384 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15. 



people, we take a look at it and then say men- 

 tally, if not out loud. " Oh. yes 1 that is all very 

 fine: but I tell you it is tremendously hard work 

 to be so self-sacrificing and to take so much 

 pains." Yes, it Is hard, my dear friend: don't 

 we all know it? It seems to me that, if thf-re 

 was ever a person who found it hard to choose 

 the straight and narrow path instead ot the 

 broad way that leads to destruction. I am that 

 very one.' Yes, in one sense it is terribly hard 

 for me constantly " to love righteousness and 

 hate iniquity." Satan once, with a wave of his 

 hand, showed the Savior the whole earth: and 

 he pointed out the attractions of the world. 

 Well, I think he has been doing that way with 

 me all my life. Although some Christians may 

 say the world has nothing to offer, to me it has 

 a tremendous sight to offer— yes, even if I am 

 wearing gray hairs and spectacles. I can fully 

 sympdthize with every child of humanity who 

 finds it hard to turn away from things that are 

 unquestionably not strictly upright. I think I 

 can hear some of you say, " Well, Mr. A. I. 

 Root, I really think you ought to be ashamed 

 of yourself." And you are right. I am asham- 

 ed of myself every day. lam ashamed to think 

 I am sinful, and that I have such longings foi' 

 the ways of sin. You may say, no doubt. '• Why, 

 the trouble is, you have not said— at least you 

 have not as yet said so with sufficient vehe- 

 mence, ' Get thee behind me, Satan.' " Well, I 

 have said it hundreds of times, and I think, too. 

 with a good deal of vehemence. But after I 

 think the old fellow has gone for good, and 

 never means to pester me any more, back he 

 creeps again, and reminds me that I am still 

 earthy and still human. Sometimes I try to 

 console myself by thinking that it is like Paul's 

 thorn in the flesh, and that, may be. it will 

 help me to have sympathy for others. But how 

 about our text? Why. after all my experience 

 I am every day more and more thoroughly con- 

 vinced that it is true— every word of it. Yes. I 

 am so sure it is true that I have not a moment's 

 hesitation in saying to you. my good friend, 

 that every good thing you can think of shall be 

 yours if you will only hold out in "• walking up- 

 rightly." Let me explain: A young friend of 

 mine is feeling sour and bad Ijecause he does 

 not get better wages. I have talked several 

 times with him about it. I told him that those 

 around him got better pay than he did just be- 

 cause they walked more uprightly. He did not 

 feel inclined to accept this explanation— that is, 

 he did not believe that others were better than 

 he. 



'• Why," said I. " look here. Were you at 

 your post every day last week during working 

 hours ?" 



He hung his head a little, and admitted that 

 he was not. 



" Well, were yon at work ten hours every day 

 week before last?" 



Again he was obliged to admit that he was 

 not. 



" Well, once more. Did you put in a whole 

 week, and were you at your machine every day 

 when the whistle blew, the week before that?" 

 He said he could not remember so long ago, 

 but he thought quite likely he was not on hand 

 every day. And he then ventured to urge that, 

 if he had a little more wages than he was then 

 getting, so as to make it more of an ohjcct, he 

 might be on hand more promptly. 



•• Why. my good friend^ do you think it would 

 be wise"or well to pay a boy more wages than 

 he is earning, simply because he pronuses to do 

 better after he has his pay raised ?" 



He admitted that it would not, as a rule, be 

 the thing to do. Then I concluded with some- 

 thing like this: 

 " Now, look here. To-day is Monday. If you 



will put in one good week, doing as well as you 

 know how to do. and at the same time do it 

 easily, I will advance your pay next Saturday 

 night; and the advance will be in proportion to 

 the amount of improvement you make over 

 these past weeks. And let us bear in mind that 

 one special point where you are lacking is in 

 promptness.'' 



How do you suppose it turned out? Why. 

 the weather was nice and I suppose some of his 

 mates were going fishing. It was in the fore 

 part of the month of May, mind you, and every 

 thing outdoors was attractive and tempting. 

 So he went fishing, and was gone a day and a 

 half, within 48 hours from the time I had my 

 talk with him. Perhaps there are other boys 

 who read these papers, who, like the friend I 

 have spoken of. are very anxious for a "raise." 

 They think they ought to have better pay than 

 they are getting; and may be the reason they 

 do not get it is just because of their lack of 

 punctuality. Suppose you work in a factory. 

 The big engine starts at 7 o'clock. The pro- 

 prietors have, at great expense, provided steam 

 sufficient to carry your machine and ail the 

 rest of the machinery. If you are not there 

 to use it the steam is wasted, and the work you 

 do which they had counted on is not done. 

 May be the man next to you will run out of a 

 job because there is nobody on hand to do your 

 part of it. If some one does not bring the boss 

 of the room word, the machine may stand idle, 

 or a new man must be hunted up, and trained 

 on short notice to do your work. After he has 

 got him trained, suppose you come along. Why, 

 in the neighboring town of Aki'on I understand 

 they lock the doors at 7 o'clock, at one of 

 their large factories: and those who are not in 

 their places will have lost their job unless they 

 can make some satisfactory arrangement with 

 their boss to try them again. In our establish- 

 ment we try to be as easy on our workmen as 

 possible. If some one comes to me. or even to 

 the boss of his room, and says, '" Would it be so 

 that I coukl be spared to-morrow, without put- 

 ting you to great inconvenience?" he almost 

 always gets leave of absence; then he can go 

 fishing, or where he chooses, far happier than 

 the one who "lights out" without giving a 

 word or suggestion or any sort of hint to any- 

 body. 



And finally, dear friends, it occurs to me that 

 almost all the troubU'S we meet are in some 

 manner or other the consequence of not walk- 

 ing uprightly. Now, you need not ask what 

 you are to understand by the word " uprightly," 

 because we all know exactly what it means— 

 or. at least, with sufficient exactness to earn the 

 promise. Upright men and women I oh what 

 a demand there is for them! Why, they are 

 worth tlieir weight in gold— yea. more than fine 

 gold; and the world has never yet been supplied. 

 If somebody else gets better pay than you do, 

 or if he receives attentions that you do not, you 

 can rest assured that, in a majority of the 

 cases, it is because he has u'<tlked more up- 

 rightly. This walking uprightly is laying the 

 foundation stones for future character. Away 

 long years hence, somebody will want a good 

 man or woman for a particular place, and then 

 comes the review. VVhat has been the record ? 

 If the general verdict seems to be. "This boy 

 has been ui)right. honest, and straight year 

 after year, ever since he has been in our town, 

 and no one ever heard of his doing an unmanly 

 thing." why. the gates to a great future swing 

 out before him; and finally, when the Judge of 

 all the earth shall open that great record, I can 

 imagine the heavenly gates swinging wide open 

 as the angels bid him welcome with songs of 

 praise. " Well done, thou good and faithful 

 servant." 



