516 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Aug. 15 



had any thing like that. No wonder his dis- 

 ciples asked, "What manner of man is this 

 that even the winds and waves obey him?" 

 This wonderful miracle paved the way in 

 my boyish imagination for the raising of 

 Lazarus, thus demonstrating to all the world 

 that our Lord was not only master of the 

 winds and waves, but at his bidding even 

 death gave up its claims. 



Any one who will take the time and pains 

 to read carefully the New Testament will, I 

 think, be compelled to decide that it is a 

 truthful history. None of these things were 

 done in a dark corner. Jesus came out in 

 open dayhght. Most of his miracles were 

 performed before crowds of people — no mid- 

 night with its darkened room. In fact, his 

 whole life attested what he said, "In secret 

 have I done nothing." There is a certain 

 air of honesty that runs all through the New 

 Testament that stamps its statements as 

 truthful. 



It has been my good fortune, at least as 

 a general rule, to have my statements ac- 

 cepted. In only a few times in my life have 

 I been accused of untruthfulness. When 

 I first gave the story about the Wright 

 brothers, :ind said I saw them fly with 

 their machine and come around to the start- 

 ing-point, I was disappointed because my re- 

 port created so little sensation. The Wright 

 brothers have recently made stir enough in 

 the world; but when I first introduced them 

 to the world I was surprised and disgusted. 

 While at Dayton some years ago I met Mr. 

 Chanute, the man who had made experi- 

 ments with gliding-machines, even before 

 the Wright brothers had, and a man who is 

 widely known all over the world wherever 

 there is any interest in flying- machines. 

 When I was introduced to Mr. Chanute he 

 paid but litle attention to me. That did not 

 hurt me at all, for God knows I did not care 

 to be exploited. As the party broke up, 

 Orville Wright handed Mr. Chanute a copy 

 of our journal, turned over to the pages that 

 gave my story, and suggested to him that he 

 might be interested in reading it after he 

 got to his hotel. The next morning, when 

 we met again, Mr. Chanute'sface had chang- 

 ed. He came up to me with a very friendly 

 greeting and put out his hand. When I told 

 him that I was much disappointed, when I 

 wrote the article, to find that it elicited so 

 little interest, he rephed something like this: 

 "Why, Mr. Root, your readers all supposed 

 that it was a made-up story. The way in 

 which you talked about Christopher Colum- 

 bus putting out on the unknown deep and 

 all that, made people believe it was a sort of 

 fairy story, such as we find in our maga- 

 zines every little while — stories so much 

 mixed up that one can not tell which is fact 

 and which is fiction. The world did not be- 

 lieve you were telling the truth.'' 



I replied something as follows: 



"Mr. Chanute, I am in the habit of having 

 strangers doubt my statements; but those 

 who are acquainted with me, and know my 

 way of talking, and those who have read my 

 department in our journal for years past, 



ought to know that I tell the truth. Fur- 

 thermore, that article has the stamp of truth 

 on it from beginning to end. I mentioned 

 the locality, and the things that happened, 

 in a way that would convince any reasonable 

 person that what I related really occurred." 



He glanced over the pages again and said 

 slowly: * 



"Well, I guess that is so to a great extent; 

 but what you are telling is too wonderful. 

 The world is not yet ready to take it in." 



I turned to Mr. Chanute and the Wright 

 brothers, and then said: 



"My friends, none of you know what you 

 are doing. I am sure you do not recognize 

 the unexplored field that you are opening 

 up." 



They laughed at my enthusiasm; but to- 

 day, this 30th day of July, 1909, I think most 

 peiiple who read this will say I was right. 

 My enthusiasm was not misplaced. I did 

 not think, however, that it would take so 

 many years for this world to wake up as it 

 has done. 



I have used as an illustration the Wright 

 brothers and their flying-machine, and I 

 wish to say again that there is a still more 

 wonderful unexplored region in the line of 

 our text than in any thing else on the face of 

 the earth. Those who are experienced in 

 the affairs of the world can judge pretty 

 well whether a statement is true or not. 

 Certain people, certain books, and certain 

 articles m the papers have the stamp of 

 truth on them; and this New Testament 

 account of our Lord Jesus Christ has the 

 stamp of truth on every page. The narra- 

 tors may have made some trifling mistakes, 

 but they are honest. The Bible is the word 

 of God. I know not the future; but I am 

 satisfied to risk it with him who said, " I am 

 the resurrection and the life. He that be- 

 lieveth in me, though he were dead, yet 

 shall he live." 



When I am visiting in some distant State 

 or city I feel lost and- unsatisfied until I find 

 a bee-keeper — somebody who has read 

 Gleanings; and, oh what a pleasure it is to 

 be shown around by some one in that locali- 

 ty! Now, when I go into that other world I 

 expect to be received and welcomed in a 

 similar way. He who said to the winds and 

 waves, "Peace, be still," and was obeyed, 

 is my friend. I know he is my friend because 

 I have been working for him all these years. 

 I have been working with him, and know 

 that he is pleased with my work in the tem- 

 perance field. I know that he sympathizes 

 with me in my efforts to discourage the use 

 of tobacco. I said to the clerks years ago, 

 when I was told what a lot of stamps it took 

 to send out smokers that Dr. Miller has al- 

 luded to, " Do not worry. The great Father 

 above will furnish the postage;" and, dear 

 friends, the money has come, and for every 

 thing else I have undertaken for him. 



Now just a word more about 



UNEXPLORED REGIONS. 



About forty years ago I was obliged to ride 

 a good many miles on a freight train. On 



