1899 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



515 



on a train, ask the conductor when he calls 

 for your ticket if there is any change of cars 

 before you reach destination, so you may not 

 be taken by surprise as I was. Last, but by 

 no means least, I learned that it is not always 

 best to show up a man who has tried to injure 

 you by telling a falsehood. Some travelers, 

 as I happen to know by experience, would 

 have denounced this man as a " lying nigger," 

 and probably done all they could to get him 

 discharged. I confess it pains me to even put 

 the disagreeable words in print ; but I have 

 heard them used so often when I was sure 

 they were entirely uncalled for that I feel 

 glad to say a word in defense of the colored 

 ■man, even if he was tempted to do wrong. 

 When it comes to a matter of truth between 

 a colored man and a white man, I fear that it 

 is too often true the colored man stands no 

 chance. But, dear brothers and sisters, this 

 ought not to be so. Because a man's or a 

 woman's complexion is darker than your own, 

 is that any reason why that person should not 

 have a fair chance with you in matters of 

 truth and right f God forbid that we should 

 take advantage of any man's misfortunes. 

 There are lots of generous people in this world. 

 It is an easy matter to be generous where it is 

 a matter of dollars and cents ; but when it 

 comes to the question as to who told the truth, 

 you or somebody else, how many can afford 

 to be generous when even keeping still may 

 leave the impression that you have been un- 

 truthful ? As a rule, I believe it is right and 

 proper to rebuke falsehood — to let the truth 

 come out ; but are we always ready to rebuke 

 and reprove with gentleness ? People under 

 temptation often yield to the inclination to 

 get out of trouble by resorting to falsehood. 

 Such an act may be a lie, but it may not be ; 

 and even if it is, would it not be better to use 

 some softer word in trving to lead the guilty 

 one to repent and confess? 



Another thing : When we have the advan- 

 tage of our opponent, say by wealth or posi- 

 tion, may be by the color of our skin, does it 

 not behoove us as Christians to be very careful 

 how we take advantage of our position in being 

 hard and severe on somebody who is less for- 

 tunate? Jesus, as I have said, probably wash- 

 ed the feet of Judas, and no doubt there was a 

 murmuring among the disciples. The Master 

 knew it, and yet he thought it best to humble 

 himself thus before Judas and before every 

 one of that little band of followers. He knew 

 Judas better than any other living soul did ; 

 and yet he bore with him. He did not call 

 him a thief and a liar as the square-footed 

 John did several times, but he bore with him, 

 and washed his feet, and finally received in 

 meekness and gentleness that cowardly, 

 traitorous kiss. Oh what an example the 

 Master has set for us all ! Even John, the 

 beloved disciple, could not put up with Judas. 

 In God's holy word he gives Judas a fling 

 almost every chance he can get ; but the Lord 

 and Master bore it all, and put up with it all. 

 If any thing in the wide world could have 

 made Judas better, it was the loving and for- 

 giving treatment ths.t he received at the hand 

 of his Savior. If it were not that we are told 



Judas was the victim of suicide, I do not 

 know but I should even yet hold that he might 

 have died a penitent sinner. 



Another thing : Before you are too hard on 

 the conductor, let me say that I have known 

 people again and again to try to cheat a rail- 

 road company in this way — people, too, whom 

 I had good reason to believe would be entirely 

 above such a thing. One man I recall who 

 claimed by his talk to be a professing Christian 

 was in a first-class coach, with only a second- 

 class ticket in his pocket ; and when the con- 

 ductor told him he would have to go back in 

 the car where he belonged, he was not only 

 abusive but profane in denouncing railroad 

 companies, conductors, and every one who 

 has any thing to do with the running of trains. 

 While conductors meet so much of this thing, 

 and from men who ought to be ashamed of it, 

 I do not wonder that they become suspicious 

 of humanity. They ought not to get angry, 

 it is true ; but sometimes, I have reason to 

 believe, their temptations to be so are very 

 great. 



ANOTHER ONE OF MY "HAPPY SURPRISES." 



Quite a number of years ago we purchased 

 of Storrs & Harrison a Downing everbearing 

 mulberry-tree ; but it did not seem to grow 

 very much. The berries were few and dried 

 up, and I did not think very much of mulber- 

 ries until I saw a tree at a neighbor's, grow- 

 ing close by a little fountain in his girrien. 

 Some of you may remember I told you about 

 it. The berries were large and luscious, and 

 1 talked of having our tree grafted with some 

 cions like his tree. But some of our readers 

 suggested that, if our tree had better care, and 

 made a more vigorous growth, it would bear 

 good berries too. I accordingly spread about 

 a wagonload of old fermented manure all 

 around the tree, a little further out in every 

 direction than the branches extended. That 

 was two years ago. I did not see very much 

 improvement till this year, when the tree 

 seemed to put on new vigor. 



Well, to-day, June 20, we are picking the 

 last of our strawberries, and I was wondering 

 what kind of fruit I should find to take their 

 place. I generally get hungry for berries 

 between nine and ten o'clock in the forenoon. 

 Last evening, after supper, I had a wheel ride 

 to see some gas and oil wells about ten miles 

 from my home ; and just a little while ago (it 

 is now half -past nine in the morning) I began 

 to feel very hungry for berries, and started 

 out to see how the potatoes and other things 

 had grown since the bountiful thunder-shower 

 of last evening. I happened to pass near the 

 mulberry-tree ; and as I looked up into the 

 tree I experienced surprise No. 1. The tree 

 was pretty well dotted with black spots of 

 large rich-looking mulberries half the length 

 of your little finger. I bent a limb down and 



