91)8 



GLEANINGS IN 13E1-: CULTUUE. 



Dec. 



eel up in tin cans, so it would leacli my cus- 

 tomers witli tlie line aroma it possesses 

 when properly put up. Almost immediate- 

 ly people urged and argued to liave me pur- 

 chase syrup that my better judgment decid- 

 ed was /oo thin. One good man, who is a 

 professor of religion, and who stands pretty 

 fairly in community, urged and argued so 

 keenly that his syrup was thick enough to 

 keep well, that T bought it. He said, tliat, 

 if made any thicker, it would candy in the 

 cans— it could not be got out. and that it 

 Avas really a superior article. One of my 

 weaknesses from childhood is, that I am 

 easily prevailed upon, especially if I stop to 

 talk and listen. 8ome of the friends may, 

 at different times, have felt very hard be- 

 cause, of late, I decline long discussions. 

 VVell, one reason is, that I have found it 

 better for all parties concerned to say no at 

 the outset, even if I do make some enemies 

 by it, than to allow myself to be persuaded 

 contrary to my better judgment. I bought 

 the syrup, canned it up that very same day, 

 and it was mixed in with perhaps 200 or 300 

 cans. About every customer who got a can 

 of this syrup was mad. Sometimes one 

 would write to me, remonstrating ; at other 

 times tliey would say nothing. They prob- 

 ably bought their maple syrup and other 

 things somewhere else next time. There 

 has been a good deal of talk and legislation 

 about the adulteration of syrups. 1 am in- 

 clined to think the maple-syrup business 

 lias lieen injured more l)y shortsighted and 

 stingy farmers (the word '• stingy " sounds a 

 little harsh and slangy, but it seems to me 

 it just about hits the mark) than by all the 

 adulteration we have ever had. Good thick 

 well-ripened syrup, like good well-ripened 

 honey, is good when it is put up, and it is 

 good for ten years after, or more. In fact, 

 it is ahvays good. But you don't get nearly 

 as many gallons when you ripen it down 

 real thick. I have mentioned this latter 

 matter to show you that friend Bingham 

 had a good point, and there was some rea- 

 son for his bearing on hard. I have been 

 told by those who had visited friend Bing- 

 ham at his home, that he is very careful and 

 nice about every thing he does. He believes 

 in furnishing the best that can be produced ; 

 and when he purchases he likes to get such 

 as he himself gives. I believe he is a jewel- 

 er by trade, and probably on this account 

 has learned to be neat and nice about all his 

 work, furnishing good work and getting 

 good pay for whatever he has any thing to 

 do with. I hope friend Bingham will excuse 

 me for the above, but he has been somewhat 

 criticised for what people call his odd "ways, 

 and I confess that I have myself felt tried 

 with him, because he stick's so strongly to 

 what I have been in the habit of calling his 

 own notions. I felt like criticising him at 

 that time ; but I want to tell you what made 

 me reverse my opinion very quickly. It was 

 to see him, with such perfect self-command 

 and pleasant good nature, drop the whole 

 subject and pleasantly take hold of some- 

 thing else when he had had his "say." 



Did it ever occur to you, friends, how oft- 

 en a hearty good laugh will wake everybody 

 up, drown all sorts of wrong feelings that 



may have arisen, and restore perfect equi- 

 libriumV Well, something of the kind came 

 in right here. It was a simple, trivial mat- 

 ter, but it was almost dinner time, and a 

 good many of us had been sitting still long- 

 er than usual. We were just ripe for some 

 thing funny, and we were ready to hurt our- 

 selves laughing, even if it were not so very 

 funny, after all. Did you ever see a lot of 

 school boys and girls in just that frame of 

 mind? Well, friend Bingham, in describing 

 the virtues of good old honey, perfectly rip- 

 ened by the bees themselves, used ripe old 

 wine and other intoxicating liquors as ex- 

 amples. He dilated to such an extent on 

 the rare virtues of a bottle of wine that for 

 years had been kept cork downward, cover- 

 ed with cobwebs, and some other similar 

 illustrations, that Prof. Cook tinally called 

 him to order, and desired him to stop using 

 illustrations that might awaken in some of 

 us feelings that were better allowed to slum- 

 ber. The above are not the words used, but 

 the substance. Now, when the president 

 (Prof. Cook) got up to reply, he took up a 

 little glass pail of honey for an illustration. 

 Friend Cook does not often get much excited, 

 but he was full of enthusiasm in defending 

 his side of the question. The people of Yp- 

 silanti had given us a very pleasant hall for 

 our meetings. The speakers desk was on a 

 raised platform, one step higher than the 

 rest of the floor. Now, the desk and chair 

 for the president were raised still another 

 step ; and as it was well carpeted, one might 

 forget these different steps, if he didn't 

 take care. The president, in order to make 

 his point plainer, attempted to step out 

 from his desk, to get nearer his hearers. In 

 doing so he forgot the step, and went head- 

 long right on to the secretary, with his pail 

 of honey. The secretary made a dodge and 

 looked up in astonishment. Friend Cook, 

 in regaining his equilibrium, made some 

 more stumbles, but, of course, out of respect 

 to our beloved president's feelings, we all of 

 us tried to keep our faces straight. At this 

 point friend Bingham arose, and, with great 

 dignity, and in his inimitalily dry way, bor- 

 rowed a part of the president's very words, 

 something as follows : 



" Mr. President, I earnestly protest against 

 such illustrations here before this respecta- 

 ble audience— illustrations that might sug- 

 gest," etc. 



Those who had tried to keep back the smiles 

 a moment ago, apparently decided it was no 

 use to try any longer, especially to think of 

 the idea, so utterly ridiculous, as to suppose 

 for an instant that our earnest temperance 

 friend behind the desk could by any possi- 

 bility have taken anything that might in- 

 terfere with his remarkably clear head and 

 steady bearing. T laughed, and laughed 

 again, every time I thought of it. until I was 

 really afraid I should hurt myself. 



Now, this good - natured pleasantry is a 

 simple thing, yet it had much to do with 

 the general good feeling of the meeting. 

 There seems to be, if I have made no mis- 

 take, a general air of gentleness and good 

 breeding among all the Michigan friends ; 

 in fact, it seems as if it were a recent 

 growth ; for over and over again, when 



