824 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 1 



all means. I knew he was just starting- in 

 bee-keeping-, and I thought he might want 

 to talk about bees; but my conscience was 

 clear for all that. We walked around 

 through the woods, and watched the bees 

 at work, and talked on a variety of subjects. 

 He used to live near our place, and knew 

 all about the springs in the vicinity. He 

 told me some things about these I did not 

 know. All togrether we had a very pleas- 

 ant talk or visit, and I felt glad to have 

 started a friendship with such a young- 

 man. Now, dear friends, when I went to a 

 long seat full of young- men with the paper 

 in my hand I mentioned in our last issue, 

 asking them to put down their names among- 

 those who wanted to commence a Christian 

 life, this young- man was the first one to put 

 his name on m}'^ paper, and I think it was 

 largely the outcome of that Sunday talk, 

 and yet I had encourag-ed Sunday visiting 

 against which so much has been said in the 

 pulpit of late. May God help us to use en- 

 lightened common sense in our religion as 

 well as in the other affairs of life. 



Dear friend B. , you ask me what church 

 I belong to. Here in Medina I am a mem- 

 ber of the Congregational Church ; but 

 when I am awaj^ from home it is a pleasure 

 with me to unite with any orthodox church 

 in doing the Master's work. Were I locat- 

 ed permanently in my Michigan home I 

 would get a letter and unite with that church 

 the very first thing- I did. In fact, when I 

 am working up there, and standing- side by 

 side with the good pastor, I feel as if I were 

 one of them, and I believe God is pleased 

 to see me stand among them. My seat 

 in church is as near the minister as I can 

 get, and I love to be near him. Another 

 thing, in the work of building up the church 

 we are learning by experience that it must 

 be almost all personal work. It must be 

 done by getting in contact with the people, 

 and having personal talks and g-etting ac- 

 quainted. I rejoice at an}^ thing in my 

 home in Michigan that enables me to g-et 

 acquainted with my neighbors and have 

 good friendly talks. I have sometimes felt 

 as if I hardly cared wliat it was that g-ave 

 me an opportunity of making- acquaintance. 

 After that Sunday-school I started last 

 spring, I had an opportunity of meeting 

 quite a number of people out in the sugar- 

 camp that pleasant April day whom I did 

 not meet at Sunday-school. In fact, the 

 shortest waj^ for me to get my dinner was 

 to go over there to the sugar-bush after it; 

 and I had worked hard enough during the 

 forenoon 'SO I needed a g-ood dinner. I 

 should be so^y to have that communitj'^ get 

 the idea that I knew nothing and cared 

 nothing for any thing but prayer-meetings, 

 Sunda}' - schools, and sermons. I thank 

 God from the bottom cff my heart that he 

 has given me a love for potatoes and pota- 

 to-growing, and in a like manner a love for 

 strawberries, peaches, apples, and a thou- 

 sand other things pertaining to rural in- 

 dustries. I can, because of this, go among 

 people almost anywhere, and talk under- 



standingly about their pursuits and indus- 

 tries. I can almost always give them help 

 of some kind — that is, when they are, like 

 myself, wanting to learn. 



Last spring a neighbor I did not know 

 very well paid us a visit; and after he had 

 stood arovtnd a little time and talked about 

 several things he said, "Mr. Root, I have 

 a sick cow, and I do not know what to do 

 with her. I was wondering whether you 

 did not know something about cows." 



I was sorry to tell him that I knew al- 

 most nothing about cows. If it had been 

 potatoes, bees, fruit, or chickens, I might 

 have advised him understandiugly; and for 

 once I felt sorry that I had not at some time 

 in my life had some little experience in the 

 cow bvisiness. Now, when I am among the 

 people, on week days as well as on Sunday, 

 God knows I am hungering for an opportu- 

 nity of pointing suftering humanity to the 

 Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of 

 the world. Paul saj's, "I am made all 

 things to all men, that I might by all means 

 save some." Now, of course, I have no 

 right to speak for others; but I am sure 

 that God calls me to be ready to lend a 

 helping hand wherever I may be, no matter 

 what day of the week it may be; and I re- 

 joice in this opportunity of lending a help- 

 ing hand because it opens to me a way to 

 save souls. 



In that chapter from which I have chosen 

 my text Jesus says, "For the Son of man 

 is Lord even of the sabbath day." There 

 is a higher command and a more sacred 

 duty laid upon us than to avoid working on 

 Sunday. Dear friend B., can't you and I 

 stand together, or pretty nearly together, on 

 this matter of the observance of the sab- 

 bath? If you can not see your way, through 

 God's love, to get a little nearer to where I 

 stand in the matter, I will try, through 

 God's love, to come a little nearer to where 

 you stand, that we may, through him, be 

 united. United, we stand; divided, we fall. 



KEEP BUSY. 



The following little gem came to us on a 

 card sent out by the Anti-saloon League, 

 Washington: 



CHARLES KINGSLEY SAID : 



Thank God everj' morning when you get up that 

 you have something to do that day which must be 

 done whether you like it or not. Being forced to 

 work, and forced to do your best, will breed in you 

 temperance, self control, diligence, strength of will, 

 content, and a hundred virtues which the idle will 

 never know. 



I was just thinking a few days ago that 

 not only my happiness but my health abso- 

 lutely depends on keeping me busy. A va- 

 cation is not good for me unless that vaca- 

 tion includes, every day of my life, hard 

 work; and I am forced to conclude that 

 thousands of people who are now miserable 

 might be well and happy if the}^ were ab- 

 solutely obliged to do some hard muscular 

 work outdoors. If you can not do any bet- 

 ter, wheel potatoes from the top of the hill, 

 where they grow, down to the barn; and 



