1884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Our good friend Professor Cook has taugbt 

 me some les^sons here, and I pray that God 

 may help me to have more of the spirit that 

 he carries with him wherever he meets 

 throngs of people ; that spirit that seems to 

 speak to all men these little words I have 

 repeated so many times to you in my talk 

 to-day, "We be brethren." 



Just now there is considerable talk about 

 the adulteration of honey. The world ac- 

 cuses bee-men of putting glucose in their 

 honey, or of feeding it to their bees ; and we 

 feel sad as we see how deeply rooted is the 

 prejudice. I have sometimes remonstrated 

 with those who made unkind remarks, in 

 this line: " Why, my friend, he is your 

 neighbor. Do you not know him well enough 

 to know that he wouldn't sell you sugar 

 syrup, and call it honey V" 



The reply has often been, "Why, to tell 

 the truth it did not seem as though he 

 would do so ; but then, men will do almost 

 any thing for money nowadays." 



You see, even this last clause, friends, in- 

 dicates still that want of charity. Is it true, 

 that men will do almost any thing for mon- 

 ey? ^\' ill you do any thing for money your- 

 selves V If not, why do you speak of others 

 in that way, O ye of little faith in your fel- 

 low-men? Why not accept the great truth 

 so plainly apparent, that the world averages 

 about as well as you and 1 average, and that 

 it is not very likely tlie world at large would 

 be guilty of many things that you and I 

 would be ashamed to do. In our haste we 

 often accuse our grocer, or our dry-goods 

 merchant, or butcher ; yes, and even our 

 doctors and perhaps ministers, of seltish mo- 

 tives, when we would blush at the thought 

 that we ourselves could be guilty of any sim- 

 ilar thing. How often does the liible enjoin 

 more love and more charity ; more forbear- 

 ance, and to this end a better acquaintance 

 with each other I When yon hear somebody 

 speak ill of another, just try asking him the 

 question, " My friend, have you been to this 

 brother and stated the matter to him as you 

 state it to me?" 



" Why, no ; I have not, for it would not be 

 a bit of use." 



"AVell, my friend, suppose you try going 

 to him and stating the case in a neighborly 

 way." 



I am sorry to say, that people are general- 

 ly so averse to doing this that they can sel- 

 dom "be induced to do it. I confess it is very 

 hard for me to go thus to a person when he 

 has tried and vexed me, and tell him frank- 

 ly all about it. But of late I have been forc- 

 ing myself to do just this. Fovcmg U the 

 word, for it is so against the grain, as the 

 expression goes, that I can not well do it 

 without forcing myself; but when I have 

 done it, a blessing has invariably followed. 

 1 have always been surprised, every time, to 

 tuid that the case was not nearly so" bad as I 

 had got it into my head it was, and that there 

 was very mnch more good in that individual 

 than I liad formerly supposed. The work In 

 our jails is characteristic of this. Four men 

 are now in our jail for attempting to rob a 

 safe. I understand they were armed to the 

 teeth, and ready to commit murder, if neces- 

 sary, while doing their work ; but they were 



induced to give themselves up, simply by 

 the force of numbers. So many people were 

 gathered to the spot, and had surrounded 

 them, that they saw resistance was use- 

 less. 



Now, although my soul recoils at such an 

 act, and although it was a hard task for me 

 to think of going there and talking with 

 these inen, yet when I became well acquaint- 

 ed with them my feelings of indignation 

 were turned a great deal to pity and sorrow. 

 It is the old story, and whisky was the cause 

 of it all, indirectly if not directly ; and while 

 we decide that the good of the community 

 demands that these men should serve out 

 their time in the penitentiary, the thought 

 comes home to me, that you and I, and all of 

 us, are to blame, at least somewhat, for per- 

 mitting whisky to be sold at an open bar in 

 this land of ours. It is an easy thing to have 

 love one to another, friends, or love to our 

 neighbors, if you choose, where these neigh- 

 bors are trying to do right. But suppose 

 they are not trying to do right, what then? 

 Suppose you have a neighbor who lies and 

 steals, and is robbing you at every opportu- 

 nity, then what ? Human nature says, "Get 

 away from him, and let him alone" But 

 -lesus says, " Love ye your enemies." And 

 again, "Do good to those who hate you, and 

 pray for those who despitefuUy use you." 



Perhaps you think I do not know how hard 

 it is to do this. I have preached it and talk- 

 ed it for these seven or eight years ; and yet 

 when I think of it, when it comes right up 

 before me, when I feel myself called upon to 

 do good to those who are deliberately trying 

 to wrong me, I sometimes feel as if about all 

 my poor weak human natnre was capable of 

 was to breathe that old silent prayer, " Lord, 

 help!" I love those words. I love to feel 

 them welling up involuntarily when the still 

 small voice sounds out that quiet warning, 

 " Look out, my child ; danger is near." Oh 

 how many times have I stood still and 

 breathed that little prayer, " Lord, help"! 

 and how many times, too, dear friends, has 

 the help come speedily ! Peace and quiet- 

 ness at once begin to come into my heart, 

 and very soon afterward, feelings that are 

 w rong are driven out, and kindness and love 

 have taken their place. Yes, even love for 

 those who hate me ; love for the sinner, 

 even though I feel disgust at the sins. It 

 is in this line that the Bible has been so pre- 

 cious to me. It is in this line that 1 have 

 been lifted over trials and troubles, and have 

 been enabled to feel hopeful, even during 

 my most vexing cares. Where else in this 

 world shall we tind such counsel, and where 

 else shall we hud such strength and help as 

 in the Bible, and in studying the word of 

 our J.ord and Master ? 



A few days ago I got to thinking it over, 

 and the thought welled up within me, that 

 the proofs of the divinity of this Bible and 

 the Christian religion had been so great in 

 these seven or eight years past that I felt 

 surer of it than of any thing else earthly. I 

 do (iotknow, dear friends, that the sun will 

 rise to-morrow ; but I do know that the 

 pathway I have been toiling in since I ac- 

 cepted Christ as my leader, is the right one. 

 The evidences lie strewn all along through 



