434 



GLEANINGS IN HEE CULTUKE. 



June 



my mill, and answer questions. If you can 

 make them believe yours is best, all riiEfht, 

 and no hard feelings/' Just think of it, 

 friends— a rival manufacturer taking charge 

 of a rivaFs wares and merchandise, and do- 

 ing his best to make sales for said rival ! I 

 am acquainted with both of the gentlemen, 

 and I believe they honestly fulfill the script- 

 ure text, "• Look not every man on his own 

 things, but every man also upon the things 

 of others/' I do not know how many sales 

 of foundation-mills were made ; but I do 

 know that these two brothers worked right 

 along, side by side, in a brotherly way ; and 

 my experience has been that our fairs and 

 conventions alford the best means in the 

 world for having rivals in business get ac- 

 quainted, and show a brotherly spirit to- 

 ward each other. And now, brother Ma- 

 son, I appeal to you if every thing I have 

 said is not true. You may perhaps remem- 

 ber the circumstance as above stated. It 

 certainly is greatly to the credit of both 

 friends Vaudervort and Pelham. They are 

 both rival manufacturers of foundation- 

 mills to us ; but it aifords us pleasure to 

 speak a good word for the gentlemen, just 

 the same. 



NOTES FBOM MY QUIET NOOK. 



A LETTER FROM OUR FRIEND ANNA HERSELF. 



Our lives are songs; God writes the words, 

 And we set them to music at pleasure; 



And the song- grows g-lad or sweet or sad, 

 As we choose to fashion the measure. 



T DO not think I was ever more surprised than 

 (^r when I found that my friend Mrs. Chaddock 

 ^L had taken the liberty of introducing- me to the 

 "*■ editor and readers of Gleanings. She had 

 not given me the least intimation of her inten- 

 tion; and therefore the deed was done, and 1 knew 

 nothing of it until I received the magazine contain- 

 ing the article. Then, when she had the audacity 

 to have my private letter published, I was struck 

 with consternation; but she immediately confessed 

 her naughtiness (she knciv I would have to forgive 

 her), and has promised to be on her good behavior 

 in the future— on certain cnnditions which I fear 

 will involve your welfare. 



Through the kindness of Mrs. C. I have had the 

 privilege of reading many copies of Gleanings, 

 and have enjoyed them very much indeed. 



The very kind words of Mr. Koot to me, and the 

 pleasant messages I have received from several of 

 the readers of Gleanings, are greatly appreciated. 

 One little letter that has come to me from the other 

 side of the world, from a missionary in Northern 

 China, is particularly precious. It contained some 

 Chinese curiosities which 1 may desci'ibe at anoth- 

 er time, if you think they would be of any interest. 



If my Gleanings friends could call on me thej' 

 would find I am not " a myth," but a reality; for 

 notwithstanding the fact tliat I spend all my days 

 on my back, and am very lielpless in most respects, 

 I am still very much alive. I try to keep up with the 

 news of the day, and am fully as much interested 

 in what is going on in the world as any of those 

 around me; for that is next best to being able to go 

 out in the world. And though there are days when 

 I am unable to see caUers, when I can see them 1 



like to have them ignore my invalidism as much as 

 possible. I have often thought it would be an ex- 

 cellent thing if a law could be passed, prohibiting a 

 certain useless but very common fashion among 

 mortals; namely, the wholesale detailing and com- 

 paring of their aches and pains, and all the ills that 

 tlcsh is heir to. It certainly does not improve their 

 condition, and I firmly believe it is injurious; for it 

 is most assuredly an luihealtlty subject. 



Among the many helpful sayings of Charles 

 Kingsley, I have found one which I think particu- 

 laiij^ appropriate and helpful for every day in the 

 year; and thinking it may prove helpful to some 

 one else, I will pass it on: " Do to-day's duty, flght 

 to-day's temptation; do not weaken and distract 

 yourself by looking forward to things you can not 

 see, and could not understand if you saw them." 

 People are so prone to borrow trouble, and wear 

 themselves out in trying to shoulder a cargo of im- 

 aginary trials, that they frequently overlook the 

 duties of to-day with the many blessings that are 

 strewn along their pathway. The more we try to 

 forget ourselves and our little worries and trials, 

 the more happiness will be ours. God has given 

 each one of us some work to do in this beautiful 

 world; and though it may be distasteful to us, and 

 not at all what we would have chosen for ourselves, 

 still, if we trust him, and take up our work cheei- 

 f uUy, we shall find peace and happiness. 



" Daily living seemeth weary 

 To the one who never works; 

 Duty always seemeth dreary 

 To the one who duty shirks. 



Only after hardest striving 

 Cometh sweet and perfect rest. 



Life is found to be worth living 

 To the one who does his best." 



Ipava, 111., May 4, 



Anna B. Quillin. 



Many thanks, friend Anna, for the excel- 

 lent points you make in regard to talking 

 about our aches and pains. The thought is 

 more refreshing because it comes from one 

 who has suffered so much. You make me 

 feel ashamed of myself already. I have 

 often thought that this matter of talking 

 about our aches and pains and feelings was 

 a sort of disease itself. It mostly afflicts 

 idle people. When one has not any thing 

 else to do, Satan is apt to tempt him to fall 

 into a habit of watching and scrutinizing 

 every little pain and ache and indisposition; 

 whereas a busy person, especially if he is 

 busy working for his fellows, will push 

 ahead, ignoring these little twinges, until 

 he actually forgets he has them. And I do 

 believe that the shortest road, many times, 

 to getting rid of aches and pains is to push 

 ahead in the general business of the world, 

 and to ignore their presence. 1 have many 

 times imagined that I was sick ; but on tak- 

 ing a look outdoors, and finding how much 

 I was needed to get the team started, and 

 the men at work, by the time I had been 

 rushing around here and there for an hour 

 I was astonished to find myself not only 

 well but happy, without any aches or pains 

 worth speaking about. I have often told 

 you that a bee-sting pains you a great deal 

 more if you think about it and talk about 

 it ; and I am sure it is so with a great many 

 otlier things. You hit it exactly, my good 

 friend, wlien you say they are "• unhealthy "^ 

 subjects. May the kind Father sustain you, 



