I'JOo 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



67 



learn. After the meetin^^ the good brother 

 I talked with said in substance: 



" Mr. Root, before the hre there were two 

 churches — a Xorf/i jind a South Presbyte- 

 rian. Both were planning new buildings; 

 in fact, a gre^it part of the money was in 

 the banks, and both buildings were insur- 

 ed. After the fire, something or somebody 

 suggested iinititio^, and then everybody was 

 astonished to find almost no objection any- 

 2i'/iere. I told Mrs. Root I believed God 

 called me to take this trip, or, rather, that 

 he had something for me to do awa3' from 

 home, although I had no idea what it was. 

 Is it possible he wishes me to use mj^ influ- 

 ence and abilitj' to bring about a closer 

 unit}' between the churches ? He knows 

 how my heart is in it. The temperance 

 work, the Endeavor work, the Y. M. C. A. 

 work, the W. C. T. U. work, and many 

 other things are leading that way. Unit- 

 ed, we stand ; but divided, we fall. 



The next daj' a new friend who has been 

 reading the Home Papers, Mrs. M. Lewis, 

 of New Smj'rna, unconsciouslj^ turned light 

 on this matter from another standpoint. 

 She ver}' kindly volunteered to go with me 

 a short distance to point out a crooked path 

 to another bee-keeper. On the vva}' we pass- 

 ed near a colored settlement. She said 

 something like this: 



*• Mr. Root, that our colored friends may 

 not be behind the whites you will notice 

 they have a good manj' churches for so 

 small a town. They can't get along with- 

 out two kinds of Methodists and two kinds 

 of Baptists, and so the.v are trying to keep 

 up /£)«;■ churches and yb//;- ministers out of 

 their scant}- earnings." 



May God help us to do better, if it is in- 

 deed true that these poor friends are look- 

 ing to us to set them a pattern I 



For whom Christ died.— I. Cor. S;!!. 



Our steamer came in sight of Havana 

 about daylight, January 2. She anchored 

 right close to the wreck of the Maine. I 

 was a stranger in a strange land; not a 

 soul around me could understand our lan- 

 guage. As I looked at the rusting relic of 

 the recent awful tragedj' that stirred the 

 whole world, there was atendencj'to unchar- 

 itable feelings toward the new and strange 

 people. But about this time something sug- 

 gested the words at the head of this paper, 

 "for whom Christ died." A tug came out 

 to take us to the dock. Our people sent a 

 letter, asking our agent at Havana, Mr. F. 

 H. de Beche, to meet me at the landing; 

 but I arrived just before the letter did. 



While I was on the tug a nice-looking 

 young fellow approched, and, touching his 

 hat, inquired in very good English if this 

 was Mr. Root. I assented, and inquired if 

 he was sent to look after me. 



" Mr. Root, no one sent me; but I know Mr. 

 de Beche, and something of the business he 

 is doing with your company; and when I 

 saw 3-our name on your bycicle-trunk I 

 thought perhaps I could aid you." 



He assisted me in having my valise pass 

 the custom-house examiners, went with me 

 and hunted up Mr. de Beche, and wouldn't 

 accept a cent as pa}' for his time. As Mr. 

 de Beche was busy for a good part of the 

 day I begged to be allowed to run over the 

 city a good deal alone. I wanted to take 

 my own time in studying humanity in this, 

 to me, new world. 



Havana has a population of toward a 

 quarter of a million, and this vast multi- 

 tude are, as it seemed to me, out of doors 

 the greater part of the time the year round. 

 The shops and stores are mostly out of 

 doors; the porches or awnings extend out so 

 far it makes the street exceedingly narrow. 

 At first it seemed to me they were uncom- 

 fortably narrow; but after a little I found 

 some advantages in the narrow streets. 

 For instance, it makes the shops cool and 

 shady — the more so as the buildings are all 

 of stone, even to the roofs and ceilings. 

 Like the coral rock in Bermuda, when 

 first quarried it can be easily sawed into 

 stone slais, or, you might almost say, 

 " boards." I found people of all nationali- 

 ties side by side, on the most friendly 

 terms — Spanish, Negro, Chinese, and a 

 sprinkling of Americans, but no one appar- 

 ently above or much above the others. 

 They seem to prefer to be called Cubans 

 instead of singling out the different races. 



Until recently, getting married has been 

 so expensive that a great many heads of 

 families have never been married at all le- 

 gally; and, although separations are rare 

 (thank God), this easy way of starting 

 "homes" has perhaps tended much toward 

 amalgamation. In the city everybody is 

 fairly well dressed, and, as a rule, the peo- 

 ple are clean. They have a great abun- 

 dance of very pure spring water. A part 

 of the stores advertise that English is spok- 

 en; but out in the open street, perhaps not 

 one in a hundred speaks anything but Span- 

 ish. As I looked them over I kept saying 

 in my mind, "For whom Christ died;" and 

 as a new love and compassion filled my 

 heart I became very happy. I believe God 

 called me to that trip up in Northern Mich- 

 igan; I believe he was pleased to see me 

 plead with them for the upbuilding of that 

 scattered little church. I did not know 

 zv/iy his voice in my heart seemed to call me 

 toward Cuba; but when the beautiful 

 thought of our text came into my mind, and 

 began to unfold, "For whom Christ died," 

 then 1 began to comprehend a little. I do not 

 know what I am to do or how I am to labor; 

 but I feel strangely called toward these 

 mixed races of people. In Mr. de Beche's 

 office there is a fine large phonograph for 

 sale. It is kept going a good deal to show 

 people how it can talk and sing. During 

 the day it commenced playing "Dixie's 

 Land." A spindling colored juvenile lis- 

 tened awhile. The melody touched a re- 

 sponsive chord; his arms and legs beg^an to 

 keep time to the music, and then he danced 

 as only children of his race cafi dance. It 

 was an innocent, childlike dance, and I 



