1901 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



871 



times wondered if they " wig-g^le " back 

 a!4ain as soon as j'ou are out of sight. Take 

 a l(H)k at the tired horses on almost an3' 

 highway, and notice the stren^-th that is 

 wasted in making- the heavy wheels grind 

 iind crunch over round stones scattered all 

 along the road. The next team pulls labo- 

 riousl}' over the same stones. They are 

 rolled about in every direction ; but the 

 " pesky " things never roll out of the road 

 into the ditch, or at least so it seems. I 

 once saw a man picking up these stones, on 

 a stonj^ sidehill in front of his home. He 

 said it was a part of his religion to remove 

 the cause of bad words from traveling team- 

 sters. Shall we not all make it a part of 

 OH}- religion to remove all stumbling-blocks 

 from the paths of tired struggling humani- 

 ty? Mrs. Root is in full sympathy with me 

 in this work, and I sometimes smile to see 

 her stop to clear the path when I thought 

 we were bolli too tired for such missionary 

 work. 



When a hill is round-top, like the half of 

 a sphere, it is folly to think of going over 

 it, either with path or wagon-road, for it is 

 no further around it, on level ground, than 

 climbing over the top. In laying out roads, 

 it is desirable to follow division-lines be- 

 tween different owners, and for this reason 

 roads are often carried over instead of 

 around hills. But few hills, however, are 

 round, like the half of an apple, and, tak- 

 ing hills as we find them, how far will it 

 be advisable to go around to save climbing 

 over the top? This is one of the problems 

 that are hard to settle. With a wheel I 

 have often thought I could save time and 

 strength by going hvo miles over a good 

 level road rather than go 07ie mile over a 

 hilly and stony road; and it is usually eas- 

 ier to get a smooth hard road, on level 

 ground, than on hillj^ or uneven ground. 



Going around a valley or hollow is much 

 like going around a hill. In cutting my 

 wheel-path, a very deep ravine laj' right in 

 my course. To go around on a level was 

 too far, so I made a curve that was lowest 

 where it was furthest from the course I de- 

 sired to go; and this arrangement makes a 

 very pretty curve, first gradually down, 

 then gradually up again, and the spot of 

 ground we go around is my " ravine gar- 

 den," where every thing grows so luxuri- 

 antly. A few nasturtiums and balsams 

 along the path give a very pretty eftect. A 

 path that is easy for the wheel — that is, hard 

 and smooth — and the ups and downs gradual, 

 I have found easiest for foot travel. One who 

 has had much poor health learns to appre- 

 ciate ever}' thing that saves strength ; and 

 I have sometimes thought there was, per- 

 haps, a kind providence in giving me many 

 periods in life when I was really obliged 

 to make it a study how best to ease the bur- 

 dens I felt compelled to bear. I have chos- 

 en the lightest tools for my use that would do 

 the work; the lightest clothing that would 

 keep me warm enough, and, finally, the 

 very easiest paths and short cuts to and 

 from my daily toil. May the Lord be prais- 



ed that here in this Traverse region I am 

 not obliged to use so much of this kind of 

 economjs for now I often climb great hills, 

 "just for the fun of it." In fact, the very 

 ground I am clearing off to-day for peaches 

 and potatoes is right over large hills. 



I believe I have always had a fondness 

 for paths, especially paths through the 

 woods. Just now the pathways through 

 our woods are all carpeted with soft leaves 

 of the most brilliant hues; and the colors of 

 the beeches and maples overhead, contrast- 

 ing with the rich green of the hem-locks, 

 make a picture that might call forth words 

 of praise from any one. This view is all 

 the time around "our cabin in the woods;" 

 and the red squirrels and chipmunks, since 

 they have found we are friendly, make an 

 agreeable second to it all by coming clear 

 up on our front doorstep and looking at us 

 inquiringly with their beautiful bright 

 eyes. Yes, and if one looks and listens he 

 may hear and see, also, birds of many col- 

 ors. W^hy, who is there who doesn't feel a 

 thrill, when pleasure or business calls him 

 into a path through the woods, during these 

 October or November days? 



Every foot-path is more or less for the 

 people; it is more or less for the great wide 

 world to travel over, and, therefore, he who 

 makes a better path, or even removes the 

 stone or root that has tripped or caused 

 many people to stumble has done missiona- 

 ry work. "Path-making" is an unselfish 

 work. It not only saves the strength of ex- 

 hausted, tired, suffering humanity, but it 

 often saves the utterance of oaths and curs- 

 es. I do not think I ever enjoyed any work 

 of my life more than studying up, and mak- 

 ing to my notion, a good foot-path where 

 one is needed. When I first went down 

 through where my ravine g^arden is now, a 

 j'ear ago, it took me a long time to get 

 through the bushes and climb over rotten 

 logs piled up over each other; and when I 

 got across I was pretty well tired out. Now 

 I go around the curve on my wheel in little 

 more than a second. Since the neighbors 

 have found it is a pleasant and agreeable 

 "short cut," it is traveled so much that 

 the ground keeps hard and smooth, and all 

 the weeds are kept down. This is one of 

 the pleasant things about path-making. 

 After you once get it started right, the busy 

 feet of the great wide world keep it in good 

 repair. 



Dear friends, is it not so with every thing 

 good and pure and lovely? The person who 

 starts honest and wholesome amusement in 

 any neighborhood, in the place of intemper- 

 ance and saloon-visiting, is a path-maker, 

 and so with a thousand other good things. 

 Path-making reminds me of that grand old 

 text, " He which converteth the sinner froin 

 the error of his way shall save a soul from 

 death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." 



I have no hesitation in saying j-our A B C is the 

 best bee-book ever published, and up to date in every 

 way. W. P. Meadows. 



Syston (near I,eicester), England. 



