1873.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



141 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Chicago, December, 1873. 



Interesting and Important 'Announcement" 



Good news for beekeepers everywhere! Won- 

 derful power of conscience ! Grand triumph of 

 " grace and strengW ! Remarkable case of re- 

 pentance! Mr. King^s invaluable hive-patents 

 henceforth free to all and sundry, for ever and 

 ever. Amen f 



It is no ordinary piece of intelligence we 

 have to impart this month to the readers of the 

 American Bee Journal. Our fingers are 

 tremulous with excitement as we pen the 

 astounding and thrice-welcome announcement, 

 that Mr. H. A. King has voluntarily , — with the 

 most unheard-of magnanimity, — surrendered 

 his patent claims, and given the "universal 

 world" permission to use his peerless discover- 

 ies and immortal inventions in apiculture, " free, 

 gratis, for nothing" ! 



Profound sensations and involuntary excla- 

 mations of astonishment and delight will greet 

 this announcement from Manitoba to Georgia, 

 and from Maine to Oregon, — in short, wherever 

 on this great continent of North America, bees 

 are kept, or the English language spoken, 

 " Waal neow" ! " I want to kneow" ! " Du tell" 1 

 " That beats the Dutch" ! " That bangs Bana- 

 gher" ! 



This momentously important step has been 

 taken after a protracted and painful inward 

 struggle, which has at length ended in a glori- 

 ous triumph of principle over interest, of con- 

 science over evil inclination, and of grace over 

 self So we are informed in an article headed 

 "Announcement", which appeared simultane- 

 ously in the Bee- Keeper's Journal, and the Bee- 

 Keeper's Magazine for November. It is indeed 

 an aflfecting piece of autobiography, and will 

 be worth a great deal when Mr. King's memoir 

 comes to be written, (?) as furnishing a truth- 

 ful index to his character. 



" Nearly three years ago," our distinguished 

 friend and benefactor was "almost persuaded" 

 that it was his " duty to cease selling patents." 

 But he was restrained from ceasing to do evil 

 in this respect, by " the advice and arguments 

 of friends." Alas I what a snare bad company 



is to those who want to be good. " Last 

 spring," he goes on to say, "our conscieno© 

 aroused us to action again in the same direc- 

 tion again, but we were again checked," by 

 what influence is not stated, — probably by 

 hardness of heart resulting from the wicked 

 attempt to gull the beekeeping public about 

 the destruction by fire of the DesMoines apiary. 

 Now comes the most interesting part of thia 

 narrative, " We have, thanks to a higher pow 

 er, been aroused again, and although we found our 

 action bound more strongly than ever by partner- 

 ship and other undivided interests, grace and 



STRENGTH HAVE BEEN GIVEN US tO fully Carry 



out our resolution to break every band, and an- 

 nounce our hive as public property in all un- 

 sold territory, which is yet about ninety-nine 

 one-hundredths of the whole United States." 



"Hooray!" "Glory, hallelujah!" "Well 

 done, brother!" "Bully for you!" " Bress de 

 lor' ! " 



•'Now here's my heart and here's my hand." 



" "We'll stand the storm it won't be long, 

 We'll anchor by and bye 1" 



There is joy in heaven over one repentant 

 sinner, — let there also be joy on earth. 



But our penitent anticipates trials and diffi- 

 culties in his new career of goodness. He says, 

 " Some may be disposed to criticise our course, 

 but we hope they will do so kindly, for^ we 

 never took up a heavier cross in all our life." 

 We believe it, brother. It's a mortal heavy 

 cross, no doubt. And you " wouldn't a' took it 

 up" if you "could a' helped it," would you? 

 But a higher power interfered, and you had to. 

 You say, "thanks to a higher power." So do 

 we. So does " all the world and the rest of 

 mankind," in view of the great boon bestowed 

 on them by the "resolution to break every 

 band, and announce our hive as public prop- 

 erty." 



There may be some difference of opinion, 

 however, as to the nature of the " higher power" 

 which has afchieved such glorious results. We 

 are a little puzzled ourselves on that point. 

 But we beg to assure Mr. King that the " power " 

 he was writing of when he penned that article 

 is not the " power " we are thinking of at thia 

 moment. 



And if Mr. King supposes a discerning public 

 will give him credit for the pure and high 

 religious motives and Holy Divine influencea, 



