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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



young man worked his way through 

 school and college, graduating at Union 

 College, Schenectady, N. Y., at the age 

 of 22. He commenced his junior year 

 with a little more than $26, and grad- 

 uated with some $70 surplus, after pay- 

 ing all expenses. His fear of debt made 

 him take every opportunity that pre- 

 sented itself for earning money,by orna- 

 mental penmanship, teaching classes in 

 mathematics and singing, working in 

 cornfield or garden at 7>^ cents an hour, 

 and other ways. In spite of time taken 

 up in this way, he kept the highest 

 standing attainable in his class. 



I have before me his old account book, 

 where all accounts of college days were 

 carefully kept, and have been looking it 

 over with no small interest. I have just 

 run over accounts for five weeks, and 

 find that it cost him precisely 323^ cents 

 per week to live. At other times he was 

 more extravagant, as at one place I 

 found the cost 60 cents per week ! He 

 boarded himself and did the cooking. In 

 fact, he took boarders, as he boarded his 

 chum for some time at 50 cents per 

 week, though he tells me that his 

 boarder rebelled at one time when he 

 had beef suet in place of butter. 



Rice and wheat seemed to have be«n 

 the chief articles of diet, and the Doctor 

 assures me that a half bushel of wheat 

 boiled goes a long ways. However, I 

 don't believe he would advise others to 

 follow his example, as he paid for it 

 afterward with poor health. 



As soon as he graduated at Union, he 

 commenced the study of medicine in 

 earnest at Johnstown, Pa., graduating 

 at the University -of Michigan, in Ann 

 Arbor, at the age of 25. He settled 

 down to practice, but was compelled to 

 give up at the end of a year on account 

 of poor health. Teaching school and 

 music occupied his time for some years. 

 For two or three years he worked for 

 Messrs. Root & Cady, at that time the 

 leading music house of the West. After- 

 ward, for the Mason & Hamlin Organ 

 Co., at Chicago. The well-known com- 

 poser. Dr. Geo. F. Root, availed himself 

 of no little of his services, especially 

 when writing his chief work, "The 

 Musical Curriculum." For several years 

 he wrote for the "Song Messenger," 

 over the nondepluvie of "P.Benson, 

 Sr." — "whitch theSr. itstans for singer." 



Dr. Miller also spent about a year as 

 official agent in getting up the first Cin- 

 cinnati Musical Festival, under Theodore 

 Thomas, in 1878. 



In 1876 he turned his back on a sal- 

 ary of .'iJ;L',500 a year and all expenses 

 paid, to accept a position as principal 



of the Marengo public school at a salary 

 of $1,200 a year, paying his own ex- 

 penses. This he did that he might have 

 more time with his bees, and gradually 

 work into bee-keeping as his sole busi- 

 ness. 



He began bee-keeping in 1861, with 

 a runaway swarm caught by his wife, 

 which was hived in a sugar-barrel. In 

 the fall of 1871 there were 50 colonies 

 placed in the cellar, most of them weak, 

 as he had increased too rapidly. By the 

 first of April there were only 2 colonies 

 left. During all these years up to 1876, 

 he was away from home most of the 

 time, consequently bee-keeping was 

 rather uphill business. 



In 1876, when he came home to live 

 with his bees for good, he had 34 colo- 

 nies. In 1878 he gave up all other 

 business, commencing the season with 

 154 colonies, a little more than 400 

 being the largest number ever reached. 

 Of late he prefers to keep a smaller 

 number of colonies, as much of his time 

 is spent in study, writing, and Sunday- 

 school work. 



So many bee-periodicals are published 

 now, that it takes no little time to go 

 through them, especially as a number 

 from France and Germany are included. 



For a number of years he has been 

 the chief working officer of the County 

 Sunday School Association, and for two 

 years past President of the 2nd State 

 District, including six counties. This 

 involves a large amount of correspon- 

 dence and attendance at conventions in 

 each county. Aside from the four regu- 

 lar church services which he attends on 

 Sunday, he conducts on that day a nor- 

 mal training class, made up from the 

 different churches of Marengo, when not 

 absent attending township conventions. 

 In fact, he is a very busy man. 



As a writer, he is extremely careful 

 not to overstate the facts plain and 

 practical. But, of his qualifications as 

 a writer, I need say but little, as doubt- 

 less many of the readers of the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal are familiar with his 

 " A Year Among the Bees," and fre- 

 quent contributions to the bee-papers. 



Dr. Miller's musical ability, and his 

 grand voice are among the things he 

 ought to thank God for, and I believe 

 he does, for much of that voice is given 

 to the glory of God. At different times 

 he has gone as singing evangelist, and 

 were he able to be away from home, 

 more of his time would be spent in that 

 way. 



Of Dr. Miller's home life much might 

 be written. I will simply say lie is an 

 earnest Christian, carrying his religion 



