1879 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



251 



The troubles with goods sent by freight 

 seem even worse than those with the Ex- 

 press Cos.; for the It. It. Cos. will take their 

 own time, whether or no. When clover be- 

 gun to come out. quite a number of the 

 friends wrote they had not received their 

 hiVes and section boxes, although they sent 

 the money away ahead of the time they 

 would be needed. One poor fellow had 

 ''Raked and scraped" and borrowed the 

 money to get his outfit for the season, and, 

 although he sent in April and his goods 

 were sent early in May, clover was in bloom, 

 his hives full* and nothing to put the honey 

 in. He could not possibly borrow any more 

 money, and unless his goods were received 

 at once, he could, no way in the world, pay 

 for what he had already borrowed. A tra- 

 cer had been sent for the goods nearly a 

 month before, but notaword. Another was 

 sent, but not a word. I ordered our agent 

 to trace them by telegraph, offering to pay 

 all expenses. He stmt the telegram, but the 

 proper officials would not answer; I waited 

 one day, and sent another; no answer; one 

 more day, and no answer. I felt again, that 

 when men who held important positions 

 were too proud and lofty to give us notice, 

 God never was, and he would always answer. 

 I went to him, and, as a consequence, tilled 

 our friend's order again, and sent it by ex- 

 press. I did the same with another, and 

 another, until all the lost goods were made 

 up out of my own pocket, trusting to be 

 able to recover them, though it might be, if 

 at all, after the season is over, so the goods 

 will be of no value until another year. 



.Ton know I have told you about casting 

 bread upon the waters. Well, it seemed so 

 in this case; for, much to my astonishment, 

 one of the parties, after mentioning that the 

 goods by express reached him just in the 

 nick of time, said the season was proving so 

 favorable, he thought he should use both 

 lots and would pay all charges, thus reliev- 

 ing me entirely from loss. Another said 

 that both lots had come, and that he needed 

 them all. 



I might have gone to law, and sued the 

 Co. for such a very long delay, and for hav- 

 ing refused to trace the goods. It is true, I 

 could have done so. Would I have been 

 happier, or made any more money? We had 

 a little text in our Sabbath school lesson of a 

 few days ago, as follows: 



"It is not by miuht, it is not by power, but by my 

 spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." 



The spirit of Christ's teachings will con- 

 quer where law will not, and arouses none 

 of the unkind feelings that law is so apt to 

 engender. 



Again; I might have printed on my bill 

 heads, as so many business houses do,— 



"All goods delivered safely on hoard the 

 cars, and the It. It. Co.'s receipt given, after 

 which our responsibility ceases.' 1 My 

 friends, that would lie a very easy way to do, 

 but I would no more think of turning you 

 off in that way. alter you have scraped up 

 your money and sent it to me, than nothing 

 in the world. 



Now I am coming to the last and worst 

 trouble. I really wish I could see my way 

 out of it, as easily, as I can those I have 



mentioned. Perhaps I shall be censured for 

 coming out with it, but you know I do not 

 believe in keeping secrets. It seems to me 

 God likes to have things brought out plain- 

 ly. You probably all know what I have 

 said in my price list about sending money in 

 letters, iii place of getting drafts or P. (). 

 orders. You may have noticed in our late 

 lists, that I have said $2.00 instead of $5.00. 

 Well, I shall have to tell you now, not to* 

 send any money in letters at all, for the pres- 

 ent. Get a P. (.). order, bank check, or have 

 your money registered. By either of these 

 methods, money may be sent at my risk, but 

 not otherwise. 



Until last December, our losses by mail 

 did not exceed one letter in a thousand. 

 At that time, they began to increase rapidly, 

 and within the past two weeks, not only 

 have letters containing money been missed 

 entirely, but we have been in the receipt of 

 great numbers of letters from which the 

 money had been abstracted, and the letters 

 sealed up again. I have notified the Gov- 

 ernment, and they seem to be doing all they 

 can, to* ferret out the thief. In fact, I hope 

 the matter will be fully cured before this 

 reaches you. It seems to be settled, with- 

 out question, that the robberies are made 

 before the mail reaches our town. In every 

 case, as soon as I have been informed of the 

 facts, I have forwarded the goods, without 

 receiving a cent for them, knowing that, in 

 our business, the want of the goods is fre- 

 quently much greater than the value of 

 them. I have stated the matter as well as I 

 could to those of you who have lost, and 

 have asked you, if you felt it was right, to 

 send me half price. Many of you have 

 done this, and quite a number have sent the 

 whole amount again, saying they did not 

 expect me to send off my goods until I had 

 received the full price of them. Many have 

 very kindly thanked me, for my considera- 

 tion in sending the goods without pay, while 

 a few, a very few, have declined sending 

 any thing, saying they had payed for the 

 goods once, and they were not going to pay 

 any more. I believe only one friend made 

 this last remark. This has been a severe 

 burden for me to bear during the past six 

 months, and I have kept still about it, think- 

 ing we should certainly soon be able to unrav- 

 el the mystery. I may be blamed for having 

 advised -that money should be sent by mail 

 without registry, rather than by P. O. 

 orders and registered letters ; but, with the 

 security the mails have afforded during the 

 •20 year's past, while I have been in business, 

 I should unhesitatingly recommend as I 

 have in my price list. Mails going to other 

 offices, with but few exceptions, go with the 

 usual regularity. May God grant that the 

 unfortunate brother, whoever he is, who has 

 so unscrupulously appropriated our hard 

 earnings, may be brought to light and to 

 justice, and if his eye ever glances at these 

 pages, which js among the possibilities, may 

 his sold be awakened to the enormity of the 

 crime he is committing against the God 

 above, as well as his fellow men. 



The grooved board, illustrated on another page 

 fur watering bees, or for an open air feeder, we can 

 furnish for 15c; if sent by mail, 25c. 



