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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 15. 



Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto 

 my path — Psalm 119:105 



The forty-first annual convention of the 

 Ohio Sunday-school Association was held at 

 Akron. June 5 — 7. I should be glad to tell 

 you of the great crowd we had there, and 

 something about what the great speakers said. 

 I should like, also, to tell you of the uplift it 

 gives one to meet the good men and women 

 from all churches and of all religious faiths. 

 As I heard them speak and give testimony 

 during the varied exercises, and tell about 

 their chuiches, Sunday-schools, teachers' 

 meetings, etc., in their own counties, it gave 

 me a thrill of happy surprises. I really did 

 not know there were so many, not only good 

 men and women, but so many exceedingly 

 bright and intelligent men and women, here 

 in our own State of Ohio. I do not know but 

 I have been dwelling too much of late on the 

 wickedness of mankind. If so it was a good 

 lesson to me to contemplate for a little time 

 \h^ goodiiess and ;/o/^z7z7,v of mankind. One 

 of the great speakers said many people would 

 have it that the world is becoming wickeder, 

 and he declared that they were right. It is 

 true that the world is becoming wickei'er. He 

 said there were also very good people who de- 

 clare the world is becoming better. Satan is 

 making great strides with our new inventions; 

 but Christianity is also making as great or 

 greater strides, and therefore it is possible for 

 both statements to be true. The wicked are 

 growing wickeder, and the good people are 

 growing better; and the office of this Ohio 

 Sundav -school Association is to pull the chil- 

 dren out of wickedness, and plant and nur- 

 ture them among the good. May God be 

 praised for the small army of men, women, 

 and children that are doing the work. 



Some years ago I heard a good deal said 

 about a lady who had wonderful ability in 

 teaching the primary department. My im- 

 pression is she was quite young when she com- 

 menced the work. So much was said in her 

 praise that I expected great things when I first 

 heard her. To tell the truth, I was somewhat 

 disappointed. It seemed to me that she was 

 too young to have charge or to be promoted, 

 as she had been, to the position of handling 

 so many of the little ones. I do not know 

 but I said to Mrs. Root (of course I would be 

 careful not to say it to anybody else) that this 

 young teacher was a pretty good-looking girl 

 and rather smart, but I was afraid they were 

 making too much of her, and that she would 

 get to be vain of her talents. And, by the 

 way, I do not know but it is one of my in- 

 firmities to think the world sometimes makes 

 too much of certain people. I remember a 

 good many times when Ernest and others of 

 the younger ones have thought I expected too 

 much of quite young people ; and they have 

 predicted that, if I would just wait, I would 



see that the world was right and that I was 

 wrong. And this thing has happened. Quite 

 a good many boys and girls have turned out 

 a great deal better than I predicted they would, 

 and I was not mean enough to feel bad about 

 it either. I rejoice at such ' ' happy surprises. ' ' 



Well, Mrs. Bryner was one of my happy 

 surprises. Years after I first heard her, she 

 talked in our own church in some large gath- 

 ering. After the meeting was over I told her 

 how much I enjoyed her talk, and added I 

 hoped the good people of our State and other 

 States would give her sufficient support to en- 

 able her to keep right 07i in that work ; and I 

 ventured to ask how she was supported. 

 Somebody said it was by voluntary contribu- 

 tions ; and it was my privilege then and there 

 to subscribe $25, to be invested in keeping her 

 before the people. Well, at this present con- 

 vention Mrs. Bryner gave me another happy 

 surprise. She was talking to a class of fifty 

 or more boys and girls, ranging in age from 

 five to ten years. The great church was so 

 crowded that I could get only a partial glimpse 

 of the speaker from a spot in the gallery. I 

 could not hear all she said, and I am not sure 

 that the text I have chosen is the one she used; 

 but I think it will do very well. She captured 

 every youngster in the lot almost in an instant. 

 She did not capture me then and there, be- 

 cause she had done it years before. May I 

 digress a little right here ? 



You know that, during the past few months, 

 I have learned to love the flowers, and it has 

 made my wheelrides much pleasanter during 

 this month of June, because when I catch a 

 glimpse of them around the homes as I ride 

 my wheel, I know their names and know about 

 them. Some object-lesson in the front yard 

 indicates to me the possibilities of certain 

 plants that I had never before suspected. And 

 then I realize that, if I try hard, I may have 

 something like it, and perhaps equal to it, in 

 my flower - garden at home. Well, these 

 glimpses give me the pleasant thrills I have 

 told you about — thrills of praise and thanks- 

 giving to God the great Father. Now, the 

 sight of those good people at that convention 

 gave me many such thrills. The good look- 

 ing faces and the pleasant smiles of both the 

 men and women made me happy ; and I think 

 I shall do nothing wrong if I frankly ac- 

 knowledge that SI many good-looking girls 

 and women — now, mind you, I mean by this 

 girls and women who looked good — with their 

 neat and tasty attire thrilled my very soul 

 again and again. I should not care a cent for 

 looks alone if they were not accompanied 

 with intelligence and a love for humanity. 

 When a woman, young or old, uses the power 

 of her good looks and accomplishments in 

 teaching the children the way from earth to 

 heaven, can there be a happier or a more love- 

 ly combination ? And this prepares nie to tell 

 you that Mrs. Bryner is a very handsome wo- 

 man. I do not think she will feel offended, 

 even if she should read this, for she will know 

 — at least she will when she reads it all — that 

 it is more what she does than what she is that 

 makes her attractive. Please imagine a bright 

 sprightly woman standing before these expect- 



