1879 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



411 



tions. I knew beforehand that this would 

 be so. I bad carefully studied the matter 

 over for years, and knew pretty well just 

 what the effect would be, and yet God's 

 voice said to me all the time, "Go on. Do 

 your duty unflinchingly." How do I know 

 it was God's voice, and not the work of the 

 Devil, as the Dr. said? Well, I carefully 

 and prayerfully examined myself as I have 

 told you. I watched eagerly and most close- 

 ly, to see where that satisfied feeling that 

 follows one in doing God's work would lead. 

 When I had decided to destroy the papers at 

 a considerable expense, I did not feel troubled 

 at the expense at all, hut I felt unsatisfied, 

 just as I do when I allow the saloon across 

 the way to go on with business, without 

 remonstrating with them. When I decided 

 to go on with it, I felt as I do when on the 

 way to Abbeyville. through a cold rain 

 storm, — tired and cold perhaps, but satisfied, 

 because I am working for others rather than 

 considering my own personal comfort. 



My pastor came home, lie had had a let- 

 ter from the Dr., and he asked me to tell 

 him nothing about it. but to allow him to 

 read the part printed, and then to read the 

 Dr.'s letter left with me for him. He read 

 both through, without a remark. At the 

 end, he said he could see but one good point 

 made. That point was in reference to my 

 former partner herself. 



•'She of course knows of this V" 



"Certainly; you can talk with her about it, 

 if you wish!" 



"Well, aside from that, I say go on, by all 

 means. I do not say this so much because 

 it meets my views, hut because I feel that 

 the spirit which guides you is a true one, 

 and that it will always lead you safely. 1 ' 



That no one may think I thoughtlessly and 

 needlessly save pain to any one. I will re- 

 mark that he called on her, or she on him, 

 and that friendly relations have always ex- 

 isted between them. 



The journal was printed just as I had 

 written it. Of course, I should never have 

 written any such thing for our town's people, 

 and I had long before anticipated the diffi- 

 culty of making them understand that my 

 bee journal was quite a different thing from 

 one of our county papers. 



What I write in these pages is for the 

 thousands who know me only through this 

 bee journal, and who have no acquaintance 

 with the people of my town and vicinity. 

 They, therefore, look upon the people whom 

 I mention as simply individuals or fellow 

 travelers in the abstract; and, when I speak 

 of them to illustrate a point or to help others 

 in the battle with evil, my readers get the 

 moral of the story simply, without dreaming 

 of being prejudiced against the ones whom 

 I have mentioned. Now, our people here at 

 home fail to take this into account. Not a 

 dozen copies of Gleanings are ordinarily 

 taken in our town, and less than two dozen 

 in our whole county. Notwithstanding this, 

 when I have given you these little sketches 

 of the progress of the temperance work in 

 our town, the individuals I have pictured 

 (but never named) would have it (when any 

 body was so thoughtless as to show them a 

 copy of Gleanings) that I had purposely 



held them up in derision before all the world. 

 While I know that this was only imaginary, 

 I have felt badly about it, more than once, 

 as the only alternative I have' had was to 

 make up my stories, and write fiction. But, 

 as I think the truths of this life are stranger 

 and more wonderful than any fiction, and as 

 I cannot, conscientiously, write fiction, I 

 have kept on giving these life pictures, ask- 

 ing God to take care of the consequences. I 

 feel that this prayer has been answered, and 

 that no one has been harmed in the end. 



Well, this March number came out, as you 

 know. I had prayed to be guided in regard 

 to the stir it would probably make in our 

 town, and the course that was pointed out 

 to me seemed to be, to keep on at my work 

 as if nothing had happened, and to mention 

 the matter to no one, unless I was questioned 

 about it, and then to reply briefly and simply, 

 and to be not troubled whatever aspect 

 affairs might take ; to answer pleasantly and 

 fully all that might be asked of me, but to 

 take no pains to defend myself, and in no 

 case to be drawn into argument, but to trust 

 God to take care of it all. As I had, in that 

 paper, found no fault with any one, and cen- 

 sured none but myself, I did not expect 

 much would be said of it, but I was very 

 greatly mistaken. Our town was alive with 

 excitement and, at one time, almost in a 

 perfect uproar. With a certain class, it 

 seemed as if the English language was total- 

 ly inadequate to the task of furnishing 

 epithets to express their indignation at my 

 course. The infidel element was in a rage, 

 and many of the Christian people, who did 

 not follow them, were full of grief and sor- 

 row, for a time, as it seemed. Although 

 all these things were freely talked about, for 

 quite a time no one came to me with a word 

 of complaint. Letters soon came in great 

 numbers, but almost all of these were full of 

 good, Christian counsel and encouragement. 

 Quotations from Scripture came in from all 

 sides, which showed in a way I had certainly 

 never seen it before that the Bible was read 

 and appreciated. Occasionally came a letter 

 of remonstrance, but these were so few, I 

 might easily give them all here, if I thought 

 it best. First came letters of cheer and en- 

 couragement from women, but soon, from 

 my own sex, more than one of whom confess- 

 ed that he had been like tempted as myself. 

 Some had fallen and doubted if religion even 

 could save them. Great numbers said those 

 words would make them better husbands 

 and fathers for the remainder of their lives. 



Meanwhile the talk progressed in our 

 town. It was said I must be stopped from 

 such writing by some means; out how? 

 My pastor should be expelled from the 

 church for countenancing such work, and 

 the church would be broken up unless I were 

 expelled. The trouble was, it was myself I 

 had abused and there was no law to meet 

 such a case. Some of the papers suggested 

 tar and feathers. One class would tar and 

 feather me, while another— fathers and moth- 

 ers — came to me. in great numbers, beseech- 

 ing me to take their sons and daughters in 

 my employ, and bring them up in accordance 

 with my principles. One of these was a hot 

 headed ami avowed infidel. While he got 



