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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



AcG. lo. 



them trained in the fear of the Lord so that 

 never, under any circumstances, -will they 

 think of undertaking a century run on Sunday. 



Our Neighbors. 



Thovi shalt love thj' neighbor as thyself. — Matt. 

 19:19. 



For several years past I have had invitations 

 to visit the great seedsmen, and look over 

 their trial-grounds around the city of Phila- 

 delphia. There are perhaps more prominent 

 seedsmen congregated in this city than in 

 any other one spot on the face of the earth. 

 I was told the best time for me to visit would 

 be during the month of August. On Monday 

 morning, Aug. 2d, while at the breakfast-table 

 I noticed a low rate on account of the meeting 

 of the Leagvie of American Wheelmen. To 

 take advantage of this low rate I should have 

 to go during the first week in August; and to 

 be sure and get around without being away 

 from home over Sunda}-, it was needful I 

 should start in the fore part of the week. So 

 all of a sudden I made my preparations and 

 was off. Now, I do not propose in this depart- 

 ment to tell you much about my visit to the 

 wonderful gardens and seed-growing farms; 

 but I will tell you of these things later. I 

 love to study plants and high-pressure garden- 

 ing ; but I iove to study humanity and my 

 " neighbors " still more. 



I soon found myself among a crowd of more 

 than ten thousand boys and girls who love to 

 ride the wheel. Some of them were doubtless 

 pretty well along in life; but with their wheel- 

 ing-suits they seemed to be youthful, at least 

 for the time being. Perhaps I should tell you 

 that I am and have been a member of the L. 

 A. W. almost since it started. Of course, I 

 am not in sympathy with Sunday riding nor 

 with the racing business, as a rule; but for all 

 that, I am in deep sympathy and in touch 

 with all these people who are finding health, 

 strength, and happiness through the proper 

 use of the wheel. I am also in deep sympathy 

 with the movement that the L. A. W. has in- 

 augurated in the way of better roads and freer 

 communication with our neighbors and the 

 whole outside world. 



I have frequently spoken of the facilities for 

 wheeling in this, that, and the other location. 

 I ^aid the sandy desert of Arizona, in special 

 localities, was the finest place for wheeling in 

 the whole wide world; and when down in 

 Florida I spoke with enthusiasm of the sandy 

 beach, just as it was left by the briny ocean 

 waves, so hard and firm that the wheel passed 

 over it without leaving even a visible track; 

 but when I got oiitside of the citv of Philadel- 

 phia, and tried their beautiful cement roads, 

 with their graceful curves up and down the 

 slopes, with the green lawns and brilliant 

 arrangement of flowers and foliage, with beds 

 on either side, I decided I should have to take 

 it all back, and admit that the suburbs of 

 Philadelphia come nearer to being the wheel- 

 man's paradise than any other spot I have 



ever viewed on the face of the earth. It would 

 have done you good to see the way in which 

 the boys and girls congregated there and 

 enjoyed this privilege. Not only all day long 

 were they seen spinning and flying in every- 

 direction, but even late at night. Yes, I my- 

 self was out until between ten and eleven on 

 two or three occasions; and even at these 

 hours wheels were flying with boys and girls. 

 There were tandems in great numbers, and 

 the front seat was almost always occupied by 

 a pretty woman \wth her brother, husband, or 

 lover — of course I could not tell which — just 

 back of her. With every crowd of boys there 

 were almost sure to be two or three girls; and 

 may be this accounts for the fact that, during 

 my stay of three days in the city, my ears 

 were only once pained by hearing an oath, 

 and this once was by an outsider and not b}^ 

 one of the wheelmen. May God be praised 

 for so much; and if the constant presence of 

 womankind among the boys out on their 

 sports and recreation had something to do 

 with the circumstance, then I am glad that it 

 is the fashion to take the girls along, even in 

 our athletic sports. 



As soon as I arrived in the cit}- I saw ban- 

 ners in every direction proclaiming, ' ' Wel- 

 come, L. A. W." Hotels had the same wel- 

 come, with reduced rates, and the restaurants 

 made it a business to provide a special low- 

 rate dinner especially for the wheel-riders. 

 Rides were planned on the steamers to the 

 various pleasure-resorts, free to everv one who 

 showed his L. A. W. ticket. This 'ticket, let 

 me explain, is given to every subscriber to the 

 spicy little magazine entitled The L. A. W. 

 and Good Roads. 



Before I go any further, permit me to say 

 that my heart has been rejoiced during the 

 present year to know that the president of this 

 great organization is a Christian n:an; and he 

 has been doing some grand work in the line 

 of discouraging Sunday centuries, as well as 

 all kinds of Simday racing, and things of like 

 import. 



Wednesday evening we had a beautiful 

 boat-ride up the Delaware River, and then 

 back again do7vn the river to Washington 

 Park. This park is an immense garden in the 

 shape of a pleasure-resort. The ground around 

 and between the trees is all covered with a 

 smooth floor which is kept constantly neatly 

 swept. Abundance of shade, excellent water, 

 refreshing drinks, with ice-cream and refresh- 

 ments in general, make it a pretty place right 

 up to the water's edge. A Ferris wheel, very 

 nmcli like the one in Chicago (only 10 cts. for 

 a ride), receives, of course, a large patronage. 

 Toboggan-slides that start away up above the 

 tree-tops, send boat-loads of passengers down 

 a long steep incline with terrific speed, land- 

 ing them in the waters of the little artificial 

 lake. The boat strikes the water with such 

 force that it skips with its living freight awa}- 

 up into the air, and bounds and rebounds 

 again and again. Of course, the water flies in 

 great torrents in every direction except toward 

 those in the boat. With the splashing of the 

 water, and the shrieking of the boys and girls 

 inside, it makes a most animated scene. 



