708 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 



great neck swings around so quickly that it 

 makes the chains rattle like a tornado, and 

 the massive beams creak and groan under 

 the enormous strain of tlie heavy loads that 

 that neck of iron raises up. One stands by 

 and feels like lifting his hat with reverence 

 toward the little m;m wlio stands i)erched 

 up between the timbers forming the arch of 

 the neck while lie pulls the different levers 

 that make the great machine do his bidding. 

 How is it possible he can do all this without 

 making a mistake? The great iron tusks, 

 as they appear to be, strike in just the right 

 spot, and go just deep enougli. and ]iot too 

 deep. At\his very instant the steam begins 

 to do its Avork, as we have evidence by the 

 enormous puffs. The earth trembles be- 

 neath our feet while tiie groimd is rent and 

 torn as if by a small earthquake. But the 

 minute these great tusks reach the surface 

 of the ground, the enormous power all of a 

 sudden eases up ; and as the machine swings 

 around with its load it seems as quiet and 

 obedient as a little child. Surely this man 

 who manages it, and who has the trained 

 eye. to skillfully direct this great power, 

 must be a man of wonderful intellect ; he 

 must be a man of great education and skill. 

 I gazed on him and then on the machine in 

 wonder, and went back to my work, leading 

 Iluber, who obeyed his papa, but rather re- 

 luctantly. In the evening somebody was in 

 the counter store, looking at a hanmier. He 

 was a very commonplace-looking individual, 

 and one avIio spoke our language but imper- 

 fectly. Yes, he was the one who handled 

 those levers and wheels and chains during 

 the day. Was he a college graduate? No, 

 but just as good a man in (iod's sight, and 

 he may be better than a good many who have 

 borne honors. He was a man wh.o liad prob- 

 ably been faithful in his every-day work, 

 and his employers liad learned ' by de- 

 grees to intrust him with important machin- 

 ery; and at length he became an adept in 

 his line, and could make that piece of mech- 

 anism for that particular work rattle and 

 bang in a way that seemed almost frightful 

 to bystanders ; yet he did it with perfect 

 safety, and with little danger of breaking or 

 injuring any part of it. He simi)ly did his 

 duty in the place Avhere God called him. 

 Dear friend, are yon doing your duty well 

 and faithfully right wliere God has placed 

 you? I want to come a little nearer home 

 yet— am I doing »«?/ duty well and faithfully 

 — casting bread oh the waters some of the 

 time, feeding my fellow-men for Chrisfs 

 sake, and doing it all gladly and patiently? 

 I am afraid I am not. 



Since our last issue went to press I decid- 

 ed to visit the city of New York. It was a 

 sudden conclusion to go. I told Mr. Holmes, 

 my brother-in-law. tliat I wanted to stay 

 only three or for.r liours. lie gave me a 

 severe talking to, and told me 1 had no rinht 

 to go to New York and stay only three "or 

 four hours, even if I did feel like doing so. 

 I concluded, after thinking it over, that he 

 was right. It would be selfish for me to go 

 so far. and stay so short a time, and that my 

 duties toward my fellow-men and toward 

 you, dear readers, demanded that I should 

 stay at least a couple of days. In order to 



save time, I rode with the engineer on a lo- 

 comotive to our nearest station on the N. Y., 

 P. & O. Bailroad. Now let me digress a 

 little. 



For some time lately I have been making 

 it a subject of prayer "to (Jod that he would 

 give me more love toward my fellow-men. 

 and he has been opening my eyes in that 

 direction. It is true, that I occasionally 

 have fits and spells of loving even my ene- 

 mies, but, witli sadness I say it, I have a 

 good many lits and spells of nol loving very 

 much even ray friends; that is, if I don't 

 look out I keep dwelling on the weaknesses 

 and imperfections of my fellow-men. Some- 

 times I get into a real bad spirit because 

 somebody has heedlessly wronged me out of 

 a few cents. I do not often say very much 

 about it lately, for God has taught me to 

 keep it to myself when I can not do any 

 better. And he has also taught me to get 

 out of this bad state of mind. I talked to 

 vou about it last month, you know. Well, I 

 'am naturally very bashful, if that is the 

 word. I am afraid of people. I get notions 

 in my head that they don't care any thine: 

 about me. and don't want to lie bothered, 

 when directly opposite is the truth. Jacob 

 told me I could ride down on the locomotive 

 when they went down to hll their water- 

 tank, but I thought they would not want to 

 be bothered with a passenger. I spoke to 

 our agent about it, and I felt ashamed of 

 myself when I saw how kindly he undertook 

 to make ariangements for my going. Jacob 

 told me they were all ready, and that I must 

 hurry up and jump on. Ernest helped me 

 to scrape up my few '' traps;"' and when I 

 came to climb up by the engineer, instead of 

 finding a gruff sort of swearing man, which 

 I had pictured in my minds eve. I found a 

 very quiet, friendly. lx>yish-lo6king fellow 

 who reminded me. by his hearty good na- 

 tiu-e. of some of my own German boys. I felt 

 ashamed of myself ; and when he offered 

 me a part of his dinner, because he had no- 

 ticed I had forgotten to bring any, I felt 

 more ashamed still. In my talk with him 1 

 pretty soon fdund that he was the very en- 

 gineer who was running the engine at the 

 time our old friend Fred was killed. He 

 knew of me through Fred ; and Avhen I had 

 been casting bread on the waters by visiting 

 boys in jail, I had been making for myself a 

 warm place in the hearts of these sturdy la- 

 borers. I watched my new-found friend as he 

 pulled the levers and" handled the ponderous 

 locomotive, moving it an inch at a time, if 

 need be. and starting it up so gently that only 

 a very small amount of power was needed, so 

 that it seemed like a child in his hand. lie. 

 too, had been faithful in few things, and 

 now the company intrusted him to the care 

 of this great locomotive; and from what he 

 said about Fred T knew he had befin a great 

 many vears lillinir liis place of important 

 trust. "Little did I think, when I went into 

 our county jail and plead witli these boys 

 for the cause of Christ, that my work would 

 be felt years after among these rough hard- 

 working men along the line of our railroad. 



When saw wc thee a hungered, and fed thee? or 

 I thirsty, and Rave thee drink? or in prison, and 

 I came unto thee? 



