686 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



SOME 40 or 

 50 years ago 

 the liquor 

 business was in 

 the habit of hav- 

 ing pretty much 

 its own way. 

 When the 

 churches and 

 good people 

 who believed in 

 prohibition 

 tried to do 

 something, the 

 liquor people 

 laughed us to 

 scorn. They 

 said in action if 

 not in words, 

 " Help yourselves if you can ;" and we 

 proceeded to enact laws which were 

 promptly trampled under foot; and when 

 we tried to get good men in office who 

 would enforce the law without fear or favor, 

 they again laughed us to scorn.* When 

 we were defeated again and again they had 

 even the audacity and cheek to say, right 

 to our faces, things like this : 



" Every man has his price. You folks 

 have not enough money, and never will 

 have, to enable you to interfere seriously 

 with our traffic." 



Things went on after this fashion unt'l 

 peril ai)s 30 years ago. At that time Ernest 

 and my son-in-law, Mr. Calvei't, were at- 

 tending college at Oberlin. While there 

 they became acquainted with a theological 

 and law student by the name of Howai'd 

 H. Russell. Mr. Russell, even in his col- 

 lege days, had the audacity (I guess that 

 is the proper word) to think that he could 

 mass the churches, political parties, and 

 the good people of our whole nation to- 

 gether so that they could successfully fight 

 the great Goliath, King Alcohol. The boys 

 told me about it at different times as they 

 came back to their old home. Let me di- 

 gTess a little right here. 



On account of my failing health, per- 

 haps by too close application to business, 

 about this time the boys were called from 

 college before they had finished their pre- 

 scribed course, and took chai-ge of the busi- 

 ness, calling it " The A. I. Root Co." Not- 

 withstanding the help this gave me I came 

 down with a nervous malarial fever; and, 

 altho I recovered after a fashion, a coun- 

 cil of doctors declared I would never be a 



OUR HOMES 



A. I. ROOT 



Who is this uncireumcised Philistine, that he 

 should defy the armies of the living God ?■ — I. 

 Samuel 17:26. 



I come to thee in the name of tlie Lord of hosts, 

 the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hagt de- 

 fied. — I. Samuel 17:45. 



They shall run, and not he weary ; they .shall 

 walk, and not faint. — Isaiah 40:31. 



Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in 

 peace, according to thy word. — Luke 2 :29. 



November, 1918 



well man. They 

 said I would 

 have to give up 

 business entire- 

 ly and that I 

 had better go 

 away off to 

 some sunny 

 clime — perhaps 

 California — and 

 take things easy 

 during the few 

 years I proba- 

 bly would have 

 to live. After T 

 Avas well enough 

 I put off. At 

 Portland, Oi'e., 

 I was down with 



*The city daily papers and, to some extent, coun- 

 try papers uttered no protest, because they got big 

 prices for running liquor and beer ads., "liquid 

 bread," etc. 



my old trouble once more, and sent for the 

 best doctor in the city. In a little while he 

 told me the same story. He advised me 

 to inform my wife that if she wished to 

 see me alive she should come to me quick- 

 ly. I have told all about this in the back 

 numbers of our journal. Mrs. Root hustled 

 off, took charge of my diet, and, knowing 

 me personally better than any other per- 

 son in the world did, she soon had me on 

 my feet, and got me back home in fair 

 shape. By the way, good friends, this is 

 by no means the first time that a good wife 

 has proved to be of more account than (I 

 was going to say) the best doctors in the 

 whole wide world. If you, my good reader, 

 have not a wife, and you are old enough 

 to have one, you had better " get busy" 

 right away, " that your days may be long 

 in the land." In fact, Mrs. Root got me 

 in su':'h fair trim that I followed the trail 

 and climbed Mount Wilson on foot before 

 we returned to Medina. Many of you have 

 read about it, and remember what I said 

 about that precious gift from the loving- 

 Father — a " second wind." When I got 

 back home I proceeded to take the doctor's 

 advice and take things easy. But perhaps 

 I was not " built that way." My old trou- 

 ble came back, and I was moping around 

 thinking my end was near. 



About this time Ernest came over one 

 morning — I think he was riding a wheel. 

 He said to me something like this : 



" Father, since the doctors have given 

 you up I want to give you a suggestion." 



I do not know but I was a little vexed 

 because he assumed, or seemed to assume, 

 his fitness for such a responsibility. He 

 explained that he wanted me to try riding a 

 wheel. I replied : 



" Why, my dear boy, I could not sit up 



