GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



January, 1918 



SOME time 

 ago our old 

 pastor. Rev. 

 A. T. Reed, paid 

 a visit to our 

 Medina people 

 after an absence 

 of several years. 

 In s h a k i n g' 

 hands with dif- 

 ferent ones of 

 liiis old friends 

 he made the re- 

 mark to one of 

 them. "Why, my 

 good friend L., 

 you do not seem 

 to have grown anii smaller since I knew 

 you years ago." 



Perhaps I should remark here that L. al- 

 ■waj'S was a pretty good-sized man — good- 

 sized particularly' sidewise instead of end- 

 wise; but what I want to speak of just now 

 is the reply that L. gave to his old minister. 

 It was something like this: 



" It is true, Mr. Reed, that I am but little 

 if any smaller than I was years ago when 

 you knew me so well; but if I am not any 

 smaller than I used to be, I am a great deal 

 better man than I used to be." 



Of course, this was meant as a joke, and 

 there was a big laugh all around among the 

 bystanders. T tliink I laughed heartily with 

 the I'est. But the Avords of our good friend 

 L. have been following mie more or less 

 ever since. Can I say of myself just now, 

 and sav it truthfully, that I am a better man 

 than I "used to be"? 



Now, dear friends and readers of Glean- 

 ings, how is it with youf and I put this 

 question not only to the men but to the 

 women also — can you or can we answer 

 truthfull3\ the question, " Are you and I 

 better than we usetl to be?" If no^t, is it 

 not high time (before we get to be any 

 older) to set about the serious work of get- 

 ting to be better husbands, better wives, 

 and better fathers and mothers than we 

 used to be? In other words, to put it short, 

 are we growing in grace as we grow in 

 years? To come right down to self, I 

 honestly believe I am making some improve- 

 ment; but, oh dear me! when I think of the 

 im. patient and wicked thoughts that come 

 into my mind I feel almost discouraged. 

 Again and again I feel the necessity of 

 using that little prayer. " Lord, help !" and 

 then the other one, a little longer, " Create 

 in me a clean heart, God, and renew a 

 right spirit within me." 



I am going to tell you one of my besetting 

 sins, and maj' be it is also one of yours. 



OUR HOMES 



A. I. ROOT 



Clinrity doth not l:elia%'e itself unseemlv. peeketh 

 not her own, is not easily provoked, thinksth no evil. 

 — T. COE. 13:5. 



Search me, O God, and know my heart ; try me, 

 and know my thouehts; and see if there te anv wick- 

 ed way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting;. 

 — I'S.AT.M 133:23, 24. 



It is this: To 

 yield to the 

 temj^tation t o 

 criticise and find 

 fault with my 

 friends and 

 neighbors. 

 AV h e n we sit 

 down at the ta- 

 ble, if we are 

 not careful we 

 get to comment- 

 ing on somebody 

 '■-^rl sneaking un- 

 kindly of the 

 absent ones. I 

 wonder if m.y 

 friends and neighhors ever discuss A. I. Root 

 in the same way, and speak of his faults and 

 failings. I wonder if it ever occurs to them 

 hnw badly hurt I should feiel if I should 

 Iiap]Ten to overhear some of their comments. 

 And, again, how hurt they might feel if they 

 knew how I have at timl-rs been criticising 

 ficm. I tliink I heard someAvhere an in- 

 junction something like this: "Never say 

 a thing behind a person's back that you 

 would not say to his face ;" and I have 

 sometimes wondei'ed if there is anybody who 

 lives up to that strict rule. Now, please do 

 not misunderstand me. There are certain 

 things that must be discussed and talked 

 over before we go to the person and kindly 

 plead with him. Perhaps a child has been 

 going wrong. It is certainly well and wise 

 for tlie father and mother to talk it over, 

 and get all the facts possible before dealing 

 with the delinquent himself. It has been 

 suggested that, instead of discussing the ab- 

 sent one's faults and failings, we should go 

 directly to him and .say what needs to be 

 said. But, dear friends, if you have ever 

 tried it you probably know that it is " tick- 

 lish business," if I may use the term. You 

 are vei-y likely to do harm instead of good. 

 Let us turn it around the other way. If 

 some friend comes to you, even with the best 

 intentions, and tells you of your short- 

 comings, ai'e you sure you will take it all 

 right? An illustration oceui'S i"ight here. 

 When I used seA'eral pages a while ago to 

 Avarn people about inventing in a potato- 

 pen (see page 559, July) some good 

 friend reminded me of the space I had oc- 

 cupied to expose a fraud in " war garden- 

 ing," and I confess I felt hurt, at least a 

 little, especially since it has turned out as 

 he said. I might remark right here that the 

 best potato-pen in Medina (and there are 

 several of them) promises to yield perhaps 

 tliirty or forty quarts instead of bushels, 

 and tlie potatoes are small at that. 



