338 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apk. 15. 



Whosoever tliei'efore shall break one of tliese least 

 coniniaiKlineiils, and shall teach men so, lie shall lie 

 oallecl the least in the kingdom of heaven; but who- 

 soever shall do anil teach the same shall be ealletl 

 ffreat in tlie kingdom of heaven.— Matt. 5: 19. 



Some tinie toward the last of February I 

 was telling my friends, perhaps a little boast- 

 fully, that I had not had a cold this winter. I 

 further added that I had not worn any chest- 

 protector at all, such as 1 have been obliged to 

 use winters for many years; neither had 1 slept 

 with a '■ nightcap" on, as I have been obliged 

 to do in ivlnter for years back, and oftentimes 

 even in the siunrner. Somebody remarked that 

 I had better be careful about boasting, for I 

 might have to go back to all these things be- 

 fore spring would be ftilly opened. And so it 

 happened. I caught cold and had a sore 

 throat. When I got over that it settled on my 

 lungs; then it got up between my shoulders; 

 and if I got the least bit chilly I would have 

 pleurisy. I suppose you all know something 

 about these things, and so I need not go into 

 details. And, by the way, please do not rec- 

 ommend any medicines for this sort of thing. 

 Could I have gotten out into the open air and 

 ridden my wheel forty or fifty miles it would 

 have answered the ptirpose. to my notion, far 

 better than any sort of medicine. You see I 

 am still strong in my notions of "doctoring 

 without medicine." Well, this morning, when 

 I first arose 1 remarked that my boots needed 

 to have their soles repaired again. They keep 

 wearing otit toward the toes — especially the 

 right boot— and my shoemaker has built over 

 the right toe of this boot so much that of late 

 he has been putting in great nails in order to 

 get something that would not be worn clear u]) 

 to the uppers every six or eight weeks. As I 

 said, I recollected my every-day boots would 

 have to be mended, and I should have to ptit 

 on my Sunday ones; then I considered further 

 that a corn on my right foot needed paring: 

 but as it was Saturday morning I thought I 

 would inakeitdo until I took my accustomed 

 bath Saturday night. Stire enough, the new 

 boot did press unpleasantly on that sore corn. 

 However, I went over to the factory, wliiske(J 

 up the elevator, and placed a letter wh(>re it 

 would not be neglected; then down again to 

 the basement, through the greenhouse, and 

 into the potato-cellar, which 1 discovered was 

 47 degrees; and although it was freezing a 

 little (jutside, the man in charge had not left 

 the windows open during the night. I got 

 them all wide open, and reduced the tempera- 

 ture 10 degrees in a very little time.. Tlitm I 

 looked after various other things, and gave 

 directions in regard to the work; but as I start- 

 ed for Itreakfast I could not lielp limping, for 

 that new hoot was making my corn feel very 

 sore. The soreness was streaking up my leg, 

 and the pleurisy from my shotilder was streak- 

 ing down to meet the otiier. It made me think 

 of the nortiiern lights with their streainers, on 

 the night before— Friday, March .'io. By the 

 way, what a magniticent celestial display of 

 " search-lights " w(! did have as they met to- 

 gether in the zenith ! I did not see the colors, 

 but Mrs. Root and the children d(^scribed them 

 to me, for I am color-blind to a certain extent. 

 Well, the •' streamers" from the pleurisy from 

 my shoulder, and tlie corn near my small toe, 

 were not nearly as inspiring as the aurora. In 

 fact, before I got home I was conscious of 



being not only crippled in body, but I felt crip 

 pled mentally, and, I am afraid, a little bii 

 spirittially also. Dear mel what a wonderfu 

 trtith I hat "kid" did utter when he said, ii 

 speaking his piece, 



" Tall aehea from little toe corns grow " ! 



T opened the bedroom door to go through t( 

 the clothes press, to get a sharp knife that 

 knew was in a pocket of my Sunday clothes. It 

 is one of the queen-cell knives, and itisverj 

 sharp. First, the door stuck and would not 

 open, and that vexed me. Then Mrs. Root hac 

 hoisted every window as far as it would go, anc 

 the wind was just rollicking through the bed 

 room, and tlae oed-clotlies were piled over tht 

 chairs and tlie bedstead. They were getting 

 ventilated and purified to an extent that ough' 

 to have satisfied any thrifty housewife. Btit^ 

 had got my overcoat off, and the ventilatioi 

 did not help my pleurisy a bit. I remember o 

 thinking that she carried this matter of venti 

 lation of bedrooms to a very unwarranlabli 

 extreme. Fifteen minutes with such a wind, i 

 seeined to me, ought to do the business; bu 

 she likes to keep it up pretty much all the fore 

 noon. I thought of making some gentle remon 

 strance; but then I remembered my sermon it 

 the last issue, on domineering; and I drew < 

 long sigh to think that even the pleasure o 

 scolding could not be indulged in, as I had S( 

 thoroughly put up the bars behind me in tha 

 talk. Yes, the bars were good high ones, an( 

 there must have been pretty nearly a ten-rai 

 fence around the rest of the lot. The corn ant 

 pleurisy together seemed to utter a groan ti 

 think what a straight and narrow path it is- 

 yes, not only straight and narrow, but there i 

 a ten-rail fence (you know) on each side of thi 

 path — that a consistent Christian must walk it 

 Now, hold on. friends. Let none of you think 

 am complaining of the restrictions to one' 

 liberty that Christianity imposes. I hope I an 

 sensible enough to rejoice and not chafe — yes- 

 to rejoice in the liberty that Christ Jesus give 

 to his followers. Well, that door stuck again 

 I remembered of promising my wife, more thai 

 a month before, that I would stop its stickin; 

 just as soon as I got tip in the morning, and i 

 had not been done. I knew perfectly well wha 

 made it stick. There is a pair of doors betweei 

 the sitting-room and our bedroom. They ar 

 heavy walnut. One of them is bolted to th 

 ceiling overhead and to the floor below. Oi 

 account of the shrinking of the door, the hot 

 tom bolt did not enter the iron plate in th^ 

 floor. Notwithstanding the pleurisy and corn 

 and the neuralgic streamers, I decided tha 

 that door should be lixed tlieii and there. 



One of my daughters, at this crisis, informet 

 me that the omelet was just ready for break 

 fast, and -wou'd fall and be spoiled unless 

 would come to breakfast at once. She has late 

 ly taken to cookiiKj as one of the tine arts, in 

 stead of playing the violin. There were severa 

 reasons why I wtinted to accommodate her. 

 felt vexed at thtit door; but I felt more vexec 

 at that iniportuuat(> corn. Well. I got througl 

 it all. Ilulier brotight me Mrs. Root's nice lit 

 tie hammer, and about three blows settled th( 

 iron plate so the holt would go into its place 

 Th(>n the door opened iuui shut easily anc 

 smoothly. With the sharp knife I pared th( 

 corn down until the while kernel was cut otil 

 entirely. Then my Sunday boot was comforta 

 ble and pleastint. The omelet was not spoilec 

 by riDisiilcvithle: and when it came time for oui 

 usual Hible-reading and prayer, I was in a verj 

 thankful frame of mind. 



Well, what has all this got to do with oui 

 text and my sermon'.' Please do not be in a 

 hurry, and we shall get at the point. I have 



