1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



885 



My word shall not return unto me void ; but it shall 

 accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper 

 in the thing whereto I sent it. — ISA. 55:11. 



There are many Bible promises like the text 

 above, to the effect that righteousness will ul- 

 timately triumph over iniquity. In fact, we 

 are told that the meek shall inherit the earth ; 

 but when we see how Satan's work is march- 

 ing on side by side with Christian work, many 

 times overlapping and overtopping it, perhaps, 

 one at times feels that he has reason for feel- 

 ing discouraged. And there is a class of peo- 

 ple — yes, some Christian people — who almost 

 sneer and jeer when one insists that goodness 

 is going to triumph over badness. When we 

 take a look at our temperance work, and see 

 how we are thwarted and laughed to scorn by 

 the great trusts and liquor interests, it is not 

 strange that we at times become disheartened. 

 But we must not forget to look on the bright 

 side. Agencies are at work, many times when 

 we least suspect it, coming from directions we 

 had not thought of. In fact, one of my hap- 

 py surprises came right along in this line. 

 On the recent excursion that Mrs. Root and I 

 took together we were obliged to wait for a 

 train at a railroad-crossing ; or, to tell the 

 truth, several roads crossed and recrossed 

 there, making a labyrinth of tracks. I asked 

 permission to go up into the tower overlook- 

 ing all these intricate switches and side-tracks 

 — the building that we often see in such places, 

 with windows all round. I asked permission 

 of the operator to look over the complicated 

 machinery for changing the switches. He 

 very courteously invited us inside, showed us 

 his maps and rules, and explained the use of 

 the multitude of levers ; and when two trains 

 came in sight almost at once he asked us to 

 witness the manipulations that were necessary 

 to permit them to pass. It was really bewil- 

 dering, and I could not but look on that oper- 

 ator with wonder and respect ; yes, I looked 

 at him almost with reverence to think that 

 one human being could handle the lives of 

 trainloads of people, almost without the waste 

 of a second of time, and not make a mistake 

 once in ten thousand times. I do not know 

 what pay such men get ; but I do know that 

 all railroad companies pick out the brightest, 

 steadiest, and soberest men for this exceeding- 

 ly important position. I suggested the idea 

 of the terrible havoc a drunken man or even 

 a drinking man might make in such a place. 

 The gentleman assured me that such precau- 

 tions were taken just now that there was very 

 little liability or even possibility that such a 

 man should ever handle the apparatus he had 

 under his control. Afterward an old friend 

 of mine, and a reliable man, informed us 

 something as follows : 



" Mr. Root, perhaps you have already been 

 told that the Big Four Railroad Co. will not 

 keep a man who drinks. You may have also 

 heard that if one of its employees is seen go- 



ing into or out of saloons he must give a sat- 

 isfactory explanation. Their excuse for being 

 so exceedingly strict is the loss of life and 

 property that has resulted from having a man 

 drunk when he needs the very best sense and 

 intelligence that he possesses. Well, just 

 lately they have decided their employees must 

 not board in any boarding-house, hotel, or oth- 

 er place where a bar is kept on the premises. 

 Inasmuch as it is so exceedingly common to 

 have a bar or saloon in the basement, or some- 

 where in close combination with most of our 

 hotels, this ruling is going to be a little hard 

 on places that board railroad men. But I for 

 one am glad of it. I think it is just the thing 

 they ought to do." 



You may be sure I said, " May God be prais- 

 ed that the Big Four Railway Co. has boldly 

 stood forth in the present crisis, and backed 

 up the work the Anti-saloon League in our 

 various States is trying to do. The saloon 

 must go." 



I expect to see railway companies, one after 

 another, adopt this rule, or a similar one, for 

 they are all moving forward in this very mat- 

 ter. Many times when we are planning for 

 our bee-keepers' conventions, especially in 

 our large cities, we are gravely informed there 

 is not a hotel of any kind that does not have 

 a bar that one can find if he really wishes to. 

 May God forbid that this state of affairs should 

 long continue. 



After the above was in print I noticed an 

 article in the Sunday School Times entitled 

 "An Epoch-making Convention of Railroad 

 Men," from which I make the following ex- 

 tract : 



" Is Saul also among the prophets?" Have the rail- 

 roads become societies for the propagation of the gos- 

 pel? The above question may well be asked in view 

 of the great railroad conference of the Young Men's 

 Christian Associations held in Philadelphia, October 

 11 to 14. More than thirteen hundred railroad dele- 

 gates came from all parts of the United States and 

 Canada, and spent four days in convention, not for the 

 purpose of discussing wages or methods of railroad 

 operation, but to confer together how best they might 

 raise the standard of personal life and character, and 

 extend the kingdom of the l,ord Jesus Christ among 

 railroad men. 



Officers and men met here on common ground. 

 Upon no other could they do it. Friday evening there 

 were present such men as the presidents of the Penn- 

 sylvania, Chesapeake & Ohio, lyong Island, Cornwall 

 & lyebanon ; vice-presidents of the Pennsylvania, 

 Reading, l,ehigh Valley ; and general managers, su- 

 perintendents, and other officials of various railroads. 

 Letters of sympathy were read from presidents and 

 leading officials of a large number of the railroad 

 companies of the United States and Canada, who 

 sent their regrets that they could not come. Such 

 ladies as Mrs. Cassatt, Mrs. Russell Sage, Miss Helen 

 Gould, and others, received, and shook the hands of 

 all the delegates, and attended many sessions of the 

 conference. Christianty tound here its finest social 

 expression. 



Perhaps one of the most notable features was the 

 recognition of the greatness and value of this move- 

 ment by foreign governments. Russia was represent- 

 ed bv two railway officials, especially commissioned 

 by the Tsar to attend, and to make a study of this 

 work. They were Messis. Reitlinger of St. Peters 

 burg, and Shidlovski of Moscow. The German Gov- 

 ernment was represented bv Mr. Glasenap, chief en- 

 gineer of the German railroads, who is an attache of 

 the German Legation at Washington. 



On Sunday two meetings were held at the railroad 

 building, and delegates conducted men's meetings at 

 the various branches in the city. It was a day of re- 

 markable manifestations. Fifteen hundred railroad 

 men assembled at three o'clock at the Young Men's 

 Christian Association rooms at Forty-first Street and 



