504 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 1 



Taco, and stood before Rambler's old hon- 

 ey-house and home. Mr. Gilson saw me 

 through the window; but he made haste to 

 open the door, and seemed very glad to see 

 me. although I thought he looked a little 

 downcast and troubled. When I told him 

 mj' errand he replied something like this: 



•'Mr. Root, if Mr. de Beche felt half as 

 bad as I do about this whole affair, I pity 

 him from the bottom of my heart. When I 

 got home I could not sleep, and could eat 

 but very little; and, to tell the truth, I have 

 had hardly a moment's peace since I left 

 Havana." 



I need not take space to give his explana- 

 tion of the matter; but I want to stop right 

 here to put in a plea for the young boys 

 who sometimes do foolish things. The best 

 bo3^ in the world when he is, say, from 18 

 to 21, is liable to err in judgment. Come 

 to think of it, I have seen boj-s of 60 or more 

 who occasionally did a foolish thing by 

 just an error in judgment. Well, now, my 

 dear brother, father, or whatever you may 

 be, when those boys of 20 make a mistake 

 or a foolish move, do not be too rough on 

 them. Do not scold, and say that " any- 

 body of common sense might have known 

 better." For God's sake, remember how it 

 was when you yourself were a boj-. Re- 

 member the nights when you could not take 

 3-our night's rest because somebody had 

 been rough on you just because you were 

 yfung in years. Make allowance; go slow; 

 question carefully and gently before you 

 make haste to hurt the poor boy's feelings, 

 and before you crush out the manly spirit 

 that is just beginning to assert itself in this 

 boy. Even if he has been overbearing, 

 even if he has been getting the " big head" 

 just a little, don't be too rough on him. 

 Reason with him kindly and gently. 



When I asked Mr. Gilson about his talk 

 with the consul, he explained it as I have 

 already done. When I told him that Mr. 

 de Beche and I could not be quite sure he 

 was not going to sell the Rambler apiary 

 and run off with the money, he burst into 

 tears, and cried — I was going to say like a 

 child; but I think I will add that he cried 

 as any good man ought to cry when he is 

 even suspected of dishonesty. "Finally," 

 said I, and I am ashamed of myself that I 

 did not say it any sooner, "Mr. Gilson, I 

 begin to suspect that you are a Christian 

 boy. Am I right? " 



Between his sobs he replied: 



"Mr. Root, when I left home in the far- 

 away North I was not only a member of 

 the church but I was superintendent of the 

 Sunday-school. I would not touch a penny 

 of what does not belong to me any more 

 than I would commit suicide. I will give 

 you and Mr. de Beche every opportunity 

 you may wish to investigate my past rec- 

 ord; and if I owe anybody on the face of 

 the whole earth a copper that is not paid, 

 let me know and I will pay it now." 



Then he cried again. May be he will 

 feel hard toward me for giving this glimpse 

 of his inner life to the outside world; but 



when I assure him that this simple little 

 story will be the means of making life eas- 

 ier for perhaps a thousand more young 

 men, I am sure he will forgive me. I asked 

 him if he would write a brief letter to Mr. 

 de Beche, apologizing for the way he did. 

 He said he would most gladly; and in a 

 minute more he was looking happy while he 

 wrote the letter. My mission was success- 

 ful — yes, more than successful; and when I 

 knelt and prayed for him, for my friend 

 Mr. de Beche, and for the rest of the bee- 

 keepers in Cuba, I felt again that I had 

 made no mistake in visiting Cuba. God 

 wanted me there; and it was his voice that 

 called, as I told you last fall. 



In due time I stood in Mr. de Beche's of- 

 fice again. I was well and happy. How 

 could I be otherwise when I was running 

 errands for the Master? Mr. de Beche was 

 also smiling and happy. Almost his first 

 words were that he had got a letter from 

 Mr. Martin's relatives, explaining that the 

 writer was in California at the time of the 

 Rambler's death, and saying that that was 

 the reason why he did not get an answer 

 and thanks for his kind services sooner. 

 When I handed him the letter from Mr. 

 Gilson, explaining that it did not come 

 through the postoffice, but that I went 60 

 miles to get it, and hoped that, under the 

 circumstances, he would read it and for- 

 give our young friend, he said at once, in a 

 manly way, that of course he would let by- 

 gones be bygones; and I thought he looked 

 especially happy as he read the letter, al- 

 though I do not know what Mr. Gilson saw 

 fit to write. 



Now, friends, when you are tempted to 

 think the world is cold and unfeeling — that 

 everybody is looking out for No. 1, and that 

 the best thing for you to do is to look out 

 for No. 1 and let the rest go — when you are 

 tempted to have these uncharitable thoughts, 

 remember my Cuban story; and whenever 

 you are tempted to get too low-spirited be- 

 cause somebody has served you a mean 

 trick, or what looks like one, especially if 

 that person should be a boy (may be a boy 

 in experience if not in years), remember 

 this Cuban story; and remember, too, my 

 text for May 15, telling us not to be weary 

 in well doing; and do not forget my story 

 to the Cuban children about loving the ba- 

 bies. It is love that makes mankind better. 

 It is not law, although law is right and 

 proper when nothing else will do. And 

 finally, dear friends, I hope you will have 

 confidence enough in your old friend A. I. 

 Root to believe that he is right when he 

 says there are no circumstances, and noth- 

 ing that can happen in business, or any- 

 where else, that would justify a man in 

 taking his own life. 



" LET rS NOT BE WEARY IN WELL DOING." 



The following, from a recent sermon by 

 Rev. Jesse Hill, struck me so forcibly that 

 I have thought best to give it here : 



