GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Are we not much like the dumb brutes in 

 this respect? The boys were surprised (and 

 disappointed) because they did not get the 

 scolding that would naturally follow; and 

 finally (like the horse) they forgot about the 

 mischief they had planned. When you learn 

 to love your enemies you will have the 

 " happy surprise " of finding they are en- 

 emies no longer, but friends. 



I have just read in the daily of two men 

 who got into an argument about the war. 

 It ended by both drawing revolvers and 

 riddling each other with bullets. Will any 

 one explain what was settled or accom- 

 IDlished by this silly and wicked act ? When 

 I was a boy, skeptics made fun of the stories 

 in the Bible about being " possessed of 

 devils." Were not these two men possessed 

 of devils to do this? and would it be so very 

 preposterous to suppose whole nations are 

 just noiv in enthrallment of " legions of 

 devils " ? How does it come these two men 

 had revolvers, defying the law against con- 

 cealed weapons? and does not the incident 

 point out the worse than folly of equipment 

 for war that runs up into many millions? 



HOMELESS BABES AND " BABELESS " HOMES. 



On these pages I have often spoken of 

 the efforts that are being made to save the 

 babies that have been so long dying in in- 

 fancy, and dying for want of intelligent 

 and proper care. A few days ago an agent 

 of the Ohio State Board of Charities spoke 

 at our church about fifteen minutes just 

 before the sei'mon. His business is to look 

 up the orphaned babies of the State of 

 Ohio, or babies that have no parents or 

 relatives to give them proper care. That is 

 one part of his business. The other part is 

 to hunt up fathers and mothers who have 

 no babies or little children of their own, and 

 who are willing to take a child and give it 

 proper care. Let me digi'ess a little right 

 here. 



Somewhere in this big wide world is a 

 boy eighteen or nineteen years old. When 

 he was born his mother was unmarried; 

 but his father was rich enough to hire 

 Iier to "keep still;" and the baby was sent 

 to an Ohio infirmary. Perhaps we had 

 better call it an Ohio " poorhouse " on this 

 occasion. When this boy got to be old enough 

 (o be of some use in choring, etc., a well-to- 

 do grasping farmer agreed to take him. I 

 think he was " bound out " to the farmer, 

 for that is what they called it then. Well, 

 the agreement was that the boy was to have 

 board and clothes, and a certain amount of 

 schooling. My attention was first called to 

 him when he was about fifteen years old. 



He was strong, and able to do a man's 

 work, and had been doing it. But he had 

 no wages, and was sent to school so little, 

 with so many interruptions, that his school- 

 ing amounted to about nothing. He ran 

 away, as many another poor boy has done, 

 and changed his name so his old " *^orraen- 

 tor " could not find him without trouble. I 

 consulted an attorney, and set the boy at 

 work. He was so willing, and put in with 

 such energy and vigor, that it really touched 

 my heart. Well, so many cases of this kind 

 have come to light by investigation, that the 

 State of Ohio (may God be praised) has 

 appointed a " commission " of men and 

 women, first to visit the homes of those who 

 ai-e willing to take a child and see what sort 

 of home it is, and what kind of people they 

 are. Then at regular intervals the home is 

 visited again, the child looked after and 

 interviewed, to see if he has a fair chance. 

 My friend, did you ever consider that every 

 baby in our land, boy or girl, has a right to 

 live and have reasonable care? The respon- 

 sibility rests on you and me. From the 

 moment a child is born under the American 

 flag there is, thank God, a right invested in 

 him or her to " life, liberty, and the pursuit 

 of happiness;" and if the circumstances of 

 the child's birth have not given him this 

 fair chance, you and I are responsible for 

 it. Please recall the words of the dear 

 Savior when he said, " Inasmuch as ye have 

 done it unto one of the least of these my 

 brethren, ye have done it unto me." 



Of course, the speaker's talk that Sunday 

 morning reminded me of the picture on 

 page 76 of our issue for January 15th last. 

 Dear friends, I have had no end of kind 

 words for that article. If you have a copy 

 of Gleanings handy, of that date, it might 

 be worth your while to look it up ; and after 

 you have looked it up, read the letter below : 



STATE OF OHIO, 



BOARD OF STATE CHARITIES, 



1010 HARTMAN BUILDING, COLUMBUS. 



My dear Mr. Root : — I thank you for the courtesy 

 you extended to me Monday, and also for your will- 

 ingness to mention Ohio's children who are in need 

 of mother love in your Gleanings. I am very much 

 interested in the article you gave me which con- 

 tained the story of the deserted baby. It reminded 

 me somewhat of a little one whom I carried a long 

 distance in my arms on the train (and who cried 

 almost the entire distance). She had been picked 

 out of an ash-barrel one January morning. A wo- 

 man in the morning heard a sound that she thought 

 was a cat. On examining the debris and garbage 

 she discovered this beautiful little two-months'-old 

 baby nearly dead from exhaust ion and neglect. The 

 little one was .placed in a beautiful Christian home, 

 .and has been legally adopted. The house she lives 

 in to-day cost nearly $40,000. She is a splendid 

 line little girl of fifteen, and has brought great sun- 

 .<,hine into the lives of her foster parents. 



I was also interested in your article conceruiiiL' 

 your trip from Florida with your wife. I think I 



