1881 



GLEAi^mGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



145 



gjtr f CTP^. 



And we declare unto you irlad tidings.— Acts 13:32. 



fllAVE for many days looked forward to 

 the time, dear friends, when I should 

 — ' come before you, as I do now this morn- 

 ing, and it is because I have something to 

 tell you. Please think over, if you will, 

 each one of you, and lix your minds on what 

 would, in your opinion, make you happiest, 

 just now. What would be the gladdest ti- 

 dings that you can think of? As in my 

 mind's eye I scan you in your different 

 homes, 1 fall to wondering Avhat are the 

 great wants of the little army of those who 

 read these Home Papers monthly. Some of 

 you. doubtless, would be made "happiest by 

 having something to do ; others, by having 

 better pay for their labor; still others, by 

 having a little less to do ; some of you, by 

 receiving the money for the work you have 

 done ; still others, and many, doubtless, by 

 having good health, and the ability to earn 

 honest, fair day's wages. Many of you are 

 doubtless in pain, and I fear, too, that not a 

 few are suffering mental agony for sins that 

 are past, or from sins that hold you in bond- 

 age. Besides all these, there are a great 

 many, I am sure, who are discontented with- 

 out any apparent reason. Is life unsatisfac- 

 tory? I once heard a man say that, in his 

 opinion, life costs all it is wortla, and a little 

 more. Will it be saying too much if I de- 

 clare I have glad tidings for you allV Yes, 

 all ; all I have mentioned, and to every one 

 else who is in sorrow, or suffering from any 

 cause whatever, or who. has wants and needs 

 that conduce to make them unhappy. Have 

 I put it too stronglyV 



Come unto me, all yc that Liboi- and are heavy 

 laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon 

 you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in 

 heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For 

 my yoke i> easy, and my burden is lig-ht.— 



Matt. 11:28— 30. 



There is certainly no trouble with the 

 promise in the little text ; the only trouble 

 is, that we will not accept that yoke. Is it 

 a yokeV Yes. it is, but not a' hundredth 

 part as grievous a one as the yokes I have 

 pictured above ; in fact, when you once get 

 it adjusted, it is truly easy, and the burden 

 is light. jS^ay, more ; it is a real, positive 

 pleasure to bear it; and methinks I have 

 heard of people who shouted for joy, or at 

 least felt like doing so, because of the privi- 

 lege of bearing this burden. I wonder if I 

 can not make it plain. 



Y'ou have a little one at home in its crib. 

 It has been out during these spring days, 

 and, forgetting the cool March air (and 

 mamma's injunction) during the bright new 

 sunshine has thrown off its wrappings and 

 caught cold. As you come home at night, 

 the poor helpless little one is moaning with 

 the ear-ache. It has transgressed, and is 

 now suffering the consequences. Y'ou bend 

 over and kiss the little soft tear-stained 

 cheek; remedies are applied, but to no 

 avail. Y'ou, its father and. mother, are pow- 

 erless, at least for the time. ^Vhile your 

 hearts are wrung with anguish at the suffer-. 



ing of the poor little helpless one, has the 

 thought never occurred to you, — in fact, 

 have you never said to the poor little suf- 

 ferer, "Papa would gladly, oh so gladly! 

 bear the pain for you, my precious, if he 

 could"? AVell, suppose this were possible, 

 and that you could take it all yourself, and 

 see the little one's smile for joy at being re- 

 lieved from pain. Would you grumble at 

 the pain when it came? To be sure, not. 

 Y^ou would, right in the midst of its severest 

 twinges, say, "Tliank God ! thank God! 

 my darling is spared;" and I am not sure 

 but that a peace and joy would shine from 

 your face, even though the intense pain 

 brought tears to your eyes. Now, please 

 just liold on to one point I have made clear 

 to you. It is this: there is a possibility of 

 being happy and thankful, yes, even joyous, 

 amid severe bodily pain. There may be 

 fathers (but I am sure none whose eyes are 

 on these pages)- who would refuse to accept 

 the pain, preferring to let the little one bear 

 it. I have no glad tidings for such a one, or 

 at least none so long as they hold to that at- 

 titude. They decline the yoke that Christ 

 has spoken of. 



Well, if all the trials in life were as plain 

 and simple as the above little incident ; if, 

 in fact, you could see and imderstiind just 

 how all you are called upon to bear were for 

 your own good, or for some loved one's good, 

 there would be, at least so it seems to us, 

 little trouble in saying, right along through 

 all the trials and wants I have spoken of, 

 ''Not my will, but thine, be done." But be- 

 fore I enlarge on this point of submission, as 

 it is my purpose to do, I wish you to clearly 

 distinguish between submission in a hopeful 

 way, and submission in a discouraged way. 

 If you are out of work, you are by no manner 

 of means to suppose it is God's will you 

 should be a burden on your friends and so- 

 ciety, and so sit down and give up ; but you 

 are to submit to the greater trial, perhaps, 

 of going out through the storm, buffeting 

 the elements, and possibly unkind words 

 too, from those to whom you apply, because, 

 without question, it is God's will that you 

 should submit to this, as the first and most 

 apparent duty. With it should also be a 

 willingness to accept of whatever position 

 will enable you to turn an honest penny, 

 even though the wages be but small, accept- 

 ing whatever your fellow-men may be in- 

 clined to offer, as an evidence that it is God's 

 will that you should, at least for the present, 

 have no better place or better wages. Ask 

 him to open your eyes and brighten your in- 

 tellect, then plunge fearlessly into the duties 

 of life and living. Accept the situation of 

 affairs as it is, but resolve within yourself 

 that, by his help, you will make yourself of 

 such value that you will be sought for in- 

 stead of having to seek places all your life. 

 Now keeping this in view, I wish to quote 

 from the little book, " The Christian's Se- 

 cret of a Happy Life," that I mentioned last 

 month. I have selected a passage to bring 

 out Avhat it is to trust in God ; but, mind 

 you, during all this trust you are supposed 

 to be working hard with both mind and 

 body, day by day, and to be in no sort of 

 sense, dead or idle. I quote from p. 16 :— 



