186 



THE BEE-KEEPEhd' MEVIEW 



Mr. O. L. Hershiser, of Buffalo, has 

 charge of arrangements at Buffalo, and will 

 attend to the matter of hotel rates. He 

 writes: " I purpose obtaining accommoda- 

 tions in private families for all bee-keepers 

 who prefer such to hotels." Members of 

 the Union can learn in regard to hotel rates 

 by applying to the secretary at the place of 

 the meeting. If known in time hotel rates 

 will be given in the bee periodicals. 



A.. B. Mason, Secretary. 



[I know that all will most thoroughly ap- 

 preciate the motive that prompts Bro. 

 Hershiser to try and find places for us at 

 private houses, but I think that all who have 

 attended many conventions will agree with 

 me that the best part of a convention is held 

 at the hotel where we stop. If we are all 

 broken up into little squads of two or three 

 or half a dozen, this delightful little social 

 feature will be lost. In this connection it 

 might not be well to forget that the hotels 

 will be terribly crowded, and some of us 

 may prefer the comfort of a private house 

 to that of a squeeze at the hotel, even if a 

 little of the visiting is lost. All right, Bro. 

 Hershiser, go ahead, it's all right just as 

 you say, "for those who prefer such to 

 hotels."— Ed.] 



A Condensed View of Current 



Bee Writings. 



E. E. HASTY. 



HND so you think we have one bad habit, 

 eh? (Review 15.3) We write in support 

 of our editor's position if we favor it — other- 

 wise keep as whist as mice, and so wheedle 

 said editor into thi king that the world is 

 about unanimous on that side. And the 

 editor who takes exactly the opposite side 

 experiences the same thing (vice versa) and 

 thinks that his position has the world's en- 

 dorsement. This exceedingly wise and sen- 

 sible observation has been shockingly slow 

 in getting around. Better late than never. 

 Let us fervently hope that tardiness may 

 not be heli)ed further on in mischief by 

 slowness of penetration into certain editor- 

 ial noddles that need it bad. 



Yes, yes : very few except clean-gone fools 

 write against an editor in the columns of his 

 own paper. (Corollary. Fools are scarce 

 among bee-keepers.) You see, an editor 

 has the handling of your blow, so to speak; 



it doesn't hit him at all until he transmits it, 

 and lands it on his own " solar plexus." 

 Takes lots of faith in "ye editor " to trust 

 him to do this. Then he might strike back; 

 and editorial position adds enormously to 

 his power of striking back. The thing 

 might run into a discussion. If, in spite of 

 his advantages, the editor should see him- 

 self in danger of being beaten, he can al- 

 ways throw his antagonist temporarily into 

 disadvantage, and then announce that the 

 discussion has become a bore to the readers, 

 and must be closed at once. And this last 

 announcement is pretty sure to be gospel 

 truth too. In this matter apicultural editors 

 have to suffer for the sins of editors in gen- 

 eral. And this critic cannot quite say that 

 apicultural editors have always shown them- 

 selves above the typical tricks of the editor- 

 ial fraternity. 



Well here is a " goodly land " that remains 

 to be possessed, and you, friend Hutchinson, 

 in the innocence of your heart, have led us 

 up to Pisgah's top and given us a glimpse of 

 it. Let's keep on reforming until we bring 

 about a state of things in which bee men 

 can and will write in pleasant dissent, just 

 as freely as they now do in assent. Big job 

 — and a long one — it will be ; but I rather 

 think it will be worth what it will cost. 

 First there will need to be an editorial clear- 

 ing of skirts to encourage such unusual con- 

 fidence on the part of the readers, and then 

 patient waiting for faith to take root and 

 grow to fruit-bearing size. You see the boy 

 who stands number ten in the class dislikes 

 to find himself dropped down to number 

 eleven by reason of a few words which he 

 did not need to write at all. And we all, 

 editors and non-editors, are terribly afflicted 

 with the idea that those who agree with us 

 are just a shade wiser than those who disa- 

 gree. I houestly believe, friend Hutchin- 

 son, you need less alteration to make you 

 into the new model editor than any bee 

 editor we have. But even with you, could I 

 write three times in succession dissenting 

 from three favorite fads of yours without 

 causing you to ruminate inwardly, "I fear 

 Mr. Hasty's judgment is not as correct as I 

 have been giving him credit for? " Ho little 

 of the spirit of martyrs have we that we 

 don't even like this petty penalty. 



The review. 



"O say, can you nve by the dawn'o early light" — 

 that she hann't gone down or disappeared 



