GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



while the young actress succeeded in 

 scooping in several millions; and now 

 tliere is a jangle about the millions that 

 are to go to the baby only a few weeks 

 old. If this thing is allowed to go on — 

 this thing of letting a man go scot free 

 or letting him trample the most holy and 

 sacred laws (of both God and man) under 

 foot, because he is a millionaire — we shall 

 have something icorse tha.n "race suicide." 



Now, our beekeeping friend is by no 

 means a millionaire; and this kind of sin 

 is by no means confined to millionaires. 

 How many times do we see old men acting 

 sillj' around young girls — -perhai^s girls in 

 short dresses! And, by the way, the short 

 dresses of late do not seem to be confined 

 entirely to girls in their teens, as used to 

 be the custom and fashion. Maj' God 

 help us, or may he heljD us wbo claim to 

 belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, to do all 

 we can to put a brake on the work of that 

 "roaring lion" who is just now particular- 

 ly active in going about "seeking whom he 

 may devour." I suppose that, in every 

 communit}^, there are more or less old 

 men, both married and unmarried, who act 

 silly around young girls — especially if 

 these young girls are full of life and at- 

 tired in modern styles. 



I am now going to come still nearer 

 home. May God help me, the author of 

 ihese Home papers, to beware how I take 

 more notice of the bright young girls who 

 are flitting around me like butterflies, than 

 I do of the 3^oung boys who are just as 

 nice and just as bright. Some time ago I 

 made the remark that I really enjoyed 

 being near the entrance of our factory 

 (just before the whistle blows) and look- 

 ing into the bright faces of our emiDloyees, 

 and sajdng "good morning" to each and 

 every one. I think I happened to remark 

 that I especially liked to catch the eyes of 

 the bright young boys as they come to 

 I heir work exactly on time. While I was 

 sneaking, somebody in the crowd — I do 

 i:ot know but it was one of my daugh- 

 lers-in-law — looked up mischievously and 

 asked me if I did not particularly enjoy 

 saying "good morning" to the good-looking 

 and nicely dressed young girls who work 

 in the honey-room, the various offices, and 

 in the packing-rooms of our establish- 

 ment. There was a big laugh all around 

 at this sally; and when I came to look 

 into my own heart I confess I felt a little 

 guilty. May God in his gi-eat mercy help 

 me to keep even more closely in that 

 straight and narrow way, and to look on 

 all mankind even as did the dear Savior 

 when he said, "He that doeth the will of 



my Father, the same is my brother and 

 my sister and mj- mother.'; 



Now, the old men are not altogether to 

 blame in this matter. There are middle- 

 aged and even elderly women who act 

 foolishh' around young boys. Years ago 

 one of the first converts it was my privi- 

 lege to lead to the Lord Jesus Christ made 

 an abrupt change in his life. He delib- 

 erately did come "out of darkness" and 

 get into the broad daylight of the gos- 

 pel, and into a full trust in God's prom- 

 ises. Chiistian j^eople right and left ex- 

 tended to him a helping hand and bade 

 him Godspeed in the new way. Among 

 them was a woman lorominent in Christian 

 work. She took so much notice of him, 

 and made so much of him, that I began 

 to i^rotest. I feared the boy might be 

 spoiled b}- her overdoing. She excusci' 

 herself by saying, "Why, ]Mi'. Root, I am 

 old enough to be his mother, and I am 

 only taking a 'motherly' interest in him." 

 Her good husband was a beautiful example 

 of Christian manhood. He, too, took an 

 interest in the boj' who had dropped his 

 tobacco, profanity, strong drink, evil 

 comijanions, and every thing else, and was 

 a real friend to the boy. I cautioned the 

 boy as well as her who wanted to be a 

 "'mother" to him. Finally the young man 

 came to me and told me his troubles. This 



motherly woman had • . Then my 



young friend said something like this: 



"Mr. Root, if there ever was a good man 

 it is this woman's husband ; and I would 

 rather die than harm him or his domestic 

 relations by thought or deed. It will not 

 do for me to be where I shall see this 

 woman any longer or have any thing to 

 do with her." 



May God be praised, this young man, by 

 my advice, heeded that part of the Lord's 

 praj^er where it says, "Lead us not into 

 temptation, but deliver us from evil." It 

 is right and jaroper that elderly people 

 should notice the boys and girls, lend them 

 a helping hand, and watch over them in 

 a fatherly and a motherly way; but when- 

 ever you are temjDted to go further than 

 that, remember the caution from your old 

 friend in this Home pajDer. 



Our beekeeping friend suggests that 

 there was "a persistency in her attentions 

 and treatment." Now, girls of fourteen or 

 fifteen often jest with, and banter elderly 

 people wdtli whom they are well acquaint- 

 ed, without a thought of any thing wrong.* 



* A very good friend of mine, years ago, took 

 me "Down East" to his old paternal home. He 

 was very anxious that I should become acquainted 

 with his father and mother and a younger sister. 

 This sister was particularly bright and full of 



