44 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 1 



It is a fact that practically all of our leading bee-keepers are 

 temperance men, and, 1 dare say, put their principles into prac- 

 tice and full eflect at the ballot-box whenever an opportunity 

 arises so to do. Now, there is the " Grand Old Man " of bee- 

 dom, Dr. Miller, of the IVeit. He stands four-square on temper- 

 ance and prohibition. And so does that other Grand Old Man of 

 the East, Mr. Dooliltlr, who does so much. And then there is A. 

 I. Root. He's been " Rooting " around for a good many years, 

 and I have always thought from his sermonettes that he would not 

 be caught running a saloon should he ever quit running a bee- 

 supply business and raising " garden-sass. " 1 think all will con- 

 cede that A. I. R. isn't rilled with "hot-air " when it comes 

 to the temperance question and a few other moral subjects. 



I might go on and name a glorious company of bee-keepers 

 from all over this and other lands — even over in Canada — who 

 are temperance reformers, and who would do their utmost to help 

 wipe the saloon curse off the earth. But there are so many that 

 it would be impossible for me to name or count them. The 

 proper place to count taose in the United States will be at the 

 polls on Nov. .Id, when, no doubt, they'll be just " Chain " to 

 roll up a big vote for the great reform which all mankind should 

 want to see win. 



Now for a little personal experience with bee-keepers on this 

 drink question. As a good many know, 1 have not failed to at- 

 tend a single National bee-keepers' convention, and some others 

 not national, during the pist fifteen years. And I am most happy 

 to say that on only one occasion have I ever been asked to take a 

 drink. That was in Canada, I regret to say. Of course, that 

 particular Canuck wanted to treat me right while I was enjoying 

 existence under the flag of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, at that 

 time — 1895. But I never blamed the rest of my good Canadian 

 brethren for the mistaken kindness of that one of their goodly 

 number; for he was much in the condition of a man whose good 

 wife said to him, " Now, Jim, when you're full, instead of ask- 

 ing for more beer why don't you ask for sarsaparil/a? " 



" Well, by Jove," he said, " when I'm so full as that, I can't 

 say sar-sap-a-ril-la! " 



All who have made a practice of attending these gatherings of 

 bee-keepers know how seldom we see one of our crowd smok- 

 ing, and (now) never drinking. When the convention was held 

 here about 25 years ago we had to pay $40 rent for the hall in the 

 third story of a building. The owner of the building kept a sa- 

 loon in the basement, and, oh how bitterly he talked when he 

 was paid his rent! He said, " If I had known what kind of a set 

 of fellows you were you would never have got that hall for that 

 money. Not one of you has been in my saloon!" 



At the hotel opposite, where most of the convention members 

 stopped at that convention, the boy at the cigar-counter was heard 

 to say, "Queer crowd this. Do you know I have sold them just 

 three cigars? " (And / should say that was just three cigars too 

 many.) The fact is, the name " bee-keeper " is almost synony- 

 mous with "temperance," and I rejoice in it. We can all help 

 to hasten the dawning of that blessed day when there shall not 

 be a saloon or drunken man on the face of this beautiful earth of 

 ours. 



Temperance and prohibition have made such rapid advances 

 during the past few years that to-day some forty million people of 

 the United States live under a " stainless flag " so far as the open 

 saloon is concerned. And I truly believe that, before another 

 ten years shall have passed, there will not be a legally open sa- 

 loon beneath fair Columbia's flag of freedom. 



But we shall have to settle this great liquor question among 

 ourselves. And this reminds me of a story I once heard. It oc- 

 curred in Alabama. A colored man had a little pig he wanted to 

 sell. A white man came along in the morning in his wagon and 

 bought the pig for $3.00. He drove away, but somehow the lit- 

 tle squealer managed to get out, and ran back home to its little 

 pen. About the time it arrived, another white man came along 

 who also wanted to buy a pig. He bought it, and paid the col- 

 ored man $3.00 for it. He had not gone far when he met the 

 nian who^rjr bought the pig, and was asked where he got that 

 pig. " Why, 1 just bought it from the colored man up the road." 

 " Well, that pig is mine," said the man who bought it in the 

 morning. " I was driving along, and somehow it got out and 

 must have returned home. Let's go back and see that nigger, 

 and find out why he treats us in that way." 



Arrived at the negro's cabin, the first man asked, " Didn't you 

 sell me that pig this morning for $3.00.' " 

 " Yes, sah, ah did," said the darkey. 



" And didn't you sell the same pig for $3.00 to this man a lit- 

 tle later.' " 



"I did, sah," was the answer. 

 " Well, what kind of treatment is that.' " 



Whereupon he gave the following reply in a self-satisfied man- 

 ner: " Well, now, gen'men, can't you go way by yourselves and 

 settle dat little question.' " 



It is up to us all to settle among ourselves the question of the 

 liquor business. We can't shift responsibility as the colored 

 man in Alabama tried to do. 



Referring again to the tobacco question among bee-keepers, 

 which is really the temperance question in another direction, I 

 am reminded of an incident that occurred in Chicago when New- 

 man & Son were in the bee-supply business and I was in their 

 employ. A bee-keeper called to get some supplies, and after 



buying several things Mr. Newman, Junior, said, "And now 

 wouldn't you like a smoker.'" meaning, of course, a Bingham 

 bee-smoker in those days. Very promptly came the reply from 

 the bee-keeper, " No, thank you, / don't smoke! " 



I think it was in Philadelphia that a bee-keeper of the tem- 

 perate kind was employed. As he was about to change to anoth- 

 er position he asked for a recommendation from his old employer. 

 He was granted his request, the testimonial reading, " The bear- 

 er, Mr. Beeman.is industrious, hard working, faithful, an^ joA^r," 

 etc. Afer reading it over, Mr. Beeman asked his former employ- 

 er if he would please make it a little stronger. Why, of course, 

 he said he would if only he knew how Mr. Beeman would like 

 to have it. Whereupon the bee-man said, " Put it this way: 



" Mr. Beeman is industrious, hard-working, faithful, and often 

 fober." He thought " often sober" was better than plain sober. 



Of course, he was an exception, and probably came from the 

 Emerald Isle. 



But I must not continue longer. I wish only to say that I am 

 proud to be one of such a royal, temperate company as are the 

 bee-kepeers of this and other lands. But ive must not fold our 

 hands and sit idly by while our fellow-men are pushing the bat- 

 tle against the open saloon. We must do our part to raise the na- 

 tion's manhood. We must let our light shine, we must use our 

 influence — yes, and our ballots — whenever an opportunity is pre- 

 sented to strike the demon Drink a killing blow. 



How long, how long this degradation. 

 To blight the manhood of the nation; 

 How long fair woman's name dishonor. 

 Heaping shame and grief upon her 

 Whose gentle voice so long hath plead, 

 Whose feet so long have sunward led — 

 Little voices vainly crying, 

 Joy of childhood crushed and dying.' 



Defend the home! Protect the school! 

 Blow, blow a ringing bugle note! 

 For mahhood strike! for manood vote! 

 Till manhood rules from sea to sea. 

 Magnificent in victory; 

 Till mountain-peak and prairie sing; 

 Till our broad land, redeemed, shall ring: 

 Manhood is king! 



Geo. W. York. 



That Story about the darkey and the pig is a 

 magnificent illustration of the way things have 

 been done in times past. From the celebrated 

 " nullification act " when they tried to put out 

 the canteen, we have had evasion, shirking of re- 

 sponsibility, and no end of subterfuges and ex- 

 cuses, not only among common people but among 

 those who are away up high in sacred and impor- 

 tant offices. Yes, we have been obliged to put 

 up ivith miserable and shameful evasions and ex- 

 cuses as a reason for not enforcing our laws and 

 closing up the saloons, gambling-houses, and 

 places of ill fame connected with the drink traffic. 

 Bro. York did not go on with his story and tell 

 us whether the two men who bought and paid 

 for the same pig submitted to that sort of phi- 

 losophy. Well, ~Lve have submitted and put up 

 with it, and let it go for many long tedious years 

 in times past. But, may the Lord be praised, we 

 are now in the midst of an awakening; and com- 

 mon sense and some sort of show of justice is 

 taking the place of such ridiculous philosophy. 



WILBUR WRIGHT STILL BREAKING RECORDS. 



On the 18th of Dec, Wilbur Wright (so the 

 Plaiti Dealer tells us) "smashed two world's air 

 records." He stayed up in the air almost two 

 hours, went over 60 miles, and ascended higher 

 than he had done on previous flights. He also 

 encountered a gust of wind that made his machine 

 back up and plunge like a restive young colt, but 

 he pulled it back into shape while the (at first) 

 "terrified spectators" cheered him with loud 

 shouts. How about his pupils.? Can any of 

 them yet run the machine alone.' 



