142 



GLEANINGS IN UKE CULTURE. 



Vkh. 



My remedy for unemployed people will be 

 to get them to go out of the cities into the 

 country, and raise their own food ; and rath- 

 er thPTi l>ave so many thousands out of em- 

 ploy uient. I should say raise your own cloth- 

 iuf?' as well. Go back to old times until 

 tliere is a " let-up"' on this crowding on to 

 manufacturers. Very likely it would not 

 pay one wlio raised food products to raise 

 slieep.aiid spin and weave, as we used to do; 

 and, in fact, clothing is so very cheap now— at 

 least, comfortable and decent clothing is, 

 that there can be little need of it. I know 

 that people say, over and over again, that 

 the stuff won""t sell. To be sure, it won't, 

 unless you sell it. Neither will potatoes dig 

 themselves nor cook themselves. God does 

 his part, and you are to do your part. When 

 you have plants and vegetables ready for 

 market, sell them as we do honey. L)on't 

 be above peddling them out among your 

 neighbors ; and when you go, if possible 

 take orders. Pretty soon, instead of having 

 to peddle you will simply have to cleiiver 

 voiir stuff, and that is not unpleasant at all. 

 When you have been '• faithful in few 

 things " for only a very little while (compar- 

 atively), customers will come to your doors 

 and purchase. At a horticultiu-al meeting, 

 a member said recently that the best cus- 

 tomers he had for strawberries were among 

 the farmers, and in the small villages. 



I know many will reject the course I have 

 pointed out. 'Yery well, friends. If you 

 liave something better to do tlian what I 

 liave indicated, by all means do it. But do 

 not say again you could not find any thing to 

 do. You can not be trusting (4od while do- 

 ing notliing. You may lind fault, and say, 

 •• How is a l)ox of cabbage-iilants and such 

 like stiilf Koiiig to su])port a familyy" But, 

 my friends, liow is doing notliiyaj going to 

 supjujrta family? The course I liave recom- 

 meiuled will show that you are willing to do 

 >our ]iart. ami being busy in some hf)nest 

 employment is a recommend to anybody 

 wiio wants hired help. A business man sel- 

 <lom wants to employ idle people, as he has 

 learned by past experience that it does not 

 pay. 



In connection Avith the thought that I 

 liave given in the fore part of my article, the 

 statement was made that ntaun thousands 

 were fed or relieved from sulleriiig at ])ublic 

 expense; and 1 believe the statement was 

 made that those receiving charity in the 

 city of Cleveland alonewere so great in num- 

 ber that it was safe to say that'one indi\ idu- 

 al in, tiftixn was a pauprr^ I am really afraid 

 the aid given has. a great many times, done 

 harm l)y encomagiiig peoi)le in idleness. It 

 encouriiges them in declariug they won't do 

 any work unless they receive a ceitain sum. 

 This, to me. would "be an indication in tlie 

 outset that the one seeking work was wrong 

 at heart. Better, a thousand times better, to 

 work for 12^ cents a day, than to be the re- 

 cipient of public charity. 



A part of my talk to-day is not very bright 

 and cheering; but now in closing: I want to 

 say something about a really bright, vivid 

 trust in (iod; and I do not know any better 

 way for any individual to show his trust in 

 (iod than by showing a willingness to take 



up any sort of duty, rather than idleness. 

 Paul said he was ready not only to be bound, 

 but to die for the Lord Jesus. We are not 

 called upon to do Paul's work, many of us ; 

 but God does call upon us to raise plants, 

 make garden, collect manure, peddle straw- 

 berries, and a thousand other such like du- 

 ties, for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 Are we ready to do itV Are we ready to 

 prove our trust in him in just this way? ' 



A few days ago one of our evening meet- 

 ings was concluded with the last verse of a 

 little hymn. This hymn was a favorite of 

 Bowland Hill, and he repeated it, or attempt- 

 ed to repeat it, with his dying breath. It is 

 this : 



And when I'm to die. 



Receive me, I'll cry. 

 For Jesus has loved me,' I can not tell why; 



But this I can find. 



We two are so joined. 

 That he'll not be in glory and leave me behind. 



You notice, friends, the expression, '• For 

 Jesus has loved me." Our good friend was 

 sure of that, even though he recognized that 

 there was little about him that seemed lova- 

 ble. And still furtlier. his friendship and 

 companionship with the Savior had been 

 such during life that he had perfect assur- 

 ance that the Savior would never leave him. 

 Perhaps I can make it "plainer by a little in- 

 cident. 



Although it was a cold, wintry day, almost 

 down to zero, Huber begged so earnestly to 

 go down to the pond that mamma bundled 

 him up in his little sled, and I drew him off 

 through the cold white expanse of snow. 

 When I got down there I discovered the 

 '•Jersey bossy" could not get any water, and 

 it was "some distance to where I could find 

 an ax to cut a hole through the ice. I ex- 

 plained to him what I wanted him to do. and 

 that I would be back after awhile. He look- 

 ed up at me with his blue eyes ; and although 

 he could not understand niuch that I said to 

 him, he gave me to understand that he 

 would stay until I came back. There he 

 sat. a little speck, all alone by himself, away 

 off" in the field, just a baby. Do you think 

 the idea ever entered his head that his papa 

 might leave him there to starve and freeze, 

 and never come back at ally Not a bit of it. 

 All through the brief si.an of his little life, 

 there had been such a friendship lietween liim 

 and his pai)a. that he knew, without being 

 told, no power on earth coiUd induce papa to 

 leave him. Even if I icas gone a very long 

 time, his childish faith would never waver, 

 lie could not "plead any merit of his own. 

 There was no particular reason why his papa 

 should think more of him than the .Jersey 

 cow, ponds, sunshine, or all this world could 

 otter, yet in his baby heart he knew it was 

 so ; and tlierefore, even though I was gone a 

 much longer time than 1 expected to be, he 

 sat (piietly and patiently, gazing otf on the 

 white sea oneway and then another; and 

 pretty soon, when he got weary of sitting 

 still, he just lopped his little head forward, 

 and — went to sleep. Why shouldn't heV 

 He was so bundled up that he could not get 

 out of the sled if he tried; and even if he 

 did get out, he would make matters a great 

 deal worse. If he should scream ever so 

 loud, nobody could liear him. The onl;/ 



