466 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 



not that Christian love in our hearts that 

 we ought to have, and that strong reluctance 

 to repeat words of censure or reproach, that 

 all of us ought to have. Oh, if newspaper 

 men, magazine men. and publishers of cy- 

 clopedias, would, as they commence their 

 work in the morning, pray from the heart 

 that the Holy Spirit might keep them from 

 these mistakes and evils, what a grand 

 thing it would he ! 1 suppose you have al- 

 ready thought of my bright little text right 

 here — " Thinketli no evil.'' 



A great part of my acquaintance with the 

 world comes through the letters day by day 

 — letters that I am obliged to read in order 

 that I may do justice to my fellow-men. 

 While most of these letters breathe a spirit 

 of charity and love, there is occasionally 

 one from a poor brother or sister who has 

 got things mixed and wrong. He supposes 

 he has been wronged and cheated, when no- 

 body has had a thought of such a thing. How 

 sad are such cases ! I once had a teamster 

 who was plowing on the creek bottom. He 

 was right close by the railroad. His horses 

 became excited, and made him some trouble 

 with his plowing. He, poor fellow, became 

 disturbed and excited too, and in his disor- 

 dered state of mind he would have it that 

 the engineer of the locomotive was running 

 back and forth, sending the cars spinning 

 hither and thither, just on purpose to annoy 

 Mm and frighten his team. I had hard work 

 to convince him that the railroad men never 

 so much as thought of him and his team 

 away down at the bottom of the bank. May 

 be they did not see him at all ; but he did 

 not think it unreasonable or impossible that 

 these men who handle great cars and loco- 

 motives, and whose time is worth ever so 

 many dollars an hour, would stop and move 

 great heavy machinery just on purpose to 

 bother him with his comparatively unimpor- 

 tant labor. I often think of this illustra- 

 tion. Only yesterday Ernest wrote a whole 

 Sage to a poor friend, to try to convince 

 im that he was wrong in thinking that we 

 had struck him a damaging blow in print, 

 because we wanted to get the business away 

 from him that he was doing. Why, the poor 

 man did not even know that every member 

 of the Root family have been wishing and 

 almost praying for weeks back that the or- 

 ders through the mails might stop. I pre- 

 sume I never would have mentioned it had 

 not this circumstance brought it out. But, 

 dear friends, I have actually felt pained 

 when a clerk has opened a letter containing 

 a hundred dollars, and sometimes two or 

 three hundred. For so many years I have 

 been in the habit of thanking God for such 

 letters, that it does seem a little strange 

 now to feel sad when they come. We have 

 had more business than we knew what to 

 do with. We have stopped sending out 

 price lists and advertisements; we have 

 discouraged those who inquired about goods 

 — that is, hives and sections, because we 

 knew how unable we were to fill orders 

 promptly ; and yet this poor friend would 

 have it that we were greedy for the small 

 business he was doing, and wanted it all 

 ourselves. When by some blunder an adver- 

 tisement was left out that should have ap- 



peared, two or three good friends have al- 

 most insisted that A. I. Root kept it out be- 

 cause he was afraid it would injure his 

 trade. And then when I have tried to ex- 

 plain, one or two have accused me of being 

 untruthful. Why, bless your hearts, dear 

 friends, do you think it possible, with all 

 my cares and burdens, that I want what 

 justly belongs to you? Think hard of me, if 

 you choose, tor our neglect during the past 

 few weeks. You may even call me names, 

 and accuse me of being lazy and half-heart- 

 ed, and you may say 1 have got so I do not 

 care as I once did ; but, please do not hurt 

 me any more by insinuating that I am 

 greedy for your business. What a very sad 

 picture I sl'iould present, if, after all these 

 blessings God has sent me with such un- 

 stinted abundance, I should be greedy for 

 still more property, more business, and 

 more anxiety. Many of the things you, in 

 your thoughtlessness, have accused me of, I 

 never knew any thing about ; for it is im- 

 possible that any one human being should 

 be able to compass or keep track of so much. 

 And in saying this, please do not under- 

 stand me that no one is looking after your 

 kind orders. Others have taken my place. 

 Other good kind Christian hearts are read- 

 ing your letters, many of them, and dictat- 

 ing answers in my place. Perhaps they do 

 not know you as I do, and very likely they 

 are so cramped for time that their answers 

 are brief ; but I am sure that a kindly feel- 

 ing actuates them all. I am sure that the 

 Holy Spirit has a permanent lodging-place 

 in the hearts of the most of these friends 

 and helpers who are gathered about me, 

 doing their part to the best of their ability, 

 and as I would do it if I were able to do it 

 all. 



During revival times we often witness the 

 workings of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of 

 men. A few weeks ago my old pastor, 

 A. T. Reed, wrote me that he would be very 

 glad to have me pass the Sabbath with him 

 in a neighboring town, that I might assist 

 him in the revival work now going on there. 

 I could not well be spared for even one day, 

 at this season of the year, especially at this 

 present season ; but I arranged to leave 

 home late Saturday night, and to get home 

 early Monday morning. Almost as soon as 

 I stepped from the train Saturday evening, 

 I was ushered into a church full of pleasant, 

 wide-awake, earnest people. Their very 

 faces inspired me ; and I talked to them 

 for forty minutes, perhaps, as well as I ever 

 talked in any similar audience. Before the 

 meeting closed, great numbers of young and 

 old, especially the former, arose and testified 

 for Christ Jesus. During the Sabbath I at- 

 tended five different services, taking more 

 or less part in all of them. I came home 

 with a new inspiration in my heart for the 

 cause. It was arranged that my stay over 

 Sunday should be with a family who had 

 lately come out on the Lord's side — at least 

 a grown-up son and daughter had, and we 

 hope and pray that the father will follow 

 soon. The son and daughter were perhaps 

 from eighteen to twenty, and I was at once 

 impressed with the beautiful characters of 

 the two. They were bright, enterprising, 



