742 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



November, 1919 



to fly, and even if she should lose her life 

 by so doing, it would be a thousand times 

 better, if lost in that Avay, than to be even 

 " contributory " in leading some married 

 man, especially a man with a family, out 

 of the straight and narrow path, that leads 

 from earth to heaven. 



In closing let me once more refer to that 

 terrible crime. Some of you, perhaps, 

 have tried the drowning of kittens to get 

 rid of them, or perhaps some other animals, 

 and have witnessed their dying struggles. 

 I know it is an awful thing to talk about; 

 but I want to have my audience get a 

 glimpse of that man's act that may prove 

 a warning. This man persuaded the poor 

 faithful wife, whom he had promised be- 

 fore God and man to love and protect and 

 cherish, to go (very likely against her 

 wishes) in bathing with him. Then he 

 struck her a cruel blow — his poor, defense- 

 less wife, the mother of his children — and 

 then deliberately (0 God, help the whole 

 wide world to get a fair view of what Satan 

 may lead man to do) held this poor, weak, 

 defenseless woman under the water — no 

 doubt, in spite of her struggles — until life 

 was extinct and her heart had ceased to 

 beat. And just here comes, perhaps, the 

 worst of all. After that cowardly and 

 awful act he (within a week) married that 

 young girl. How about the parents of that 

 girl? Where were they? And how about 

 the State of Illinois? I shall have to con- 

 fess my ig-norance, but just now it is my 

 impression that a girl 16 years old can not 

 legally get married here in Ohio. I know 

 they did, some 50 years ago; but if I am 

 right our State saw the folly, as everybody 

 else did, of allowing 16-year-old girls to get 

 married. It has sometimes been suggested 

 to me, and I do not know but the sugges- 

 tion came from the Devil himself, that I 

 had better " let the world wag " on as it 

 will, for all I can do or say will not make 

 very much difference anyway. But look 

 here, my friends, another and better spirit 

 says, " He that converteth the sinner from 

 the error of his ways shall save a soul from 

 death and shall hide a multitude of sins." 



TALL OAKS FR05I LITTLE ACORNS GROW. 



One of the pleasant things of my old age, 

 and perhaps I should also say one of my 

 " happy surprises," is to hear people re- 

 mark (and those whom I had supposed to 

 be entire strangers) something as follows: 



" Years ago I used to read your little bee 

 journal, and made quite a success with 

 bees"; or, " When I w-as just a kid we took 

 your journal, and I used to read and enjoy 

 the Home papers" ; and I think a few have 



added that my talks when the Home papers 

 first started had considerable to do with 

 shaping the future life of a boy just merg- 

 ing into manhood. With this preface I 

 want to call attention to what our good 

 friend Burbank said on page 612 of our 

 September issue : " In fact, I think you 

 are the one who encouraged me to start bee- 

 keeping in New England years ago." 



Well, after reading that I had a big 

 laugh. And then I could understand why 

 it was that friend Burbank, who is such a 

 busy man, should reply in such a friendly 

 way to all my letters to him. 



And just now comes another of my 

 pleasant surprises along this line. It is a 

 letter written to my son Ernest. 



I have yours of Aug. 28, and the sentiment eA- 

 pressed all the vay thru coincides exactly with my 

 own. I know that 3'our father in the early days 

 was interested in the anti-saloon movement. Dr. 

 Kussell has on several occasions mentioned how 

 your father came to the rescue when funds were 

 needed to develop the work. 



About 35 years ago I used to buy supplies from 

 your father when I lived at Gilbert, Pa. Tlie last 

 year I was on the farm I raised a ton and a half 

 of honeiy, the receipts for which put me thru the 

 Eastman Business College ; and I have alway.s had 

 a pleasant recollection of bees, and also of the limit- 

 ed dealings with your father. 



I followed several lines of business till 1892, at 

 which time I traveled for a Wilkes-Barre tinware 

 house, and traveled continuously for five years and 

 two months, during which period I saved up suffi- 

 cient funds to go into the five and ten cent business. 



Last year the Kresge Company did over $36,- 

 000,000 "of busine.ss. This year, nothing unfore- 

 seen occurring, we shall do over $40,000,000. 



If not this fall. I hope some time next year to 

 motor to }-our headquarters, make your acquaint- 

 ance, and, incidentally, learn more about bees. 

 Verv sincerely yours, 



Detroit, Mich., Sept. 5. S. S. Kresge. 



If our readers will now turn back to 

 page 222 of Gleanings for March, 1917, 

 they will find there a little item in the tem- 

 perance column, headed, "He Did Not 

 Scare Worth a Cent." This man Kresge 

 was an enthusiastic temperance worker 

 when Michigan was voting dry. In fact, 

 he started out by making a contribution of 

 .$10,000. Perhaps you all know about his 

 " chain " (toward 200, altogether, in vari- 

 ous cities) of five and ten cent stores. Well, 

 a Milwaukee brewer, thinking he could 

 scare Mr. Kresge, and taking it for grant- 

 ed, as all brewers do, that the god he Avor- 

 shipped was only dollars and cents, this 

 brewer suggested that the wets might turn 

 in and boycott his chain of stores; but it 

 seems, to use a slang expression, the brew- 

 er found out he had " got the wrong pig 

 by the ear," for here is the reply that Mr. 

 Kresge sent: 



" Yes, I put $10,000 in the Wayne Coun- 

 ty dry fight; and since receiving your let- 

 ter of inquiry I have added $10,000 more." 



Let us now go back a little. 



Altho Mr. Kresge does not say so, I 

 think it is quite likely that the writer of 



