1881 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



303 



Let mine adversaries bo clothed with shame; and 

 let them cover themselves with their own confusion 

 as with a mantle. 



If a man steadily devote himself to the 

 task of getting boys to drink, and procuring 

 it for them, and as years pass on there seems 

 to be no hope of his doing any better, would 

 it not be a real mercy to the world if he were 

 under the sod in the churchyardV and if his 

 children are to be brought "up in the same 

 way, which they will in all probability, will 

 it not be better that they should be cut olf 

 in infancy, and thus spare tlie world their 

 sad history of crimeV This you see would 



give US- 

 Let his posterity be cut off: and in iho generation 

 followinj? let their name be blotted out. 



I am very glad indeed, friend J^., that you 

 were pleased with my mild answer, although 

 I have no recollection of it at all now. I 

 presume I did it in response to the spirit 

 that Christ lias so plainly taught, and be- 

 cause I was trying to follow in his footsteps, 

 and not because of any virtue in myself. I 

 have fought many hard battles before I could 

 give such answers as you mention. May I 

 not ask you to give him, my teacher, the 

 praise and glory V 



Friend L., if you know any church that 

 calls a liquor-dealer a good brother on ac- 

 count of his paying a large sum of money, 

 you have seen some thing I have not. Are 

 you not taking this from hearsay? I am sure 

 that Christian people all over the land will 

 smile at the position you take in this. In 

 regard to mercy, may I suggest that Jesus 

 showed mercy only to those who were peni- 

 tent. You surely would not cut oil: all 

 chance to retrieve to those who wish sincere- 

 ly to turn over a new leaf and do better? 

 There is a truth in the position you take, 

 and Jesus himself said, on this point,— 

 I came not to sendpeacF,but a sword.— Matt. 10:o4. 



You are also right in your concluding 

 words, and I really believe the way in which 

 the world is to be converted hi by actions, 

 and by showing the spirit of Christ in our 

 business with each other. I presume, of 

 course, you \vill turn in and help on that 

 line, will you not? 



Give us this daj- our daily bread.— Matt. 6 : 11. 



Oleanings :— We admire your manner of dealing 

 with your customers, your home writing, and your 

 advice to X.Y.Z.; but it does not fully cover the case 

 in point. What is the man to do while he is mukiug 

 a reputation, if wages are too low to support him- 

 self and family? It is like raising an orange grove 

 in Florida, it one could only live while trees are 

 growing. Many of us here are in the condition of X., 

 only from 100 to 150 per cent worse. Our laborers 

 can get only from 40 to 50 cts. per day, and then pay 

 only for suitable weather when work can be done. 

 If they turn their efforts to cultivating the soil, it is 

 still worse. We, as merchants, lately sold what rep- 

 resents a >i entire year's labor of one man for less 

 than 100 dollars. One half of this amount went for 

 use of land and horse, and vipon the remainder the 

 laborer was expected to live honestly, and support 

 himself and family, attend church, and send his 

 children to school. The proceeds of labor on lands 

 pay so little for rents of land, that the land-owners 

 are in many cases advancing yearly rents to one- 



half of proceeds. Then the laborer will, on his 53 

 dollars a year, have to (in addition to the above) sup- 

 port his horse, or reduce his wages. Is it not time 

 that civilization and Christianity were tryingto solve 

 this problem, before being forced to accept the 

 Beecher prescription of " love and water" for sub- 

 istence? W. H. W. 



New Market, Ala. 



JSIany thanks, friend \V. As you present 

 the case, it does indeed seem sad ; and I 

 grant that, from one standpoint, it seems a 

 little discouraging. Without the help of 

 God, Christianity, and civilization, it would 

 be hopeless. You have spoken of civiliza- 

 tion yourself, and so I presume those who 

 get only SIOO.OO a year, as you say, are with- 

 out education. Don't they smoke a pipe 

 too, friend W.? They would probablv com- 

 plain that their parents were unable to give 

 them an education, for want of means, and 

 that it Avas therefore a misfortune rather 

 than a fault. Now, this is where the troub- 

 le lies. These people can, every one of 

 them, get an education now. if they will try. 

 It amounts to just about the same thing as 

 leaving off the use of the tobacco. It is 

 really a matter of choice, and sums up the 

 old story that Joshua told the people, 

 " choose you this day whom ye will serve." 



Friend W., if you have a queen that is so 

 poor she Avill not lay enough to keep the col- 

 ony alive, you can never make a permanent, 

 good stock of it by giving brood from other 

 swarms. Now, if you will forgive me I 

 would suggest that the men you name can 

 not be made self-sustaining by giving them 

 money, or by giving them larger pay than 

 they ordinarily command in the neighbor- 

 hood where they are known. Instead of the 

 prices coming up, the men niu.st come up. 

 More pay than they earn will do them harm 

 rather than good. A queen can not well be 

 changed; but a slow, dull, indifferent man 

 may be taught to be quick, bright, and in- 

 terested. I know, for it has been done, right 

 under my eye. The sufferer, for sufferer he 

 is, must tirst humble himself enough to ad- 

 mit his failing. He must be led to recog- 

 nize that the reason why he gets less pay 

 than other ]ieople is not because he is un- 

 fortunate, but that it is his own fault. 



They that be whole, need not a physician.- 



Matt. 9 : 13. 



The greatest trouble in such cases is, that 

 the individual will have it that he is all right, 

 and the world all wrong. He must be led to 

 take an attitude some thing like this : " If 

 •50 cts. a day is my market value, I do not 

 want any more, and 50 cts. a day must sup- 

 port me'." When you can get a man right 

 there, he is generally all right. The hrst 

 part of Our Homes tells you how a man can 

 live on 50 cts. a day. and fare well too. How 

 about a family? "Well, my idea is that no 

 good man would willingly take a family on 

 his hands until he could do a little better 

 than this ; but I have no idea but that many 

 a wife and mother could tell me how a family 

 has lived on a smaller income than that. •'Do 

 justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before 

 God," and I tell you he icill get along. Fol- 

 low the teachings and spirit of the Bible, and 

 there is no such thing as fail. I have had 



