104 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Fek. 1. 



think of. No. all this, friends, was simply the 

 work of the adversary. Satan, little by little, 

 got hold of him. Perhaps he may have strug- 

 gled, and I think there is no question but that 

 he did. for months and may be years, as the 

 poor fly lights and struggles in the spider's web. 

 Probably no human being knew of those strug- 

 gles. I have told you before, that I think it is 

 exceedingly bad for us lo try to tight evil alone. 

 Go to vour wife: go to your pastor; go to your 

 best friend, and tell him that Satan is striving 

 hard for youi' soul. Ask them to pray for you 

 or with you. and just see how the scales will 

 fall fromyoui' eyes. When an intemperate man 

 can eontide his struggles to some good Chris- 

 tian friend, he is. for the time being, freed fi'om 

 the toils of the spoiler. 



The second sad case is of recent occurrence. 

 The following from the Boston Herald tells the 

 sad story from Lew iston. Me., dated Dec. 30: 



The neigiiboriiig- village of Mechaiiie Falls is excit- 

 ed over an alleged elopement. For years a neat sign 

 bearing the inscription, "Home of the Honey Bee," 

 has pointed out tbe entrance to a cozy cottaae, 

 which has of lute been transformed into somewhat 

 of a hornet's nest. It is the home of J. B. Mason, 

 editor of the Bee-Keepers' Advance, the only paper 

 in Maine devoled exclvisively to apiarian interests. 



Ml-. Mason is 53 years of age, and h;i8 been promi- 

 nently connected with tlie c>econd Advent Church 

 since his youth. He has fi)ur sons, two of whom are 

 ship carpenters in South Boston, and two small boys 

 at iiome; also a daughter, Mrs. Lizzie Bray, a widow 

 who is stopping at liome on a visit from Boston. 

 Mrs. Mason is a genial woman, and their home has 

 been a pleasant one. at least until witliin six months 

 ago. Then it was that Cliarles H. Cotton, wife, and 

 two small L-hildren went to board with the Mason 

 family. From that time Mr. Cotton alleges his wife 

 and Mr. Mason were too intimate. 



About five weeks ago Mr. Mason and his wife went 

 to Bosttm to visit their sons, and Cotton claims that 

 his wife received a letter from Mason, asking her to 

 meet him at the Boston & Maine depot in Boston. 

 On the afternoon of Dec. 22 Mrs. Cotton took her little 

 girl and started for South Paris, telling her husband 

 she was going to visit her sister. Mr. Cotton, being 

 suspicious, harnessed up his team and followed her. 

 only to learn that she had started toward Boston on 

 the"exi>rcss train. 



The next afternoon, he says, Mason left Boston, 

 and has been heard from since only by a letter post- 

 marked AVhite Hiver Junction, Vt.. addressed to Mrs. 

 Mason in Boston, in which he said she might have 

 his bee business, but that he would never i-eturn 

 until he could pay his debts. Mrs. Mason is now in 

 Boston. 



The Bee-Keepers' Advance has already ab- 

 sorbed hve other bee-papi^rs, the last one being 

 the Bee-Keepers' Magazine, which was long 

 published in New York. Notwithstanding 

 these consolidations, the paper does not seem to 

 have prospered very well. We have been in 

 frequent communication with friend Mason, 

 and have felt more or less acquainted. He, too, 

 was a church-member, and had been from his 

 youth. However, this does not necessarily re- 

 flect on our churches, even though the world 

 may think it does, more or less. It indicates 

 this: That a man may be a member of a 

 church, and at the same time not be a Chris- 

 tian. He may be a professor, but not a possess- 

 or. The promise is, '• He that endureth to the 

 end shall be saved. In our last issue 'we spoke 

 about the celestial crown that stands just over 

 our heads, as a promised reward to those who 

 tight the good light and overcome all of Satan's 

 allurements. When our poor friend decided to 

 let go of his religion, and to bid adieu to his 

 Savior, to desert his wife and children, to give 

 up his standing among men, his all and every 

 thing, he deliberately agreed to forfeit all pros- 

 pect of gaining that immortal crown. There is 

 an old hymn that reads, 



Jesus, I my ci o.ss have taken. 

 All to leave and follow thee. 



This tells us what a Christian must do to fol- 

 low Christ. All the world and all it has to 

 offer must be dropped and given up for Christ. 

 The thought has been an inspiring one to many 

 a poor soul, since old Dr. Watts gave us the 

 hymn. It rings out like the life and drum to 

 the fainting soldier. 



Now, just for a minute take a glimpse of the 

 awful contrast between one who leaves all for 

 Christ and one who gives up all, as did friend 

 Mason, for what? Yes. let us pause a min- 

 ute. What did the adversary hold out to our 

 poor misguided, infatuated, and crazy bi'other. 

 to induce him to leave friends and home, and 

 all thoughts of eternal life? He probably de- 

 liberated long and earnestly in regard to his 

 bee-friends and his bee-journal. Perhaps he 

 said within himself, more than once, " O my 

 God! I can't doit! I can't c\u \t\ IcAx'xdoit!" 

 Perhaps he added my own little praj-er, " Lord, 

 help! Lord, helpl"' Some of you may ask why 

 the Lord did not help. Alas, my friend. God 

 has made us free agents. While life lasts we 

 have tb(^ power of choosing. Jn talking a few 

 days ago with a prominent minister, a man of 

 large experience, we were lead to speak of a 

 case something like the above: and he added. 

 '■ Perhaps the poor man was suddenly overcome 

 by such terrible temptation that he could not 

 help himself." 



I stopped and raised my hands in horror. 



"Why,, Bro. P., you are surely jesting. No 

 man was ever yet, since the days of Adam, 

 overtaken by a temptation that he could not 

 resist. In fact, we have Bible statements to 

 the contrary. See what Paul says:" 



There hath no temptation taken you but such as is 

 common to man; but God is faithful, who will not 

 sulfer you to be tempted above that je are able; 

 but will with the temptation also make a way to es- 

 cape, that ye may be able to bear it.— I. Cor. 10: 13. 



It is possible, perhav^s. that one who has giv- 

 en way to Satan (as an intemperate man does) 

 again and again, may find his will power so 

 impaired that he can not of himself resist any 

 more. The trouble is, in this casi;. away back. 

 One who prays for help, and then does not help 

 himself, must expect to be lost. 



It is possible that these words I am dictating 

 may meet the eye of friend Mason, somewhere 

 in the wide world. As the matter now stands, 

 what is to be done? Can any thing be done? 

 O ye of little faith, who ask such aquestioni 

 While there is life something can altvays be 

 done. What shall he do? Why, go back 

 home and take that guilty companion back 

 home. Undo all the evil, so far as human pow- 

 er can undo it, then commence a pure, honest, 

 upright life at the foot of the cross. Satan's 

 greatest hold is in making his victims believe 

 there is neither help nor remedy. Just as soon 

 as he gets one a little way into the meshes of 

 sin, he commences making great capital of the 

 point that there is no turning back. A boy in 

 his teens is now in otir county jail, with the 

 penitentiary before him. He went with a lot 

 of other boys to a neighboring town, and 

 bought a bottle of whisky. Under the influence 

 of the stimulant he stole his employers horse. 

 Before he had got away many miles, however, 

 the effects of the liquor wore off, and he began 

 to suffer the terrible pangs of conscience and 

 i-emorse. It would have been a very simple 

 matter to go back and confc^ss the whole thing 

 to his employer. Satan persuaded him that he 

 would surely be arrested if he did. So he turn- 

 ed the horse loose, and went to his home, qidte 

 a few miles away, and for three or four days he 

 suffered as no one can suffer who has not been 

 through the same trial. Common sense should 

 have told him that he would certainly be ar- 

 rested, unless he went to his employer and con- 



