THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



203 



from the rich mines of thought and 

 spread them broadcast over the world. 



Thus armed, our meetings can but 

 tend to a profitable issue, and we 

 shall come away with the feeling that 

 we have fulfilled our part of the 

 mission these organizations were in- 

 stituted to accomplish. 



It is hardly necessary, perhaps, to 

 call your attention to the prospective 

 National Beekeepers' Union ; for if 

 we may trust the present indications, 

 the appointment of delegates is likely 

 to be general. And yet the impor- 

 tance of such a Union is so great, 

 that no op])ortunity should be lost, 

 of making our several organizations 

 realize, beforehand, the duty of be- 

 ing represented in that body by the 

 very best and ablest of our beekeepers. 



Mr. Pond in the Am. Bee Journal 

 of Aug. 26, in anarticle entitled, "Is 

 the "Union" of value or not?" says : 



" I do not understand the apathy 

 that seems to exist among our bee- 

 keepers in regard to our Union for 

 defence ; nor can I understand why 

 every beekeeper in the country does 

 not respond at once to the call, and 

 enroll himself on the list 'of papers 

 thereof. There is no (juestion but 

 that the "Union" is of importance 

 to the fraternity as a whole, although, 

 perhaps, there may be cases (like 

 my own for instance) where no par- 

 ticular individual benefit will result 

 from it. We, however, as a class 

 should drop selfishness, and instead 

 of saying cui bono as to ourselves, 

 should ask simply, will the "Union" 

 be of any advantage to the fraternit}- 

 as a whole ? 



If a large majority of the beekeep- 

 ers in the country respond to the 



call, it will show the public that we 

 are alive to our interests, and intend 

 to defend them to the bitter end, 

 and the result will be that by pre- 

 senting a bold and determined front, 

 we shall assure any possible antago- 

 nists that we are not to be assailed 

 with impunity by any one who fan- 

 cies he is aggrieved. On the other 

 hand, if only a {t\N of us respond in 

 this matter, it will tend to show that 

 either we take little interest in this 

 matter of protecting our rights, or 

 else that we believe ourselves in the 

 wrong, and consequently prefer to 

 save our dollars rather than invest 

 them where we shall lose. 



Let me urge one and all to enlist 

 in this cause ; do not delay a mo- 

 ment, but at once send in your 

 names ; and what is of more con- 

 sequence still, your money, and thus 

 show the public that you do not pro- 

 pose to be intimidated or to allow 

 any one to drive you from the field 

 without first making a strong and 

 bitter fight to accomplish it. " 



We are sure that the topics pre- 

 sented for discussion will suggest 

 possibilities of effort in behalf of the 

 cause to which we are espoused as 

 will enlist the enthusiasm and the 

 earnest cooperation of every ardent 

 lover of bees. It is idle to say that 

 we shall know just as much if we 

 stay at home and read the results in 

 the bee journals. We need to look 

 each other in the face in the pres- 

 ence of the thought of the great du- 

 ties and opportunities which are 

 before us and, by discussion of them, 

 at once mature wise methods of ac- 

 tion and rouse each other to a spirit 

 of consecration to our work. 



