1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



087 



she was well. I thought she prayed more earnestly 

 that night for the training of her little family than 

 ever before. 



It seems that I could give up every child I have 

 better than this dear companion. Oh the long and 

 lonely hours at night, when every tiling is still! 

 Bro. Koot, you are a stranger to me; but your pic- 

 ture has made such an impression on my mind that 

 you looked natural, as I saw you in my sleep: so if 

 we never meet in this world 1 believe I shall know 

 you on the other shore. Pray for me that 1 may 

 ifollow my loved ones, training and teacliing my 

 children to love the Lord and make an undivided 

 family in tliat sun-bright clime. 



Benson, W. Va. Abbott Clem.^ns. 



V Dear brother Clemans, let me remind yon 

 In this, your hour of trial, how much you have 

 to be thankful for compared with those who 

 have no hope or faith in God. Your earnest 

 prayers, it may have seemed lo you, were not an- 

 swered — that is, bod did not see lit to grant 

 what you asked; but as time passes I am sure 

 you will discover that God did hear and did 

 heed, nevertheless. It is not his holy will that 

 our prayers should all be answered. You will 

 remember that the prayer of the dear Savior, 

 uttered in such anguish of spirit, was not grant- 

 ed. He ended, " Thy will, not mine, be done," 

 as we should always end our petitions. But 

 God gave him grace to meet the trial, and he 

 will give you grace too. This deep allllction 

 that you are passing through will weau you in 

 a measure from earth, and at the same time 

 draw you toward heaven and heavenly things. 

 The dear companion has been called away; but 

 her works do live after her, and you are tinding 

 them already in the care and companionship of 

 that little family. May I venture to ask you to 

 be careful that that dear child of thirteen does 

 not overwork herself? Stand by her as you 

 stood by your wife. Remember she is but a 

 child still, and will, perhaps, long for childish 

 joys and pleasures. Very lil^ely she will be 

 strongly inclined to be self-sacrificing. Do not 

 let her go too far in that way. Yon did all you 

 could to save your wife. If there are physicians 

 in the world who could have treated the case 

 better it was not in your power lo procure 

 them. You did the best you knew how, con- 

 stantly asking God to guide you. Let this 

 thought comfort you. There is a limit to hu- 

 man responsibility; and when we have done all 

 that we can, and have placed the whole matter 

 in God's hands, then we should let the matter 

 rest there. Under the circumstances, he has 

 seen fit to take the dear companion from your 

 home. When I first received the letter I took 

 it over and read it to Mrs. Root; then I took it 

 down to the dear old mother in the evening, 

 and read it to her. She said it ought to have a 

 place in the Home Papers. 



When you speak of seeing my poor self in 

 your dream, it brings to me a feeling of un- 

 worthiness. You felt that it would be a com- 

 fort to you to tell ^1. /. Root your troubles, did 

 you? When 1 first read it. and, in fact, every 

 time since, it has seemed to me as though I 

 must take my wheel and hunt up that little 

 home, and sit down and have a talk with you 

 and with the dear children. It reminds me of 

 the time when I was away off in Michigan, 

 where a dear brother gave me the old arm- 

 chair and the family Bible, and asked me to 

 read to him and his motherless children from 

 the precious words of scripture. Perhaps it 

 will some time be my privilege to meet you and 

 your little flock. If so, I hope you will find me 

 not too great a contrast from what you saw me 

 in your dream. Is it really possible that the 

 readers of Gleanings have been thinking ef 

 me in that way in their times of trouble ? 



Now, dear brother, the lesson God has per- 

 mitted you to carry to the thousands of homas 



where Gleanings goes is this: To bid the hus- 

 band and wife and the father and mother be 

 gentle toward each other. Neither one of you 

 knows when this relation you have enjoyed 

 together so long may be broken off. When you 

 are tempted to be harsh or unkind; when you 

 are tempted to argue or dispute with each other, 

 stop and think, dear friends, of brother C. at 

 the present time. Sometimes you start a little 

 discussion or disagreement almost in jest. You 

 let it go on just in pleasantry or foolishness; 

 and before you know it, something harsh or un- 

 kind has been said. Do not do it. Do not in 

 jest say any thing that sounds unfeeling or 

 disrespectful. God instituted the relation that 

 exists between you two. He has sealed and 

 cemented it by giving you children, and may be 

 grandchildren. Do any of you know how a 

 chihl feels when he discovers that his parents 

 are not getting along well together? I can 

 think of nothing more painful. But a few 

 days ago I heard of a home where the father 

 and mother had not spoken to each other di- 

 rectly for several months, and yet they have a 

 tolerably good-sized family of grown-up chil- 

 dren to feel hurt and embarrassed by this state 

 of affairs. May God forbid I and may married 

 people throughout our land take warning in 

 time!; 



But a'few days ago I saw a statement some- 

 where, to the effect that the number of divorces 

 granted in Ohio during the past year was away 

 up in the thousands. You had better put up 

 with any thing, or bear with almost any thing, 

 rather than separate; and even if you decide to 

 separate, do not think of a divorce. Let the 

 arrangement be so that each or both of you can 

 repent and get back. Do not let your little 

 petty disagreements come out before the world. 

 Before the world you have stood together as 

 man and wife— perhaps for many long years. 

 Now, even if you have troubles and trials, be 

 careful about letting the ivorld know it. If 

 your companion has peculiarities that are not 

 pleasant, do not speak of it to a living soul. 

 Make the best of it; ask God to help you; and 

 let me say again what I have said before, that, 

 where even one of the parties is a devout Chris- 

 tian, the other is pretty sure to follow sooner or 

 later. See what friend Clemans has told us. 

 His wife prayed for him fiv' long years; and 

 while she prayed she lived a life caiisistentwith 

 that'prayer, and God save her her reward. 



Dl can not tell 'just now why I have been im- 

 pressed to speak in this way to the readers of 

 Gleanings At first glance the letter I have 

 given you would hardly suggest the matter; 

 and yei I do believe that God in his providence 

 has impressed me to take up this subject. If it 

 should prove to be a message sent from God to 

 you, dear brother or sister, you can wil ir i 

 tell me about it. Whenever I hear oi a _!vorc3 

 it gives me a feeling of sadness and pain. Per- 

 haps the Bible has not said so, but I can tell 

 you, dear friend, that there will be no divorces 

 in heaven, and God's calls to us here on earth 

 are not in that direction. Perhaps it would not 

 be well to tell even your old friend A. I. R. your 

 troubles and trials in getting along in the home 

 where God seems to have placed you. My ad- 

 vice is, remember, not to tell anyhody. But 

 you can tell with safety and security all your 

 troubles to the dear Savior. He has never yet 

 turned any one away, and he will give you bet- 

 ter advice than any mortal on earth can give. 

 Make him your friend and confidant in trial. 

 When tempted, do not, I beg of you, forget to 

 turn to him in prayer. Take the little prayer 

 that I have given you — "Lord, help;" and re- 

 member that your friend who is writing these 

 words is constantly praying for the fathers and 



