GLEAJS'INGS IN BEE CULTURE 



of other diseases that afl3ict chickens come 

 about just because they are shut up too 

 close and do not have enough air. " Killed 

 with kindness " expresses it exactly. I am 

 inclined to think that many human beings, 

 the precious little babies included, have 

 been killed with too much kindness and too 

 much care to protect them from this beauti- 

 ful, bright, invigorating outdoor air. In 

 saying this, however, I do not want it to be 

 understood that I mean to ignore the ef- 

 fects of draft or sudden exposure to weath- 

 er without proper protection. I can't un- 

 derstand why it is myself; but I know this 

 — that, if I sit down inside of the house 

 with the doors and windows all open, there 

 is danger of a draft that may give me a 

 cold; whereas if I were to go right out in 

 the open air, right in the very breeze that 

 seemed to hurt me before, the wind causes 

 little or no inconvenience. There is some- 

 thing peculiar about the draft of air that 

 comes in and out through openings, such 

 as doors and windows. 



I read of a hunter who said that, while he 

 was out camping in the woods, he was per- 

 fectly well — hadn't an ache or pain, no 

 touch of rheumatism nor any thing of that 

 sort. When he got back to civilization, and 

 slept in the house, his old troubles all came 

 back. Why is it ? 



Let me now go back to the matter of 

 clothing. For years past — in fact, I can 

 hardly remember the time when I didn't 

 wear a starched shirt with white bosom and 

 starched collar- to match. I tliink that, wliile 

 up in the " cabin in the woods," in North- 

 ern Michigan, I did for a time adopt what 

 they called then a calico shirt. Late years 

 it has been that starched front, so imper- 

 vious to wear winter and summer — as long, 

 in fact, as I can remember. During the past 

 winter, however, I have ceased patronizing 

 the laundry. Our oldest daughter paid us 

 a visit, and she and Mrs. Root decided that 

 it was too bad that I should go up town 

 looking as I did, and they finally found 

 some light summer shirts, so very thin that 

 I scarcely knew I had any on at all, and 

 wliich made me look a little more decent 

 and like other people. And, besides, if I 

 find this obstracting the air and breeze and 

 sun too much I can unbutton it and throw 

 it back without very much trouble. One of 

 the most beautiful pieces of modei'n statu- 

 ary I ever saw in my life — at least one that 

 I have looked at and admired as much as 

 or more than any other — is in our Medina 

 cemetery. It pictures one of the old pio- 

 neer wood-choppers who cut down the great 

 trees in Ohio, and established homes and 

 colonies. This wood-chopper stands on a 

 log, ax in one hand, with his hat off and 



head thrown back, collar unbuttoned and 

 turned back so that he exposes fully to 

 view the muscles of his neck and chest. 

 This athletic wood-chopper is in the full 

 prime of life, and I should say from the 

 looks of the picture that he is also enjoying 

 such a life as God intended he should have 

 out in the open woods, and taking the best 

 exercise that every one of God's children 

 should take to enjoy fully the gift of a 

 human life to live. Before sitting down to 

 my dictaphone I had been out in the lot 

 with my colored man, Wesley, spading up 

 the mellow sandy soil in order to make 

 place for more of that five bushels of dash- 

 eens that I have told you about. Of course 

 I perspired freely; and after working an 

 hour or two I enjoyed a good drink of 

 water more than I can tell you. Duiing 

 the past winter, especially along toward 

 spring, there has been more complaint 

 around here of the " redbug " than usual, 

 and I myself have had some of the " biggest 

 doses " of " redbug poison," I tliink, that 

 I ever had before since I have been winter- 

 ing in Florida. Well, one day I asked 

 Wesley if the redbug didn't trouble him. 

 His reply was, "Mr. Root, the redbug never 

 troubled anybody — at least, they don't trou- 

 ble anybody very much when he sweats 

 profusely. The sweating drowns them out." 

 Since I have been helping Wesley spade up 

 the ground so as to get into a brisk profuse 

 perspiration the redbug poison seems to 

 have let up almost completely. " By the 

 sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat thy bread." 

 The women-folks of our land seem to have 

 caught on to what I am suggesting pretty 

 well, to the full; but if I understand it, it 

 is because of the fashion and not because it 

 gives them health, strength, or vigor. Well, 

 I am veiy glad to see them get along with 

 lighter and thinner clothing, and clothing 

 of less weight; but it keeps occurring to me 

 that, since tliis new style of dress was 

 adopted, if it were worn more at home in- 

 stead of out on the streets it might be better, 

 all things considered, especially for the 

 growing boj's and men who do not always 

 look on women in the new attire as they 

 would have all men look at their own wives, 

 sisters, and mothers. If I am correct, Terry 

 says that he wears no underclothing except 

 when he goes away from home. When we 

 are outdooi-s in the field in the tropic or semi- 

 tropic climate I would let the underclothing 

 be pretty much all the clothing that is 

 worn. When we go to town, of course we 

 ought to get fixed up a little more decent 

 and a little more presentable. When we 

 go to church on God's holy sabbath, of 

 course we want to look at least respectable. 

 Even then I do not believe, however, that 



