Pbbeuaey, 1917 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



143 



D 



Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and when 

 tliey shall separate you from their company, and shall 

 reproach you, and east out your name as evil, for the 

 Son of man's sakei. — Luxe 6:22. 



EAR SIR: — 



Some one 



said you 



knew "how 

 to be happy when 

 people abuse you." 

 Do you mind telling 

 rae? 



Dr. C. R. Lytle. 

 McPherson, Kan. 



On examining 

 the letter - head 

 containing the 

 above plaintive 

 request I found 

 the following: 



"Dr. Clinton R. Lytle, County Health 

 Officer, McPherson, Kansas." 



The fact that the good doctor has been 

 appointed health office^- affords us the clue 

 a.s to why he wants to know " hoiv to be 

 happy," etc. My dear doctor, I am glad to 

 tell you (and I hope I speak the truth), 

 that I do know how to be happy when peo- 

 ple abuse me. I know how, but sometimes 

 it takes quite a little spell to " pull myself 

 together," if you will excuse the exjDression, 

 and put in practice this knowledge. 



If any of the readers of Gleanings have 

 ever undertaken to discharge faithfully the 

 duties of such an office, they can, perhaps, 

 realize the good doctor's predicament. Un- 

 less one possesses a wonderful gift of tact, 

 and has a deeply rooted faith in the Lord 

 Jesus Christ, it is not an easy matter to 

 undertake to interfere with the way in which 

 people manage their domestic matters in 

 their own home. But, on the other hand, if 

 a public officer would shirk responsibility, 

 and let everybody go scott free, no matter 

 liow much such parties were annoying or 

 injuring the community, he might have an 

 easy time of it, unless, indeed, somebody on 

 the other hand should gi-umble because he 

 did not enforce the law. Thos3 who never 

 undertake to serve the public have little 

 comprehension of the trials that meet any 

 one who insists on the strict enforcement of 

 law. You see enough of this in temperance 

 work. Under the circumstances do you 

 wonder that good men refuse to accept 

 important offices'? and yet what will be the 

 result if bad men — say men who would will- 

 ingly accept a bribe — are permitted to fill 

 these offices'? Well, how is it possible, con- 

 sidering the above, to be happy when you 

 are abused and found fault with for doing 

 your duty"? I know of no way but to avail 

 yourself of the Bible promise — keep quiet 

 and gentle while you in.sist that each man 

 and woman shall obey the law and do their 

 duty. Look pleasant if you can, but do not 

 listen to Satan when he persists in keeping 



OUR HOMES 



A. I. ROOT 



you stirred up 

 by tlie remem- 

 brance of the in- 

 dignities. 



Years ago in 

 u r teachers' 

 meeting this 

 very matter was 

 being discussed 

 about being 

 abused for 

 righteous n e s s' 

 sake. I ventured 

 the remark that 

 somewhere i n 

 the Bible it says not only " rejoice and be 

 glad," but it says also, " and leap for joy." 

 The superintendent of the Sunday-school 

 said, " Mr. Root, I should like to know 

 where you will find that passage in the 

 Bible." Then the rest began to laugh; and 

 the pastor of our church, I think a " D. D.," 

 led the laugh, and suggested that I must 

 have found that extract somewhere else 

 than in the Bible. As I was a compar- 

 atively new recruit at the time in the Sun- 

 day-school work and teachers' meeting, I 

 felt a little sore about it ; but before the 

 meeting closed I arose triumphant and read 

 to them the verse just following the one at 

 the head of this Home paper. There we 

 have it in plain black and white — " Rejoice 

 ye in that day, and leap for joy.". Of 

 course we do not understand that we are 

 to leap for joy in the presence of those who 

 have abused us; but when you get off away 

 by yourself, and the bitter words that have 

 been used toward you are still rankling in 

 your heart and brain, then is the time when 

 you can shout praises, and perhajDS leap for 

 joy just because it has been your privilege 

 to be persecuted as were the good i^eople 

 who, perhaps ages before, were subjected to 

 a like experience. 



Let us now have the remainder of the 

 23d verse of the 6th chapter of Luke : 



" Behold, your reward is great in heaven ; 

 for in the like manner did their fathers 

 unto the prophets." 



Those who consent to appointments to 

 public offices, especially the offices where 

 t!iey are supposed to look after things dis- 

 interestedly for the good of community, 

 will understand how often they are criti- 

 cised and abused by one class of people for 

 doing their duty, and perhaps at the same 

 time are criticised by another class because 

 (hey do not do more of the same thing. 

 "What shall we do under the circumstances'? 

 Go straight forward ; take time to ex- 

 plain gently and kindly that you are a 

 servant of the public, and that what you do 



