l.S'l-' 



(JLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



155 



and 1 do not (loiibl ai all lliat. if we oom(» to 

 follow tlioir histories ihrouKli life, the tinic 

 inipht I'onii' wticii any of ns might he proud to 

 niako the ai-tniaintanco of sonu' who aro gath- 

 cicd t licit", (iod hloss tlio toachors, and Ciod 

 bless ihc work I 



OURSELVES AND OUR NEIGHBORS. 



FMvo of you shall rhaso a liundred. ami a liuiidred 

 of ymi shidl put ten thousand to Hifrlit.— Lev. 26 : 8. 



This is Strong language— the language of our 

 text — is it not? And what does it mean? If 

 you go hack to the beginning of the chapter, it 

 seems very clear that it is those who keep God's 

 fnihlmthn. and who walk in his stittuie-s and 

 keep his roiiuniDKls. In fact, this is a chapter 

 of promises to those who obey. In other words, 

 we are told— nay. have the promise in God's 

 holy word— that five true Christians shall chase 

 a hundred unbelievers, and so on; therefore in 

 this coiuiiig World's Exposition just before us, 

 tliere will not be any dilliculty at all about the 

 matter of having thi^ Exposition closed on Sun- 

 day if C/ir/-v^(V(/i.s really (rrf;(f it closed. Why, 

 suppose the enemies of righteousness and god- 

 liness do outnumber us. The Bible tells us that 

 a hundred shall put ten thousand to flight; 

 that is. a hundred faithful devoted Christians. 

 Some of you are perhaps ready to laugh in de- 

 rision at such an idea. But, dear friends, I 

 believe the Bible statement. Furthermore. I 

 hope you may be induced to believe it too. if 

 you who profess to be followers of Christ can 

 "work with Christian weapons and nothing more. 

 Then, what are Chiistian weapons? Well. I 

 can not not tell you exactly what sort of weap- 

 ons to use under all sorts of circumstances; but 

 perhaps I can help a little by some suggestions. 

 This I do believe most firmly— that, if we are 

 constantly seeking the guidance of the Holy 

 .Spirit, we shall not go very far astray. At a 

 n-cent Ohio State Endeavor convention held in 

 our neighboring city of Akron, there was a 

 movement started to get names or pledges of 

 those who would refuse to attend the Exposition 

 if it were open on Sunday, or if intoxicating 

 liquors were sold on the ground. The matter 

 has troubled me somewhat. It does not trouble 

 ?iie Ucau>e I think that Christian people ought 

 not to go to such a place where these things are 

 countenanced, but it troubles ine to know what 

 is the wisest and best way to l)ring about what 

 we desire. I once heard a very earnest Chris- 

 tian man — yes. an intelligent man too— say he 

 would not go to the Exposition if it were open 

 on Sunday. His neighbor, who is an unbeliever, 

 retorted instantly that he would not go if tliey 

 closed on .Sunday. It gave me a sort of feeling 

 as though that was no: the best way to settle 

 differences among "ourselves and our iieigli- 

 bors." Only yesterday I heard of a good woman 

 who is not living with her husband. The rea- 

 son was. that she told him plainly she would 

 not live with him any longer unless ln' gave up 

 tobacco. As soon as I heard it I said at once, 

 "Oh dear! oh dear! What a .srn/ blunder they 

 are boDi making!'' I repeated the conversation 

 at the breakfast-table, and, to my distuay, Con- 

 stance declared she thought the woman did 

 just right: and when I looked up in astonish- 

 ment and pain, she clinched her argument by 

 saying, "Look here, father; if mother used 

 tobacco (and some women do use it, you know) 

 would you live with her?" 



I replied instantly, without stopping to think 

 a moment, and glanced over to my wife lovingly 

 as I made answer: 



"To be sure. I would live with her: and I 



would stick by lierevtMi more faithfully, in such 

 an (>vent, than I do now." 



I think she fully agieed with ni(>, for she gave 

 me a l)right. encouraging smile, any way. .Shall 

 I explain fniiher what 1 meant by such a rc- 

 niark? Well. 1 meant this: That."if my dear 

 wife were wedded to toixicco or any other such 

 l)ad habit nu)re than she felt wedded to her 

 liKNitand. I would set to work and do my level 

 best in siti)j>l<intin<i tobacco. I would try to 

 "cut out" tol)acco, if that is the right way to 

 express it. Years ago. when one voting man 

 worked his way into the affections' of a voung 

 lady who was already waited upon by another 

 " feller." he was .said to "cut " the said party of 

 the .second part "out." And that is just what 

 1 should try hard to do. I remember quite well, 

 away back when my wife and myself were in 

 our teens, some little difficulty came up between 

 us; and I said that, unless she would consent 

 to do as I thought she ought to do, I would go 

 away and not come back <tny more. A sad 

 state of affairs, was it not? She very quietly 

 said, "All right." I went away to do as I said. 

 I concluded, however, after a few days, that I 

 had got the worst of the bargain, and begged 

 pardon, and took back ray ugly threat. There 

 (S one way in which a, hundred Christians can 

 chase ten thousand, but I don't believe it is by 

 threats. Threats are almost always bad. Cer- 

 tain kinds of threats are called boycotting; and 

 boycotting is certainly a very dangerous weap- 

 on. I do not mean to say that it should never 

 be used; but it should be used with great care 

 and wisdom. I am sure it is right to bovcott a 

 saloon keeper, and to starve him out; but. come 

 to think of it. I do not think "boycotting" is 

 just the word I would recoiuinend, after all. I 

 oiu'e told a saloon-keeper that, if he set up a 

 bar in his boarding-house. I would, by every 

 fair and honorable means in my power, keep 

 my employes from patronizing him: but that, 

 if he would keep a respectable house. I would, 

 on the contrary, do all I could to assist him in 

 building up a prospei'ous business. I said it to 

 hiiu plainly and kindly, and. I believe, with 

 neighborly feelings. Well, now, suppose my 

 good wife did use tobacco; how would I go to 

 work? Why, I would endeavor to get between 

 her and the appetite for tobacco; and I would 

 do luy level best to succeed. Under certain 

 conditions almost any young man can work 

 pretty earnestly in w inning a young lady's af- 

 fections. Once upon a time it was deemed 

 expedient to keep some piece of news from me. 

 My good wife suggested that it was next to 

 impossible. She said that, when I got hold of 

 the least clew, no one who talked with me at 

 all could resist my ability to bring to light the 

 full facts in the case; and yet I always did it 

 by fair and honorable means. I do not mean to 

 boast, but quite the contrary. When one sets 

 about something lie very earnestly wishes to 

 accomplish, if he works hard enough, and holds 

 on long enough, if he is an earnest Christian 

 he will generally succeed; and he will do it by 

 fair means too. Why. we have the Bible prom- 

 ise for this very thing. You will remember the 

 bright little text I talked about a few weeks 

 ago. "No good thing will he withhold from 

 them that walk uprightly." I'esterday. in our 

 morning reading at church I was almost'startled 

 by one almost parallel to it. I put inv finger on 

 it to call my wife's attention to the bri(!f little 

 promise: " Unto the ujjright there ariseth light 

 in the darkness." 



Well, now. this matter of tobacco I would get 

 my good wife to give up by showing her some- 

 thing a great deal better than tobacco. I would 

 get myself in between her and the tobacco 

 habit. I do not mean particularly to call mi/- 

 •sc?/ something a greatdeal better than tobacco; 



