58 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 



(luite too tall to stoop to the lower panes; so by dint 

 of tiptoing- he was able to look through the second, 

 or blue tier. The reflection of the blue glass gave 

 to every object in view the somber tint of an ap- 

 prouchinjr snowstorm, and eight-year-old Tommy 

 wondered how his sister, looking out into the same 

 yard, could see such brightness, while he saw only 

 gloom. 



During this conversation between the children, I 

 sat by reading, book in hand; yet not reading, but 

 thinking how prone we all are to judge of people 

 and things by the sort of glass we look through, and 

 how many kinds of glasses there are! There are the 

 clear, transparent glasses of true faith; not only 

 faith in God, that never stumbles at either his 

 l)romises or providence, but faith in our fellow-men, 

 hoping always and ever for the return of the prodi- 

 gal, believing in his penitence, enduring patiently 

 his stumbling, and halting and hesitating, and that 

 buoys him up and enables the poor reprobate to 

 overcome at last, because it will not see anj' good 

 cause to be hopeless. 



Opposed to these are the magnifying-glasses of 

 presumptuous self-dependence, that paint one's 

 own faults as virtues, see strength where there is 

 only weakness, and mistakes conceit for wisdom. 

 Then there are the green glasses of envy, that can 

 never be turned toward a kindness done to another 

 without seeing in it cause of self-grievance, and 

 thus And faults instead of virtues in every character 

 brought within their range of vision, because it can 

 not bear to have another e.vcel. Thei-e are the 

 huge, uncomely glasses of greed, that would appro- 

 priate to self-gratiflcatiou all that comes within 

 their line of vision; and the curious parti-colored 

 glasses of policy that convey to the organs of sight 

 the impression of only advantages to be gained, 

 but, strangely enough, exclude that of opportunities 

 (especially parties unable to reciprocate favors). 

 Then we have the pure glasses of contentment, that 

 have the faculty of banishing clouds, and diffusing 

 sunshine; the golden-colored glasses of cheerfulness 

 that create light, and shed a halo of brightness 

 around every object within their range. And there 

 are the wretchedly clouded glasses of ill humor, 

 that reveal naught but clouds and threatened 

 storms, like Tommy's blue panes. But best of all 

 are the beautiful converging glasses of Christian 

 love, that possess the wonderful power of both 

 absorbing and reflecting. They arc flrst themselves 

 warmed by an absorbtion of the cheering, revivify- 

 ing rays of the Sun of Righteousness, and then they 

 freely dispense these rays to all about them, caus- 

 ing the widow's heart to sing for joy, the very wil- 

 derness and solitary place to be glad for them, and 

 the desert to blossom as the rose. What sort of 

 glasses do we wear? Au.nt Vic. 



Kockton, 111. 



AVe tliank you. Aunt VU\ for this plain 

 lesson, which "I am sure we all need. 1 have 

 sometimes thou.iiht tliat a sellish person 

 looked lliroiif^li seltish ulasses, for he is gen- 

 erally the most l'or\vai(i to aecuse those who 

 are working with i)ure motives, of being 

 governed by selhshness ; and so it is with al- 

 most all other sins, while those who are 

 IMue in heart, and working hard and honest- 

 ly, do not seem to notice tliat the rest of the 

 world is not doing the same thing. You see, 

 they are pure-minded themselves, and wear 

 pure-minded glasses. It seems to me some 



of this talk you have given us will apply 

 very well to some of the things we have in 

 our bee-journals now and then. Now let us 

 all take the lesson home to ourselves, with- 

 out looking to see if it hits our neighbors. 

 It tits me. Aunt Yic, and I resolved to do 

 better before I got through reading your ar- 

 ticle. 



TRUE BRAVERY. 



WHO WAS IT THAT WAS COWARDLY? 



COLD sleety night several men were hurrying 

 >i down the street, on their homeward way, 

 after a day of toil. As the stormy wind 

 swept by and blew the frozen rain in their 

 faces, thej' buttoned their coats more close- 

 ly, and pressed onward. But their pace slackened 

 as they approached a brilliantly lighted building 

 from which issued sounds of hilarity and mirth; 

 and, as if from confirmed habit, they imused before 

 the inviting doorway. 



" Come, boys, let us take something to warm us 

 up," spake one of the group, and " Good! good!" 

 was echoed by all voices but one -a tall, vigorous 

 young man who was about to pass on, when a com- 

 panion, laying a hand on his shoulder, arrested his 

 progress, saying,— 



•'What is your hurry, Tom? Join us and we will 

 have a jolly time, if the night i.s blustering;" and be- 

 fore he could reply or expostulate he was unwill- 

 ingly borne into the drinking-saloon, where well- 

 filled glasses were speedily supplied the party, who 

 emptied their contents, unobservant that Tom 

 Denton's glass remained untouched on the counter. 

 But as soon as they became aware of the fact, an 

 ominous murmuring ran through the group. Denis 

 Roman's voice broke the pause that followed; he 

 was a man of a strong though mistaken sense of 

 honor; and in his opinion, he who turned his back 

 upon his comrades, and refused to partake of their 

 convivialities, was a triator, and his act high trea- 

 son. 



" Tom is afiaid to drink, I see," he said in a mock- 

 ing tone; "maybe his wife keeps him in leading- 

 strings; I did not know before that one of our num- 

 ber was a cotvanl." 



The hot blood mounted to Tom Denton's face; 

 his hand was tightly clenched, and he bit his lip as if 

 to keep back an angry reply. 



"Tom is no coward," broke in another hearty 

 voice. " Who was it that ran in front of the engine 

 last summer, and risked his life to save a little lame 

 boj% playing on the track? Who but Tom? I tell you, 

 Tom is no coward." 



"No, no, no! "echoed many voices, and the tide 

 began to turn in Tom's favor. 



A smile lit up Tom Denton's manly countenance, 

 and, turning, he was about to leave the saloon in 

 silence, when several spoke: 



"Do as you please about the drink, Tom; but 

 make us a speech before you go." 



"A speech ! a speech !" all cried out. Tom was an 

 inieducated laboring man, but his heart was brave 

 and true, and he was not one to shrink from his 

 (Uity, or to decline striking a blow for the right 

 when in his power. 



" Vou wish to know ivhiJ I will not drink with 

 you," he said, in a clear loud voice. " I am proud, 

 yes, proud, but not with the false pride that would 

 niiiko Die feel tliat 1 was better than my fellow-men, 



