GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 15. 



deception.''^ It is frequently urged that some 

 kinds of deception are harmless and innocent. 

 We are told that there is " not one person in 

 ten but knows at a glance that it is a printed 

 letter." If that is so, then why take so much 

 trouble ? I do not believe it is best or wise to 

 deceive even a child — not even the baby ; 

 and it surely is not right to deceive elderly 

 people who may be childish. Neither is it 

 right or wise, in my opinion, to deceive the 

 middle-aged. If you want to send a printed 

 circular, that can be sent out by the thou- 

 sands, make it plain to every one, young and 

 old, that it is a printed circular and nothing 

 else. I believe this course would be the most 

 profitable in the end, in business matters ; 

 and I am sure that, in Christian work — espe- 

 cially in mission work — we can not be too sin- 

 cere and transpaieni in our acts and words. It 

 may be that the advertisers who pay so much 

 money to our periodicals gain riches by mak- 

 ing deception one of the fine arts ; but I am 

 sure they do not secure clear consciences and 

 a kind of happiness that is worth more than 

 all the gold in Klondyke. 



Dear Mr. Root: — Won't you please send nie the copy 

 of Glkanings in which you told us how jou returned 

 thanks at the table ? 1 am here visiting a beloved sis- 

 ter. We used to read Gleanincis together. It was 

 where you told almost word for word how you prayed 

 at the tajle. 1 have read your sermons for ten years, 

 and am Ijack here telling my sisters about them. The 

 girls are working to establish family altars in their 

 own homes. I told them there was lots of help in 

 your paper, and about that paiticular one in regard to 

 returning thanks. I can not remember the date, but 

 it was .some time in the last four years. When I came 

 to my sister's I tore out a lot of your sermons and 

 brought them home to them, but f haven't the most 

 desirable ones. I took the magazine just for the ser- 

 mons during the last six years. I have often wonder- 

 ed what religious papers you people read back there 

 that you could throw out so many good hints. Or was 

 it God and the holy Bible and prayer alone? I don't 

 think that was all of it. I believe" you have earthly 

 helpers besides the help our Father in heaven has giv- 

 en j'ou. Am I guessing right ? Mrs. M. A. Travis. 



Kobin.son, Brown Co., Kan., Nov. 15. 



Some of the friends may be a little surpris- 

 ed that I should use the above letter with the 

 exceedingl}^ kind and encouraging words, 

 when it evidently was not intended for print. 

 Another thing, as a rule such words of com- 

 mendation are best kept to one's self, as the 

 writer evident' y intended. But along with 

 these kind words comes a most tender and 

 pathetic plea for the old-time fashion of ask- 

 ing a blessing at the table, and having family 

 worship in our homes. Dear friends, this is 

 my last Home talk for the year 1897; and very 

 likely a good man}' will discontinue, and to 

 those it may b2 the last talk I shall ever give 

 them. The thought has been coming to me, 

 " What is the most important message I can 

 send to the homes and home people who read 

 Gleanings? ' It would be something right 

 in line with this letter in my opinion. Do not 

 let the world with its cares — do not let the 

 changed order of things induce you to forget 

 Bible -reading and daily prayer. Do not let 

 electric railways, electric lights, modern ma- 

 chinery, and modern ways of doing things 

 crowd out the word of God; and do not, I be- 

 seech you, let any thing that this world may- 

 offer, crowd in so as to make your relations to 



the great Father above any more distant than 

 they have been. May it rather be, in the lan- 

 guage of our old hymn, 



" .Vrarer, nij' God, to thee." 

 The little prayer that I suggested for use be- 

 fore partaking of our daily food is found in 

 Gleanings for Nov. 15, 1895, page 868. It is 

 as follows: 



" O Lord, we thank thee for this pleasant and hap- 

 py home. We thank thee for these our dear children. 

 We thank thee for health and .strength, and for good 

 appetites, and for this our daily food. May it strength- 

 en us that we may be helpful, one to another, and 

 that we may be self-sacrificing ; that we may have 

 grace to use our strength .so that selfish feelings shall 

 be put down, together with all that is evil ; and may 

 we uphold all that is good and noble and pure, for the 

 sake of the dear Ma.ster, our Lord and Savior Christ 

 Jesus. Amen. 



Now, dear friends, I did not intend that that 

 prayer should be copied or used ei'ery day, by 

 any means. There is only one prayer in the 

 world that we can use in place of something 

 of our own wording, and that is the prayer 

 given us by the dear Savior himself when he 

 was here on earth. The reason why I outlin- 

 ed the one aVjove was to suggest some of the 

 things we should remember to thank God for. 

 Every man, woman, or child who has a home 

 ought to thank God daily for that hon e, hum- 

 ble though it may be. ^-^ny home is better 

 than no home. Some of you may think I do 

 not know all about what I am saying ; but I 

 think I do know pretty well all the trials and 

 difficulties that homes present. 



Again, we should thank God for our parents, 

 children, brothers, and sisters. We should 

 remember to thank him for good health, 

 strength and good appetites. The advertise- 

 ments in newspapers constantly remind us 

 how few there are who enjoy really good 

 health, and can eat with imptmity what is 

 generally set before us. 



Again, we need God's grace and wisdom to 

 make a good use oi strength. We need to be 

 saved from the sin of ingratitude, from evil 

 thoughts, and from all suggestions of the 

 tempter; and in our daily worship we should 

 femember the events, the anxiety, the long- 

 ings, that belong pecitliarl}' to each da}'. No 

 two days are alike. As a rnle I would try to have 

 no two prayers alike — not even asking a bless- 

 ing at ttie table. This is pretty hard, I know, 

 when we think of the number of times we are 

 called upon to give thanks in a year. \'ery 

 often when I sit down to my meals, especially 

 after I have been delayed, and prevented from 

 being on time, I am faint and exhausted; and 

 sometimes it is about all I can do to call up 

 grace enough to repeat words that I have used 

 perhaps thousands of times before. Now, 

 please do not misunderstand me, dear friends 

 of the Home Papers. The prayer that is re- 

 pealed until it sounds almost stereotyped is 

 better than no prayer at all — a thousand times 

 better; but if we use the same words over and 

 over, we should have to be more than human 

 if they did not in time get to be meaningless. 



It happens to be my privilege to be one of 

 the volunteer observers on the Weather Bu- 

 reau, and I enjoy studying the weather v\dth 

 all its varied features every day in the year. 



