38 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 1 



Jesus reminded us that, upon this earth, 

 we should find moth and rust constantly cor- 

 rupting; and at the same time it is a place 

 where thieves break through and steal. A 

 few days ago there was a sudden develop- 

 ment of housebreaking and stealing right 

 here in Medina. As we have had no saloons 

 here for about twenty years, property has 

 been tolerably safe, even if you forgot to 

 lock the door nights when you went to bed, 

 or left your potatoes and apples out in the 

 field or in the back shed. Recently there 

 were several raids, and the thief was so low 

 and mean as to take canned fruit. Yes, 

 they broke into a comparatively poor hard- 

 working man's cellar, got the most of his 

 canned fruit, and then a week or two later 

 went into the same cellar again and took 

 some more stuff. They did not have the 

 grace to pick out the home of a rich man 

 where the stores would not be missed so 

 much. "Where thieves break through and 

 steal." What do you suppose it costs this 

 nation to keep things locked up so they will 

 be safe from pilfering? 



Now, friends, Jesus always gave us a rem- 

 edy, and he did it in this case. He says, 

 "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, 

 where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, 

 and where thieves do not break through nor 

 steal." What a beautiful place heaven 

 must be! I never thought of it before, but 

 I am going to tell Mr^',. Root that, when we 

 get to heaven, we shall have no further 

 worry from moth and rust (nor mice). I will 

 tell her, too, that when we are there she 

 will not need to get up just as she is ready 

 to drop to sleep because we have forgotten 

 to lock the door. Not only will there be no 

 moth, rust, nor corruption, but no stealing, 

 because everybody will love his neighbor 

 just as well as he loves himself. None of 

 us will even covet what belongs to somebody 

 else. What a happy place, and what a hap- 

 py people! 



But before closing I have something more 

 to say about that word ' ' corrupt " — " where 

 moth and rust doth corrupt." I suppose 

 moth and rust might represent the love of 

 money more than almost any thing else; 

 and I do not know of any thing more corrupt- 

 ing than big salaries with not much to do in 

 return. One of the oflScers of the Equitable 

 Life Insurance Co. was getting $150,000 a 

 year; but since the searchlight of public in- 

 dignation has been turned on him he has re- 

 pented a little and concluded he could afford 

 to work (?) for only half that amount.* 



I have before mentioned the fact that 

 many of our county commissioners, made up 



* Since the above was written I have come across the 

 following, which I clip from the Count7~y Geyitlemayj: 



It is all over with Mr. McCurdy. Life insurance com- 

 panies, like republics, are ungrateful. The aged man 

 (Richard A., we mean) who had served the Mutual so 

 long aid faithfully for a meager recompense, who offer- 

 ed to cut his salary in two for the privilege of continu- 

 ing to serve it, has been cast into outer darkness. He 

 says in his letter of resignation that he needs rest and 

 the trustees in their reply hope he will take it. It might 

 be hoped, also, that he will not be obliged to take it in 

 the penitentiary, for that is not a salubrious place for a 

 man past seventy. 



mostly of good honest hard-working farmers, 

 sooner or later learn to puff a cigar; it is re- 

 ported they also play cards, and drink, but 

 I hope this is not true; but it is true that I 

 have been greatly pained and astonished to 

 see so many of them, after they have been 

 in oflSce a little while, get to puffing a cigar. 

 One of the best men I know of, and, in fact, 

 one of the best farmers I ever met, a good 

 Christian man, recently ran for office. I 

 said, as I took hold of his hand, " Bro. X., 

 if you should fill this office (and I honestly 

 hope you will) shall we see you puffing a ci- 

 gar like the rest of them after a time?" 

 He laughed as he rephed that he did not 

 think there was much danger. Well, he 

 did not get the office. I do not know what 

 the trouble was, unless it was that somebody 

 who had hold of the wires feared that he 

 would be too straight and square in all that 

 he did. 



But of late a big change has been coming 

 over us, not only here in Ohio but in a good 

 many other States. So much crookedness 

 has been brought to light that people are de- 

 manding those who are candidates for im- 

 portant offices shall be positively opposed to 

 the saloon gang and the liquor-traffic. 



There is another way in which riches are 

 corrupting. Years ago I was introduced to 

 a bright young man— I might say almost a 

 boy— who seemed as pure and honest and 

 true as almost any young man you could 

 pick out. I was told that he would probably 

 be a millionaire; and I began wondering at 

 the time whether money would or could cor- 

 rupt one who looked so guileless and pure as 

 he did. For quite a time he worker' diligent- 

 ly and faithfully in the various mills and 

 factories belonging to his father; but later 

 on he was sporting a high-priced yacht. 

 Although he had a beautiful wife, and a 

 child or two, he got among the fashionables, 

 and it soon became noised abroad that he 

 was pretty intimate with another man's 

 wife. A little later they were off for Europe, 

 traveling together as man and wife. The 

 woman's husband made some show of re- 

 monstrance at first, but all at once he gave 

 up and let his wife go. It was whispered 

 that he was silenced with money. This man, 

 because he was a millionaire, was allowed 

 to trample the holiest laws of our land under 

 foot with impunity, and public opinion seem- 

 ed to say, "Oh! he is a millionaire; he can 

 do any thing he pleases so long as he has 

 money enough to pay for it." God forbid 

 that this thing should continue. I want to 

 live to see millionaires sent to prison like 

 other people unless they obey our laws. 

 I am sure our good President will stand by 

 me in this, even if nobody else will. 



Here is something more in the same line, 

 clipped from the Cleveland Leader: 



MRS. ASAY NOT TO CONTEST WILL. 



Chicago June 7. — Mrs. Elizabeth Asay returned to- 

 day from Sharon, Pa., where she attended the funeral of 

 the late Peter L. Kimberly. 



Mrs. Asay said to-day: " There is no reason why I 

 should ti-y to bi-eak Mr. Kimberly's will. He has pro- 

 vided me with enough money to live for the rest of my 

 life; and, even if he had not, I have means of my own. 



