1SS6 



GLJiAKlXGS IN BEt: CtJLT^UliE. 



5/1 



0a^ Jle^E^. 



Give, and it sliall be given unto jou.— Luke 6: 38. 



J'X my talk to you to-day, my fiiends, I 

 I shall lay myself open to the charge of 

 I boasting of "how good F am, as I have 

 ■ done many times before ; but those wlio 

 are acquainted with me understand 

 what I mean, and will take me as I mean, 

 but it might not sound so well to a stranger ; 

 therefore if any one reads this who has just 

 subsciibed for G leanings, and does not 

 know my way of teaching, he will pleiise 

 take iml ice. 



Our friend 'i'eiry. in Icachini;,- us how to 

 raise potatoes, teed horses antl cattle, and 

 other like faim operations, keeps telling con- 

 tinually what Ik did ; and his statements 

 are so much beyond what farmeis usually 

 do. that a great many are temided to s.'.y 

 they do not belie\e he is tiiilliful. Vou caii 

 visit him. liowever, if >ou wish, ami can in- 

 quire of liis neighbors or hired help in regard 

 to the statements lie has made, and tlierel)y 

 satisfy yourself. Now, I have not any thing 

 to tell. ()f how much money I ha\e made, or 

 of how much oelter I have done tluui other 

 people : lint I do like- to tell how I have suc- 

 ceeded, assisteil by the teachings of the i5i- 

 ble, in getting along veiy pleasantly with 

 the Avorld. and in lia\ iiig ;i very pleasant and 

 joyous life myself. 



The words of my text came to my mind 

 thismoi'uing while we were discussing^ cel- 

 ery. We ha\<' for the lirst time siicceeded 

 in getting a good cidp. some of il ready for 

 maiket in .lul\ , and it is selling (|iiilc leadih 

 at live ct'uts a stalk. .\ stalk of the White 

 I'lume. and another one of the Crimson 

 Dwai-f for contrast, weic in a gkiss while we 

 wei'c talking. One of the family lemarked. 

 that the boys all over town were going into 

 celery, and that they would soon run the 

 business all out. for the.\ \Nere getting just 

 as nice stalks as I did. if not nicer. Another 

 member of the family made the remark. 

 ■•That is just what he wants them to do— 

 and. in I'act. is just the way he li;is worked 

 all his life."' I presume "that the speaker 

 meant that I always delight in leaching peo- 

 l>le how to do things, especiall\ \oiuig peo- 

 ple; and that, when my pupilsbecome more 

 e.xpert than their master. I am always hap- 

 py. I have been thinking it over, dear 

 friends, and I think it is true. I do not wish 

 you to give me any great credit for it. for it 

 seems an easy thing since I have become a 

 Christian. You know I have no patents on 

 any thing I have ever originated, nor do 1 

 want any. \'isitors often express suiprise. 

 and say they should tliink that I would need 

 some 'i>rote"ctiou. My reply is. that I am 

 glad to have people copy any thing 1 nnike : 

 and if they have facilities" for inaking it 

 cheaper than I can. I ought to be pleased be- 

 cause the world at large will be benelited by 

 lower prices. iJiit some of my intimate 

 friends declare that if 1 had my iuiprove- 

 ments patented, and would mnu'opolize the 

 sale of them, 1 could be worth thousands 

 of dollars more than I am now. 



Xow, then, friends, remember the caution 

 I gave you in the tirst paragraph of this talk, 



Avhen I say, '' I do not want to be worth 

 thousands of dollars more than I am now." 

 I do not make this speech in the presence of 

 strangers, or of those whom I think would 

 not understand me, for it would be met with 

 derision, and may be sarcasm. Some v.hose 

 eyes fall upon these lines may say, '-Mr. Root, 

 if you do not want to be worth any more 

 than you now are, why do you stick and 

 hang for every penny," in the way you do, 

 and persistently keep dunning those who 

 owe you, with such tiercenessV" Mv reply 

 would be, that I try to collect all niy jus't 

 dues, because I believe it is better for the 

 one Avho owes to pay it, rather than to be 

 excused from payirjg it ; and I have come to 

 tills conclusion after years of experience. 

 Yes, I believe it is better for a poor widow 

 to pay her just debts than to be excused 

 ■ from paying them. If widows or other peo- 

 l>le who have been uid'ortunate by reason of 

 sickness or death, oi- other wa>s. need assist- 

 ance they should have it. au'd I believe (mr 

 lowtisiteople ai-e well awaie that I am readv 

 to subscribe liberal]) ; but I think such suli- 

 sci-ii)tioiis should be a separate niattei- from 

 thedeb.t. .My exiierience has lieeu.that there 

 is something demoialj/.ing in excusiuga per- 

 son, whetiier ;i woman or man. from paying 

 what he justly owes. If a poor family were 

 owing me livl' dollars. \ should insist" ni)on 

 the payment, if theie weiea reasonalile pros- 

 yiect that they could pay it: but if a sub- 

 scription were started in order that they 

 might Jiave a house Iniilt. so as to avoid jiay- 

 ing rent. I slioiild enjoy subscriliing /' // dol- 

 hiis for the pui-po.se. or even more, if the 

 case seemeil to demand it. 



Now. then, in regard to the promise. 

 ••(Jive, and it shall be given unto yon."" 

 People often urge. that, if we are not pro- 

 tected by a i»alent. the unscrupulous world 

 will rush right in and steal every thing, may 

 be leaving the inventor penuiiess. 1 have 

 heard of such cases, friends, but they have 

 never come under my own exi»erience : that 

 is. I have heaid people declare they wei-e the 

 autliorsof great inventions, but that unscru- 

 pulous men of means had jobbed them. 1 

 liave nevei- come across such a case that 1 

 know of. On the contrary, my experience 

 lias been, that, where a mail has been will- 

 ing to give freely all the knowledge or in- 

 formation he possessed, in some way or oth- 

 er new things were continually opening up 

 1 to him. In the past two or three years a 

 good many have started in the supply busi- 

 ness, making and dealing in l)ee-hives and 

 fixtures. I have been asked if I was not 

 afraid that so many would go into it that it 

 would be overdone", and our large factory 

 would lie standing idle. I have not had any 

 such fear. but. on the contrary, [ have eii- 

 ! joyed the work of furnishing these tools and 

 ' iniplemeids for running opposition to us. I 

 have delighted in having the friends visit 

 our factory, and witness the manner in 

 which we make hives, comb foundation, sec- 

 tions, etc. I have been glad in seeing them 

 take measurements, that they might build 

 j machinery like our own. One reason why I 

 I was glad" to see them do it was because it 

 j siived heav\ freight shipments on such heavy 

 goods as liives and sections. We are now 



