758 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 15 



hoMes;! 



BY A. I. BOOT. " 



A few days ago a particular friend of mine 

 handed me a tract, and said he wished I would 

 read it and hand it back to him. I read it 

 with much interest and attention. In fact, 

 after reading it once I went back and read it 

 all over again. Then I got to talking with 

 my friends and acquaintances about it, and 

 happened to mention it to Mr. Calvert, my 

 son in-law, and he exclaimed, laughing at the 

 same time, " Why, Mr. Root, you do not even 

 seem to know that you are contributing to the 

 support of that very institution ; that the man 

 has been here, and that you have had a talk 

 with him ; and that you two got to be fast 

 friends in just a little while ; and now you 

 don't seem to know anything about it at all." 

 Our stenographer suggests right here that this 

 is a remarkable instance of doing good with 

 the "left hand" and not letting the "right 

 hand " know it. But there is no great credit 

 due me ; for in this busy life of mine, so full 

 of first one thing and then another, I often 

 find myself, when night comes, utterly for- 

 getful of something I was greatly taken up 

 with and full of enthusiasm in the morning. 

 Now, here is the little tract that took such a 

 hold on me. The letter from the young infi- 

 del is strikingly like quite a number that have 

 come to nie. in fact, I have given some of 

 them in the pages of Gleanings. You will 

 notice they seem to have a set of phrases that 

 are passed around from one to the other. The 

 infidel ktter was written, as you will notice, 

 over six years ago. We trust and hope the 

 brother has accepted friend Johnson's offer, 

 and come out of darkness into light. Let us 

 now consider the tract : 



A REPLY TO A YOUNG INFIDHL, OR HOW I BUILT AND 

 HOW I RUN THE SCHOOL OF THK EVANGELISTS 



E'-kridge, Kan . Jan. 2, 1895 

 Ashley S.Johnson .—1 take p ea^ure to answer your 

 letter tliat came to hand a few d.iys ago. Can say this, 

 that ihe books are all sold and the i)arties that have 

 the books have never p.'ud me, and, further, I went 

 away directly after I let them have them and just got 

 back on a few d tys' visit. Will return again in a few 

 days Now as to the payment of them, I will do so as 

 soon as I can get the money to spare. When away I 

 was sick for seven months, and that is the reason I 

 have never written. I never received vour letter until 

 I came home. You seem to be of a different motive 

 from some Christians. I have examined into all the 

 phenominas of nature, and can clearly see by the 

 things of nature by which I am surrounded and have 

 found, that there is not the slightest evidence to prove 

 the existence of God Religion is a perfect fraud ex- 

 cept to the extent of the morality that it teaches. It 

 debaisand has hindered all progress of thought and 

 science. We can't go to religion and find any such 

 thing as science. Religion never has produced one 

 fact. I defy you to prove the things by which it is 

 said God has done to be done in the length of time it 

 was said to be done. Now write me. and I challenge 

 you to take up my argument by letter or any other 

 means. I should like to know by what method you 

 were called, and where was that all«ise Being, as you 

 claimed, when he called for you? What is he putting 

 in his time at now ? Why doesn't God call the science 

 men as well as the little bull-hfaded nigger and the 

 dull and ignorant men ? It seems that he calls them 

 instead. So I close for this time. Hoping to receive 

 .fl reply, D. A. Ramsour. 



In reply to the above, Mr. Johnson sent the 

 following to his friend. We hope it will re- 

 ceive careful consideration. 



Kimberlin Heights, Tenn., Jan 7, 1895. 

 My dear Young Friend :— II grieves me beyond ex- 

 pression to read > our lettter ; but as you so earnestly 

 request it, 1 shall suggest some things in rebuttal of 

 your ideas. In the first place, I think your claims just 

 a little extravagant. You say : " I hav examined into 

 all the phenominas [no such word in the language] of 

 nature." My son. "all " is a stupendous thing. Have 

 you not overestimated your attainments somewhat? 

 Sir Isaac Newton, who must have given fully as much 

 thought to the physical worlds as you have, compared 

 himself to a little child picking up here and there a 

 pebble or a shell on the shore, while the great ocean 

 of natural wonders stretched away before him ! This 

 must be my first ansA^er to your letter. I now lay 

 down a proposition which I have demonstrated in my 

 own heart and befoie the world to be true : God is ; 

 he is a living God ; Jesus Christ is his Son and my Sav- 

 ior : the Bible is true, and our God hears and answers 

 prayer. Now to the proof Did jou ever read the Bi- 

 ble through? Did you ever count its promises? If 

 not, let me assure you that it is claimed, and I doubt 

 it not, that it contains twenty thousand promises to 

 the man who leads a pure life and obeys his Maker in 

 all things. How many of these promises have you 

 personally put to the lest? Half of them, one thou- 

 sand of them, one hundred cf them, ten of them, any 

 of them? If not, you have no right to say that they 

 are i;Ot true. I quote twenty-four of them. I insist 

 that you can determine their truthfulness beyond 

 doubt : 



1 O taste and see that the Lord is good ; blessed is 

 the man that trusteth in him (Ps. 34:8). 



2 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright ; 

 for the end of man is peace (Ps. 37:37). 



3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up 

 their wounds (Ps. 147-3) 



4. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart ; and lean 

 not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways 

 acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths ( Prov. 

 3:5, 0). 



5. There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth ; and 

 there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it 

 tendeth to poveity. Theli'eral soul shall be made 

 fat ; and he that watereth shall be wateied also him- 

 self. He that v; ithholdeth corn, the people shall curse 

 him ; but blessing shall be upon the head of him that 

 selleth it. He that diligently seeketh good p ocurtth 

 favor ; but he that seeketn mischief, it shall come unto 

 him. He that trusteth in riches shall fall ; but the 

 righteous shall flourish as a branch. He that trou- 

 bleth his own house shall inherit the wind ; and the 

 fool shall be servant to the wise of heart. The fruit 

 of the righteous is a tree of life ; and he that winneth 

 souls is wise. Behold, the rightf ous shall be recom- 

 pensed in the e.irth : much more the wicked and the 

 sinner (Prov. il:'2431). 



6 If ye be wil ing and obedient, ye shall eat the 

 good of the land but if ye refuse, and rebel, ye shall 

 be devoured with the swo'd ; for the mouth of the 

 L-'Td hath spoken it (Isa. 1:19, 20). 



7. Bring ye all the ti'.hes into the storehou.se, that 

 there may I'e meat in mine h mse. and pr-^ve me now 

 herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open 

 you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a bless- 

 ing, that there shall not be rojm enough to receive it 

 (.Mai. 3:10). 



8 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after 

 righteousness; for they shall be filled (Matt 5:6). 



9 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet; 

 at'd when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father 

 which is in secret ; and thy Father which seeth in se- 

 cret shall reward thee openly (Matt. 6:6). 



10. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his 

 righteousness; and all these things shall be added 

 unto you (Matt. 6:33). 



11. A-k, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall 

 find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for 

 every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh 

 fiudeth ; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 

 Or wh.it man is there of you, whom if his son ask 

 bread, will he give him a stout? Or if he ask a fish, 

 will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, 

 know how to give good gifts unto your children, how 

 much more shall your Father which is in heaven give 

 good things to them that ask him (Matt. 7:7-11)? 



12 And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in pray- 

 er, believine, ye shall receive (Matt. 21:22). 

 13. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye 



