NOVEMBER 15. 1916 



I USD 



A. I. Root 



OUR HOMES 



Editor 



Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from 

 henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may 

 rest from their labors ; and their works do follow 

 them. — Rev. 14:13. 



SOME PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF YEARS 

 AGOj OF MY OLD FRIEND PROF. A. J. OOOK. 



I cannot recall at present just when or 

 how my acquaintance commenced w.ith 

 Prof. A. J. Cook of Michigan Agricultural 

 College. Soon after Gleanings was started 

 he began answering questions sent us by 

 our coiTespondents, both in regard to honey - 

 plants and insects. I have alwaj'S been 

 more or less interested in maple - sugar 

 making. In fact, it was one of the hobbies 

 of my childhood; and when some one re- 

 marked that there ought to be a booh on 

 the subject of making maple sugar, as Prof. 

 Cook had a maple-sugar bush of his own, 

 I suggested that he write such a book; and 

 while this matter was under way I made a 

 trip to Agricultural College, Michigan, and 

 Prof. Cook very kindly invited me to go 

 with him to his home, and there I became 

 acquainted with his estimable wife and two 

 A'ery bright children. I think, as far as 

 I can recall, I made two and perhaps three 

 visits to his home. During one of those 

 visits I was gi'eatly pleased with their form 

 of family worship. Eac-h one of the fam- 

 ily read a verse. Then they all knelt down 

 while the good father led in prayer. At 

 one time the children were studying German 

 with the view of having the whole family 

 make a visit to Germany later on. They 

 had a German Bible, and read the lesson 

 first in German and then in English. I re- 

 call tliat on one of my visits I stayed over 

 Sunda,y, and of course was present at the 

 opening of the Sunday-school exercises. 

 Prof. W. J. Beal led the Bible class; and 

 I was impressed by his able way of talking 

 to students about the Bible. 1 hardly need 

 tell our readers that Prof. Beal, since that 

 time, has occupied many high and important 

 positions, besides his years of service at 

 Cornell University. Of course I went along 

 with friend Cook when he talked to his 

 class of college boys. I remember that at 

 dinnertime Mrs. Cook asked him what he 

 had for the boys on that particular morn- 

 ing. His reply was simply " Night-dresses." 

 At that time it was a novel idea to myself, 

 and T presume it was so to the lot of young 

 farmer-boy students, that men or boys 

 should wear nif/lit dresses as well as the 

 women-folks. I shall never forget that 

 talk on night-dresses. In his peculiar and 

 enij^hatic way he urged every boy jiresent 



to commence at once, if lie had not already 

 done so, to remove every bit of apparel 

 worn during the day and replace it with a 

 night-dress. I think he recommended a 

 daily sponge bath; but he emphasized very 

 strongly the importance of a good air 

 bath any way, before putting on the night- 

 dress. Altho I listened most attentively, 

 and was sure he was right about it, I am 

 ashamed to say it was toward twenty or 

 thirty years after that before I adopted a 

 daily bath and night-dresses. 



Our good friend Cook Avas not afraid to 

 carry his religion along with him in all the 

 daily Avalks of life; and even when he was 

 a boy, perhaps a bashful boy, he had the 

 courage to stand up before the world for 

 righteousness, purity, and temperance; and 

 his good wife was right with lum every 

 time. I will tell you a little story of some- 

 thing that happened so long ago that per- 

 haps I shall not get it all exactly as it oc- 

 curred; but I can tell it so it wili carry the 

 moral. 



Lansing is the capital of the state, and 

 when the legislature assembles there are 

 not only prominent politicians but promi- 

 nent lawyers, doctors, and noted men in all 

 the walks of life there. It happened one 

 day that young Cook was obliged to ride 

 in a stage coach with a lot of these " big 

 men '' who were on the way to the state- 

 house. One of these commenced telling a 

 low vulgar story. Prof. Cook, young as 

 he was, protested. The great lawyer or 

 politician with a contemptuous look at the 

 boy said something like this : 



*' If a boy cannot stand men's talk, per- 

 haps he had better get out and go afoot." 



Our young friend was not at all van- 

 quished. He replied sometliing as follows: 



" All right, I will get out and go afoot 

 if this story is to be continued." 



Then he called to the diiver to stop, and 

 stepped out. Just as the driver began 

 clucking at the horses to go on, some one in 

 the crowd spoke up: 



''Hold on, driver! Come to think it 

 over, I believe I too will get out and go on 

 foot with the boy." 



Tlien another one put in, " Well, if my 

 wife were here I think slie would admoui.sli 

 me to get out also." 



My good friends, wlial do you sui)i)()se 

 happened? Before the matter was settled 

 every one of the crowd got out or started 

 to get out, leaving the narrator of the 

 obscene story to ride in the coach alone. I 

 cannot recall iunv it wa.s settled; but if 



