694 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 15. 



again that the amount being sent in is by no 

 means sufficient, is it just the thing to use our 

 quarters, to say nothing of dimes and nickels, 

 for fireworks ? Then in regard to this matter 

 of swindling a thousand or more people, for it 

 certainly is a swindle to take 25 cts. for an ele- 

 vated seat where one can get a good view, and 

 give nothing of the kind. A great many 

 demurred, after having paid their quarters, 

 against going down the stairs on the ground ; 

 but the police absolutely drove them off the 

 platform. The right way would have been to 

 pay them their money back when the seats 

 were all occupied ; or, better still, refuse to 

 sell tickets to more than the number of people 

 who could be crowded on to the seats. The 

 managers certainly knew when ten thousand 

 had passed the turn-stiles, for these machines 

 were made on purpose to register the number 

 going through ; and the police absolutely made 

 the crowd go through in regular order. 



There was one other sad occurrence. Dur- 

 ing the bombardment, at the close of the mock 

 battle, while a great charge of musketry was 

 going off, bullets were flying in different direc- 

 tions A boy seven years old, not very far 

 from where Huber and I sat, was shot through 

 the heart and killed instantly. He had just 

 been rejoicing at the magnificent display of 

 fireworks when he was shot dead right by his 

 mother's side. Four people all together were 

 hit by bullets, and one soldier, if I am correct, 

 was killed. The only explanation offered is 

 that, by some piece of carelessness, some car- 

 tridges containing bullets weie mixed in 

 among the blank ones to be used in the mock 

 battle. 



The fireworks did not commence until near- 

 ly nine o'clock, and the great crowd was kept 

 there waiting on account of some horse-racing 

 that I neither understood nor cared about, and 

 I presume there were many others like myself. 

 It was nearly 12 o'clock when the exhibition 

 was over ; then Huber had to make another 

 siege into the crowd to get tickets for the 

 street-cars. When we got back to the great 

 city of Columbus all the hotels were full, and 

 we were obliged to get lodging at a boarding- 

 house. The weather was excessively warm. 

 The mercury had touched 97 during the day. 

 We had to sleep in one little room with one 

 small window in it. I said sleep; but it was 

 very little sleep that either Huber or I got, on 

 account of the heat radiated from the walls 

 that had been exposed to the fierce blazing 

 sun all day. 



We got up early in the morning, and went 

 out to the grounds of the State University of 

 Ohio. As it was too early in the day for the 

 professors to be around, or anybody else, very 

 much, I stretched myself on the soft dry 

 grass, a little secured from observation by a 

 clump of trees; and as I sank into unconscious- 

 ness I wondered why people would pay 50 

 cents for the privilege of sleeping in a hot 

 stuffy room when all outdoors was open and 

 free to all mankind. Dear me ! what a con- 

 trast! During such dry sultry weather I would 

 rather pay for the privilege of lying down on 

 the grass, under God's blue sky, than to take 

 any bed indoors at any price. And then I 



thought of the text, found in the 55th of 

 Isaiah, "Why do ye spend money for that 

 which is not bread, and labor for that which 

 satisfieth not? " 



This was Huber's first visit to the University 

 grounds and buildings belonging to the State 

 of Ohio. We had some very pleasant talks 

 with the professors, and visited and looked 

 over the various buildings. Huber was espe- 

 cially interested in the mechanical and elec- 

 trical buildings; in fact, our visit was with the 

 view of having him, sooner or later, take a 

 course at the University. I have before men- 

 tioned the beautiful new gymnasium. Along 

 toward noon I noticed that a restaurant was 

 kept in the basement, for the benefit of 

 students, especially for those who are working 

 hard, and using economy to get an education. 

 They have a very pretty lunch-room where 

 various articles are furnished for only three 

 cents ; for instance, a glass of milk, a cup of 

 coffee, a dish of soup, a sandwich, bread and 

 butter, and various other things, are served 

 for the trifling amount mentioned. I had 

 quite a chat with the young man who had 

 charge. This lunch-room is under the man- 

 agement of the cookingschoo\; and boys as 

 well as girls are taught to cook, and do house- 

 keeping and other work of that sort. Now, I 

 do think this is an exceedingly bright idea, to 

 have every boy taught to cook and do house- 

 work whenever it may be convenient or neces- 

 sary for him to do so. Permit me to state 

 briefly that our Ohio State University not only 

 teaches the young people in its nice buildings, 

 but on its grounds it is testing and using all 

 sorts of building materials produced in this 

 State. They have samples of the different 

 kinds of brick made for different purposes; 

 samples not only of all sorts of sidewalks and 

 pavements, but good roads built by all modern 

 processes. This University expects to not 

 only be able to advise farmers in regard to 

 what machinery they shall procure, but they 

 test, examine, and weigh and measure, not 

 only every thing that is produced, almost, that 

 is wanted on the farm, but they in like man- 

 ner examine and report on machinery for all 

 industrial enterprises. I have before this 

 mentioned the very complete buildings and 

 apparatus for the manufacture of cream, but- 

 ter, and cheese. After the boys have had a 

 course, even a brief one, at the University, 

 they are not likely to be taken in by " cream- 

 ery sharks," or sharks of any other sort, that 

 are endeavoring to impose on the farmer. 



Permit me, before closing, to mention a lit- 

 tle experience with a set of sharpers on the 

 streets of Columbus. Of course, we purchas- 

 ed excursion tickets to the State Fair. Well, 

 two friends accompanied us who live in the 

 southern part of the State. They were not 

 going to return, therefore I undertook to dis- 

 pose of the return portion of their tickets. As 

 we were in a hurry to get over to the State 

 Fair, I went out on the streets with the two 

 tickets in my fingers. Very soon a man I did 

 not like the looks of asked what I would take 

 for them, and put out his hand for them. I 

 felt some misgivings about letting him get 

 them in his fingers, in a crowd on the street, 



