832 



(JLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 15 



enough for his " toy pistol " act, it will not be 

 such a tremendous job for him to scrape oflf the 

 surplus propolis. But I'm just a little skeptical 

 about that knife-blade edge being best in that 

 locality — or anywhere else. 

 dChapman honey-plant has quite a " boom " 

 in Deutsche linker. Five liundred bees visit 

 each plant daily in good weather; cultivated 

 for bees alone it pays a high rent: it is an or- 

 namental plant; after blooming it makes good 

 fodder for ?5tock, and it grows and flourishes 

 without care. A fine showing; but among all 

 the thousands in this broad land who tried it, 

 if there is a single one who thinks it of value 

 enough to occupy the ground will he please 

 arise and be counted ? 



LANGSTROTH'S EEMINISCENCES. 



THE CIKCUMSTANCES OF HIS CONVERSION IN 

 COLLEGE. 



During my college course my studies were 

 considerably interrupted, and once entirely sus- 

 pended, by severe attacks of melancholia, a full 

 account of which I have already given to the 

 i-eaders of our bee-journals. 



Until my senior year I felt no interest in per- 

 sonal religion, and yet it was my special good 

 fortune to secure the friendship and intimacy 

 of the most religious men in my class, some of 

 whom assured me that my course in the rebel- 

 lion had won their admiration and respect. As- 

 sociated intimately with us were quite a num- 

 ber who did not call themselves Christians. I 

 believe that I can truly say that we aimed to 

 cherish a higii sense of honor and purity, and 

 that our mothers and sisters might have heard 

 without a blush our most private conversations. 

 Since I have mingled freely with men, I am 

 quite persuaded that what I have said of the 

 tone of our conversation is very far from being 

 a common experience; and I grieve to say. tliat, 

 even among men whom the world calls respect- 

 able — nay, even among those who call them- 

 selves religious — conversation may too often be 

 heard which is very far from promoting that 

 purity of heart enjoined upon us by the Savior. 



In our senior year, an Amherst student named 

 Peter Parker joined our class. Although not 

 distinguislied for scholarship, he was remarka- 

 ble in awakening a deeper religious interest 

 among Christian men. and in acquiring the re- 

 spect of many who had hitherto been indiffer- 

 ent to religious considerations. I was then liv- 

 ing without prayer, and without leading my 

 Bible. I was taken sick, and Mr. Parker visit- 

 ed me. His prayers and conversation moved me 

 much; but as soon as I recovered I tried to 

 avoid him as much as possible. Joining me one 

 day after recitations were over, he proposed a 

 short walk. I knew very well what his object 

 was ; but I consented, fully intending to get rid 

 of liim as soon as possible. VVe walked and we 

 talked, until moved, as I now beli(^ve, by the 

 Holy Spirit. I went with him to the room of 

 Prof. Goodricli to ask him what I must do to be 

 saved. This holy man had been for some time 

 unusually earnest in his prayers for a revival of 

 religion in Yale College. He seemed to feel 

 that he could not endure the thought that our 

 class should leave college while so few gave 

 any evidence that they meant to consecrate 

 themselves 10 Christ. I was the first one who 

 had sought his counsel. How he talked with 

 me, how he prayed with me, how lie wept for 

 me and with me, only those who knew him well 

 can fully understand. I left his room, feeling 

 that I coul ' never rest until I had found for- 

 giveness and peace in a Savior's love. The 



blessed work spiead from one to another. Noah 

 Porter, afterward so eminent as president of 

 Yale College: Lyman Atwater, in time to be- 

 come a familiar name in the classic halls of 

 Princeton, and many others prominent for 

 scholarsliip in our class, were brought out of 

 darkness into the marvelous light of the gospel 

 of Christ. Nearly one hundred and fifty hope- 

 ful conversions were numbered among the col- 

 lege students, and multitudes from the resi- 

 dents of New Haven. Our class, which was so 

 soon to finish its course, had its destinies entire- 

 ly changed by this gracious work of the Holy 

 Spirit; and if doubters of revivals of religion 

 could read the life-record of those who were 

 then converted, few of them, I believe, would 

 be doubters any longer. 



There was one classmate from the South, a 

 gentleman by birth and education, of the name 

 of Seddon, quite noted for his profanity and 

 boasted infidelity. When reproved by his asso- 

 ciates he would readily admit that it was an 

 ungentlemanly practice to swear, and then with 

 an oath say that he could not help it. Coming 

 one day to my room he spoke to me substantial- 

 ly'as follows : 



P" Langstroth, I see that a great change of 

 some kind has come over y.ou, and I want you 

 to tell me frankly all about it." After listen- 

 ing with deep attention he said, '" You know that 

 I have called myself an infidel; but I confess to 

 you that I desire to believe in the truth of 

 Christianity. What books would vou advise me 

 to read? " 



While recommending "Paley's Evidences of 

 Christianity," I said to him. "Seddon. by all 

 means read the Bible." Soon after, lie came to 

 one of our prayer-meetings. Only a few, how- 

 ever, knew for what purpose he came. Many 

 thought that he sought to learn how to make 

 the scoffing prayer-meeting'^ which they were 

 holding a greatt-r success. With most he gain- 

 ed as little credence as at first Saul of Tarsus 

 found among the persecuted Christians. Not 

 long after, he invited me to his room ; and 

 wlien I asked him if he had read Paley's Evi- 

 dences he said that he had not. for he never was 

 sincere in his professions of infidelity. He then 

 handed me a Bible, and asked me to read what 

 was written on one of its blank leaves. It was 

 the words of a loving Christian mother, express- 

 ing the hope that her dear son would make that 

 book the guide of his life. " INIy mother," said 

 he. " gave me that book when I left home for 

 college, and I promised her to read it every day. 

 Until quite recently it has lain entirely neg- 

 lected at the bottom of my trunk. Langstroth, 

 can any one who has such a praying mother as 

 I have — can any one who has daily seen the 

 godly life of such a mother as mine — ever come 

 to believe that there is no truth in the Christian 

 religion ? " 



O Christian mothers 1 if you have sons who 

 have strayed ever so far from the paths of 

 righteousness, get new strength as you read 

 this story. The cords of a praying "mother's 

 love were twined around the heart of that poor 

 boy. even in his hours of deepest degradation, 

 and at last he was saved. He did not live to 

 complete his college course, but died full of 

 faith and the Holy Ghost. Before his last sick- 

 ness, conversing with liim alone in his room, I 

 asked him, " Seddon, have you never been 

 tempted to swear since you became a Christian? 

 Don't you remember you often said that you 

 could not help swearing ?" With a smile upon 

 his face he pointed to the tongs which lay 

 against the stove, and said, " Langstrotli. not 

 long ago I had a very large fire in that stove; 

 and, thoughtlessly taking hold of the tongs, 

 they blistered my fingers; and as I flung them 

 from me one of the old horrid imprecations 



