722 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



September, 1917 



He did not need money, for he was a stock- 

 dealer, and already had quite a roll of bills 

 that he had recently taken for a bunch of 

 cattle. This young man who committed the 

 murd-er ascertained that the stock-dealer 

 carried the roll home instead of putting it in 

 the bank. During the night he went into 

 that home, with a keen sharp knife, and 

 killed the father and mother and a little 

 child. He secured the coveted roll of bills, 

 got away, and it was weeks or months be- 

 fore be was detected. He had a fair trial, 

 and was condemned to death. Electrocu- 

 tion was not then in vogue. But there were 

 a good many protests against what some 

 jieople called murder, even at that date — 

 more than fifty years ago. I was well ac- 

 quainted witli the sheriff who released the 

 drop as he stepped off the platform. Per- 

 haps I might confess that it was sucli a 

 shock to my young nerves that I grasped 

 hold of a buggy-Avheel near where T stood 

 to keep from fainting. 



Now comes the point to this little -story. 

 Somebody, right away after the execution, 

 either told or said to the sheriff that he, the 

 sheriff, was a murderer. But most people 

 protested. The sheriff simply acted as a 

 servant of the people. After a long and 

 expensive trial the community, and, I might 

 say, humanity and the laws of our land, de- 

 cided that Streeter would have to give up 

 his life as a warning to other people who 

 might be tempted to do likewise, especially 

 if he should get off scott free as so many 

 other point-blank murderers do get off just 

 now, fifty or more years later. I said right 

 away that our good sheriff was no more a 

 mui'derer than every man, woman, and child 

 in that great crowd that gathered to see a 

 public hanging. Thank the Lord that pub- 

 1m' hangings are just now out of date in 

 Ohio. If a man must be put to death for 

 fhe good of community let it be done with 

 few or no witnesses. Did this sheriff T have 

 mentioned have any spite or ill will toward 

 the man he was called upon to put to death? 

 Surely not. 



Let us now go back to the article T have 

 quoted — the special jjoint where it savs. 

 "The Christian soldier in friendship wounds 

 the enemy." Once more, "In friendship he 

 kills the enemy." Then notice the words, 

 "He never hates." I hope that our boys 

 who are enlisting will do their fighting with- 

 out hate. And now comes the great point 

 in tliis talk I have quoted: "After he hns 

 wounded the enemy he Imriies to liis side at 

 the 'earliest possible moment, with all the 

 friendly ministration yiossible. "If a mid- 

 night assai-^sin gets into youi' h( tn'\ do 

 everything in your power to disarm him and 



render him helpless; and as soon as you 

 have succeeded in disarming him or getting 

 the upper hand of him, with love in your 

 heart bind up his wounds, get a physician, 

 and do everything in your power to undo 

 the mischief you have done him. I think 

 the above expresses the highest type of 

 Christian love that it is possible to conceive 

 of. And then comes the grand crowning 

 sentence of the whole tract : "We look for- 

 ward to the future life, not as a personal 

 bliss conferred as a reAvard of merit, not to 

 unalloyed happiness, but rather to a new 

 and larger opportunity to work with others 

 at great enterprises for the common good — 

 enterprises which will present many per- 

 plexing i^roblems and lay heavy responsi- 

 bilities on us." 



I confess the above gives me a better and 

 grander view of future existence than I ever 

 got before. Perhaps I am not exactly like 

 other people; but with me, especially as 

 old age comes on, I must be busy about 

 something in order to be happy. Unless I 

 am concerned in some "enterprise" I am un- 

 happy ; and the greater the enterprise (for 

 the good of humanity), as our good brother 

 expresses it, the greater is my enjoyment. 

 In my previous Home paper I talked about 

 "for whom are you working " and it re- 

 joices my heart to feel that I can honestly 

 answer that even in my old age I am work- 

 ing not only for a better America but for a 

 better world. Brother Bosworth (and I 

 hope he will excuse the liberty T take in so 

 designating him) speaks about "fighting for 

 a better world in the face of temptation to 

 fight for some lesser motive." 



Ever since I have been-reading the above 

 I have kept asking myself the question, "Is 

 this thing I am planning to do for a better 

 world, or is it for some particular need or 

 want of A. I. Root?" And then wells up 

 my old short prayer, "Lord, help." I desire 

 not only to love my enemies, and to do good 

 to those that hate me, but to ask God to help 

 me, during the few years (or months) that 

 I may be spared to work in this world, to 

 give my whole time and attention to making 

 the world better; and if it shall be possible, 

 as the good brother suggests, may I be i^er- 

 mitted to help make a better "God's king- 

 dom,'' when God calls me to "help," up there. 



DKMAND AND SUPPLY; SOME SUGGESTIONS IN 



REGARD TO BUYING AND SELLING 



HONEY, 



I think I mentioned some time ago that 

 one of dui' l)eekeeping friends in Braden- 

 li \vn, Fla., was carrying his honey around 

 from house to house and selling 3 pounds 



