248 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



November, 



cuss if ye don't like 'em, in- fact you 

 are a bigoted, biased, bucolic, bumpkin 

 if ye don't see and tliiuk as I do. Yas, 

 some of the boys is riled 'cause I 

 twitted on facts 'bout some of their 

 dearly beloved. Well, 't aint my fault 

 if they placed their affections on un- 

 commonly common clay. The kind as 

 makes long prayers in public places 

 be as plenty now as they used to be — 

 and they will bear just as much watch- 

 in'. 'Cause a man hollers "no rum" it 

 don't follow that he is "temperate" — 

 like as not he'll drink water till he's 

 sick, eat grub till his wife is sick, 

 preach till we're all sick and then sell 

 us poor stuff at fancy prices and pose 

 as Big Mogul Authority just 'cause 

 he's a "exhorter." Waugh; Heap Big 

 Injun; Keep your hands off of my 

 idols. 



"Everything that lives seeks it^ own 

 advantage and well being, and must, 

 if it is to live," so blame them not my 

 boy If they live no higher than their 

 lights. 



It's so durned easy to tell how things 

 oughter be done and so blamed hard to 

 go and do 'em, and when the tellin' 

 yields cash and glory and the doln' 

 don't, ye can understand why some of 

 the exhorters keep on hollerin' — they're 

 following the line of least resistance. 



So you think two parties are a pow- 

 erful bad thing in the National Asso- 

 ciation? Harry, you were never more 

 off in your life. It's the very best thing 

 that could have happened to it. Don't 

 you know that a nation is in a mighty 

 ticklish place when it ceases to have 

 two strong opposing political parties? 

 Just so with associations. The Na- 

 tional was a gettin' rotten till some of 

 the daring ones begim to stir and form- 

 ed an opposition party to the "We're 

 It's." Now the air is clearing. Course 

 there are sore heads, the "Outs" are 

 always thus, but them as is some stuff 

 will get over it, and them as don't 

 they belong to the Graft. 



You just want to keep remembering 

 that the bee biz is a getting to be some 

 punkins and there's money in it. and 

 where there is money floating about 

 .vou'll find "graft," and it's right now 

 all the boys big and small have got to 

 keep their eyes peeled or fust thing 

 they know the dearly beloved will hold 

 the whip hand. Whoop-er-up for two 

 parties but keep 'em fighting for prin- 

 ciples and not let 'em get to mud sling- 

 ing. 



We've dropped swaddling clothes 

 and nursing bottles, got beyond the 

 place where we can stand around dig- 

 ging up the sand with our bare toes, 

 for we're nigh about men and these 

 ere fellows who are a tr.ving to amuse 

 us with nursery rhymes need our stern 

 and forceful attention. Watch 'em. 

 Yours as ever, 



John Hards(Tabble. 



(All Bee-Keeper readers, or nearly 

 all, will be pleased to learn that the 

 deacon has so far recovereil as to be 

 able to continue his series of letters. 

 We fear,however,that he is hardly him- 

 self yet, and would suggest that he 

 take one more trip. With all due res- 

 pect to his years, The Bee-Keeper de- 

 sires to emphasize the assertion that, 

 in regard to his observations relative 

 to the opposing factions which were 

 formerly at work in the affairs of the 

 National Association, he is "off his 

 base." Legitimate competition of in- 

 dependent, and well-organized institu- 

 tions, whether for industrial, commer- 

 cial, fraternal or political purposes, is 

 one thing, but internal ruptions, breed- 

 ing discord, contention and strife with- 

 in an.v such institution, curtails its 

 influence foi* good by the agitation of 

 distrust among members and prospec- 

 tive members, thereby menacing the 

 accomplishment of the benign purpose 

 for which it exists. The deacon should 

 try a balloon trip. — Editor.) 



■^^, ■ 't.L -"^?r^?i^r5^ii^uife 



Berclair, Tex., Oct. 11, 1903. 



Editor American Bee-Keeper: — The 

 more that is said the less we know, or, 

 at least, so it would seem sometimes. 

 The beginner would be at a loss to 

 know what to do — or whether to do at 

 all — when one says this, and another 

 that. But we might get good out of it, 

 provided what was said was so. A 

 man ought to be sure he is right be- 

 fore blowing his horn. 



In the Bee-Keeper for August Pop- 

 pleton sa.vs bee paralysis is contagious; 

 then comes E. J. Atchley who says 

 there is no such thing as the disease 



