GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



OOTOBBR 1920 



sliaping of my life and niy life work from 

 that time to this : 



"Mr. Root, I have been strongly at- 

 tracted to you by your writings in the 

 LA.merican Bee Journal and your little 

 monthly, Gleanings in Bee Culture. You 

 liave a rare gift of getting people to listen 

 to you; and no wonder, for the work you 

 are doing is attracting a great deal of at- 

 tention all over the land. Now, T did come 

 here to learn about bees and bee culture; 

 but I came more with the hope that 1 might 

 suggest to you that if your little journal 

 would hold up the Lord Jesus Christ before 

 a suffering world it would do still more 

 good than you are doing to develop the bee 

 and honey business." 



At this I replied : 



''Why, Dr. Miller, there has never been 

 anything in our journal in any way against 

 the Lord Jesus Christ." 



To the above he answered : 



"He who is not for me is against me." 



I stood rebuked; and just now, before 

 dictating this Home paper, I have gone 

 back thru the pages of volumes 1, 2, and 3 

 to see if there was not just a faint intima- 

 tion in regard to "the Lamb of God that 

 taketh away the sin of the world." I could 

 not find anything of the kind — not a word 

 of thanksgiving or praise to the great 

 Father above who gave us the bees and the 

 flowers and the sunshine. I do not think 

 I promised Dr. Miller anything; but to 

 make amends, as far as possible, for my 

 neglect as shown in the early volumes of 

 Gleaning-s, not only in every issue but on 

 almost every page there is some reference, 

 more or less direct to the great Father and 

 to his only Son who died that we might 

 live. Yes, the bright young stranger, on 

 that eventful morning, did have "something 

 to sell," but it is expressed in our last text, 

 "without money and without price." 



My lifelong' friend Dr. Miller, as most 

 of you know, has just recently, on account 

 of age and failing health stopped writing 

 for Gleanings. I think we have had more 

 or less from him in almost every issue of 

 our journal for 45 years. Just a few 

 days ago I wrote him as below : 



Dr. d. C. Miller, 



Varengo, 111. 



Mv dear old Friend: 



" I don't l<now why it is, but for some time back 

 mv Jiiiiid has reverted again and again to the tiiiie 

 wiien you and I first met. Strange things have 

 happened during all these years. Little did either 

 of us know what was to be the outcome of that 

 ucfiuaintance when we tramped off bee-hunting and 

 I whistled that little exercise of your composition. 

 I think that ynu said that day if you could .iust 

 make a living keeping bees; stay at home with 

 vour wife and boy, etc., you would be quite happy. 

 Well, that prayer (I think perhaps we might call 

 it a prayer) has come to pass; and you said, too. 

 v(ni wanted to see my ability as a writer or teacher. 



used in spreading not only bee culture, but the 

 glorious news of Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savioi' 

 .V part of a hymn, just one stanza, came to ui.\ 

 notice just a few days ago. Here it is: 

 "From sinking sand He lifted me. 

 With tender hand He lifted me. 

 From shades of night to plains of light, 

 O praise His name He lifted me I" 

 That little bee journal has Ijeen used after a 

 humble fashion to glorify His name, and it's still 

 doing it. I don't know how long it will last. May 

 God be with you and the good friends in your 

 home. No answer is needed to this, unless you are 

 quite able ; but I should be very glad indeed for a 

 brief word from you or your friends to let me know 

 how you are getting along in your old age. In 

 some respects I really enjoy growing old. It re- 

 lieves me from many responsibilities; but I am 

 wondering how long I shall be able to read and 

 write and get about and make garden and grow 

 the new Annual sweet clover — one of the dear 

 Lord's latest and most precious gifts! 

 As ever. 



Your old friend and co-worker, 

 July 30, 1920. A. I. Root. 



By the way, are you able to sing nowadays >. I 

 would travel a long ways to hear you sing once 

 more, "The Rock that is higher than I." 

 As ever, 

 Your old friend and wellwisher, 



A. L R. 



In response to the same he replies as 

 follows : 



Marengo, 111., Aug. 7, 1920. 

 My good friend A. I., 



It seems good to get a letter from you. Makes 

 me recall the first time I ever saw you, when we 

 slept together and you talked till pretty late about 

 bees and about having sap from maple trees go 

 directly to the hive. But you didn't put your night- 

 cap in my pocket as you did later on when we slept 

 together at conventions. 



At that time I didn't expect ever to be living in 

 my ninetieth year as I am at present. And altho 

 the years cannot be many until I enter the better 

 world I find just as much enjoyment in this life as 

 I did fifty years ago, Altho my weakened heart 

 allows me — rather compels me — to walk softly all 

 my days, yet I am free from pain and enjoy life to 

 the full. I work quite a bit every day, and do a 

 lot of resting. Today I've been cutting burdocks 

 and cultivating gladioli. I had workt up quite a 

 stock of gladioli, disposing of most of the flowers 

 by sending them to the poor of Chicago, but when 

 told I never could do much hard work again last 

 fall, I disposed of some 5000 and have only 2000 

 left to play with. My special enjoyment is in the 

 new varieties originated by myself, some 300 or 

 more varieties. I rather think I've more fun with 

 them than you do with annual sweet clover. That's 

 only an adopted child of yours, while these gladioli 

 are my own babies. Raising new varieties from 

 seed is quite a gamble; if one gets one out of :i 

 hundred worth keeping one is fortunate. I have 

 been quite fortunate. 



Yes, I can sing nearly as well as ever, and it 

 would be a delight to sing for you "The Rock that 

 is higher than I", only I'd have to brush up on 

 the words, ('ome and see me when I get settled in 

 llje mansions iin-),<u<-tl for me. 



Ble.ssings on vou. 



C. C. Miller. 



In closing it may be well to consider how 

 far Dr. Miller ever realized his early am- 

 bition of being able to sui)i)ort his family 

 by bee culture alone. For several seasons 

 after that first acquaintance he had tlic 

 usual ups and downs; and, as I remember, 

 they were mostly downs; in fact, I almost 

 began to wish he would give it up; but 

 he stuck to it thru thick and thin. Now 

 listen to this, whicli 1 get li-oiii pnge 2i)S 



