1903 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



ed it to go down with a crash; but I could 

 not get through his dull perceptions the 

 damage he might do us. Huber took the 

 job out of my hands. Said he, " Look here, 

 boys, there are four gallons of gasoline in 

 -this machine, and it would be nothing 

 strange at all if your cigars were to set 

 fire to it and blow us all up." 



The sleepy crowd caught on to the word 

 "gasoline," and piled out pellmell, and 

 we did not have any more trouble for some 

 jtime. 



You nia5% perhaps, recollect that the 

 little town of Bingham, near our cabin, is 

 something in the same predicament; and I 

 fear there maj' be a good manj' other towns, 

 not only in Michigan, but in Ohio and other 

 c>tates, where the church, Sundaj'-school, 

 ajfd every thing else, are getting away in 

 -th,e background. I was told, they used to 

 ha,v.e 3. flourishing Epworth League, but it 

 has gone to pieces. They also once had a 

 temperance organization, and even built a 

 ■temperance hall, but it is now used for other 

 purposes, and every bod 3' drinks beer — many 

 fii the women as well as men. When I ex- 

 jhorted the crowds on the street to come to 

 church or Sunda3'-school they laughed at 

 me. May be they thought I was behind 

 the times. AVell, perhaps I am and was; 

 but I think thej' will, sooner or later, be 

 (Cgmpelled to admit that " godliness is prof- 

 itable," and also that "righteousness ex- 

 alteth a nation." 



What is the trouble? I think there are 

 .several r.eagons for this state of affairs. 

 J did not hear the young pastor preach. 

 He is a good man, but I fear he has become 

 discouraged, and is a little afraid to de- 

 nounce the Devil in his stronghold in plain 

 terms. This young minister preaches in 

 four different places, and verj' likely at a 

 meager salary; and it would be nothing 

 strange at all if he has trouble in collect- 

 ing even that. The town of which I speak 

 should alone paj' him a fair salary, and 

 one that would permit him to spend all his 

 'time in looking after the spiritual interests 

 6^1 his people. The church is old and di- 

 'la^^idated. This would follow as a matter 

 of consequence. It needs fixing up. It 

 needs to be made attractive; and these people 

 need — at least I think they do — short, sharp, 

 crisp sermons that take hold of the affairs 

 of the present day. They want sermons 

 that strike blows at the wickedness in the 

 verj' town in which the people live. They 

 need an organization to enforce the laws 

 against the saloons. The spirit of temper- 

 ance needs waking up. I think I heard 

 somebody saj', when this new saloon was 

 ppened, there was a little bit of fight about 

 it, but the " wets " predominated, and then 

 celebrated the event. Of course, the free 

 drinks helped them to crow over the way in 

 which the}' had whipped and downed the 

 " pious " element. What will be the effect 

 on that town? What will be the result on 

 the 3'oung men — j-es, and on the girls too? 



Huber was inclined to be a little rude to- 

 vvard some of the young women who seemed 



bound to get acquainted. When I remon- 

 strated he replied that he had no patience 

 with forward girls. But I replied, "Huber! 

 Jesus died for fast girls as well as for fast 

 boys. We are not called on to die for them 

 as he did, for he gave up his life on the 

 cross. But we are called on, as followers 

 of Christ Jesus to be kind and civil to them, 

 and to do all they can to lead them into bet- 

 ter waj's. 



In another town there was a great stam- 

 pede of boj's and girls and everj'body else 

 to the circus. Huber suggested that per- 

 haps I was too severe on circuses — that they 

 are not really' the worst things in the world. 

 I replied, " Huber, you may be partly in 

 the right; but, notwithstanding, circuses 

 have more to do with the manufacture of 

 fast girls than almost any other one thing 

 in our land. They set the example, and 

 then they urge the bo^^s and girls to come 

 on and follow them, by every means that 

 modern invention can bring to bear. May 

 God help us." 



Now, friends, I wish I could show you a 

 picture of some of the pure bright clean 

 Michigan towns — the towns with beautiful 

 homes, turfy green lawns and cement pave- 

 ments that outshine any other in the world — 

 towns with schools and churches, able min- 

 isters, and bright and intelligent congrega- 

 tions. I should like to show you some of 

 these towns — and thank God there are hun- 

 dreds of them — and then show by contrast 

 the towns I have been describing in this 

 home paper. 



Dear reader, you may not live in Michi- 

 gan; but what kind of town do you live in — 

 a clean town with clean men and women, or 

 do you live in a town where saloons are 

 rampant? where the wets carry the day 

 every time an election is held? where the,v 

 celebrate their victory with free drinks? 

 where they celebrate the privilege they en- 

 joy of leading pure boys and girls down to 

 ruin and shame.'' It rests with yoti, father 

 and mother, brother and sister. "O God, 

 how long shall the adversary reproach? 

 shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for 

 ever?" As a natural consequence, this 

 town which I have been describing is full 

 of blaspheming men and boys. I will say 

 to their credit they were civil, pleasant, 

 and good-natured; but when they spoke in 

 even the most common conversation, foul in- 

 appropriate oaths rolled out of their mouths. 

 Thej' seemed to delight in shocking a stran- 

 ger; or, to put it a little differently, the^^ 

 seemed to delight in giving a stranger to 

 understand that they were not tied down to 

 any pious order. 



Again and again I think of that long ser- 

 mon — a very good sermon it was, mind you 

 — but there was too much of it; and it had 

 too much theology in it. It was not on a 

 theme that touched the events of the daj' and 

 interested and got hold of the girls and boj's. 

 It made me think of the time when / had 

 no interest in nor sympathy for sermons I 

 listened to. It may be we Christian people 

 are greatly at fault. It may be that at 



