386 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 1. 



eluding California and the Pacific Coast, but 

 even to the Sandwich Islands. When I first 

 saw him after he returned I asked for an ex- 

 planation. How could a minister of the gospel, 

 who is comparatively poor in tiiis world's goods, 

 spend a whole year in a kind of travel that 

 costs tremendously to most of us ? Well, it all 

 came about very simply. Ey chance or acci- 

 dent he has some very warm friends, and some 

 who are quite well off. I say. " chance or acci- 

 dent." Is it really so? Weil, these friends 

 clubbed together and actually iiifilsted that he 

 and his wife should take this trip: and they 

 regarded it as a pi'ivilege to pay all their ex- 

 penses. Our good friend accepted the situation, 

 not only as God's call, but went right along 

 smiling and beaming I'ight and left, making 

 everybody laugh, and. if I am not mistaken, 

 giving, by his air and manner and words and 

 exhoitation, almost without their knowing it, 

 an invitation to lead pure, better, and more 

 godly lives than they had been doing. A great 

 part of his work in life is in talking to Sunday- 

 schools and Sunday-school teachers. In fact, 

 his business is to build up Sunday-schools, and 

 to strengthen in the faith of Christ Jesus those 

 already built: and in the faith, too. of that all- 

 seeing Eye which is ''in every place, beholding 

 the evil and the good." 



Let me now go back a little to my friend of 

 former years. It gives me pain to speak ill of 

 anybody, but I wish to give you one glimpse of 

 the outcome of that man who said that every 

 year that passed over his head made life more 

 insipid, more dull, and more unsatisfying. 

 Away back more than tliirty years ago he let a 

 bill run up in favor of a woman who did his 

 washing. He put her off from time to time un- 

 til he owed lier betw(»en twenty and thirty dol- 

 lars. She found out. years after, that he had 

 just located in the vicinity of Medina, and ask- 

 ed me to go with her. as she was need v. to see 

 whether he would not give her something on 

 that old bill for washing that had been for 

 years outlawed. We visited his home. He ad- 

 mitted the justice of her claim, but said that he 

 was unable to pay a coi)i)er of it: and the evi- 

 dent mai'ks of poverty all around him corrobo- 

 rated it. He said every thing had been against 

 him; and, my friends, let me tell you that 

 every thing is almost sure to work continually 

 against him who scouts the idea that an all- 

 seeing Eye looks down and watches every de- 

 liberate wicked thought of our hearts; and who 

 proposes to please only himself, no matter who 

 suffers by it. We have a plain liible promise, 

 that " all things wori< together for good to 

 them that love God;" and you will also find 

 that the contrarv is true. 



5F©BHCC0 CQiiHMN. 



"and when thou art CONVERTKD, STRENaTH - 

 EN THY BRETHREN." 



The above was the subject for our prayer- 

 meeting last Sunday evening. A good brother, 

 who is well alono: in years, who has only lately 

 come out fully for Christ, gave an illustration 

 of the way in which comparing expei'iences 

 often helps (strengthens) those (the brethren) 

 who are battling against temptation. .\n old 

 friend of his came into his ston^ Both had 

 given up the use of tobacco, and they were 

 talking the matter over, and this friend gave 

 this astounding bit of experience: He had used 

 tobacco all his life, and the habit increased on 

 him (as it usually does) until he was buying 

 something like a pound a week. Finally he be- 

 gan to have spells of blindness. They would 



come on him out in the field, so as to make it 

 difficult for him to see his way home. Doctors 

 were consulted, but they could not tell what 

 the matter was. O ye doctors! why are //e so 

 blind — at least a great part of you, any way? 

 The trouble kept growing worse and worse, and 

 his family and friends were lamenting tlu^ sad 

 fact that he would probably soon be totally 

 blind. Finally it occurred to him that tobacco 

 miifht hav(! sonH;>thing to do with it, and so he 

 left it off' for just one day, and was not blind at 

 all. Then he chewed again for just one day. 

 and his blindness began to com(> back. Then 

 he tested the matter thoroughly, and in a very 

 little time it became plain that the blind spells 

 came from the use of t()l)acco and nothing else: 

 therefore, liice a i)nul('iit and sensible man, he 

 gave up thi! use of the weed. The speaker said 

 this bit of experience did him a great deal of 

 good, because it was so nearly like his own, 

 only he nev(M' used it until it began to nuike 

 him blind. Now. then, you fi'iends of the med- 

 ical fi'aternity, whenever you have a patient 

 afflicted with some disease which you can not 

 understand, please think of it. will you? and 

 just ask if he is using tobacco. 



I quit the use of tobacco nine years ago, and 

 tliiink the Loitl I have never used it since. 

 Tehama. Kan.. Feb. 2. L. N. Cooper. 



My son, who has been a reader of Gi.eanings 

 for some time, came to the conclusion to quit 

 the use of tobacco, which he has been using to 

 exce.ss. If you will send me a smoker for him 

 I will agree to pay you if he begins the use of 

 tobacco again. .1. B. Whiton. 



Ithaca, Mich.. Jan. 30. 



As Mr. R. J. McNeil has been induced by me 

 and the Tobacco Column in Gleanings to quit 

 the use of tobacco in any form, you will please 

 send him a smoker. If he uses tobacco again I 

 will pay you for the smoker. He is our school- 

 teacher, and also a Baptist preacher. 



Baird, Tex., March 4, J, M. Matthews. 



STII-L FAITHFUL. 



Somebody else would like to have Gleanings 

 a little oftener, as well as wider and thicker: 

 but if Home talks and Straws don't fail, 

 (Cleanings will be O. K. I am still faithful to- 

 my pledge in regard to not using tobacco. One 

 year ago last January I quit. A. J. Meredith. 



Nettletou, Ark.. Apr. 15. 



I wish to say that I have been a user of tobac- 

 co for about 30 years: and through the influence 

 of Gleanings 1 have quit its use. I have not 

 touched it for six months, and do not intend to. 

 I do not want any i)ay for quitting. I consider I 

 am more than paid already. I hope you luay 

 continue to extend your infln(Mice for good. 

 Use this testimony if it will be of any use to 

 you. Daniel Wright. 



Violet, Ont., March 7. 



Very nearly a year ago I left off the use of to- 

 bacco, and don't think I should have ever 

 touched it again luid I not gone into the bee- 

 business. Two months ago I bought six colo- 

 nies of bees, as a starter; and when I went to 

 look through them I noticed my smoker was 

 a very poor one, and almost worn out; but I 

 thought I could make it do for th(> present. 

 But the second colony I went into, it gave ont 

 altogether, and the bees semed to k-now it, for 

 they stung me dreadfully till I called to a friend 

 near liy to let me have his pipe; and with the 

 smoke I soon quieted them down. Now. if you 

 send me a smoker I will not smok(> again. 



A. B. Wilkinson. 



Hawks Park, Fla.. March 22. 



