4?d 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



noUiing, but it blocks the way, mixes things 

 up, handicaps themselves and everybody 

 else they run against, without having ac- 

 complished any thing. I Isave wondered 

 again and again how it was possible in this 

 day and age of the world, when supersti- 

 tion and folly are fast giving way to good 

 common sense and righteousness, that these 

 people should continue in their queer no- 

 tions. While I write, our people here in 

 Ohio are discussing the adoption of eastern 

 (New York) time in place of the present 

 central (Chicago) time. 1 confess I think 

 it will be an advantage to do away with 

 having an hour's difference between Cleve- 

 land (and Medina) and New York; but the 

 papers are full of what I cannot help look- 

 ing at as silly talk about giving the people 

 " more daylight " by changing the clock an 

 hour ahead. I say, and liave said repeated- 

 ly, change the clocks by all means, if it seems 

 best; but do not by any means change the 

 hour of getting up and going to bed, simply 

 because the clocks have been ehangecl. 

 Neither is there any need of changing the 

 time of starting and stopping our factories, 

 the time of school, or time of going to 

 church, prayer-meeting, etc. The time of 

 starting business and closing it has been 

 settled by universal consent largely, accord- 

 ing to the rising and setting of the sun. 

 Why in the world should we make any 

 changes simply because the clocks are 

 changed? When old Sol decides to change 

 his time of rising in the morning and of 

 going down at night, then we may consider 

 a change in our habits. 



I think no one will doubt for a minute 

 that the saloons and the whole licjuor traffic 

 might have been banished long, long ago, 

 had our churches and their respective pas- 

 tors been united as they are getting to be. 

 just now. The awakening to the evils of 

 intemperance has been a long and slow 

 process; but, may God be praised, it seen^s 

 now fairly well in sight; and the work of 

 driving them out, T verily believe, will unite 

 our different denominations as nothing else 

 has ever done. 



I have alluded several times lately to the 

 measures that are being adopted to save 

 human life, and to alleviate sickness and 

 suffering — the " safety first " organization. 

 Now, if our churches. Sunday-schools, and 

 Endeavor Societies could drop unimportant 

 differences, and give the same attention to 

 the children, including the grown-up chil- 

 dren, how much might be accomplished ! 

 Let us keep the good old Bible as it is — 

 speak when the Bible speaks, and be silent 

 where the Bible is silent. There has been a 

 discussion more or less for ages, perhaps, as 



to what becomes of us immediately after 

 death. Do we have a period of sleep, as 

 some claim, or are all to be received, like 

 the thief -on the cross, in " paradise this 

 day '"? Perhaps it is well enough to search 

 tlie scriptures carefully and see what they 

 tell us about it; but I would not waste much 

 time in the matter. Shall we not use the 

 same time and energy in taking care of 

 " thieves " who have not gone so far as to 

 reach the cross? And look out for the 

 children that are gi-owing up, and see that 

 they do not get into the company of thieves, 

 ancl that there be no thief-breeding places 

 such as saloons, etc., in your immediate 

 neighborhood. By no means let us sit down 

 with folded hands, as Dr. Miller puis '( ; 

 but after we have gotten up and started, 

 may God help us to use our strength and 

 energy in fighting real evils — things that 

 are a menace to bodily health as well as to 

 spiritual growth. The dear Savior in his 

 prayer in our opening text did not ask the 

 great Father lo take his chosen ones out of 

 the world. lie meant they should slay in 

 the world, and that they should be " the 

 salt of the earth;" that they should mix in 

 with saints and sinners — especially the sin- 

 ners. But he did pray that the Holy Spirit 

 sliould keep them while in the world and 

 protect them from all the evils surrounding 

 them. 



HORSERADISH AND CHRISTIANITY. 



Perhaps, friends, you think the above a 

 queer combination ; but listen to the good 

 brother below, who wants his name with- 

 held : 



In the April 1st number of Gleanings, page 277, 

 you speak of selling horseradish, which cost 4 cts., at 

 10 cts. That is 150 per cent profit. If a pound of 

 honey costs 10 cts., and sells for 25 cts., that is 150 

 per cent prolit. Now, where can we draw the line 

 between just and unjust gain — I mean, looking at it 

 from the Christian standpoint? I have thought 

 much on this subject, and have tried to look from 

 both the producer's and the consumer's standpoint. 



My good friend, I may have been a little 

 careless; but did you not also notice the 

 sentence, " but I tell you it took some ' boss- 

 ing ' to secure smooth running all the way 

 from producer to consumer"? In the "4 

 els." rtientioned I did not count my time at 

 all. Should not the man who studies and 

 works up such a short cut have some pay 

 in the shape of profit, for inventing the ma- 

 chinery, or establishing the industry? Mrs. 

 Root has all her life " put on the brakes " 

 to my "gTeat discoveries," and she has often 

 been right — they didn't pay cost. There- 

 fore I greatly enjoyed demonstrating to her 

 that I was making " a safe margin," and 

 also having pleased customers. Once more, 



