148 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 15. 



I suppose this beautiful text was intended 

 to describe the life of a new convert. When 

 I first stood up in public and accepted Christ 

 before men my heart was so full of love to 

 everybody, friends and enemies, that it seemed 

 overflowing. As 1 passed out of the church I 

 remember vividly how I loved the horses that 

 stood hitched to the posts, waiting patiently 

 for the meeting to be out. Why, I am afraid 

 you will laugh at me when I tell you I felt 

 like putting my arms around the necks of 

 these faithful servants of mankind, and hug- 

 ging them, and crying for joy — yes,70i'and 

 thafiksgiving to God for having given us the 

 ho7'ses with all the rest of his teeming uni- 

 verse, for our comfort, joy, and life. 



I had in mind quoting some words about 

 death ; but I almost wish I might skip them. 

 We will try a few, however. " The wages of 

 sin is death." Now define the word death in 

 the above in the way I have tried to describe 

 it. It is not alone the fact that a man who de- 

 liberately and willfully sins shall be finally put 

 to death, but he shall go through years of liv- 

 ing death. It is quite the fashion of late for 

 men steeped in crime to "hold up" people. 

 These men are dead — arty"////)' dead, you might 

 say — to every good impulse — to every living 

 impulse, if you choose. All sense of justice 

 and right is gone. Some time ago I told you 

 about a fellow who knocked down a school- 

 teacher to rob her of her honest earnings. A 

 refined and cultured lady was knocked down 

 by this living brute — oh, no ! I mean dead 

 brute — that he might appropriate for his own 

 great beastly self licr honest wages. What do 

 you think of such a kind of life as his must be? 



Let us now examine the latter part of our 

 text. " He that loveth not his brother abid- 

 eth in death." The brutal fellow who robbed 

 the schoolteacher did not love anybody — not 

 even a beautiful and lovable woman who had 

 never harmed hitn by word or thought, but 

 who, on the contrary, was doing her utmost 

 to prevent happj' innocent boys from reaching 

 a living death like unto his own. O dear 

 friends ! can you not join us in the work of 

 leading humanity from death to life? The 

 work must be done largely with the children. 

 Correct habits and ways of thinking must be 

 instilled into their little minds. A letter from 

 an old friend l:as just been put into my hands. 

 As it pictures vividly the transition from death 

 to life, I want to give it right here:] 



Friend Root: — Over ten years ago I was requested to 

 take a class C'f hoys in our Sabbath-school. I refused 

 because I felt my inability so much, and they had al- 

 ready had several teachers who had giver up, because 

 they could not manage thetn. But when the next 

 Sabbath came, and they had «o teacher, the thought 

 came to me, " With God all things are possible;" and 

 with a praver for help, I went to the superintendent 

 and told him I was ready to take the class. I need 

 not tell you I met with trials and difficulties. Many 



bring mankind from death unto life; and yet they re- 

 jected his proffered aid, even though he attested' his 

 divine commission by the mo.st startling miracles. 

 Once in his earthly mission we are told that"Je.sus 

 wept." Yes, the Son of God actually shed tears of 

 grief because men chose death rather than life. They 

 not only rejected the life that he < ffered so freely, but 

 they hated him, and finally crucified him. May we 

 not al.so weep when we recognize that mankind still, 

 in this day and age, choose death rather than eternal 

 life? 



times I thought I .should have to give up; but the more 

 discouraged I got, the harder I prayed; and, no mat- 

 ter what the boys did, I never allowed an impatient 

 word to pa.ss my lips or a frown to pass over mv face. 

 Many times I had to omit the le.s.son almo-st entirely 

 while I told them the story of the cross and how 

 much Jesus had done for us; and I tried to impiess on 

 their young minds that we ought to do something for 

 him. 



Now for the sequel to my rather long story. The 

 .second day of this month I had the unspeakable joy 

 of seeing two of my most ill-behaved boys baptized 

 and united with the church; and another one will 

 soon follow. For some time I had seen a change in 

 my dear class; but it stemed as if it were too good to 

 be true. 1 thought my cup of joy was too full when 

 my own dear boy f^ave his heart to the L,ord. But I 

 never experienced the care and anxiety for him that 

 I have had for my class; and I can .say with deep joy, 

 " Prai.se the I.ord, for he has heard my prayer." 



If you have any discouraged teachers iy your Sun- 

 day - school, tell them for me to hold fast to the 

 arm of the I^ord. Keep on praying. Be gentle, ten- 

 der, and loving to the little ones under their charge. 

 Let them know their teacher loves them and takes an 

 interest in them, and in due time they will receive 

 their reward if they faint not. Mrs. J. Reid. 



Douglas, Mich., Jan. 18. 



NOTES OF TRAVEL 



<■ BY A, I. ROOT. 



Feb. J. — It is now 4 o'clock in the afternoon 

 of a beautiful sunshiny day. I have just been 

 over to the greenhouse to bid good by to the 

 potato-plants. You know that one that is to 

 make such a record — that is, if it does make a 

 record, and I think it will, for the plants are 

 already a foot high, with wonderfully strong 

 foliage, and potatoes already about the size of 

 walnuts. We have commenced laying down 

 the tops of some of them, and are gratified to 

 find buds starting out at the joints. And, by 

 the way, a potato-plant grown under glass, 

 where the flea-beetle and all other insect ene- 

 mies are kept entirely awa}- from it, is a very 

 pretty sight. The Earliest and Darling straw- 

 berries in that sub-irrigated bed through the 

 apiary are already in full bloom, and we are 

 waiting for a day mild enough for the bees to 

 fly to fertilize the blossoms. Under the gen- 

 ial influence of the sun, that is getting higher 

 and higher every day, all of our stuflf under 

 glass is beginning to spring into life. Well, 

 little plants, good-by for three weeks. I hope 

 the boys will give you the same loving care 

 they have had while I watched your growth 

 day by day. And now for that wonderful land 

 I have read and thought about almost since 

 childhood, the Bermutia Islands, away off in 

 the Atlantic Ocean. 



Feb. S, II o'clock a. m. — The Hudson River, 

 at this season of the year, is really a great 

 study. Not only hundreds but thousands of 

 people (with horses and hor.ee- tools to match) 

 are at work at the ice industry ; and the im- 

 mense storehouses that line the river for miles 

 and miles make one almost wonder if the 

 world is big enough to use all they will con- 

 tain. The greater part of them, I see, are in- 



.scribed, " Consolidated Ice Co., No. ," 



from which I infer some great syndicate con- 

 trols the output. I am told the snow has 



