fEBKUARt 1. 1914 



n; 



Our Homes 



A. I. Root 



Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. — Matt. 

 22:39. 



Oh how I love thy lawl — Psalm 119:97. 



This is the condemnation, that light is come into 

 tlie world, and men loved darkness rather than light, 

 because their deeds were evil. — John 3:19. 



I have lately been having some business 

 experiences that tempted me to think that 

 a great part of the world (but not all the 

 world, thank God) have just now a sort of 

 craze to raise prices on every thing. Some- 

 times I have been tempted to think they 

 tuck on a bigger price when I come around, 

 because ihey have got it into their heads 

 tliat 1 have plenty of money and am so 

 good-natured that I would not make a kick 

 any way ; and as I got to studying over the 

 matter — yes, tliis very morning — I said 

 mentally, " Oh how 1 love good honest 

 people — i^eople who really love their neigh- 

 bors almost as well as themselves ! " I did 

 not put it as it is in the text, " as thyself," 

 for I feared that that would be expecting 

 too much of any of us, good or bad; and 

 tlien I reflected that if there were not any 

 greedy or grafting people in this world we 

 would not fully appreciate the honest ones. 

 Yes, thank God, there are people (and quite 

 a lot of them) who do not charge as much 

 as they really ought to. I have in mind one 

 good friend who is a sort of drayman who 

 delivers goods from the railway station 

 and otherwise. Several times I have laugh- 

 ingly told him that he did not charge enough 

 for liis bother and trouble. Now, this man 

 has lately united with the church, and he 

 began putting liis Christianity into practice 

 by just this sort of thing — ^working so cheap- 

 ly that many times his customers laugh- 

 ingly remonstrated with him. Perhaps the 

 dear old soitl will see what I am writing on 

 these pages. Well, while this whole thing 

 was passing in my mind I thought of David's 

 speech or prayer, or we might almost call it 

 a jDrayer, " Oh how I love thy law ! " 



Dear friends, I am having a lot of kind 

 words. I think they come every day of my 

 life, and sometimes they seem so extrava- 

 gant that I hesitate to put them in print. 

 Right before me is a letter that caps them 

 all, and it comes from a man away up in 

 public service. He is president and general 

 manager of an electric railway company in 

 a city of something like 30,000 people. You 

 will note liis reasons for having his name 

 and address kept out of print. His reasons, 

 briefly summed up, seem to be that he is 

 already having about as much trouble in 

 his efforts to encourage righteousness as he 

 can well bear; and if I should give liis name 



in full, and tell where he lives, he might 

 Iiave more trouble yet. 



His request for a French bee- journal has 

 been complied with; and may the Holy 

 Spirit be Avith him and sustain lum in Ins 

 battle for the right, and may God be praised 

 for the victories that have already come in 

 consequence of the brave standout from one 

 single individual with heavy responsibilities 

 on his shoulders. Will the readers of Glean- 

 ings unite with me in a prayer for the 

 writer of the letter below? 



I wonder how many large cities in this 

 nation are being managed as outlined below. 



Tlie A. I. Root Company: — I read French, and 

 would appreciate it very much if you could send me 

 a copy, even if it is an old one, of a French bee ■ 

 paper corresponding as nearly as possible to Glean- 

 ings. You must have a number of these among your 

 exchanges. If I like such a paper, I am considering 

 suDscribing for it. 



I am also enclosing a little expression of appre- 

 ciation of Mr. A. I. Root, which, perhaps, you would 

 like to print for your own good. If you do, how- 

 ever, please leave out any reference to the city men- 

 tioned or the author, as I am not looking for any 

 more trouble than I already have. 



AN APPRECIATION. 



For the last six years I have been reading Glean- 

 ings, and I appreciate it more every year. Because 

 I happen to be the head of a publi«c-service company 

 which, like all other companies in the same line of 

 business, seems to be continually embroiled in strife 

 and trouble with politicians, I could not understand 

 how it could be possible for any business to exist 

 where there seemed to be peace and happiness and a 

 spirit of Christianlike tolerance and forbearance. 

 Why, in the bee business even rival bee-papers speak 

 kindly of each other — a condition which is entirely 

 too good to be true. And then all of the bee-papers 

 interpolate their reading-matter with the real spirit 

 of Christianity, and with talks on temperance and 

 kindred subjects. I am afraid that at first I read 

 Gleanings mainly out of astonishment and curios- 

 ity. I have kept bees in a small way, and have got- 

 ten a little honey every year ; but I have a greater 

 satisfaction than the amount of honey I get in the 

 knowledge that I am engaged in a pursuit which 

 seems to be entirely free from petty jealousies and 

 personal strife. I have particularly enjoyed Mr. A. 

 I. Root's temper anice talks — not that I am a tee- 

 totaler, for I was born and brought up in a wine- 

 growing country of Europe, and I have a sort of 

 sympathy for the product of the grape ; but I admit 

 that every single thing that Mr. Root says about 

 intemperance, whisky, and the whisky gang is abso- 

 lutely true. Placed in such a position as mine, with 

 hundreds of men in my employ, I know the evil of 

 intemperance among workingmen. Several years ago, 

 about the time I first took Gleanings, I issued an 

 order forbidding all employes to enter saloons or to 

 take any intoxicating liquors; and I am inclined to 

 credit Mr. A. I. Root's talks with stiffening my back- 

 bone for the purpose. We had to lose some good 

 employes before they realized I meant it ; but others 

 took their place, and by strictly enforcing this rule 

 we to-day have an organization of employes in our 

 electric railway, electric light, and other publiic ser- 

 vice, which is probably better emancipated from the 

 curse of intemperance than any other similar organ- 



