286 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



May 1 



long time, and there was no use trying to 

 evade it. I thought of that passage in the 

 New Testament where it says, "If thou 

 bring thy gift to the altar, and there remem- 

 berest that thy brother hath aught against 

 thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, 

 and go thy way: first be reconciled to thy 

 brother, and then come and offer thy gift." 

 Well, I had not had any trouble with any 

 brother just then. It was with my own re- 

 bellious spirit, and I knew that before I 

 could have peace, I would have to conquer 

 it and put it down. I sprang out of my 

 bed and fell on my knees, and the first thing 

 that occurred to me was that wonderful 

 prayer of David when he said, "Create in 

 me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right 

 spirit within me." The words brought 

 some peace to my soul, and then I poured 

 out my heart in a petition for peace and an 

 obedient spirit; and as I prayed I remem- 

 bered what my good old mother had some- 

 times said in regard to the troubles that lie 

 before us. She would say, "Amos, I have 

 been praying over this, and I know it will 

 all come out right, and I thank God for the 

 assurance." Some may think this sounds 

 a little like superstition; but the great evan- 

 gelist and preacher, Professor Fairchild, of 

 Oberlin, tells us that at times after praying 

 most earnestly for certain things it has 

 seemed as if the Holy Spirit said, almost in 

 plain words, "There, there, child, do not 

 pray about it any more. You shall have 

 what you ask for." Well, after my spirit 

 was quieted in a humble way I prayed about 

 the automobile and the busy week. I said 

 that, if it was consistent with God's holy 

 will, I hoped I still might have that ma- 

 chine, adding something like this: "Dear 

 Father in heaven, I know from past expe- 

 rience that things that are impossible with 

 men are always possible with thee. If it be 

 consistent with thy holy will, and not dis- 

 pleasing in thy sight, may that bright 

 young expert who is even now laboring 

 with that machine, have grace and wisdom 

 to drive the busy brain and fingers." After 

 this prayer I had the feeling that the prayer 

 was answered, or at least was going to be 

 answered, before the sun went down. I 

 went back to my bed and had a most peace- 

 ful and refreshing sleep; and, much to my 

 surprise, I passed one of the h^^ppiest after- 

 noons that I had had for a long time. 

 Now, this I did not expect. I supposed, of 

 course, I would have a burden to bear any 

 way. My good neighbor Rood, with his big 

 machine, took me back to town, taking up 

 my basket of eggs on the way, and I work- 

 ed with the mechanic until toward night. 

 Every part of the machine had been over- 

 hauled. The carbon deposit in the cylinder 

 that had stopped progress in the morning 

 had been all carefully removed, and every 

 thing was adjusted in the very best possible 

 manner; and he said, with a bright look on 

 his intelligent face, as he made the last ad- 

 justment, "I rather expect, Mr. Root, that 

 after all this work we shall get some pretty 

 good results." As the machine started off 



I swung my cap, and the machine did ex- 

 cellent service during the busy week that 

 followed — better, perhaps, than ever before 

 since I had had it, although it is true the 

 current occasionally jumps across on to the 

 neighboring coil and takes off the power, J 

 but never stops it. Of course, the manu- I 

 facturers will make good the fault. When 

 the machine first starts up on a cold morn- 

 ing there is considerable cross-firing; but 

 after it gets a little warmed up to work it 

 seems to run just as well as it ever did. It 

 reminds me of the story of the Irishman 

 who was always telling about the wonderful 

 feats his brother performed during a certain 

 war. Said brother had only one arm. But 

 one day this Irishman, when he was telling 

 his story to quite a little audience, forgot 

 himself and said, "Why, Jimmie killed two 

 of the enemy intoirely by just knocking of 

 their heads together," When a bystander 

 called his attention to the fact that Jim- 

 mie at that time had but one arm he added, 

 "Yes, yes, that is true; but when Jimmie 

 got a little warmed up in a fight he forgot 

 all about his having only one arm." 



Now, then, friends, in closing I wish to 

 call your attention again to the extract from 

 Dr. McLaren: " The consciousness of God's 

 presence with us is a very delicate thing." 

 Let us keep this in mind; and whatever 

 temptation may assail us, let us carefully 

 consider that, whatever we say or whatever 

 we do, may in a very brief moment cut off 

 this consciousness of God's presence that is 

 worth more than any thing else in the 

 world. 



At one of our Bradentown prayer-meet- 

 ings a few weeks ago a young student from 

 Oberlin College led the exercises. He said 

 that at one time his employer, in one of the 

 great Chicago business houses, dismissed a 

 faithful clerk without listening to the full 

 particulars of why said clerk had disobeyed 

 orders. He dismissed him with only three 

 or four brief words; but he told a friend aft- 

 erward he would have given two thousand 

 dollars to be able to recall those words. 

 He did try to apologize and recall them; 

 but the faithful clerk had been instantly 

 snapped up by another house who knew his 

 sterling qualities, and it was too late. Shall 

 we, like Jonah, when reproved say that we 

 do well to be angry? or shall we remember 

 that other beautiful text that tells us that 

 "he that ruleth his own spirit is greater 

 than he that taketh a city " ? 



Before the busy week I have told you 

 about was finished, a rebuke and a reproof 

 for my impatient mood on Monday morn- 

 iny came from an unexpected direction. I 

 was reviewing my periodicals while Mrs. 

 Root lay sleeping on the lounge near by. 

 For some little time I noticed her sleep was 

 broken and troubled. Finally she sprang 

 up with a vacant look, and I found she was 

 feverish; and a little while later she was 

 delirious. I ran hastily for our good neigh- 

 bor, Mrs. Rood, and she pronounced it a 

 sudden and acute attack of malarial fever. 

 Her preparations were all made for the long 



