1908 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



955 



look for some extract of Jamaica g^inger. He ad- 

 mitted he was sick, but could not explain just 

 -Tvherc the pain was located. Pretty soon the 

 tears were running down his cheeks, and he final- 

 ly reluctantly confessed that he was homesick. 

 A little later another one was homesick. Then 

 I talked and reasoned with them. I told them 

 about how I had been homesick, and how I got 

 over it. When my arguments seemed imavail- 

 ing, I told them I could get them all back home 

 to their parents in less than twenty-four hours, if 

 the\ insisted on it. "But," said I, "boys, I can 

 tell you from my own experience that, if I get 

 you back home now, when you come to think it 

 over you will be more homesick to get back to 

 the cabin in the woods than you are now to get 

 back to see your fathers and mothers. " 



When prayer-meeting night came at that little 

 church over the hills, that I have often told you 

 about, I persuaded them all to go with me a mile up 

 and down hill through the woods to that pretty lit- 

 tle meeting-house. Of course, I had to talk to the 

 people, as I always do when I get around in that 

 neighborhood. In my talk I spoke about the home- 

 sick boys. I said it rejoiced my heart to see boys 

 who love father and mother so much that they re- 

 ally considerhome the dearest spot on earth. Then 

 I told them about Mrs. Root being sick down in 

 Florida; and I asked the friends to shake hands 

 with the boys and give them to understand that 

 there were good kind lovable people away up in 

 Northern Michigan as well as down in Ohio. 

 After prayer-meeting one of the boys said, " Why, 

 grandpa, I believe that was about the best prayer- 

 meeting I ever attended in my life," and I guess 

 the others thought so too, for there was no more 

 homesickness after that. Now, friends, I am giv- 

 ing you a good rational remedy for homesickness 

 if you ever happen to experience it. Go to pray- 

 er-meeting. There is something especially in- 

 spiring about that little church, the Sunday- 

 school, its Endeavor society, prayer-meeting, and 

 its preaching services. Ever since the revival I 

 told you about up there, there has been almost 

 constantly something going on to improve it. It 

 has been neatly papered recently, and carpeted. 

 A very nice furnace warms it up in winter, and 

 on this last 4th of July several of the boys and 

 men got together and made a cement platform in 

 front of the door. The planks had been getting 

 old and rotten. I told them in my talk that such 

 work was laying up treasures in heaven, where 

 moth and rust do not corrupt, and where thieves 

 do not break through and steal; and among all 

 the good investments God has permitted me to 

 make, dear friends, I do not know of any other 

 one that gives me more pleasure when I come to 

 think of it than what I have invested in the Bing- 

 ham church away off there among the hills. 



When I first went into that community, about 

 eight years ago, the church and Sunday-school 

 were pretty badly run down; but the saloons at 

 Bingham were doing a big business. Saloons 

 and Sunday-schools can not both well prosper in 

 the same neighborhood. Since the revival I have 

 told you about in the little church over among 

 the hills, the saloon business has gradually gone 

 down; and on this visit I was rejoiced to hear 

 that the saloon had finally given up business en- 

 tirely. It died a natural death for want of pat- 

 ronage. And this reminds me that I told the su- 



perintendent of the Anti-saloon League for the 

 State of Michigan, something like a year ago, 

 that I would give $25.00 to help inaugurate some 

 temperance work in the neighborhood of our 

 Sunday-school. Now, I do not know how much 

 that did with closing up that saloon; but my im- 

 pression is that God in his gracious goodness 

 took the matter in hand before the League got 

 around to it, and through the influence of that 

 little church and Sunday-school the business that 

 has wrecked so many homes in years past died 

 out of itself without the aid of the League. Of 

 course, I paid them the $25. 00 all the same. May 

 God be praised for such victories over intemper- 

 ance. 



The plan was that, after I left the cabin and 

 went back home, the boys should stay and camp 

 out a week or two as they chose. As other boys 

 may be interested in a like camping-out at some 

 of the North Michigan health resorts I think 

 some of you may care especially in regard to the 

 expense of such a trip. The round trip from Tole- 

 do to Traverse City was $7.50. I told the boys 

 that 25 cents a day each for provisions ought to 

 cover the cost. Butter, milk, and eggs are cheap- 

 er there than here in Ohio, and one can get them 

 at almost any farmhouse. The neighbors will 

 usually furnish bread also at a reasonable price. 

 Well, at the time we figured up as I came away, 

 the whole expense was only 2/ cents a day each; 

 and we indulged in some luxuries also that might 

 easily have been cut out. At first we commenc- 

 ed by cooking elaborate meals — ham and eggs, po- 

 tatoes, postum cereal, etc.; but after many of 

 their tramps through the woods or down to the 

 bay they came back too tired to do any cooking; 

 and so they adopted a ?)ienu consisting of cereals 

 or shredded biscuit, and milk, and in a little 

 time all three of the boys declared they felt bet- 

 ter, and their strength held out better, with just 

 these wheat preparations and milk than with a 

 cooked meal. 



Now, this testimony was worth lots to me be- 

 cause it verified T. B. Terry's teachings concern- 

 ing uncooked food. These boys discovered, too, 

 that it was ever so much less labor to do up the 

 dishes when each one had only a bowl of milk 

 with cereals to go with it. I preferred the Petti- 

 john rolled wheat uncooked, but the boys seem- 

 ed to prefer shredded wheat biscuit, toasted corn- 

 flakes, or something of that sort. Many of the 

 staple grains with milk, and occasionally an egg 

 apiece, will surely keep the average person in bet- 

 ter health than what is usually termed a "good 

 square meal." We did not go to the trouble of 

 putting fruits on the table, because they were so 

 abundant taken right off from the trees or bushes, 

 and in the latter way we avoided the great quanti- 

 ty of cane sugar that is generally served with 

 fruits on the table. 



I am getting several letters daily in regard to 

 this matter of diet and health. Now, just try it, 

 friends, and see if you do not feel better and hap- 

 pier, besides saving a great lot of useless work 

 in getting up these expensive articles of diet. 

 Most of you can live without any meat if you 

 choose by using milk and eggs as I have indicat- 

 ed. Do not forget plenty of good ripe fruit. If 

 you say you can not afford to go into the mar- 

 kets and buy it, then get a little piece of land 

 and gro-xv it yourself. If will cost you less than 



