66 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



-Ian. 



May be what I have told yoii is an old 

 story to some ; but I am STire there are oth- 

 ers like myself to whom it will be new ; and 

 I tell you, my friends, it was a real pleasure 

 to meto stroke that great powerful Sam on 

 the neck, and tell him that I not only ad- 

 mired him, but that 1 loved him from the 

 bottom of my heart. And although I did 

 not say it out loud, I said to myself that I 

 loved God more, after the experience of that 

 morning, and I felt like thanking him for 

 these dumb friends of ours, the House. 



He paweth in the valley, and rejoieeth in his 

 strenjrth; he goeth on to meet the armed men.— 

 Job 39:31. 



Now. then, friends, there is nothing said 

 in our text about offending a horse, or hurt- 

 ing his feelings by harsh, unkind, and un- 

 deserved words ; but there has been a feel- 

 ing growing up in my mind for years past, 

 that we shall be surely called to account — 

 some of us— for the unkindness we show 

 toward oiu' dimib brutes. Sometimes I 

 have fairly burned with indignation to see 

 a man whip and scold a horse because the 

 horse made a mistake. Instead of feeling 

 gratitude in his heart to God for having giv- 

 en him a dumb servant that can understand 

 so much, the brutal driver abuses the horse 

 for not understanding something that has 

 never been explained to him at all. I do 

 wish that something might be done to bring 

 about a reform in this matter. I have 

 sometimes thought a man ought to be fined 

 and imprisoned for letting his temper lead 

 him to vent his wrath on the horses that 

 could not answer back or retaliate ; but, 

 ray friends, such acts that stir us all are not 

 to be compared with scolding or punishing a 

 child for something the child did not under- 

 stand or comprehend. And now, dear 

 friends, have mercy and compassion for me 

 Avhen I tell you that, during that service at 

 church, I fairly trembled for fear that I 

 should myself be guilty, sooner or later, in 

 saying something or doing something that 

 might discourage these little ones who are 

 just starting in the path to the eternal city. 



Now, friemls, one more glimpse and I 

 will close. 



After my visit at East Saginaw, I am al- 

 most home. The train is rounding the last 

 curve, and the factory buildings are in 

 sight. As we slacken up at the depot, John 

 and Ernest are on the platform, ready to 

 welcome me. After the first salutations are 

 past. John says, " We have good news for 

 you." 



" Yes." adds Ernest, " the best news you 

 can think of." 



I looked at the boys inquiringly. They 

 both smiled. I stood still. What could it 

 be — the best news I could think of ? Dear 

 parent, wjiat would be the best news that 

 ijou could think of V What should be, if it 

 is not, nearer the parent's heart than any 

 thing else in this world V While the boys 

 were watching me I made an inventory of 

 my life and my all. For a time there was a 

 dim and vague thought that I could not 

 quite grasp. Little by little it began to 

 shape itself around our fifteen-year-old 

 daughter— the one whom you have known 

 as Blue Eyes. I had been praying a good 



deal for her lately. Shall 1 tell you w^hy V 

 She is a wide-awake girl, and alive to all 

 that is going on in the world. She has been 

 a great reader. In fact, she has read a good 

 many books that I rather preferred she 

 should not read. During the past winter 

 she has been inquiring about the outside 

 world quite a little ; and as different things 

 came up, she has been inclined to query 

 some, why her mother and I could not con- 

 sistently consent that she should attend 

 eucher-parties, theatricals, and even public 

 dances, that many of her schoolmates were 

 in the habit of attending. I explained the 

 matter as best I could, but she did not seem 

 quite satisfied. Not very long ago she 

 made a remark something like this : 



" Why, pa, if Christian people can't have 

 any fun at all, I am not really sure that I 

 want to be a Christian." 



That is the most she ever said in that di- 

 rection ; but I felt afraid of the allurements 

 of this world. Dear father or mother, have 

 these questions ever come up in your own 

 home V Now, while the boys were looking 

 at me smilingly, I felt like thanking God 

 that the dearest wish in my own heart, and 

 the best news that this world could fm-nish, 

 was to the effect that ( •onstance had made 

 Christ Jesus her choice. I suppose these 

 thoughts passed tlirough my mind in a lit- 

 tle more than a second. 1 opened my lips 

 and said interrogatively. '•Connie?" Er- 

 nest replied, •■ Y^es, father, you are right. 

 We have had a great revival, and she is one 

 of the new converts." 



It was indeed true. While only a few 

 weeks ago we almost had to drive lier to 

 meeting, now nothing could keep her away 

 from the meetings that were held daily ; 

 and as [ sat there beholding that service 

 without any sermon. Blue Eyes was among 

 the rest; and this voice that "had been labor- 

 ing with me said, "Behold the answers to 

 your prayers. Now make sure that nothing 

 in your words or actions shall undo the 

 work of to-day, and offend this one just get- 

 ting a bright, "happy, an<l joyous glimpse of 

 the new life, and the new worhl illumined 

 by the spirit and the love of Christ Jesus." 



THE OHIO STATE CONVENTION. 



IS DDK STATE DOING HER PART IN DBVEr,OPlNG 

 THE INDUSTBY OK BEE-KEEPING? 



line 



OR several years back it has been lying 

 on my conscience because I feared we 

 were hardly doing our part, compared 

 with what other States have done, in 

 regard to encouraging progress in our 

 and one reason why it lay on my con- 

 science is, that I felt pretty sure 1 was not 

 doing mti duty. 1 have felt sad to think 

 that sometimes the meetings where I have 

 been i)resent lacked both in numbers and 

 enthusiasm, compared with the conventions 

 which I have attended regularly of late in 

 Michigan, and recently in New York State. 

 I not only thought of "it a good deal, but, to 

 tell the t"ruth. I have been praynig over the 

 matter. Well, with this preface I am glad 

 to be able to say to you, dear friends, that I 

 have only just returned this 12th day of 



