312 



GLEANINGS IN BBB CULTURE. 



Oct. 1.5. 



rel of fruit could be checked as baggage. The 

 answer came, that, if I put it into a box with 

 handles, or made it look like a trunk, then it 

 could be classed as baggage. Said 1: "But, 

 look here, good friends, it is fruit, and not 

 baggage, we wish to send. If the fruit is to be 

 covered up, and made to look like something 

 else, so there will be even a little deception in 

 the matter, I should much prefer to send it in 

 the usual way. and pay the freight." 



One of the girls in the office said that she had 

 often sent fruit in that way; and Mr. Calvert 

 suggested that it was not deception — it was 

 simply fixing the fruit so it could be as easily 

 handled as trunks and ordinary freight. Now, 

 I have not yet found out who is right or wrong 

 in the matter. The real point comes next. 

 Just then I remembered something else that 

 was on my mind, and I remarked: "Oh I say, 

 John, those American Pearl onion-sets from 

 Johnson i<: Stokes got here yesterday, and Mr. 

 W. says the freight all the way from Philadel- 

 phia was only 3.5 cts. Isn't there some mistake 

 about such a small price?" One of the girls 

 here suggested, with a twinkle in her eye, that 

 doubtless there was some "deception" about 

 it; and one of the others said that, if the price 

 was too low. why not keep quiet, and not say 

 any tiling. The clerks all knew ray disposition 

 in such matters, and they were rather running 

 on me, and having a little fun at my expense. 

 Now, then, nobody ever feels hard when the 

 charges for carrying stuff are surprlniiidly Imv. 

 Nobody ever suggests that the railroad compa- 

 ny is guilty of dcrcption when they make a 

 mistake, and put the charge too low. But why 

 not? If it were not for this sin of selfishness, 

 we should be just as anxious to have the mat- 

 ter riffhted when the railroads have charged 

 too little, as when they have charged too much. 

 What an idea ! charging the company with 

 fraud because they brought your goods too 

 cheap ! May God help me to be just as anxious 

 to have the mistakes corrected when it is too 

 little, as when it is too much — even with a rail- 

 road company. 



You will notice that the last letter is dated 

 Jan., 1891. In Dec, 1893, comes the following : 



Mr. Boo/:— Please slop my Gf.eaninos, for T have 

 not g-ot a dollar to pay on what I owe you now. but 

 will ptiy as soon as 1 can. U. H. W. 



Perhaps friend W. has had reverses in bee 

 culture, like the rest of us. May be he has lost 

 his enthusiasm, and does not take very much 

 care of his bees. But aside from that, there is 

 no question that he has lost his faith in A. I. 

 Root; and it may be, dear friends, that, in los- 

 ing faith in me. he has lost faith in (iod. Such 

 things do happen. I tell you, we who profess 

 to be followers of Christ can not be too careful. 

 Of course, the Christian should not be stumbled 

 by what any man may do. He should look 

 straight past humanity to Christ Jesus. But it 

 takes a veteran to do this. You know liow it 

 is your'si'lf. Once, under great provocation. I 

 said, " If it really transpires that this man has 

 been stealing money intrusted to his care, I am 

 afraid I can never have faith acrain in humani- 

 ty.'' A loss of faith in humanity comes i)rettv 

 near a loss of faith in God; and we should look 

 out. and be very careful how we even speak or 

 think in this way. It turned otit. however, 

 that the man in question was strictly honest. 

 He was unwise and very can^less; but he was 

 honest before (Jod. and is honest and straight 

 to-day. One who has just started out in the 

 Christian life is more liable to be stumbled. 

 ?Ie has not been through the battles, and seen 

 <iod and righteousness triumph over evil. A 

 jiew convert is especially likely to be discour- 

 aged, and turn back when he sees a man act 

 hypocritically. 



Several times the readers of Gi.kantngs have 

 made oljjection to such expressions as "Broth- 

 er in Christ;" and I have sometimes felt as if 

 they were unwise and dangerous. When some- 

 body writes to me a letter, and tells me how my 

 writings have helped him, and how he looks to 

 me monthly for faith and strength to hold out 

 in the Christian warfare, I often feel like writ- 

 ing back to him, "Dear brother, do not place 

 too much faith and confidence in me. I am 

 poor, weak, and sinful. If you really have 

 faith in rae— if you really have been helped by 

 my writings, please save up a big lot of charity 

 to tide you over when I shall do something 

 that looks on the face of it selfish and grasping. 

 Save up enough of this kind of charity to hold 

 fast your faith in me until something trans- 

 pires", or until you can write me for an explana- 

 tion." It just now occurs to me that our good 

 brother VV. did write for an explanation. 

 When he inclosed the balance on those three 

 books. First Steps,* he said he could not see 

 why we should charge him more just because 

 he ordered three copies (i4dozen) instead of two 

 copies: and he honestly supposed that A. I. 

 Root, his old and tried friend, answered coldly. 

 " I think that is correct." Perhaps some of 

 you may suggest that this clerk was not fit for 

 the place. But I beg of you, dear friends, to 

 remember that clerks are but human. Some of 

 them do very queer things without thinking 

 they have done any thing wrong. Right here 

 permit me to say that our clerks, in such mat- 

 ters, are always loyal to the business. Some- 

 how they will get it into their heads that, when 

 there is a question, our establishment should 

 have the J)es:t side of the bargain, or the best 

 construction on any matter of prices where it is 

 not clear. I do not want this. Our business 

 was not built up in that way. Where there is 

 a question as to what is right and wrong, I 

 would always be courteous enough to a cus- 

 tomer to give him the benefit of any question 

 there might be in opinion— yes, even though we 

 might lose some money by so doing. Make 

 your advertisements so they do not promise 

 very much, or make your prices so there is a 

 respectable margin; then, instead of failing to 

 live up to your agreements, try to do a little 

 better, if any thing. Remember, it is not sim- 

 ply a matter of building up a reputation, but it 

 is honoring Christ Jesus. It is glorifying the 

 great (Jod above, who created you in his own 

 image. It is Satan who prompts us to be little 

 and mean, and close and stingy. It is he who 

 prompts us to cheat, and wiggle out of a selfish 

 transaction, without owning it up and making 

 reparation. I do hope that everv clerk in my 

 employ — and I wonder if they will be offended 

 if I say every " brother and sister" in our em- 

 ploy — will read this Home Paper, and will com- 

 prehend that onr business is not conducted to 

 make money altogether. It is to honor Christ 

 Jesus — to glorify God, and to bring out the bet- 

 ter part in every human being. May the great 

 Father above help us to make mankind better 

 instead of wnrse. May he help us to make 

 every transaction so fair and honest that we 

 shall never be afraid of investigation ; and 

 may he help us to avoid all temptations in the 

 way of being short or important or overbearing 

 with our customers. In short, may he help us 

 to be " kind to one another, tender-hearted, 

 forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ 

 forgave you." 



*Chfating about anything is bad business; but 

 the idea of exhibiting: a seltisli and grasping: spirit 

 1o a customer who ordered such a bookas"Kirst 

 Steps," seems really awful in its inconsistency. I 

 wrote to friend W. as soon as I discovered it. and 

 made the bill an even dollar for the three. 



