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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



Dec. 



the good old Eli, when Samuel told him of 

 the Lord's reproof. Few I have found in 

 this woild who could say this at once, and 

 through all troubles and trials as they come 

 up. My mot her seems able to do so in a very 

 marked degree, for she is bright, cheerful, 

 and hopeful, even now. Many of the friends 

 say she can not hold out thus long, for it 

 Avould be more than human to do so. I agree 

 with them that it would be more than hn- 

 7nan, but still I think she will hold out, for 

 she has something more than human to sus- 

 tain her. Not that she has any privilege 

 above the lot of mortals, for Ave all may have 

 it if we will ; nay, we may all have it as a 

 free gift if we will only accept it. Is it not 

 so? It did not seem quite natural for poor 

 father to always have that same bright faith 

 she has. Several days before his death, at a 

 time when we thought he was dying, and 

 while mother was talking to him about going 

 home, he gave her a smile and a look so full 

 of hope and peace that it seemed almost to 

 belong to another world. This look will al- 

 ways be treasured by her; but afterward, 

 when he rallied and seemed better, pain and 

 sickness were with him again, and the bright 

 hopes seemed somewhat to have gone. At 

 this time his pastor visited him, and in his 

 talk asked if the Savior seemed near to him. 

 His reply was, " Sometimes." When near 

 to death, the world, earthly things, and even 

 his poor old body, were almost lost and for- 

 gotten, to such an extent that he hardly felt 

 any pain. When he was better in body, the 

 other world receded, and earthly trials came 

 back. In all that I can recall of my father, 

 I can think of no time when he held back 

 the trutli,even in the slightest degree, out of 

 courtesy, or to avoid hurting anybody's feel- 

 ings, llis greatt st fault M'as, perhaps, in 

 letting the tiuth come out, no matter where 

 it hit; and as he, like all the rest of us, 

 sometimes formed uncharitable or hasty 

 conclusions, this trait of his caused him to 

 give pain, and perhaps make enemies, which 

 a little more charity and mercy might have 

 saved. Knowing this, T was rather glad to 

 hear him speak, through his pain, the sim- 

 ple " sometimes." Few, very few, there be 

 who can always feel the Savior equally near, 

 and who can, through sickness and death, 

 rise above the pains and toils of this mortal 

 body ; and in view of this I turn again to 

 father's favorite chapter, the .03d Psalm, 

 and read, — 



For ho knoweth our frame; he rcmemboreth that 

 we are dust. 



In these past Home Papers I have told 

 you of one of the boys whom I called 

 " Fred," and about his conversion and work 

 in the mission Sabbath-schools afterward. 

 As his was a spirit fond of adventure, and 

 almost eager for danger, as it were, he held 

 this same trait to a considerable extent aft- 

 er his conversion. For a time he set ty))e 

 for Gleanings, as you will remember. In 

 his old life lie had been on the railroads, and 

 he seemed to have a longing for that kind of 

 life still. On this account he had been, for 

 tlie past year or two, in their employ, lie 

 had been promoted several times, and quite 

 recently had been quite happy in having en- 



tire charge of a train of coal cars. He was 

 getting pretty good pay, and as he almost 

 invariably got his train in a little ahead of 

 any of the rest, he would probably soon 

 have been promoted still more. Well, but a 

 very few days have passed since Fred lost 

 his life, while running his train through in 

 the night. An accident happened that 

 threatened to endanger the lives of others, 

 and in trying to save them, especially some 

 new hands lately given into his charge, he 

 was cut to pieces by the cars. You know 

 how one's mind runs back over past events 

 when one you hold dear is suddenly taken 

 away. 1 want to tell you one of these. Fred 

 and 1 had two mission schools started that 

 seemed to promise much good. It was in 

 tlie fall of the year, and we were discussing 

 giving up one, 'because the days were get- 

 ting so short. Fred said it seerbed as if they 

 must not be stopped, either of them. Then 

 let us pray God to raise up some one to keep 

 them going, said I. After a little silence, 

 as we were riding home, said he, — 



" JNIr. Root, do you think it possible that I 

 might take charge of the Litchfield school?" 



" I do think it possible, Fred, with God's 

 help, and I have been praying you might so 

 see it." 



It might have been a day or two afterward 

 that I saw Fred had something on his mind. 

 When it came out it was this: — 



" Mr Root, I think I could manage all at 

 the school, except the opening prayer. Now, 

 I want you to speak right out plainly. 

 Would it be wrong for one who is not a 

 member of any church, to open a Sunday- 

 school with prayer V " 



" I do not think it would be wrong, Fred, 

 if you feel in your heart God would approve 

 of your so doing."' 



As I had argued with him some on the 

 im|)ortanceof uniting with Christian people, 

 and he had seemed to prefer to stand alone, 

 I do not know but that he seemed a little 

 surprised at me. I asked our pastor what 

 he thought of my advice, and he warmly 

 seconded me. Some thought otherwise, of 

 course ; but when I started for prayer-meet- 

 ing Saturday afternoon, to my surprise Fred 

 said he would go with me. 1 was more sur- 

 prised when he said he was going to ask for 

 admission into tlie church. Do you not see 

 how iiod took care of it all? Sunday morn- 

 ing he was praying by himself alone in the 

 factory. He told me he had been asking 

 God to send some one to help him through 

 with his first Sabbath. When he returned I 

 knew by the light in his face that God had 

 been with him ; and he said that when he 

 got to the four corners, near the school- 

 house, he looked up all four of the roads, to 

 see who it was God was going to send to help 

 him ihrough with his school that Sabbath- 

 day. While he was looking, a man on horse- 

 back came in sight, and it proved to be the 

 minister from the center of Litchfield. He 

 explained that it was impressed on his mind 

 particularly, that morning, that he ought, to 

 go and see if his assistance was needed in 

 the mission school he heard was started near 

 his parish. The school built up and pros- 

 pered. Tlie minister mentioned came often, 

 and another good faithful laborer came quite 



