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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



eighty years old) who cannot get about very 

 well, but who can distribute tracts, and she 

 has been making excellent use of the little 

 tract T have mentioned — " The Defeat of 

 Injustice." Here are the closing words of 

 one of her letters : 



I have thought it best not to watch for fruits, like 

 Jonah ; but if I am working the will of my heavenly 

 Father, and it is acceptable to him, if I do not see 

 results or people — yes, people who make a high pro- 

 fession do not seem to approve and encourage, as 

 might be expected of them — I try not to be disheart- 

 ened. I left the word " discouraged " out of my 

 vocabulary long ago. I do not use the word at all 

 except to tell others to leave it out. 



Ypsilanti, Mich. Rhoda C. W. Dekbyshire. 



What do you think of that, friends, young- 

 and old ? The word " discouraged " is left 

 out of her vocabulary. Is not that an ex- 

 hibition of faith? Well, after getting sev- 

 eral hundred of my tracts, and seeing them 

 bear fruit, she sent me one of her tracts. 

 I think you will read it all when you get a 

 glimpse of the title, and then you Avill smile 

 as you go on. 



WAR ON CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES. 



One of the conditions of the treaty with Mexico, 

 it is said, that in any future war which may break 

 out between the two countries shall be conducted on 

 Christian principles. 



Now, we all know that this is an age of progress, 

 and that all sorts of improvements are constantly 

 faking place in all sorts of matters ; but war on 

 Christian principles is certainly the latest, and if it 

 be carried out we think it will prove the greatest of 

 them all. 



.Just imagine it ! We think we can see the two 

 armies drawn out in battle array. A fair field is 

 before them, the ranks are formed, the positions are 

 taken, the great guns unlimbered. General Scott is 

 just about to give the order to fire, when an aide 

 comes up and respectfully reminds him that "the 

 war is to be conducted on Christian principles," and 

 that it will not do to fire. 



" Very true, very true," says the commander-in- 

 chief, "but what are they? I have read Vauban 

 and Scheiter and Turenne and Coehorn. I have 

 read the lives of the old conquerors, and have stu- 

 died the campaigns of the greatest soldiers ; but I 

 never happened to come across these principles in 

 any work upon the military art. Do you know any- 

 thing about it. Colonel? " 



" No." 



" Nor you, Major? " 



" Nor I either." 



" I really don't know how to begin. I suppose it 

 would not do to shoot. Suppose we send' for the 

 Chaplain." 



The Chaplain arrives. 



" Do you know anything about this fighting on 

 Christian principles?" 



" Oh, yesl it is the easiest thing in the world." 



" Where are the books ? " 



" Here," 



And the Chaplain takes out the Bible. 



" Really," says the General, " we ought to have 

 thought of this before. It is a bad time to com- 

 mence the study of tactics when the enemy is right 

 before us; but I suppose we are bound by the treaty. 

 What is the first thing, Mr. Chaplain? "" 



" Thou Shalt not kill. Thou shalt love thy neigh- 

 bor as thyself." 



" But these are not neighbors. They are Mexi- 

 cans." 



" The same book tells us, a little further on, that 

 the opportunity to do good to a man makes him one's 

 neighbor." 



"Will you go on, Mr. Chaplain? " 



" Love your enemies. Do good to them that hate 

 you. Pray for them that despitefully use you. If 

 a man smite you on one cheek, turn to him the 

 other." 



" But while we are praying for the Mexicans, 

 they will be firing into us." 



" No, they are bound by the treaty also. It works 

 both ways." 



" Then what is the use of our arms? " 



" This is all provided for in the same book. Beat 

 your swords into plowshares and your spears into 

 pruning-hooks." 



" Then I don't see that there is anything for us 

 to do here." 



" Nothing, unless you send over and ask Santa 

 Ana if he needs anything in the way of medicines 

 or provisions or clothing. I rather think the ti'eaty 

 requires this of us. 



" And I don't know but we ought to send them 

 a few schoolmasters, for I understand that they are 

 shockingly ignorant people." 



" But how do you ever know which party con- 

 quers in this fighting on Christian principles?" 



" That is the great beauty of it. Both sides con- 

 quer, and there are never any killed or wounded." 



I presume this good woman will furnish 

 you as many as you \vant of the above, free 

 of charge. If you wish to send her some 

 .stamjis or something more, I am sure it will 

 be all right, because I think she told me 

 she had but little means. 



Let me now give you another illustration 

 from my own experience. It was given in 

 Gleanings years ago, but it will be new to 

 most of our readers, probably, of the pres- 

 ent day. 



At the time of my conversion, something 

 like forty years ago, I was, I am sorry to 

 say, in pretty close touch with several 

 }:)rominent skeptics. After my conversion a 

 diifieulty or"controversy had arisen between 

 myself and the editor of our county paper. 

 No doubt I was more or less at fault, be- 

 cause I was new in Christian work. He 

 seemed to feel bitter toward me because I 

 deserted their ranks and started to follow, 

 as best I could, our Lord and Savior. I 

 tried in my humble way to return good for 

 f-vil; but it seemed to provoke him all the 

 more. In fact, in his position as postmaster 

 of our town he succeeded in having Glean- 

 ings thrown out of the mails — that is, he 

 made such a representation of it at Wash- 

 ington that I received notice it could not be 

 mailed at journal rates. 1 shall always 

 I'emember how he looked as I met him on 

 the street one morning. Taking his cigar 

 out of his mouth, and puffing a cloud of 

 smoke up toward the blue sky, he said: 



" Mr. Root, I think now you will have to 

 buy a lot of postage-stamps." 



There was a twinkle in his eye as he said 

 it. 1 do not know how it is now; but at 

 that time the postmaster had a percentage 



