480 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



JiTNE 1. 



cornors of our factory. Any oiift of these hy- 

 drants will throw two streams of water, equal 

 in capacity to that of an ordinary tire-engine. 

 The insurance companies recommended these 

 as a means of controlling a tire if it should get 

 beyond the control of the sprinklers. They 

 also protect our lumber-yards, various out- 

 buildings, the freight and passenger depot be- 

 longing to the railroad, and the storehouse and 

 lumber-yard belonging to a neighbor. Aside 

 from the head of water furnished by the wind- 

 mill tank on the hill, a powerful tire-engine, or 

 steam-pump, is located near our boilers, with a 

 head of steam constantly on. These four hy- 

 drants I have mentioned ai'e inside of a little 

 hydrant-house. This house keeps the hose se- 

 cure from the weather, and ready to use at a 

 moment's notice. This great steam-pump has 

 what is called an automatic governor. This 

 governor is so wonderful in its arrangement 

 that it starts the steam-pump the minute one 

 of the hydrants is opened; that is, the system 

 of iron pipes connected with the hydrants and 

 sprinklers carries a head of water amounting 

 to ;i() or 2.5 pounds of pressure. This comes 

 from the elevated tanks. But just as soon as 

 an opening is made from any of the hydrants or 

 sprinklers so as to let the water begin to flow, 

 this governor turns on steam until the water is 

 propelled with a pressure of 90 or perhaps 100 

 pounds. Stranger still, just as soon as a hy- 

 drant is closed, the automatic governor shuts 

 off the steam. Instead of being obliged to keep 

 a man at the steam-pump to handle the thi'ot- 

 tle-valve, the automatic governor does it better 

 than any living man possibly could. 



Well, when we talked about putting uj) this 

 pump and this line of cast-iron piping to go to 

 the four hydrants, we talked about getting an 

 expert to come from the factory and set it up. 

 The general foreman of our works, however, 

 suggested that our own men could do the work 

 just as well as, and a good deal cheaper than, 

 any of the city folks. While it was being done, 

 it was necessary to cut off our waterworks, and 

 leave our whole ])lant, even when running full 

 blast, entirely out of tire pi'otection: and this, 

 too, right in the midst of a severe drouth, when 

 terrible tires were reported through the papers 

 daily. I explained to oui' people, at the noon 

 service, what we wei'e going to do. and asked 

 the cooperation of them all: and I have been 

 greatly pleased to sec how nicely each skillful 

 mechanic has done his part in all this appoint- 

 ed work. We have had no hitches, drawbacks, 

 noi- expensive blunders; and when the water 

 was turned on to test the accuracy of the joints, 

 the whole system was found to be almost per- 

 fect. Our men and boys knew the responsibili- 

 ties that rested on them, and they bent their 

 whole energies to the work. I have told you 

 before how I admii'e and love skillful workmen. 

 Now, skill and ability come only by patient, 

 faithful perseverance and hard work. If you 

 wish to command good pay. you must work 

 hard for your reputation. There certainly is 

 "no excellence" in any department of work, 

 "without gi-eat lal)or." One who strives for 

 superior wages must bend his whole energies 

 untiringly to the work in question. He must 

 study during working hours and outside of 

 working hours to overcome the obstacles in his 

 line of work; to make short cuts when they can 

 be made; to look ahead and see what is com- 

 ing, and at the same time know what is going 

 on ajonnd him. His mind must, be on liis work. 

 He must undei-go lutrdships more or less. He 

 must work when he does not feel like it, and he 

 must forego many pleasures that people around 

 him seem to enjoy I'ight along. He must be 

 sclf-'^irriflciiKj. 



Perhaps you may be ready to inquire what 



this has to do with our text. Well, it comes 

 right in here, dear reader. Just in precisely 

 the same way it takes hard, persistent, ener- 

 getic work to become a tine mechanic, so it 

 takes hard, persistent daily toil to become a 

 skillful worker for Christ Jesus. That word 

 "finisher" in our text occurred to me when I 

 was talking to our people at the noon service. 

 The./7/iis7/cr of a piece of work or machinery is 

 the most important man, generally speaking, 

 on the job; and Jesus is to be both author and 

 tinishei- of our faith. Aftei' we have done all 

 we can to become faithful workers in his vine- 

 yard, he himself of his own loving spirit is to 

 put on the finishing touches. 



And now a word about the last thing in our 

 text. Faith— what is it? Within a few days 

 two incidents have given me a glimpse of what 

 faith really is. Th(> glimpse comes from two 

 different sides. The tirst glimpse came in this 

 way: A man whom I esteem very much has 

 been for years leaning toward skepticism. I 

 have thought, as I looked at him, that it was 

 one of the queer things of this world that he 

 should be a skeptic. He has had excellent re- 

 ligious ti-aining, and the rest of the family, I 

 believe, are professing Christians. Why should 

 he stand off to one side? Well, during the 

 meetings of last winter, or perhaps, rather, 

 along in the spring, this friend seemed to be 

 slowly changing. A sermon from oui- good 

 pastor (who gave us the one in our last issue) 

 had very much to do with it. Then he began 

 going to our Endeavor Society meetings, and 

 the spii-it of the work at once commended itself 

 to him. He is a good mechanic himself, and 

 the gliin])sc lie got of young people aiding and 

 eiieoiirasz-ing eacli other in this work of pcrfect- 

 1)1(1 Christidn cluintcter a.i)\wa]ed to his heart 

 in a way that he could not long resist. He did 

 not tell me this, but I think I am pretty nearly 

 right about it. nevei'theless. Well, a few days 

 ago he stopped me as I was i)assing, and made 

 a I'emark something like this: 



"Mr. Root. I owe you an apology." 



As I looked into his bright face, full of faith 

 in his new-found Savior, I replied smilingly, 

 " Why. friend , if you really do owe an apol- 

 ogy, I am sure I can not tell what it is for." 



"Mr. Root, I knew you couldn't, for I want to 

 apologize for what I have been thinking for so 

 many years past, rather than for any thing I 

 have .said or done. I want to apologize to you 

 for not having understood you until lately'. I 

 used to think that you were not what you pro- 

 fessed to be." 



Some of you may smile at this. The letters 

 that have recently been in Gleanings indicate 

 that some others besides those who see me day 

 by day hold the same opinion. Who is at fault? 

 Well, I think it will be a pretty safe thing to 

 say that I am myself more or less at fault. 

 During these years that have passed. I may 

 have learned something in the way of being a 

 good workman in the vineyard of the Lord. 

 But there are many sad defects that mar and 

 greatly hinder the success of much of my work. 

 Lord, help! My young friend (young in Christ 

 Jesus) went on to say: 



" For a long time I tried to make myself be- 

 lieve that you were not sincere; or. to speak 

 right out plain. I thought you were more or less 

 a hypocrite; but I want to say I think differ- 

 ently now. I believe I understand you, and I 

 am sure you are working for the good of hu- 

 manity. Please foi'give me, in that I have not 

 until lately given you the credit you desei've." 



I do not remember just what I replied, but I 

 thought something as follows: " Why. my good 

 friend, it is the spirit of Christ Jesus 'that gives 

 you this charity and this broad love for every 

 thing and evei'ybody. You have faith in others 



