1887 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



443 



They that turn many to rig-hteousness shall shine 

 as the stars for ever and ever.— Dan. 13: 3. 



1^ F course, yon have noticed, dear reader, 

 'O how briglit and happy you feel after 

 ^J having encouraged some fellow-being 

 ^^ in the ways of righteousness; and. 1 

 suppose you know, too, how dismal 

 and dull one feels when he has liesitated or 

 neglected an opportunity of speaking a word 

 for righteousness. Well, when I left those 

 boys in that hotel in Michigan and went 

 into another room without saying a word to 

 them, I had just that sort of feeling— I felt 

 blue and dull ; I was in a sort of spiritual 

 darkness. Even the precious promises of 

 the Bible seemed to be dim and obscure. 

 There was a kind of feeling that wickedness 

 was going to keep on, and, may be, ulti- 

 mately prevail, and that there was not very 

 much use in trying to do any thing about it 

 any way. Well, did you ever feel that such 

 thoughts are wicked V I kiu:)w they are 

 wicked — they are Satan's promptings. But 

 whenever you sit still and let things go on 

 from bad to worse, without making a move- 

 ment or opening your mouth by way of pro- 

 test, you will be sure to feel this spiritual 

 darkness ; and doubt and want of faith in 

 regard to God's promises, and dim percep- 

 tions of spiritual truths, seem to be the con- 

 sequence. I made up my mind that I would 

 do bcLter when another such opportunity 

 should offer. 



I reached Owosso promptly ; but Prof. 

 Cook was watching at one depot, and I 

 came in at another, as I have explained to 

 you. As soon as I learned that the two de- 

 pots were one-fourth mile or more distant, I 

 hastened to the one where I was expected. 

 A man informed me that Prof. Cook had 

 just been there, and that he had heard him 

 say that he was looking for somebody who 

 did not come. I inquired in the town for 

 him, but they had not seen him, and finally 

 I ascertained he had gone to his farm. 



"•Well," said I to myself, "■if my plans 

 are frustrated, what plans has the Master 

 for me, under the circumstances V " The 

 only thing for me to do was to go to a livery 

 stable and get somebody to take me out to 

 the farm, about four miles. 



Did you ever notice, dear reader, how 

 many people there are in towns and villages 

 sitting around idly ? In cold weather they 

 sit down by a stove, and neither move nor 

 speak for hours. I have often wondered 

 how it is possible that people can sit still. 

 doing absolutely nothing at all, when this 

 bright world is open before us. and when 

 such grand and wonderful opportunities 

 spread themselves out liefore every human 

 being. Why. if I were out of a joii I could 

 think of a hundred different things that I 

 should delight in doing at on(;e. I can re- 

 member a few times in childhood when I 

 had notliing to do ; but since my teens the 

 hours have been very scarce when there was 

 not something I wanted to do very much 

 indeed, just as soon as I could get a spare 

 moment. 



Let me digress just enough to tell you 



what it is I should like to do just now. 

 There are a great many tilings that 1 mean 

 to do this afternoon ; but there is one thing 

 that I have for several days been proposing 

 I would do as soon as it gets dark. It is 

 this : About a week ago, in crossing a plank 

 near the carp-pcmd I heard a sort of ticking 

 or snapping. Perhaps you would not have 

 thought any thing about it, l)ut passed right 

 along. Now. I have learned by experience 

 that dear old Dame Nature has wonderful 

 secrets to unfold; and oftentimes the only 

 hint she gives yo\i is some unusual noise oV 

 strange occurrence. I should have supposed 

 tlie noise was the work of insects; but in- 

 sects are not very plentiful just yet, and it 

 was down on the side of a bank near the 

 water. Even though somebodv was waiting 

 for me, I climbed down ; and by listening at 

 different points I decided pretty nearly 

 where the faint sound came from. Sure 

 enough, at the side of the bank where the 

 water trickled out from the carp-pond there 

 was a sort of bubbling in the mud. The 

 bubbles came with great regularity, and 

 their biirsting made the ticking or snapping 

 sound. It was gas of some kind, issuing 

 from the earth. It did not take me long to 

 build air-castles in the way of lighting oui' 

 manufactory and running our machinery l)y 

 means of natural gas found on our own 

 premises. I am sorry to say, how ever, that, 

 when tested by a lighted match, when I had 

 more leisure, "it did not prove to be the il- 

 luminating gas that has made such a stir in 

 different parts of Ohio. Nevertheless, I en- 

 joyed my discovery, and I am not through 

 witli it yet. Now, then, how can people sit 

 still when there is so much to be seen, so 

 much to be discovered, so much to be stud- 

 ied out, so many wonderful things of inter- 

 est all round about us ? When I started 

 for the livery stable I wondered if livery 

 stables were pretty much the same thing 

 tlie world over. I am afraid they are the 

 same, dear reader. By the stove sat a boy, 

 and he was a fair type of many of the boys 

 in America. He was not doing a thing 

 while he sat by the stove. I am not sure 

 that he even looked up when I came in. In 

 answer to my inquiries, he replied briefly. 

 A few minutes later the proprietor called 

 this boy by name and directed him to drive 

 me to Prof. Cook's farm. Although it was 

 near the tirst of April, it was a wintry day, 

 except that every thing was bright with a 

 flood of sunshine. For some time we rode 

 together in silence. What should a boy in his 

 teens have to do any way, with a man to- 

 w}u-(l fifty y What ideas could they be ex- 

 pected to" have in common ? Unless I made 

 an effort our whole journey would be one of 

 silence on both sides. Satan whispered, "This 

 boy has no intelligence, and he probably is 

 ml even thinking at all. There is not any 

 usp iu wasting your lu'eath in trying to wake 

 liim np out of his characteristic stolid indif- 

 ference to the woild in general." Another 

 voice said, "Christ died for him, whoever 

 he is. You beliavcd in a cowardly way but 

 a few hours ago. and you i-esolved to do bet- 

 ter next time. Now. then, old fellow, if 

 you really do love God and humanity, show 

 your faith by youv works.'" 



