1880 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



3 



stamp drawer, and all stamped ready for the 

 post-office ; then they were placed in a drawer 

 right under the elbow of the clerk who mails 

 the letters. In the former way, it might keep 

 a clerk nearly an hour to rill a half-dozen or- 

 ders for rules or similar articles; iu the latter 

 way, she could put up nearly 100, aside from 

 the work of addressing the packages. 



Again; sewing-machine screw-drivers, nice 

 ones, sell for about a dime, usually. It occur- 

 red to me, that I might furnish them to you 

 for about 5 c, probably, and so I wrote in re- 

 gard to them. Here is the letter of reply, con- 

 cerning both rules and screw-drivers: 



In reply to yours of the 22d iust., we have to say 

 that under the circumstances, we will accept your 

 order, if sent at once, for twelve gross of rules, 

 No. G9, at ^12.00 per gross, net cash, and allow you 

 to settle for the last lot sent you at the same rate. 



Terms, 30 days, or 2 per cent discount for spot cash. 



Sewing-machine screw-drivers, sample by mail, 

 $2.50 per gross, net, iu bulk, in lots of not less than 

 23 gross. Stanley Rule & Level Co. 



New Britain, Conn., Dec. 25, 1)?79. 



Twenty five gross (3,C00) is a good many to 

 buy all at one time, but if it happtned to be 

 some article you all wanted me to get for you, 

 it would not be any too many after all ; and 

 then, just think of the price — only one. and 

 three-fourths of a cent each. Does it seem pos- 

 sible, that anybody could make a nice, tem- 

 pered-steel screw -driver, with a varnished, 

 beech handle, aud a nicely fitting, brass ferule, 

 all well made, for any such ridiculous price'- 1 

 Well, this is the way I purchased many of the 

 premiums last month, that doubtless surprised 

 you by their beauty and goodness for so little 

 money. The opportunity of purchasing thus, 

 God seems to have thrown into my hands. It 

 is because there are so many of you, and be- 

 cause you have so much confidence in purchas- 

 ing anything I recommend. While I thank 

 you tor this confidence, I feel now as I have 

 many times, afraid I do not deserve it, and 

 that I may be tempted to take advantage of it, 

 and be more anxious to put money into my 

 own pocket, than to put it into yours. 1 pray 

 God to-night, that I may always feel as I do 

 now, more pleasure in handing you some .nice 

 article very low, than in putting into my pock- 

 et the share of the transaction that falls to me. 

 I have debated long and earnestly as to what 

 profit I ought to charge you for these things 

 that so many of you want. I am perfectly wil 

 liug you should know what all of these things 

 cost me. — at least, 1 am now, though self 

 tights hard against it sometimes, for I have a 

 sort of fear that you will not consider the 

 many trials and losses 1 have in doing so 

 large a business. Once in a while, an article 

 is lost in the maiis, and then again some 

 brother is dissatisfied, in spite of all we can 

 do, and it costs to return the things; some- 

 times the money is lost, and I often stand half 

 of it; troubles, trials, and delays occur almost 

 all the time in this large building, and I often 

 wonder if God really meant it to be presided 

 over, by such a selfish, cross, unreasonable, in- 

 consistent chap as I am. Then when I read 

 your kind letters, and your warm expressions 

 of friendship for the words God has enabled 

 me to speak through the Home Papers, I thank 

 God and thank you too, for so kindly over- 

 looking these mistakes and blunders. I can 



trust God, and I can trust you, my friends ; 

 and I do not believe a single one of you would 

 think unkindly of me, should I tell you what 

 every article that 'I offer to you for sale costs 

 me. I want to help you, if I can, in buying 

 these little necessaries of life, but I am more 

 anxious that God will enable me to point out 

 a way by which you may help one another. 

 Most of you have spare time, during the win- 

 ter, and many of you have things to sell. 

 Many of you, I am sure, could make things 

 during these winter evenings, and perhaps we 

 shall find work for the girls as well as the 

 boys. Things that one makes, the others will 

 very likely want; and, as there are among 

 you the representatives of almost every trade 

 and profession known, I think we shall find 

 a great many ways in which we can help each 

 other. 



There are some difficulties in the way, but 

 God will help us to surmount them. The one 

 that I fear most is that of quarreliug and dis- 

 satisfaction. There will be selfishness, but if 

 we make up our minds to that, and be prepared 

 to put up with it, there need be little quarrel- 

 ing. If we trust in God, we shall have little 

 trouble in that way. 



The transportation, on many things, will be 

 rather an obstacle, bat perhaps we can sur- 

 mount that. The object I have in view is one 

 that has been running through all my talks in 

 this journal, and especially iu the Home Pa- 

 pers, as you may perhaps have noticed, and it 

 is threefold ; to furnish employment to those 

 who have none, or not enough ; to enable you 

 to save as much as possible on necessary pur- 

 chases; and to induce you to trust in God, 

 and thereby learn to love your fellow-men. 



There will be at least three classes of us, — 

 producers or manufactures, dealers or those 

 who buy and sell principally, and consumers 

 or purchasers. As many of you as choose can 

 take up the first and second, and we hope to 

 be able to include, eventually, all mankind in 

 the third. 



To make all transactions as plain and simple 

 as may be, and to save time, expense, and de- 

 tails, I would have all articles as far as possi- 

 ble put up iu 5, 10. 2~>, and 10 c. packages. 

 Four counters nicely arranged will be needed, 

 and, to give the business a trial, you can lo- 

 cate these in any room in your house, fronting 

 the street. The advantage of having it at your 

 home, is tbac your wife or almost any child, 

 can "tend store," almost as well as any body. 

 When the business demands it, if it ever does, 

 you can put up a cheap and attractive struc- 

 ture, with a glass front, adjoining the street. 



The four counters may be dry-goods boxes, 

 tastily covered with paper, unless you choose 

 to get up something better. The top of the 

 counter is to be divided into apartments, with 

 strips of wood about an inch high, makiug a 

 little box for each article offered for sale. In 

 the bottom of each box, is printed in plain, 

 large letters, the name of the article belonging 

 there, so that it may always be easily and 

 properly replaced after being taken up, aud 

 that another may be put in its place, the min- 

 ute it is sold. If you have customers that 

 are light fingered, you can tell at a glance, 

 when any box is vacant. The labor of pur- 

 chasing consists simply, in putting the right 



