1908 



GLEANINGS IN BEE GUl/IUKE. 



287 



ter. Mr. Sibbald made a good point when 

 he said, "Pack lees, that are to be wintered 

 outside, ear y; fall packing is a greater ad- 

 vantage than spring packing." 



In closing this article let me say that, if 

 the stores are not good in the hive during 

 that portion of the spring when the bees are 

 much confined to the hive, it has a very in- 

 jurious effect. It causes dysentery, weakens 

 the bees, and keeps up spring dwindling. 

 Such st- cks had better be given a good rapid 

 feed the first opi ortune time. 



Brantford, Ont., Can. 



GHURIB DAS. 



BY W. K. MORRISON. 



The subject of this sketch is a unique char- 

 acter who desei'ves more than passing atten- 

 tion. Dressed in the garb of an Indian 

 coolie he looks like a genuine native of In- 

 dia, As a matter of fact, he is a typical son 

 of old Scotland, both in personal appearance 



GHURIB DAS, ADJUTANT OF THE SALVATION 

 ARMY IN BRITISH GUIANA. 



and behavior, and in no respect need the 

 old land be ashamed of her son, even if he 

 has thrown away his kilts. 



Ghurib Das was originally christened by 

 his family minister plain Alexander Alexan- 

 der. In course of time he obtained a posi- 

 tion as overseer on a sugar-plantation in 

 British Guiana. He found it a hard place, 

 not only for a white man, but also for the 

 East Indian black man; and he determined. 



after his conversion and reformation, to be- 

 come a Salvation Army missionary among 

 the natives of India residing in Guiana. He 

 soon found it was difficult to reach them, 

 even when he spoke their language. They 

 criticise missionaries because they have good 

 cl'ithes, eat fine food, and live in nice large 

 houses, so that it is easy to be a Christian. 

 To get nearer their hearts he decided to 

 adopt their garb and imitate them as far 

 as he could. This had the desired effect, and 

 he soon gathered a number up from their 

 degradation, for bad habits, janga, and opium 

 will ruin any man, even if made of "blood 

 and iron." 



Besides gathering up Indians he also got 

 together a mot'ey collection of Scotchmen 

 and Englishmen who had been overseers like 

 himself, but who had fallen by the wayside, 

 chieliy because they liked Scotch fire-water 

 better than life itself. 



He had made no arrangements for receiv- 

 ing white men, but he did not send them 

 away. On the contrary, he took them home; 

 iDut even that would not do, so he raised 

 funds and bought a home in the country, 

 where they could sober up and start a new 

 life under new surroundings. 



To keep his proteges busy he started vari- 

 ous little enterprises, one of which was an 

 apiary of about thirty colonies. He did not 

 know any thing about bee-keeping, but he 

 read up on the subject until he was able to 

 teach the art to others. 



It was in this way I came to ki-_~ CLurib 

 Das. He wanted to know more about bees, 

 and sent for me to tell him. 1 found him in 

 his "office," which consisted of a bare table 

 behind a coolie eating house in Georgetown. 

 It seemed to me he was casting up accounts, 

 and it is well known he does not waste a 

 cent. He runs another lunch-room for whites 

 out of work, and also an industrial home 

 and laundry, both for East Indians. He con- 

 ducts street services, and makes visits to the 

 country around, so that his time is fully 

 taken up for 16 hours a day. How he got 

 time to learn bee-keeping I do not know. 



Ghurib Das has the entire confidence of the 

 planters and business men of his country, 

 who contribute readily to his plans as far as 

 their money will do it. Some of them do 

 not believe in ordinary missionaries, but 

 they cordially believe in this one. He was 

 one of the prominent figures in the Salvation 

 Army Congress in London some years ago, 

 and deservedly so, on account of his self- 

 denying character and genius for work. 



I have met all sorts of missionaries, lived 

 with them, slept with them, and traveled 

 with them; but Mr. Alexander is the noblest 

 of them all, because he is the humblest. 



We have just received the annual report 

 on food adulteration, issued by the North 

 Carolina Department of Agriculture. The 

 report on honey is interesting. In 1901 the 

 percentage of adulteration was 30 ; in 1903, 

 33.3; and in 1906 none at all. 



