564 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 1. 



acquainted with one of tliese German friends. 

 Tlie expression, "one of God's nobility," comes 

 into my mind, and I am going to use it. Before 

 long one of my foremen said, " That's a mighty 

 good man. and I think we had better try to 

 hang on to him." I smiled, for it was just what 

 I had been thinking. Yes. there were two or 

 three of them who carved out foi' themselves 

 permanent situations before night that first day, 

 and they are with us yet. and I should really 

 like it if they could work with nie as long as 

 they live. One of them can not yet talk Eng- 

 lish very well, and sometimes he does the 

 wrong thing in consequence; but I often tell my 

 wife something like this: '" Look here, Sue; 



whenevei' you see me vexed with Mr. , you 



just remind me of what I am saying now. He 

 has. in times past, pitched into difficult work 

 with such enthusiasm and energy that he has 

 got a goodly balance on the other side to his 

 credit, and I want you to remind me of it." 



Well, not many months ago one of these very 

 men came to me with a troubled countenance, 

 and finally informed me that he must leave my 

 service. I stood in open-mouthed astonishment 

 when he went on to say that he had so much 

 trouble with his wife that he thought it best 

 for him to go away and never come near her 

 any more. 



'• Why. my good friend, you have a nice little 

 home all paid for, and, what is of a hundred 

 times more moment, some little children who 

 belong to you and your wife jointly. God gave 

 them, and no power on earth can make them 

 other than yours. Are you going crazy ?"' 



" Yes, Mr. Root, I know about the children. 

 and that is the saddest part of it;" and the 

 tears came into his eyes as he spoke; but he in- 

 sisted that the best thing he could do was to 

 leave wife, children, and all, and go away oft' 

 for himself. In vain did I try to tell him that, 

 although he and his wife might both have been 

 to blame, the main point before us was, that 

 Sntari had made an entrance into his house- 

 hold, and had succeeded in poisoning him 

 against his wife, and his wife against him. 

 He would not admit that it was Satan's work, 

 however. Like Adam of old, he insisted that it 

 was " the woman." She was so disagreeable 

 he could not live with her. I told liim he 

 should consider the whole matter a good deal 

 the same as if the smallpox or mcaxles had got 

 into the family. But he said he had tried to be 

 peaceable and kind, until he could stand it no 

 longer. I exhorted and implored. My friend, 

 did you ever try to make peace, and drive out 

 Satan when he had got once well intrenched? 

 If you have, you know what a task it is. When 

 I found I could do absolutely nothing with him. 

 I told him that I was going to talk with his 

 wife; but, alas! she could talk only German, 

 and I only English; and he was determined to 

 take the first train out of Medina. I made up 

 my mind he was crazy. Well, he ira.s ci'azy; so 

 are you — so am I, vvIkmi sin and Satan get us in 

 their power. I remembered the Endeavor So- 

 ciety. One energ(!tic memb 'r is a woman who 

 speaks both English and German — a special 

 friend of mine. 1 went for lier, and she actual- 

 ly walked a m\W. and a half on a hot day. leav- 

 ing her household cai'ej". But she succeeded no 

 better than I did. The wife said. ■" Let him go 

 if he wants to." Now. this man professed to be 

 a Christian; but I believe he had not united 

 with the church. He told me his little girl said 

 her little prayer every night before sh(^ went to 

 bed: and yet he even contemplated leaving her 

 /or ever to the car<' of stfangei's. and the cold 

 hard world, because hi^ said he wanted " peace." 

 and could not find it at home. He not only 

 contemplated so doing, but he left his work, put 

 on his best clothes, took a little satchel, and 



boarded the train. Am I not right when I say 

 that Satan makes people crazy ? That eveningr 

 was the regular meeting of the Endeavor Soci- 

 ety. I told them what was on my mind, and 

 several prayers were offered in behalf of our 

 poor friend. I remember that I prayed veiy 

 earnestly that (iod would touch the heart of 

 this deluded brother, and bring him back like 

 the prodigal son. I prayed that God would 

 take him in hand, and do that which I had 

 found myself utterly unable and incotnpetent 

 to do. I tliouglit I prayed in faith: but yet 

 when our triend came back in just 24 hours, I 

 was (tstonisheil. I asked God to soul him back; 

 but while I was asking I am afraid I had no- 

 faith at all that he wouW come back. He 

 seemed so determined that I fear that I had got 

 an idea that even God could not handle him. 

 He told me afterward, that, just about the 

 hour when his little girl said her prayer before 

 going to bed, he got to thinking of hi-r and of 

 the little prayer, and he could stand it no k)nger. 

 Now, don't you see that this was about the 

 hour when our little band of Christians was 

 praying for him at the Endeavor meeting? 

 After breakfast Sabbath morning. I thanked. 

 God in my prayer before the family, for the re- 

 turn of our friend, and asked him what next he- 

 had for me to do. Even while I was speaking, 

 came the thought. '" Go down and see the re- 

 united family." We have our breakfast rather- 

 earlier than some people on Sunday morning, 

 so I arose from my knees and walked down to- 

 the little home. Every thing was as neat and 

 handsome around it as could be — a nice well- 

 kept garden: trees, fruits, and flowers, and a 

 hen with tliirteen new chiclvens right near the 

 front door. Of course, I met with cordial treat- 

 ment. His little girl said her prayer to me in 

 (rerman, and the smiling mother asked papa to- 

 bring the prayer-book. I sang for them a few 

 pieces from the Gospel Hymns, and then they 

 stood up and sang one or two of their tJerman 

 hymns. Of course. I could not understand a 

 word, but I found my stalwart friend could 

 sing, as well as handle a pick and shovel. Why, 

 we had a beautiful little service that Sunday 

 morning, and I visited (?) quite a little with the 

 pleasant- faced woman who could not talk a 

 word of English. Could it be possible that this 

 was the one whom her husband said he could 

 not live with because she was so hard to please f 

 Now, this is vSatan's regular legitimate work. 

 May be I can help you a little by telling you 

 how the whole thing started. It all commenced 

 by finding fault with each other. The woman 

 not only did the housework, but worked in the 

 garden and out on a few acres of ground be- 

 longing to their place: but either she did not 

 do things right, or something else, and the 

 father complained. Then she complained of 

 the father, and Satan laughed in his sleeve as- 

 he saw the matter progress from bad to worse. 

 Look over the daily papers, note the crime and 

 suicide, and you will see the breaking-up of 

 families starts in just this way: and it is possi- 

 ble, dear brother and sister, that, when your 

 eye meets these pages, you may remember some 

 experience of i/(Ufr ot('» in something like this 

 very line. Perhaps you were wise enough to 

 say, before things got to a very bad pass, " Get 

 tliee behind me. Satan." 



I have given you an instance in the above of 

 the way in which Satan persuades one that his 

 best friend is an enemy. Let me now take the 

 other side, and show you how Satan may de- 

 lude you into the belief that the worst enemy is 

 your friend. You may recall what I said about 

 the sad case of friend Mason, of the Advance. 

 and of his going away with his lodger's wif(>. 

 You have read this poor woman's plaintive let- 

 ter that came awav over the mountains from 



