24 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 1. 



During the day I managed to talk with pret- 

 ty nearly all who have been coming late; and 

 when I closed my eyes at night, oh how glad 

 I felt that I had had those little friendly talks! 

 I presented the matter so quietly and kindly 

 that each offender looked me squarely in the 

 face, and smiled in return as I invited his con- 

 fidence. We talked about taking off an hour 

 for one who was fifteen minutes late; but how 

 could I bear the thought of having one of 

 those boys work for me half an hour or more 

 without pay, just because he was late in get- 

 ting to work ? Even if it were true that it 

 cost us that much to put up with their tardi- 

 ness, I should feel guilty with even one cop- 

 per of their money in my pocket. Some of 

 the older ones who were late spoke of a sick 

 wife at home, and no one to do the work. 

 Some of the boys have widowed mothers. 

 Another one could not get his breakfast in 

 time. He either had to go to work without a 

 good warm meal to start with, or else be late; 

 and I can very well remember, even if it was 

 years ago when I was a boy, that, if you want- 

 ed me to do good service, you would have to 

 have me fairly fed to start with. May God 

 help each and all of us who are older to re- 

 member the time when we were boys ! May 

 we ( for their sakes ) be boys again in heart for 

 the time being ! 



A few days ago I finished my fifty-eighth 

 year. I am getting toward sixty, and I dis- 

 cover that I like "to have things quiet. The 

 grandchildren come in occasionally ; and as 

 they are healthy aijd boisterous they sometimes 

 come pretty near "raising the roof," it may 

 be just as I come home tired out with many 

 cares. They know very well that they can 

 shout and tumble around, and have a big time 

 when there is no one but grandma in the house; 

 but I am afraid they are in the habit of look- 

 ing a little suspiciously sidewise when grand- 

 pa comes; and just now I am taking the ground 

 that the grandpas as well as the grandmas 

 should be literally "houses of refuge," or 

 cities of refuge. 



In our business the complaint is often made 

 that the boys and girls, especially the younger 

 ones, do not talk enough. They do not ex- 

 plain things, and tell us of the difficulties 

 that are in the way of obeying orders. Well, 

 I am afraid we do not i)ivHe confidence. At 

 times I am perplexed and annoyed by some 

 habit or fashion these young friends have of 

 doing things. After I have thought about it, 

 however, and prayed over it, and then taken 

 the time to have a good square talk with the 

 offender, what a difference it makes ! After I 

 have made him feel I am his friend, and not 

 always looking about for something to scold 

 about, or to find fault with, after having brok- 

 en the ice so that he feels he can give me his 

 confidence, and talk freely, what a difference 

 it makes ! There are reasons for his conduct, 

 that I had never thought of. Sometimes he 

 has queer ideas of things that need to be set 

 right. After each and every one of these 

 talks, when I have made this boy or girl I did 

 not know very much about understand I have 

 a friendly interest in the welfare of both, how 

 differently they appear afterward ! With what 



cheerful and ready alacrity they set about 

 helping me in that which I wish to accom- 

 plish ! Saying " Don't do this," and " Don't 

 do that," and "You ought to know better," 

 and such like expressions does not make 

 young people handy and helpful. It takes 

 lots of time to explain, I know. But what are 

 we here in this world for ? May God help us 

 all to keep in mind the thought that humanity 

 is of infinitely more value, and more worthy 

 of our time and pains, than all else that this 

 world can furnish. 



I had in mind in this paper speaking of 

 places of refuge for grown-up children, but 

 the subject is too great. A few days ago I read 

 of a man who had been fourteen years in the 

 penitentiary. At the expiration of that time, 

 somebody on his deathbed confessed that the 

 condemned one was entirely innocent. He 

 had given fourteen of the best years of his 

 life because he was unable to prove his inno- 

 cence. The whole wide world had turned 

 against him. There was no place of refuge 

 where he could get justice. Perhaps he had 

 a wife and children, and may be some intimate 

 friends who knew of his unjust punishment. 

 I wonder if such things happen ver} often. 

 Let us try to imagine ourselves in his place at 

 the time of his trial. It has seemed tome, in 

 thinking over things of this kind, that, with 

 my natural vehemence, I could convince peo- 

 ple of my innocence. But sometimes this very 

 vehemence i>5 mistaken. People say he puts 

 it on for effect. We are accustomed to boast 

 of our country — its freedom, and of its laws ; 

 but yet there are many times when even the 

 laws of our land seem to furnish no city of 

 refuge. When we are sick we hunt up a doc- 

 tor. If one doctor fails we get another ; and 

 we say, in this enlightened age of ours, " I am 

 sure there must be a doctor who can manage 

 this thing." But the doctors make mistakes, 

 and fail as well as the lawyers. 



Every little while we have to face the fact 

 that death is just btfore us. Is there a refuge 

 even then ? May God be praised that He who 

 created the universe has not left us alone when 

 all human help has failed. There is a refuge 

 — the dear Savior who said, "Whosoever liv- 

 eth and believeth in me shall never die ; " or, 

 in the language of the Psalmist, " God is our 

 refuge and strength, a very present help in 

 trouble." If, then, we would have these 

 younger ones believe in Christianity — if we 

 would have them learn to put their trust in 

 Christ Jesus when parent, employer, and every- 

 body else seems to misunderstand, let us bear 

 in mind that one of the surest ways to bring a 

 soul to Christ is to invite the confidence of 

 t^iese 3'ounger ones. Emploj-ers are too often 

 disposed to cut short abruptly any complaint 

 from the one who is doing the work. Of 

 course, people can not always agree. It seems 

 a great many times best for employer and em- 

 ployee to let their relationship cease ; but if 

 it were only done after a friendly talk on both 

 sides, so they could part friends, how much 

 better and happier this world would be ! I 

 have urged the younger members of our firm 

 to be careful about dismissing a man, with un- 

 kind feelings on both or either side. Talk the 



