it illustrates how many 

 times we meet with grievous disappointment, 

 even in our efforts to serve our fellow-men: 

 and it pleases me exceedingly to have you still 

 say, "Now. I believe Maule is a good honest 

 man." I do too. friend S.; but with the im- 

 mense business he has on his hands it is almost 

 impossible for him to avoid disappointment, 

 and perhaps fraud, in some of these little de- 

 tails. I will tell you what to do. Send to us the 

 address of every one of those farmer-friends, 

 and we will mail them this copy of Gleanings, 

 marking this letter: and I will also mail one 

 to Maule: and if he does not send to those 130 

 farmers some genuine Freeman potatoes, then 

 I shall be disappointed. There was a great 

 strife for the Freemans. as you may remember; 

 and, even during this last spring, Maule was 



