GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 1. 



OUR 



HOMES, 



BY A.I. ROOT. 



Blessed are the pure in heart, for thev shall see 

 God. — Matt. 5:8 • 



Keep thy heart with all diligence ; for out of it are 

 the issues of life. — Prov. 4:23. 



A great many of my bicycle-trips are over 

 toward the great city of Akron, Summit Co., 

 O. I say great city, because Akron is a very 

 much larger town than our own county-seat 

 of Medina. Summit Co. adjoins ours on the 

 east, so the distance is only about 20 miles 

 between here and Akron. The Summit Co. 

 Fair, held in Akron, is usually one of the last 

 of the county fairs, and is held during the 

 first week in October. As there are many po- 

 tato-growers in Summit Co. I usually go over 

 there to examine their very nice show of fine 

 potatoes as well as fine apples. 



There are some things about a county or 

 state fair that I like, and there are other things 

 that I do not like. I like every thing connect- 

 ed with the farm, and I like to visit with the 

 farmers; but I dislike every thing on the fair- 

 ground that would lead our boys away from 

 the thought expressed in our little text. I am 

 sure our friends will excuse me if I speak 

 plainly, and touch upon some of the things 

 that are not often mentioned in print. Sever- 

 al times in these Home Papers I have spoken 

 about the provision that our fairgrounds af- 

 ford for the personal health and personal com- 

 fort of those who attend our fairs. Conven- 

 ient and comfortable closet arrangements on 

 the fairgrounds, or for any like large gather- 

 ing of people, is quite an important matter ; 

 and I am very glad to say that of late there 

 seems to be general progress all around in this 

 direction. It does not take much money to 

 provide something that is both neat and tidy 

 as well as convenient. 



At the last Akron fair I happened to go into 

 a closet almost the first thing when I alighted 

 from my wheel and went on the grounds. I 

 had just looked it over and had pronounced 

 it well arranged, when four young boys came 

 in. Now please, friends, excuse me again if I 

 put right in print the words they used. We 

 can not really combat an evil understandingly 

 until we know all about it. One of the boys, 

 without any provocation, and without any dis- 

 position to complain of any thing, said, as he 

 stopped near me, "Jesus!" I glanced up 

 quickly and perhaps somewhat reprovingly, 

 although I did not say any thing. His com- 

 panion noticed me, and evidently, to pain me 

 still further, or perhaps just for sport, follow- 

 ed his companion by saying, " Christ Jesus ! " 

 Then the third one of the boys ejaculated, 

 "Jesus, lover of my soul ! " Then the fourth 

 one put in, "Yes, Jesus, lover of my soul, 

 come fly to my bosom." These boys were 



?erhaps from fourteen to sixteen years old. 

 hey purposely and deliberately gave me a 

 glimpse of the state of their young hearts. 

 And, by the way, what a strange thing it is 

 about blasphemy and obscenity, that they al- 



most always go together ! A part of commu- 

 nity regard the name of Jesus as the most 

 sacred and holy name that can be spoken. It 

 is the dearest name to the devoted Christian 

 that he knows, because it is the emblem of 

 love, mercy, purity, and every thing that is 

 good and holy. Now, can any one explain 

 why men and boys who have a bad spirit in 

 their hearts seem to have pride and delight in 

 coarsely and rudely taking the name of Jesus 

 in vain, and thus trample under foot, as it 

 were, every thing sacred, pure, and holy ? 



We as American people fling aloft the stars 

 and stripes as the emblem of our land of lib- 

 erty; and our highest ideas of patriotism cen- 

 ter about this American flag with its stars and 

 stripes. Suppose somebody who feels ugly 

 and bitter toward us should take it into his 

 head to tear down this flag the people have 

 raised, and should tear it to pieces and tram- 

 ple it in the mud. By this act he would give 

 pain to every true American. I need not tell 

 you what true Americans would probabty do 

 to him. Few men have ever lived who would 

 dare to undertake such a thing ; and yet the 

 boy or man who, in a coarse and unfeeling 

 way, takes the name of Jesus upon his foul 

 lips does a thing which, to all Christian peo- 

 ple, is not unlike the tearing down and cast- 

 ing into the mire the American flag. Why 

 does anybody who claims to be decent or fair 

 do such a thing, any way ? Why did these 

 young boys choose this means of showing off 

 before a gray-headed stranger ? Where did 

 they come from ? Where did they get that 

 kind of education and bringing up? Did 

 their mothers really know how they were be- 

 having when away from home, and what 

 thoughts and feelings were actuating their 

 young minds? 



Toward night I called at a home where I 

 have visited a good many times within the 

 last few years. A bright young boy (just 

 about the age of those I have spoken of) gave 

 me a welcome warm enough to assure me at 

 least one member of the family was glad to 

 see me. He and I have had a good many talks 

 in times past, and I am a good deal interested 

 in him and in his work. A short time after I 

 arrived his mother said, with a bright smile 

 on her face, " Mahlon united with the church 

 two weeks ago last Sunday." And then Mah- 

 lon and I had another good talk. A young 

 minister came to their parish last spring. He 

 has been quite successful in getting hold of 

 the young people in that neighborhood. He 

 not only knows how to grow potatoes and 

 how to shingle houses, but he can play ball 

 and join in with the boys in all kinds of harm- 

 less and innocent games ; and Mahlon says he 

 is just about as nice a man as there is any- 

 where. A few minutes later it was my pleas- 

 ure to take the young pastor by the hand, and 

 have a little talk with him. Oh what a con- 

 trast between this young boy, with his heart 

 full of every thing good and pure, and the 

 four boys I have just mentioned meeting on 

 the fairground ! And what a contrast, too, 

 between them and that bright educated young 

 minister ! Why, dear friends, it seemed to 

 me as if nobody realized what a great gulf 



