584 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 1. 



too. Then suppose they each put their busi- 

 ness in charge of men who are in sympathy 

 with God's laws. Has anybody any doubl as 

 to what the result would be? They would be 

 respected by the great world at large, and they 

 could feel some consistent respect for them- 

 selves. Somebody may urge that such mul- 

 titudes as they have in the cities could not get 

 to church without the aid of the street- cars. 

 Then let us build churches where the people 

 are, instead of carrying the people long miles 

 to get to the churches. Let us start more 

 missions and Endeavor Societies. 



It is possible that the electric cars do some- 

 times carry a few church people ; but who 

 will dare to dispute me when I say they carry 

 ever so many more to saloons and on Sunday 

 excursions where drinks are sold ? At Chip- 

 pewa Lake, five miles south of here, we have 

 lately made several arrests, and fined and 

 imprisoned men for selling liquor, keeping 

 gambling-houses, etc. Well, just a few Sun- 

 days ago a great excursion came in on the 

 cars, bringing their beer and other liquors ; 

 and as they expected our Medina officers 

 would be likely to be on hand, we are told a 

 delegation went along, composed of 75 men. 

 This body of men was to keep watch, and see 

 that no marshal or policeman should come 

 on the grounds. In fact, they threatened 

 violence if they showed themselves or under- 

 took to make any arrests. How far removed 

 is this from an organized rebellion against 

 the instituted and approved laws cf our land ? 

 Of course, no arrests were made, because in 

 our little town there was not a sufficient num- 

 ber of officers, or at least a sufficient number 

 could not be gathered together in time to 

 arrest the law-breakers before they had packed 

 up and got away. 



Just now we ought, each and all, to be 

 thanking God for the present prosperity. 

 Everybody is at work ; and, so far as I can 

 learn, everybody has good pay. Even a great 

 many people who were almost always out of 

 work because nobody could afford to pay them 

 average wages on account of incompetency, 

 nowadays are having steady jobs. Sometimes 

 I ask those who employ them how they get 

 along; and the reply is, "Oh ! I know they 

 do not earn anywhere near what we pay them ; 

 but we can not get anybody else ; and rather 

 than suffer loss we employ them, thus choos- 

 ing the lesser of two evils." A few years ago 

 there was a constant lament because there was 

 no chance of getting employment. People 

 tramped from one end of the country to the 

 other to find something to do ; but now when 

 there is lots to do, almost everybody has a job, 

 and it seems as if the proper thing to do is to 

 unite in thanking God for plenty — yes, for 

 the abundance that seems within ihe reach of 

 almost every man, woman, and child. Instead 

 of these strikes and quarrels we ought to have 

 a grand thanksgiving day. I do not mean a 

 day for a great lot of us to get drunk, but a 

 day devoted to sober, quiet thanksgiving and 

 praise to God for all these mercies. 



In regard to wages, great corporations and 

 large factories are advancing pay when their 

 workmen do not ask it and do not expect it. 



A great many establishments are giving their 

 employees "happy surprises" in the way of 

 unexpected advance in wages. Why, these 

 things should tend to diminish strikes ; or if 

 we have strikes they should be easily settled. 

 We now have State boards of arbitration, and 

 they are composed of good men, and they 

 have been doing their utmost to do away with 

 the strike in Cleveland ; but their efforts seem 

 to be almost unavailing. A few weeks back I 

 suggested that certain people seemed to be, in 

 these modern times, possessed of the Devil. 

 Well, just now it looks as if not only individ- 

 ual persons but ivhole crowds were possessed 

 of some spirit of evil. I have just glanced 

 at a Cleveland daily. It stated that the cars 

 were run without much molestation until they 

 passed a factory where a large number of 

 girls were employed. These girls threw bricks 

 and other missiles from the windows. A car 

 was smashed, and human life was endangered. 

 The police visited every floor, and made un- 

 availing attempts to discover who threw the 

 missiles. Now, the most alarming thing in 

 the whole matter, to me, comes in right here : 

 While the policemen were going through the 

 place these girls and women hissed at them 

 and made derisive remarks. I once heard our 

 pastor tell us that, if we could not respect the 

 man who held office, we should respect the 

 office he holds. Now, I do not know just 

 how the law reads ; but it seems to me that 

 every policeman and marshal should be em- 

 powered to arrest every person who shall 

 treat him with this kind of disrespect — not 

 disrespect to the man who holds the office, 

 mind you, but disrespect for the office itself. 

 These girls or women seemed to say by their 

 actions that policemen, instead of being a 

 safeguard to humanity, are foes. Their actions 

 were in the line of anarchy ; and it is my im- 

 pression that, sooner or later, we shall have 

 to take in charge every person who expresses 

 his disgust and want of respect for law, much 

 as when we arrest and punish a man for re- 

 sisting an officer. 



There seems to be a pretty strong element 

 that indicates by its actions it would like to 

 trample law under foot. After these people 

 have got law and all its officers under foot, 

 they have not told us what they would do, 

 but we can guess. Dynamite has been used 

 in Cleveland to destroy property, and also in 

 Brooklyn, N. Y., and other large cities. All 

 of fhese troubles, if I am correct, come from 

 differences in regard to who shall have the 

 money that is earned, or perhaps in regard to 

 the manner of dividing the earnings of our 

 street railways. When things go on peaceably 

 everybody is rejoicing over this new arrange- 

 ment for transportation that carries people 

 several miles for only a nickel. Farmers who 

 have horses with nothing to do have told me 

 they could ride to town cheaper on the cars 

 than to hitch up a horse, even if he needed 

 exercise. We have all felt happy to think we 

 could travel so comfortably and so cheaply ; 

 and as improvements are being constantly 

 made, these great companies are every year 

 carrying us further and further for only a 

 nickel. One great city has already commenc- 



