652 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 1 



even take a wheel-ride early Sunday morning. 

 I said then that I tried not to do any thing 

 that would make me feel ashamed to tell peo- 

 ple my name and where I lived. Saturday 

 night after dark, I was not ashamed nor fear- 

 ed recognition ; but on Sunday morning, even 

 if only a little after daylight, I would a little 

 rather not be seen by any one who knew me. 

 I said then, "Since I have become a Christian 

 I can always and everywhere say to everybody 

 I meet, ' I am A. I. Root, of Medina, Ohio. 

 Who are you?' " But on this Sunday I do 

 not think I told anybody my name. Several 

 asked me, "Where do you come from?" I 

 replied, "Ohio." In response to a further 

 question I said, "Medina, Ohio, near Cleve- 

 land ; " but I did not tell anybody I was A. I. 

 Root. It was the first time in many, many 

 years when I felt at all backward in giving my 

 name and full address. 



Many of you, perhaps, will remember that 

 Sunday evening, July 21, was during one of 

 our hot periods — at least so I have been told 

 by the papers. Perhaps I might add my tes- 

 timony in regard to the cooling winds of that 

 northern region. The wind blew right across 

 the water that night.* I had forethought 

 enough to take my overcoat when I left the 

 boat ; but even with that overcoat, after mid- 

 night I became chilled to the very bone. When 

 I got into my neat pretty little stateroom I 

 thought I should get warm with the abun- 

 dance of woolen blankets provided ; but I did 

 not get really warm before daylight, and I 

 was used up physically as well as spiritually 

 for the new week that opened before me. 

 Years ago we had here in these Home Papers 

 a little verse which read : 



A sabbath well spent brings a week of content, 

 And strength for the work of the morrow ; 



But a sabbath profaned, whatever is gained, 

 Is a sure forerunner of sorrow. 



Now, why should I tell all this ? For one 

 thing, it illustrates how easily one is led out 

 of the straight and narrow path. Christian, 

 in the Pilgrim's Progress, tells of getting over 

 into another road that he felt sure was not the 

 right one ; but his companion declared it was 

 all right. Pretty soon they met a man, and 

 asked him about it, and he declared very pos- 

 itively they need not worry a bit, for it was 

 the road. But by and by all three got deeper 

 and deeper into trouble. I know there are 

 many among our readers who will think I 

 make a big fuss about a very little thing. 

 They will say, "Why, the best church-mem- 

 ber in the world does not expect to go to 

 church every Sunday ; and, besides, when peo- 



* In regard to the cooling winds, at one point on our 

 trip on the steamer a lady at mj; elbow remarked, 

 " Why, what a funny country this is ! One time the 

 wind blows hot, and sometimes cold." Sure enough. 

 A hot breeze would come from off the land, that would 

 make one feel almost faint ; and, immediately after, 

 a breeze from a slightly different direction from off 

 across the water would brace one up with a delicious 

 coolness that was really enjoyable. Sometimes when 

 there does not seem to be any breeze at all from off 

 the water an excursion is planned to some point 

 where they can easily, at a slight expense, get the 

 cool breeze, either on the boat or on some point of 

 land that extends out into the water. The Traverse 

 peninsula, where my ranch is situated, is one of these 

 latter points. 



pie are out on a vacation, or an outing, very 

 few attend church at all. Even the ministers 

 do not have any Sunday at such times. They 

 are taking a resty Well, you can have it 

 that way if you like ; but I do not want any 

 such " rest." 



Well, suppose you have followed after 

 worldly things and worldly people, and made 

 a mistake. What shall you do ? Wait till the 

 guilty feeling wears off ? or perhaps, as the 

 children might say, shall we wait till God for- 

 gets about it? God forbid. Such an experi- 

 ence fits us to appreciate the wonderful thought 

 in the second of my texts. Again and again 

 have I wondered that human language can so 

 well express what a sinner feels. " Create in 

 me a clean heart, O God." y^wj penitent sin- 

 ner, under all circumstances in life (or even 

 in death), could use this prayer ; and the lat- 

 ter part of it, ' ' renew a right spirit within 

 me," is fully equal to the first. David recog- 

 nized that his heart was not right. He was 

 not what he ought to have been. But God 

 himself is equal to the task of taking the 

 wrong feelings and putting back the right 

 ones. And then, again, we have the expres- 

 sion, " Cast me not away from thy presence." 

 Those who have been in the habit of living 

 near the Holy Spirit can realize what a pun- 

 ishment it is to be cast away because of sin. 

 There is only one remedy ; and David seems 

 to comprehend it when he says, '■'■Restore unto 

 me the joy of thy salvation." And after God 

 has thus given a new heart and a new. spirit, 

 and restored the lost joys, then may we point 

 out to sinners the straight and narrow path. 

 How grandly that point comes in, "Then will 

 I teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners 

 shall be converted unto thee." In my talk 

 with the girls in the little crowd that was 

 there waiting for that steamer I urged (as 

 well as I could under the circumstances) pure 

 and upright lives ; but how could I exhort 

 any thing in the line of either of my texts 

 after the way they had seen me spend the 

 Sabbath ; and since that experience I value, 

 as I never did before, having a life and char- 

 acter back of me so that I can consistently 

 plead with people in the way suggested in 

 the text, " ^A(f« will I teach trangressors thy 

 ways ; and sinners shall be converted unto 

 thee." 



M» 



NOTES Of TRAVLL 



«' BY A.I.R.OOT . 



THE SUMMER RESORTS OF NORTHERN MICH- 

 IGAN. 



Nearly a year ago I told you considerable 

 about the beautiful resorts in the region of 

 Grand Traverse Bay ; but now I wish to speak 

 of some of the celebrated places a little north 

 of Traverse City, especially of the region 

 round about Charlevoix and Petoskey. Charle- 

 voix is situated just between Lake Michigan 

 and Pine Lake. It is often called Charlevoix- 



