796 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 1 



does for them the more she oug^ht to do. I 

 know they sometimes get to be cold and un- 

 feeling' as well as rude. I do not know any 

 remedy for this state of affairs but constant 

 and loving pra3'er. Ask the dear Lord to 

 point out to you opportunities to zviri the 

 child's confidence and respect. Do not make 

 the mistake of doing every thing for the boy. 

 Teach him to be self-reliant and mani3^ I 

 know of a poor widow who let her boy 

 lounge on the streets while she dug her po- 

 tatoes. She gave as a reason that if he dug 

 them he chopped into them and spoiled so 

 many she would rather do it herself. Now, 

 this woman made the mistake of thinking 

 more of her potatoes than she did of her 

 boy — at least, that is the way I look at it. 

 The boy should have been made to dig the 

 potatoes, and dig them carefully and well, 

 even if it cost ever so much more than the 

 potatoes were v.'orth. 'Roys will never be 

 made better by letting them lounge on the 

 streets instead of doing the work they ought 

 to do. 



Now, in closing let me say a word to these 

 boys — that is, if they ever get hold of my 

 writings. My young friends, very likely 

 you will some time see that patient, hard- 

 working, faithful mother laid in her coffin. 

 When you do, you will think of your un- 

 kind words and acts to her. You will re- 

 member when you might have carried the 

 wood or dug the potatoes for her when she 

 was tired and worn out. You will, perhaps, 

 recall every unkind speech you ever made 

 to her. Just once in my life I resisted my 

 good father's authority. I did not strike 

 him, thank God, but I "talked back" as 

 the boys call it. I had been among evil 

 companions. They jeered me because I 

 obeyed my father and never said a word 

 back. They made me think it would be a 

 fine thing if I had the courage to talk back 

 to him. May God forgive me that one time. 

 Father forgave it freely, for I asked forgive- 

 ness afterward; but when I sat by his bed- 

 side when he breathed his last, 1 thought 

 of that one time, and I thought, too, that I 

 would give almost every thing in this world 

 if it had never happened. About the last 

 work he did on earth was to dig potatoes. 

 After he was g-one it seemed to me it would 

 be the greatest privilege that this world 

 could offer if I had the chance once more to 

 go and work by his side and help him when 

 he was really too sick to work himself. 

 But it is the mothers, I think, that bear the 

 heaviest burdens. I have told you several 

 times that Mrs. Root prefers to do her own 

 work without any hired help; and ever}"^ 

 day I try to do seme of the heavy work for 

 her when I know what she wants done; but 

 should she die first, I am sure that I shall 

 regret — yes, bitterly regret — that I did not 

 try harder to lift more of her burdens and 

 to prevent her from getting so tired out as 

 she does almost every day. 



And finally, dear friends, there is noth- 

 ing in this world that can so contribute to 

 gentleness and Christian courtesy in the 

 home, among all its members, as the love 



of Christ Jesus. I know it is getting to be 

 a good deal out of fashion to have family 

 worship; but I am sure thousands of homes 

 would be greatl}' benefited by having just 

 a few words of Scripture read some time 

 during the daj- before all the family. Let 

 the children learn a text and repeat it at 

 breakfast time, if you can not do better. 

 Let the mother have her text too, and do 

 not be in too much of a hurry; and, if it 

 can be brought about, have the father or 

 somebody else give thanks to God. One 

 verse of some one of our many beautiful 

 hymns is a grand thing to encourage gen- 

 tleness and courtesy in the hearts of all. 

 May God in his great mercy bless the words 

 I have tried to speak to you; and may they 

 be the means of letting the spirit of the 

 dear Savior find a lodgingplace in homes 

 where he has heretofore found no entrance 

 or welcome. 



NOTES or TRAVtL 



I BY A. I. ROOT . 



i 



It is really one of the fine arts to study 

 out how you can get from place to place in 

 traveling, especially in a strange land, and 

 not waste time and money. You want all 

 the aids you can possibly get hold of in the 

 way of maps and time-tables, and study the 

 railroads, ask questions of people you meet, 

 look ahead and plan ahead; and even then 

 you will find every little while, hy looking 

 back, where you could have saved dollars 

 in money and days of time had you been 

 thoroughly posted in regard to all the crooks 

 and turns and queer combinations of meth- 

 ods of travel. 



Before starting for home I wanted to visit 

 Huntington, Putnam Co., Fla. I knew it 

 was near Palatka, and I had planned to go 

 to Palatka first and then find which wa}' I 

 would have to go to reach Huntington. Fi- 

 nally it occurred to me that Huntington 

 might be on the very road I was going to 

 take from Tampa to Palatka. Sure enough, 

 so it was; and at just the last minute I sav- 

 ed going right past where I wanted to go, 

 in the night, and being obliged to go back 

 over the same ground the next day. 



I reached Huntingfton about an hour be- 

 fore daj'light. The station was dark, and, 

 in fact, it was dark everywhere. It was 

 prett3' cold, too, for one who had been hav- 

 ing malarial chills. I finally found a col- 

 ored man camping out beside a fire in the 

 open air. He pointed out a hotel, but he 

 said he was afraid nobody lived there. 

 Sure enough, it was the old story — pound- 

 ing at the doors and getting no response. 

 Then I went to the nearest dwelling, with 

 a like result. I tried another and another. 

 I began to feel homesick, discouraged, sick 

 every way. When one who is sick tries 

 day after day for a week or two to travel 

 and meet friends, and appear as one is ex- 



