1901 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Who is he that overcometh the world but he that be- 

 lie%'eth that Jesus is the Son of God .' — I. Jobn 5 : 'y. 



The relation in which the father and mother 

 stand to each other is the fouiuHtion of every 

 home. It is the cornerstone. No true home 

 can be built securely, and stand securely, with- 

 out perfect harmony between the father and 

 mother — or, if you choose, between the hus- 

 band and wife. No matter what the parents 

 may say to the children, their words will have 

 but little weight or effect unless these words 

 correspond with the conduct. The home 

 should be harmony — harmony between the 

 parents, and harmony between the children ; 

 and, more important still, if any thing, har- 

 mony between parents and children. Some- 

 times when Mrs. Root and I see our children 

 each one taking up different departments in 

 our business, and all being satisfied and con- 

 tented to work together — I do not wish to 

 boast, dear friends, for God knows how little I 

 have to boast of ; but I do thank God every 

 day of my life for the peace and harmony in 

 which all the members of our family work to- 

 gether. As our children get married, and have 

 homes of their own, this same harmony seems 

 to take in and include the new members also ; 

 but, dear friends, I wish to tell you that this 

 has not been done without much hard work. 

 Many fervent and earnest prayers have been 

 offered up, and much struggle and fighting 

 against our own inclinations and impulses. 

 Some of you may think it is easy for ine to be 

 gentle and kind. You are mistaken. The 

 only reason why I take this subject up just 

 now is because I am so deeply concerned and 

 so z'^ry anxious about the members of different 

 homes of which I know ; and the thought that 

 perhaps I may help you by some chaptrrs in 

 my own experience is what calls me to take up 

 this talk to-day. 



In Our Homes for Nov. 1 I told of the happy 

 time Mrs. Root and I had together on that 

 farm in the woods. I told you that, although 

 we were about sixty years old, and had brought 

 up a family of children, we enjoyed our out- 

 ing in the woods as much as we enjoyed being 

 together when we were both in our teens. I 

 told you of the great flood of joy and peace 

 that seemed to spread like a mantle over me. 

 Some of you may ask, " How long did it 

 last?" Well, it ought to have lasted the rest 

 of my life. Yes, it may last from now on, 

 during the rest of our lives, providing we both 

 grasp the beautiful thought in the text I have 

 chosen ; yes, if even oue of the parents g( ts 

 hold of the great truth in that great text, the 

 other will pretty surely come along. 



Several times in this eventful life of mine I 

 have heard husbands tell how impossible it 

 was to get along in peace and quietness with 

 such a wife — I was going to say, such a wife as 

 God had given him, and I sti',1 think that is 

 about the way to put it. Yes, I have heard 

 wives too (not so many of them), but & few 



women have told me how impossible it was 

 for them to live with such husbands as God 

 had given them. Sjmetimes when the dear 

 Savior lifts me up so I can get a glimpse of the 

 mount of transfiguration, I feel almost as if I 

 could li\e in at least tolerable peace and har- 

 mony with almost any woman. I feel that, 

 through the spirit of Christ Jesus, I might wifi 

 her out of her fretful and unlovely ways into 

 peace and harmony. Yes, I have urged and 

 enjoined unhappy wives to try to win their 

 husbands by love and gentleness away from 

 evil and vicious hal its. Mind you, dear 

 brother or sister, I am not boasting of what / 

 can do or would do as a peacemaker ; but I am 

 boasting of what the spirit of Christ Jesus 

 may do. 



Well, after we got back home from that 

 pleasant trip away off in the woods, the Holy 

 Spirit did seem to follow us. We were happy 

 in talking over our experience, and in telling 

 the children about it ; and, for the time, we 

 were very patient and kind to each other. I 

 began to think the rest of our lives was really 

 to be a long honeymoon. For one thing, my 

 health was better while I was in the Traverse 

 region. This may be owing largely, however, 

 to the fact that I was away from business 

 cares. Please do not imagine that Mrs. Root 

 and I are ever in the habit of quarreling. We 

 sometimes scold each other, but mostl}' in 

 pleasantry. Our lives are very busy ones — at 

 least they have always been so thus far. 

 When there was so much to do, and so much 

 to see to, some things would be neglected mere 

 or less. As an illustration, it has always been 

 my habit to have tools, baskets, and every 

 thing else, put under shelter before a rain. 

 Very few people seem to think it worth while 

 to take care of tools and implements as I do. 

 It is not so much the value of things as it is- 

 getting in the habit of letting go to ruin and 

 waste things that in the aggregate cost a great 

 deal of money. Well, Mrs. Root is a very 

 neat housekeeper. She does not like to have- 

 her domain lumbered up with things of uncer- 

 tain or no value. Sometimes she pushes them 

 outdoors to get rid of them ; then when I am 

 not feeling very well I sometimes scold. Per- 

 haps I blame her for something she did not 

 do ; and she, being tired like myself, does not 

 reply just as kindly and lovingly as we used 

 to talk to each other during that holiday up in 

 the woods. 



Perhaps somebody may say, "Why, Mr. 

 Root, husbands and wives always talk to each 

 other in that way. They do not mean any 

 thing, and it is all right." But I happen to 

 know by experience that it is not all right or 

 best for me. After I have scolded about some 

 unimportant matter, and perhaps brought on 

 myself replies that are not always gentle and 

 kind, I discover that the gentle, loving spirit 

 of Christ Jesus has been driven out of my 

 heart. My happiness is gone, and it is not an 

 easy matter to get it back again. Sometimes 

 it takes me quite a little spell to get back into 

 the straight and narrow path where peace and 

 happiness reign. I am fortunate in at least 

 this one respect : Whenever I am feeling sorry 

 I spoke cross or hastily, and come up to Mrs.. 



